Ethan Kurzweil: Managing Partner at Chemistry

Terra API Podcast - Stay Fit, Stay Connected

Kyriakos is joined by Ethan Kurzweil, a founding partner at Chemistry and former managing partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.

He’s led early investments in Twitch, Twilio, Intercom, and PagerDuty — and in this conversation, he shares what separates good founders from iconic ones.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Why the best founders are like cult leaders

- What makes a startup idea truly contrarian

- How to build a focused, high-conviction VC fund

- The future of AI-native companiesWhether you’re raising, investing, or building

— This is a must-listen for anyone serious about startups.

Follow Ethan on X: https://twitter.com/@ethankurz

Follow Kyriakos on X: https://twitter.com/@kyriakosel

Chemistry VC: @chemistry_fund | [https://chemistry.vc](https://chemistry.vc/)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - What Makes a Cult-Like Founder

05:20 - Why the Best Startups Start in SF

08:30 - The Origins of Ethan & Chemistry VC

10:20 - How He Spotted Twilio Early

13:45 - What Great Founders Have in Common

18:00 - Contrarian vs. Consensus Thinking

21:00 - Lessons from Bessemer + Transition to Chemistry

26:00 - Why Chemistry Focuses Only on Early Stage

30:30 - Building a High-Conviction VC Fund

35:00 - What Chemistry Invests In

38:00 - How to Build a Durable AI Company

43:00 - Why AI Will Reshape Healthcare First

47:10 - Ethan’s First Healthtech Investment

50:00 - Building Strong Startup Culture

52:00 - Advice for Founders Moving to SF

54:40 - Ethan’s 50-Year Future Vision

58:00 - The Future of Creativity & Learning

1:01:00 - Are Elite Universities Still Worth It?

1:03:00 - How to Reach Ethan & Final Words