In this episode, Ian sits down with Evan Walden, CEO of Getro&mdash;a startup rethinking how VCs support their portfolio companies through meaningful connections and talent networks. From his early days at General Assembly to leading a platform used by top-tier VC firms, Evan shares candid insights on leadership, founder relationships, startup career pathways, and why authentic networking matters more than ever. Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder, this conversation is packed with practical ideas and fresh perspectives on value creation in venture capital. 🔑 Key Conversation Highlights: <ul data-start="987" data-end="2526"> <li data-start="987" data-end="1141"> From Philosophy to Tech: Evan&rsquo;s unconventional path from studying philosophy to building tech platforms that empower communities and ecosystems. </li> <li data-start="1143" data-end="1304"> Lessons from General Assembly: The founding journey, scaling a mission-driven business, and how career outcomes, not just education, shaped their growth. </li> <li data-start="1306" data-end="1462"> The Power of &ldquo;Network-Driven Outcomes&rdquo;: Why intros and warm connections still drive results, and how Getro helps VCs operationalise this at scale. </li> <li data-start="1464" data-end="1616"> Rebuilding the VC Tech Stack: What most venture firms get wrong about talent support&mdash;and why the future of VC is about network intelligence. </li> <li data-start="1618" data-end="1749"> Getro&rsquo;s Origin Story: From internal project to standalone company, and what it&rsquo;s like spinning out of a fund like OnDeck. </li> <li data-start="1751" data-end="1916"> Tactical Advice for VCs: How to actually help founders. Hint: it&rsquo;s not just capital. Evan shares real strategies around intros, hiring, and network mapping. </li> </ul> &nbsp; Quick Fire Round: 📚 Book recommendation &ndash; The Great CEO Within - There's a PDF that's available for free, but to me this is like the Bible for any startup founder and I would just recommend anyone starting a company go get it like right now.🎧 Podcast recommendation &ndash; This Jungian Life - not business related but a funny poscast to listen to🗞️ News source &ndash;&nbsp;I've actually been using X a lot more recently. I realised once I curated who I follow it became the best place to learn about the nuances of what's getting built in AI and tech, stuff that never makes it into the news cycle.👨&zwj;💼 Favourite CEO &ndash;&nbsp; Collison brothers (Founders of Stripe) for their ability to build a massive company while maintaining their value system and Brian Chesky (Founder of Airbnb).🛠️ Productivity tool &ndash; Superhuman and chatGPT📱&nbsp;Favourite app &ndash; Whisper Flow - a speech to text app that's 99% accurate📺&nbsp;TV or movie recommendation &ndash; I'm half way through The Last of Us🎤 TED Talk topic &ndash; Networking doesn't have to suck: building authentic relationships in a world of fakeness. The Innovation Bay job board is powered by Getro. Looking for your dream role? We have you covered with over 450 open roles across almost 5000 companies: https://jobs.innovationbay.com/jobsSee <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

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