The Syndicate

The Syndicate

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The Syndicate episodes

  • Singularity University – The Future through the Eyes of Entrepreneurs and Investors with Will Weisman

    Weisman currently serves as an Executive Director at Singularity University where he oversees all the company’s large programs including the Global Summit, Industry Summits (Exponential Medicine, Exponential Manufacturing, and Exponential Finance), and International Summits. Prior to Singularity University, Will spent time as an investor, advisor, and operator working with a range of companies in the consumer tech. and non-tech. world.
    Will has experience raising over $100mm raised and as an investor has record of picking and influencing winners with over $6B in exits.
    Listen and Learn:

    * Why Singularity University is successfully changing the world
    * What entrepreneurs can learn from angels – and vice versa
    * How the early internet dotcom era affected non-tech startups
    * Why early stage tech investing is all about the individual
    * How to evaluate tech trends for investment opportunities
    * Why Will missed out on blockchain
    * The value of art in understanding society
    * What people should consider about today’s rocky political climate
    * Why we are living in the best time in history



    Will’s Projects:
    Will’s LinkedIn
    Will’s Angellist syndicate
    Singularity University
    Will’s Twitter: @wweisman
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Weisman currently serves as an Executive Director at Singularity University where he oversees all the company’s large programs including the Global Summit, Industry Summits (Exponential Medicine, Exponential Manufacturing, and Exponential Finance), and International Summits. Prior to Singularity University, Will spent time as an investor, advisor, and operator working with a range of companies in the consumer tech. and non-tech. world.
    Will has experience raising over $100mm raised and as an investor has record of picking and influencing winners with over $6B in exits.
    Listen and Learn:

    * Why Singularity University is successfully changing the world
    * What entrepreneurs can learn from angels – and vice versa
    * How the early internet dotcom era affected non-tech startups
    * Why early stage tech investing is all about the individual
    * How to evaluate tech trends for investment opportunities
    * Why Will missed out on blockchain
    * The value of art in understanding society
    * What people should consider about today’s rocky political climate
    * Why we are living in the best time in history



    Will’s Projects:
    Will’s LinkedIn
    Will’s Angellist syndicate
    Singularity University
    Will’s Twitter: @wweisman
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    35 min
  • Mobile IoT

    Alex is a Partner at Relay Ventures, an early stage venture fund exclusively focused on mobile computing. Alex oversees direct investments in a broad range of mobile applications and services companies. Alex is an active board member and observer in supporting Bionym, Influitive, ClearFit, TouchBistro, Kira and teaBOT. Alex overseas the Fund’s affiliate program investments that include Highline and Next36, and Alex is an advisor to DMZ (Ryerson).
    Alex is a frequent speaker and panelist at corporate and venture capital events, including CIX, CTIA Wireless, IDCEE (Ukraine) and Mobile Monday.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The art of taking advantage of unexpected opportunities
    * Why Canada’s startup ecosystem has been changing so drastically
    * Alex’s thoughts on mobile and where we are in the adoption curve
    * Why IoT is an interesting industry for both B2B and B2C
    * How Toronto compares to other tech hubs in terms of talent
    * The challenges with investing in multiple business models
    * How governments can help rather than hurt innovation
    * Why Canada’s immigration policy is attracting a ton of talent to the country
    * How much US investors are investing in Canadian startups
    * Why cryptocurrencies are very overrated


    Alex’s Projects:
    Relay Ventures
    Alex’s Twitter: @alexbaker74
    Relay Venture’s Twitter: @relayventures
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Alex is a Partner at Relay Ventures, an early stage venture fund exclusively focused on mobile computing. Alex oversees direct investments in a broad range of mobile applications and services companies. Alex is an active board member and observer in supporting Bionym, Influitive, ClearFit, TouchBistro, Kira and teaBOT. Alex overseas the Fund’s affiliate program investments that include Highline and Next36, and Alex is an advisor to DMZ (Ryerson).
    Alex is a frequent speaker and panelist at corporate and venture capital events, including CIX, CTIA Wireless, IDCEE (Ukraine) and Mobile Monday.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The art of taking advantage of unexpected opportunities
    * Why Canada’s startup ecosystem has been changing so drastically
    * Alex’s thoughts on mobile and where we are in the adoption curve
    * Why IoT is an interesting industry for both B2B and B2C
    * How Toronto compares to other tech hubs in terms of talent
    * The challenges with investing in multiple business models
    * How governments can help rather than hurt innovation
    * Why Canada’s immigration policy is attracting a ton of talent to the country
    * How much US investors are investing in Canadian startups
    * Why cryptocurrencies are very overrated


