Time, Fuel, & Money
Time, Fuel, and Money is a conversation for founders, investors, operators, and high-performers who want to understand the deeper forces that shape how we live, build, lead, and make decisions. Hosted by Deborah Moorad, Karim ReFaey, and Vassili Kotlov, the show blends neuroscience, psychology, business, energy, and human behavior—turning complex ideas into practical, emotionally intelligent frameworks.
Each week, we explore what really drives progress: alignment, awareness, relationships, incentives, momentum, and the hidden energy behind ambition. Through stories from biotech, venture capital, government, aviation, engineering, and everyday life, we break down how time, fuel, and money work together—and how they quietly shape careers, companies, and character.
This is not a hustle show. It’s a clarity show.
A place to think deeper, grow wiser, and operate with more intention—without losing your humanity.
New episodes weekly. Join us and rethink the rules.
Time, Fuel, & Money
Fuel, Fit & the Myth of the Mega Round
Why “more capital” rarely solves what founders think it does
Episode 26 connects metabolic energy to startup runway — revealing why jittery capital spikes mimic caffeine crashes. The trio dissects the fantasy of the cookie-cutter Series A, the performance theater around “lead investors,” and why teams raise massive rounds without meaningful proof. They contrast clean vs. dirty capital, dopamine vs. durable momentum, and execution vs. narrative.
This episode is a calibration tool for founders raising (or resisting) their next big round.
Topics:
- Clean vs. dirty capital dynamics
- Series A mythology vs. reality
- Lead-investor theater & copy-paste decks
- Scientific correctness vs. practical truth
- Biomimicry, resilience & design thinking
- Milestones, appetite & M&A signals
- When mega rounds make sense — and when they don’t