From Harvard Dropout to VC Powerhouse: How to Bet on Yourself with Alexa von Tobel

In this episode of Ambition 2.0, host Amanda Goetz sits down with Alexa von Tobel—the founder of LearnVest (where she raised $75M and successfully sold it to Northwestern Mutual) and current founder and managing partner of Inspired Capital—to unpack the resilient mindset that has shaped her successful career, from founder to venture-capital veteran.Alexa dropped out of Harvard Business School and poured her life savings into LearnVest, a multimillion-dollar business idea—despite warnings from nearly everyone around her that she was making a big mistake. She did it in the middle of the 2008 economic recession, no less.

Alexa shares why her 90-year-old self (and the fear of regret) fuels her to take big risks, the qualities she looks for when investing in a founder, and practical tips for pitching your business to VCs for the first time. She also shares an unpopular truth: if you’re becoming an entrepreneur for the status or the “quick money,” it’s going to be a rough ride. There’s only one reason why you should start your own business: because you can’t do any other job.

Key takeaways

• Regret is usually about the swings you didn’t take—not the mistakes you made.

• Raising capital gets easier when you combine mission + proof + obsessive category insight.

• Feedback is a competitive edge (and ego is the fastest way to lose it).

• Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be “cool”—it should be inevitable for the person doing it.

• Sustainable ambition comes from doing what you love + what you’re excellent at, then turning the intensity toward your whole life.

00:00 Intro

02:46 Reclaiming ambition as a positive force

04:11 The LearnVest origin story and dropping out during the economic downturn of 2008

07:53 Raising $75M and the difference between capital vs. “world-class” capital

15:24 What founders get wrong in pitches (and what great answers sound like)

24:20 Identity beyond titles, exits, and the founder doom spiral

33:54 Speed round: The one quality she looks for before investing in founders (and the one that’s a major red flag) 

GUEST LINKS

IG: https://www.instagram.com/alexavontobel/?hl=en 

Listen to her podcast here: https://www.inspiredcapital.com/content/podcasts 

Learn more about Inspired Capital: https://www.inspiredcapital.com 

FOLLOW THE PODCAST

IG: https://www.instagram.com/girlboss/ | TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@girlboss 

Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/ 

https://girlboss.com/pages/ambition-2-0-podcast 

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ABOUT AMBITION 2.0Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we’ll be exploring what it really means to “have it all” in work, family, identity, and self… and if it’s actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who’ve walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have.

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