    Alex’s Projects:
    Relay Ventures
    Alex’s Twitter: @alexbaker74
    Relay Venture’s Twitter: @relayventures
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like...
    32 min
  • Blockchain Investing

    Jonathan Nelson is the founder of Hackers/Founders, the largest global network of tech founders with over 300k members across 45 countries. He build a $600M portfolio market cap in first 5 years and runs HACK Fund, a liquid venture fund on the blockchain.
    Jonathan has also served on an SEC Advisory Committee on Capital Formation for Small and Emerging Business, on the Board of Wilson Center for Public Policy for Latin America and has worked with the White House and Mayor Bloomberg’s administration to promote Startup Visa, and comprehensive immigration reform.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The liquidity problem with venture and what it means
    * How a nurse built the largest global network of tech founders worldwide
    * What immigration reform and Trump mean for Silicon Valley and US startups
    * Why equity pooled SPVs create incredible venture capital opportunities
    * How to leverage connections, network and hustle to build a robust business
    * Why traditional venture capital isn’t all that it is hyped up to be
    * How blockchain affects VC
    * Why crypto liquidity creates a win-win for founders and investors
    * The question of stocks and short term thinking



    Jonathan’s Projects:
    Jonathan’s Linkedin
    Hackers/Founders
    HACK Fund
    Hack Fund Medium
    Jonathan’s Twitter: @iamelgringo
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Jonathan Nelson is the founder of Hackers/Founders, the largest global network of tech founders with over 300k members across 45 countries. He build a $600M portfolio market cap in first 5 years and runs HACK Fund, a liquid venture fund on the blockchain.
    Jonathan has also served on an SEC Advisory Committee on Capital Formation for Small and Emerging Business, on the Board of Wilson Center for Public Policy for Latin America and has worked with the White House and Mayor Bloomberg’s administration to promote Startup Visa, and comprehensive immigration reform.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The liquidity problem with venture and what it means
    * How a nurse built the largest global network of tech founders worldwide
    * What immigration reform and Trump mean for Silicon Valley and US startups
    * Why equity pooled SPVs create incredible venture capital opportunities
    * How to leverage connections, network and hustle to build a robust business
    * Why traditional venture capital isn’t all that it is hyped up to be
    * How blockchain affects VC
    * Why crypto liquidity creates a win-win for founders and investors
    * The question of stocks and short term thinking



    Jonathan’s Projects:
    Jonathan’s Linkedin
    Hackers/Founders
    HACK Fund
    Hack Fund Medium
    Jonathan’s Twitter: @iamelgringo
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    58 min
  • IoT

    Scott MacDonald is the co-founder of McRock Capital, a Toronto based VC firm focused on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). He is also the Director and Chairman of numerous high-growth public and private companies.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The reason Scott only invests in IoT with recurring revenue
    * What investors and entrepreneurs need to know about Canadian ecosystem
    * How IoT startups can use software and data to differentiate
    * Why early stage IoT investing is a loser’s game
    * How to evaluate enterprise level IoT deals
    * The reason so much money is pouring into Canadian startups


    Scott’s Projects:
    Scott’s LinkedIn
    McRock Capital
    Matthew’s Twitter: @scottmacvc
    McRock’s Twitter: @mcrockcapital
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Scott MacDonald is the co-founder of McRock Capital, a Toronto based VC firm focused on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). He is also the Director and Chairman of numerous high-growth public and private companies.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The reason Scott only invests in IoT with recurring revenue
    * What investors and entrepreneurs need to know about Canadian ecosystem
    * How IoT startups can use software and data to differentiate
    * Why early stage IoT investing is a loser’s game
    * How to evaluate enterprise level IoT deals
    * The reason so much money is pouring into Canadian startups


