In this episode, Maria Gonzalez-Blanch, Managing Partner at Crescent Ridge VC, unpacks a refreshingly honest take on building great companies without burning through capital. With a background spanning engineering, private equity, and startups, Maria brings a multidimensional lens to early-stage investing across a set of core pillars.

This conversation also tackles AI as a founder equalizer, the power of self-awareness in founder-investor fit, and why venture capital should be a canvas, and not a cookie-cutter playbook.

This is an episode about thoughtful investing, founder empowerment, and rewriting the rules of venture.

Here’s what’s covered:

• The philosophy behind Crescent Ridge VC and its “health, people, planet” pillars

• Why capital efficiency is a strategic advantage, not a constraint

• The pros and pitfalls of AI-powered startups in today’s venture landscape

• What Maria looks for—and avoids—in early-stage investments

• Advice for founders navigating today’s macro environment and investor dynamics

• Why VC should be more art than science—and what that means for building companies with soul

  
  

Learn more about Crescent Ridge VC: https://www.crescentridge.vc