Russ Hall & Ryan Nece: Managing Partners at Next Legacy
Next Legacy Perspectives
Meet Next Legacy Partners. While many members of both the Next Play and Legacy Venture communities are aware by now, the start of 2023 has been an eventful one for both firms. Having joined forces, Next Legacy now stands poised to deliver lasting impact and superior returns to our partners. Next Play Founder Ryan Nece and Legacy Founder Russ Hall join a conversation with Next Legacy Venture Partner Hunter Hillenmeyer to discuss the rationale and the goals behind the formation of Next Legacy. They also dive into the current state of VC, a trip down memory lane to the founding of each...
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Oren Gabriel: Founder and CEO of NextPlayU
Next Legacy Perspectives
Next Legacy is no stranger to serving the needs of athletes, but when Oren Gabriel and Next Play Capital Founder Ryan Nece, now Managing Partner at Next Legacy, first discussed the challenge facing athletes as they transition beyond the world of sports, both of them saw an opportunity. NextPlayU is the product of that brainstorm. Oren and his talented co-founders have been building a platform to help athletes, both college and professional, find success in their careers beyond the world of sports. Oren's journey as a founder is a fantastic story and one that is very close to home...
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Amir Hemmat: Welcome Tech Founder & CEO
Next Legacy Perspectives
While immigration is a polarizing topic in the US, Welcome Tech and their vision to become the digital Ellis Island somehow manage to rise above the politics. Amir Hemmat, Welcome Tech's founder, explains that if you think of a country like a company, attracting the best talent and then creating ideal conditions for their success is a no brainer. This is Welcome Tech's mission. With millions of immigrants in the United States now leveraging the Welcome Tech platform, the company is well on its way. In this conversation, Amir digs into the many reasons why a company like Welcome Tech...
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Harry Tannenbaum: Founder & President at Mill
Next Legacy Perspectives
Harry and his teammates at Mill do not look like your typical early stage startup. For one, they come with a pedigree from some of the most iconic tech companies ever, names like Apple, Google, and Nest. He and Mill Co-Founder Matt Rogers have been in the trenches together, most notably building Nest from $0 to more than $1B in annual revenue, culminating in their acquisition by Google. Startups that include hardware + software scare many VCs. The added complexity and working capital requirements are just a few reasons to validate those fears. Harry articulates wonderfully both...
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Natalie Gordon: CEO and Founder of Babylist
Next Legacy Perspectives
Most venture-funded startup founders begin their journeys with grand ambitions from the outset. Such was not the case with Natalie, who started Babylist in 2011 to improve upon her own experience setting up a baby registry while expecting her first child. Now almost a dozen years later, she has both a tween and a company who are maturing rapidly. From those humble beginnings Natalie turned her side hustle into a force in online commerce, where Babylist now manages a registry for nearly half of expecting parents in the U.S. Her lessons learned and plans for future...
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Chase Griffin: UCLA Quarterback and NIL Pioneer
Next Legacy Perspectives
Chase Griffin is a quarterback at UCLA and perhaps the most pioneering NIL athlete in college sports. Despite having not yet regularly started at QB for UCLA, Chase has more brand partnerships than many of the best known names in the college game. Whether you love the new world of college sports where athletes can monetize their Name, Image, and Likeness or you think this new dynamic has ruined the game, you will be inspired by the story of Chase Griffin. His marketability has as much to do with his personality and his values as it does with the strength of his arm or...
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Matthew Pohlson: Omaze CEO
Next Legacy Perspectives
Matt Pohslon has spent the last decade innovating on what it means to serve non-profits. Omaze, a for-profit company that raises money for great causes by offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, has a mission grounded in going beyond raising awareness to making huge impacts (and raising lots of money) for the causes it supports. Matt and Omaze are well on their way, but it hasn't been a straight line. Omaze has continued to evolve its business. Matt himself suffered a near death experience that precipitated a huge change in the Omaze model. Hear from this inspiring founder who...
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Wesley Chan: Founding Partner FPV Ventures
Next Legacy Perspectives
Wes started FPV with co-founder Pegah Ebrahimi with one goal in mind: to back truly exceptional founders who are attacking a problem "they've been thinking about their whole life." Wes knows what a successful founder looks like. His track record as an investor at both Felicis and Google Ventures (now GV) speaks for itself. On top of that, his experience leading product teams at Google, including Analytics and Voice, gives him both the insights and scar tissue to spot the best builders before it is obvious that they will succeed. Whenever a manager "spins out" of a more established firm,...
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Andrew Brandt: Former Packers "Capologist," ESPN Contributor, and Law Professor at Villanova
Next Legacy Perspectives
Andrew Brandt knows the business side of sports about as well as anyone. He followed up a career as an agent by joining the Packers in 1999 to negotiate player contracts and manage the cap. He is now a blogger, ESPN expert, professor and leader of the Moorad Center for sports law at Villanova, and podcaster. He was an insider for some of the most definitive moments of the modern NFL, including the decision to take Aaron Rodgers with a 1st round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft despite having future Hall of Famer and NFL ironman Brett Favre at quarterback. Hear Andrew relive some...
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Jake Kloberdanz: Co-Founder and CEO, OneHope, Inc.
Next Legacy Perspectives
Many incredible people in this world recognize a need and conceptualize founding a company, but very few bring their ideas to life. After noticing the impact that Breast Cancer Awareness has in only one month of the year, Jake Kloberdanz set out to create something that gives back every single day. He and seven other cause-minded entrepreneurs founded ONEHOPE in 2007 with the mission to “share wine and give hope”. Today, ONEHOPE is one of the largest direct-to-consumer wineries in the world, and proceeds of their award-winning wines have allowed ONEHOPE to donate over $8 million to local...
info_outlinePuneet represents a rare combo in a VC. He came into the industry with extensive experience on both the operating side, as a product manager at several startups, and on the finance side in tech investment banking at JP Morgan. As a "both sides of the table" sort of VC, Puneet has a wealth of great insights that reflect his breadth of experience.
- The founder is the customer (not the other way around).
- Empathy, adaptability, and authenticity are fundamental characteristics in both investors and founders.
- Founders should bring a sense of safety, not fear, to the board room and to their teams.
There are many more nuggets in this great conversation about the evolving role of a VC. One example, Puneet says young VCs have to learn to trust themselves, whereas more seasoned VCs have to learn to doubt themselves. Just because something didn't work 5 years ago, it doesn't mean it won't work today. Any investor or founder can learn a lot about the industry by dropping in on this conversation. Have a listen.