What Makes a Startup “Click”, Before it Even Exists? with Matt Cohen

Episode notes

Originally recorded as Matt Cohen’s guest appearance on the Make It Click podcast hosted by Willson Cross. Matt Cohen joins Willson Cross on the Make It Click podcast for a sharp, no-fluff conversation on what actually makes early-stage startups click. As the founder and managing partner of Ripple Ventures, Matt breaks down how he went from Bay Street and Wall Street trading desks to becoming one of Canada’s most active early-stage investors, backing founders at the inception stage, sometimes before incorporation, bank accounts, or even customers exist. Matt shares the real frameworks he uses to evaluate founders before product-market fit: team quality, problem validation, recruiting ability, and fundraising muscle. The conversation dives into how Ripple Ventures helps companies graduate from pre-seed to Series A, why Matt loves pivots (or “evolutions”), how Canadian founders differ from U.S. founders in ambition and risk tolerance, and why AI, deep tech, space tech, and defence are reshaping venture capital in Canada.

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