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What most VCs won’t tell you about raising capital

Venture capitalists Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) and Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker Ventures) pull back the curtain on how VCs build their own go-to-market strategies— not just how they evaluate startups, but how they win over LPs and founders alike. In this episode of Build Mode, they share hard-won lessons from raising their first funds…

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Venture capitalists Ross Fubini (XYZ Ventures) and Leslie Feinzaig (Graham & Walker Ventures) pull back the curtain on how VCs build their own go-to-market strategies— not just how they evaluate startups, but how they win over LPs and founders alike. In this episode of Build Mode, they share hard-won lessons from raising their first funds and how that experience allows them to empathize with founders. They discuss why “founder-market fit” applies to VCs too, how authentic thought leadership beats manufactured content, and why the best investor relationships start years before you need the money. Plus, the importance of building trust over transactions and why your network truly is your competitive advantage in venture.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:01 Meet the VCs: From Netscape to Costa Rica
03:06 The Horror Show of Raising a First Fund
05:29 Building a Fund as Proof of Concept
08:52 The Schtick: Why VCs Need a Unique Thesis
11:44 Thought Leadership That Actually Works
15:34 The Qualification Process: Knowing in Two Minutes
19:06 Authentic vs. Manufactured Content
27:59 Building Relationships Before You Need Money
30:00 Founder-Market Fit for VCs
32:52 Key Takeaways: Person, Firm, Terms—In That Order
36:45 Field Notes: Creative Ways VCs Court Founders

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode is produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And a special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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Science & Technology

The Nurse Who Can Smell Parkinson’s | Joy Milne | TED

What does Parkinson’s smell like? Ask nurse Joy Milne. Born with a hypersensitive nose, she spent a lifetime learning to recognize diseases through their scents. When she smelled Parkinson’s on her husband years before his diagnosis, she decided to put her gift to the test. Today, her extraordinary nose has been translated into a non-invasive…

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May 3, 2026

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What does Parkinson’s smell like? Ask nurse Joy Milne. Born with a hypersensitive nose, she spent a lifetime learning to recognize diseases through their scents. When she smelled Parkinson’s on her husband years before his diagnosis, she decided to put her gift to the test. Today, her extraordinary nose has been translated into a non-invasive test — helping researchers diagnose what was right under their noses all along. (Recorded at TEDxManchester on March 4, 2023)

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CNET

This Robot Looks Right Out of Star Wars

The $25,000 Tron 1 from LimX Dynamics looks like a mini AT-ST from Star Wars: here’s what it actually can do. 00:00 – Introducing the Star Wars-inspired Tron 00:11 – Durability and Speed Testing 00:34 – Real-World Applications: Deliveries and Inspections 01:15 – Autonomous Tours and Human Interaction 01:32 – Photobot: Autonomous Photography 01:55 –…

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May 3, 2026

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The $25,000 Tron 1 from LimX Dynamics looks like a mini AT-ST from Star Wars: here’s what it actually can do.

00:00 – Introducing the Star Wars-inspired Tron
00:11 – Durability and Speed Testing
00:34 – Real-World Applications: Deliveries and Inspections
01:15 – Autonomous Tours and Human Interaction
01:32 – Photobot: Autonomous Photography
01:55 – Pricing and Future Outlook

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CNET

The Latest Folding iPhone Reports – April 30, 2026

There’s still a lot of rumor, speculation, and alleged leaks around the possibility of Apple releasing a foldable phone, but who would this be for, anyway? One guess: it could be for people who miss the iPad Mini, if the apps can just work. #ipad #iphone #iphoneultra #iphonefold Add CNET as a trusted news source…

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May 2, 2026

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There’s still a lot of rumor, speculation, and alleged leaks around the possibility of Apple releasing a foldable phone, but who would this be for, anyway? One guess: it could be for people who miss the iPad Mini, if the apps can just work. #ipad #iphone #iphoneultra #iphonefold

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