Upfront Ventures

Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul speaks with Upfront Ventures partner Stuart Lander on his experience in Russia, the genesis and purpose of disinformation and fake news, what Vladimir Putin is really like and how he uses kompromat, and why he's cautiously optimistic about the U.S. democracy.

Union Square Ventures partners Fred Wilson and Albert Wenger talk with Erin Griffith (The New York Times) about the firm's investing thesis to solve the climate crisis. Topics covered include:

- The firm's entry into climate technology and recent portfolio investments

- What the firm looks for in climate technology sectors

- How capitalism can co-exist with climate solutions, and the role for government

- Why there's reason for optimism

Comedian Chelsea Handler talks with Jason Hirschhorn about white privilege and what she learned making her recent special, her return to standup comedy, and her new cannabis venture.

Bad Robot Co-CEOs JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath talk to Upfront Ventures partner Kara Nortman about scaling and productizing creativity; building an equitable partnership and a company that looks like its audience; what it was like to helm a franchise like Star Wars; the importance of creative guardrails and feedback; and the simple way to fix diversity in an organization.

Debra Lee (former CEO of BET, founder of Leading Women Defined) talks with CNBC's Julia Boorstin about building diversity on boards and in the C-suite. They cover topics including Debra's experience as the CEO of BET and on boards including Marriott, Revlon and Twitter; the importance and obligation of mentorship in building wealth and succession planning; how boards can hold leadership accountable for diversity; and whether she thinks there will be meaningful change as a result of the MeToo movement and organizations like TIME'S UP.

Founder & Chairman of Idealab Bill Gross shares his plan for how technology can solve the climate crisis, why it's so urgent, and what solutions exist today.

Preet Bharara (Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Host of the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast) talks with Jeff Berman (Magnet Companies) about the dynamics of impeachment, John Bolton's options, the state of the Justice Department and why it's hard to have conversations across the aisle in Washington.

Meg Whitman (CEO, Quibi) chats with Upfront Ventures partner Mark Suster about the development and upcoming launch of Quibi:

- What will make the service stand out

- Why they're betting that consumers will pay for premium content

- How the platform is inspiring and incentivizing creators in unexpected ways

- How Quibi is a technology platform first

- The importance of 5G and why they feel Quibi is the perfect use case

- The dynamics of her long partnership with Jeffrey Katzenberg

John Legend and his mentor James Lowry talk with Upfront Ventures partner Kobie Fuller about the importance of mentorship and the mutual benefit in a mentor-mentee relationship; John Legend's work in criminal justice reform and local political reform; James Lowry's roadmap for building black economic power and a more positive future for everyone; and John's experience as a BCG consultant building PowerPoint slides by day and creating music by night.

Ice Cube sits down with Hamêt Watt (Share Ventures) to discuss his entrepreneurial journey in founding BIG3 - where his drive and work ethic come from, why the league is on track for profitability and longevity, the importance of authenticity and really listening to the customer, and how he remembers and honors Kobe Bryant's legacy.