🎧 START pod, Turner Novak: Founder & Solo GP, Banana Capital "Early stage venture capital firm"

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Attention is earned with a joke

Conviction is earned with a decision

In 2019, a parchment-style bit about “passing on Edison” validated reach.

What followed was a system: public writing → real signal → fast action

Banana Capital is run by Turner Novak as a solo, early-stage firmPre-Seed/Seed, checks up to $250k, investing from Fund IIIFocus spans consumer software, health, fintech, gaming, media, housing, dev tools, B2B, select deeper tech - primarily U.S., with occasional Europe/Asia

No committee rituals. One tight memo. A quick yes/no centered on whether customers pay.Publish where founders live

Move when the graph says go

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🎙️ Turner Novak , Founder & Solo GP, Banana Capital on Fondo START pod

‍00:14 “Edison pass” tweet → humor as distribution

‍02:26 Michigan roots; internet-native reach -- zip code

‍06:41 Writing → dealflow: threads, product calls, memes

‍12:40 The one-page memo: problem, team signal, revenue path

‍16:51 What VCs really optimize for (promotions vs. returns)

‍19:01 Fund size, decision paths, and tailoring the pitch

‍22:05 Mega-fund toe-dips & signaling risk → build inevitability

‍24:42 Where to find Turner (site, @ThePeelPod, socials)