Pete Townsend: Invest in Relationships, Not Pitches: What 1,500 Founder Calls Taught Me - GeeksTap Session
GeeksTap with Pete Townsend: Invest in Relationships, Not Pitches - What 1,500 Founder Calls Taught Me
What can you learn about a founder that no pitch deck can show you?
Pete Townsend is the solo GP of Norio Ventures, a pre-seed fund backing founders at the intersection of real-world finance, stablecoins, and tokenized assets. Before investing, he spent 20 years in institutional finance at Fidelity and BNP Paribas, then ran four cohorts of the Techstars Web3 accelerator, reviewing 2,500+ deals and making 40 investments. He also chairs the board of Coinbase Ireland and hosts the MoneyNeverSleeps podcast, with 300+ episodes.
After 1,500+ founder calls, Pete has built his investing approach around a simple principle: invest in lines, not dots. A single pitch can tell you what a founder looks like today. A relationship built over time can reveal how they think, adapt, and build.
We’ll also get into why stablecoins and tokenization may matter well beyond crypto-native companies, and why Pete believes a founder’s first check should come with a mentor from day one.
What can six months of knowing a founder tell you that an hour-long pitch never could? Join this session to find out!
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