LeaderbookAI

How do top venture capitalists find AI unicorns early?

In our 100th episode 1-hour special, Marina Davidova, Managing Partner at Silicon Valley's DVC, shares how her team uses AI agents, community-driven diligence, and sharp founder pattern recognition to identify breakout startups before the market catches up.

From repeat founders and engineering mindset to distribution, adaptability, and founder energy, this conversation reveals what VCs are really looking for — and how AI is changing the investment process.

Chapters

00:00 How should venture firms automate with AI?

00:48 Why Marina believed in AI early

03:42 Moving to Silicon Valley and standing out as an investor

06:31 Four unicorns in four years

08:49 What Marina looks for in unicorn founders

12:49 Can entrepreneurial mindset be taught?

15:18 How DVC’s investor community drives the funnel

18:27 How AI agents screen startup deal flow

20:24 What happens in the community discussion process

25:05 Red flags, green flags, and difficult decisions

29:31 The founder who looked perfect on paper

31:17 Adaptability vs. consistency in startups

34:32 How fast DVC makes investment decisions

37:26 What founders actually spend early rounds on

41:42 The patterns Marina sees in breakout founders

45:46 Why some technical founders struggle to sell

48:00 The responsibility of choosing future AI leaders

52:13 Why founders need a trusted tribe

Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast for conversations with leaders shaping the future of work, leadership, and AI.

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We create high-performing powerhouses.

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What does it really take to lead a successful AI transformation inside an organization?

Many companies focus on implementing AI tools. But according to Glenn Mathis, Former CEO of Integris, the real challenge isn’t technology — it’s trust, clarity, and culture.

What’s the biggest mistake revenue leaders make with AI?

Companies everywhere are racing to automate sales—research, outreach, forecasting, and pipeline management. But according to JD Miller, many organizations are about to make a critical mistake: automating processes that were already broken.

JD Miller, CRO Operating Partner in Residence at Rothschild & Co. / Five Arrows Capital, shares how private equity-backed companies should approach AI in sales, why trust and human connection still drive revenue, and how leaders can experiment with AI without increasing risk.

His conclusion: AI should make sellers more human—not replace them.

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Chapters

00:00 The Role of AI in Sales Transformation

08:26 Measuring AI’s Impact on Revenue

13:23 Real-World Applications of AI

21:18 Leadership’s Role in AI Adoption

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Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast

We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

Can AI learn love—or at least empathy?

Cory Lopes-Warfield, CEO of Lovings, shares his unconventional founder journey from homelessness and hospitality to building Lovings AI. We discuss Nova, an AI agent trained to respond from a “love” framework, and what empathetic AI really means in practice.

Cory explains the real risks of AI, how agents are reshaping entrepreneurship, and why the future may belong to leaders who combine human judgment with intelligent machines.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Background

00:46 The Journey from Homelessness to Entrepreneurship

07:29 Transitioning to Tech and Learning to Code

12:45 The Concept of Empathetic AI

17:49 The Development of Nova and Its Unique Features

26:21 Growth Strategies and Future Vision

28:44 The Philosophy of Love in AI

Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast

We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

How do leaders turn a struggling organization into a winning culture?

Tom Braun, President & COO of the LA Galaxy, shares the leadership decisions behind rebuilding one of MLS’s most iconic clubs. He explains how trust, authenticity, and small operational wins helped restore momentum with players, staff, and fans.

This episode explores what sports leadership can teach CEOs about culture, alignment, and driving performance under pressure.

Chapters

00:00 From Investment Banking to Sports Leadership

06:59 Authenticity in Leadership

10:47 Rebuilding Momentum and Fan Experience

18:16 Building Trust and Community Engagement

20:27 Investing in Youth Development

25:13 Creating a Memorable Fan Experience

28:14 LeaderbookAI_Outro.mp4

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Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast

We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

AI automation and leadership that creates value.

Join Felicia Shakiba on LeaderbookAI (formerly CPO PLAYBOOK) for candid conversations with CEOs, executives, investors, and innovators who are making the decisions that matter. From timeless leadership principles and decision-making frameworks to cutting-edge AI automation strategies—this podcast gives you the insights you need to lead with confidence.

Whether you're navigating leadership challenges, evaluating investment opportunities in private equity, implementing business process automation, or building your organization's strategy around machine learning and emerging technologies, you'll find practical diagnostics and real-world wisdom here.

Some episodes focus on core leadership. Others dive deep into AI automation and how technologies like generative AI are reshaping business. All of them deliver actionable value for leaders and investors.

Real insights. Real results. Real talk about what drives business success.

New episodes weekly.

What does real alignment look like—when leadership, strategy, and execution finally match?

