Scaling Nerds | Startup PR, Thought Leadership and Storytelling for Startup Founders

Scaling Nerds (formerly Red to Green) helps science and tech founders master the essential communication skills for VC-backed growth: from branding and storytelling to media strategy and investor decks. Ranked in the top 5% globally, with listeners in 160+ countries, Scaling Nerds will help you win minds, markets, and your next fundraise. Hosted by strategic communications advisor Marina Schmidt. Scaling Nerds is a premier startup communications podcast on startup marketing, founder thought leadership, and storytelling for technical and science-driven companies.

Scaling Nerds | Startup PR, Thought Leadership and Storytelling for Startup Founders is a business podcast hosted by Marina Schmidt, with 86 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.

Marina Schmidt hosts Scaling Nerds | Startup PR, Thought Leadership and Storytelling for Startup Founders, a business show with 86 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.

• 

  Episode #16

  16. Market Sizing for Pitch Decks: Why TAM SAM SOM Is Costing You the Meeting – with Otto Pohl

  Jul 29, 202656 minS1

  Most investors skip your market sizing slide. Not because the number is too small, but because a $5 billion figure pulled off Statista tells them nothing about how you get your first customer. And when you claim 1% of a huge market, you quietly undercut the entire deck you just spent ten slides building. So what does a market slide that actually sells the business look like? Otto Pohl helps deep tech founders tell better company stories, with a focus on university spinouts. Former journalist, serial entrepreneur, head of communications for startups, and he has taught entrepreneurial communications at USC. In this episode he and Marina take apart the TAM SAM SOM habit and rebuild the market slide from the bottom up. You will hear why the same blood-analysis technology needs three completely different market pitches depending on whether you are talking to a medtech VC or to SoftBank, how a data center cooling startup found its one number by anchoring on PUE instead of the total market, why conquering Belgium can be a more convincing first move than claiming the world, and what changes in your market narrative between pre-seed and Series A. Plus the reason academic founders keep showing up to the beach in a tuxedo. LINKS Could use a strategic advisor on your communications and founder branding? Work with Marina at https://www.scalingnerds.com/ Marina Schmidt (host) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/ Otto Pohl (guest) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ottopohl Otto Pohl's website & biweekly newsletter: https://www.ottopohl.com/ Otto's consulting, Core Communications: https://www.ottopohl.com/services CHAPTERS 00:00 - What the market sizing slide is actually for 14:27 - Bottom-up market sizing: the numbers investors believe 41:02 - Picking your wedge: why a small first market wins 49:34 - Academic vs business communication: the tuxedo at the beach 54:15 - How market sizing changes from pre-seed to Series A ABOUT THIS EPISODE A practical guide to market sizing for startup pitch decks, built for deep tech and university spinout founders. Otto Pohl and Marina Schmidt cover TAM SAM SOM and its limits, bottom-up market sizing, how the market slide connects to your go-to-market strategy, choosing a beachhead market, and how investor expectations shift from pre-seed to Series A. Scaling Nerds is a startup podcast on communications, storytelling and PR for VC-backed founders raising their next round. KEYWORDS market sizing, tam sam som, pitch deck, market slide, bottom-up market sizing, go-to-market strategy, beachhead market, investor pitch, deep tech startup, university spinout, fundraising, startup marketing, startup storytelling, founder branding, startup podcast

