Join Boost VC’s Founder & Managing Director Adam Draper, to learn about emerging technology from leading figures in the industry. Each episode we interview founders and investors to explore topics like startup strategy and venture capital, as well as incredible technology like bitcoin, virtual reality, AI, exoskeletons, drones, space and more.
Join Adam Draper, founder of Boost VC and host of the "Can't Be Done" Podcast, as he chats with James Sinka, Chief Scientific Officer at BIO Protocol. They dive into sci-fi novels, leadership, and the challenges Sinka faced on his journey. Beyond personal insights, they explore DeSci, the crucial role of scientists, and how researchers can secure financial rewards alongside recognition for groundbreaking work. Don't miss this inspiring conversation on science, motivation, and innovation!Science Lead @ Bio.xyz - YCW19 Alum, repeat founder, and chemist. Connect with James SinkaBio Protocol https://www.bio.xyz/Bio Protocol on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioprotocol/Bio Protocol on X https://x.com/bioprotocolJames on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessinka/James on X https://x.com/jamessinka Connect with Boost VCBoost VC https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/boost-vc/?viewAsMember=trueBoost VC on X https://x.com/BoostVC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/?hl=en
Adam Draper, Founder of Boost VC and host of the "Can't Be Done" Podcast, sits down with Andrew Bakst, Co-Founder of HairDAO, to explore how decentralized research is transforming hair loss treatments. They discuss HairDAO's mission as an open-source R&D network, the role of crypto in reshaping technology, and why DAOs are redefining scientific funding. Plus, they dive into changing perceptions of hair loss and the flaws in traditional testing models."The answer to life is in your hair follicles.” - Douglas AdamsCo-founder/Chief Technocrat of HairDAO; MechE turned BioE; Stanford 2018. Connect with Andrew BakstHairDAO https://www.hairdao.xyz/HairDAO on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hairdao/HairDAO on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hairdao/HairDAO on X https://x.com/HairDAO_?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorHairDAO on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@hairdao?lang=enAndrew on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bakst-78b21b100/Andrew on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/apballer4/?hl=enAndrew on X https://x.com/andrew_bakstAndrew on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewbakst242?lang=en Connect with Boost VCBoost VC https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/boost-vc/?viewAsMember=trueBoost VC on X https://x.com/BoostVC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/?hl=en
Join Adam Draper, Founder of Boost VC and host of the "Can't Be Done" Podcast, as he chats with Patrick Joyce, Co-Founder of ResearchHub. They dive into the challenges of modern science, the DeSci movement, and how ResearchHub is transforming funding for researchers. Joyce shares insights on “shorting academia” and reimagining the scientific process. This conversation is a must-watch for anyone passionate about the future of research and innovation.Patrick is a former PhD and medical student who dropped out of two separate academic institutions because of the broken incentives that govern the global economy for scientific research. He cofounded ResearchHub to accelerate science by building a modern venue for the decentralized publication of scholarly literature that leverages cryptocurrency rewards to align incentives and increase knowledge creation. Connect with Patrick JoyceResearch Hub https://www.researchhub.com/Research Hub on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/researchhubtechnologies/Research Hub on X https://x.com/ResearchHubPatrick on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-joyce-396b953b/Patrick on X https://x.com/joycesticks Connect with Boost VCBoost VC https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/boost-vc/?viewAsMember=trueBoost VC on X https://x.com/BoostVC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/?hl=en
Join Boost VC's Adam Draper as he chats with Jordan Kutzer, founder of Throwback Studios, about how Jordan correlates the competitive nature of starting a company to baseball, especially regarding his mission to become the biggest VR brand and media company in the world. During this high velocity discussion, Jordan details the overcoming of multiple rejections, "coaching" customers, building visceral relationships in VR, and his inherent instinct to win. Tune in for key insights into the world of VR!Jordan holds a Stanford University B.A. in Science, Technology & Society with a concentration in Information Technology, Media and Society (2015). Former Stanford Student-Athlete and Pitcher. Working to empower the next generation of game creators. Connect with Jordan KutzerThrowback Studios https://throwback.studio/Throwback Studios on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/throwbackvr/Throwback Studios on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/throwback.vr/Throwback Studios on X https://x.com/throwbackvrThrowback Studios on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@throwbackvr Jordan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordankutzer/Jordan on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jordankutzer/?hl=enJordan on X https://x.com/jordankutzer Jordan on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@jordankutzer Connect with Boost VCBoost VC LinkTree https://linktr.ee/boostvc
Join Boost VC's Adam Draper as he chats with Sampriti Bhattacharyya, founder of Navier. She shares her journey from a small city in India to building a next-gen maritime company in the U.S. From sun-tracking solar panels to dodging marriage and surviving a landslide, Sampriti's story is one of overcoming challenges. She highlights the value of exceptional people, persistence through failures, and her mission to transform the future of waterways. Tune in for an inspiring episode!Sampriti is a 3x founder and the CEO of Navier, a pioneering company at the forefront of innovation in sustainable, maritime transportation. Sampriti's journey began with a PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after completing projects with NASA. Her academic pursuits span diverse fields including Electrical Engineering, High Energy Physics, Aerospace Engineering, MechE/Robotics/Control & AI. Driven by a passion for tackling fundamental technological challenges with global implications, Sampriti thrives on creating products that push the boundaries of exploration and discovery. Her work reflects a deep-seated commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to address pressing societal needs and unlock new frontiers of possibility.Connect with Sampriti BhattacharyyaNavier https://www.navierboat.com/Navier on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/navierboat/Navier on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/navierboat/?hl=enNavier on X https://x.com/navierboatSampriti on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampriti-bhattacharyya-40368a3/Sampriti on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sampriti_bh/?hl=enSampriti on X https://x.com/sampritibh?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Connect with Boost VCBoost VC LinkTree https://linktr.ee/boostvc
Join Boost VC's Adam Draper as he chats with AJ Forsythe, founder of Coop, about his not-so-illustrious journey as a founder, and the rewarding yet challenging components of building companies. Discover how AJ's journey evolved from his first steps building iCracked to his ambitious mission of putting chickens on Mars. Adam and AJ reflect on the nature of entrepreneurship and the importance of seizing life's fleeting moments. Tune in for another fun episode filled with shark diving, fossils, and more! AJ is going to put chickens on mars. He's a serial entrepreneur and absolutely loves the startup life (mainly because he's probably unemployable
Join Boost VC's Adam Draper as he chats with Collin West, founder of Ensemble VC, about his incredible journey rowing across the Arctic Ocean and how it changed his approach to decision-making and team management. Learn how this experience influences Ensemble's data-driven approach to assessing startups. Adam and Collin dive into the evolution of venture capital and reflect on their near-death experiences. Tune in for laughs, insights, and a fresh perspective on adventure and opportunity in VC! Collin is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ensemble VC, which focuses on using data to identify top teams building companies that can impact a billion people. Collin is also a Guinness World Record holder for leading the first-ever crossing of the Arctic Ocean. His team of four rowed non-stop and unsupported for 41 days through the biggest storm season in Arctic history - this is where he learned just how important a great team is pursuing a mission that's never been done before. Collin's prior investments include Zoom Video (NASDAQ: ZM), Carta, Groww, ICON, Saronic, Sidecar Health, and many others. Previously, Collin was a founder of the Kauffman Fellows VC fund and on the founding fund team at the pioneering data-driven VC firm Correlation Ventures. An avid competitor, Collin spends his free time training Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mountain biking, and climbing mountains.Connect with Collin WestEnsemble VC https://www.ensemble.vc/home/#ensemble Ensemble VC on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ensemblevc/Collin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/collinwest/Collin on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/collinrwest/?hl=en Connect with Boost VCBoost VC LinkTree https://linktr.ee/boostvc
