The TDK Ventures Playbook: Spotting Category Leaders Before They Break Out (Early Investor of Groq) скачать в хорошем качестве

The TDK Ventures Playbook: Spotting Category Leaders Before They Break Out (Early Investor of Groq)

In this episode of the Semiconductor Leadership Podcast, host Salah Nasri sits down with Nicolas Sauvage, President of TDK Ventures, for a deep dive into how the world’s leading corporate venture capital firm identifies deep tech winners years before they become obvious. EXCLUSIVE: This podcast was filmed just before the $20 billion announcement between Groq and Nvidia Nicolas shares how TDK Ventures invests at the seed stage in deep tech, semiconductors, energy storage, sensing, electrification, and AI infrastructure, and why conviction, founder–market fit, and unit economics matter more than hype or who else is investing. This conversation explores why most VCs struggle with deep tech timelines—and how TDK Ventures builds billion-dollar businesses by backing founders who are right years ahead of the market. You’ll learn: How TDK Ventures evaluates early-stage deep tech startups Why seed investing is about founder insight, not risk avoidance The most overrated and underrated VC metrics Why unit economics are critical in clean tech, hardware, and AI How corporate venture capital (CVC) should be structured for exploration vs. exploitation Why India, Africa, Australia, and other regions are underpriced deep tech markets How energy, electrification, semiconductors, and AI are converging What founders should include in their pitch—but usually don’t Whether you’re a startup founder, VC, CVC leader, semiconductor professional, or deep tech investor, this episode delivers practical insights, first-principles thinking, and hard-earned lessons from one of the most respected voices in corporate venture capital. 🎧 Subscribe to the Semiconductor Leadership Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts for more conversations with global technology and investment leaders. 00:00 – Welcome to the Semiconductor Leadership Podcast 00:51 – Introducing Nicolas Sauvage, President of TDK Ventures 03:17 – How TDK Ventures finds “King of the Hill” startups 05:37 – Why seed stage matters most in deep tech 07:51 – The most important diligence signal in venture capital 11:03 – The one KPI that actually matters: unit economics 12:56 – Why India is one of the best places for deep tech 16:10 – Why 2026 will be a historic year for venture investing 19:46 – What great Corporate VC governance really means 25:51 – Why predicting the future is the wrong way to invest 28:00 – How to power AI when lithium and materials run out 31:24 – How TDK Ventures was born 35:39 – What “Scaling Impact Scalers” really means 37:12 – Why deep tech timelines break traditional VC models 41:14 – The truth about power laws in venture capital 54:16 – The convergence of AI, energy, and electrification