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #15

  15. How AI is changing the media landscape & PR with former media journalist Steven Perlberg from Merantix Capital

  Apr 22, 202649 minS1

  The Future of Media, AI & Founder Visibility Guest: Steven Perlberg LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sperlberg/⁠ · Merantix Capital: ⁠https://www.merantix-capital.com⁠ Head of Communications at Merantix Capital — Berlin-based VC investing in early-stage AI. Former reporter at WSJ, BuzzFeed News, and Business Insider covering media, tech, and politics. Happy to connect with journalists exploring life after reporting. Host: Marina Schmidt LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠ · Website: ⁠https://www.scalingnerds.com⁠ Communications advisor helping science and tech founders get seen, heard, and backed — on stages, podcasts, and in the press. The media landscape is shifting fast — and as a founder, understanding that shift is no longer optional. Steven Perlberg, Head of Communications at Merantix Capital and former tech journalist at the Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed News, and Business Insider, joins Marina to unpack what AI, fragmentation, and the death of the "mushy middle" mean for how founders should think about visibility, PR, and media strategy. Warning: this one gets philosophical. US vs. European tech media — The fundamental difference is size and reach. US outlets skew toward covering Silicon Valley companies, making it harder for European seed-stage startups to break through without a strong narrative hook, major fundraising news, or a US expansion angle. Steven's rule: define your goal first, then pick the outlets that match it. Why founders should pitch journalists directly — When Steven was a reporter, a direct email from a founder saying "I cover your space, want to grab coffee?" always got a yes. Today's version of the five-reporter shortlist might include a Substack writer or LinkedIn creator. Build those relationships personally, not through agencies. The AI slop problem — Faceless, generic AI content is flooding every channel. The counter-move: a growing premium on human faces and authentic voices. OpenAI's acquisition of tech news show TBPN for reportedly hundreds of millions signals exactly this. LLMs as the new search — If your audience is getting their news via AI tools instead of clicking TechCrunch, the tier of the outlet matters less than it used to. What matters is that your company and point of view exist across enough credible sources to be surfaced by LLMs. GEO is becoming as important as SEO. Opinions as the new gold — As information becomes a commodity, what becomes scarce and valuable is judgment, taste, and a distinctive point of view. Founders who show up consistently with a genuine perspective are positioned to become trusted, parasocial key opinion leaders in their space. The 10-80-10 rule for AI-assisted content — 10% you → 80% AI → 10% you again to edit, humanize, and make it sound like yourself. Prompt it to use your actual language from transcripts and speeches. Don't let it default to "momentum" and bullet points. Trust Me, I'm Lying — Ryan Holiday TBPN — live tech news show acquired by OpenAI ETN — European equivalent of TBPN

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #15

  15. How AI is changing the media landscape & PR with former media journalist Steven Perlberg from Merantix Capital

  Apr 22, 202649 minS1

  The Future of Media, AI & Founder Visibility Guest: Steven Perlberg LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sperlberg/⁠ · Merantix Capital: ⁠https://www.merantix-capital.com⁠ Head of Communications at Merantix Capital — Berlin-based VC investing in early-stage AI. Former reporter at WSJ, BuzzFeed News, and Business Insider covering media, tech, and politics. Happy to connect with journalists exploring life after reporting. Host: Marina Schmidt LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠ · Website: ⁠https://www.scalingnerds.com⁠ Communications advisor helping science and tech founders get seen, heard, and backed — on stages, podcasts, and in the press. The media landscape is shifting fast — and as a founder, understanding that shift is no longer optional. Steven Perlberg, Head of Communications at Merantix Capital and former tech journalist at the Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed News, and Business Insider, joins Marina to unpack what AI, fragmentation, and the death of the "mushy middle" mean for how founders should think about visibility, PR, and media strategy. Warning: this one gets philosophical. US vs. European tech media — The fundamental difference is size and reach. US outlets skew toward covering Silicon Valley companies, making it harder for European seed-stage startups to break through without a strong narrative hook, major fundraising news, or a US expansion angle. Steven's rule: define your goal first, then pick the outlets that match it. Why founders should pitch journalists directly — When Steven was a reporter, a direct email from a founder saying "I cover your space, want to grab coffee?" always got a yes. Today's version of the five-reporter shortlist might include a Substack writer or LinkedIn creator. Build those relationships personally, not through agencies. The AI slop problem — Faceless, generic AI content is flooding every channel. The counter-move: a growing premium on human faces and authentic voices. OpenAI's acquisition of tech news show TBPN for reportedly hundreds of millions signals exactly this. LLMs as the new search — If your audience is getting their news via AI tools instead of clicking TechCrunch, the tier of the outlet matters less than it used to. What matters is that your company and point of view exist across enough credible sources to be surfaced by LLMs. GEO is becoming as important as SEO. Opinions as the new gold — As information becomes a commodity, what becomes scarce and valuable is judgment, taste, and a distinctive point of view. Founders who show up consistently with a genuine perspective are positioned to become trusted, parasocial key opinion leaders in their space. The 10-80-10 rule for AI-assisted content — 10% you → 80% AI → 10% you again to edit, humanize, and make it sound like yourself. Prompt it to use your actual language from transcripts and speeches. Don't let it default to "momentum" and bullet points. Trust Me, I'm Lying — Ryan Holiday TBPN — live tech news show acquired by OpenAI ETN — European equivalent of TBPN

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #14

  14. [Solo] The 5-Minute Pre-Stage Warm-Up That Puts You in the Top 5% of Speakers

