Trailblazers

This week, we chat with Terri Burns! Terri is the founder of Type Capital, an early-stage venture firm focused on being the first check for ambitious founders at pre-seed and seed. Most recently, she was a partner at GV, where she made history as the firm’s youngest partner and its first-ever Black female partner, with a focus on digital consumer and emerging technology. During her time at GV, Terri led and supported investments that went on to raise follow-on capital from top-tier firms and achieve meaningful exits, including the social app HAGS, which was acquired by Snapchat. She’s also an active angel investor and cofounder of an angel collective that has backed companies like Clubhouse. Terri’s impact extends well beyond investing. She’s a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee for Venture Capital, a three-time co-chair of Fortune Magazine’s Brainstorm Tech Conference, and a frequent speaker at institutions like Stanford GSB and Harvard Business School. Her work has been featured in publications including Vogue, Fortune, and TechCrunch. Before venture, Terri began her career as an associate product manager at Twitter, studied computer science at NYU, and today serves on NYU’s Board of Trustees. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Terri Burns: @tcburning @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital! In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger breaks down 10 pieces of advice for ambitious twenty somethings! Drawing from her personal experiences in the business world, Erica covers topics like building a strong personal brand, making smart career choices, and other key strategies for growth and success. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, these insights will help you approach your professional journey with confidence and clarity. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Shomik is a longtime venture investor who most recently was a partner at boldstart ventures, an inception-focused fund backing technical founders at day zero. While at boldstart, he supported companies like Cloudquery, Kiln AI, and Ask-Y, and played a role in many other early investments. Before boldstart, Shomik was an investor at Top Tier Capital, where he focused on growth-stage companies including CircleCI, Anaplan, Remitly, Shape Security, and Snyk. His path into venture was anything but traditional, with early experience spanning tech M&A, venture debt, a failed startup, and fixed income sales and trading. Originally from New Jersey and a Pittsburgh alum, Shomik is an avid hiker, an aspiring guitarist—progress very much still in flight—and the proud dad of a one-and-a-half-year-old son who now takes up all of his spare time. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Shomik Ghosh: @shomikghosh21 @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week we chat with Haseeb Qureshi! Haseeb is the Managing Partner at Dragonfly, a multibillion-dollar leading crypto VC firm, and is a longtime technology-focused crypto investor. He was previously a General Partner at Metastable Capital (now acquired by Dragonfly). Earlier in his career, Haseeb founded a stablecoin startup, worked as a blockchain engineer at Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase), and served as an anti-fraud engineer at Airbnb. Before entering tech, he was among the top heads-up no-limit Hold’em poker players in the world, becoming a sponsored professional and self-made millionaire by age 19. He later authored a best-selling poker book, donated the bulk of his poker earnings—about half a million dollars—to charity, and pursued an earn-to-give path that led him into software engineering and eventually blockchain. Haseeb has taught a Web3 Entrepreneurship course at UC Berkeley and is widely followed for his technical expertise in crypto. Today, he continues to write, invest, and contribute to the ecosystem while committing a third of his pre-tax income to charitable causes. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Haseeb Qureshi: @hosseeb @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Nicolas Cary! Nic is the Co-Founder and Vice Chairman at Blockchain.com! He is responsible for bringing new adopters into the crypto ecosystem. A fascination with tech, money and politics led Nic to become deeply passionate about helping people reinvent their relationship with money. After an international upbringing, Nic worked as a teacher in India before becoming a founding team member at SaaS company PipelineCRM.com, where he focused on product development and management. A trilingual communicator, Nic is the Founding Commissioner of the Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development and co-author of The Future is Decentralised. Deeply passionate about entrepreneurship, Nic is also co-founder and chairman of SkysTheLimit.org, the leading non-profit digital business accelerator. Regularly cited in the global press as one of the earliest crypto industry experts, Nic was named the European Digital Leader of the year in 2015 and honored with a Professional Achievement Award in 2017 by his alma mater, the University of Puget Sound. A proven leader, investor, public speaker, and brand ambassador, Nic focuses on designing performant cultures that persevere in adverse markets. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Nicolas Cary: @niccary Sky's The Limit: https://www.skysthelimit.org/ @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week we chat with Paige Finn Doherty! Paige is the Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures, an early-stage venture firm managing nearly $14 million in AUM. Behind Genius makes concentrated investments in pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by technical storytellers across applied AI, frontier tech, and what’s next. A writer and former engineer, Paige first broke into venture capital in a truly unconventional way by writing a best-selling “children’s book for adults” about how venture capital works, Seed to Harvest. At the time, she was working as a Developer Success Engineer at WorkOS, a role she actually landed through Twitter! Paige’s impact and storytelling have earned her widespread recognition: she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Cover in Venture Capital (2022), named a Rising SDSU Aztec Awardee, and most recently, inducted into the Rancho Bernardo High School Hall of Fame. Originally from San Diego and now based in San Francisco, Paige continues to bring transparency, creativity, and heart to the world of venture through storytelling and curio ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Paige Finn Doherty: @paigedoherty Behind Genius Substack: @behindgenius.substack.com @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week we chat with Claire Hughes Johnson! Claire is the former COO of Stripe, where she played a critical role in scaling the company from 160 employees to more than 7,000 during its period of rapid global expansion. Before Stripe, she spent over a decade at Google, leading large international teams across multiple high-growth products and operations. She now serves on the boards of HubSpot, The Atlantic, Aurora, and several other organizations, is an active angel investor, and is the bestselling author of Scaling People, widely regarded as a modern classic on leadership, management, and organizational design. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Claire Hughes Johnson: @chughesjohnson @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital! In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger breaks down 7 things she wishes every founder knew before raising their first check. The honest, unfiltered truths that can dramatically change the way you approach fundraising. Drawing from the countless lessons she’s learned while raising for her own firm, Erica unpacks the realities behind investor conversations, what actually moves a deal forward, and the common mistakes first-time founders don’t even realize they’re making. From understanding how investors really make decisions to setting expectations, building genuine momentum, and crafting a narrative that sticks, Erica shares the tactical learning nuggets she had to earn the hard way. If you’re preparing for your first raise or simply want a clearer look at how fundraising really works behind the scenes. This episode is your grounded, practical guide to entering the capital-raising arena with confidence. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Jeffrey Bussgang! Jeff has spent his career at the intersection of startup experimentation and transformative technology. For over a decade, he has taught one of Harvard Business School’s most popular entrepreneurship courses, Launching Tech Ventures, where he's helped thousands of founders build and scale successful companies. As co-founder of Flybridge Capital Partners (a leading seed VC fund with over $1 billion under management), he and his partners were early to recognize AI’s potential to transform startups, evolving the firm’s investment thesis to focus exclusively on AI-forward companies and founders. Before his time as an educator and investor, Bussgang experienced the startup journey firsthand—joining Open Market’s early team and helping lead it through an IPO in 1996, and then co-founding Upromise in 2000, which was successfully acquired. This unique vantage point—as professor, investor, and startup executive—has given him an unmatched perspective on how AI is revolutionizing the startup landscape. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Linkedin : Jeff Bussgang @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital! In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger dives into Starting a VC Fund 101, breaking down the real reasons why you might want to start a fund, what it actually takes to launch one, and the lessons she’s learned from being in the trenches herself. From structuring your first fund to navigating LP conversations and finding your unique edge, Erica shares insider tips and hard-earned insights that every aspiring fund manager should hear. If you’ve ever thought about building your own VC fund or just want to understand how the process really works behind closed doors, this episode is your practical and honest guide to getting started in venture capital. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Ankur is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and the founder of Carry, a modern platform helping business owners build durable wealth through smarter tax strategies and long-term financial systems. He’s also the founder of Vibe Capital, a $100M venture fund backing bold founders across the U.S., India, and beyond, and the creator of Silly Money, a fast-growing newsletter and community helping people beat the game of capitalism. Before that, Ankur founded Teachable, the groundbreaking platform that empowered over 100,000 creators to turn their expertise into income—helping them earn over $1 billion and scaling Teachable to $60M in ARR before its nine-figure exit to Hotmart. Ankur is passionate about helping founders and entrepreneurs not just make money, but keep it, through the right systems, strategy, and mindset for long-term freedom. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Ankur Nagpal: @ankurnagpal sillymoney.com @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Amber Atherton! Amber is a British entrepreneur and investor based in San Francisco. She’s a Partner at Patron, an early-stage venture capital firm shaping the future of gaming and online communities, and the Founder of The Atherton Award, which honors young women pursuing careers in STEM and entrepreneurship. A lifelong builder, Amber began coding as a kid in Hong Kong before founding Zyper, a Y Combinator–backed community software startup that used NLP and computer vision to connect creators and their top fans. Zyper was later acquired by Discord, where Amber led growth, launched new international markets, and spearheaded revenue initiatives. Recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and Business Insider’s Rising Stars in VC, Amber continues to shape the future of community, technology, and venture. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Des Traynor! Des is the Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Intercom, the company behind Fin.ai, and he also sits on Intercom’s board of directors. Over the years, Des has led teams across Product, Marketing, Customer Support, and Content, playing a key role in shaping Intercom into one of the most influential customer communication platforms in the world. Today, he oversees Intercom’s R&D team, based in Dublin and London. Before founding Intercom, Des was a UX consultant, a university lecturer in computer science, and a Ph.D. researcher focused on improving computer science education. He also previously co-founded Exceptional, a software company acquired by Rackspace. Beyond his work at Intercom, Des is an author, speaker, and angel investor, sharing insights on startups, product strategy, and scaling companies through books, podcasts, and conferences. He’s also an investor in some of the most notable startups of our time — including Miro, Stripe, Notion, and Hopin. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Des Traynor: @destraynor Fin AI: fin.ai @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Amanda Goetz! Amanda Goetz is a 2x Founder, CEO and 4x CMO. She is an inspirational writer and content creator captivating millions of people every month through her social insights and newsletter “Life’s a Game”. Amanda graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and went on to lead marketing teams at Ernst & Young, The Knot and still advises as Fractional CMO to multiple startups. She started her last company, House of Wise, during the pandemic in her garage, raised two rounds of venture capital and sold it in 2022 all while homeschooling three young children as a single mom. She found love again and lives with her partner and 3 kiddos in Miami, FL after a decade dodging hustle culture in NYC. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Amanda Goetz: @theamandagoetz https://www.amandagoetz.com/ @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Rex Woodbury! Rex is the Founder and Managing Partner of Daybreak, an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York. Daybreak is a first-check firm built on the belief that the companies shaping the future will be those improving the lives of the next generation. Before starting Daybreak, Rex was a Partner at Index Ventures, where he invested in consumer technology and the creators building online communities. Beyond investing, Rex is also the writer behind Digital Native, a widely read weekly publication exploring the intersection of technology, culture, and the internet with over 70,000 readers each week. With his unique perspective as both an investor and a storyteller of the digital age, he brings deep insight into how technology continues to shape how we live, work, and connect. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, Quo & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Rex Woodbury: @rex_woodbury Daybreak: @daybreak_fund @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital! In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger shares her hot takes on venture capital — the unspoken takes that many in the industry quietly know but rarely say out loud. From fundraising dynamics to investor-founder relationships, Erica unpacks the realities that shape how VC really works behind the scenes — beyond the headlines and polished pitch decks. If you’ve ever wondered what people in venture really think (but don’t tweet), this episode is your insider look into the honest, unfiltered side of the industry. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Avni Barman! Avni is the CEO and Founder of Gen She, a media company and fund empowering a community of over 700,000 women across Instagram, TikTok, a newsletter, a podcast, and a job board. Through Gen She, Avni writes $50K–$100K checks into ventures that directly help their audience rise to the top 1%, driving real impact for the next generation of women leaders. Before launching Gen She, Avni spent over four years in Big Tech as an engineer and product manager — experience that now fuels her mission to unlock the potential of young women in entrepreneurship, tech, venture, and media. Her work bridges empowerment and innovation — creating pathways for women to lead in every corner of tech, venture, and media. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Avni Barman: @avnibarman_ Gen She: @gen.she @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital! In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger dives into why every founder should have a manifesto — a clear, written declaration of what they stand for and where they’re headed. Erica breaks down three key benefits of writing one and walks you through five actionable steps to get started. She also makes a compelling case for the power of thoughtful, long-form writing — not just as a branding exercise, but as a way to sharpen conviction, attract alignment, and move your mission forward. If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect moment” to write your manifesto — this is your sign to just start. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Maya Bakhai! Maya Bakhai is the founder of Spice Capital, a first-yes fund investing at pre-seed and seed. Maya's Fund II is a $25M Fund that will invest in ~40 companies with check sizes ranging from $250k-$750k. Spice Capital has over 50 companies in the portfolio including Beehiiv, MUBI, Prosper Health, Hype, Skej, and more. In the last 8 years, Maya has backed 100+ founders.. Prior to starting Spice Capital in 2021, she ran venture investments for Kevin Durant at Thirty Five Ventures where she invested in multiple now-unicorns including: Hugging Face, Robinhood, Skydio, Mercury, Whoop, Rubrik, and Underdog Fantasy. She has a B.S. in Finance and Data Science from NYU. In 2023, she was recognized for her investing in Forbes 30 under 30's Venture Capital list. Maya is based in NYC. Fun fact: In a past life, she produced a sold out off-broadway musical- “Aliens Coming”, a narrative podcast -“Illuminati Interns” and an award-winning web series called “Freelance”. ✨ This episode is presented by Brex. Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena. RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger Follow Us! Maya Bakhai: @MayaBakhai Spice Capital: @spice_cap @thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger 🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week, we chat with Katie Stanton!Katie is the Founder and General Partner of Moxxie Ventures. Katie is an investor, operator, board member, and proud mom of three kids and two “poorly-trained” dogs. She has built her career leading teams at Yahoo, Google, Twitter, and Color, and also served in the Obama White House and Clinton State Department.As Founder and Managing Partner of Moxxie Ventures, Katie backs entrepreneurs tackling hard problems that improve life, work, and the planet. She was also a Founding Partner of #Angels and has invested in over 50 early-stage companies including Airtable, Coinbase, Cameo, Carta, and Modern Fertility.Katie currently serves on the Boards of Vivendi and Yahoo and previously served on the Board of Time Inc. Her career has been defined by a commitment to brilliant people, bold ideas, and building a better future.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Katie Stanton: @katies@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!