According to a BCG report, only 19% of VCs have some kind of scientific or technological competence. And that creates a translation problem between deep tech founders and investors. To close that gap, Arkady Kulik and his cofounder, Tamaz Khunjua, built RPV, a venture fund that brings scientific expertise to the market and helps scientists become strong entrepreneurs. On this episode of The Boost VC Podcast, Arkady joins us to explain how the RPV team's extensive background in science and entrepreneurship serves deep tech startups. Arkady describes how starting a venture fund differs from founding other companies and shares his excitement around ‘being at the edge of science' as a frontier tech VC. Listen in for Arkady's unique take on what it means to be useful to others and learn how RPV is working to make talented scientists billionaires! Topics Covered The idea behind RPVHelp scientists become strong entrepreneurs‘Commercialization of science' How Arkady got into venture capitalMoved to US to be part of scientific exploration of humanityLack of funding in prototyping stage of deep tech startups Arkady's biggest accomplishment before age 20Launched first company at 18 without external investmentScaled to annual revenue of $5M in third year How starting a venture fund differs from starting other companiesMore competitive, thousands of similar funds raising moneyHarer to differentiate and properly tell story of niche What part of being a VC Arkady enjoys the mostBeing at edge of science and meeting interesting peopleFinding processes that make things work The secret skills Arkady is most proud ofDeveloped extreme level of disciplineExtremely organized in managing time and data How Arkady thinks about being useful to othersProvide with relevant information or connectionsPut smile on someone's face, make life better The most valuable thing RPV provides for deep tech startupsExternal proof point for science and technologyEntrepreneurial experience and change management Arkady's ‘deathbed test' to measure successNothing ‘could have but didn't achieve'Self-actualization (happy, complex person) Connect with Arkady Kulik RPV https://rpv.global/RPV on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/rpvglobal/Arkady on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkady-kulik/Arkady on X https://twitter.com/arkadykulik Resources Starburst Aerospace https://starburst.aero/Cantos VC https://cantos.vc/Countdown https://countdown.capital/Fifty Years https://fiftyyears.com/Productivity Planner https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/productivity-plannerTerraforming Mars https://www.fryxgames.se/games/terraforming-mars/Breakfast with Pops: A Venture Capital Handbook by Adam Draper and William H. Draper III https://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Pops-Venture-Capital-Handbook/dp/B0C1JHXTQF Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on X https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
If a VC is excited about a deep tech company upfront, what can we do to temper our enthusiasm and make a rational decision on whether to invest? Maryanna Saenko is Cofounder and Partner at Future Ventures, an early-stage VC firm that focuses on mission-driven companies at the cutting edge of disruptive technology. Future Ventures looks to back visionaries who push the boundaries of possibility. Some of their recent investments include Beeflow, Deep Genomics and Earthshot Labs. On this episode of Boost VC, Maryanna joins us to share her definition of deep tech, describing how Future Ventures looks for opportunities ‘unlike anything we've ever seen before.' Maryanna offers her take on why the two-person structure of a venture firm is ideal and discusses some of the deep tech deals she wishes she'd been closer to. Listen in for Maryanna's insight on building organizations around big shifts in science or technology and learn her process for dialing down the excitement after a pitch to decide whether her YES will hold. Topics Covered Maryanna's biggest accomplishments before age 20Recognized she wouldn't survive public high schoolGot into Hopkins prep school on scholarship How Maryanna got into venture capitalWorked for early-stage company out of collegeJob offer from Daimler to figure out driverless carsIntroduced to head of innovation lab at Airbus The most important lessons Maryanna has learned as a VCTrust your intuitionDon't waste time justifying a startup's relevance How Maryanna defines deep tech‘Unlike anything we've ever seen before'Index on novelty at Future Ventures What Maryanna does when she's all-in on a company right awayAsks what she must believe about reality for YES to holdDiscussion with partner to temper her excitement Why Maryanna prefers the two-person structure in ventureIdeal for its efficiency and intellectual honestyNever puts someone in tie-breaker position Maryanna's superpowers as a venture investorConfident in ability to assess tech on first principlesKnow how to build orgs around shifts in science or tech What deals Maryanna wishes she had been closer toStructure of open AIDeep seabed mining, recycling battery technology Maryanna's definition of successFeel landscape of possibility was totally exhausted‘Everything I could give to this, I did' Connect with Maryanna Saenko Future Ventures https://future.ventures/ Future on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FutureVenturesVCFuture on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/future.ventures/Future on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/futureventures/Maryanna on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannasaenko/Maryanna on Twitter https://twitter.com/FutureSaenko Resources Lux Research https://www.luxresearchinc.com/DARPA Grand Challenge https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/-grand-challenge-for-autonomous-vehiclesAirbus BizLab https://www.airbus.com/en/innovation/innovation-ecosystem/airbus-bizlabBeeflow https://www.beeflow.com/Decoding the World by Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-World-Questioner-Po-Bronson/dp/1538734311Redwood Materials https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin https://www.amazon.com/American-Prometheus-audiobook/dp/B000OZ0J0W/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Deep tech founders are either technically gifted or great at building a business. But it's seldom both, at least in the beginning. So, what should venture investors pay attention to when we're choosing founders in these disruptive technologies? Greg Castle is Founder and Managing Director at Anorak Ventures, a firm that invests in early-stage deep tech startups. An entrepreneur and corporate marketer turned VC, Greg has invested in 120 companies, including Oculus, Flexport and Mux. On this episode of Boost VC, Greg joins us to explore how his view of venture investing has changed since he wrote his first check, explaining what he looks for in a founder and how he evaluates deep tech startups differently. Greg shares his mixed feelings about the VR market right now and how he benefits from having a partner to engage in conviction-based decision-making. Listen in for Greg's advice on where to deploy capital in deep tech and learn how Anorak chooses founders who apply disruptive technologies to business problems in any industry. Topics Covered How Greg got into venture capitalCurious person who advocates for people he believes inGot lucky in first few personal investments, e.g.: Oculus The most important lessons Greg has learned as a VCWhat high-functioning teams and companies look likeNot to take it personally when things don't go as planned What Greg pays attention to when he's choosing foundersHow they interact with cofounders, react to feedbackPunctuality at meetings, preparedness and responsiveness The questions Greg asks himself before he invests in a startupDo I believe in the founder?Do I believe in the market? How Greg evaluates deep tech companies differentlyMove forward with presumption that anything's possibleConsider if technically gifted person can build business Greg's mixed feelings about the VR market right nowViable platform where developers make real moneyFrustrated by lack of competition, Meta fumbling the ball Greg's thoughts on Apple entering the VR/AR market‘Nobody can make a product cool like Apple can'Not well-positioned in immersive gaming (primary use case) The Anorak investment thesisHandful of technologies will have outsized impact on futureFind teams leveraging those technologies, industry agnostic Greg's advice on where to deploy capital in deep techAlways comes down to peopleBuild out ecosystem of investors, founders How Greg thinks about scale in venture investingFind great people in areas that are not your strengthsScale of funds = $15M to $25M per partner How Greg benefits from taking on a partnerNeed to explain yourself to thought partnerCan still move quickly when he needs to Greg's biggest accomplishments before age 20Building group of friends in collegeStill works with many of them Greg's definition of successConfident and comfortable in your own skinContent with what you have Connect with Greg Castle Anorak Ventures https://www.anorak.vc/Anorak on Medium https://anorakvc.medium.com/Anorak on Twitter https://twitter.com/AnorakVenturesAnorak on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/anorak-ventures/Greg on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorycastle/Greg on Twitter https://twitter.com/gpcastle12 Resources Greg Castle on Boost VC EP001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PyO3LpZD9QGreg Castle on Boost VC EP089 https://open.spotify.com/episode/6qYRcDMoemjrMHDxKONu4AOculus https://www.meta.com/quest/GOLF+ https://www.golfplusvr.com/FitXR https://fitxr.com/Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman https://www.amazon.com/Neverwhere-Novel-Neil-Gaiman-ebook/dp/B000FC130ESnow Crash by Neal Stephenson https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Crash-Novel-Neal-Stephenson-ebook/dp/B000FBJCJE/Hyperion by Dan Simmons https://www.amazon.com/Hyperion-Cantos-Book-1-ebook/dp/B004G60EHS/Neuromancer by William Gibson https://www.amazon.com/Neuromancer-Sprawl-Trilogy-William-Gibson-ebook/dp/B000O76ON6/ Breakfast with Pops: A Venture Capital Handbook by Adam Draper & William Henry Draper, III https://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Pops-Venture-Capital-Handbook/dp/B0C1JHXTQF‘Perception Is Reality' Presentation https://www.anorak.vc/post/perception-is-reality-8-startup-marketing-principles Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
