In this episode of $100M Exits, Jason sits down with Dan Nguyen-Huu, Partner at Decibel Ventures, to unpack what early-stage specialist investing really looks like, from getting into Databricks at a $950M valuation to seeding Sublime Security before it raised a $150M Series C.
Dan breaks down how Decibel backs technical founders in cybersecurity, AI engineering, and developer tools, why contrarian bets only work if you deeply understand the domain, and what founders get catastrophically wrong about M&A, including why the one executive betting their career on you matters more than anything else in a deal.
He also shares the honest truth about failed bets, what to ask a VC before you take their money, and where the puck is heading in autonomous defense and the post-Mythos security landscape.
What You'll Learn:
How Decibel got into Databricks and what made them pull the trigger on a competitive round
Why being contrarian only works when you've done the domain homework
The M&A truth founders miss: one executive is betting their career on you
What separates "have" founders from "have-not" founders when bets go sideways
Where Decibel is placing chips next — autonomous defense, agentic security, and the future of software vendors
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ABOUT DAN NGUYEN-HUUDan Nguyen-Huu is a Partner at Decibel VC, where he helps founders build next-generation cloud infrastructure, security, and AI companies from the earliest stage. With over a decade of investing experience, he has backed companies including Databricks, Sumo Logic, Matillion, Expel, and Contrast Security.
You can reach out to Dan through:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-nguyen-huu-11502719/?isSelfProfile=false
Website: https://www.decibel.vc/ - Company https://dannguyenhuu.substack.com/ - Personal
X (twitter): https://x.com/dannguyenhuu
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ABOUT JASON KIRBY
Jason Kirby is the co-founder of Thunder, a tech-enabled investment bank helping founders reach their ideal target outcomes through capital strategy and M&A.
He is a serial entrepreneur with four exits and decades of experience in fundraising, M&A, and business building. In his career, he has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs on fundraising, investing, capital strategy, M&A, and business development. He’s transacted over $135M, and his firm Thunder has transacted over $200M+.
You can reach out to Jason through:
Email: jason@thunder.vc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/
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ABOUT $100M EXITS
My goal is simple: to equip founders with the knowledge, inspiration, and guidance to navigate the labyrinthine world of capital strategy to take your company where you ultimately want it, by interviewing founders and investors who have already done it.
For most, it’s a dream to sell for $100M+, but for others, it’s too cash flow or IPO. Founders doing over $5M in revenue will benefit the most from this podcast.
Be sure to subscribe and let me know who you want me to interview next.
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