<description>&lt;h2&gt;Episode Summary&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join Cheryl and Maxine on an insightful journey into early-stage investing in this episode of First Cheque. The discussion covers the transition from basic checklists to more sophisticated decision diaries, emphasizing structured evaluation and the importance of capturing and analysing decision-making processes over time. Key topics include understanding founder commitment, market size evaluation, and the balance between intuition and quantitative analysis. The episode offers practical advice on refining investment strategies through critical thinking, timely decision-making, and mitigating biases. Additionally, it explores the qualitative nature of early-stage investments and the value of leveraging instincts effectively. Tune in to transform your investment decisions with proven frameworks and mental models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Key Takeaways&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:00 Welcome to First Cheque: Your Guide to Early-Stage Investing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:22 Diving into Decision-Making and Mental Models&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;02:05 From Checklists to Decision Diaries&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;07:20 Evaluating Founders and Market Size&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;16:28 The Importance of Timing in Investment Decisions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;20:13 Understanding Mid to Late-Stage Investing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;20:56 The Role of Intuition and Quantitative Measures&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;22:38 Challenges of Data-Driven Investment Matching&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;23:17 Personal Experience with Investment Matching&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;25:49 The Potential and Limitations of AI in Investing&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;28:35 Decision Diaries: A Tool for Better Investment Choices&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;35:03 Key Questions for Investment Decisions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;37:14 Reflections on Decision-Making and Instincts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;37:38 Conclusion and Call for Feedback&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Resources&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.notion.so/onangelinvesting/Decision-Diary-6f7b07c698774a108079a05fc2879099?pvs=4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Maxine's Decision Diary Template&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h2&gt;First Cheque is supported by our wonderful sponsors:&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vanta:&lt;/strong&gt; Join 7,000 global companies like Atlassian and Dovetail that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real time. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Get 10% off https://dayone.fm/vanta&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rocking Horse: &lt;/strong&gt;Rocking Horse helps startups access their R&amp;amp;D tax rebate early. Get up to $3M in non-dilutive finance, solve cash flow challenges, and accelerate growth. Easy application, fast approval. Smart investment for innovative startups. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;https://dayone.fm/rockinghorse&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Galah Cyber:&lt;/strong&gt; Galah Cyber are perfect for founder-lead and SAAS businesses. Galah provides advice, education, and training. Get in touch with Galah Cyber for a complimentary call to make sure you’re secured.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;https://dayone.fm/galah&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;h1&gt;The Day One Network&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;h2&gt;First Cheque is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators &amp;amp; investors.&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;To learn more, join our&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://dayone.fm/podcast-network/newsletter/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you want to learn about upcoming guests and when a new First Cheque episode is available, join the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://dayone.fm/podcast-network/first-cheque/newsletter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;First Cheque newsletter&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/vanta"&gt;June 2024 – Vanta First Cheque&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/rockinghorse"&gt;November 2024 - Rocking Horse&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://first-cheque-dayone.captivate.fm/galah"&gt;November 2024 - Galah Cyber&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/</description>

First Cheque

DayOne.fm

Mastering Early-Stage Investing: From Checklists to Decision Diaries

OCT 17, 202440 MIN
First Cheque

Mastering Early-Stage Investing: From Checklists to Decision Diaries

OCT 17, 202440 MIN

Description

Episode Summary

Join Cheryl and Maxine on an insightful journey into early-stage investing in this episode of First Cheque. The discussion covers the transition from basic checklists to more sophisticated decision diaries, emphasizing structured evaluation and the importance of capturing and analysing decision-making processes over time. Key topics include understanding founder commitment, market size evaluation, and the balance between intuition and quantitative analysis. The episode offers practical advice on refining investment strategies through critical thinking, timely decision-making, and mitigating biases. Additionally, it explores the qualitative nature of early-stage investments and the value of leveraging instincts effectively. Tune in to transform your investment decisions with proven frameworks and mental models.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Welcome to First Cheque: Your Guide to Early-Stage Investing

00:22 Diving into Decision-Making and Mental Models

02:05 From Checklists to Decision Diaries

07:20 Evaluating Founders and Market Size

16:28 The Importance of Timing in Investment Decisions

20:13 Understanding Mid to Late-Stage Investing

20:56 The Role of Intuition and Quantitative Measures

22:38 Challenges of Data-Driven Investment Matching

23:17 Personal Experience with Investment Matching

25:49 The Potential and Limitations of AI in Investing

28:35 Decision Diaries: A Tool for Better Investment Choices

35:03 Key Questions for Investment Decisions

37:14 Reflections on Decision-Making and Instincts

37:38 Conclusion and Call for Feedback

Resources

Maxine's Decision Diary Template

Sponsors:

First Cheque is supported by our wonderful sponsors:

Vanta: Join 7,000 global companies like Atlassian and Dovetail that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real time.

Get 10% off https://dayone.fm/vanta

Rocking Horse: Rocking Horse helps startups access their R&D tax rebate early. Get up to $3M in non-dilutive finance, solve cash flow challenges, and accelerate growth. Easy application, fast approval. Smart investment for innovative startups.

https://dayone.fm/rockinghorse

Galah Cyber: Galah Cyber are perfect for founder-lead and SAAS businesses. Galah provides advice, education, and training. Get in touch with Galah Cyber for a complimentary call to make sure you’re secured.

https://dayone.fm/galah

The Day One Network

First Cheque is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.

To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.

If you want to learn about upcoming guests and when a new First Cheque episode is available, join the First Cheque newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

June 2024 – Vanta First Cheque

November 2024 - Rocking Horse

November 2024 - Galah Cyber



This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Spotify Ad Analytics - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/ad-analytics-privacy-policy/