FutureWork Playbook

In his book about the history of LGBTQ venture capital, Jackson Block keeps a card from Gunderson Dettmer that reads: “Nothing good comes out of just staying in your comfort zone. Be uncomfortable and create.” That philosophy has helped guide the co-founder and CEO of LGBT + VC as he bridges finance and social impact. With host Natalie Pierce, Jackson shares how he created the first nonprofit dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ representation in venture capital. From launching at Netflix to partnering with the New York Stock Exchange in under three years, Jackson discusses his mission to empower 10,000 LGBTQ+ and ally investors by 2030. He explores creative capital's role in reshaping venture investing, from art tech to Broadway tech, demonstrating how purpose and profit work in tandem to build inclusive innovation ecosystems. 

• While teaching venture capital at City College of New York, Jackson discovered that curricula across 20 universities referenced mostly male venture capitalists and excluded the 300 women-led VC firms documented by industry journals, inspiring him to write his book exploring the history of LGBTQ+ venture capital.
• Jackson partnered with Acrylic Robotics, founded by an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur, to commission custom art pieces using robots that replicate artists' painting strokes at scale, demonstrating how technology can enable artists to focus on creativity while expanding their reach and financial rewards.
• Jackson describes what he calls “creative capital” – encompassing user design, media, entertainment, and gaming – as sectors where LGBTQ+ communities find strong representation, noting that approximately 75% of LGBTQ+ people identify as gamers who often seek safer virtual worlds and forms of escapism.
• Jackson emphasizes that entrepreneurship requires stepping outside comfort zones, explaining that demographics drive destiny in venture capital and that intersecting creative fields with traditional finance brings fresh perspectives.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Jackson Block

Organization: LGBT + VC

Connect: LinkedIn

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal or investment advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Even in high school, Katherine Mizrahi Rodriguez was interested in arts, crafts – and chemistry. Now co-founder and Chief Implementation Officer at Osmoses, she is revolutionizing clean energy production through a breakthrough membrane technology. In this installment of “The FutureWork Playbook” series spotlighting founders on Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” Katherine discusses her past and looks to the future with host Natalie Pierce. Osmoses has developed molecular filters 100,000 times smaller than human hair to replace century-old, energy-intensive gas separation processes. With pilot programs launching in Canada and partnerships with global petrochemical companies, Osmoses could reduce the 15% of global energy consumption currently devoted to industrial gas separations. “We’ve always seen that value and potential for the market, which is something that drives us,” Katherine says.

• A native of Venezuela who immigrated to the United States at age 12, Katherine participated in – and founded –  initiatives that support underrepresented minorities in science.
• At MIT, Katherine studied Material Science and Engineering, which allowed her to merge her interest in arts and crafts with her love of science and chemistry.
• Osmoses was born through the National Science Foundation’s iCorps program, where Katherine and her co-founders conducted over 100 customer interviews to validate market need for their membrane technology.
• Industrial gas separations consume 15% of the world's energy, creating an opportunity for Osmoses' molecular filters to reduce energy consumption in applications from medical oxygen generation to renewable natural gas production.
• The company has secured non-recurring engineering revenue from a global petrochemical company and has two pilot programs launching in Canada at landfill and anaerobic digester sites.
• Katherine emphasizes the importance of cross-functional collaboration and mentorship in cleantech, explaining that diverse expertise is needed “so that a common problem can be solved because the complexity of these challenges is just so large.”

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Katherine Mizrahi Rodriguez

Organization: Osmoses

Connect: LinkedIn

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Host Natalie Pierce updates listeners on two past guests and introduces them to a new one.

First, she highlights Daniel Robinson, a guest from the first episode of “The FutureWork Playbook” in 2021. Daniel is the co-founder and CEO of Red 6, a company that has revolutionized pilot training by bringing live in-cockpit AR training to the US Air Force. Red 6 has been “outrageously successful” since Daniel’s visit, Natalie explains, including securing major contracts with the US Air Force and partnering with Northrop Grumman.

Second, she spotlights Samir Menon, CEO at Dexterity AI. When he visited back in the first season, Dexterity AI was doing groundbreaking work on how robotics could support and power human capabilities. It has since “transformed from a promising robotic startup into a global leader in warehouse automation,” Natalie says. Earlier this year, for example, the company secured $95 million in funding, reflecting strong investor confidence and accelerating development.