  Mar 25, 202627 minS1

  Most founders walk onto stage cold. Even Usain Bolt doesn't do that. In this solo episode, Marina shares the exact warm-up routine she uses as a professional moderator — a five-minute ritual that will make you sharper, more confident, and more connected with your audience. Do this before your next pitch, panel, or keynote and you'll be in the top 5% of speakers on stage. The framework: Breath → Body → Mind. Always in that order. 👉 Working on your visibility as a founder? Marina helps deep tech founders get seen, heard, and backed — on stages, podcasts, and beyond. Learn more at www. wearekinetik.com or connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/ 🫁 BREATH Start with 5–10 deep belly breaths to ground your voice and calm nerves. Try a slight backbend while breathing to open the diaphragm. Also try the Physiological Sigh (from Huberman Lab): inhale through the nose, take a short top-up breath, then exhale slowly through the mouth. A few of these settle the nervous system fast. For your voice: – Lip trills: blow air through relaxed lips while going up and down in pitch — stretches your vocal range without straining the cords – Lion & Lemon: alternate between stretching your face wide open (lion) and scrunching it tight (lemon) — activates your facial muscles and makes you more expressive – The Finger Bite: lightly place a finger between your teeth and practice speaking clearly. Remove it and your articulation is immediately sharper. Marina's #1 non-negotiable — especially if you tend to mumble or trail off. 🧍 BODY Open your chest. Get your elbows away from your ribcage. Confident speakers take up space. Do a power pose, shake out your arms and legs, and prime your body to gesture freely. According to researcher Vanessa Van Edwards' analysis of thousands of TED Talks, gestures are the single most consistent predictor of how many views a talk gets. 🧠 MIND Last, because you need to be grounded first. Adopt a host mindset: you're here to take care of the audience, not to perform for them. Shift the spotlight from yourself to the room. Ask: how can I make sure they have a good experience? If you can, walk the stage beforehand. Find real faces in the audience. Make eye contact with individuals. You're priming your brain to talk to people, not at a crowd. --- Referenced in this episode: – Huberman Lab podcast (Andrew Huberman, Stanford) — the Physiological Sigh – Die Gastgebermethode (The Host Method) — available in German only – Vanessa Van Edwards — TED Talk gesture research Marina Schmidt is a founder communications strategist and professional moderator. If you're a founder working on getting on stages, podcasts, or using storytelling to grow your visibility — reach out on LinkedIn. Scaling Nerds is ranked in the top 5% of podcasts globally, with listeners in 160+ countries.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #13

  13. Investor Updates: A Complete Founder Guide to Unlocking Support and Capital

  Mar 16, 202644 minS1

  Make your investor updates the highest-leverage tool to unlock intros, hires, and your next round. In this episode, you get a full, practical breakdown of how to write investor updates that actually work. We cover how to keep them fast and simple, what to include (and what to leave out), how to structure wins, losses, and asks, and how to turn a simple email into a system that builds trust, momentum, and fundraising advantage over time. Why investor updates are one of the most underused growth tools How to use updates to activate your investors (not just inform them) The ideal structure: reflection, highlights, metrics, wins/losses, asks How to balance transparency with confidence when things go wrong What changes from pre-seed → Series A and beyond How to keep updates short, readable, and high-signal When and how often to send them (and why consistency matters more than length) How to use updates during a live fundraising round to create momentum and FOMO Common mistakes: radio silence, overdesign, inconsistent formats, and bloated content Investor updates are not newsletters—they are operating tools “Radio silence is a kiss of death” → consistency builds trust Investors want both wins and problems—and how you handle them Short, structured, and regular beats long and sporadic Your asks are the leverage point—don’t bury them A strong update builds a track record over time, not just a snapshot Daniel Ruben’s article on investor updates (Solvable Syndicate): https://www.solvablesyndicate.com Newsletter platforms: https://www.beehiiv.com https://mailchimp.com Writing reference: On Writing Well by William Zinsser FoodTech Weekly newsletter: https://www.foodtechweekly.com Solvable Syndicate: https://www.solvablesyndicate.com LinkedIn: (link in episode description) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ marina@wearekinetik.com Could use some help with your comms? Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.wearekinetik.com/⁠ Scaling Nerds helps science and tech founders master the communication skills behind fundraising, hiring, and growth—so you can scale faster without relying on luck. Keywords Investor updates, startup investor communication, founder communication strategy, fundraising strategy, startup fundraising tips, venture capital communication, investor relations startups, startup growth strategy, founder updates, startup metrics reporting, pre-seed startup advice, seed stage fundraising, Series A preparation, startup storytelling, founder transparency, startup email strategy, investor engagement, startup accountability, startup communication systems, scaling a startup, deep tech founders, startup leadership communication

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.