In this bonus episode, Felicia Shakiba shares an important update: CPO PLAYBOOK is becoming LeaderbookAI. This isn’t just a podcast name change—it reflects the evolution of the entire business.

Episode 95 explored the cost of misalignment inside organizations. Here, we practice what we preach.

LeaderbookAI represents the expanded work behind the show today: AI-enabled transformation, value creation planning for private equity and investors, world-class executive coaching, M&A integration, compensation and organizational design, and leadership development directly tied to business outcomes.

Felicia also thanks the listeners who’ve helped build this show into the top 6% of podcasts worldwide, as it approaches 100 episodes and prepares for Season 5.

Same conversations. Same rigor.

A name that finally matches the impact.

Welcome to LeaderbookAI.

What if your growth problem isn’t your product, pricing, or team—but misalignment?

We’re joined by Dr. Philippe Bouissou—Apple alum, bestselling author of Aligning the Dots, and the mind behind the A4 Precision Alignment™ methodology that’s fueling faster, more sustainable revenue growth for companies around the world.

With a PhD in chaos theory and a resume that includes scaling Apple’s eCommerce from zero to $350M under Steve Jobs, Philippe has spent 30+ years advising CEOs, investing $44M in startups, and sitting on 23 boards. He’s the founder of Blue Dots Partners, where he and a team of elite CEOs decode growth through alignment.

Chapters

00:00 The Pressure of Growth: Understanding Misalignment

03:01 The Core of Growth: Alignment with Target Market

06:01 Dimensions of Alignment: Addressing Customer Pain

09:01 Perception vs. Messaging: The Communication Gap

12:02 Frictionless Transactions: The Buying Process

14:59 Delivering Delight: The Customer Experience

17:50 Diagnosing Misalignment: The CEO's Challenge

20:55 The Importance of Internal Alignment

23:51 First Steps to Realignment: A Practical Approach

26:59 Understanding Market Truth: The Customer's Perspective

29:55 Final Thoughts: Simplifying Growth Strategiesbles frictionless transactions and sustainable growth at scale.

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Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast (formerly CPO PLAYBOOK): https://leaderbook.ai/podcast.

Want to create 10x the value of your business or investments? Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

What do you do when the world changes faster than your workforce can adapt?

Carlee Wolfe, AVP, Leader Development and Organizational Effectiveness, Hyatt Hotels, shares how she’s helping over 125,000 employees stay ahead—by building leadership capabilities that thrive in uncertainty and unlock transformation.

Carlee reveals how Hyatt diagnoses leadership gaps, drives behavior change at scale, and develops future-ready leaders through a culture of continuous learning, curiosity, and experimentation. From AI adoption to people-first transformation, this episode is packed with strategy, humanity, and actionable insight.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Leadership in Uncertain Times

02:00 The Impact of Sports on Leadership Development

02:58 Understanding Leadership Roles at Hyatt

03:54 Identifying Leadership Capability Challenges

08:01 AI's Role in Leadership and Organizational Change

12:02 Overcoming Barriers to AI Adoption

14:11 The Dangers of the 'All-Knowing' Leader

16:54 The Importance of Continuous Learning in AI Transformation

18:40 Learning Out Loud: A Leadership Approach

21:10 Curiosity as a Business Competency

24:45 Diagnosing Leadership Capability Gaps

28:28 Building Leadership Capabilities at Scale

32:49 Sustaining Leadership Development

37:04 First Steps for CEOs in Leadership Development

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Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast (formerly CPO PLAYBOOK): https://leaderbook.ai/podcast

Want to create 10x the value of your business or investments? Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact

What does it mean to be an AI-native employee—and why will they win?

Thibault Imbert, Chief Product and Growth Officer at The Brief, joins Felicia Shakiba to break down what it truly means to work, think, and create in an AI-first world. From conversational AI to real-time prototyping with voice and visual tools, Thibault explains how AI-native employees are redefining productivity, creativity, and leadership in the modern workplace.

This episode explores how AI automation, machine learning, and generative AI are transforming day-to-day work—reshaping decision making, accelerating innovation, and enabling smarter business process automation. Leaders will learn what AI-native workflows look like in practice, why speed and experimentation now drive value creation, and how empathy and human judgment remain essential even as enterprise technology advances.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage

04:30 The Journey of AI Transformation

09:52 Mastering Conversational AI

15:52 Visual Creation and Concepting Ideas

23:10 Voice as a Creative Output

27:45 Prototyping and Building in Real Time

32:58 Innovative Tools for Research and Presentation

This episode is a masterclass in purpose-driven leadership, capital discipline, and building companies that last.

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Subscribe to the LeaderbookAI Podcast: https://leaderbook.ai/podcast

We create high-performing power houses. Let’s talk: https://leaderbook.ai/contact