Venture with Grace

Venture with Grace

By Grace GongBusinessInvesting
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Venture with Grace episodes

  • BMW i Ventures' Scott Walbrun: AI, Mobility & Future Investing Insights

    Scott Walbrun is a venture capital investor at BMW i Ventures, BMW's independent VC fund, where he focuses on investments targeting the future of mobility, energy, supply chain, and artificial intelligence. In addition to this role, he provides workshops and coaching to hundreds of startups each year through various accelerator/incubator programs. Prior to joining BMW i Ventures, he provided M&A and capital markets advisory to technology companies and investors as a member of Jefferies' Technology Investment Banking team. He joined Jefferies after completing his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. While completing his MBA, he worked at Kinzie Capital Partners evaluating private equity investments, as well as at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation supporting the commercialization of science-based and deep tech companies.
    Topics:

    • Intersection of AI and automotive technology
    • The future of mobility
    • Deep tech commercialization
    • #VentureCapital #MobilityTech #BMWiVentures #AIinAutomotive #StartupCoaching

      1 hr 2 min
    • Kadama CEO Amin Shaykho: EdTech & Millions of Follower Growth Insights

      Amin Shaykho is the CEO of Kadama, social media star, and TED talk speaker honored on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Shaykho is a former senior software engineer at Apple on teams like iMessage and Health.

      Shaykho raised $1.7M for Kadama and grew it to 2M+ users, 2.5M+ followers and 1B+ views on social media, and reached a peak App Store ranking of #2 in education.
      Shaykho has over 2M+ followers across his personal Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat.
      Topics:

      • The future of edtech, building a successful edtech startup
      • Startup marketing strategies leveraging social media platforms
      • Insights on viral content creation across different platforms (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
      • #TechEntrepreneur #EdTechInnovation #SocialMediaInfluencer #Forbes30Under30 #AppleAlumni

        1 hr 4 min
      • RBV's Elana Gold: Insights on Building a Thriving Tech Investment Syndicate

        Elana Gold is a partner at Red Beard Ventures (RBV), a pioneering Web3 fund with over $25M in capital, investing in blockchain consumer apps, infrastructure, gaming, metaverse, and DeFi, both in equity and tokens. She leads the RBV Syndicate, which invests in startups at any stage and sector, with over 3,900 LPs, 210+ company investments, and over $50M deployed. An advocate for women in investing, she founded The Girls Table, a platform (for men and women) boosting entrepreneurs, creators, and investors through her podcast, Newsletter, and IRL events. Her efforts have brought over 20,000 individuals into the investing space. Her work has earned speaking roles at events like VeeCon, NFT NYC, NFT LA, and Consensus. She has received Forbes 30 Under 30 and Business Insider's Rising Stars of VCs recognition. As a CPA in New York, she combines financial acumen with a passion for innovative tech and community building.

        Topics:

        • Building and managing a successful syndicate
        • Key factors in evaluating early-stage blockchain and crypto startups
        • Predictions for the next wave of innovation coming out of LA
        • #LATech #SiliconBeach #StartupLA #TechEcosystem #VentureCapital

          1 hr 1 min
        • 500 Global Partner René Lomelí: Insights on Scaling LatAm Tech Startups

          René Lomelí is a Partner at 500 Global, he joined the team back in 2013. Since then, he has been responsible for the 16-week program they run for their investments in Spanish-speaking LatAm "Somos Lucha". He's also been part of the +240 investments they've made in the region such as Konfio, Clip, Ayenda, 99Minutos, Conekta, Jüsto, Terapify, and Graviti. He enjoys helping early-stage companies in several areas, such as business strategy, product-market fit, marketing, fundraising, team, culture building, and hiring.

          Topics:

          • Key trends and sectors driving innovation in LatAm
          • Strategies for building strong startup teams and cultures in LatAm
          • Fundraising landscape for Latin American startups: local vs. global investors
          • #LatAmStartups #VCPodcast #500Global #TechInnovation #StartupAccelerator

            1 hr 4 min
          • Ashu Garg: Foundation Capital GP on B2B & Enterprise Software

            Ashu Garg is a General Partner at Foundation Capital. Foundation Capital is a leading Silicon Valley based early stage venture capital firm. He focus on investing in bold founders who have a vision to transform markets and build enduring companies. Ashu has extensive experience across the stack from AI 1st applications to data/ML infrastructure, cyber security, and cloud infrastructure. Ashu is an early investor in Databricks, Cohesity, Eightfold, Amperity (via an acquisition), Anyscale, Turing, Alation, Skyflow, Fortanix, TubeMogul (acquired by Adobe post IPO), and Tubi.tv. (acquired by Fox) amongst others.

            Topics:

            • The evolution of AI and its impact on various industries
            • The future of cloud computing and infrastructure
            • Strategies for scaling AI startups from early-stage to market leaders
            • #AIVentures #CloudInnovation #DataDriven #TechFounders #VCInsights #FutureOfTech

              1 hr
            • Jeff Seibert: Digits CEO on Revolutionizing Accounting & Tech

              Jeff Seibert is the co-founder and CEO of Digits, where he's building the world's first AI-powered accounting platform for startups and small businesses. He previously served as Twitter's Head of Consumer Product, leading the company's teams across Twitter for iOS, Android, and the Web, as well as its Developer and Data platforms.

