We hosted the first of a new event series I’m calling 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢: 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙.

In partnership with some of North America’s top VC firms, 𝙩𝙜𝙧: 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 is a space for the kind of no-bullsh*t conversations that only happen outside the boardroom — honest, tactical, and off the record.

We kicked things off with our friends at Primary Venture Partners, featuring a keynote by Primary co-founder Benjamin Sun and a candid fireside chat between Jason Shuman (GP at Primary) and Andres Klaric (co-founder & co-CEO at Fuse).

Lots of sharp advice for founders. Here are a few highlights — and if you were in the room, feel free to add yours:

𝗔 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. You might be right that your product is the best — but venture outcomes aren’t just about truth, they’re about timing and belief. Market sentiment sets valuation, and if you’re reliant on outside capital, you’re exposed to those swings. Storytelling matters more than ever.

“𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.” That’s a direct quote from Ben. The best founders are relentlessly curious and maniacal about learning. Primary looks for people who can adapt quickly, not just dream big.

𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 — 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁. If you want to build something venture-scale, you’ll need to let go of the original dream at some point. Listen to the market. Trade purity for clarity.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟬 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 — 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. That early love is your signal. Don’t chase weak interest at scale — chase strong conviction in small groups.

𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲. You’re not going to nail it the first time. Or the tenth. But it gets better every time you tell it. Your pitch is a living thing — keep evolving it.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗮𝘄-𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 — 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲. One standout example: a founder in Korea made his team do interviews with developers at cafés — then he would “drop by” unexpectedly to make candidates feel special. When they wanted to hire someone, they’d hand-deliver flowers to that person’s parents to win buy-in. That’s how you create moments people don’t forget — even internally.


Huge thanks to Gabriella Monico for being an excellent collaborator and co-host and to everyone who came out. We’ll be doing more 𝙩𝙜𝙧: 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 sessions, so DM me if you want to partner on one and/or attend the next one!