Finally, Natalie welcomes Megan Ruan for the latest installment of the podcast’s series featuring 30 Under 30 industry partners.

As the child of Asian immigrants, Megan remembers a pivotal early-career moment when she was invited to a dinner packed with leaders from across industries, all focused on elevating Asian entrepreneurs. That night, surrounded by changemakers from entertainment to publishing, she knew she wanted in. “I just wanted to join the movement—whatever that looked like,” she tells Natalie.

Megan went on to help build Gold House Foundation’s venture arm, Gold House Ventures. By championing founders from the Asian and Pacific Islander community, the team has invested in 78 startups, powered an accelerator supporting over 115 companies, and helped unlock more than $2 billion in follow-on capital. Tune in to hear Megan’s story and how she guides founders to tell their stories that generate investor commitment.

1. Gold House Ventures works hand-in-hand with Gold House Foundation, routing fund profits to support the nonprofit’s efforts to move the needle for Asian Pacific Islander and diverse communities.
2. The team blends “cultural insight and distribution advantage” with the usual investment metrics, putting founder-market-culture fit front and center rather than just product-market fit.
3. As AI streamlines product development, Megan is clear: Founders need to show traction before fundraising. "You need to go out and test and iterate. With so many prototyping tools at your disposal, raising a pre-seed round without having tested the market is near impossible."
4. Portfolio companies like Weee! and ChowBus tap into cultural affinity and nostalgia, forging strong loyalty among underserved users.
5. Gold House focuses on “hidden giant markets”— industries overlooked by others where startups can gain a foothold before the bigger players take notice.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Megan Ruan

Organization: Gold House Ventures

Connect: LinkedIn

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☑️ Subscribe to The FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Coral reefs generate $2.7 trillion a year by powering tourism economies, protecting coastlines from storms, and yielding medicines that fight infections and cancer. Yet 90% of the planet’s coral reefs could be gone by 2050 – a loss that Sam Teicher describes as an “ecological tragedy and a socioeconomic catastrophe.” That’s why he co-founded the reef restoration company Coral Vita. In this installment of the “FutureWork Playbook” series spotlighting clients on Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” Sam explains to host Natalie Pierce that Coral Vita uses land-based farming to grow climate-resilient corals up to 50 times faster than nature. With a resume that includes winning Prince William's Earthshot Prize and raising $8 million to close a Series A—the first for a coral restoration company—Sam shares insights about combining cutting-edge science with commercial viability. “To live in a world where we need to restore coral reefs is a pretty strong indictment,” he observes, “and also a testament about what people are willing to do and innovate on and push forward in order to ensure we can continue having a thriving planet.”

1. Coral reefs generate $2.7 trillion annually and support 25% of marine life, yet we've lost half since the 1970s and are on track to lose over 90% by 2050.
2. Coral Vita's land-based farms use microfragmentation technology to grow corals 50 times faster than natural rates while stress-hardening them through controlled temperature variations to create climate-resilient coral populations.
3. The company operates on three revenue pillars: vertically integrated farms that serve as tourism attractions, technology licensing to other restoration practitioners, and coral relocation services for coastal development projects with survival rates up to 98%.
4. Sam's work involves predicting coral reproduction with precision timing—within 45- to 90-minute windows during full moon cycles—using red-filtered lights underwater to avoid disrupting lunar cues that trigger mass spawning events.
5. With farms in the Bahamas and Saudi Arabia, Sam describes the financial and technical considerations that inform broadening his work to develop farms around the globe. 

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Sam Teicher

Organization: Coral Vita

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

As Gunderson Dettmer celebrates clients on the Forbes “30 under 30” list, Emily Zhen reflects on her immigrant family's journey, her unique background spanning biology and finance at Wharton and her early role in healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs. Today, she is a principal at Zeal Capital Partners, where she deploys capital to close gaps in health, wealth, and skills. “I think a lot about holistic whole body care, and that involves every aspect of your life. It involves your financial wellbeing, it involves your workplace wellbeing, how you show up at work, and it involves your health,” she tells host Natalie Pierce. Tune in as Emily unpacks Zeal's approach to wellness that connects financial technology, workforce development and healthcare to create lasting impact across generations.

