No Bullsh*t Talks

S3 E8: What Investors Actually Want (And Why Most Founders Get It Wrong) with Mike Lingle

No Bullsh*t Talks

Show Notes

Mike Lingle is back - five years after his first appearance on No Bullsh*t Talks, this time in person in Miami.

Mike is a serial entrepreneur, startup mentor, VC fund manager, and former developer who's gone all-in on AI.In this episode, we get into the financial mistakes that kill startups, why most founders shouldn't raise money until they truly understand their numbers, and what investors are actually looking for at the early stage.

Mike also opens up about how vibe coding has given him back his developer superpowers - and what it's really like to manage an army of AI agents when they lie to your face.

In this episode: - The #1 financial mistake founders make (and why it's not just about spending) - Why behaviour change and monetisation are the two things every startup must prove first - The right MVP approach: test with humans before you build - How Mike went from financial projections to running a VC fund for an Australian family office - What makes Mike say yes to an investment — and what kills deals instantly - His full AI-powered due diligence workflow using Claude in Excel and PowerPoint - How he solved the AI randomness problem using consensus agents - The "naughty employee" AI that kept lying — and couldn't be threatened into stopping - Why vibe coding isn't for everyone, and what non-technical founders should actually be doing with AI

Show Notes and Transcript Visit the website to get the transcriptions, notes and more insights from the episodes:https://n0bspodcasts.com

What is the podcast? This podcast is for anyone who wants to learn what it’s really like running a business. A realistic view along with insightful and actionable advice. If you’re fed up of hearing the same stories about how successful entrepreneurs are and it just took a morning routine or a few simple steps, then this is the podcast for you. No Bullsh*t Talks is a podcast of REAL conversations between ambitious entrepreneurs, discussing both the highs and the lows of entrepreneurships and all the lessons learned along the way.

🎧 Listen For Free Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-bullsh-t-talks/id1605759771 Spotify (You can also watch the video here): https://open.spotify.com/show/7mYsm8OcmGNnQCiyeKoFEE Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/id4759866?country=gb Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/no-bullsht-talks-GA1ZbP RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/464e7ed8/podcast/rss

🙏🏽 Leave A Review If you enjoy this show, then it really helps if you leave a review. So, please do leave a review and let me know what you think of the show!https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-bullsh-t-talks/id1605759771

Sabrina’s Socials 🌏 Podcast Website: https://n0bspodcasts.com 🌏 Sabrina’s Website: https://sabrinachevannes.com 🎙 Sabrina’s Solo Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3E9VGj26UgMS04rYwXrJ22?si=a04c40eef9444de1 📺 Sabrina’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sabrinachevannes 👩🏽‍💻 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sabrinachevannes 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sabzyc 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabzyc ⏰ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/sabrinachevannes

Mike's Socials 🌏 Rocket Pro Forma website: https://www.rocketproforma.com/ 🧑‍💻 Mike's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikelingle/ 📸 Mike's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamimike_wtf/

📧 Get in Touch I love hearing personally from my viewers, so if you have any feedback on any of the episodes or you have a suggestion for someone you’d like me to interview, please feel free to tweet me @sabzyc or find me on Instagram with the same username!

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