How a Podcast Changes the Way You Invest | Sam Kamani, Web3 Pod

What we talked about.

In this episode of the Sunny Ray Show, host Sunny Ray talks with Sam Kamani of Web3 Pod about how interviewing founders and builders reshapes the way a person invests. Kamani, a former startup founder with two acquired companies and author of The 30-Day Startup, explains that he launched his podcast during COVID to keep connecting with founders and learn directly from people who have done it better. After more than 500 episodes with crypto, AI, and fund guests, he shares two main lessons: back people with a growth mindset who keep building, and recognize that great founders are natural salespeople. He also lays out why he is drawn to Web3, pointing to decentralization, financial innovation, smart contracts, and stablecoins as tools that speed up the movement of money. Kamani describes how the show gives investors candid insight into what founders face on the ground, and how it feeds his deal flow, syndicate conversations, and ways of investing through time and relationships as well as capital. He closes with where listeners can find him.

After 500+ founder interviews, Sam Kamani shares what he learned about backing people, timing, sales, and the future of money.

The questions, and the answers.

What is Web3 Pod and what problem were you solving when you started it?

I started by solving my own problem. I love connecting with founders and wanted a way to keep learning what people are building. When COVID hit, I began going on other people's shows, and then I started my own podcast the next day. It grew and took on a life of its own.

What did you learn from your first hundred guests, and now 500 episodes?

First, people matter. In early stage investing, you back people with a growth mindset who keep iterating and never run out of ideas. They implement rather than wait. Timing also matters enormously, and great founders find it by experimenting and putting products into the world constantly.

What was the second big lesson you took from those founders?

They are excellent at sales, and often do not realize it. They sell their idea to employees, clients, and consumers all day long. The other person walks away feeling like a winner, not feeling sold to. They see it as simply who they are.

Why did you get interested in Web3, and what does it mean to you today?

Two things drew me in: decentralization and financial innovation. Many countries outside the wealthiest ones had limited access to credit and infrastructure. Every time money changes how it moves, the economy grows. Blockchain adds logic like smart contracts, so money can move faster and more autonomously, even for machines.

How are stablecoins changing the way money moves?

Stablecoins are often backed by US Treasuries, and their volume is reaching trillions of dollars. Banks already use them behind the scenes. Compared with paying up to 5.7% in Stripe fees, you can send a $10,000 transfer for about 10 cents, and it is instant. That lifts commerce overall.

How does hosting the podcast change the way you invest?

I learn what is really happening on the ground. Founders talking to investors usually share only the good news, but on my show they discuss real challenges, trends, regulation, and banking. That gives VCs and founders an edge, and it also brings me deal flow and context for the syndicates I am part of.

Are there ways to invest besides money?

Yes, you can invest money, relationships, or time. I might help a startup with growth, introduce them to other investors, or help them raise. I have been paid in stakes in companies multiple times, and I can hold or exit those stakes later.

Where can people learn more about you and your shows?

Search my name, Sam Kamani, and you will find me on LinkedIn, Spotify, and other places. I am also at Sam Kamani on Twitter. I have an AI podcast too, where I interview AI founders and startups.