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Artwork for Scaling Nerds

Scaling Nerds | Startup Marketing, Fundraising and Sales

Marina Schmidt
David Beckett
Startups
Pitching Strategies
Venture Capital
Best3minutes
Pitch Decks
Communications
Food Futurism
Startup Growth
Corporate Sales
Investment
Communication Skills
Fundraising
Stakeholder Management
Micro-Fermentation
Marketing
Sustainable Food Systems
Food Tech
Biotech
Critical Minerals

Scaling Nerds (prev. Red to Green) helps science and tech founders master communication skills needed for VC-backed growth, covering the nuts and bolts of startup marketing, sales and fundraising. Ranked in the top 5% globally, with listeners in 160+ countries, Scaling Nerds is a top podcast for founders who want to raise money, build their founder brands or close corporate sales. Hosted by startu... more

PublishesInfrequentlyEpisodes88Founded6 years ago
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Artwork for Scaling Nerds

Latest Episodes

Customer discovery is the one piece of startup advice everyone repeats, and it can still steer you straight into the iceberg. You spend dozens or even hundreds of hours talking to customers, find a burning problem and build the fix. Then nobody pays.... more

Most investors skip your market sizing slide. Not because the number is too small, but because a $5 billion figure pulled off Statista tells them nothing about how you get your first customer. And when you claim 1% of a huge market, you quietly under... more

The Future of Media, AI & Founder Visibility

Guest: Steven PerlbergLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sperlberg/⁠ · Merantix Capital: ⁠https://www.merantix-capital.com⁠Head of Communications at Merantix Capital — Berlin-based VC investing in ea... more

Most founders walk onto stage cold. Even Usain Bolt doesn't do that.

In this solo episode, Marina shares the exact warm-up routine she uses as a professional moderator — a five-minute ritual that will make you sharper, more confident, and more conne... more

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Recent Guests

Rob Snyder
Harvard Business School graduate, former McKinsey consultant, founder of Our Work
Harvard Business School / Our Work
Episode: 17. Customer Discovery Interviews Mislead You: Test Buyer Pull Instead – with Rob Snyder
Otto Pohl
Market sizing and storytelling expert, University-based startup communications leader
Autopohl Communications (as referenced)
Episode: 16. Market Sizing for Pitch Decks: Why TAM SAM SOM Is Costing You the Meeting – with Otto Pohl
Steven Perlberg
Head of Communications at Merantix Capital; former journalist
Merantix Capital
Episode: 15. How AI is changing the media landscape & PR with former media journalist Steven Perlberg from Merantix Capital
Daniel Skaven Ruben
CCO of Good Grains; runs Solvable Syndicate; mentor/advisor in agri-food startups
Good Grains; Solvable Syndicate
Episode: 13. ⭐ Investor Updates: A Complete Founder Guide to Unlocking Support and Capital
David Beckett
International pitch coach who has trained over 2,900 startups and helped them secure over 490 million in investments.
Best Three Minutes
Episode: 11. Win Your Next Startup Pitch with this 3-Minute Pitch Formula - David Beckett from Best3Minutes
Ariel Barack
Senior Partner and Chief Executive of Ordway Selections
Ordway Selections
Episode: 9. Choose VCs That Won't Go Bust - Hard Truths from an LP with Ariel Barack from Ordway Selections
Sarah Rall
Director of Communications at Cherry Ventures
Cherry Ventures
Episode: 7. ⭐ Skip Panels, Do This Instead: Founder Thought Leadership 101 with Sarah Rall from Cherry Ventures
Oliver Siegel
Co-founder and CEO of Magmatic Bio
Magmatic Bio
Episode: 5. Live Pitch-Fix: Finding the Right Narrative for Critical Minerals Startup Magmatic
Nina Mannheimer
Co-founder and former CPO of Klim, a regenerative agriculture startup
Klim
Episode: 4. How to Sell Something People Don't Understand (yet) with Nina Mannheimer from Klim

Host

Marina Schmidt
Host of Scaling Nerds; startup communications advisor with focus on helping science and tech founders raise money and grow.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 146 ratings
  • A must-listen for deep tech founders

    It's a sad truth that many technologies have realized only a fraction of their potential impact simply because customers and investors didn’t understand their value.

