Silicon Valley Founders Secrets

A doctor at the forefront of treating patients in the midst of the pandemic talks to us about COVID-19 and Healthcare in the United States. We also delve into his unique and fascinating career.

Dorothie and Marty Hellman are co-authors of the wonderful book " A New Relationship Map". Our discussion touched on many topics in the book and on their personal lives.Some of the highlights of this engaging episode are:You lose the opportunity for celebration if you're berating yourself What we hate in others is usually what we hate in ourselvesYou can't be compassionate when you are in the framework of judgmentYou can't be angry at your angry self. You have to move through anger to get beyond itYou could be 100% certain of something and be absolutely wrongThe best ideas usually seem crazy aprioriAbout the authorsDorothie trained as a CPA and worked at Touche Ross—now Deloitte. She left her career to become a full-time volunteer at the Beyond War Foundation.Marty is best known for his invention of public-key cryptography, the technology that is used to transfer trillions of dollars every day. He is the winner of the 2015 ACM Turing Award. He is a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. 

Rob Chesnut is the former Chief Ethics Officer at Airbnb. While at Airbnb, He developed a popular interactive employee program called 'Integrity Belongs Here'.Rob is excited about promoting conversations with companies on the value of operating with integrity in the world and on treating their employees and the environment well. Our discussion touches on many key points related to the value of integrity  especially in the challenging times precipitated by the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Some highlights from our discussion include:"Integrity needs to be informed by a lot of experiences and values that you can only get by having a diverse company""If you want to stop the big things, focus on driving integrity into the little things""There is potential for bad behavior in all of us""Integrity does not mean perfection""If integrity means perfection, nobody has integrity""Profit is not purpose. Profit is a necessary outgrowth of operating as a business. But standing alone, it is not the reason to build a company ""Sometimes what drives this week's stock price, is not what is ethical; it is not what is right""Shareholders are not the only ones that matter"Please like us on LinkedIn and Facebook at the links below:LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2YWhLojFacebook:https://bit.ly/3eomS7hYouth Entrepreneurship Programhttps://www.y-labs.us/  

We had a powerful and enlightening  discussion with Thomas Nazario  that started with a look at children's issues globally and  about some of his work with the United Nations and the Dalai Lama.  He stressed the importance of uniting to protect our children's future.Thomas shared  things he learned from the Dalai Lama on the levels of compassion and how that inspired him to start the Forgotten International. The link to his website is below:https://www.theforgottenintl.org/We also discussed how he overcame dyslexia and being placed in a class for mentally retarded kids to achieve his dreams. He emphasized the importance of humility throughout the show.Thomas shared with us the inspiration and story behind the Amazon documentary "Living on a Dollar a Day' and the lessons he learned from it.  He also talked about the 5 biggest challenges facing the world including the threat of pandemics, a very topical issue today. In the last part of the show, Thomas shared the biggest keys to happiness and the importance of doing meaningful work.

Gavin Reardon is Founder and Managing Partner at Kingson Capital. They invest in early stage companies and help them strategize their route to market. Gavin's focus is on mobile, data and IoT across financial, insurance and health tech. His vision is to create an entrepreneurial hub that drives innovation and brings to market emerging technology that has the potential to change the way we live. Highlights and quotes from our discussion with Gavin"If we align with something bigger than our own agenda, God can orchestrate things in ways that we cannot imagine""Jesus Christ is my Commander in Chief""It is very important to know who you are, what you are called to and your purpose"In deciding on investments for early stage companies, founder-market fit is one of the most important factors"Africa from an investment point of view is an untapped market""To not be involved in Africa is a huge missed opportunity""VC is just at the very early stage in Africa. In 2019, Africa raised $1 billion as compared to $250 in VC investment worldwide"Within the next 5 years, Kingson would like to have raised $1 billion for investment in African businesses and be a springboard for venture into Africa. 

Our guest today, Zach Shelby is the Co-Founder and CEO of Edge Impulse and Co-Founder and CEO of the Micro:bit Foundation. He is the former CEO of Sensinode, which was acquired by ARM in 2013. Zach is a pioneer in the use of IP and Web technology in low-power networks.We spend some time exploring the giant opportunity presented by Tiny ML - Machine Learning applications for low power devices. Tiny ML has several applications including:improve passenger safety and reduce congestion and emissionsreduce downtime due to equipment failure by enabling real-time decisionhelp predict epidemics and diseasesWe also talk about his work with the Micro:bit foundation that has helped millions of people around the world get access to technology.We delved into what inspires him, the mistakes he has made and asked him to share lessons with other entrepreneurs. He emphasized the importance of focusing on customer and user experience. Zach contends that it is natural to make mistakes and that the key to getting better is learning the lessons and moving on.Interesting quotes from Zach Shelby"The whole busy thing is a bit of a myth. People are making themselves busier than they need to be""There are better ways to make money, if you are getting into entrepreneurship to make money, your need a bigger vision""Take on as much risk as you are able to walk away with a smile"

"Whatever you're getting carried away with, you need to look for disconfirming evidence before you proceed'This is one of many nuggets of wisdom shared By Brian Joseff, CEO of Bedrock. We discuss what inspires him, how his family background has shaped him and what advice he will give to aspiring entrepreneurs.If you are looking to pursue a bold idea, or start something new, Brian's advice could get you centered and inspire you to proceed with courage and caution.

Dr. David Krueger is CEO of MentorPath®, an executive coaching, training, publishing, and wellness firm. He is also the Dean of curriculum for Coach Training Alliance. His work integrates psychology and neuroscience with strategic coaching to help executives and professionals write the next chapter of their life or business stories.His book, The Secret Language of Money (McGraw Hill) is a Business Bestseller translated into 10 languages2019 Book Releases:ENGAGING THE INEFFABLE: Toward Mindfulness and Meaning (Paragon House)YOUR NEW MONEY STORY: The Beliefs, Behaviors, and Brain Science to Rewire for Wealth (Rowman & Littlefield, New York/London)

Greg's nuggets of wisdom”Men with good intentions make promises, men with good character keep them” ~Ronald Oliver"It's your passion that people with connect with. They need to see it in you, to connect with you." ~ Greg Davis"Follow your passion, especially if it takes you on a path no one else is walking. That's how you'll see possibilities no one else will." ~ Greg Davis

This is an short introduction to the upcoming Silicon Valley Founders Secrets show