First Funders

How first checks get written. What it takes to earn them.First Funders goes inside the minds of the investors who back founders before anyone else believes in them, and the founders bold enough to make that pitch.Each episode, host Shaherose Charania, Partner at Unshackled Ventures and a 20-year veteran of the startup ecosystem, sits down with angels, pre-seed investors, and operators-turned-VCs for candid, tactical conversations. Guests include partners from First Round Capital, Accel, Precursor Ventures, Climate Capital, Hustle Fund, and beyond.We cover how investors are building conviction in an era where AI is reshaping every sector, what they look for before traction exists, and the frameworks behind their best bets. Whether you're writing first checks or trying to earn one, this is your inside track.

First Funders is a business podcast hosted by Shaherose Charania, with 25 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.

Shaherose Charania hosts First Funders, a business show with 25 episodes published.

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  Episode #16

  A Special Episode of First Funders: The Journey to VC with Shaherose and Mel Strong

  Jun 3, 202659 minS0

  <p>This episode of First Funders is a little different… It's a conversation between two friends who made the leap from to VC from two shared and unique paths.</p><p>Shaherose is joined by Mel Strong, an operator-turned investor, whom she met while working at Nike. Today, Mel is a founder of NEXT VENTURES, a fund dedicated to supporting early stage companies in the health and wellness space. In this episode, Mel and Shaherose discuss their shared journeys, why they decided to leave the corporate world, and what they're looking forward to investing in next. </p><p>Highlights: </p>Shah...

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  Episode #2

  S3E02: A modern take on biotech investing: Diagnostics, AI, and longevity - Shahram Seyedin-Noor, Civilization Ventures

  May 14, 202652 minS0

  <p><br>Shahram Seyedin-Noor isn’t a physician. Nor is he a chemist. And he’s not a software engineer, either. But you wouldn’t know by the way he commands all of these spaces to invest in some truly cutting edge bio technology like genomics, therapeutics, and diagnostics just to name a few. </p><p>He’s been at this for almost 20 years, with almost half of that time spent as the founder and managing partner of Civilization Ventures, where he writes $100k – $5m checks into pre-seed and seed biotech companies. He focuses on the spaces in healthcare that don’t alway...

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  Episode #1

  S3E01: Monique Woodard, Cake Ventures, Trust Was Always the Moat

  Apr 22, 202632 minS0

  <p>What could you do with a free weekend and a few subscriptions to some AI tools? Probably start a billion dollar company. </p><p>This is the reality for so many startups and tech companies that can suddenly ship projects that previously would’ve taken a couple of months (and a couple of developers) to deploy. So in a world where everyone can build, what’s the differentiator? </p><p>Monique Woodard has a few ideas. She’s the founding partner of Cake Ventures, a fund writing checks into pre-seed and seed-stage companies at the intersection of technology and demograp...

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  Episode #4

  S2E04: Resilience as a Thesis: Tahira Dosani on Building for Underserved Markets and AI in Fintech

  Sep 30, 202558 minS0

  <p>Some investors are motivated by the thought of multiplying their fund, securing a bigger slice of the cap table, or, of course, successfully filing for a coveted IPO. But for Tahira Dosani, all she has to do is remember the economic instability of her childhood and she’s immediately re-anchored to her why behind it all. </p><p>First came the career, starting as a Bain Capital consultant and moving on to launching cellular service and mobile payment solutions in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Then came the first fund, Accion, a non-for-profit where Tahira cut her teeth in early stage impact in...

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  Episode #3

  S2E03: Atoms over bits: Investing in hardware and innovative founders to solve climate challenges - Sundeep Ahuja, Climate Capital

  May 27, 202542 minS0

  <p>We’ve welcomed investors with unique backgrounds to First Funders before, but Sundeep Ahuja is our first operator-turned-actor-turned-investor. </p><p><br></p><p>Sundeep is all in on all things climate tech. He’s backing founders leading the way in cleaning up our water, purifying our air, and keeping our planet the way it should be: livable. Today, his micro fund and syndicate platform Climate Capital, has over 400 climate-focused companies in its portfolio. </p><p><br></p><p>Sundeep shares why he thinks real-world, physical tech has the edge over software, how the words we use matter when it comes...

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