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Trends in Gaming and Social Platforms with Elias Can of Grishin Robotics

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

Release Date: 11/22/2024

Vanessa Larco on the Future of Consumer Tech show art Vanessa Larco on the Future of Consumer Tech

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

I am excited to have , who was a Partner at NEA and is now launching a fund called Premise, where she led investments in breakthrough companies like Cleo, Rocket.Chat, Mejuri, EvidentID, Greenlight Card, Feather, and Lily AI. She also served as a board observer for high-growth startups including Robinhood, Willow Pump, and OmniSci. In this episode, Vanessa Larco, ex-Partner at NEA and founding GP of Primis, shares her journey from product management at Microsoft and Box to becoming a leading early-stage VC. Vanessa dives into how AI is reshaping product roles, what makes the next wave of...

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Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

I am thrilled to have , the founder of , a serial entrepreneur, investor, and popular content creator focused on small business ownership. Nick cofounded and operates his primary business, Bolt Storage, a commercial real estate firm, which owns 1.9 million square feet of self-storage facilities across 62 locations in 11 states. He is the author of the new book, The Sweaty Startup. In this episode, Nick Huber, founder of The Sweaty Startup and Bolt Storage, shares his journey from building a “boring” service business to managing 1.9 million square feet of self-storage facilities...

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Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

Levi Velez Reed is the founder of Twig Ventures is an investment syndicate specialising in sustainable consumer products and tech startups across North America, targeting companies at the pre-seed to seed stage.  In this episode, Levi Velez Reed, founder of Twig Ventures, shares his journey from bootstrapping a marketing agency in New York to launching an investment syndicate focused on sustainable consumer products and tech startups. He explains the impact of removing unconscious bias in VC funding, supporting underrepresented founders, and creating accessible accelerator programs like...

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Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

I am thrilled to have , the founder of , the first mastermind community for thriving professional services firms. Collective 54 helps founders and leaders grow, scale and exit their firms bigger and faster. In this episode, Greg Alexander, founder of Collective 54 and author of The Boutique, shares his journey of building and scaling professional services firms. He explains the three life-cycle stages: Grow, Scale, and Exit, and the importance of moving away from trading time for money. Greg discusses the unique business model of Collective 54, monetisation strategies for boutique firms,...

info_outline How Renan Devillieres from OSS Ventures Is Reinventing Manufacturing with SaaS and AI show art How Renan Devillieres from OSS Ventures Is Reinventing Manufacturing with SaaS and AI

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

Renan Devillieres is the CEO of OSS Ventures. Renan Devillieres is a CEO who is passionate about making a positive impact on society and the environment, and who believes in using technology to drive change. Renan has a wealth of experience in areas such as manufacturing operations, SaaS, and venture capital.  Timestamps 01:00 – Renan’s unconventional path from Google search to joining McKinsey. 03:00 – Transition from factory director to building a tech startup; early failures and pivots. 05:10 – Moving to San Francisco, finding product-market fit, and exiting the company. 06:30...

info_outline Shubham Khoker on Scaling Startups, Growth Lessons, and the Future of AI Agents show art Shubham Khoker on Scaling Startups, Growth Lessons, and the Future of AI Agents

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

was the Head of Growth at . Topmate.io is a fast-growing online platform that connects freelancers and clients, he used to lead the growth strategy and execution for the company. rifa.ai founder. IIT bombay In this episode, Shubham Khoker, former Head of Growth at Topmate and founder of Rifa AI, shares his unconventional journey from UPSC preparation to the startup world, insights from scaling Topmate in India and the US, lessons from failed experiments, and the evolution of the creator economy. He discusses the future of AI in growth and operations, the difference between growth sales and...

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Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

I am thrilled to have Palash Soni, the CEO of , an AI-powered B2B Video Campaign Platform that transforms marketing by putting video and events at the heart of the customer journey. In this episode, Palash Soni, CEO and Co-founder of Goldcast, shares how dropping out of Harvard Business School during the pandemic led to building an AI-powered B2B video marketing platform. Palash walks us through his early failures, the moment he saw the COVID tailwind, and how Goldcast scaled from zero to $1M ARR with Drift as an early customer. He also explains the future of AI-powered video content, why...

