Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.
This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha interviewed Vijay Chattha, a startup comms leader who has spent more than 20 years in the storytelling world. Chattha is the CEO and founder of VSC and founding partner of VSC Ventures, a $21 million investment vehicle to back startups.
Here’s what we spoke about:
- How his clients are reacting to the downturn in terms of their openness, vulnerability and general hunger to tell their story
- The difference between pitching a VC and pitching a journalist (lol)
- How startup’s goal with media coverage can sometimes inherently clash with the media’s goal to cover a startup (and why we disagree on the importance of disclosing valuations)
- The best framework for the different types of media form out there, from Twitter to billboards to earned media
- How the #MeToo movement impacted leadership styles and changed accountability for the better
- If we’re getting closer to a more transparent ecosystem, or a more opaque one
- And of course, we end with a lightning round — including but not limited to Chattha’s biggest pet peeve with journalists
Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, a show that details how our stories come together and more!