How does a venture firm approach investments in deep technology? Seth Winterroth is Partner at Eclipse Ventures, a VC firm that partners with exceptional entrepreneurs to build companies that redefine physical industries. Seth has nine years of experience in venture capital, serving as Associate at GE Ventures before he joined the team at Eclipse. On this episode of Boost VC, Seth joins us to explore how Eclipse thinks about investing in emerging technologies, explaining how the team engages with customers and leverages internal expertise to identify high-magnitude market opportunities. Seth shares his interest in robotics, discussing why the acquisition of Kiva Systems sparked his interest in this particular deep tech field and how he identified the opportunity to invest in 6 River Systems—the first deal he led at Eclipse. Listen in for Seth's advice to young VCs on cultivating patience and responding to chaos with calm, engaging with founders in a way that's rational and devoid of fear. Topics Covered The thesis at Eclipse VenturesSmall teams of engineers solving hard development problemsIndustries that operate in physical world (80% of global GDP) How Seth thinks about investing in emerging technologyStart with markets, customer pain pointsFind specialist to develop n-of-1 solutionAdd traditional engineers with experience scaling technology What gets Seth excited about roboticsKiva Systems acquisition by Amazon sparked interestSaw market trends driving adoption of autonomous systems The success of Seth's first investment at Eclipse, 6 River SystemsRobotics company in supply chain logisticsAcquired for $500M by Shopify in 2019 How Seth identified the opportunity to invest in 6 River SystemsIdeal team profile and product differentiationGap in market to replace Kiva Systems Eclipse's institutional process of thesis developmentEngage with customers, purchasing decision-makersInternal engineering expertise to identify gaps Eclipse's internal venture equity programCases where did research but didn't find right opportunity Engineer storm vs. wait for lightning to strike What Eclipse does to win dealsBuild relationships with foundersProvide evidence of value-added capital The part of a deal Seth is most excited aboutFind high-magnitude market opportunity to match worldviewGo to partners with conviction and say THIS ONE What Seth would tell his 25-year-old selfBe patient, don't rush to have track record in ventureRespond to chaos with calm, be rational and devoid of fear What differentiates Eclipse from other venture firmsTackle category of economy traditional VCs shy away fromDeep involvement with companies to improve odds Seth's biggest accomplishments before age 20Live on own and travel worldSpend meaningful time with and learn from grandfather Connect with Seth Winterroth Eclipse Ventures https://eclipse.vc/Eclipse on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/eclipse-vc/Eclipse on Twitter https://twitter.com/eclipseventures Seth on Twitter https://twitter.com/SethwinterrothSeth on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterroth/ Resources Kiva Systems Acquisition https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/19/amazon-acquires-online-fulfillment-company-kiva-systems-for-775-million-in-cash/Willow Garage https://www.businessinsider.com/a-look-back-at-willow-garage-2016-2DARPA Grand Challenge https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/-grand-challenge-for-autonomous-vehicles6 River Systems https://6river.com/Bright Machines https://www.brightmachines.com/BrightInsight https://brightinsight.com/Foxglove Studio https://foxglove.dev/Kevin Kelly's Blog ‘You Are Not Late' https://medium.com/message/you-are-not-late-b3d76f963142Richard Hamming's Talk ‘You and Your Research' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1zDuOPkMSwTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin https://www.amazon.com/Team-Rivals-Political-Abraham-Lincoln/dp/0743270754Lincoln https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
What inspires a venture firm to focus on deep tech? Ian Rountree is Founder and General Partner at Cantos, a venture fund that invests in potentially world-changing deep tech startups. Cantos focuses on hardware and bio investing at the intersection of climate and industrials, life sciences and AI, aerospace and defense, and next-generation computing. On this episode of Boost VC, Ian joins us to share his definition of deep tech and explain why he underwrites technical risk rather than market risk. Ian discusses the value of founder empathy, challenging VCs to see the entrepreneur as their customer and LPs as shareholders in the portfolio. Listen in to understand what drives Ian to make a global-scale impact, backing founders who tackle climate change, disease, armed conflict, poverty and existential risk. Topics Covered Ian's biggest accomplishment before age 20Getting Vanderbilt to accept him off waitlist Refused to take NO as answer Ian's take on who is the customer in venture capitalFounder = customerLP = shareholder What inspired Ian to focus on deep techTackle big problems, e.g.: climate change, povertyDeep tech startups outperformed rest of portfolio How losing his father early informs Ian's workFeels hard deadline to career and lifeWants to play small role in changing world The criteria Ian uses to decide if a startup is ‘important'Nonzero chance of global-scale impactTackles climate, disease, armed conflict or poverty How Ian defines deep techTaking technical risk rather than market riskCantos specializes in hardware and bio investing How Ian thinks about growing the Cantos organizationFrom solo GP to 4 equal partners‘Fire' himself by age 55 What's behind Benchmark's equal partnership structureSet up for generational turnover from jumpMay also be consequence of early success Why a deep tech VC doesn't need to be technicalAsk expert if violation of physics involvedStartups that change world challenge status quo What differentiates software investing from deep techSoftware involves market risk, easy to pivotDeep tech involves technical risk, hard to pivot Ian's diligence criteriaSize of market, potential margins at scaleFounder who understands their WHY Connect with Ian Rountree Cantos https://cantos.vc/Cantos on Twitter https://twitter.com/cantosIan on Twitter https://twitter.com/ianrountreeIan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianrountree/Near Frontier Podcast https://nearfrontier.castos.com/ Resources Fred Wilson's Blog ‘The VC's Customer' https://avc.com/2005/11/the_vcs_custome/Fred Wilson's Blog ‘The VC's Customer (Continued)' https://avc.com/2009/07/the-vcs-customer-continued/Radiant https://www.radiantnuclear.com/Tim Urban's TED Talk on Procrastination https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator/cBenchmark https://www.benchmark.com/eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work by Randall E. Stross https://www.amazon.com/eBoys-Inside-Account-Venture-Capitalists/dp/0812930959Benchmark Part I on the Acquired Podcast https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/benchmark-capitalBenchmark Part II on the Acquired Podcast https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/benchmark-part-ii-the-dinnerUnion Square Ventures https://www.usv.com/Cerebras https://www.cerebras.net/Eric Vishria on Twitter https://twitter.com/ericvishria Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Many independently minded, young scientists are too ambitious for academia… But the startup world isn't quite right for them either. How might decentralized science provide a space for these innovators to do their work? Niklas Rindtorff is the classical scientist behind LabDAO, an online home for inventors that builds open tools for scientific research. Niklas coauthored his first paper before the age of 20, and he has expertise in CRISPR and cancer research. On this episode of Boost VC, Niklas joins us to explain how classical science emerged after World War II and explore the problems with the NIH grant funding process. Niklas shares his open-access approach to consuming scientific media and describes how DeSci is experimenting with different ways to measures the importance of new science. Listen in to understand how decentralized science can serve as the bridge between research organizations and science startups, building an ecosystem for inventors who don't fit into the nonprofit or for-profit world. Topics Covered How Niklas defines scienceFormal knowledge generation processFishing at edge of what is known How World War II changed the way we do scienceConflict won because of US sophisticated techNIH funding created class of full-time scientistsSystem doesn't always maximize progress How the importance of new science is determinedMeasured by citations vs. marketsDeSci experiments with different accounting How Niklas consumes scientific mediaUsed to use few free, open-access journalsNow leverage Twitter bookmarks, preprints What LabDAO does for scientistsProvide tools to work wherever they areCurrent focus on computational biology What inspired Niklas to build LabDAOExperience with inventions stuck in bureaucracyMeasure number of patients treated vs. citations The age distribution of NIH grant recipientsAges with scientists who were firstNo market discipline, don't answer to public How we might equalize the demographic of NIH winnersCreate more NIHsPrivate funding agency with philanthropic match How we might invest in a portfolio of scienceCharge higher fee to run research-oriented fundOnline collectives do research sponsorships How LabDAO itself is fundedNonprofit governed by tokenPrivate investors buy token for stake on projects The relationship between academia and DeSciConnective tissue among existing organizationsInventors who don't fit in academia or startups Niklas' definition of successStrive toward personal valuesInvent cool stuff Connect with Niklas RIndtorff LabDAO https://www.labdao.xyz/LabDAO on Discord https://discord.com/invite/labdaoLabDAO on GitHub https://github.com/labdaoLabDAO on Snapshot https://snapshot.org/#/labdao.ethLabDAO on Medium https://medium.com/@labdaoLabDAO on Twitter https://twitter.com/lab_daoNiklas on Twitter https://twitter.com/niklas_tr Resources Broad Institute https://www.broadinstitute.org/‘Science the Endless Frontier' 1945 Report to Congress https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/vbush1945.htmNational Institutes of Health https://www.nih.gov/Public Library of Science https://plos.org/bioRxiv https://www.biorxiv.org/New Science https://newscience.org/VitaDAO https://www.vitadao.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
