Should I Be Recording Videos?

Early VC used to be a priesthood, it was who you knew and what school you went to.

Then blogging and Twitter came along and blew open the doors. People like (AngelList’s) Naval Ravikant, (AVC’s) Fred Wilson and Paul Graham.

Now, bloggers are YouTubers - the future generation of startup founders will emerge from listening to creators like Greg Isenberg, Garry Tan, Marc Lou, and others.

While YouTube is definitely much harder than just writing - it’s way higher bandwidth.

It’s a way to give people the real deal in 15 minutes or so a week.

I have seen how younger people at a meet-up reacting to Greg Isenberg as if they had known him their whole life. Video alone allows you to make that type of connection.

So that’s why I hear all the time… "We should probably be doing video content, but..."

• "We don't have the budget for a production team."

• "None of our partners are naturals on camera."

• "We tried a podcast two years ago and it didn't work."

• "Our LPs wouldn't watch that kind of content anyway."

However, when it comes to content these objections miss the fundamental advantage of video content… it's the only format that can be efficiently transformed into every other medium.

The Content Multiplication Effect

When you record video you're creating a content multiplication engine.

A single 30-minute video conversation between partners can become:

• Long-form YouTube content for depth-seekers…

• Short-form clips for social media…

• A newsletter issue based on the transcript…

• A blog post expanding on key concepts…

• Pull quotes for social media…

• Audio podcast episodes…

• Slide decks for presentations…

No other content format offers this level of leverage. Text can't become video, but video can easily become text (and much more).

Today's 20-year-old founders consume 95% of their content via video platforms, with most references coming from creator-led channels. If you're invisible in these spaces, you're invisible to an entire generation of founders.

Building a back catalog of valuable content creates passive awareness that compounds over years. When that content nudges just one exceptional founder toward your fund instead of a competitor's, the return on investment becomes incalculable.

YC’s YouTube Revolution

The most dramatic example of video's power in VC comes from Y Combinator. When Garry Tan took over as CEO, he transformed YC's YouTube presence from an afterthought into a 70-million-view media machine in just two years.

How? By applying lessons from his own YouTube experience and a strategy session with Mr. Beast -

1. Focus on thumbnails and titles - The old YC videos had generic, forgettable titles and thumbnails. Under Tan, they became attention-grabbing and specific, dramatically increasing click rates.

2. Create structured formats - YC developed distinct shows with clear premises: Dalton & Michael for founder advice, Decoded for industry analysis, and documentary-style episodes profiling successful founders.

3. Invest in quality production - YC built a dedicated studio and assembled a team that prioritises lighting, sound quality, and editing.

4. Add simple enhancements - Even basic elements like "coming up" preview segments at the beginning of videos increased retention rates substantially.

YC's subscriber count skyrocketed from 400,000 to 1.6 million in Tan's first two years, creating an unmatched distribution channel for YC's thinking.

Look at this for a before an after…

I really rate YC’s dedication to doing it properly. There are other funds (below) with A* guests and A* content, but their channels are dead in the water with something that would cost them very little to improve drastically.

It Doesn’t Have to be ANOTHER Podcast…

A podcast is probably the lowest hanging fruit in video content, but there are other easily accessible formats that can still have differentiation.

Different Approaches for Different Funds…

The Educational Approach - Hustle Fund

Hustle Fund takes a straightforward educational approach with videos like "Why VCs are Obsessed with Unicorn Companies" - using simple whiteboard explanations to demystify venture concepts.

Why it works: By addressing fundamental questions founders have about venture, they position themselves as transparent and founder-friendly while demonstrating expertise.

The Review Format - Justin Kan

For a few one offs Justin Kan did pitch deck roasts - reviewing real (anonymised) pitch decks and offering constructive feedback. This content was super valuable to me when I was in startups and making our pitch decks and I haven’t seen actual VCs doing this enough since then.

Why it works: This format provides genuine value to founders while showcasing the partners' thinking patterns and investment criteria in an engaging way.

The Social-First Approach

Firms like Redpoint have innovated with short-form video on TikTok and Instagram under the leadership of Josh Machiz and Rashad Assir, focusing on bite-sized insights and trends. Jay Kapoor from VSC Ventures and Gabriel Jarrosson from Lobster Capital also do A* short form content.

Why it works - By meeting the next generation of founders where they already consume content, short form reaches audiences that traditional VC content often misses entirely.

The Shark Tank Model

"The Pitch Show" hosted by Joshua Muccio features real investors making real decisions about startups pitching on the show.

Why it works: The high-stakes drama creates compelling content while giving the participating investors visibility to both founders and potential LPs.

This one is obviously harder to pull off… But I think it should serve as an inspiration for the kind of content that does well i.e. transparency and reality. This has been so successful that Josh and team have now raised a fund to invest in the guests.

There are more ideas to be explored by funds in this concept of ‘productionising’ how they deploy capital and tell portco stories. Founders Inc are absolutely worth checking out as well, telling the origin stories of their founders through video.

Action!

You don't need complex equipment or massive teams to begin. Start with a single camera and clear focus:

1. Record one partner conversation monthly on a specific aspect of your thesis or portfolio

2. Hire for post-production - Professional thumbnail/title creators are surprisingly affordable

3. Focus on extracting multiple formats - Create a process for turning the recording into other content types

4. Measure what resonates - Track not just views but time watched, clicks to your site, and mentions by founders

Most importantly, focus on consistency over production value.

Harry Stebbings built a $400 million fund starting with a $40 microphone and a sock as a filter. The production quality improved over time, but the consistency was there from day one.

Starting Simple -

If you're convinced but unsure where to begin, start with this simple framework:

1. Identify your natural explainers - Which partners can speak clearly and conversationally about your areas of expertise?

2. Pick one recurring format - Monthly thesis discussions, portfolio founder interviews, or market trend analyses

3. Set up a basic recording setup - A decent camera, microphone, and lighting can be acquired for under $500

4. Establish a repurposing workflow - Who will extract clips, create transcripts, and design thumbnails?

5. Commit to six months - Video content compounds in value over time, but requires consistency to work or… consider outsourcing content creation (hello!)

The most important step is simply starting. The equipment will improve, the formats will evolve, and your on-camera presence will get better with practice.

What won't change is the fundamental advantage of video: the ability to create once and distribute everywhere, reaching founders through every channel where they consume content.

At Refinery, we help VC firms find their voice and use it well.