1. Emily's experience as a first-generation American shaped her mission-driven approach to investing, seeing firsthand how economic mobility and education transformed her family's life.
2. At Zeal Capital Partners, Emily started and leads the healthcare investing vertical and also invests in fintech and future-of-work solutions; as she explains, "holistic whole body care involves every aspect of your life," including financial wellbeing and workplace wellness.
3. Emily describes how women weren't required to be included in clinical trials until 1993, highlighting the massive healthcare disparities that still exist. It’s vital to include not just women but racial minorities as well in such trials to ensure the science is accurate, she says.
4. Emily highlights innovative companies in Zeal Capital’s portfolio, including Seven Starling for women's mental health, Icon Savings Plan for portable retirement benefits, and Daivergent for neurodivergent job training.
5. Emily's "nudge and touch" philosophy emphasizes using AI and technology to enable and augment human relationships rather than replace them, particularly important in healthcare where personal connections with providers remain essential.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Emily Zhen

Organization: Zeal Capital Partners

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Being an independent college admissions advisor opened Julia Dixon’s eyes to the industry’s unequal playing field, where those who can afford elite support get into elite universities. But she also saw how individual support can be a powerful tool to guide students in the admissions process. Her solution? ESAI (pronounced es-aye-eye), an ethical AI platform that has helped over 550,000 students craft authentic college applications without outsourcing their writing or fabricating experiences. Julia joins host Natalie Pierce in this inaugural episode of Gunderson Dettmer’s “FutureWork Playbook” series that spotlights innovators featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists.Tune in to learn about ESAI’s meteoric journey – from an idea to a pitch on “Shark Tank” to Mark Cuban’s investment – and for insights about democratizing education through technology and personalizing student experiences.

1. ESAI emerged from Julia's recognition that college admissions consulting has become a $3 billion industry that caters to elite students who can afford high-priced counseling.
2. The ESAI platform goes beyond generic chatbot assistance by prompting students with Gen Z-friendly questions like "What's the rabbit hole you went down on YouTube recently?" to help them discover their values and interests through natural self-discovery.
3. Julia emphasizes that ESAI follows the same ethical guidelines as human tutors: "None of our tools will ever generate an entire essay in the same way that a human tutor should not be writing your entire essay for you."
4. ESAI has reached over 550,000 students and partners with schools, charter networks, and nonprofits to provide free access to underserved communities, addressing the national average of 400 students per guidance counselor.
5. Looking forward, Julia sees AI making education "dynamic" and hyper-personalized, where every school and employer will receive customized versions of applicants' stories tailored to their specific needs and values.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Julia Dixon

Organization: ESAI

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact

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☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Daniel Landesberg had a passion for clean energy but little background in the industry when he applied to Amogy. Hired as the head of legal, he feels the excitement among engineers and, indeed, the whole company. It’s contagious.

With host Natalie Pierce, Daniel describes the startup’s revolutionary work to unlock the potential of ammonia as a source of clean energy. He also discusses the role his team plays in navigating a new frontier of regulations and tax credits and educating the market about Amogy’s novel technology. “When it comes to regulations and whether those regulations might restrict or impose certain requirements on our technology or things like tax credits, a lot of it's about education,” Daniel says. “And it's not just with regulators. It’s with customers. It’s with investors.”

1. Amogy’s primary product is an engine that runs on ammonia fuel by converting it into hydrogen at the point of use; that hydrogen is then fed into a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity.
2. Daniel’s legal department is disrupting an industry that’s been largely static for years.  “It’s challenging, but I also feel like we're helping to create standards and norms for the future of ammonia-to-power technologies.”
3. Recognizing that its technology is unknown to many, Amogy prioritizes educating regulators, customers, and investors through proactive messaging such as meetings on The Hill and publishing white papers.
4. For Daniel, leading the legal team on a young startup means constantly assessing risk, problem-solving, and weighing whether to bring in outside counsel for guidance.
5. Amogy inspires team members to know its technology – and each other – through innovations like a software that arranges “coffee chats.” 

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Daniel Landesberg

Organization: Amogy

Connect: LinkedIn | X | Instagram | YouTube

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☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

When a Jüsto shopper fills their digital basket via the platform’s app, the teams behind the scene are getting to know the customer. Using AI, they create a personalized experience to meet the customer’s evolving needs. 

Paulo Neto, Jüsto’s Chief People and Performance Officer, visits host Natalie Pierce for a conversation about the teams and technology that are driving Latin America's fastest-growing online grocery platform. Tune in as Paulo pulls back the curtain on Jüsto’s strategies for building high-performance teams and processes that ensure its fulfillment centers deliver results 24/7. Every person, regardless of position or level, must be committed to Jüsto’s culture: “Always thinking about the customer,” Paulo explains.

