Amanda “Robby” Robson (Founder of Modern Technical Fund) joins GTMnow to break down how she evaluates companies at the very earliest stages and why discipline matters more than ever in today’s market.

Amanda has spent over a decade in venture before launching Modern Technical Fund, investing across verticals ranging from security and compliance to developer tools at firms like Norwest and Cowboy Ventures. Her investment thesis is centered on backing elite technical founders early and helping them translate deep engineering talent into real products, real customers, and real momentum.

In this conversation, we unpack how Amanda thinks about founder quality, market timing, and risk when there’s limited data and plenty of noise, which is more critical than ever in an AI-heavy investing environment.

Guest Links

Amanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-robson-7227685b/

Amanda’s Twitter: https://x.com/robby_mtf

Modern Technical Fund’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-technical-fund/

Modern Technical Fund website: https://moderntechnicalfund.com/

Host links:

Max - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/

Max - X: https://x.com/HackItMax

Paul - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsirving/

Paul - X: https://x.com/PaulGTM

Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com

Brought to you by: AngelList

From starting as a small, operator-led rolling fund, to evolving to an institutional platform, AngelList has been a core partner in every phase of GTMfund’s growth. Their software-first fund admin infrastructure allowed us to scale without sacrificing agility — from onboarding hundreds of LPs seamlessly to handling compliance, capital calls, and reporting as our fund size evolved.

As we expanded from Fund I to Fund II, AngelList took care of the back-office operations, allowing us to stay focused on what matters most: investing in world-class founders and building the strongest go-to-market network in venture.

They’ve scaled with us across funds and into the future.

If your fund is growing in size or complexity, check them out at www.angellist.com/gtmfund.

Transcript available under the episode here: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/

Subscribe to GTMnow for the latest episodes! https://gtmnow.com/

Highlights:

00:00 – Why Modern Technical Fund exclusively backs technical founders

02:15 – What actually defines a “technical founder” beyond coding ability

03:45 – Why product judgment and customer instinct matter early

05:05 – How early teams split engineering and go-to-market roles

07:10 – When investor advice helps and when it gets in the way

09:05 – Why calibrating the hiring bar matters more than providing playbooks

12:40 – How network-driven support helps founders see what “great” looks like

15:45 – Why valuation discipline sets the bar in today’s market

17:10 – When first-time founders become too risky at certain prices

19:40 – How early-stage defensibility often comes down to the team

27:20 – Why TAM momentum matters more than static market size

30:30 – How small markets quietly turn into billion-dollar categories

39:55 – What separates real AI companies from AI theater

41:40 – Why infrastructure and data tools benefit most from AI tailwinds

For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email gtmnow@gtmfund.com

GTMnow is a media brand brought to you by VC firm, GTMfund: https://gtmfund.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/

Follow us on X (Twitter):

https://x.com/GTMnow_

Follow us on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQM23b5lZbcfLtHAe87J_A

Follow us on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@gtmnow_

Follow us on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/gtmnow_/

How VCs Evaluate Technical Founders (TAM, Moats & Diligence), with Amanda Robson, Founder and GP of Modern Technical Fund

The GTMnow Podcast

How VCs Evaluate Technical Founders (TAM, Moats & Diligence), with Amanda Robson, Founder and GP of Modern Technical Fund