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Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

Kishore Ravichandran is the investor at , the ultimate innovation platform. Over the past 15 years, PnP has brought together 35,000+ startups, 500+ world-leading corporations, and hundreds of venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies across 20+ industries In this episode, Kishore Ravichandran, Investor at Plug and Play Tech Center shares how a university program in Singapore sparked his passion for startups and led to a career in venture capital. Kishore explains Plug and Play’s global model—investing in over 2,000 startups, supporting them with a 550+ strong...

info_outline Redefining Luxury Fintech with Hugo Gomez from Bobo show art Redefining Luxury Fintech with Hugo Gomez from Bobo

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

 is the co-founder and CEO of , a fintech that caters to the unique needs of (U)HNWIs. Hugo has over 15 years of experience in traditional banking, including roles at HSBC and Banistmo In this episode, Hugo Gomez, Co-founder and CEO of Bobo Fintech, shares how his background in traditional banking led him to build a luxury fintech platform tailored for high-net-worth individuals. Hugo discusses how Bobo offers customizable financial experiences—from wearable payment devices to accounts for private staff—and why legacy banks are unprepared for the $84 trillion generational wealth...

info_outline Ilya Drozdov from Dwelly on AI in Lettings and Building High-Margin Businesses show art Ilya Drozdov from Dwelly on AI in Lettings and Building High-Margin Businesses

Lifeselfmastery's podcast I Startups I Venture Capital

the CEO at , an AI-enabled Lettings & Property Management Marketplace, that boosts 3x margins of the letting agency in 2 months only. He previously co-founded the largest tech-enabled letting company in Eastern Europe that managed 10,000+ properties and reached $50M GMV in three years. In this episode, Ilya Drozdov, former Uber GM and CEO of Dwelly shares his journey from scaling Uber Russia to building tech-enabled property management platforms. He dives into lessons from managing fierce competition with Yandex, what made Uber’s playbook effective, and how Dwelly uses AI to transform...

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I am thrilled to have Elias Can, a principal at Grishin Robotics. Grishin Robotics is a Silicon Valley-based VC fund focused on investing in early-stage companies in broader consumer categories.

In this episode, Elias Can, Principal at Grishin Robotics, shares his journey from public equity to venture capital and his role in investing in early-stage consumer-focused startups. Elias discusses the differences between Silicon Valley and New York startup cultures, the shift from in-person to virtual deal-making post-COVID, and his investment thesis in gaming and social platforms. He provides insights into valuations, leveraging board members, navigating challenging fundraising environments, and aligning with founders' visions, and much more!

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Learn

* How does doing deals in 2024 compare to doing them in 2020-21?

* What are the core areas where VCs and founders are typically misaligned?

* What are the biggest tips for founders on how to get the most out of the board?

* What is your favourite business book? –Hooked, how to win friends

* What is your favourite online tool? –LinkedIn

* If you could go back to when you started working, what is the one thing you would have focused on? – In-person networking

Timestamps

Elias’ Entry into Venture Capital - Transition from public equity to venture capital (00:01:01 - 00:05:30)

New York vs. Silicon Valley Startup Cultures - Differences in ecosystems and lifestyles (00:05:31 - 00:09:30)

Impact of COVID on Deal-Making - Shift from in-person to virtual processes (00:09:31 - 00:12:45)

Future of Remote Work - Thoughts on in-person, remote, and hybrid work setups (00:12:46 - 00:15:20)

Trends in Gaming Investments - Elias’ investments in Midwest Games and Super Jump (00:15:21 - 00:21:00)

Gaming Industry Insights - Trends in indie and triple-A studios (00:19:31 - 00:21:30)

IPO Market Outlook - Predictions for liquidity in the next year (00:26:01 - 00:28:40)

SPAC Market Challenges - Rise and fall of SPACs as an IPO alternative (00:27:01 - 00:28:30)

Valuation Pitfalls for Founders - Risks of overvaluation and liquidation preferences (00:28:41 - 00:31:50)

Leveraging Board Members - Tips for founders to maximize value from their board (00:31:51 - 00:33:40)

Lessons from Elias’ Career - Importance of networking and starting broad in VC (00:35:31 - 00:39:30)

Engaging Founders on LinkedIn - Elias’ approach to outreach (00:41:01 - 00:42:20)

Elias’ Networking Tips - Attending more meetups and events pre-pandemic (00:36:31 - 00:37:50)

Grishin Robotics’ Focus Areas - Broad consumer categories including fintech and edtech (00:37:51 - 00:38:50)

Elias’s Links 

LDN– https://www.linkedin.com/in/elias-can/

Website – https://www.grishinrobotics.com/

My Links 

Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes

YouTube:  youtube.com/lifeselfmastery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal

5-day email course: www.enterprisesalesexpertise.com



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