In this episode of the Grown On Podcast, we sit down with Olivia O’Sullivan, General Partner at Forum Ventures, to demystify the world of venture capital and founder-led growth. Olivia shares her incredible journey from being a creative writing major to a GP at a top VC firm, proving that storytelling is the most undervalued skill in the startup ecosystem.

We dive deep into how Olivia transformed Forum Ventures' deal flow from 0% inbound to over 6,000 inbound pitches per year simply by mastering LinkedIn.

If you are a founder struggling to get noticed by investors or tired of sending cold emails that get ignored, this episode is your masterclass on building a brand that attracts capital.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The "3-Second Rule": Why VCs look at your LinkedIn profile before your pitch deck.
• Why Bad Storytelling Kills Startups: How to articulate a future so compelling that top talent leaves Google to join you.
• The Inbound Machine: The exact 2-week challenge Olivia used to build a LinkedIn habit that drives thousands of engagements.
• Warm Intros vs. Social Proof: How to "borrow trust" and get a VC's attention without a mutual connection.
• Stop Being Selfish: Why most "thought leadership" fails and how to create content that actually solves your audience's problems.

Connect with Olivia O’Sullivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oosuli/

About the Grown On Podcast: Hosted by Caitlin Bigelow (CMO at Blaze), we interview leaders who have found their voice to build their brands organically on social. We steal the playbooks of the wittiest and most insightful creators so you can apply them to your own growth journey.

Subscribe for more episodes on: #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #LinkedInGrowth #FounderBrand #Storytelling #Entrepreneurship #InboundMarketing #ForumVentures

In this episode of Grown On, Caitlin Bigelow sits down with Josh Lowman, owner of a San Francisco marketing agency, to break down how LinkedIn can become a predictable inbound channel, specially when your real buyers (VPs, C-suite) rarely “like” or comment, but are absolutely watching.

Josh shares the practical mechanics behind lead magnets (what they are, why they matter, and how they help you build an audience you control), plus the deeper layer most people miss: positioning, and showing up with the right voice/energy so your posts don’t read like forced marketing.

What you’ll learn:

• Why exec audiences buy quietly and how to design content for “silent” interest

• How lead magnets turn reach into a real list + inbound pipeline

• The “don’t sound like you’re trying” problem (and what to do instead)

• What good founder-brand content actually looks like in practiceProof it can work: metrics and outcomes that signal demand, not vanity

About Our Guest:

Josh Lowman is the owner of Gold Front, a premier marketing agency in San Francisco. With over 40,000+ followers, he is a leading voice for founders and marketers looking to build trust and grow audiences through high-value content.

Connect with Josh : ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joshlowman/⁠

Connect with Caitlin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinbigelow/⁠