In this very first instalment of the Strong Opinions, Weakly Held series, I'll be talking about why companies like Disney, and generalists in particular, are thriving in the uncertain world that is the one we find ourselves in today. You can subscribe to more SOWH insights at strongopinions.weaklyheld.substack.com   <img src= "https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t7c/1/16/1f9e0.png" alt="

Episode #396: SOWH1 - Why Disney and Generalists Thrive in a Pandemic World

Hosted by author and entrepreneur, Steve Glaveski, Future Squared brings you conversations with preeminent thought leaders from myriad disciplines such as startups and entrepreneurship, technology, corporate innovation, psychology, philosophy, economics, politics, biology, human performance and productivity, motivation and self-development, management and leadership, health and fitness and more to help you think in a multi-disciplinary way, avoid relying on the first piece of information that comes to hand, kick goals in your professional and personal life and better navigate what is fast becoming, a Brave New World.  

Previous guests include thought leaders such as Adam Grant, Brad Feld, Tim O'Reilly, Gretchen Rubin, Kevin Kelly, Jeremy Heimans, Steve Blank, Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, Jordan Harbinger, Omar Zenhom, Andreas Antonopoulos, Ryan Blair, Whitney Johnson and various other thought leaders. 

Past topics have explored the likes of:
Blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, algorithms, machine learning, artificial intelligence and universal basic income (UBI), sales and marketing, lean startup, design thinking, agile, political correctness, identity politics, cloud computing, geopolitics, neuroscience, data science, fintech, proptech, sports, tech addiction, CRISPR, venture capital, angel investment, nootropics and cognitive therapies, big data, cloud computing, DevOps, fake news, web development, UX and UI, influencer and content marketing, emotional intelligence, Stoic philosophy, mindfulness and meditation, chatbots, automation, IoT, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Trump, tech trends, Pixar animation studios, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, disruption to incumbents, how to measure innovation, extreme ownership, radical transparency and a hell of a lot more!

Future Squared is brought to you by Collective Campus, a innovation accelerator that works with organisations to unlock their people’s latent potential to create more impact for humanity and lead more fulfilling lives. If you need help driving your organisation’s innovation strategy, visit www.collectivecampus.io
 
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  Michael Thomsen is a freelancer writer, author, and UFC tragic from New York.      He is the author of Cage Kings:  How an Unlikely Group of Moguls, Champions & Hustlers Transformed the UFC into a $10 Billion Industry, which unpacks the rapid rise of the UFC an mixed martial arts, the UFC’s business model and economics, the one man tour de force that is longtime UFC president Dana White, the role of the UFC’s owners over time - SEG, Zuffa and Ari Emanuel, and the organization’s anti-competitive behaviors and adversarial relationship with its fighters, which aren’t employees, but independent contractors - most of whom would earn more working a run of the mill admin job in the public sector.      Thomsen’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, Vanity Fair, The Daily Beast, Aeon, Forbes, Al Jazeera America, Adult, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Review of Books, Complex, The Paris Review n+1, Bookforum, The Believer, The New Republic, Kill Screen, The New Inquiry, and The Millions.      With that, here’s my conversation with the one and only, Michael Thomsen.      Show Notes: 1. Twitter: https://twitter.com/mike_thomsen?lang=en 2. Get Cage Kings: https://www.amazon.com/Cage-Kings-Unlikely-Champions-Transformed-ebook/dp/B0BHTM6YRY  3. Email Mike: mikthom@gmail.com 

429. Cage Kings: The Business of the UFC with Michael Thomsen

Originally published: 2017 Jason Calacanis is a tech entrepreneur, wildly successful angel investor, and the host of the popular weekly podcast This Week in Startups. He's the founder of a series of conferences that bring entrepreneurs together with potential investors. As a “scout” for top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and later as an angel investor, Jason has invested in 150 early-stage startups including four that have achieved billion-dollar valuations (so far) such as Uber, Evernote and Tumblr. Jason's newly released book "Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups: Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000" puts readers inside the minds of successful angel investors, helping to understand how they prioritize and make the decisions that have resulted in phenomenal profits. Jason provides a step by step roadmap, revealing how leading investors evaluate new ventures, calculating the risks and rewards, and explains how the best startups leverage relationships with angel investors for the best results. In this episode we go back to Jason’s rough upbringing in Brooklyn, NY in the early 80s and cover a lot of ground leading up to the present day so you can expect to learn a lot of things, including:  How to pick a billion dollar founder or startup How to bounce back from failure What Jason thinks of and what advice he has for corporates investing in startups  All topics discussed:  Jason’s humble beginnings in Brooklyn, NY What got Jason into startup investing The alchemy of startup investing Why you should always wait for external validation from other investors before investing Why ideas are a dime a dozen and you should invest in startups that have demonstrated traction The biggest mistake first time startup investors make The changing nature of angel investing and venture capital On books becoming a business card for many people Why building quality deal flow is a popularity contest of sorts How to get started investing with little money The number one thing Jason looks for in entrepreneurs Other factors to evaluate startups and entrepreneurs, including Jason’s ‘four founder questions’ How Jason navigated his Silicon Valley Reporter going bust during the dot com boom How to ask good questions What Jason’s views on corporate venture capital are and what advice he has for corporates looking to or already investing in startups How to go about taking lots of small bets when diversifying and building your portfolio What Jason thinks about ICOs, cryptocurrency and blockchain  Show notes:  Get the book: https://amzn.to/2QpLqkX The book: Angelthebook.com   @jason on Twitter Jason’s podcast: ThisWeekInStartups.com 

Rebroadcast: Jason Calacanis on Angel Investing and Corporate Venture Capital (2017)

Oliver Burkeman is a British author and journalist who has written for The Guardian and other publications. He was born in 1975 and has authored several books on topics such as time management, productivity, happiness, and self-help culture. His works include "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals," "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking,", "Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done", and his most recent book, "Four Thousand Weeks," is a philosophical and practical exploration of time management and how to make the most of our finite lives. Show Notes: Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliverburkeman  Web: https://oliverburkeman.com 

428. Oliver Burkeman: Remember That You Will Die

Niki Scevak is co-founder of Startmate, and founder and partner at Blackbird VC, Australia’s largest venture capital fund, with its 5th fund having raised AUD$1B (US$640M). Blackbird was an early investor in Canva, SafetyCulture, CultureAmp, BugCrowd, RedBubble, and many more, and has to date generated a net internal rate of return of 56%.    Niki joined me today to discuss:   His life before Blackbird   Successfully raising his first fund back in 2012, without having a network or any startup successes of his own    Getting beyond the trough of disillusionment   How Australian superannuation funds are opening their wallets to VC   Scaling culture   Generating deal flow   Advice for founders and budding VCs on raising capital in a down market   The AI investment landscape   The battle between AI-powered indie hackers and venture-backed startups   Whether sophisticated investor rules preventing retail investors from getting direct exposure to venture capital is just increasing the wealth gap    Diversity, quotas, and Startmate’s merit-based selection criteria   And more.      Show Notes: Email Niki: niki@blackbird.vc  Web: www.blackbird.vc   Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikiscevak?lang=en Contact Steve on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/steveglaveski Email Steve: hello@steveglaveski.com 

Episode #396: SOWH1 - Why Disney and Generalists Thrive in a Pandemic World

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