              Jeff was the co-founder and CEO of Crashlytics, the award-winning mobile performance analytics platform, which today runs on over 6 Billion monthly-active smartphones worldwide. Crashlytics was acquired by Twitter in 2013 and then re-acquired by Google in 2017, and has become the de-facto crash reporting solution for both iOS and Android.
              In 2007, he co-founded Increo and served as COO until its acquisition by Box in 2009. At Box, he was the Engineering Manager for Desktop Sync and Mobile, and he founded the company's East Coast R&D office in Boston. Seibert gained experience at Apple in Mac OS engineering, while serving as the Campus Rep for Stanford, and led Stanford University's Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders seminar series as Co-Coordinator. He was selected as a Mayfield Fellow in 2007 and received a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2008. Seibert is a frequent presenter on both entrepreneurial and technical topics and has lectured at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Tufts, as well as keynoted Scaling New Heights, Twitter Flight, AppsWorld, AnDevCon, EclipseCon, and others.
              Topics:

              • Lessons learned from launching and scaling multiple startups
              • Balancing user needs with business objectives in product design
              • Approach to angel investing and supporting new founders
              • #TechEntrepreneur #StartupJourney #Fintech #ProductDevelopment #AngelInvesting

                1 hr 1 min
              • Kyle Harrison: Contrary GP on Talent & Research-Driven Investing

                Kyle Harrison is a General Partner at Contrary. Contrary is a talent and research-driven investment firm. We back a small number of exceptional people and the companies they build, from seed to scale. He is an investor in Ramp, Replit, Anduril, OneSchema, Zepto, Moment, Nomic, Pave, Patch, Modern Intelligence, Teamshares, Leland, Synthesis, Armada, Power, and more. Prior to Contrary he is a Partner at Index Ventures and Growth Investor at Coatue Management and TCV.

                Topics:

                • Supporting Founders from Seed to Scale
                • The Role of Research in Venture Capital
                • The Importance of Storytelling in Investing
                • #VentureCapital #StartupInvesting #TechTrends #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentStrategy

                  1 hr
                • Wei Lien Dang: Unusual Ventures GP on AI, Data, Security & Dev Tools

                  Wei Lien Dang is a General Partner at Unusual Ventures and leads investments in infrastructure software, security, and developer tools. He has spent more than a decade building products at startups. Wei was a co-founder of StackRox, a cloud-native security company, where he was responsible for product management, user experience, product marketing, and technical evangelism prior to its acquisition by Red Hat. Before that, Wei held product leadership roles at CoreOS (also acquired by Red Hat), Bracket Computing (acquired by VMware), and Amazon Web Services. He also spent time on the investment team at Andreessen Horowitz. Wei Lien holds an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar, a JD cum laude from Harvard Law School, and a BS in Applied Physics with honors from the California Institute of Technology. Outside of work, Wei enjoys exploring new places with his family and playing tennis.

                  Topics:

                  • Insights on building successful products at startups
                  • The impact of AI and machine learning on infrastructure software and security
                  • Investment trends in infrastructure software, security, and developer tools
                  • #CloudSecurity #DevTools #InfrastructureSoftware #VentureCapital #TechStartups

                    1 hr 4 min
                  • Smart Venture Pod watch party ft Olaplex(Nasdaq: OLPX) ex-CEO JuE Wong

                    #159 JuE Wong is the former President & CEO/ Executive Board Director of Olaplex Inc. (Nasdaq: OLPX). Prior to Olaplex, she was the Global CEO/ Executive Board Director of Moroccanoil, the President of Elizabeth Arden, and an Independent Board Director of The Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. Other notable companies she has served as a leader include Murad and Perricone MD, among others.

                    You can learn more about:
                    - How to Be the CEO of an Iconic Cosmetic Brand
                    - The Career Journey of a Public Company CEO
                    - How to Lead a Hyper-Growth Company and Turn Around a Company
                    #BeautyCEO #CorporateLeadership #WomenInBusiness #HyperGrowth #BusinessTurnaround #OlaplexAlum
                    🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀
                    Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more.
                    And here’s something extra special—I’ll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change.
                    Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

                    54 min
                  • Smart Venture Pod watch party ft Intel Capital SMD Mark Rostick

                    🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀

                    Watch the latest Smart Venture Podcast episode.
                    #156 Mark Rostick is a Vice President & Senior Managing Director located in Raleigh, NC. He is a voting member of Intel Capital’s investment committee. He joined Intel Capital in 1999. Mark also co-manages our Cloud domain investment activities and portfolio. He has deep investment experience in cloud applications, infrastructure hardware and software, as well as AI/ML. As a member of Intel Capital’s Investment Committee, he is responsible for approving investments proposed by Intel Capital investors, as well as managing the group’s personnel and operations. Mark currently serves as a director or observer on the boards of Beep, RunPod, Hypersonic, Immuta, Lilt, MinIO, Opaque Systems, Tetrate, and Verta. Prior to Intel, Mark worked as a practicing attorney and in banking.
                    You can learn more about:
                    How to invest in the top AI/ML companies
                    How to build a successful career in corporate venture
                    The evolving landscape of enterprise software investments
                    #IntelCapital #VentureCapital #TechInvestment #CloudComputing #AI #ML
                    =====================
                    YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
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                    =====================
                    Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.
                    🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀
                    Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more.
                    And here’s something extra special—I’ll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change.
                    Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

                    57 min

                  About Venture with Grace

                  From the publisher's feed

                  I host a top VC podcast called Smart Venture Podcast (SVPpro.com). Past guests include C-level/VPs of Google, Meta, Amazon, Sephora, Dunkin' Donuts, Chipotle, Pepsi, Instagram, Deloitte, Reddit, Lyft, etc. Managing Partners of top funds (many were featured on the Forbes Midas List) and unicorn founders (founders of Craigslist, Square, Loom, Cruise, etc.) Venture with Grace is my new spin-off series that features top LPs, GPs, solo GPs, Angel Investors, top AI founders, and other experts in tech and business to cover specific domain expertise.