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On this week’s dose, we’re joined by Mike Collins, CEO of Alumni Ventures, the largest venture firm in the U.S. dedicated to giving accredited investors access to professionally managed, diversified venture portfolios.Mike kicks things off by sharing his background and the early experiences that drew him into the world of startups and venture (2:00). He then unpacks how Alumni Ventures came to life and what inspired the model behind it. From there, he discusses how the firm began building access into venture investing at scale and started getting into deals by leveraging a powerful alumni-based network (7:53).(14:27) Mike then offers a primer on Alumni Ventures’ investment philosophy, walking us through how the firm thinks about raising capital and constructing portfolios. That leads into a deeper discussion about AV’s identity as a fintech company rather than a traditional VC, and how that mindset influences everything from internal operations to doing the hard things that come with scaling a venture platform (21:40).We then explore where AV is placing its bets, with Mike sharing sectors he’s particularly bullish or bearish on (26:13). That sets the stage for a broader conversation about the current AI wave and why it’s so central to both AV’s outlook and Mike’s personal conviction as an operator (30:54). He also gives us a look at what’s next on the firm’s roadmap and how AV plans to evolve in the coming years (32:50).As we move into the final stretch, Mike shares some of his more contrarian takes on venture and innovation (35:35), reflects on AV’s company culture (36:08), and offers insight into how he incorporates AI into his day-to-day leadership and decision-making (37:35). He names a few CEOs he models after (42:35), talks about how he unwinds with podcasts and uses low-tech strategies for deep focus (44:22), and gives some straightforward advice for those hoping to break into venture: just start doing the work (46:35).

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And now for this week’s prescription:

On this week’s dose, we start (1:59) with Alma, an AI-powered nutrition app using natural language processing to simplify meal tracking, fresh off a $2.9M pre-seed round led by Menlo Ventures’ Anthology Fund in partnership with Anthropic. Next (14:27), we pop open a deep dive on Olipop, the gut-friendly soda brand shaking up the functional beverage space, following a $50M Series C that brings its valuation to a bubbly $1.85 billion. Finally (24:01), we slice into Via 313 Pizzeria, the fast-growing Detroit-style pizza chain that just secured $32.5M in growth capital to fuel expansion across the U.S.Sources:

https://www.alma.food/

https://menlovc.com/anthology-fund/

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/05/former-whoop-execs-new-app-alma-uses-ai-for-all-things-nutrition/

https://drinkolipop.com/

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4771906/functional-beverage-market-share-analysis?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/27693-olipop-valued-at-185-billion-following-latest-funding-round

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/olipop-valued-1-85bn-following-125054362.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-12/olipop-valued-at-1-85-billion-in-50-million-funding-round?embedded-checkout=true

https://www.via313.com/

https://www.utahbusiness.com/press-releases/2025/02/05/via-313-raises-32-million-double-footprint/

https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-finance/via-313-pizzeria-raises-32-5m-in-growth-capital

Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton

https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

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On this week’s dose, we have Larry Aschebrook, Founder and Managing Partner at G Squared, a venture capital firm specializing in growth-stage tech investments with a sharp focus on the secondary market. Larry kicks things off by sharing his fascinating journey from college athletics to the world of private markets, ultimately leading to the creation of G Squared.

From there, he dives into the firm’s unique thesis—why secondaries represent a critical liquidity bridge between early-stage startups and public exits—and how that insight has helped G Squared back iconic companies like Uber, Spotify, Airbnb, Instacart, and more. Larry also opens up about memorable wins, the deals that slipped through the cracks, and the hard-won lessons that followed.

We also get his take on some of today’s headline-making moves in venture, including Stripe’s choice to remain private and Robinhood’s bold attempt to democratize access to private investing. It’s a masterclass in venture strategy from someone who’s seen it all—tune in for a front-row seat to the stories and insights that have shaped some of the biggest names in tech.

Sources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-aschebrook-54724629/

https://gsquared.com/

Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton

https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en