What Investors Are Listening To: Podcasts That Shape Startup Thinking

Some of the best insights don’t come from meetings or reports. Rather, they come from the quiet moments between them. Whether on a flight, between calls, or during a late-night walk, podcasts have become an essential source of reflection and inspiration for investors and founders alike.

At Blumberg Capital, we believe in learning by listening. Podcasts help us stay connected to the broader business landscape, uncover new frameworks for thinking, and hear how others are tackling similar challenges. Below are a few of the shows currently fueling our team’s curiosity and sharpening our perspective on building and scaling companies.

Business Wars: Understanding Competition as a Learning Tool

“Former Marketplace anchor David Brown dives into iconic business rivalries — from Netflix vs. Blockbuster to Nike vs. Adidas — unpacking market strategy and leadership decisions.”
— Recommended by Lior Carmel, Vice President, New York

Competition has long been one of the greatest teachers in business. Business Wars brings this to life by exploring the defining rivalries that have shaped industries and consumer behavior.

The stories go beyond the headlines – they reveal the strategic pivots, leadership calls, and cultural shifts that determined who stayed ahead and who fell behind. For founders, each episode offers an accessible case study in differentiation, resilience, and the power of storytelling in shaping a company’s identity.

By examining these iconic battles, investors and entrepreneurs alike can reflect on their own positioning: What’s our advantage? How do we adapt when competitors make bold moves? Business Wars provides lessons on navigating dynamic markets with both insight and humility.

Invest Like the Best: Expanding the Way We Think About Value

“A must-listen for anyone motivated to think outside the box. Investor and entrepreneur Patrick O’Shaughnessy shares fresh perspectives on new business models, investment frameworks, and operators reshaping industries.”
— Recommended by Pramod Gosavi, Sr. Principal, San Francisco

Curiosity is at the heart of great investing. Invest Like the Best embodies that ethos; each episode brings together voices across venture capital, entrepreneurship, and innovation who are redefining what success looks like in their domains.

The conversations often blend financial insight with creativity, pushing listeners to question assumptions about valuation, growth, and risk. By spotlighting how operators think, the podcast helps founders and investors refine their approaches, whether it’s designing incentives, identifying durable moats, or understanding what makes a market scalable.

20VC: A Front-Row Seat to the Venture Ecosystem

“Podcast creator Harry Stebbings sits down for deep-dive conversations with tech entrepreneurs, investors, and operators. Especially valuable for insights on go-to-market strategies, fundraising, and scaling.”
— Recommended by Steve Gillan, CFO/COO, San Francisco

Through candid interviews with top founders and investors, Harry Stebbings offers a look into the mechanics of company building, from raising capital to scaling teams and finding product–market fit. The format feels personal and immediate, giving founders the sense that they’re listening in on the conversations that happen behind closed doors.

Why Founders Should Listen, Too

These aren’t just podcasts for investors. They’re tools for founders navigating growth, uncertainty, and change. Each show provides something distinct:

• Business Wars helps leaders analyze markets and competition through narrative.
  
• Invest Like the Best expands mental models for innovation and value creation.
  
• 20VC brings practical insights from peers who have scaled before.
  

Together, they mirror the same curiosity that drives great founders: the desire to learn from others’ experiences, connect patterns across industries, and stay intellectually agile.