#Throwback Take: This week, Jenny and Thanasis revisit a conversation with Paige Soya, Managing Partner at K Street Capital, a seed-stage venture firm investing in high-growth regulated markets. Paige shares her journey from launching GoTab—a fintech startup she created as an MBA school project and later sold—to leading K Street’s evolution from an angel group to a VC fund. She dives into the firm’s $26M fund-of-funds program in partnership with Washington, D.C., her take on why the DMV is an ideal hub for innovation, and how having a pulse on regulated markets can make or break scaling. Along the way, she shares what she looks for in team dynamics, why her weekly meetings always include discussions on latest AI tools, and her biggest founder lesson: a finance background alone doesn’t make you a VC.

Throwback Take: This week, Jenny and Thanasis revisit a conversation with Alexandre Lazarow, Managing Partner at Fluent Ventures, a global venture fund. With over 12 years of experience across financial services and impact investing, Alexandre shares how his diverse upbringing and travels have shaped his investment philosophy. He dives into the process of launching his book at the start of the pandemic, the universal patterns he’s seen in global investing, and why optimism is key to his outlook on tech’s role in shaping the future. Plus, he offers actionable advice for founders looking to stand out: bring on operators who live and breathe your business model.

#ThrowbackThursday This week on Finding PROOF, we're revisiting our earlier conversation with NVCA and Bobby Franklin.

While this conversation originally aired just over a year ago, with the election approaching, it’s a timely reminder of the vital role lobbyists play—and how fortunate the venture capital ecosystem is to have such a strong, passionate advocate for the innovation economy in Washington.

NVCA has played an invaluable role in VC wins, such as securing block grant funding for entrepreneurial ecosystems through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), supporting tech-driven initiatives in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and advancing the CHIPS and Science Act, which originated as the Endless Frontier Act—a generational investment in technology and entrepreneurship across the country.