Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast
Startup insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the established veterans and up-and-comers who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond. Topics include technology trends, startups, Silicon Valley politics, women in silicon valley and more. Learn the histories of each guest and be enlightened by their area of expertise. New episode released each Tuesday at Noon, Pacific Time.
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137 Promise Phelon: A Growth Warrior’s Trajectory from BEA to CEO to Venture Capitalist
06/24/2020
137 Promise Phelon: A Growth Warrior’s Trajectory from BEA to CEO to Venture Capitalist
“As an entrepreneur, tech CEO and venture capitalist who is also a woman of color, I am well aware of the challenges most entrepreneurs face when it comes to raising capital.” So Promise Phelon summarizes with typical grace what she has learned in an amazing career. Her book, “The Way of the Growth Warrior” – well you can’t get it yet. You can pre-order it in the link below. In the meantime, you can hear her story in this episode. Promise Phelon started that career at BEA Systems, where she became Head of Product Marketing. While a Black woman running marketing at BEA in the 1990s might be its own story, it was just her beginning... The Growth Warrior Something Ventured
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136 Codepath’s Michael Ellison: How Black CS Students View Silicon Valley / The Daily Reality For a Black Man in San Francisco
06/18/2020
136 Codepath’s Michael Ellison: How Black CS Students View Silicon Valley / The Daily Reality For a Black Man in San Francisco
“Most Black computer science students think Silicon Valley companies are racist.” If you didn’t know this already – you should really sit down and listen to this episode. No one educates more Black students in computer science than Codepath. Codepath is the non-profit co-founded by Michael Ellison to eliminate educational inequity in technical careers. Every year Codepath teaches hundreds of college students the skills they need to get jobs at companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon. In this episode, Michael shares his stark assessment of how Silicon Valley treats Black engineers, including CS students who may have not gone to a ‘top’ school. He discusses the toll both Covid and the recent events like the George Floyd killing have taken on Black students. Michael shares what Silicon Valley leaders – venture capitalists and companies alike – can do to empower Black engineering students who seek jobs, or seek to start companies in Silicon Valley.
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135 VC Monique Woodard is NOT "Doing Fine"
06/11/2020
135 VC Monique Woodard is NOT "Doing Fine"
Monique Woodard is a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. She is one of the very rare Black, female General partners in venture capital. Previously on Something Ventured we explored Monique’s unique path to becoming a venture capitalist, and what she invests in. As events drove the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) movement to accelerate worldwide, Monique was gracious enough to come back and share her thoughts. She discusses what she believes is the state of the BLM movement in general, and Silicon Valley’s dismal record on supporting Black investors and entrepreneurs in particular. She offers pure, unvarnished advice about what Silicon Valley can do – actually do – to begin fixing its problem.
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134 IVP’s Somesh Dash: In Divisive Times, Is Silicon Valley Doing Enough?
06/01/2020
134 IVP’s Somesh Dash: In Divisive Times, Is Silicon Valley Doing Enough?
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Not every podcast includes a Langston Hughes quote. Not every venture capitalist is Somesh Dash. Somesh is a partner at the venture capital firm IVP. IVP is one of the largest, most established venture firms in Silicon Valley. From his post there, Somesh has seen several cycles of Silicon Valley’s ups and downs. In this episode, we contemplate recent events: Racial issues converging with US 2020 presidential politics and a country on edge from Covid. Looking to the leadership example of Ailene Lee and All Rise, we contemplate what more Silicon Valley might do to be supportive of black Americans. Not just the few (too few) black VCs and Founders in Silicon Valley, but All black Americans. We turn to the long arc of investing in Silicon Valley – from the early days of IVP, the dot com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, the last 10 years and – the great unknown that is next. We finish with how VCs have reacted to Covid, and what is REALLY going to happen with ‘working from home”. Finally – we end on a positive note, with the poem that begins this introduction.
