This week we chat with Paige Finn Doherty!

Paige is the Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures, an early-stage venture firm managing nearly $14 million in AUM. Behind Genius makes concentrated investments in pre-seed and seed-stage companies led by technical storytellers across applied AI, frontier tech, and what’s next.

A writer and former engineer, Paige first broke into venture capital in a truly unconventional way by writing a best-selling “children’s book for adults” about how venture capital works, Seed to Harvest. At the time, she was working as a Developer Success Engineer at WorkOS, a role she actually landed through Twitter!

Paige’s impact and storytelling have earned her widespread recognition: she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Cover in Venture Capital (2022), named a Rising SDSU Aztec Awardee, and most recently, inducted into the Rancho Bernardo High School Hall of Fame.

Originally from San Diego and now based in San Francisco, Paige continues to bring transparency, creativity, and heart to the world of venture through storytelling and curio

✨ This episode is presented by Brex.

Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod

This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.

RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers

Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers

Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers

Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger

Follow Us!

Paige Finn Doherty: @paigedoherty

Behind Genius Substack: @behindgenius.substack.com

@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

This week we chat with Claire Hughes Johnson!

Claire is the former COO of Stripe, where she played a critical role in scaling the company from 160 employees to more than 7,000 during its period of rapid global expansion. Before Stripe, she spent over a decade at Google, leading large international teams across multiple high-growth products and operations.

She now serves on the boards of HubSpot, The Atlantic, Aurora, and several other organizations, is an active angel investor, and is the bestselling author of Scaling People, widely regarded as a modern classic on leadership, management, and organizational design.

✨ This episode is presented by Brex.

Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod

This episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.

RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers

Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers

Quo: Quo.com/trailblazers

Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger

Follow Us!

Claire Hughes Johnson: @chughesjohnson

@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Welcome back to Trailblazers by Park Rangers Capital!

In this week’s solo episode, host Erica Wenger breaks down 7 things she wishes every founder knew before raising their first check. The honest, unfiltered truths that can dramatically change the way you approach fundraising.

Drawing from the countless lessons she’s learned while raising for her own firm, Erica unpacks the realities behind investor conversations, what actually moves a deal forward, and the common mistakes first-time founders don’t even realize they’re making.

From understanding how investors really make decisions to setting expectations, building genuine momentum, and crafting a narrative that sticks, Erica shares the tactical learning nuggets she had to earn the hard way.

If you’re preparing for your first raise or simply want a clearer look at how fundraising really works behind the scenes. This episode is your grounded, practical guide to entering the capital-raising arena with confidence.

✨ This episode is presented by Brex.

Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspod

This episode is supported by Rocketreach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.

RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazers

Gusto: gusto.com/trailblazers

Quo (formerly OpenPhone): Quo.com/trailblazers

Athena: athenago.me/Erica-Wenger

Follow Us!

@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Erica Wenger: @erica_wenger

🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!