Explore every episode of the podcast Attainment Podcast

What's the real formula for success in Silicon Valley? Investment banker and 3rd-gen insider Ryan Baird reveals his "Focus on Risk" philosophy—a universal growth model that applies to everything from startups and marketing budgets to your own career.

This episode is packed with actionable advice for founders, marketers, and anyone looking to navigate the modern job market with insights from the heart of the venture capital world.

GUEST: Ryan Baird, Investment Banker & Managing Partner at Baird Augustine. HOST: David Cyrus, CMO & Host of The Attainment Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Building Community Through Events (02:48) The Evolution of Silicon Valley's Culture (06:43) The Importance of In-Person Networking (10:24) The HP Way: Relationship-First Culture (14:52) Startup Frugality and Founder's Mindset (19:09) Navigating the Job Market (23:21) Focus on Risk: A New Investment Philosophy (27:39) Marketing as Investment (32:11) The Future of AI and Human Skills (36:24) Community Building in Marketing (40:19) The Role of Events in Business Growth (44:20) The Global Landscape of Innovation (48:34) Connecting the Bay Area with the World

Connect & Learn More:

• Connect with Ryan Baird: [Link to Ryan's LinkedIn/Website/Social Media] • Connect with David Cyrus: [Link to Your LinkedIn/Website/Social Media] • Follow The Attainment Podcast: [Link to Your Website or Social Media] • Watch our episode on [Related Topic]: [Link to Another Episode or Resource]

About The Attainment Podcast: The Attainment Podcast explores the art and science of scaling businesses, driving growth, and building impactful strategies. Featuring candid conversations with founders, marketing leaders, and investors, we dive into what it takes to create sustainable success in today’s fast-paced business world.

This week David sits down with Julia [Last Name], the University of Waterloo student whose 90-second “Room for One More” video went viral on X and convinced Canada’s largest tech company to invent a brand-new position: Shopify’s first Social Media Intern.In a fast-moving conversation they unpack:• Why CMOs in 2024 rank “generalists” and “social fluency” above MBAs• How Julia designed, shot and distributed a pitch video that reached Shopify’s C-suite in 48 hours• The “build in public” framework (and how it functions as career insurance)• Turning AI from résumé killer to creative co-founder• Tactics for founders who want every employee—devs included—creating social content• A playbook for graduates: stop applying, start building (projects that hire you)• What Gen Z expects from work, community and brand transparency

Whether you’re a marketer, founder, recruiter or recent grad, this episode shows how human stories cut through an AI-generated internet and keep you in demand.

Can VCs trust your business before slide 1? Discover the Sales-Marketing-Legal trio that signals credibility - or risk.

Guest
Avi-Loren Cohen, former CEO and VP Marketing, lifelong salesperson, now a board-level advisor on growth and governance.

In this episode you’ll learn
• Why every future CMO should carry a quota early in their career
• How treating the sales team as “customer zero” sharpens marketing and retention
• The small compliance slip that can force a company to return investor cash
• Quick credibility checks VCs run first: LinkedIn polish, website cohesion, advisor roster
• Smart ways to trade sweat equity for top-tier legal and finance talent
• A brief sidebar on “Canada Inc,” over-reliance on the USA, and tariff-driven lessons in diversification

Who should listen
Founders, revenue leaders, marketers, and investors who want to turn operational discipline into bankable trust.

In this episode of The Attainment Podcast, we sit down with Narbe Alexandrian, Founder and CEO of Define Capital, to explore what venture capital and private equity investors really look for in a company’s marketing strategy.

Narbe shares candid insights from both sides of the investment table, drawing on his experience as a former VC at OMERS Ventures and now as a PE leader acquiring and scaling software businesses. We dig into the role marketing plays in driving valuations, winning investor confidence, and building companies that actually scale.

From customer centricity and go-to-market alignment to product messaging, churn metrics, and what separates good from great teams, this episode is a goldmine for any founder or marketing leader looking to attract investment and accelerate growth.

If you're building, marketing, or funding a business, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss.

In this episode of The Attainment Podcast, we explore how marketing plays a pivotal role in attracting venture capital and private equity investment at every stage of a company’s growth.

Our guest, Brent Brooks, Director of Marketing at Texada Software and former product marketer at Amazon, brings over 15 years of experience guiding brands from scrappy startups to scaled organizations.

We dive into the strategic moves marketers can make to support fundraising goals, including defining product–market fit, building investor personas, optimizing data foundations, and developing brand equity that investors trust.

Whether you're a founder preparing for your first raise or a marketing leader aligning with growth-stage objectives, this episode is full of actionable insights and real-world stories that will help you de-risk growth and build lasting value.