Notion in Practice: Episode 7 Insights for Founders and VCs

In Episode 7, we sit down with Darja Nelson (Operating Partner at Bridgewest Ventures NZ Ventures, to unpack how they run their workflow in Notion, and how Notion became the game changer. Bridgewest sees 300+ pitches a year, goes deep on 15–20, and ends up doing 2–3 deals. Darja also supports five portfolio companies while spending 6–7 hours a day in meetings. In this conversation, we cover: 🪄 Why AI meeting notes became their “institutional memory” across the team 🪄 How searchable meeting context changes follow-through, handovers, and speed 🪄 Early experiments with custom agents to keep pipeline + portfolio updates current 🪄 and more! Watch the first 5 mins here and listen to the rest via the landing page: https://lnkd.in/gS8UsSHh hosts: Tim Jeffries - Certified Notion Consultant x Jerwin Parker

It was wonderful to have Darja from Bridgewest Ventures NZ on the Notion in Practice 🪄podcast this week. There are heaps of great insights from their journey with Notion and if you aren't across what VCs get up to, Darja explains it perfectly.

What makes a founder stand out from the crowd? Conviction. Keshia Theobald-van Gent from BDev Ventures explained it for us: The founders who stand out can connect three things: the problem, the opportunity, and their personal belief in solving it. That’s what makes the difference in how their story lands. Founders, are you using this framework in your storytelling?

Very excited that Notch is publicly announcing its $30M Series A today. We backed Notch because the company sits at the intersection of a few things we care deeply about: Vertical AI with real workflow ownership Deep product moats in regulated markets Founders who know the problem from the inside Proof of execution in production, not just in pilots Notch is helping insurers and financial institutions move from experimenting with AI to actually using it to run operations. That shift is still early, but it’s a very important one. Congrats to Rafael Broshi, Elool Jacoby, Yuval Peled, and the whole team. Happy to be in this journey with Lightspeed, Jibe Ventures, Illuminate Financial, and Phoenix. cc Headline Astrid Moullé-Berteaux Jonathan Userovici

Early wins are deceptive. The real challenge is figuring out: what to double down on and what to ignore. That’s where most founders get stuck. The right environment at that point can make a disproportionate difference.

Why smart investors are switching to PitchSpark Tired of digging through 40-slide decks, messy data rooms, and endless email threads? PitchSpark gives investors a much cleaner and faster way to find, evaluate, and manage deals. Here’s what you actually get: Bite-sized Spark Cards that let you understand a startup in seconds — stage, ask, traction, and thesis fit — without opening another massive deck. Swipe right to instantly unlock deeper answers (moat, market size, team background, etc.). Instant Access to the full pitch deck and direct messaging with founders. No scheduling calls or chasing responses. Robust Analytics & Insights — See engagement scores, review velocity, and real-time traction updates so you can spot momentum early. Visual Deal Pipeline — Track every opportunity across stages (Sparked → Deck Requested → Conversation → Due Diligence → Funded) with one clean dashboard. Export anytime. Group Collaboration — Easily share deals and notes with your co-investors, syndicate, or investment group. The result? Less noise, better signal, and more time spent on high-potential deals instead of admin work. Whether you're an angel, VC, or part of a family office, PitchSpark helps you move faster and make sharper investment decisions. View the full demo here: https://lnkd.in/gCF5febp Beta is live — new investors get free Pro access. 👉 Check it out at pitchspark.io What’s your biggest pain point with deal sourcing right now? Drop it in the comments 👇 #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #DealFlow #Startups #InvestorTools #Fundraising

🇦🇺 The founders who nail their pitch all have one thing in common - they know their metrics inside out. Here are the 5 startup metrics every founder should have front of mind - what they mean, why they matter, and how to calculate them. 👇 Want to go deeper? We put together a free guide covering these and more - including churn, ARR, unit economics and more! Download it free here: https://hubs.li/Q048zNd-0

🇬🇧 The founders who nail their pitch all have one thing in common - they know their metrics inside out. Here are the 5 startup metrics every founder should have front of mind - what they mean, why they matter, and how to calculate them. 👇 Want to go deeper? We put together a free guide covering these and more - including churn, ARR, unit economics and more! Download it free here: https://hubs.li/Q048BqG70

Join Soren Hale from the B.I. Channel, powered by B.I.M. Corporation, and a panel of BI practitioners as they strip startup analytics of its noise and show how to turn metrics into decisions. This episode lays out four practical pillars, metrics that matter, growth loops, financial modeling, and product intelligence, and explains how to connect them so small teams learn faster, reduce costly mistakes, and scale deliberately. You’ll get concrete guidance: pick a North Star, map and measure loops, build simple runway and revenue scenarios, instrument meaningful behaviors, and run a 90-day plan to move from data to decisions. The result: fewer debates, clearer priorities, and repeatable progress.

Join Soren Hale from the B.I. Channel, powered by B.I.M. Corporation, and a panel of BI practitioners as they strip startup analytics of its noise and show how to turn metrics into decisions. This episode lays out four practical pillars, metrics that matter, growth loops, financial modeling, and product intelligence, and explains how to connect them so small teams learn faster, reduce costly mistakes, and scale deliberately. You’ll get concrete guidance: pick a North Star, map and measure loops, build simple runway and revenue scenarios, instrument meaningful behaviors, and run a 90-day plan to move from data to decisions. The result: fewer debates, clearer priorities, and repeatable progress.