In academia, most scientists publish their ideas and stop there. But if we want our breakthroughs to benefit society, we have to take it a step further. So, what does it look like to commercialize scientific research? What mindset do academics need to work at the intersection of science and industry? Ben Lamm has a career of building successful deep tech businesses, and George Church has a career of commercializing academic science. Together, they are the cofounders of Colossal, a breakthrough bioscience and genetic engineering company that is pioneering animal de-extinction technology to restore lost ecosystems for a healthier planet. On this episode of Boost VC, Ben and George join us to explain how bringing back the woolly mammoth addresses climate change and explore their approach to the ethical concerns around de-extinction. They discuss the benefits of Colossal technology beyond Arctic rewilding, describing how their work helps endangered animals and promotes conservation. Listen in for Ben and George's insight on commercializing science and learn how to get comfortable enough with risk to turn academic ideas into industry. Topics Covered How George defines sciencePredict and create new options for humanityGoal to build better world Why Ben & George are bringing back the woolly mammothRestore previous ratio of grass to treesSequester carbon at rate only possible in Arctic How Ben & George approach the ethical concerns re: de-extinctionBelieve in radical transparencyLearn from negative feedback, people who question Why George works at the intersection of academia and industryLikes to work with curious young peopleExposure to diversity of ideas Why Colossal needs government collaboration and supportSeveral governments, Indigenous groups in ArcticClimate change, biodiversity and species preservation How woolly mammoths promote carbon removalKnock down trees so more grass can growCold, Arctic grasslands sequester carbon particularly well The benefits of Colossal technology beyond Arctic rewildingEradicate EHV virus in elephantsPromote species conservation How Ben & George think about commercializing scienceGo beyond publication to help societyFeedback from investors and academia What makes Ben & George's partnership workGeorge's lab provides idea from academic studyBen figures out product-market fit and funding George's advice to academics on commercializing productsCan't be afraid of failureCan come back from bankruptcy How Ben & George think about taking big risksBen believed grandmother saying he could do anythingAcademic failures taught George he would survive The impact Ben & George hope to make with ColossalEx utero development, species preservationThousands of Arctic elephants to sequester carbonAdvancements in reading and writing of genomes How Ben & George define successBenefit society, facilitate survival of speciesCreate things that are additive Connect with George Church & Ben Lamm Colossal https://colossal.comColossal on Twitter https://twitter.com/ItIsColossalColossal on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/itiscolossal/Colossal on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itiscolossal/George on Twitter https://twitter.com/geochurchBen on Twitter https://twitter.com/federallamm Resources Citizen Science https://www.citizenscience.gov/#Personal Genome Project https://www.personalgenomes.org/How to Grow (Almost) Anything https://www.media.mit.edu/courses/htgaa/DIYbio https://diybio.org/Church Lab https://arep.med.harvard.edu/Hypergiant https://www.hypergiant.com/Pleistocene Park https://pleistocenepark.ru/Chris Mason Author Talk https://mitpress.mit.edu/blog/author-talk-the-next-500-years-by-christopher-e-mason/Prehistoric Planet https://tv.apple.com/us/show/prehistoric-planet/umc.cmc.4lh4bmztauvkooqz400akxav Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Why invest in decentralized science? James Sinka is a classically trained chemist and materials engineer and DeSci investor at Orange DAO, a fund for crypto projects supported by an alliance of Y Combinator alumni. On this episode of Boost VC, James joins us to discuss where he sees opportunities in DeSci, describing the benefit of publishing null results and how open science helps us get to the truth more quickly. James explains how the Orange Fund and Orange DAO work together to finance crypto projects and shares his advice to scientist-founders on generating your own luck through action. Listen in for James' insight on the first use cases for decentralized science and learn how investing in DeSci can democratize access to research and help rebel scientist-entrepreneurs ship products in the real world! Topics Covered How James defines scienceProcess to uncover truths about worldNot an institution of truth What attracted James to DeSciBenefits of publishing null resultsLess wasted science effort and money How James got into cryptoExposed to Bitcoin in collegeOffers financial freedom to bet on self How Orange DAO works$50M fund for crypto projectsY Combinator alum support efforts James' advice for foundersBias toward actionBe willing to be wrong Where James sees opportunity in DeSciFree flowing access to informationGet to truth more quickly What's wrong with academic science nowResearch for prestige, not passionValue determined by citation numbers How the Alzheimer's fraud happenedConflict of interest at NIHNo reverse accountability system What inspires James to invest in DeSciPush boundaries of scientific researchHelp scientists build real products James' take on the first use case for DeSciData warehousing (null results)New forms of publication open to all James' definition of successTime, space and resourcesAbility to do what you love Connect with James Sinka Orange DAO https://www.orangedao.xyz/Orange DAO on Discord https://discord.com/invite/DVncb7UxGBOrange DAO on Snapshot https://snapshot.org/#/orangedaoxyz.ethOrange DAO on Etherscan https://etherscan.io/token/0x1bBD79f1Ecb3f2cCC586A5E3A26eE1d1D2E1991fOrange DAO on OpenSea https://opensea.io/collection/alumni-gemsOrange DAO on Twitter https://twitter.com/OrangeDAOxyzJames on Twitter https://twitter.com/jamessinka Resources Through the Wormhole https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1513168/Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/NEAR Protocol https://near.org/Algorand https://www.algorand.com/Blockchain Capital https://blockchain.capital/The Memo by Howard Marks https://link.chtbl.com/thememobyhowardmarksMulticoin Capital https://multicoin.capital/Solana https://solana.com/Exploring Decentralized Science with Balaji Srinivasan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrcRI_hYDtQNaval https://nav.al/Brian Armstrong https://twitter.com/brian_armstrongEpsilon3 https://www.epsilon3.io/Benchling https://www.benchling.com/Amplitude https://amplitude.com/Sci-Hub https://sci-hub.se/Patrick Joyce on the Boost VC Podcast https://www.boost.vc/bvc/2022/08/04/desci-ep-2-addressing-the-misalignment-of-incentives-in-science DeSci Labs https://desci.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Under the current centralized system, drug development happens in silos. Pharmaceutical companies don't share information. Scientists run the same failed experiments over and over again. And the process of bringing a drug to market typically takes ten-plus years. But Paul Kohlhaas and Tyler Golato are building a new way to do drug development. A system that allows for collaboration and dramatically increases the speed of breakthroughs in healthcare. CEO Paul and CSO Tyler are the Cofounders of Molecule, a decentralized biotech protocol that establishes a Web3 marketplace for research-related intellectual property. On this episode of Boost VC, Paul and Tyler join us to explain how their personal experiences with the failures of healthcare inspired their interest in changing the system. They discuss Molecule's end-to-end ecosystem for bringing drugs to market, describing how their IP-NFT both protects innovation and makes it more open, sharable and collaborative. Listen in for insight on Eroom's Law and learn how open science leads to enormous efficiency gains in the drug development process. Topics Covered How Paul & Tyler define scienceEmpirical discovery of knowledgeProgressive search for truth What inspired Paul & Tyler's interest in sciencePersonal experience with failures of healthcarePotential for DeSci to foster new behaviors Paul & Tyler's failed experiment with crowdfundingTried to raise money for microdosing studyPartnership with University of Toronto How Molecule has evolved since 2019Ecosystem for bringing drugs to marketIP-NFT framework for collaboration How to make scientists more open to sharingImprove user experienceStreamline funding process The power of Molecule's IP-NFT frameworkIntellectual property rights held on chainCollectively owned by patients The value prop for open scienceCreates enormous efficiency gainsMakes drug development much cheaper Jack Scannel's naming of Eroom's LawTechnology to discover drugs improvingYet drug discovery output in decline The goals for DeSci over the next decadeExtend quality of human health spanMake science self-sovereign, self-aware How Paul & Tyler define successRemain true to values and vision for lifeNet positive impact on every person Connect with Paul Kohlhaas & Tyler Golato Molecule https://www.molecule.to/Molecule on GitHub https://github.com/moleculeprotocolMolecule on Discord https://discord.com/invite/uAGW7K4hQUMolecule on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWYW5ho3L_d0EO_a619E7RQMolecule on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/molecule-protocol Molecule on Twitter https://twitter.com/molecule_daoPaul on Twitter https://twitter.com/paulkhlsTyler on Twitter https://twitter.com/GolatoTyler Resources Linum Labs https://www.linumlabs.com/Molecule's Crowdfunding Experiment with the University of Toronto https://www.molecule.to/blog/psychedelics-on-the-blockchainNIH Grants and Funding https://www.nih.gov/grants-fundingSimon de la Rouviere on Bonding Curves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k4M6QAW2pMJack Scannell on Eroom's Law https://refoundable.com/research/life-after-erooms-law-interview-with-jack-scannell.htmlMeme Lordz https://memelordz.io/North American Association of Technology Transfer http://aim.autm.net/Ray Kurzweil https://www.kurzweilai.net/Peter Diamandis https://www.diamandis.com/Abundance 360 https://www.abundance360.com/summit Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