    Scott’s Projects:
    Scott’s LinkedIn
    McRock Capital
    Matthew’s Twitter: @scottmacvc
    McRock’s Twitter: @mcrockcapital
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    22 min
  • Consumer Tech

    Matt Hartman is a partner at NYC based Betaworks, an early stage accelerator/venture studio with a killer track record. Matt leads the Seed Investments team and helps the company decide which bets to make. Prior to Betaworks, Matt was serial entrepreneur and worked on a variety of early stage startups.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution of user interfaces
    * Which companies and startups are in the best position for a paradigm shift
    * How voice computing will change the world
    * Why Betaworks runs a VC + venture studio investment model
    * How to avoid investor distraction
    * The importance of a developer centric investment model
    * Problems and potential solutions to advertising based business models
    * Why Matt is bullish and wary of blockchain
    * The and practical application of product centered design


    Matt’s Projects:
    Matt’s LinkedIn
    Betaworks
    Matt’s Twitter: @matthartman
    Betaworks Twitter: @betaworks
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Matt Hartman is a partner at NYC based Betaworks, an early stage accelerator/venture studio with a killer track record. Matt leads the Seed Investments team and helps the company decide which bets to make. Prior to Betaworks, Matt was serial entrepreneur and worked on a variety of early stage startups.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution of user interfaces
    * Which companies and startups are in the best position for a paradigm shift
    * How voice computing will change the world
    * Why Betaworks runs a VC + venture studio investment model
    * How to avoid investor distraction
    * The importance of a developer centric investment model
    * Problems and potential solutions to advertising based business models
    * Why Matt is bullish and wary of blockchain
    * The and practical application of product centered design


    Matt’s Projects:
    Matt’s LinkedIn
    Betaworks
    Matt’s Twitter: @matthartman
    Betaworks Twitter: @betaworks
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    46 min
  • SaaS

    Michael Cardamone was one of the first 30 employees at Box and went on to lead partnerships at AcademixDirect. After 6 years in operating roles, he started and is now the Managing Director of Accelerise in San Francisco (www.acceleprise.vc), an enterprise software focused accelerator backed by leading operators.
    In addition to Acceleprise, he is a Venture Partner for the SaaStr fund, a $70M fund led by Jason Lemkin and also an angel investor in the seed rounds of Flexport, Naturebox and TalentIQ; among others.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution of SaaS as a business model
    * Typical targets for seed and Series A SaaS fundraising
    * How to build and scale a successful accelerator
    * What are most important KPIs for all SaaS founders to track
    * How running an accelerator and making investments occassionally create problems
    * The purpose and power of venture partners
    * How to think about index investing
    * Why SaaS is still a relevant industry
    * The problem and promise of AI



    Mike’s Projects:
    Mike’s Angellist
    Acceleprise.vc
    SaaStr Fund
    Mike’s Twitter: @mgcardamone
    Acceleprise’s Twitter: @acceleprise
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Michael Cardamone was one of the first 30 employees at Box and went on to lead partnerships at AcademixDirect. After 6 years in operating roles, he started and is now the Managing Director of Accelerise in San Francisco (www.acceleprise.vc), an enterprise software focused accelerator backed by leading operators.
    In addition to Acceleprise, he is a Venture Partner for the SaaStr fund, a $70M fund led by Jason Lemkin and also an angel investor in the seed rounds of Flexport, Naturebox and TalentIQ; among others.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution of SaaS as a business model
    * Typical targets for seed and Series A SaaS fundraising
    * How to build and scale a successful accelerator
    * What are most important KPIs for all SaaS founders to track
    * How running an accelerator and making investments occassionally create problems
    * The purpose and power of venture partners
    * How to think about index investing
    * Why SaaS is still a relevant industry
    * The problem and promise of AI



    Mike’s Projects:
    Mike’s Angellist
    Acceleprise.vc
    SaaStr Fund
    Mike’s Twitter: @mgcardamone
    Acceleprise’s Twitter: @acceleprise
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    35 min
  • Angel Investing

