Carry On

Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com.

Carry On is a general podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 4 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Carry On, a general show with 4 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #3

  Building a Venture Firm in the Age of AI: Sourcing, Trust, and Brand

  Aug 6, 202644 min

  In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar break down what it really takes to build and sustain a successful venture firm in the age of AI. They cover the shift in sourcing from tracking companies to tracking people years before they found, why winning allocation now matters more than having proprietary deal flow, and how trust is built simply by making promises and relentlessly following through. They explore the pros and cons of being a solo GP versus building a partnership, emphasizing self-awareness, conflict resolution, emotional resilience, and the “shock absorption” needed to support founders and LPs. The conversation also dives into how AI is reshaping junior roles, why unscalable relationship-building remains a core edge, and why the future belongs to curious, creative, and collaborative people who can tinker with new tools, build real networks, and treat their thinking and process as the true product. Additionally, Sam Heshmati of Citizens Private Bank explains how their team combines banking, industry, and venture expertise with deep relationships to solve complex client problems and slightly increase the probability of their success, rather than just selling commoditized financial products. Topics in this conversation include: From Individual Operator to Building a Firm From Scratch (0:36) Winning Allocation by Doing What You Say You Will Do (3:10) Why Sourcing at Pre-Seed and Seed Is So Hard (5:43) Why Problem Solving Beats Product Pushing in Banking (10:27) Deciding on Team Structure and Being a Solo GP vs Having Partners (16:22) Partnership Dynamics, Conflict Resolution, and Emotional Resilience (19:41) The Easy Path, Authentic Strategy, and Staying in Business Long Term (29:03) Sourcing as the Lifeblood of Every Investment Firm (35:19) Curiosity, Creativity, Collaboration, and Using New Tools (39:02) Firm Archetypes: Bands, Small Market Franchises, and Big Market Brands (40:20) Why High Agency, Tinkering, and Building With AI Matter More Than Ever (41:36) Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #2

  Your ‘Why’ Is Your Only Edge: Building a Venture Firm that Actually Stands Out

  Jul 23, 202648 minS0

  <p>In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack what it really takes to start and sustain a venture firm in today’s brutal fundraising environment, where the top 30 funds capture most LP capital. They compare spin-outs to de novo emerging managers, stress why a clear “why” and real differentiation (beyond generic websites and value-add claims) are essential, and explore how narrative, content, and staying visible matter more than ever. They argue that relationships and trust are a lasting edge in an AI-saturated world, discuss the tradeoffs between being a solo GP versus building a partnership, and highlight the import...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #2

  Your ‘Why’ Is Your Only Edge: Building a Venture Firm that Actually Stands Out

  Jul 23, 202648 min

  In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack what it really takes to start and sustain a venture firm in today’s brutal fundraising environment, where the top 30 funds capture most LP capital. They compare spin-outs to de novo emerging managers, stress why a clear “why” and real differentiation (beyond generic websites and value-add claims) are essential, and explore how narrative, content, and staying visible matter more than ever. They argue that relationships and trust are a lasting edge in an AI-saturated world, discuss the tradeoffs between being a solo GP versus building a partnership, and highlight the importance of conflict resolution, emotional durability, and actually doing what you promise for founders. Finally, they examine the evolving role of junior talent, emphasizing curiosity, relationship-building, and the ability to tinker with new tools as core skills for the next generation in venture. Also, Sam Heshmati of Citizens Private Bank, shares how the team provides white glove private banking tailored to the innovation and venture ecosystem, with a strong focus on client experience and value-added partnership. Topics in this conversation include: Delusional Optimism, Improv Mindset, and New Fund Formation in 2024 (1:06) Why Start a Firm and How it Differs from Building a Traditional Startup (5:21) Bottoms Up Differentiation, Identifying Gaps, and Intellectual Honesty (11:15) Narrative as Sales, Importance of Story, and Sponsor Introduction of Citizens (16:49) Sam’s Path into Venture Banking and Early Silicon Valley Experience (19:39) First Republic Culture, White Glove Model, and Evolution under Citizens (21:32) Venture Firms as Media Companies, Noise, and Staying Relevant with Narrative (24:52) Cringe, Perfectionism, and Learning through Imperfect Content and Feedback (26:16) Human Touch vs Bots, Analog Firm Thesis, and Qualities that Truly Matter (31:12) Self Belief, Relationships, and Enduring Human Advantage beyond AI Tools (32:35) Location Narrative around SF, Global Investing, and Being a Bridge for Founders (40:14) Class A Question Asking, Diligence Styles, and Power of Active Listening (41:19) Why Great Founders Choose Specific VCs and How to Show Differentiation (45:44) Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #1

  Motion ≠ Movement: Why Venture Has Lost Its Mind

  Jul 9, 20261h 1mS0

  <p>In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack the tension between urgency and momentum in venture capital, contrasting real movement with superficial motion in a market where capital and attention are heavily concentrated in a narrow set of AI deals and mega funds. They discuss the erosion of intellectual honesty, the dangers of consensus thinking, and how kingmaking dynamics and low seed-to-Series A graduation rates are reshaping the landscape for founders, emerging managers, and established firms alike. They also explore the history and “eras” of venture, the pendulum between concentration and unbundling, and why conviction, independent thinking, and craf...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #1

  Motion ≠ Movement: Why Venture Has Lost Its Mind

  Jul 9, 20261h 1m

  In this episode, Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar unpack the tension between urgency and momentum in venture capital, contrasting real movement with superficial motion in a market where capital and attention are heavily concentrated in a narrow set of AI deals and mega funds. They discuss the erosion of intellectual honesty, the dangers of consensus thinking, and how kingmaking dynamics and low seed-to-Series A graduation rates are reshaping the landscape for founders, emerging managers, and established firms alike. They also explore the history and “eras” of venture, the pendulum between concentration and unbundling, and why conviction, independent thinking, and craft still matter in an increasingly irrational, growth-obsessed environment—framing the podcast as a candid, open exploration of how to practice better venture in public. Topics in this conversation include: Urgency vs Momentum in Venture Investing (0:11) Introspection vs Action Two by Two Matrix (4:01) Series B Market Example and Lack of Rationality (5:45) Intellectual Honesty and Independent Thinking for VCs (7:08) Why Start this Podcast and What Makes it Different (10:38) Need for Candor and Calling Out Bubble Dynamics (12:39) Technology Shift Compared to Cloud, Mobile, and PCs (18:24) Venture Equals Growth and Rise of Mega Funds (22:08) AI Funding Concentration Across Deals (24:29) Angellist Fund Benchmarks and LP Composition Surprise (26:00) Implications for Emerging Managers Always Fundraising (28:55) Craft of Venture vs Using Capital as an Advantage (31:08) Seed Managers’ Existential Questions if Mega Funds Move Downstream (35:09) Venture Eras, Unbundling, and Rebundling of Firms (39:01) Funds Over $500M Capturing Most New Capital (43:31) Anticipating Ecosystem Gaps vs Reacting to Lagging Indicators (45:51) What if This Time Is Different and Mega IPO Validation (51:03) Holding VCs to the Same Bar as Founders on Learning and Resilience (56:19) Venture has plenty of content. What it lacks is candor and curiosity about the craft. Hosted by Earnest Sweat and Santosh Sankar, Carry On is focused on what building a firm actually looks like, not the highlight reel. Each episode breaks down the X's and O's of venture capital, traded openly between two GPs and a small circle of friends who live this work. From first funds to franchise firms, specialists to generalists. Learn more and subscribe at www.carryonpodcast.com . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  ListenShow Notes

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