The internet has given content creators of all kinds a way to monetize their talents. Writers have Medium. Teachers and vloggers have YouTube. But scientists don't have a platform to earn money for their research. That's why Dr. Jocelynn Pearl calls scientists the ‘unappreciated creator class.' And that's why she's working to further the DeSci movement, leveraging Web3 technology to enable breakthrough research through better incentives. A molecular and cellular biologist by training, Jocelynn serves as cofounder of LabDAO, a design marketplace for life science research, and host of The UltraRare Podcast, a show about the builders behind the decentralized science movement. On this episode of Boost VC, Jocelynn joins us to explain how DeSci solves for speed of translation and communicates science better than existing systems, exploring how the movement might specifically facilitate breakthroughs around rare disease. Jocelynn discusses how academia owns the best scientific minds without rewarding them appropriately and describes how DAOs offer alternatives to classic academic publishing and drug development. Listen in as Jocelynn makes the case that scientists are the unappreciated creator class and learn how access to the right advisors and capital can accelerate the decentralized science movement. Topics Covered How Jocelynn defines scienceProcess of exploring unanswered questionsConversation among people trained to be critical How Jocelynn defines decentralized scienceWay of democratizing resourcesCommunicate science better than existing systems What inspired Jocelynn's interest in DeSciCentralization of research inhibits progressSolve for speed of translation, cost reduction How DeSci might facilitate breakthroughs in rare diseaseExplore drug development through DAOsCommunication of collective knowledge Leveraging DeSci to incentivize scientific researchChange academic publishing through tokenizationAllow patient group to co-own drug development Why Jocelynn sees scientists as the unappreciated creator classWriters have Medium, vloggers have YouTubeNo platform for scientists to monetize content What needs to change for scientists to be appreciated creatorsActivists like Seemay Chou who encourage sharingAlternative model to academic publishing How academia owns the best minds (without rewarding them)Earn $30K/year working full-time in PhD programDoes form you as scientist and provides network How CROs address the lab space shortageStands for contract research organizationFarm out research can't perform in-house The challenges of establishing decentralized scienceTraditional academia and publishing will fight backMuch work required to override existing system What's stopping the DeSci space from accelerating fasterStruggles to bring in advising and capitalWorking on projects outside day jobs Jocelynn's definition of success Lasting change in scientific ecosystemPivot how progress happens Connect with Jocelynn Pearl Jocelynn's Website https://www.jocelynnpearl.com/LabDAO https://www.labdao.xyz/LabDAO on Twitter https://twitter.com/lab_daoLabDAO on GitHub https://github.com/labdao LabDAO on Discord https://discord.com/invite/labdaoUltraRare Podcast https://rss.com/podcasts/ultrarare/ Resources A Guide to Decentralized Biotech https://future.com/a-guide-to-decentralized-biotech/The DeSci Wiki https://www.jocelynnpearl.com/Molecule Protocol https://www.molecule.to/Ben Hills https://twitter.com/0xboodleVibe Bio https://www.vibebio.com/Experiment.com https://experiment.com/Arcadia Science https://www.arcadia.science/Invisible College https://www.invisiblecollege.xyz/Charles River Laboratories https://www.criver.com/Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss on Boost VC EP102 https://podbay.fm/p/the-boost-vc-podcast/e/1606903200Manhattan Project https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-manhattan-projectThiel Fellowship http://www.thielfellowship.org/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Only 1% of first year PhD students become research professors. This creates a hypercompetitive environment where scientists will do whatever it takes to get funding, even if that means tweaking statistical analyses to make their findings seem more significant. But decentralized science is working to address this egregious misalignment of incentives and reward science done the right way. Patrick Joyce is the Cofounder and COO of ResearchHub, a Reddit-style forum that allows anyone to share, discuss and curate scientific papers—and earn ERC-20 tokens for doing so. On this episode of Boost VC, Patrick joins us to discuss the misalignment of incentives in science and describe the problem with using bibliometrics to determine who receives funding. Patrick explains why decentralizing science is so important, exploring how DeSci will increase the adoption of open science practices and accelerate innovation in the space. Listen in to understand how DeSci can pressure large academic journals to pay content creators for their work and learn how ResearchHub is leveraging Web3 to make capital available to scientists. Topics Covered How Patrick defines sciencePursuit of knowledgeVerifiable results What's behind the replication crisis in scienceHypercompetitive job marketQuality judged by bibliometrics Why decentralizing science is importantTweak analyses to maximize perceived impactNot honest, transparent or reproducibleOnly most cited scientists receive funding Patrick's take on the first breakthrough for DeSciIncrease adoption of open science practicesNo longer career risk to share work in open What drives Patrick's conviction around DeSciSuccess not based on work ethic, intelligenceLittle innovation in drugs for mental health How ResearchHub rewards quality scienceAllows anyone to share and discuss papersEarn ERC-20 tokens for participation How Patrick builds trust in the scientific communityProvide funding and publishing outletsHelp meet goals of open science What success looks like for decentralized sciencePaywall journals provide open access optionsPay science content creators for work Why the science incentive structure hasn't changedPrevious attempts not fundablePirate organizations like Sci-Hub not legal Patrick's take on what makes publishers the enemyResponsible to own incentive to make moneyCharge scientists to publish, subscription fees Patrick's uniting purpose for the DeSci communityWeb3 offers ROI to invest in scienceMakes capital available to scientists How Patrick defines success for ResearchHubTake power away from bibliometricsCreate rockstar scientists who define culture Connect with Patrick Joyce ResearchHub https://www.researchhub.com/ ResearchHub on Twitter https://twitter.com/researchhub ResearchHub on Discord https://discord.com/invite/ZcCYgcnUp5ResearchHub on Medium https://medium.com/researchhubResearchHub on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ResearchHub/ResearchHub on GitHub https://github.com/ResearchHub Resources Brian Armstrong & Patrick Joyce on The Sheekey Science Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FmhHLPrUIUClarivate Analytics https://clarivate.com/OpenAlex https://openalex.org/r/medicalstudent https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalstudent/r/ImmunoPsychiatry https://www.reddit.com/r/ImmunoPsychiatry/eLife https://elifesciences.org/Open Science Framework https://www.cos.io/Nature Neuroscience https://www.nature.com/neuro/Chris Hill on Boost VC DeSci EP02 https://www.boost.vc/podcastAuthorea https://www.authorea.com/F1000Research https://f1000research.com/Sci-Hub https://sci-hub.se/Stack Overflow https://stackoverflow.com/Hindawi https://www.hindawi.com/MetaMask https://metamask.io/Fast Grants https://fastgrants.org/Kaggle https://www.kaggle.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
At Boost VC, we're known for supporting early-stage blockchain startups. Why is that such an important part of our identity? Because institutional trust is dying. And that trust is being passed down to the individual through peer-to-peer technologies. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are solving for trust in our financial system. But what other institutions are ripe for this kind of disruption? Where else might we apply decentralization as a way to drive innovation? On this edition of Boost VC, I'm sharing a framework for the next several episodes of the podcast around decentralized science or DeSci. I discuss the incentive system that drives publishing in science and how it constrains which breakthroughs make it to the world—and which ones do not. Listen in for insight on the decline of institutional trust and learn about the rebel scientists who are defining the future of scientific innovation. Topics Covered Why Boost VC is known for supporting crypto startupsFind where talent escapes to earliestAccelerate path to solve important problems How we think about the growing distrust in institutionsPassed down to individual through P2P techConsider where applicable beyond finance Why institutions governing science are ripe for disruptionBottleneck for breakthrough tech to emergeConstraints re: what innovations make it to world What we will cover in the next 5 to 10 podcast episodesRevolution of rebel scientists building DeSciFuture of breakthroughs in science Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