    Creating a compelling narrative isn't easy. As a deep tech communications nerd, psyched to see Scaling Nerds tackle this challenge. (Definitely don't sleep on the live pitch fix episode.)

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    renitakalhorn
    United States10 months ago
  • Hey I may be biased here but I am pretty sure this is some of the best food tech sustainability content out there :)

    Podchaser
    5
    Marina Schmidt
    4 years ago
  • Alll podcast serries presents valuable insiders and professional information. Keep on going and innovating new foods

    Audible
    5
    Kindle Customer
    United States4 years ago
  • Amazng content in this subject.

    Alll podcast serries presents valuable insiders and professional information. Keep on going and innovating new foods

    Audible
    5
    Kindle Customer
    United States4 years ago
  • A great discovery

    I’m very much enjoying the information provided and the light hearted way in which is presented. Focused on offering a useful perspective on not just the problem, but what can be done about it. A necessary podcast to informe and create awareness around the current situation with food and the environment.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Chochoyotw
    Germany4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

• Guests and host are commended for high production quality and insightful conversations.
• Listeners praise deep-tech focus and practical storytelling tactics.
• The show is noted as a valuable resource for understanding PR, fundraising, and founder narratives in sustainability and food tech.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

17. Customer Discovery Interviews Mislead You: Test Buyer Pull Instead – with Rob Snyder
Q: What's the practical difference between traditional customer discovery and this pull-focused approach?
Traditional discovery often seeks pain points and solutions, which can mislead you into building something nobody will actually buy. The pull approach centers on whether the customer would actively buy now, by validating a real need with a willing buyer, and by testing if they will pull the product out of your hands before it exists.
17. Customer Discovery Interviews Mislead You: Test Buyer Pull Instead – with Rob Snyder
Q: How does pull apply to enterprise sales vs. consumer markets?
In enterprise sales, you look for one decisive person who can champion the purchase and guide it through internal procurement, rather than pitching to multiple stakeholders as a generic 'buying group.' The goal is to find someone with enough pull who will bring you through the corporate process, not simply generate polite interest.
17. Customer Discovery Interviews Mislead You: Test Buyer Pull Instead – with Rob Snyder
Q: What is the pull framework?
The pull framework identifies the customers for whom the project is unavoidable, who have a clear need, and who will actively pull a solution into their process rather than waiting to be convinced. It emphasizes finding internal champions who can move a purchase through the organization and focusing on customers who are actively trying to do something right now.
15. How AI is changing the media landscape & PR with former media journalist Steven Perlberg from Merantix Capital
Q: What practical advice would you give to founders for building relationships with reporters without relying solely on agencies?
Steven emphasizes direct outreach by founders to beat reporters, the importance of authenticity, keeping relationships low-pressure with no agenda, and using a founder's direct contact to establish trust and ongoing dialogue.
15. How AI is changing the media landscape & PR with former media journalist Steven Perlberg from Merantix Capital
Q: How do you see the differences between the US and European media landscapes affecting a founder's PR strategy?
Steven outlines differences in outlet size, reach, language considerations, and the need to tailor outreach to English-language versus local-language media, while noting that good storytelling and a strong narrative still matter across markets.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Scaling Nerds

What is Scaling Nerds about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show concentrates on practical storytelling, PR, and growth communications for science and tech founders pursuing VC-backed expansion. Recent episodes tackle how AI reshapes media, crafting investor updates, and refining pitch narratives for complex technologies, with guests ranging from investment professionals to startup founders and communications executives. A standout pattern is hands-on coaching for messaging—whether for live pitches, press announcements, or thought leadership—aimed at helping technical teams gain visibility, secure funding, and close corporate partnerships. The format often blends tactical tips (structure, pacing, messaging) with strategic context (market readiness, investor relations, and cross-border media con... more

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1. Your Undivided Attention

How many episodes of Scaling Nerds are there?

Scaling Nerds launched 6 years ago and published 88 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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What guests have appeared on Scaling Nerds?

Recent guests on Scaling Nerds include:

1. Rob Snyder
2. Otto Pohl
3. Steven Perlberg
4. Daniel Skaven Ruben
5. David Beckett
6. Ariel Barack
7. Sarah Rall
8. Oliver Siegel

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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