    Matthew Le Merle is co-founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era and of Keiretsu Capital – the most active early stage venture investors backing more than 175 companies a year.
    Matthew is an expert on corporate growth, innovation and business transformations having advised leading companies including Amazon, Cisco, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, PayPal and many others on growth and innovation-related issues. He is also an adjunct professor at Singularity University, bestselling author and a sought after keynote speaker. 
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution and expectations of blockchain tech
    * What individual angels can learn from angel networks
    * How investors leverage skill sets to succeed
    * Why early stage tech investing is the highest performing asset class
    * How to build a husband-wife investor team
    * The reason Keiretsu Forum outgrew all other angel networks
    * How to think about fund of funds
    * Why multiple projects means more rewards in investing
    * The one thing every investor and entrepreneur must understand about themselves
    * How to spot upcoming tech trends



    Matthew’s Projects:
    Matthew’s LinkedIn
    Keiretsu Capital
    Fifth Era
    matthewlemerle.com
    Matthew’s Twitter: @mlemerle
    Matthew’s Books
    Build your Fortune in the Fifth Era
    Corporate Innovation in the Fifth Era
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Matthew Le Merle is co-founder and Managing Partner of Fifth Era and of Keiretsu Capital – the most active early stage venture investors backing more than 175 companies a year.
    Matthew is an expert on corporate growth, innovation and business transformations having advised leading companies including Amazon, Cisco, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, PayPal and many others on growth and innovation-related issues. He is also an adjunct professor at Singularity University, bestselling author and a sought after keynote speaker. 
    Listen and Learn:

    * The evolution and expectations of blockchain tech
    * What individual angels can learn from angel networks
    * How investors leverage skill sets to succeed
    * Why early stage tech investing is the highest performing asset class
    * How to build a husband-wife investor team
    * The reason Keiretsu Forum outgrew all other angel networks
    * How to think about fund of funds
    * Why multiple projects means more rewards in investing
    * The one thing every investor and entrepreneur must understand about themselves
    * How to spot upcoming tech trends



    Matthew’s Projects:
    Matthew’s LinkedIn
    Keiretsu Capital
    Fifth Era
    matthewlemerle.com
    Matthew’s Twitter: @mlemerle
    Matthew’s Books
    50 min
  • Building a Better Series A Accelerator with Andrew Ackerman of Dreamit Ventures

    Andrew Ackerman is a successful serial entrepreneur, startup mentor, and occasional angel investor that runs Dreamit’s UrbanTech Accelerator. He work closely with Dreamit’s partners to develop and execute on their strategies for sourcing external innovation and encouraging internal innovation and helped build one of the top 10 accelerators worldwide.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The challenges with emerging market investing
    * What smart investors understand about timing
    * How accelerators compete, differentiate and win
    * Why B2B is generally a better business model
    * How angels and VCs need to think differently to drive returns
    * Why Dreamit focuses on health and urbantech
    * The problem with preventing startup problems
    * What seed vs series A accelerators do different
    * How family offices work and what to expect



    Andrew’s Projects:
    Andrew’s Angellist profile
    Dreamit
    Andrew’s blog
    Andrew’s Twitter: @andrewackerman
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    Andrew Ackerman is a successful serial entrepreneur, startup mentor, and occasional angel investor that runs Dreamit’s UrbanTech Accelerator. He work closely with Dreamit’s partners to develop and execute on their strategies for sourcing external innovation and encouraging internal innovation and helped build one of the top 10 accelerators worldwide.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The challenges with emerging market investing
    * What smart investors understand about timing
    * How accelerators compete, differentiate and win
    * Why B2B is generally a better business model
    * How angels and VCs need to think differently to drive returns
    * Why Dreamit focuses on health and urbantech
    * The problem with preventing startup problems
    * What seed vs series A accelerators do different
    * How family offices work and what to expect



