Pod

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The most stunning thing ever.
— Maya Papaya

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Dog Food at its best.
— Jasper Dog

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My preference is chicken.
— Coupa Dog

Vera Maslova - Founder & CEO of Science.me
Vera Maslova grew up in Moscow with two world-class scientists as parents, and then she went on to a PhD program in which she studied the intersection of art and philosophy. Then the war in Ukraine hit and she fled, ending up in Silicon Valley. An accidental refugee from unexpected world events, she now runs […]
The TikTok Kerfuffle - A conversation with Ker Gibbs
TikTok, headquartered in China, is a hugely-successful app platform today. Last week the Biden Administration issued an ultimatum that the company either be sold to new owners or face the prospect of having the app banned in the US. It's an extraordinary thing, that a social media app popular with young people has been declared […]
Darren Powderly - CoFounder of Crowdstreet.
On this episode I talk with Darren Powderly about his journey from having an early startup idea to founding and building a company that today is a market leader, with over $4 billion in investor transactions processed. Crowdstreet has transformed the way that commercial real estate is funded, democratizing the process and making it much […]
"Reverse CFIUS" - New Regulations impacting VC and PE investments into China.
On this episode we talk with four experts about some new Federal regulations being called “Reverse CFIUS” that will have a big impact on venture capital and private equity funds with investing activities in China and certain other countries. Investments from China into US companies and operations have long been subject to Federal review by […]
"Young, Dumb, and Enthusiastic".
On this episode I talk with Karel Nappus and Markus Lember, co-founders of Montonio, a fast-growing fintech startup in Estonia. They’ve raised $13M in venture capital and over the past year they’ve scaled from 20 employees to over 60. They talked to me about their entrepreneurial journey from being “young, dumb, and enthusiastic” (their words) […]
From Wall Street Investment Manager to Founder of a New Digital Gold Startup.
On this episode I interview Ashraf Rizvi. He managed billions of dollars at Credit Suisse and UBS, founded his own investment firm, and now is Founder & CEO of Gilded, a new digital platform for buying physical gold as an investment while also getting many of the advantages of a digital asset. Their tagline is […]
Bookworm - From Passionate Side Project to Fast-Growing Startup Venture.
On this episode I talk with Amelia Goodman, founder of Bookworm, a new app for passionate readers. Amelia has been a software engineer at Google, Apple, and Stanford, built the app as a side project for her friends, and now Bookworm has taken off and is turning into a real business. Many great startups have […]
Asher Weiss - Co-Founder and CEO of Tixologi
On this episode I talk with Asher Weiss, Co-founder and CEO of Tixologi. He was a digital product manager for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors who saw an opportunity to build a next-generation ticketing platform for sports and other events, using blockchain as an underlying technology.
From Goldman Sachs to Digital Entrepreneur.
On this episode I talk with Jesse Link, Co-Founder of Rella, a digital platform for wedding planning. He talks about his journey from being a Vice President at Goldman Sachs to founding a new startup focused on making wedding planning more efficient, effective, and accessible.
Solfium: A Canadian Startup Revolutionizing Solar Energy for Families and Small Businesses.
Zach Magnan, a Canadian energy guy, met his co-founder at the London School of Economics and now their new startup, Solfium, is bringing solar power to families and small businesses across Mexico. On this episode he talks about their mission, their capital-raising journey, and bringing home solar to the rest of the world.
10 Big Trends for 2023
This is the time of year when all the pundits begin to issue their predictions for the new year, so on this episode I give you mine. Except that mine aren't really predictions for 2023, per se. Instead, I give you ten big trends that I think are worth paying attention to. Some of these […]
Caitlin Landesberg: From tech marketer to beer entrepreneur to founding a venture fund.
On this episode I talk with Caitlin Landesberg. She went from being a Silicon Valley product marketing exec, to founding a branded beverage company which she sold to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, to founding a venture capital fund named for a line in a David Foster Wallace speech (This is Water). She believes in […]
Creating the next generation of wireless internet.
On this episode, my guest is Diana Gamzina, PhD - she's the Founder & CEO of Elve, a new startup developing the next generation of wireless data. In today’s hyper-connected society, broadband access is no longer a luxury, but, for many, those kinds of speeds are still unavailable. Providing the needed infrastructure in rural and […]
An entrepreneur building new sustainable cities.
On this episode we’ll talk with an entrepreneur who is designing and building new, sustainable cities. Alberto Scherb is co-founder and CEO of 100 Thousand Million, a startup focused on building new cities that are human-centered, nature-focused, and sustainable at the core. Alberto spent a decade at Apple, then followed Tony Fadell to Nest, and […]
Venture Debt
Typically, Venture Capital financings are structured as equity. But recent years have seen the emergence of Venture Debt - sometimes used standalone and sometimes used alongside an equity financing. How does this work? What are the pros and cons? Joining me on this episode are expert attorneys Lisa Conmy and Alidad Vakili from Foley & […]
What Startup Founders Need to Know about Privacy Regulations.
On this episode I discuss privacy regulations with two expert attorneys, Stephanie Webb and Steve Millendorf, both of Foley & Lardner. For startups today, there is a labyrinth of privacy regulations to comply with – and the consequences of being out of compliance can be expensive. If your product will be used in the EU, […]
Stock Options 101 for Startup Founders.
Many startup founders will want to create a stock option plan in order to recruit and retain top talent. How do you create and manage an effective stock option plan? What are the legal considerations, and how do startups use stock option plans to align the interests of founders, employees, and investors? On this episode […]
The Art of the Bellyflop
All startup ventures begin with high expectations, but things don’t always go to plan, especially during challenging economic environments. So how do you navigate venture capital term sheets that may contain down-round valuations, pay-to-play, management carveouts, or the dreaded full-ratchet? On this episode I discuss these topics with venture capitalist Danielle D’Agostaro and startup attorney […]
A Startup Founder's Guide to Employment Law
As a startup founder grows a venture, there are complex employment law issues to comply with. On this episode I discuss this with two expert lawyers from Foley and Lardner - Krista Cabrera and Louis Lehot. Adding employees is a crucial step for startup founders and you want to make sure you do it right. […]
The History of Silicon Valley
I've lived in Silicon Valley my entire life. On this episode I discuss how the sleepy valley I grew up in became a global hub of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship with an economic output larger than most countries in the world - and why it happened.

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