The Trojan Venture Podcast

On the eighteenth episode of the Trojan Venture Podcast, Eric sits down with Saad Alam, Co-Founder and CEO of Hone Health. Hone Health is the largest men's hormone optimization and longevity clinic in the United States. During the episode, Saad will talk about Hone's commitment to patients, challenges Hone has had to work through and the people that have helped accelerate Hone's growth. Tune in!

For our first episode of September, Eric welcomes USC alum, Jordan Banafsheha. Jordan is the founder of IcePop, a performance marketing agency focused on helping companies grow profitably through major ad platforms. Jordan got his start at Tinder as a product manager before becoming a founder member of Verishop. Additionally, Jordan is a guest lecturer at USC's Marshall School of Business as well as an angel investor in several exciting startups. During the episode, Jordan shares the lessons he's learned from his time as a product manager, IcePops' value proposition and advice for current USC students. Tune in!

After narrowly escaping the so called "hurricane" that hit LA on Sunday, Eric and Vivek are back with another episode. Today's guest is Jamie McLaughlin, CEO and Founder of Monday Talent, a recruitment agency specializing in the marketing, communications and creative fields. Jamie has over a decade of experience in the recruitment industry and has used this experience to help grow Monday Talent over the last two and a half years. During the episode, Jamie talks about the characteristics that makes marketing and communications recruitment unique, Monday Talent's DEI initiatives and how the recruitment landscape has evolved over the last 15-20 years. Tune in!

On the fifteenth episode of the Trojan Venture Podcast, Eric chats with Amobi Okugo, owner and founder of A Frugal Athlete. A Frugal Athlete is an online platform that helps athletes make, manage, and multiply money through financial education and athlete empowerment. Amobi is a former professional soccer player in both the MLS and USL and has been a part of numerous successful brand campaigns and partnerships across the sports world. On today's episode, Amobi talks about the importance of finding the "right" financial advisor, his personal relationship with money and grassroots efforts to grow soccer in America. Tune In!

We're back for another podcast with another great guest! Eric and Vivek welcome Dave Vu, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ribbon. Ribbon is a professional social platform centered around verified achievements and ownership, powered by the blockchain. Dave has a decade of experience in the talent and people operations space. During the episode, Dave talks about the importance of hiring great talent, Ribbon's value proposition and the implications of generative AI on documenting professional experience. Tune in!

We're kicking off a busy August with a conversation with John Ailanjian, Managing Partner at Next Legacy Partners! John has a wealth of experience investing in public and private markets, with experience at Goldman Sachs, Aspen Highland Management, a family office, and Next Play Capital, a minority owned venture capital firm. During the episode, we chat with John about the VC downturn in 2023, exciting new tech hubs ripe for investment and about how his investment strategy has evolved throughout his career. Tune in!

On the twelfth episode of the Trojan Venture Podcast, Eric and Vivek chat with Troy Bannister, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at Particle Health. Troy has experience in just about every facet of the healthcare sector, from the clinical side to the business side. During the episode, Troy explains how Particle's API platform accesses over 300 million unique medical records, allowing healthcare organizations to deliver better care for their patients. In addition, Troy gives his perspective on the challenges of founding a company in the healthcare space as well as how recent legislative changes has transformed the control that patients have over their medical data. Tune in!

With July 4th weekend right around the corner, it's only appropriate that Eric and Vivek dive into the hottest topic in the tech and business world, artificial intelligence. To help facililate their conversation around AI, Eric and Vivek welcome Maya Mikhailov, founder of SAVVI AI. SAVVI AI is an AI platform that helps businesses optimize their workflows and make better decisions, faster. Throughout the episode, Maya highlights many practical use cases of SAVVI AI across numerous industries and provides perspective on the parallels between the emergence of AI and the rise of mobile. Tune in!

After a short hiatus filled with final exams and presentations, Eric and Vivek are back with the tenth episode of the Trojan Venture Episode. On today's episode, Eric and Vivek chat with Joshua Kagan, CEO & Co-Founder of Bonfire, a real estate platform powered by blockchain that allows anyone to own partial interests in commercial real estate assets. Additionally, Joshua has spent his career focusing on the intersection between real estate and climate change. Throughout the episode, Joshua will talk about Bonfire, his past work experiences, his advice for his younger self and more. Tune in!