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Village Global Podcast

Village Global Podcast

By: Village Global
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 The Village Global podcast takes you inside the world of venture capital and technology, featuring enlightening interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and tech industry leaders. Learn more at www.villageglobal.vc.Village Global Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Executing as a Best-In-Class Firm: Operational Excellence From The Inside of Over 50 VC Firms with Kristen Ostro of Strut Consulting

    Executing as a Best-In-Class Firm: Operational Excellence From The Inside of Over 50 VC Firms with Kristen Ostro of Strut Consulting
    Jun 12 2025
    Jacob Mullins, Venture Partner at Village Global, welcomes Kristen Ostro, founder and CEO of Strut Consulting, to discuss the foundational elements that set venture capital firms up for long-term success. Kristen shares how her career began under the mentorship of Dick Kramlich at NEA, where she was trained in the core values and operational excellence that have shaped her approach to supporting dozens of VC firms across Silicon Valley. Drawing on this experience, Kristen explains why establishing a clear mission, vision, and values (MVV) framework is essential for firm alignment, decision-making, and building a resilient culture.

    Kristen outlines the common pitfalls firms face when they skip the MVV exercise, such as misalignment, wasted resources, and cultural drift, and offers actionable advice for integrating MVV into hiring, branding, and succession planning. She emphasizes that it’s never too late for a firm to revisit and refine its core principles, and shares practical tips for making the process collaborative and authentic.

    Listeners will gain valuable insights on how to differentiate their firm in a competitive market, attract top talent, and create a legacy that stands the test of time. Kristen’s reflections, inspired by her early training with one of venture capital’s founding fathers, offer a roadmap for building a values-driven organization that can thrive for decades.

    VC Mastermind is a private podcast for VC Managing Partners. Designed for senior decision-makers at VC firms managing $50 million to $5 billion of institutional capital, VC Mastermind delivers premium insights, peer exchange, and operational best practices across all stages of a firm's life cycle. It was founded by Jacob Mullins (@jacob on X / twitter) – a 20-year veteran of the Silicon Valley startup tech and venture capital industry based in San Francisco.

    Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.

    Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

    Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.vc/signup
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    50 mins
  • The Secret to Startup M&A: How To Set Your Companies Up for Big Outcomes with Ezra Roizen of Advsr

    The Secret to Startup M&A: How To Set Your Companies Up for Big Outcomes with Ezra Roizen of Advsr
    Jun 5 2025
    Jacob Mullins, Venture Partner at Village Global, sits down with Ezra Roizen, General Manager of Advsr and author of "The Magic Box Paradigm," to demystify the world of startup mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on Jacob’s private podcast, VC Mastermind, which we are cross-posting on the Village Global podcast. Drawing on decades of experience as both an entrepreneur and investment banker, Ezra shares his unique framework for maximizing M&A outcomes, emphasizing that successful startup exits are driven not by a traditional sales process, but by building strategic relationships and unlocking future value for acquirers.

    Ezra introduces the "Magic Box Paradigm," a visual and practical approach that helps founders and investors focus on the unique value their company can unlock for specific buyers—what he calls the "purple squares." He explains why M&A is fundamentally different from fundraising, how to avoid the pitfalls of a sales-driven mindset, and why starting early with strategic relationship-building is key. The conversation covers actionable advice for VCs and board members on how to guide their portfolio companies, the importance of thought leadership, and how to navigate both strategic and private equity exits.

    Listeners will come away with a fresh perspective on startup M&A, including when to bring in advisors, how to structure deals creatively, and why conventional wisdom—like relying on competitive bidding or rushing to term sheets—often falls short. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or board member, this episode offers a masterclass in preparing for and executing high-impact M&A outcomes.

    VC Mastermind is a private podcast for VC Managing Partners. Designed for senior decision-makers at VC firms managing $50 million to $5 billion of institutional capital, VC Mastermind delivers premium insights, peer exchange, and operational best practices across all stages of a firm's life cycle. It was founded by Jacob Mullins (@jacob on X / twitter) – a 20-year veteran of the Silicon Valley startup tech and venture capital industry based in San Francisco.

    Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
    Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

    Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.vc/signup
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Abhay Parasnis on Creating Moats, AI Strategy, and Selling to Enterprise

    Abhay Parasnis on Creating Moats, AI Strategy, and Selling to Enterprise
    Feb 19 2025
    Abhay Parasnis is founder and CEO of Typeface, is former CTO/CPO at Adobe, and sits on the board of Dropbox and Schneider Electric. He joined Ben Casnocha, co-founder and partner at Village Global, for a live masterclass for Village Global founders.

    Takeaways:
    • If you can break into the top tier of the enterprise market, it’s hard to dislodge you.
    • Big platforms like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are eager to prove their tech's power. If you position your startup as a prime showcase for their platform, you become a strategic asset.
    • When selling to enterprise, understand the company's macro strategy in the market, but also know what the on-the-ground person needs to close deals.
    • With the rise of agents and agentic automation, even the workflow layer isn’t safe. As these systems gain richer context, they’ll redefine automation in SaaS. Just like today’s platform vs. app debate, tomorrow’s battle will be legacy workflows vs. agents.
    • Success in AI isn’t just about top-tier products—it’s about being a consultative partner to help them with change management.
    • There’s a common fear about embracing a custom data training strategy — it’s expensive, complex, and feels like the domain of big players. But starting narrow and accumulating distinct data early is key. It drives real AI differentiation and builds critical internal muscle in engineering and product.
    • Value-based pricing means customers are less price-sensitive because it ties directly to their top-line business, unlike commodity pricing, which faces constant cost pressure. Instead of charging per word, image, or seat—models that AI disrupts—pricing should align with outcomes, ensuring long-term sustainability.
    Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.

    Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

    Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.vc/signup
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins

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