The system for publishing scientific research is broken. Academic success is measured by citations rather than scientific quality. And publishing companies have a monopoly on the knowledge scientists produce. Can we use blockchain technology to promote the verifiability of scientific findings? And make science accessible to everyone? Dr. Christopher Hill is an interdisciplinary scientist with a background in neuroeconomics and machine learning. Phillip Koellinger is Professor of Social Science Genetics in the Department of Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Together, Chris and Philipp are Cofounders of DeSci Labs, an initiative that aims to make science more replicable, accessible, transparent and fair by way of Web3 technologies. On this episode of Boost VC, Chris and Philipp join us to explain what inspired their interest in decentralized science and explore what differentiates success for science versus individual scientists. They walk us through the goals of the open science movement and weigh in on how DeSci tech provides new ways of funding research and makes scientific knowledge available to everyone. Listen in for insight around the grassroots movement known as metascience and learn how DeSci is working to improve the quality of the scientific record and reward scientists for the value they create. Topics Covered What inspired Chris & Philipp's interest in decentralized scienceBureaucracy and broken publishing system in academiaPassionate about open science, reproducibilityImprove durability and quality of scientific recordUplift material conditions of early-career scientists The goals of the open science movementMake research more transparent, accessible to everyoneBetter markers of scientific quality than impact factorImprove and promote verifiability and reproducibility What differentiates success for science vs. success for scientistsScientific success = verifiable new knowledgeSuccess for scientist = prestige How Chris & Philipp define decentralized scienceTech stack for true open access to researchMakes science more transparent and reproducibleAllows scientists to recapture value they create The problem with measuring value by impact factor (IF)Metric derived exclusively from citation ratesPublishers have monopoly on scientific knowledge How DeSci technologies can benefit scientific researchAccelerate pace of knowledge progress and accessibilityProvide new ways of funding researchBusiness models that reward scientists for contributionsPotential for rapid experimentation at scaleCreate accountability in peer review process The interdisciplinary grassroots movement of metascienceCheck work of other scientists through replicationsConduct basic hygiene of scientific ecosystem The transition from scientific manuscripts to research objectsStore artifacts of journey, including peer review feedbackPermanent knowledge graphs to secure scientific record Connect with Chris Hill & Philipp Koellinger DeSci Labs https://www.desci.com/DeSci Labs on Twitter https://twitter.com/descilabsDeSci Foundation https://descifoundation.org/DeSci Foundation on Twitter https://twitter.com/DeSciFoundation Resources David Deutsch https://www.daviddeutsch.org.uk/‘Raise Standards for Pre-Clinical Cancer Research' in Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/483531a‘Why Most Published Research Findings Are False' in PLOS Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182327/Gitcoin https://gitcoin.co/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
The media is filled with experts comparing today's market with the dot-com crash of 2000. But few, if any, of these experts actually lived and worked through the dot-com boom and bust. Marc Andreessen is Founder and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and Tim Draper is Founder and Managing Director at Draper VC. And both Marc and Tim were either running or investing in tech startups at the time. So, what was it like to experience the dot-com crash? What did Marc and Tim learn that might give us clarity around how to navigate an uncertain economic future? On this episode of Boost VC, Marc and Tim join us to explore the likelihood that we're headed into a recession and explain what they're encouraging founders to do right now. Marc and Tim discuss the mistakes they made in the early 2000s and describe why a downturn can be good for the best companies. Listen in for insight on retaining employees in a remote or hybrid setting and get Marc and Tim's advice on contingency planning to survive an economic crisis—without losing your business. Topics Covered Where Marc and Tim go for their mediaTimeless source of info = books prior to 1960Direct conversations with foundersScience fiction to predict future What Marc was doing in the early 2000sLaunch Netscape in 1999 at high point in marketLifting weights to burn off stress What Tim was doing in the early 2000sJust raised $1.4B to bring VC to worldHosted party ‘2001 Cyberspace Odyssey' What it takes to be a successful entrepreneurSmart, open to new ideas and determinedSocial skills to build team, raise money, etc.Disagreeable (think against the grain) The likelihood that we're headed into a recessionGood people laid off start own businessesEconomy too complex to predict future What a16z is encouraging founders to do right nowThink in terms of scenarios and contingenciesConsider specific circumstances of your companyCut deep enough that only do layoffs once Tim's experience as an investor in the dot-com crashReactive approach, scrambled to raise moneyLost 4 businesses with $100M in revenues The difference between the dot-com crash and 20082000 was equity-driven, credit crisis in 2008Tech companies don't run on debt What Marc did right and wrong in the dot-com crashUnderestimated how bad things could getIPO saved company from bankruptcy Why a downturn can be good for the best companiesEliminates competitionEasier to recruit, gain market share How to retain employees in a hybrid/remote settingCreate intense social bonding experiencesManagement training, employee development How tech innovation is flowing out of the Bay AreaCOVID as catalyst, other cities rise in importanceTexas and Florida are attracting entrepreneurs How governments are in competition for entrepreneursRegulations push businesses outUS can remain #1 if allow startups to innovate Marc and Tim's greatest qualities + accomplishmentsTim fearless in engaging with boldest ideasMarc transformed the VC business Connect with Marc Andreessen Horowitz https://a16z.com/Andreessen Horowitz on Twitter https://twitter.com/a16z Marc on Twitter https://twitter.com/pmarca Connect with Tim Draper Associates https://www.draper.vc/ Tim on Twitter https://twitter.com/TimDraper Draper University https://www.draperuniversity.com/Meet the Drapers https://www.meetthedrapers.com/ Resources Tom Swift Books https://tomswift.net The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205My Years with General Motors by Alfred Sloan https://www.amazon.com/Years-General-Motors-Alfred-Sloan/dp/0385042353 The a16z Podcast https://future.com/a16z-podcast/ Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/sarbanes-oxley_actDraper Innovation Index https://index.draperhero.org/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Dr. Edward Lu is an astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut who logged 200-plus days in space between 1995 and 2007. Today, he serves as the Cofounder and Executive Director of the Asteroid Institute at the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Earth from asteroid impacts. On this episode of Boost VC, Ed joins us to discuss what makes space fun, describing what daily life is like in zero gravity and why he thinks we'll colonize space within the next few decades. Ed shares his experience training for a rescue mission to the International Space Station, weighing in on how spacecraft tech has (and has not) evolved and why we can't stay in space for longer than six months at a time. Listen in for Ed's insight on the likelihood that aliens exist and learn about the most recent advancements in asteroid tracking—and why it's crucial to predict where they're headed decades in advance. Topics Covered What makes being in space fun for EdDream to fly, incredible ship made by peopleAmazing view (new continent every 15 minutes) Ed's experience on a rescue mission to the space stationSupplies/transport cut off after Columbia crashTrained to command Soyuz in just 9 weeks What inspired Ed to become an astronautWorked as astrophysicist, became pilot for funFriend at work mentioned NASA application Ed's take on what it takes to be an astronautAbility to operate ALL systems of spacecraftPilot, scientist and submarine crew combined How daily habits are different in zero gravityCan't put items down on tableNo arc when passing objects Why we can't stay in space for long periods6-month lifetime of spacecraftFuel decays, one-time use batteries for reentry How spacecraft tech has evolved since the 1960'sStyle of rocket similar (dictated by physics)Systems inside spacecraft ALL different Ed's work with the B612 FoundationProtect Earth from asteroid impactsFind and track path with telescopes The greatest advancement in asteroid trackingLSST opening in 2023 at Rubin ObservatoryCollect more data than all telescopes combined Why it's crucial to track asteroidsIdentify 1 to 2 near-Earth asteroids per weekGives decades of notice to plan and deflect The biggest change in space tech over the yearsReduction of cost in both launch and electronicsAllows for more small startups to innovate Why Ed thinks we'll colonize space in a few decadesReduction in cost = cheap infrastructureRecent compound growth in space sector How Ed thinks about the likelihood that aliens existHundreds of millions of planets in our galaxyShocked if there isn't life somewhereConnect with Ed B612 Foundation https://b612foundation.org/B612 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/b612foundation/B612 on Twitter https://twitter.com/b612foundationEd on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-lu-3a997833/ Resources James Randi https://web.randi.org/about-james-randi.htmlTunguska Event https://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-tunguska-explosion/ Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://www.lsst.org/LeoLabs https://www.leolabs.space/Chess.com https://www.chess.com/Kepler Space Telescope https://www.space.com/24903-kepler-space-telescope.html Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
