Why great operators can make for great venture capitalists

Venture capital is one of the most prominent types of capital out there. But it isn’t necessarily a great fit for every business. We’re joined by Barnaby Marshall, partner and investor at Icehouse Ventures, to talk VC, when it is good, when it is not helpful, and also to chat about his path into the space. Barnaby has invested in and supported great companies like Dawn Aerospace, Basis Tracksuit, and Ideally - and is part of Brand Fund - which is where host Simon Pound got to see him at work up close. But he is also an entrepreneur and active business grower. Before VC he was a co-owner at I Love Ugly and part of its incredible growth journey, and today he is also an owner at New Ground Coffee. We chat about how this experience helps him help spot great business and help great founders, and what kind of companies would benefit from venture capital partnership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to Why great operators can make for great venture capitalists online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Why great operators can make for great venture capitalists is an episode from Business Is Boring by The Spinoff.

This episode is 50:36 long.

This episode was published on May 19, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Business Is Boring when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.