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133 Eric Tarczynski of Contrary Capital: College – The Definitive Episode on Investing in Startup Founders in College
05/27/2020
133 Eric Tarczynski of Contrary Capital: College – The Definitive Episode on Investing in Startup Founders in College
(Note: This episode was recorded before the Covid crisis. It includes a brief introduction with Eric Tarczynski to update the status of his fund and college investing, post Covid.) Eric Tarczynski is the founder of Contrary, a venture capital firm focused on investing in college students starting companies. In this episode, Eric discusses how he built a network of college entrepreneurs, and how he created a venture fund focused on investing in college students. We discuss the unique benefits and risks of investing in young founders, many with no work experience, as well as the lessons from famous college founder – Mark Zuckerberg. Colleges Contrary includes in its network are: Boston College, Boston University, BYU, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, Harvard, NYU, Northeastern, Ohio State, Penn State, Princeton, Rice, Stanford, Texas A&M, Tufts, Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, University of Chicago, UC Boulder, University of Illinois, University of Maryland, University of MIchigan, Notre Dame, Penn, USC, University of Texas, Virginia, Vanderbilt, University of Washington, Yale, and Waterloo. www.somethingentured.us Contrary Capital:
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132 Lyft's Raj Kapoor: World Without Covid
04/16/2020
132 Lyft's Raj Kapoor: World Without Covid
Raj Kapoor contracted Covid in mid-March. He and his family are recovered and well. But Raj is taking aim at shortening the path to a post-Covid world. He partnered with Clara Health to create . The site let’s people register to help researchers worldwide accelerate their race to find better testing, treatments, and vaccines. Raj has been a venture capitalist (Mayfield) and a entrepreneur (SnapFish). He is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Lyft. In this episode we discuss Raj’s journey from contracting to recovering from Covid. We also discuss the path to finding a treatment, and the why’s and how’s of California’s lockdown. We also discuss (Caifornia Governor) Gavin Newsom’s “6 Criteria for lifting quarantine”, and the current state of the US Presidential race. We turn to Lyft, and the future of transportation (the original topic of this episode): How Lyft is faring during the Covid crisis, how will change cities, and how Lyft affect climate change. Finally, we briefly discuss the effect Covid might ultimately have on the music industry. World Without Covid: Clara Health: Lyft: Something Ventured:
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131 Covid-19, China and Silicon Valley with Kaiser Kuo
04/14/2020
131 Covid-19, China and Silicon Valley with Kaiser Kuo
In the midst of the Covid crisis, how should Silicon Valley think about China? Kaiser Kuo is founder and host of the Sinica podcast, and has been a longtime journalist and tech executive in China. Few people know more about the intricacies of China’s politics and their interaction with technology companies. In this episode we discuss China’s responsibility for Covid, and compare its response times to those of the US. We discuss how the US should think about China going forward as a new world order emerges. Also, as this crisis passes what can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen again? Finally, Kaiser discusses how we’ve flip flopped on how we view technology and other governments. Is technology a tool of revolution? (Arab Spring) or of control (WeChat contact tracking apps). Sinica Podcast: Something Ventured:
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130 Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Hits Politics, California and Silicon Valley
04/09/2020
130 Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Hits Politics, California and Silicon Valley
Joe Garofoli is the Senior Political Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and host of the “It’s All Political” podcasts. He recently broke the story of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which ultimately led to the resignation of the Acting Secretary of the Navy. In this episode we discuss the political implications of the COVID outbreak, and how Donald Trump is (not) doing in managing the crisis. We discuss the next moves for candidate Joe Biden and now-former candidate Bernie Sanders. Also discussed is the performance of California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and how their styles differ. Finally we discuss the implications for the California economy, and Silicon Valley in particular.
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129 Mike Stutz: COVID Hits Hollywood
03/28/2020
129 Mike Stutz: COVID Hits Hollywood
Mike Stutz is a Hollywood producer, director and writer. He’s worked across genres, and recently has focused on reality TV (Animal Planet, Discovery Network, etc.) In this episode, Mike discusses the impact of COVID-19 on Hollywood: How it affects writers, producers and even standup comics. We also discuss: What happened when Mike decided to leave Los Angeles for Arkansas and political protest when you can’t gather. Finally – we end on a positive note (really!) about how to address depression and suicide when everyone is isolated. Mike on Twitter: @suicideblows Mike on Instagram: @resistanceclown Mike’s Fairytale video: Something Ventured website:
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128: Matt Hulett: Rosetta Stone’s President Connects the World Through Language Learning
03/24/2020
128: Matt Hulett: Rosetta Stone’s President Connects the World Through Language Learning
(Note this episode was recorded before the current Coronavirus crisis) Matt Hulett is President of Rosetta Stone – one of the largest language learning companies in the world. Long known for its striking yellow boxes of CDs (those CDs are now a thing of the past, BTW), Rosetta helps people learn almost any language from any mobile device or computer, at their own pace. Matt came to Rosetta Stone after stints at Expedia, Atom Entertainment and RealNetworks. Where he worked for famous internet execs like Rob Glaser and Barry Diller. In this episode we discuss Matt’s early interaction with computers (including his experiences with Telnet and Sun workstations!). We discuss his path to becoming a public company CEO, and the difference in running turnarounds, startups and big brands. We also discuss no less than the state of literary education in the US and how Lexia Learning helps kids learn to read. Matt shares a few of his leadership lessons, and discusses how he keeps Rosetta stone out of the tricky politics of language into which people try to pull him. www.rosettastone.com
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127 Paul-Henri Ferrand: Brex’s COO on Why Immigrants Build Great Companies and How Brex is Transforming Finance
03/09/2020
127 Paul-Henri Ferrand: Brex’s COO on Why Immigrants Build Great Companies and How Brex is Transforming Finance
Paul-Henri Ferrand is the Chief Operating Officer of Brex. Brex, the corporate card that accelerates entrepreneurs and scaling businesses, is founded by Henrique Dubugras and Pedro Franceschi, two engineers who previously founded Pagar.me, a Brazil payment processing company. Brex has raised $315M in equity and $510M in debt, and is backed by the co-founders of PayPal (Max Levchin and Peter Thiel), Y Combinator, Ribbit Capital, Greenoaks Capital, DST Global, IVP, and Carl Pascarella (former CEO of Visa). Before becoming COO of Brex, Paul-Henri was President, Global Customer Operations for Google Cloud, and before that President of Dell US. In this episode, Paul-Henri discusses why he moved from leading an enormous public company, to helping execute at a startup. He contrasts the cultures of the various companies – Dell, Google and Brex, and discusses what it means to “consumerize finance”. We also discuss why immigrants (Paul-Henri is an immigrant to the US, as are with both founders of Brex) find the US so appealing, and appear to be behind some of the great Silicon Valley companies. Finally, we discuss the importance of culture and leadership lessons learned at Dell, Google and now Brex. Brex Something Ventured
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126 Brianne Kimmel: A Venture Capitalist Makes Work More Human
03/04/2020
126 Brianne Kimmel: A Venture Capitalist Makes Work More Human
Brianne Kimmel is a newly minted venture capitalist. She didn’t join a venture fund: She started her own. Her fund — Work Life Ventures — invests in new technologies and services for your work life. Work today has a whole new meaning: it's social w/ Slack, flexible w/ Zoom and approachable through low-code and no-code tools for anyone with an idea to build something. Brianne's recent investments range from enterprise software (i.e. developer productivity tools) to creator tools that help anyone launch their own course, jewelry line or creative business. Brianne has been an angel investor on evenings and weekends, had a YC company, and scaled Zendesk from a single product to multi-product platform. She started her career building influencer programs for Nikon, then scaled into Head of Social Media at Expedia — in Sydney, Hong Kong and Silicon Valley. But Brianne’s path to Silicon Valley wasn’t obvious. She started out in northeast Ohio, started attended Kent State while she was in high school and started her career in Australia. Not the typical path for a Silicon Valley Venture capitalist. Nevertheless…here she is. In this podcast we cover a range of topics and ideas. We discuss why she started her own firm, rather than joining an established VC. We have some fun with the emergence of ‘celebrity angels”, and take a more serious look at the future of distributed workforces. She also surprises me – as it always happens – with what it’s like to be a high profile woman in the tech industry. She honestly shares what it’s like to get unwanted attention at, for example, conferences where, sometimes, security is called. Please enjoy this episode with...Brianne Kimmel. Work Life Ventures Something Ventured Podcast
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125 Jeff Macpherson: Tiki Bar TV's Dr. Tiki Explains Why We Stream Video But Download Podcasts
02/24/2020
125 Jeff Macpherson: Tiki Bar TV's Dr. Tiki Explains Why We Stream Video But Download Podcasts
Do you know why we download podcasts, but stream video? This is the podcast that tells the story. Jeff Macpherson is founder of AR/VR training company . But before that – he created and acted in “Tiki Bar TV”. If you don’t know what that is, you can -- and should -- find it at . Tiki Bar TV was at the red-hot center of the early video wars – which were at one point a knife-fight between Apple and YouTube. “Tiki Bar TV” caught the eye of Steve Jobs, and ended up being featured in one of Jobs’ famous onstage product unveilings. In this episode we talk about the arc of video on the Internet, what it’s like getting the call that Steve Jobs wants to include you in his presentation, and what it’s like to collaborate with Tosca Musk, Lala and Johnny Johnny. We also discuss how web series have changed, and early BBS culture. on Twitter
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124 REPLAY Keller Fitzsimmons -- Startuplandia author on Mental Health in Silicon Valley
02/12/2020
124 REPLAY Keller Fitzsimmons -- Startuplandia author on Mental Health in Silicon Valley
In honor of Keller's recent warmly received recent talk at Jackson Square ventures -- here she is again! ----- Keller Fitzsimmons is the author of Lost in Startuplandia: Wayfinding for the Weary Entrepreneur. She gives lie to the idea that entrepreneurship is a thrilling, lucrative adventure. All is great, of course, until things go horribly wrong. “As crisis after crisis hits, even the most seasoned founder can get disoriented. Whether you're in the throes of business woes or just getting into the game, E. Keller Fitzsimmons has written a field guide outlining the terrain to help you avoid getting Lost in Startuplandia.” Keller is a serial tech entrepreneur, artist, and mother of two. She is the cofounder of Custom Reality Services, a virtual reality production company whose first two projects, Across the Line (2016) and Ashe '68 (2019), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Keller is the recipient of the Silvertip PwC Entrepreneurship Award and Speech Technology's Luminary Award. Her work has been published by Network Computing, InformationWeek, and Inc. An active angel investor, she serves on the technology committee for BELLE USA, a venture fund that invests in women-led startups. Originally trained as a classical archaeologist, Keller holds a master's degree from Harvard University. In this podcast Keller discusses a wide range of topics, including losing her ability to read (before becoming a best selling author). She discusses the surprising prevalance of anxiety, depression and suicide in Silicon Valley. Lost in Startuplandia https://www.lostinstartuplandia.com
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123 Marco Zappacosta: Thumbtack’s CEO on Building a Billion Dollar Company and Helping People “Get the Job Done”
02/05/2020
123 Marco Zappacosta: Thumbtack’s CEO on Building a Billion Dollar Company and Helping People “Get the Job Done”
Marco Zappacosta is a co-Founder & CEO of Thumbtack, a startup that lets people find local professionals for “pretty much anything”. Thumbtack has raised over $400 million and is valued at well over $1 billion. Investors include Sequoia Capital, Cyan Banister, Jason Calcanis and brothers Ali and Hadi Partovi. Marco has been recognized by Forbes as top “30 under 30” entrepreneur, and Thumbtack is recognized as one of Fortune's "Great Place to Work". In this episode, Marco discusses how he built Thumbtack, and what it’s like to transition from overseeing a small team, to hundreds of people. He talks about how Thumbtack is succeeding where others failed – getting liquidity in local services We also discuss how Thumbtack enables local ‘entrepreneurs’ to build their business on its platform, and find a market for their traditional or unique service. Finally we cover what structural changes are needed in the US economy to enable ‘gig’ workers, and why he’s been interested in the state of Social Security since college.
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122 Chris Douvos: Ahoy Capital’s Founder is One-of-a-Kind
12/19/2019
122 Chris Douvos: Ahoy Capital’s Founder is One-of-a-Kind
Chris Douvos has a rare job. There are very few venture capitalists in the world. There’s an even more scarce job, however: Several ‘fund-of-funds” exist that provide capital to venture capital firms, and a path into venture capital for large institutions that want to invest in Silicon Valley. Chris Douvos’ Ahoy Capital is one of those funds. In this wide-ranging discussion, Chris tells us how he made his way up and through a history major to his current profession. We talk about what Chris has seen from his unique perch in Silicon Valley: What has changed, what he sees in the future. Chris explains how he became an early investor in superstar venture firms like First Round and DCVC, and why he didn’t invest in the equally successful Baseline Ventures. Also quoted are Walt Whitman, and at least one Greek Philosopher If you don’t know Chris – meet him on this episode! Ahoy Capital Something Ventured
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121 Mike Maples:, Jr: A Master Seed Investor Shares his Wisdom
12/10/2019
121 Mike Maples:, Jr: A Master Seed Investor Shares his Wisdom
Mike Maples, Jr. is Founder and General Partner of Floodgate, a seed investing firm that has made early investments in companies like Twitter, Demandforce and Lyft. He was #12 on the 2018 “Midas List” of top venture capitalists. The seed investing trend he identified has become, literally, an entire category of investors. He is also the host of his own podcast – Starting Greatness. In this episode of Something Ventured we talk about Mike’s path to Silicon Valley, the investing opportunity he saw here, and how it has changed over time. He explains terms like ‘earned secret’ and “thunder lizard”, and the overarching importance of “why now”. If you’d like to get to know Mike Maples, Jr. – don’t miss this episode, and listen to his new podcast – Starting Greatness. Starting Greatness podcast Floodgate Something Ventured
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#120 David Hornik: "The Lobby" Creator and Ringmaster
12/03/2019
#120 David Hornik: "The Lobby" Creator and Ringmaster
David Hornik is a partner at August Capital. He is also the much-loved creator and executive producer of “The Lobby”. In preparing for this podcast, a number of people expressed sincere affection for David, The Lobby, and the relationships it has fostered. In this episode David explains what the Lobby is, and where the idea came from. In addition to The Lobby, David started (with his colleagues) the first venture capital blog, VentureBlog, and the first venture capital podcast, VentureCast. He has been honored by Forbes Magazine as a member of its Midas List of top Venture Capitalists. As a venture capitalist, David over the last 20 years has worked closely with technology companies to help them grow and prosper. David joined August Capital in 2000 to invest in a broad range of software companies. Since that time, he has invested in dozens of companies across the software spectrum, including a number of enterprise software and SaaS (e.g, Splunk, Fastly, GitLab), consumer services (e.g., Evite, Ebates, Drop), and financial technology companies (e.g., WePay, Bill.com, PayNearMe). In this podcast we discuss everything from his investments in Broadway musicals, to the state of venture capital, to the issues faced by the LGBTQ community in Silicon Valley. Warning – this podcast includes singing! August Capital The Lobby Something Ventured
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#119 Joe Garofoli: San Francisco Chronicle Senior Political Writer Takes Us Inside Politics
11/26/2019
#119 Joe Garofoli: San Francisco Chronicle Senior Political Writer Takes Us Inside Politics
Joe Garofoli is the Senior Political Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is also host of the San Francisco Chronicle podcast “It’s All Political”. Guests on “It’s All Political” recently have included California Governor Gavin Newsom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a “Who’s Who” of Democratic presidential hopefuls. Very few people have Joe Garofoli’s unique perch – here in San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley – to view California and National politics through the lens of Silicon Valley. In this podcast he takes us “behind the scenes” of the current state of California and National US politics. We talk about everything from the recent wildfires in California, to the relationship between Governor Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump, to what issues you REALLY should be paying attention to in the upcoming California ballots. Joe Garofoli on Twitter: Kent Lindstrom on Twitter: Joe Garofoli at SFGate: Something Ventured:
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#118 Ryan Petersen: How Flexport is Transforming Shipping to Create a Better World
11/19/2019
#118 Ryan Petersen: How Flexport is Transforming Shipping to Create a Better World
Ryan Petersen founded Flexport to make the world a more connected and better place. He wanted to “fix the user experience in global trade”. It’s been quite a success so far. To date – the company has raised $1.3 billion, and Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator, told Bloomberg News, "There will be more international trade because of Flexport and international trade is a very big thing for there to be more of". Before starting Flexport, Ryan was co-founder and CEO of , a data-as-a-service business for global shipping. He holds a degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Columbia University. In this wide-ranging discussion, we cover Ryan's path to becoming an entrepreneur and why he thought international trade needing shaking up. He talks about the early days of Flexport, building a strong excutive team to compliment his strenghts and how his role as a CEO and the company have scaled through each stage of growth. Also discussed are the current trade wars’ effect on shipping and businesses, as well as the unique perspective they have as the trusted shipper for thousands of companies.
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#117 Josh Felser: A Freestylin' Conversation with Josh
11/12/2019
#117 Josh Felser: A Freestylin' Conversation with Josh
Josh Felser co-founded and sold two companies -- Spinner and Grouper – for a combined value of nearly $400 million. Then, he and his partner, Dave Samuel, started one of Silicon Valley’s most successful seed venture funds – Freestyle. Freestyle has backed companies like Airtable, Intercom, BetterUp, Patreon and Wag. In this wide-ranging discussion, Josh talks about building Spinner and the nail-biting moment an acquirer asked him “what’s your number”. We also cover Josh’s rebuttal to Kent’s previous episode on Burning Man, and how Josh first met California’s governor, Gavin Newsom. Other topics include mental health in Silicon Valley, and how to support women and people of color in Silicon Valley. Also included is some music advice for podcaster Harry Stebbings. Freestyle Burning Man Rush
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#116 Dan Scheinman: Zoom’s First Investor on Finding Outliers, Ageism and More
11/05/2019
#116 Dan Scheinman: Zoom’s First Investor on Finding Outliers, Ageism and More
Dan Scheinman is one of the best investors – and nicest people – you may not have heard of…yet. But you should know him, because he has become a force in Silicon Valley. After running Corporate Development at Cisco, Dan became an investor. Investing his own capital, he has backed from the earliest stages firms like Zoom, Arista, SentinalOne and CyCognito. These companies are now collectively worth tens of billions of dollars. We briefly discuss the passing of Sequoia Capital Founder and Cisco Board Chairman Don Valentine and his legacy. We talk about the ups and downs at Cisco – which at various times has been the most valuable company in the world. Dan talks about how to find true outliers in tech companies, and what it means to be truly ‘contrarian’. We discuss ageism in Silicon Valley, and why investing in women, people of color and those over 35 is an investing advantage. Dan tells the story of how he became the first investor in video conferencing company Zoom – which is now valued at nearly $20 billion. Finally, we discuss what to do when enormous wealth finds you, and why venture capitalists think both math and their jobs are hard. Zoom: Dan can be found on Twitter at
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#115 Ba Minuzzi: First Latina to Starta a Silicon Valley Venture Fund
10/28/2019
#115 Ba Minuzzi: First Latina to Starta a Silicon Valley Venture Fund
You know her right? The woman who started two venture funds and a wealth management firm? You don’t? Meet Ba Minuzzi. Ba was born in Brazil, where she started a fashion business in her teens. That soon gave way to a real estate business, and then the venue changed to Miami. In Miami, she realized she wanted to start a venture fund – and that Silicon Valley was the place to do it. Today she is founder of Babel (an early stage healthtech venture fund), Ausum (a blockchain fund) and UMANA (a wealth management firm for tech self-mades, conscious celebrities and athletes). She is the first Latina to start a Silicon Valley venture fund. In this episode, we discuss her path to Silicon Valley, why she started not one, not two, but three funds. She also responds to recent episodes that poked a bit of fun at Burning Man. Babel Ventures https://www.babel.ventures Ausum Ventures https://www.ausum.vc UMANA https://www.umana.vc
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#114 Jerry Colonna: Break your Heart and Keep it Open
10/07/2019
#114 Jerry Colonna: Break your Heart and Keep it Open
Jerry Colonna is the author of Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, and cofounder of Reboot – a coaching company, which he started along with Ali Schultz, Khalid Halim, and Dan Put. Before building a successful coaching firm – Jerry was a “Prince of New York” – he co-founded the VC firm Flatiron partners and then ran JP Morgan Partners’. But walked away from it all at the age of 38, wracked with depression. Today he’s a bestselling author, Buddhist, and a sought after coach for the most influential people in business and beyond. In this podcast we discuss some fascinating parts of Internet history that you may have forgotten – including the first internet newspaper. We speak about the legacy of “Coach” Bill Campbell and how Jerry found himself as a coach to some of the most powerful and famous executives in the world. We also track his harrowing path through depression and suicidal thoughts to a fulfilled life, in which he is transforming the lives of others. Reboot Something Ventured
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#113 Maha Ibrahim: Canaan Partner, The RealReal Investor, All Raise Member
09/24/2019
#113 Maha Ibrahim: Canaan Partner, The RealReal Investor, All Raise Member
Maha is a partner at Canaan Partners, one of Silicon Valley's largest and most successful venture firms. She spots technology trends early and partners closely with her companies to drive growth and exits. Maha focuses on e-commerce and enterprise / cloud, and was one of the first investors to recognize the potential of social gaming. She represented Canaan as the first institutional investor in The RealReal – which recently went public. Maha is a founding member of All Raise, an organization with the mission to “accelerate the success of female funders and founders”. She is also a trustee for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Before becoming a venture capitalist, Maha was an executive at Qwest Communications and studied Economics and Sociology at Stanford, and Economics at MIT. In this podcast Maha shares her journey to becoming a venture capitalist. She discusses the changes she’s seen in the venture industry and what does – and doesn’t – excite her today. We also talk about the evolving path for women in Silicon Valley, and what an ally of women can do to be helpful.
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#112 Esther Wojcicki: How to Raise Successful People
09/17/2019
#112 Esther Wojcicki: How to Raise Successful People
Esther Wojcicki is a journalist and educator. She founded and runs the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Center, which engages over 600 students directly in media such as magazines, newspapers, radio, television and photography. She wrote the book “How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results”. Her qualifications? Her three daughters, Susan, Anne and Janet are the CEO of Youtube, Founder and CEO of 23 and Me, and a professor of medicine at UCSF. In this podcast, we discuss her path through the male dominated world of journalism, to becoming a teacher and founding the Media Arts Center. She relates how she raised her children to be particularly independent, and discusses the rise of ‘helicopter parents’ -- parents who sometimes hover over their children even as they go to college. We also discuss the evolution and state of journalism from typeset newspapers, to the massive changes brought on by the Internet, Facebook, YouTube and Google. How to Raise Successful People Media Arts Center
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#111 REPLAY: Silicon Valley goes to Burning Man
09/05/2019
#111 REPLAY: Silicon Valley goes to Burning Man
It's the time of year when Silicon Valley decamps to a party in the desert known as Burning Man. Grown adults, with children and jobs spend multiple weeks preparing, burning, then decompressing. In this replay episode, we take a light-hearted look at Burning Man as seen from Silicon Valley. We review the history of the event, which began at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. We also cover a dark period in Burning Man's early history. Michael White is a recovering Silicon Valley attorney. I'm a venture capitalist. Neither of has been to Burning Man. Well, that's not going to stop us. We watched a movie about Burning Man! The movie we refer to in this episode is "Spark: A Burning Man Story" from 2013.
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#110 Alison McCauley: Falling down the Blockchain Rabbit Hole (and why you should too)
08/26/2019
#110 Alison McCauley: Falling down the Blockchain Rabbit Hole (and why you should too)
Alison McCauley is the Best Selling Author of Unblocked: How Blockchain will Change your Business and What to Do About It. Why does blockchain matter? Alison points out that disruption is no longer a moment in time. It's a continual state. How do you understand the new opportunity? Set priorities in a complex and ever-shifting landscape? Prepare for what’s ahead? Alison helps you navigate the human side of digital acceleration. In this episode we discuss the moment Alison came to be blown away by the potential of blockchain, how it’s like the early Internet…and the surprisingly large role of women in this industry. I also conduct a thorough podcast investigation of whether Alison is Satoshi Nakamoto. Don’t miss it! More about Alison McCauley: Alison is founder and CEO of Unblocked Future, a consultancy that helps executives drive adoption at the forefront of emerging tech. She helps companies communicate their vision, resonate with stakeholders, and activate communities for change. She is a keynote speaker who, in addition to spending time in the blockchain rabbit hole, helps teams to educate and drive adoption in their markets at the front edge of innovation in IoT, robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and other developing technologies.. A social scientist by training, she spent her career studying the intersection of human behavior and emerging technology, with 20 years of consulting to technology-first startups and Fortune-500 companies across industries including healthcare, education, telecommunications, energy, retail, finance, hospitality, and manufacturing @unblockedfuture
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#124 REPLAY E. Keller Fitzsimmons: The Darkness in Silicon Valley – Anxiety, Depression and Suicide in Startuplandia
08/20/2019
#124 REPLAY E. Keller Fitzsimmons: The Darkness in Silicon Valley – Anxiety, Depression and Suicide in Startuplandia
In honor of Kelly's recent, well-received talk at Jackson Square Ventures, and the ongoing interest in mental health issues in Silicon Valley -- here she is again! ------ Keller Fitzsimmons is the author of Lost in Startuplandia: Wayfinding for the Weary Entrepreneur. She gives lie to the idea that entrepreneurship is a thrilling, lucrative adventure. All is great, of course, until things go horribly wrong. “As crisis after crisis hits, even the most seasoned founder can get disoriented. Whether you're in the throes of business woes or just getting into the game, E. Keller Fitzsimmons has written a field guide outlining the terrain to help you avoid getting Lost in Startuplandia.” Keller is a serial tech entrepreneur, artist, and mother of two. She is the cofounder of Custom Reality Services, a virtual reality production company whose first two projects, Across the Line (2016) and Ashe '68 (2019), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Keller is the recipient of the Silvertip PwC Entrepreneurship Award and Speech Technology's Luminary Award. Her work has been published by Network Computing, InformationWeek, and Inc. An active angel investor, she serves on the technology committee for BELLE USA, a venture fund that invests in women-led startups. Originally trained as a classical archaeologist, Keller holds a master's degree from Harvard University. In this podcast Keller discusses a wide range of topics, including losing her ability to read (before becoming a best selling author). She discusses the surprising prevalance of anxiety, depression and suicide in Silicon Valley. Lost in Startuplandia Something Ventured
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#108: Adriana Gascoigne: Tech Lady Boss - How to Startup Disrupt and Thrive as a Female Founder
08/12/2019
#108: Adriana Gascoigne: Tech Lady Boss - How to Startup Disrupt and Thrive as a Female Founder
Adriana is the Founder and CEO of Girls in Tech, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that empowers women in the tech industry across the globe. Before founding Girls in Tech, Adriana served in executive roles at Ogilvy & Mather, Interpublic Group of Companies, Social Gaming Network (SGN), and SecondMarket. She has been named one of the 20 most influential Latinos in Technology by CNET, among other awards. She is author of the book Tech Boss Lady: How to Startup, Disrupt and Thrive as a Female Founder. In this episode, Adriana charts the influence her immigrant grandparents, and entrepreneurial parents had on her. She shares her early experience with Silicon Valley’s unwelcoming male culture, and how she came to create the global enterprise that is Girls in Tech. She discusses how sexual harassment in Silicon Valley has – and hasn’t – changed. From roller skating to balling up stress like a travel t-shirt – this episode has a bit of everything. Girls in Tech Something Ventured:
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