A total of $2T in apparel is sold online each year. But 30% to 40% of that apparel is returned. So, what if consumers could snap a couple of photos with their smartphone camera and get clothes that are the right fit for their body? Vadim Rogovskiy is the Cofounder and CEO of 3DLOOK, a deep tech startup solving the problem of apparel returns for retail. Vadim is an experienced entrepreneur, building and selling two companies in the adtech space before creating 3DLOOK. He also serves as an angel investor and mentor for the VC firm 500 Startups. On this episode of Boost VC, Vadim joins us to explain how 3DLOOK helps consumers choose the right size for apparel and share the process he used to find the right market for his team's software. He discusses his mission to build a startup hub in the Ukraine, describing the developer ecosystem that exists there and the challenge of getting talented entrepreneurs to stay. Listen in for Vadim's insight on deciding when to shift markets and learn about the fundraising process for a retail application like 3DLOOK. Topics Covered What problem Vadim is solving with 3DLOOKLimit number of eCommerce apparel returnsConsumer snaps 2 photos to get right size What inspired Vadim to become an entrepreneurWork in variety of companies (business management)Always thinking about how to make things better Vadim's shift from adtech to deep techFascinated by apps powered by smartphone cameraMore challenging to raise money with slides alone The market for the service provided by 3DLOOK30% to 40% of apparel sold online is returned$2T apparel sold online/year How Vadim's digital body passport evolved into 3DLOOKStart with avatar to dress up but no way to monetizeShift to health and fitness, track body changes Vadim's process for deciding when to shift strategyInterviews with 20 companies from each segment Apparel needs tech to survive vs. nice-to-have Why Vadim had to look for investors beyond Silicon Valley3DLOOK tech too specific for Silicon Valley VCsBoston, New York invest in retail and eCommerce Vadim's mission to build a startup hub in the UkraineEntrepreneurship not popular and few success storiesCreate accelerator, leverage developer ecosystem Vadim's experience with fundraising for 3DLOOK$6.5M raise with 3 VCs, including Almaz CapitalScramble to get paperwork to all 24 SAFE holdersConnect with Vadim 3DLOOK https://3dlook.me/3DLOOK on Twitter https://twitter.com/3dlook_me3DLOOK on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/3DLOOK.me/3DLOOK on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/3dlook_me/3DLOOK on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPQIzvlU_Ht0b1g1oV7s3gQ3DLOOK on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/3dlook/Vadim on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/vadim-rogovskiy/ Resources Dixit https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39856/dixitImaginarium https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/218804/imaginariumL'Oreal Virtual Makeup https://www.lorealparisusa.com/virtual-try-on/makeup.aspxAlmaz Capital https://almazcapital.com/Marc Benioff at Salesforce https://www.salesforce.com/company/leadership/bios/bio-benioff/Life and Learning After One Hundred Years: Trust is the Coin of the Realm by George P. Shultz https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/shultz_finalfile_web-ready.pdf Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Design is about much more than just making things look good. Design is valuable because it translates the complexities of technology to us mere mortals. It serves as a way to educate the market and make tech easy for everyday people to use. But what is the design process that gets us to that end? Daniel Scrivner is the CEO & Chief Design Officer at Flow, the project management software used by teams at Apple, Shopify and TED. A leader in the fields of design and investing, he has been invited to speak at some of the world's most innovative organizations, including Andreesen Horowitz and Designer Fund. Daniel has 15 years of design experience, serving as Head of Design at both Digit and Square and working on teams at Apple, Nike and Disney. On this episode of Boost VC, Daniel joins us to share his take on what makes design valuable, explaining how the design process gets you to an end product the average person can use. He offers insight on what makes most crypto design hostile to everyday people, discussing what we can do to improve the user experience and give crypto mass appeal. Listen in to understand Daniel's agnostic approach to investing and find out how he applies concepts learned in one discipline to other areas in his skill stack. Topics Covered What Daniel has built that he's most proud ofRedesign of Flow over last two yearsGrowing investment portfolio Daniel's agnostic approach to investingQualitative vs. quantitative (early-stage companies)Broad interest in investing in entrepreneurs at all stages What inspired Daniel to start his own podcastConversations with people in top 1% across industriesDecode what they've mastered, what propelled to top How Daniel thinks about optimizing his learningLearn things and apply in other areasLean into growth curve in all areas Daniel's take on what makes design valuableInterface between complexity of tech and humansFastest way to educate given market Daniel's insight around the design of cryptoHostile to average peopleIncompatible with being ‘future of money' How to improve the crypto user experienceSimple explanation of termsGet input from everyday people What inspired Daniel to invest in BitcoinBet on things probable to play outInvest in multiple ways to win What's behind the rise of the operator-investorHerding creaturesLowering barriers to entry in all areas Daniel's definition of successWork in service of othersGrow into best version of self Connect with Daniel Flow https://www.getflow.com/Flow on Twitter https://twitter.com/flowappFlow on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/FlowAppDaniel on Twitter https://twitter.com/danielscrivner Outliers with Daniel Scrivner https://link.chtbl.com/_Ygn_FIY Resources Good Egg https://www.goodegg.io/Stripe https://stripe.com/Gusto https://gusto.com/Superhuman https://superhuman.com/Notion https://www.notion.so/Bison Trails https://bisontrails.co/Filecoin https://filecoin.io/Verlyn Klinkenborg on Outliers https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/verlyn-klinkenborg-outliers-show-notesSeveral Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn KlinkenborgScott Adams https://twitter.com/ScottAdamsSaysScott Adams on Talent Stacking https://www.scottadamssays.com/2016/12/27/the-kristina-talent-stack/Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/Kevin Kelly https://kk.org/Kevin Kelly on Outliers https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/kevin-kelly-outliers-transcriptCasa https://keys.casa/Coinbase https://www.coinbase.com/CoinList https://coinlist.co/TrustToken https://www.trusttoken.com/TruFi https://truefi.io/Robinhood https://robinhood.com/us/en/Oculus https://www.oculus.com/AngelList https://angellist.com/EquityZen https://equityzen.com/Fortnite https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/homeRoblox https://www.roblox.com/Unreal Tournament https://www.epicgames.com/unrealtournament/en-US/Endel https://endel.io/Tony Anderson https://www.tonyandersonmusic.com/Focus on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/genre/focus-pageRichard Feynman http://www.feynman.com/Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by It's Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman https://www.amazon.com/Six-Easy-Pieces-Essentials-Explained/dp/0465025277Henry Ford's Rouge https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/history-and-timeline/fords-rouge/Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr-ebook/dp/B000XUDGHG Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Orla Harris is the Cofounder and COO of SideQuest VR, an early-access testing platform for virtual reality with headquarters in Northern Ireland. Orla and her team provide tools that enable developers to grow a community around their app and solicit feedback from users in the early stages of development. Prior to SideQuest, Orla spent eight years working as a project manager in the construction industry and dabbling in virtual reality as a hobby. On this episode of Boost VC, Orla joins us to share the origin story of SideQuest VR, explaining how it evolved from side project to startup and when she finally realized it was a business. She describes what it's like to found a tech company in Ireland, discussing how SideQuest built a network of VCs beyond the borders of her home country and why she's optimistic about the startup's continued growth. Listen in for insight on the openness unique to the virtual reality developer community and get Orla's perspective on what is special about the industry at this particular moment in time! Topics Covered The idea behind SideQuest VREnables developers to test product with consumersThird-party app store for Quest, other VR devices The origin story of SideQuest VRDeveloped app, declined by Oculus (no reason given)Create place for users to sideload and give feedback Orla's take on the VR developer communityUnique in willingness to help each other outOpenness feels different from other experiences What's driving the success of SideQuest VRStill in honeymoon phase (growing every day)Positive results, can't help but be optimistic How Orla thinks about where VR is as an industry2020 = transformative yearInformed by release of Quest 2 and pandemic What it's like to build a tech startup in IrelandDaunting to look for investors beyond home countryPart of accelerator in Ireland that propelled to Boost Orla's advice for founders on networking with VCsFind person with connections, ask for introductionsOne connection can change everything When Orla realized SideQuest was an actual businessCofounder proposed quitting jobsDecision based on site analytics, talking to VCs What is special about VR right nowSmall developer pool but large user poolUsers starved for content Orla's insight on the growth of SideQuest VRApps submitted to platform every dayAndroid mobile developers pivoting to VR Orla's definition of successWake up every morning feeling contentClarity of mind, no stress or worry Connect with Orla SideQuest VR https://sidequestvr.com/SideQuest on Twitter https://twitter.com/SideQuestVRSideQuest on Discord https://discord.com/invite/r38T5rRSideQuest on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/sidequest SideQuest on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/SideQuestVRSideQuest on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidequestvr/Orla on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/orlaharris/ Resources Oculus Quest https://www.oculus.com/quest/ Oculus Quest 2 https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/Facebook's Developer Revenue Update https://uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-revenue-update/Steam https://store.steampowered.com/vr/Doodle Jump https://doodlejumpgame.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/Topics Covered The idea behind SideQuest VREnables developers to test product with consumersThird-party app store for Quest, other VR devices The origin story of SideQuest VRDeveloped app, declined by Oculus (no reason given)Create place for users to sideload and give feedback Orla's take on the VR developer communityUnique in willingness to help each other outOpenness feels different from other experiences What's driving the success of SideQuest VRStill in honeymoon phase (growing every day)Positive results, can't help but be optimistic How Orla thinks about where VR is as an industry2020 = transformative yearInformed by release of Quest 2 and pandemic What it's like to build a tech startup in IrelandDaunting to look for investors beyond home countryPart of accelerator in Ireland that propelled to Boost Orla's advice for founders on networking with VCsFind person with connections, ask for introductionsOne connection can change everything When Orla realized SideQuest was an actual businessCofounder proposed quitting jobsDecision based on site analytics, talking to VCs What is special about VR right nowSmall developer pool but large user poolUsers starved for content Orla's insight on the growth of SideQuest VRApps submitted to platform every dayAndroid mobile developers pivoting to VR Orla's definition of successWake up every morning feeling contentClarity of mind, no stress or worry