    Andrew’s Projects:
    Andrew’s Angellist profile
    Dreamit
    Andrew’s blog
    Andrew’s Twitter: @andrewackerman
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    43 min
  • One Question Every VC Should Ask Founders
    Brad is a co-founder and General Partner at Primary Venture Partners (formerly High Peaks Venture Partners). He has been a venture investor since the bubble days of the late 1990s, starting his investing career with The Berkshires Capital Investors and Village Ventures. Prior to his VC career, he was a strategy consultant with Monitor Group, leading projects out of the firm’s Cambridge, South Africa, and Brazil offices.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The challenges with emerging market investing
    * What investors and VCs need to know about bubble and collapsese
    * How to balance investor expectations with founder goals
    * Is today a tech bubble?
    * How fund size affects outcomes on investment bets
    * Why the financial crisis was great for NYC
    * The one question Brad always asks founders
    * What founders NEED to know about VC commitment to portfolio companies



    Brad’s Projects:
    Brad’s Angellist profile
    Primary.vc
    bradsvrluga.com
    Brad’s Twitter: @bradsvrluga
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.Brad is a co-founder and General Partner at Primary Venture Partners (formerly High Peaks Venture Partners). He has been a venture investor since the bubble days of the late 1990s, starting his investing career with The Berkshires Capital Investors and Village Ventures. Prior to his VC career, he was a strategy consultant with Monitor Group, leading projects out of the firm’s Cambridge, South Africa, and Brazil offices.
    Listen and Learn:

    * The challenges with emerging market investing
    * What investors and VCs need to know about bubble and collapsese
    * How to balance investor expectations with founder goals
    * Is today a tech bubble?
    * How fund size affects outcomes on investment bets
    * Why the financial crisis was great for NYC
    * The one question Brad always asks founders
    * What founders NEED to know about VC commitment to portfolio companies



    Brad’s Projects:
    Brad’s Angellist profile
    Primary.vc
    bradsvrluga.com
    Brad’s Twitter: @bradsvrluga
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    39 min
  • China is Challenging the Status Quo and Taking Over the Startup Scene – Here is How Hardware Plays Out and Changes the World with Ben Joffe of the HAX Accelerator
    Benjamin Joffe is a Partner at HAX, the #1 global investor in early stage hardware startups with over 200 investments. Prior to HAX he worked mostly across Asia for the past 18 years (China, Japan, Korea) in various high-tech industries: aerospace, telecom, Internet, mobile, gaming. and ran his own cross-border research & advisory firm.
    He is also a much sought after speaker and accomplished writer on several major publications.
    Listen and Learn:

    * How the Chinese and Asian startup ecosystems differ from the West
    * What the future of consumer tech and hardware looks like worldwide
    * Why China is the best place to build a hardware company
    * How to evaluate hardware startups
    * Thoughts on IoT business models
    * An unconventional approach to venture portfolio investing
    * Why different ecosystems and markets evolve differently
    * When China will pass the USA in terms of innovation
    * About China’s innovative “anti-advertising” business models


    Ben’s Projects:
    Ben’s Angellist profile
    benjaminjoffe.com
    HAX Accelerator – Hax.co
    Ben’s Twitter: @benjaminjoffe
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.Benjamin Joffe is a Partner at HAX, the #1 global investor in early stage hardware startups with over 200 investments. Prior to HAX he worked mostly across Asia for the past 18 years (China, Japan, Korea) in various high-tech industries: aerospace, telecom, Internet, mobile, gaming. and ran his own cross-border research & advisory firm.
    He is also a much sought after speaker and accomplished writer on several major publications.
    Listen and Learn:

    * How the Chinese and Asian startup ecosystems differ from the West
    * What the future of consumer tech and hardware looks like worldwide
    * Why China is the best place to build a hardware company
    * How to evaluate hardware startups
    * Thoughts on IoT business models
    * An unconventional approach to venture portfolio investing
    * Why different ecosystems and markets evolve differently
    * When China will pass the USA in terms of innovation
    * About China’s innovative “anti-advertising” business models


    Ben’s Projects:
    Ben’s Angellist profile
    benjaminjoffe.com
    HAX Accelerator – Hax.co
    Ben’s Twitter: @benjaminjoffe
    Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.
    39 min

About The Syndicate

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to The Syndicate, the place where investors and startups combine to create crazy businesses and even crazier returns. The Syndicate podcast is a deep dive on the angel investors and VCs…