1. Jüsto is a 100% digital platform that leverages AI to map the customer’s shopping journey for a unique experience. 
2. By cutting out supply chains, buying from local farmers and products, and saving customers’ time, Jüsto responds to these key components of shopping: experience, time, and economy. 
3. Jüsto’s strategy to ensure operating efficiency is focused on these three pillars: people, process, and systems.
4. New people leaders should not try to turn a team’s weaknesses into strengths, Paulo suggests, but rather discover strengths and consolidate. That way, high-performance teams can deliver results that support the company’s goals.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Paulo Neto

Organization: Jüsto

Connect: LinkedIn

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Gabe Duncan combined his unique experience – including stints as a musician, data engineer, and data science manager – with his entrepreneurial spirit to co-found Slang.ai five years ago. In Slang.ai, he envisions a “utopian vision.” 

If you dine at restaurants, you’ve probably called to book a reservation, only to be put on hold by a harried host. If you’re a host, you’ve probably had to navigate buzzing phone calls when other duties called. Slang.ai leverages voice AI to power its digital phone concierge platform. “In the utopian vision, we are helping restaurants level-up their hospitality by removing, one, the need to do these tasks. And two, the frustration that can not only affect the caller but also the person standing in front of the host at that time, too,” Gabe explains to host Natalie Pierce,  

Gabe discusses his non-traditional past and his innovative future – and how AI fits into it. That future includes Slang.ai’s exciting partnership with OpenTable, the global leader in restaurant tech. Launched last month, the partnership involves Slang.ai helping OpenTable operators with their phones and communications. 

As for AI, Gabe believes “we should use this opportunity to get better as humans doing what humans should do well, which is connecting with each other and learning to live better lives – human lives – without being pulled into things that frustrate us.”

1. Slang.ai’s mission is to create a great conversation between restaurant customers and staff that isn’t stilted and is intelligent enough to save time on both ends.
2. Gabe’s early repetitive stress injury from playing guitar eventually led him to work on Spotify’s hands-free voice assistant. Today, Slang.ai has several voice capabilities. 
3. “Inclusive” is the keyword at Slang.ai, where technology is democratized so users aren’t trapped by a big corporate voice assistant.
4. Gabe suggests that entrepreneurs should think like sailors, not race car drivers. “If you start with an idea of where you're going, and you have to keep directing yourself back, it's more like sailing a ship than it is driving a car. You just have to keep going back, tacking through the wind to find your course.”

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Gabe Duncan

Organization: Slang.ai | LinkedIn

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

Host Natalie Pierce invites Justin Schiefner, vice president of global people operations and culture at Arkose Labs, for a conversation about how Arkose Labs – on Fast Company’s prestigious list of “Most Innovative Companies” – builds on an alchemy of technology and people to create a successful global platform. Arkose Labs emphasizes a holistic approach to talent acquisition and prioritizes skills like emotional intelligence and communication over traditional degrees. Initiatives like R&D demo hours, newsletters, and hackathons foster employee engagement and idea-sharing. 

“Justin's insights remind us that, even as technology advances, success in the modern workplace still comes down to people,” Natalie observes.

1. The elevator pitch about Arkose Labs: It protects the most recognizable brands in the world from bad actors and bots that perpetrate malicious online activity.
2. Arkose Labs works hard to ensure that its global teams build upon the company’s core values and, at the same time, nurture and support regional cultures.
3. Arkose Labs is learning to leverage AI to assist managers during the performance feedback process. For the global People Operations team, AI is leveraged to streamline the updating of employee manuals and policies in real-time, affording the team more resources to allocate to employee relations and strategic initiatives. 
4. The fine line with feedback: “If something is not going well, we want to know, but we also want you to come to the table with a solution,” Justin explains.
5. Arkose Labs doesn’t use the term “culture fit” because “we don't have a mold here. We want someone who's going to be an add to the culture that we're creating.”
6. In drafting job descriptions, Arkose Labs starts with a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves, which becomes a foundation for direct sourcing for the role.
7. Committed to breaking down silos, Arkose Labs uses tools like “all-hands” sessions, q-and-a’s with the C-suite, r-and-d demos, and hackathons to keep employees engaged and informed.

Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Justin Schiefner  

Organization: Arkose Labs  

Connect: LinkedIn

☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. 

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.