In this episode of The Venture Capital Podcast (VC.fm), hosts Peter Harris and Jon Bradshaw speak with Roberto Bonanzinga, Founder of InReach Ventures and former Founding Partner at Balderton Capital, about how artificial intelligence is transforming venture capital from the inside out.

Roberto explains how InReach Ventures built a proprietary AI and machine learning platform to discover early-stage founders across Europe — often before they raise capital, build pitch decks, or even seek investors. Drawing on decades of experience backing companies like Revolut, Depop, Vivino, and Contentful, he shares why discovery is the biggest bottleneck in early-stage VC and how AI changes that equation.

The conversation explores:

• AI-first venture capital models
• Investing in founders before ideas
• Early-stage startup discovery in Europe
• GP-only venture firms and fund design
• Why pitch decks don’t predict outcomes
• The future of junior roles, analysts, and associates in VC
• How AI reshapes career paths and investing workflows

This episode is essential listening for founders, venture capitalists, LPs, and operators interested in AI, early-stage investing, and the future of venture capital.

Follow the Podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789
Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/

Follow Jon Bradshaw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshaw

Follow Peter Harris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudent
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpete
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812

In this episode of The Venture Capital Podcast (VC.fm), hosts Jon Bradshaw and Peter Harris sit down with Olivia Goldstein, General Partner at StartFast Ventures and CEO of Upstate Venture Connect, to discuss venture capital, startup ecosystems, and why the best founders and companies can be built far outside Silicon Valley.

Olivia shares her founder journey (including building a startup that used influencer marketing and exiting in 2019), her thesis on investing in overlooked markets like Upstate New York, and practical advice for founders raising venture capital from non-traditional hubs.

The conversation also explores emerging opportunities in entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), small business succession as baby boomers retire, and how AI and shifting labor markets may push more people toward owning real-world cash-flowing assets.

Keywords and topics:
Venture capital, StartFast Ventures, Upstate Venture Connect, Upstate New York startups, Buffalo startups, Rochester startups, Syracuse startups, B2B SaaS investing, startup ecosystem, founder-led companies, fundraising advice, entrepreneurship through acquisition, ETA, small business acquisition, SBA loans, VC opinions, investing outside Silicon Valley.

Follow the Podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789
Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/

Follow Jon Bradshaw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshaw

Follow Peter Harris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudent
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpete
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812

In this episode of The Venture Capital Podcast (VC.fm), we sit down with Paul Allen, founder of Ancestry.com, to explore how public-domain data, viral growth, and platform risk shaped one of the most iconic internet businesses—and how AI is about to transform government, media, and civic life.

Paul breaks down the original insight behind Ancestry’s billion-dollar IPO, why genealogy was always a massive market hiding in plain sight, and the hard lessons he learned building on top of platforms like Facebook. We then go deep into his latest ventures, including CitizenPortal.ai and Elected.ai, which aim to use AI to bring transparency, efficiency, and accountability to government at every level.

This is a wide-ranging conversation on AI, startups, platforms, public data, and the future of governance—with sharp insights for founders, investors, and operators navigating the next technological wave.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Ancestry used public-domain data to build a multi-billion-dollar company
• The hidden size of the genealogy market (and how Paul validated it early)
• Scaling fast on platforms—and what happens when the platform pulls the plug
• Viral growth loops before paid ads, Facebook, or Google distribution
• CitizenPortal.ai: turning public meetings into objective local news using AI
• Elected.ai: dashboards for 500,000 elected officials to improve governance
• Using AI and automation to reduce government waste and improve services
• The future of AI, privacy, and why society may split into two paths
• Why AI could uplift humanity—or deepen control, depending on design choices

If you care about AI, startups, venture capital, govtech, public data, or building durable companies, this episode is for you.

Follow the Podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfm
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789
Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/

Follow Jon Bradshaw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshaw

Follow Peter Harris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudent
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpete
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812