Startups Decoded

Vanessa Larco went from shipping product at Microsoft, Twilio and Box to most of a decade as a partner at NEA, and now runs Premise VC.She assumed moving into venture meant shelving her product brain. It turned out to be her edge. Founders and investors stare at the same signals of product market fit, and they often read them in opposite directions.Her sharpest idea is product curiosity fit. AI has made it easy to sign customers who are spending experimental budget, and that revenue looks like traction right up until renewal. In this episode you will walk away knowing which signals seed investors trust, why the playbook that won you seed will lose Series A, and why constraints are an asset (with some help from Bluey).Episode outlineBurning floppy disks at four: growing up in a family of foundersKinect, Facebook gaming, and the swing from pure qual to pure quantThe acqui-hire that felt like a breakup, and the secret plan behind joining NEAProduct curiosity fit, and why bookings stopped proving anythingSeed backs the founder, Series A backs execution: every round is a new gameWhat Bluey teaches founders about constraints and repairing conflictListen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeVanessa Larco - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessalarco/Vanessa Larco is co-founder of Premise VC, backing early-stage software founders after nearly a decade as a Partner at NEA investing in category creators like Robinhood and Mejuri. Before venture, she built product at Microsoft, Disney, Twilio, and Box, the resume Premise's whole thesis is built on.Andy WalshThree-time founder with two exits who bootstrapped to $10M ARR, now host of Startups Decoded (top 2%, 850k+ downloads) and advising founders on growth through consulting and his podcast.https://www.linkedin.com/in/anwalsh/Access All Areas.Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTubeSubscribe: SubstackConnect: LinkedInWeb: startupsdecoded.com Socials: TikTok || Instagram || XMusic Credit.“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2Disclaimer.The views and opinions shared on Startups Decoded are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making any financial or legal decisions.

Show Notes

Vanessa Larco went from shipping product at Microsoft, Twilio and Box to most of a decade as a partner at NEA, and now runs Premise VC.

She assumed moving into venture meant shelving her product brain. It turned out to be her edge. Founders and investors stare at the same signals of product market fit, and they often read them in opposite directions.

Her sharpest idea is product curiosity fit. AI has made it easy to sign customers who are spending experimental budget, and that revenue looks like traction right up until renewal. In this episode you will walk away knowing which signals seed investors trust, why the playbook that won you seed will lose Series A, and why constraints are an asset (with some help from Bluey).

Episode outline

  • Burning floppy disks at four: growing up in a family of founders
  • Kinect, Facebook gaming, and the swing from pure qual to pure quant
  • The acqui-hire that felt like a breakup, and the secret plan behind joining NEA
  • Product curiosity fit, and why bookings stopped proving anything
  • Seed backs the founder, Series A backs execution: every round is a new game
  • What Bluey teaches founders about constraints and repairing conflict

Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube

Vanessa Larco - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessalarco/

Vanessa Larco is co-founder of Premise VC, backing early-stage software founders after nearly a decade as a Partner at NEA investing in category creators like Robinhood and Mejuri. Before venture, she built product at Microsoft, Disney, Twilio, and Box, the resume Premise's whole thesis is built on.

Andy Walsh
Three-time founder with two exits who bootstrapped to $10M ARR, now host of Startups Decoded (top 2%, 850k+ downloads) and advising founders on growth through consulting and his podcast.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anwalsh/

Access All Areas.

Music Credit.

“Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2

Disclaimer.

The views and opinions shared on Startups Decoded are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making any financial or legal decisions.


What is Startups Decoded?

Most startup podcasts are built for founders who've already figured it out. This one's for the founder still in the middle of it.Startups Decoded covers the full founder operating system — from idea to Series A. Brand, fundraising, marketing, operations, finance, culture, storytelling. Everything a first-time founder needs to actually run the thing, not just pitch it.Host Andy Walsh has been in it — 4x founder, 2 exits, bootstrapped $10M ARR. He brings in founders and investors who've built real companies and gets them to talk honestly about how they did it.New episodes weekly. If you're drowning in decisions and need a framework, not a pep talk — this is your show.