''Success is the function of happiness'' - Joe.

I am truly inspired by Joe's story, and his perspective of how he is making the world a better place, one day at a time.

In this interview, we discussed:

- Old America vs new America - his worldly view to see the world

- How to do more together and his secret of being happy

- How to overcome hard times and be successful being a first-time entrepreneur

Joe Merrill is a General Partner at Sputnik ATX, investing in companies that seek to improve the world by providing opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential. Sputnik ATX provides seed stage through series B funding and operates an accelerator program in Austin, TX. Prior to Sputnik, Joe was the founder of Pan Am Education, the first blended-online learning system; was a senior director at Apollo Global, a Carlyle Group $1bn joint venture fund with Apollo; and started his professional career as a U.S. diplomat as a Career Member of the U.S. Foreign Service, posted to Washington DC; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Abuja, Nigeria; and Seoul, South Korea. He is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, and earned his M.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago. Josef volunteers as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Legacy Traditional Schools TX, as a Trustee at the University of Potomac, and as a founding board member of Emma’s Choice and the STEM Academy. His blog about the intersection of economics, entrepreneurship, and international politics can be found at www.econtrepreneur.com or find him on Twitter @Austin_VC.