VSC Ventures

This year at The Drop, CLIMB will be one step closer to global domination 😉 With support and partnership from my friends and The Drop's amazing organizers Hampus Jakobsson at Pale blue dot and Ryan Waring at Domino Studio I'll be back in Malmö this year hosting some amazing guests on our popular weekly talk show CLIMB, live from The Drop, including: 💧 Marc Faucher (Arc Tern Ventures) 💧 Tom McQuillen (ReGen Ventures) 💧 Camilla Dolan (Eka Ventures) 💧 Travis Connors (Building Ventures) 💧and our host Ryan Waring (Domino Studio) himself! …with more great names to be announced this week. If this post is your first introduction to CLIMB, welcome! Each week, I host tactical conversations with founders, VCs, and industry experts about scaling climate innovations. We've released over 75 episodes, and counting. With so much '0 to 1' content out there, CLIMB helps founders answer the question: "You've raised your first capital to build a climate solution... what comes next?" Between recording sessions, I'll be around all day to chat with founders (and co-investors) about how tactically improving their storytelling can help them close a Series A — even despite any so-called 'Series A crunch.' After all, this is why we raised VSC Ventures to put storytelling on the cap table. Drop me a comment below if you want to chat. Lastly, look out for Season III of CLIMB coming out later this year. And catch up on our amazing conversations with founders and investors from Seasons I and II before the new episodes drop. Link in the comments

The perfect founder-market fit hinges on motivation. When assessing founders, ask how they rank and order everything their team throws at them. Find out what parts of the business they're systematizing. See what experiments they're currently running. And then ask yourself: 1) Can this be a moat? 2) Are these guys setting up systems to scale without being in on every tiny detail? In Episode 075 of CLIMB, Lindsay McGregor from Vega Factor emphasizes how Play, along with adaptive and tactical performance, tells you all you need to know about a startup. Tune in to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

In a world where bad managers outnumber the good… Every manager likes to think they have good synergy with their team. But, there’s more than meets the eye. You may be steering the ship, but it's the crew who knows the waters. Regular 90-minute team chats with your team can do wonders. For example: ask what frustrates them, and set action items for next quarter. In our recent episode of CLIMB, Lindsay McGregor of Vega Factor explains how she aligned teams for high performance at Slack, Grab, and more. Watch the complete conversation featuring Lindsay here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

More management, more problems. Just look at early Facebook. Employees felt bogged down by endless meetings and a sense of disconnect. That’s a red flag for broken processes; if you lean too much on tactics, creativity takes a hit. To address these typical growing pains, early Facebook had to balance tactical and adaptive processes. The goal was to ensure fast feedback loops from users, which let them pivot fast and stay agile. In Episode 075, Lindsay McGregor, best-selling author and CEO of Vega Factor, addresses how startups need to balance structured processes with innovation. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

Constructive coaching can SAVE your startup. Here’s how. The belief that individual shortcomings hinder team synergy is the farthest thing from the truth. Quarterly skill assessments, guided by AI, ensure that team objectives align with overarching entity goals. Turning feedback into opportunities will only help you get better and faster. In the latest episode of CLIMB, guest Lindsay McGregor, CEO of Vega Factor, deep dives into why agile goal-setting and problem-solving are vital for startups. Here’s Lindsay’s playbook on how using AI for skill check-ins keeps everyone aligned with team goals. Watch the complete discussion here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

Having a hands-on leader is a BIG blessing. Let me explain. You may think the best boss stays out of the way, but that means that… You probably haven't had a leader who helps you deliver. Take Steve Jobs, for example. He would personally test prototypes and give feedback to his team, pushing them to constantly iterate. Our guest on the show, Lindsay McGregor (Vega Factor), is also the author of Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation. In her book, she explains why managers play a vital role in shaping total motivation that supports play, purpose, and potential. Watch Episode 75 of CLIMB featuring Lindsay here: https://lnkd.in/d9dAEPHz

Preparation is NOT Productivity. Showing your finished work is way too late for feedback. Fast-moving startups thrive on early ideation. In a nimble team of five to ten, rapid feedback loops are vital. Early input like "I'm thinking about this for our ad campaign tomorrow" can save wasted effort. Team members can instantly reject bad ideas and explain why. Is it hard having these conversations as a team? Yes. Does it lay out priorities and help your team's velocity? Absolutely. In Episode 075 of CLIMB by VSC, Lindsay McGregor, CEO of Vega Factor, breaks down how Factor.ai is helping your team ideate more efficiently. Tune into the complete conversation here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

Strategy is all of the smart things you're NOT going to do. That’s what Stewart Butterfield, the founder of Slack, told Lindsay McGregor, Co-Fonder and CEO of Factor.ai, on stage at a customer conference. Contrary to popular belief, it’s the perfect definition of strategy in Silicon Valley. Why? Because amidst countless potential endeavors, only a select few are truly essential. Butterfield’s insight is urging a moment of pause, reminding founders that attempting to tackle everything is simply not an attainable goal. Pursuing multiple tasks all at once is like shoveling snow uphill. Sure, it gets some work done. But the work never ends. Rather, emphasis should be put on identifying and pursuing pivotal initiatives. In Episode 075 of CLIMB, host Jay Kapoor is joined by Lindsay to talk about her experience helping companies like Slack, Grab, and Flexport to manage and retain top hires. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS

Zuck advised founders to “Move fast and break things.” You need to realize that time is not your friend. The longer you take, the more time someone else has to overtake you. And to keep things moving, a leader should ensure that each team member knows the top 3-5 problems they're tackling. Against these priorities, measure the progress your team is making and identify the tasks you need to add to your to-do list. You now know where to focus your time, energy, and resources. In a startup, absolutely nothing happens unless YOU make it happen. In this episode, Lindsay McGregor, Co-Founder & CEO of Factor.ai, explains how even the best teams fail without clear, actionable, and timely goals. Watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/dsWwDAng

Autonomy might be a ticking time bomb for your startup. More Autonomy = Less Accountability. Excessive autonomy leaves employees feeling adrift and unsure of their responsibilities. But it's also important to recognize that some level of autonomy is beneficial. Leaders NEED to help their teams reach KPIs without micromanaging. If you don’t provide this balance, your team will struggle to come into its own. Is that really the kind of culture you want to foster? Watch the latest episode of CLIMB, where Co-Founder & CEO of Factor.ai Lindsay McGregor teaches us how Play, Purpose, and Potential are paramount when building your startup engine. Tune in now: https://lnkd.in/d-YbSWtS