Ajay Kamat is a Partner at Pear VC, where he runs PearX, one of the top startup accelerators in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pear VC has been an early investor in many successful startup companies. In this episode, we talk about the PearX method of startup success, and how the team at PearX helps startup founders avoid common mistakes, find product-market fit, land their first hires, find venture capital funding, and quickly scale into successful unicorn companies. Later in the interview, we discuss Ajay’s personal career background, his time as a founder, and how he became the head of PearX. Also, stick around to the end of the interview, because Ajay participates in the Next Unicorn Podcast bonus round!

This is Next Unicorn Podcast episode 7. The video version of this episode is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/SNbS7mTW2PE?si=fDJr7IxJ-PKEk3b5

If you like this episode, I think you'd also like episode 5 (Are Startup Accelerators Worth It For Founders?), an interview with the former head of Techstars startup accelerator's San Francisco Bay Area location. The YouTube version of that episode is available at: https://youtu.be/sGBS8w0iLv0?si=8pb0dzPJqVeBZXPA

Follow Ajay Kamat:
🐦Twitter: @ajaykam

Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:
🐦Twitter: @EarnheartGold
📸Instagram: @EarnheartGold
📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com
💻Next Unicorn website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/

Timestamps:
0:00:00 Teaser Clip
0:00:11 Introduction
0:00:20 Pear VC, PearX, & the difference between the two
0:02:18 How PearX is different than other startup accelerators
0:05:55 What PearX looks for in startups
0:07:13 How PearX evaluates and selects startup teams
0:09:01 Geographic locations of PearX startup teams & their market focus
0:10:12 At what stage is PearX most effective for startups?
0:12:11 The PearX method of startup success
0:15:22 How PearX helps B2B vs B2C startups
0:19:05 How to know when it's time for a startup to pivot
0:20:55 PearX startups that pivoted & became successful
0:23:33 The most successful PearX startups & what made them successful
0:27:30 How the PearX approach has changed over time
0:29:00 AI startup opportunities & changes in PearX startups
0:32:45 How to avoid common startup mistakes
0:35:52 What made PearX one of the top startup accelerators?
0:38:59 Additional comments about PearX and Pear VC
0:40:45 Ajay's personal career journey
0:47:37 Bonus round

Our recording setup:
-Pro webcam used to film this episode: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH
-Mid-tier webcam option: https://amzn.to/3KPrntv
-Cheaper version of the webcam (if you just want to level up your Zoom calls): https://amzn.to/3Sb4QMe
-USB-C microphone used to film this episode: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40
-Roost laptop stand to bring the webcam up to eye level (also alleviates back pain from bad posture and hunching over your computer): https://amzn.to/3XrYqvj

Credits:
Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Nick Kateris is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University, where his research is focused on new battery technology, and computer modeling to help develop new types of battery technology, as well as on detonation engines. (Recently, along with colleagues from Stanford and Dartmouth, Nick developed a new type of lithium-sulfur battery that performs much better than any lithium-sulfur batteries developed previously.) In this episode we talk about the future of new battery technology innovation and how it will change the world. Nick completed his PhD at Stanford University, and his bachelor's and master's degrees at Cambridge University in the UK. He is originally from Athens, Greece.

Next Unicorn podcast episode 6. The video version of this episode is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn

Follow Nick Kateris
🐦Twitter: @NickKateris

Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:
🐦Twitter: @EarnheartGold
📸Instagram: @EarnheartGold
📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com
💻Next Unicorn website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/
🎥Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn

Video Contents:
0:00:00 Introduction
0:00:41 The Most Exciting Areas of Battery Technology
0:01:25 How New Battery Technology Could Dramatically Reshape Our Economy
0:02:45 The Most Exciting Battery Technology Startups Today
0:03:55 Step Change in New Battery Technology
0:06:26 How Does a Battery Work?
0:09:38 Energy Density and Efficiency in Battery Technology
0:12:05 The Different Types of New Battery Technology
0:30:03 Will Future Electric Vehicles Have a Much Longer Range?
0:31:29 Will Airplanes Become Electric?
0:33:50 What Are Detonation Engines and Why Are They Useful?
0:37:39 Why Are Batteries So Important for Storing Energy for the Electric Grid?
0:48:50 Environmental Issues with Lithium-Ion Batteries
1:01:28 Use of Computer Modeling to Develop New Battery Technology
1:08:01 Why is Political Will Important For New Battery Technology?
1:15:16 What is a Quantum Battery?
1:16:26 What is a Super Battery?
1:18:12 Nick's Personal and Career Background
01:19:09 Nick's Lab Research
01:20:59 An Unexpected Turn in Nick's Career Path
01:23:14 Bonus Round

Recording setup:
-Pro webcam: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH
-Here's a similar mid-tier webcam option: https://amzn.to/3KPrntv
-USB-C microphone: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40

Credits:
Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Collin Wallace is the Former Head of Techstars Silicon Valley (one of the top startup accelerators), co-teaches the Startup Garage accelerator class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), and is a partner at Lobby Capital (formerly August Capital), a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Previously, as a repeat founder, he also was a participant in Techstars and Y Combinator (YC is, of course, also a top startup accelerator). One of the startups that he founded (FanGo) was acquired by Grubhub pre-IPO, where he became Head of Innovation. In this interview, we talk about startup accelerators, how they've changed, and whether they are worth it for founders. We also talk about how much equity startup accelerators take, the amount of funding they provide, and some details regarding SAFEs and other startup accelerator financing terms, as well as differences between startup accelerators. We also talk about the types of problems startup accelerators are especially good at helping founders solve. In addition, we discuss the differences between accelerators: Y Combinator vs Techstars vs Pear VC, etc. Collin has invested in over 80 early-stage companies, including PayJoy, Landed, Mosaic Voice, Postscript, and Vellum. He has a BS from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, he speaks Mandarin Chinese.

🎥 Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/sGBS8w0iLv0?si=2Sb8FhmMX_fnrZyy

Follow Collin Wallace
👥LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-wallace/
🐦X: https://twitter.com/pithyprof
💻Lobby Capital: https://lobby.vc/

Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold
👥LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/
🐦X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold
🎥Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn
📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com
💻Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/

Interview Contents:
0:00 Intro
1:07 What are startup accelerators and why are they important?
5:05 Differences between startup accelerators: YC vs Techstars vs Pear
9:32 Are startup accelerators worth it for founders?
13:38 Why speed is so important for startups
19:38 Startup accelerator funding and equity details
26:29 Startup problems that can be solved in an accelerator
31:33 Stanford GSB's Startup Garage
36:15 How to find user empathy
38:42 If Collin started a new type of accelerator today...
41:32 Techstars' partnerships with big companies
47:17 Lobby Capital
1:02:15 How to get into venture capital
1:07:14 Career advice: finite and infinite games
1:09:49 Something unexpected in Collin's career
1:11:31 Bonus round!

Books mentioned in this episode:
📖 The Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton M. Christensen: https://amzn.to/3TS2N0H
📖 Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse: https://amzn.to/41RR0lc

Our recording setup:
-Webcam used in this episode: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH
-Cheaper version of the webcam (if you just want to level-up your Zoom calls): https://amzn.to/3Sb4QMe
-Microphone used in this episode: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40

Credits:
Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach