Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley podcast

1:06:05

Cyan Banister of Long Journey Ventures is truly one of the most successful and interesting early stage venture investors. And by ‘successful investor’, I mean “invested early in Uber and SpaceX” kind of successful. She overcame a challenging childhood that included periods of homelessness (a surprisingly uplifting story, covered deeply in Tim Ferriss’ interview with Cyan). Here we discuss Cyan’s journey from these early struggles to becoming a prominent figure in Silicon Valley . Along the way she learns to program computers, and co-founds Zivity – an early social networking site one might compare to OnlyFans. She was a partner at VC juggernaut Founders Fund (the VC fund founded by Peter Thiel, that invested in AirBnB, Spotify and OpenAI among others). She also is author of “The Ugly Duckling” substack. This episode also includes her brush with Star Wars’ “Lucasfilm” (the singular matters), her meeting with Marc Andreesen and her (incredible) plans for the future. Ugly Duckling Long Journey Ventures Something Ventured 8-Bit Capital…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Roger Ehrenberg: From IA Ventures to Eberg Capital – A Top Silicon Valley Investor Turns to Sports 57:51

πριν 8 weeks57:51

57:51

Roger Ehrenberg's career spans three remarkable acts, each of which would be impressive on its own. He founded IA Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital firm, in 2010. IA Ventures invested in numerous successful startups, including Datadog, Digital Ocean, The Trade Desk, and Wise. His work with IA Ventures has earned him recognition as a three-time winner of the “Midas Award” – the coveted ranking of venture capitalists by Forbes. Before founding IA Ventures, Roger spent 17 years on Wall Street at Citibank and Deutsche Bank, specializing in derivatives and quantitative trading, managing over $10 billion in investor assets at its peak. In 2021, Roger stepped back from day-to-day operations at IA Ventures to focus on Eberg Capital, which he founded with his two sons to invest in sports franchises, sports betting, media, and entertainment. Through Eberg Capital, he has made strategic investments in sports teams like the Miami Marlins, Real Salt Lake, and the Utah Royals, as well as in the Alpine Formula 1 Racing Team. In this episode he discusses building IA Ventures as well as why he thinks sports is the next great investing opportunity. https://www.ebergcapital.com/ https://somethingventured.us/ https://8bitcapital.com/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Mark Scianna: From Palantir Engineer to Venture Capitalist / Inside Palantir’s Early Days / VC Discovers Defense Tech 1:00:15

πριν 10 weeks1:00:15

1:00:15

Mark Scianna, the founder of venture firm "Forward Deployed," which targets sectors like Defense, Energy, and A.I., was spotlighted as a 'top emerging manager' in 2022. Starting his journey as an engineer and an early investor at Palantir, Scianna offers an insider's perspective in this episode, unraveling the enigma of Palantir's inception and meteoric rise. Scianna delves into what makes Palantir so unique, shedding light on how its unconventional management style has been a cornerstone of its success. He doesn't shy away from the intense realities of being 'forward deployed'—a term that for him meant being physically stationed in war zones to deploy Palantir's groundbreaking solutions firsthand. Scianna also talks about the newly popular trend of investing in ‘defense tech’ – and who should (or shouldn’t) be doing it. Links: Forward Deployed 8-Bit Capital Something Ventured…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Winter Mead: How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund (and more!), From Coolwater Capital’s Founder 57:13

πριν 19 weeks57:13

57:13

Winter Mead is the author of How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund: The Essential Guide on Fundraising and Understanding Limited Partners. He is also founder of Coolwater Capital, a new model that helps launch, build, and scale emerging fund managers While there are a lot of investors (known in the parlance as “LPs”), and certainly a lot of funds – the set of people who sit at the intersection of these two is much smaller. So Winter has an unusual perspective and point of view to share. Winter shares his journey from Harvard and Hall Capital to Sapphire Ventures and ultimately to founding Coolwater. He explains the complex and often overlooked challenges new fund managers face in securing funding, managing portfolios, and building effective business strategies. With insights on the evolving venture ecosystem, the role of emerging managers in fueling innovation, and the rising focus on sectors like AI, climate tech, and longevity, Winter offers a compelling look at how Coolwater helps guide and co-build alongside new managers. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of venture capital and the critical role of emerging fund managers in driving technological innovation. https://www.coolwatercap.com/ https://8bitcapital.com/ https://somethingventured.us/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Max Altman and Ben Braverman: Returning to Tradition with Saga Ventures 48:05

πριν 22 weeks48:05

48:05

Max Altman and Ben Braverman were both pretty close to Silicon Valley royalty before they started Saga Ventures. Max had built Alt Capital with his brothers Sam and Jack. Ben had helped Ryan Peterson build Flexport as its Chief Revenue Officer. Recently, they came together with a third partner (Thomson Nguyen, who does not appear in this episode) to form Saga Ventures. In this episode, Max and Ben talk about building their new fund, discussing its structure, goals, and the nature of VC partnerships. We continue with a look at the Silicon Valley Ecosystem: There is a focus on people, the interconnected nature of Silicon Valley, and how certain patterns of behavior and community dynamics influence the startup and venture capital space. We finish by covering a range of other topics: - How venture capital lost its way - The rise of VC podcasting - Billionaire VCs fighting over politics Join us as Max Altman and Ben Braverman discuss building Saga Ventures. https://www.sagavc.com/ https://8bitcapital.com/ https://somethingventured.us/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Alexis Gay: Silicon Valley’s Favorite Comedian Makes her “Unprofessional” Debut 55:00

πριν 24 weeks55:00

55:00

If you don’t already know about Alexis Gay, you’re about to. Alexis is the creator and star of her solo comedy show, “Unprofessional”. Recently, her show was a hit at the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and she's now touring the show for audiences across the United States. Alexis previously worked in the tech industry running Business Operations and Creator Partnerships at Patreon. Outside of work, she started creating videos featuring dead-on takes on tech culture -- and everyday life. These soon went viral, racking up more than 24 million views across social media. Her sharp insights into startup life and its absurdities resonated far and wide, transforming her into a favorite amongst both tech insiders and comedy fans alike. From viral videos to her successful podcast, Alexis has kept audiences hooked. She’s been profiled by Fast Company, Nightline, Business Insider, SFGate, and CNBC. And now, she's stepping onto the stage as a standup comedian. Now comes her debut solo show, “Unprofessional”. It has received numerous four-star reviews and played to sold out audiences. Chortle, the leading UK comedy publication, called it “an entertaining and – ironically/appropriately – professional hour set in a world that’s rarely covered in stand-up.” Whether you're a startup founder or someone who's never heard of venture capital, her observations land with a sharp, comedic edge. Catch her live and see why she's bound to be way bigger than…John Mulaney. Alexis Gay “Unprofessional https://www.alexis.gay/ Something Ventured Podcast https://somethingventured.us/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Adeyemi Ajao: A Founder Turned VC on Building Base10 Partners, and the Abundance Mindset 33:36

πριν 26 weeks33:36

33:36

In this episode of Something Ventured , I talk to Adeyemi “Ade” Ajao, co-founder of Base10 Partners, one of the largest Black-led venture capital firms in the world. Ade shares his journey from growing up in Nigeria and Spain to building multiple successful companies, including Tuenti, which was sold to Telefonica. He also discusses his transition into venture capital, his mission to empower underrepresented founders, and the impact of Base10’s Advancement Initiative, which partners with top universities to support a diverse new generation of entrepreneurs. Other topics include: Sci-Fi Inspiration: Adi and his brother are avid readers of science fiction, which shaped their belief in the power of human imagination and technology. Global Entrepreneurship: Adi reflects on the scarcity mindset found in some parts of the world, like Spain and Mexico, and contrasts it with the abundance mindset in Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurs help each other succeed. Technological Evolution: The conversation touches on how social networking emerged due to advancements in technology, and the broader impact of automation on traditional industries. Philosophy on Venture Capital: Adi shares how Base10 gives back by donating 50% of their carry to fund scholarships for underrepresented students in STEM, and emphasizes the importance of mission-driven work. Base 10 8-Bit Capital…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Ignition Partners' Nick Sturiale: Reflections on a Life in Venture 43:24

πριν 32 weeks43:24

43:24

Nick Sturiale reflects on a career working in venture capital, in which he invested early in companies such as Splunk, Bill.com, and Reputation.com. Nick shares insights from his extensive career, which spans roles at Ignition Partners, Icon Ventures, Seven Rosen Funds, and the Carlyle Group, among others. He reflects on the evolution of the venture capital landscape, the challenges of finding product-market fit, and the critical role of timing and luck in a startup's success. Nick also delves into the complexities of being a CEO as a company grows, discussing the shift from being a hands-on founder to potentially needing to bring in a new leader with different skills. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs through active listening and the pitfalls that entrepreneurs and VCs alike must navigate. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of the venture capital world and the nuanced journey of building successful startups. (I had an AI write that last sentence. Also: AI has a long way to go.) Ignition Partners Something Ventured 8-Bit Capital…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Founder Collective's Eric Paley on Empathy and Execution in Venture Capital 51:15

πριν 35 weeks51:15

51:15

Eric Paley is a General Partner at Founder Collective, one of the great seed-stage venture capital brands - and one of the relatively few venture firms led by startup founders. As the name suggests, Founder Collective is a "founder stage" venture capital fund that focuses on providing the first professional round of capital to “entrepreneurs with compelling business concepts”. Eric himself also founded several companies before becoming a VC. Founder Collective's investments include: Coupang, Cruise, Kaggle, Pill Pak, The Trade Desk, Uber and Venmo. In this episode we discuss the importance of Founder-led VC firms, and the evolution of seed VC firms - which barely existed when he started, and now number in the hundreds.We also discuss: · * Why the unique name "Collective" · * Fuzzy VC math · * VC 'revisionist history" · * What's next for Founder Collective Please subscribe to Something Ventured! Eric Paley on X (Twitter) Founder Collective Something Ventured 8-Bit Capital…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Homebrew’s Hunter Walk and Satya Patel: The Power of a Partnership 56:01

πριν 1 year56:01

56:01

Homebrew is one of the great venture firm names. It hearkens back to the 1970s era computer hobbyist group that included people like Steve Jobs. Hunter Walk and Satya Patel are the partners who founded and built Homebrew (the venture capital firm). Nevertheless, if you say “Hunter and Satya” in Silicon Valley, people will know exactly who you are talking about. Hunter Walk came to homebrew with experience as a product leader at YouTube and Google. Meanwhile, Satya Patel's background was as a seasoned investor at Battery Ventures and product leader at Twitter. In this episode we discuss the power of partnerships in Silicon Valley. In particular we talk about the power of the 2 -person partnership (see also: Andreessen Horowitz), why the alchemy has to be right, and why some don’t make it. We also discuss the evolution of Homebrew from a firm backed by outside capital (from Limited Partners or “LPs”) to one in which the two founders deploy their own capital. Finally, we cover Hunter and Satya’s newest fund: Screendoor. Screendoor has a mission of supporting underrepresented General Partners of emerging venture capital funds by providing capital, access and mentorship. Homebrew https://homebrew.co/ Screendoor https://www.screendoor.co/ Something Ventured https://somethingventured.us/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Atari’s founder Nolan Bushnell and Dr. Leah Hanes Have a (Better) Plan for Educating America 46:20

πριν 1 year46:20

46:20

Nolan Bushnell’s career is extraordinary. Nolan has ignited two entertainment revolutions: first with Atari, birthing the video game industry through classics like Pong, and later with Chuck E. Cheese, merging pizza and arcade games for family fun. A serial entrepreneur, he's founded over 20 companies, venturing into robotics, personal computers, and beyond, forever changing the landscape of leisure and inspiration. Nolan has turned his thoughts to the state of education in the US and has teamed up with Dr. Leah Hanes to form ExoDexa, a developer of educational games that seek to ‘gamify’ education. Together, they’ve published a book “Shaping the Future of Education” outlining their ideas. Dr. Leah Hanes is a force to be reckoned with as well. Dr. Hanes has been a champion for STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) for years, leading the Two Bit Circus Foundation since 2013 and using her expertise to advocate for a more engaging and future-proof approach to learning. In this episode Nolan and Dr. Hanes discuss the current state of education, and ways to transform the rate at which kids learn by 10X or even 20X. Exodexa: https://www.exodexa.com/ Nolan Bushnell: https://twitter.com/NolanBushnell Dr. Leah Hanes: https://twitter.com/LeahHanes…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

1
Richard Socher: Exploring AI with the Visionary AI Scientist, Entrepreneur and Investor 47:09

πριν 1 year47:09

47:09

Richard Socher is a visionary computer scientist, entrepreneur, and AI researcher who has dedicated his career to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI. With a Ph.D. from Stanford University, Richard's groundbreaking work in deep learning, neural networks, and NLP has paved the way for remarkable advances in AI applications. It may seem like everyone is an AI expert these days: Richard Socher really is. Richarrd is founder of the AI-focused venture firm AIX, and founder of the AI-powered search engine You.com. He is the former Chief Scientist at Salesforce and founder of the groundbreaking MetaMind AI startup (which was acquired by Salesforce). In short, when it comes to AI, Richard is the real deal. In this episode, we delve into Richard's insights on the latest AI trends, ethical considerations in AI development, the future of human-AI collaboration, and much more. Whether you’re new to AI – or have been investing in it for 10 years -- Richard's engaging discussions and visionary ideas will captivate and inspire you. You.com AIX Ventures 8-Bit Capital Something Ventured Podcast…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Hadley Harris: Building Eniac Ventures with 3 Friends / Investing in AI 45:31

πριν 2 years45:31

45:31

What are the odds that 4 friends can start a VC firm, and still be firing on all cylinders years later? Hadley Harris, one of Eniac Ventures’ 4 co-founders has the answer. Before co-founding Eniac, Hadley was as a developer and engineering team lead at Pegasystems, and later took on roles as a product manager at Microsoft and strategist at Samsung. His time at Microsoft and Samsung taught Hadley one thing: Big companies were not for him. So, Hadley joined a couple of talented AI founders out of MIT at Vlingo where he ran a several aspects of the business across product, strategy, and marketing until it was sold to Nuance for $225M. He rolled his experience building a successful startup into Thumb, where as CBO he helped the real-time recommendation app reach user engagement levels second only to Facebook before being acquired. In this episode we discuss how he co-founded and built Eniac, and what he is seeing when it comes to the recently hot trend of investing in Artificial intelligence. Last, but not least, we discuss how to pronounce “Eniac”. Hadley on X Eniac on X Eniac Ventures 8-Bit Capital Something Ventured…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Samir Kaji: Building Allocate; The State of the Venture Market; Banking Meltdown (SVB/FRB) Post-mortem 48:54

πριν 2 years48:54

48:54

Samir Kaji is the founder behind Allocate, a pioneering platform in the venture capital space. Samir has established himself as a key connector between venture capital firms and the “LPs” (Limited Partners) who invest in them. He is building Allocate to leverage his experience into a platform. After observing inefficiencies in the venture capital market – between venture firms and the LPs that fund them – he was inspired to create Allocate. Allocate is described as “a game-changing solution that empowers venture capital firms to streamline allocation processes, optimize portfolios, and make data-driven decisions.” Samir's position in the industry gives him a unique perspective. In this episode he parses what he sees from his vantage point, as the VC market undergoes upheaval at the same time one of the most exciting technologies (“AI”) in 20 years emerges. He also gives us a post-mortem on the turmoil that rocked SVB and First Republic Bank. Here he brings unique insight, given his years spent in venture banking working at SVB and First Republic Bank where he closely worked with and advised over 700 venture capital and private equity firms. . Samir is also an active writer on venture capital and is the host of a top venture podcast Venture Unlocked . Join us in exploring Samir Kaji's journey and the transformative impact he hopes to have with Allocate on the world of venture capital. https://www.allocate.co/ https://twitter.com/samirkaji https://somethingventured.us/…

Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast

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Darian Shirazi, General Partner at Gradient Ventures (Google’s AI Fund): Unleashing AI's Investment Potential 45:47

πριν 2 years45:47