It's 2017, and it almost seems like everyone is starting to see the value in the podcasting.
There's the launch of the local DC Tech Stories in the past months from Washington Post engineer Jessica Bell. Local startup Goat Rodeo launched in October 2015 with a podcast network filled with D.C. storytellers and a corporate training offering.
Now NextGen Venture Partners is entering the arena with its interview show, "Taking Notes with NextGen," which launched in early July.
"In general, VCs have been taking on podcasts to interview their portfolio companies," said NextGen Vice President Lisa Cuesta, who is spear-heading the new show's development. "It’s a good way to connect with people on the go and develop that personal connection."
Much like other venture capital firms, NextGen's podcast is purely an interview show. Founder and managing partner Dan Mindus sits down with one of NextGen's more than 800 venture partners every other week to talk shop — "Whats' the industry like?" "How's it going?" And so on.
The first episode is an interview with Avizia CEO Mike Baird.
Cuesta approached the firm about the idea for the podcast back in March after appearing on the DC Inno podcast. At the time, the firm pushed back. There just wasn't enough time that quarter to take on another internal project.
As summer approached, the idea for the show came back. Plates became less cluttered, and the podcast started to grow on the firm's team.
From there, the production of the show just snowballed. In June, they took on the project full-time, with Mindus recording interviews on his laptop and lightly editing the conversations. NextGen's offices are also located in MakeOffices' K Street location, which comes equipped with a recording studio.
Just recently, Cuesta has started pushing more marketing efforts for the show. With her intern, Cuesta is looking at the best ways to share the show on social networks.
"Right now, we have a pretty great audience," Cuesta said. "When we were looking at the venture firm shows and some of the engagement they have, I was impressed by how quickly we were able to ramp up [comparatively]."
Cuesta said she listens to shows like "The Twenty Minute VC," a16z and NextView Ventures' "Traction" in Boston.
"This is a part of a broader effort to grow our brand and venture partners to engage with our platforms and share their stories," Cuesta said.
NextGen's "Taking Notes" is available on iTunes and Soundcloud.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated who NextGen interviews. Mindus interviews one of NextGen's venture partners. This article has been updated to reflect that change.