When serial entrepreneurs Thibauld Favre and Joris Delanoue joined forces to build the future of fundraising, the Frenchmen chose San Francisco as their home base in large part because of its investor mindset. So, how do Silicon Valley VCs think differently from other investors around the globe? Thibauld and Joris are the Cofounders of Fairmint, a continuous financing instrument that allows startups to raise money WHILE they build—rather than taking time away from business to pitch investors. The Fairmint model is built around community alignment, putting equity in the hands of a company's employees, customers, partners and fans. Both Thibauld and Joris have ten-plus years of experience building successful tech companies, and they are on a mission to transition the world to stakeholder capitalism. On this episode of Boost VC, Thibauld and Joris join us to explain what differentiates the Fairmint system from traditional fundraising and how the platform makes everyone their own exchange. They introduce us to the idea of a CrypTech company, describing the role the blockchain plays in Fairmint's infrastructure and sharing their own personal evolution as Bitcoin enthusiasts. Listen in for insight around the Silicon Valley investor mindset and find out why Thibauld and Joris moved to California, where VCs will take a risk on ‘rational people doing irrational things.' Topics Covered What Joris & Thibauld do at FairmintGet equity into hands of stakeholdersProvide continuous financing instrument How Fairmint differs from traditional fundraisingRaise money WHILE you buildContinuous Agreement of Future Equity (CAFE) Joris & Thibauld's shared vision for FairmintDemocratize access to wealth‘Everyone is their own exchange' What makes Fairmint a CrypTech companyNew financial instrument = FinTechBenefit to using blockchain in stack Why Joris & Thibauld ended up in Silicon ValleyProvides worldwide marketAffords company credibility The potential digitization of Silicon ValleyImportant for founders to spend time thereTeam doesn't have to be there (distributed execution) The Silicon Valley investor mindsetWilling to take risks to find deal firstAccept rational people doing irrational things Joris & Thibauld's definition of successImpact society by changing economyDo work kids can be proud ofConnect with Joris & Thibauld Fairmint https://fairmint.co/ Fairmint on Twitter https://twitter.com/fairmintCOFairmint on GitHub https://github.com/fairmint/Fairmint on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairmint/Thibauld on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibauld/Joris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/delanoue/ Resources Singularity University https://su.org/ Allmyapps https://www.linkedin.com/company/allmyapps/ Bitcoin Whitepaper https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdfNexteem https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexteem/IDEO https://www.ideo.com/Adam's Post on Delaware C-Corps https://twitter.com/AdamDraper/status/1334702452684156934 Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
More and more people understand that crypto is going to be big. But they don't really know why. And they don't want to be forced to turn all of their money into cryptocurrency right off the bat. So, what if there was a way to demonstrate the benefits of the technology with US dollars and then migrate users to digital currency over time? Andy Bromberg is the new CEO of Eco, a wallet designed to simplify everyday finances and maximize earning power. Andy began his career in startups as the CEO of political media platform Sidewire before cofounding CoinList in 2017, where he served as CEO for the last three years. Andy was also a member of the legendary Stanford Bitcoin Group from 2012 to 2014. On this episode of Boost VC, Andy joins us to discuss his introduction to crypto at Stanford and explain his decision to transition from CoinList to Eco. He weighs in the challenges of onboarding remotely and describes the skill set he brings to the Eco team. Listen in for Andy's insight around the benefits of the Eco app and learn how his team provides users with a migration path from USD to crypto. Topics Covered What got Andy into the crypto ecosystemPart of Stanford Bitcoin GroupCofounded CoinList in 2017 The challenges of onboarding remotelyConnect with team in Zoom settingEncourage natural interaction How Eco makes your money work for youPut money in, earn up to 5% APY5% cashback on purchases Eco's approach to broad crypto adoptionApp based around US dollarsEducate on tech over time What inspired Andy's transition to EcoToken design makes senseMigration path (USD to crypto) The skill set Andy brings to the Eco teamBuild community/attentionLaunch project successfullyAbility to scale organization Andy's definition of successThings feel natural, peacefulIn flow state most of timeConnect with Andy Eco https://eco.com/ Eco on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/eco-pay/ Eco on Twitter https://twitter.com/ecoAndy on Twitter https://twitter.com/andy_bromberg Resources CoinList https://coinlist.co/ Coinbase https://www.coinbase.com/Earn https://www.coinbase.com/earn Andreessen Horowitz https://a16z.com/Balaji Srinivasan https://balajis.com/Bolt https://www.bolt.com/Cognito https://cognitohq.com/AngelList https://angel.co/ Protocol Labs https://protocol.ai/MyCrypto https://mycrypto.com/accountFidelity Digital Assets https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/overviewBlackRock https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro https://www.amazon.com/Power-Broker-Robert-Moses-Fall/dp/0394720245 Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan https://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-Days-Surfing-William-Finnegan/dp/0143109391 Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Most founders avoid dealing with Uncle Sam unless absolutely necessary. But what if you could engage the government as an investor in your startup? Sedale Turbovsky is the Cofounder and CEO of OpenGrants, the most powerful grant search tool in the US. The OpenGrants team is on a mission to unlock billions of dollars in grant funding for the best startups in the world, providing entrepreneurs with a single platform where they can find, apply for and manage grants. Sedale is a three-time founder with a background in helping companies navigate the public funding space. On this episode of Boost VC, Sedale joins us to explain how startups benefit from federal funding and who qualifies to receive grant money from the government. He weighs in on the culture of incumbency in the space, describing his vision to connect a diverse ecosystem of real innovators with the funding opportunities available. Listen in for insight around the government's capacity to invest in breakthrough innovation and learn how OpenGrants can help you access the funding to get your startup on its feet! Topics Covered What the OpenGrants platform doesConnect companies to grant money (simplify process)Enable startups to engage government as ally The friction points OpenGrants solves forOpportunities spread out over internet, poor UXDirect matches for companies that set up profile How startups benefit from federal fundingDe-risk and develop tech for companyDon't have to pay back (cheapest $ in market) Who qualifies to receive federal grant fundingInnovators in science and technologyPrograms that solve for social good What inspired Sedale's interest in the spaceGovernment can invest in technically risky projectsGet more diverse ideas to government How Sedale bridges the gap between government + startupsBureaucracy has created ‘culture of incumbency'Bring government to diverse ecosystem of innovatorsCreate tools for government to realize its policies How Sedale's background informs his work at OpenGrantsOperationalizing difficult-to-get data setsBackward experience w/ grant funding at carbonBLU Who Sedale's team works with at OpenGrantsEarly-stage science-based startups, nonprofitsSeries A/B startups doing additional R&D The culture of incumbency around federal fundingCan't act on good intentions due to infrastructure 98% of 2018 NIH grants went to ‘old, white guys' Sedale's definition of successStructure life around what makes you happy Connect with SedaleOpenGrants https://www.opengrants.io/OpenGrants on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/opengrantsio/OpenGrants on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/opengrants.ioOpenGrants on Twitter https://twitter.com/opengrants_ioSedale on Twitter https://twitter.com/STurbovsky ResourcesGrants.gov https://www.grants.gov/beta.SAM.gov https://beta.sam.gov/ SBIR.gov https://www.sbir.gov/California Grants Portal https://www.grants.ca.gov/carbonBLU http://www.carbonblu.com/FINRA https://www.finra.org/SEC https://www.sec.gov/Momentum https://buildmomentum.io/NIH Grants https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htmSamuel Pierpont Langley https://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/langley/intro.htmHHS's VC Fund for MedTech https://medcitynews.com/2018/06/funding-healthcare-accelerators-an-hhs-unit-is-taking-a-vc-approach-to-innovation/The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Patrick-Rothfuss/dp/0756404746 Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Here at Boost VC, we define a startup as an organism in which the founders work to attract the smartest, most dynamic people to solve the problem they believe is most important. Yes, their ultimate goal is to build a product. But more importantly, they are building a talented team that will actualize that product together. CEO Sam Cole and CPO Sameer Baroova are the Cofounders of FitXR, a startup that is putting the fun back into fitness by way of award-winning virtual reality fitness experiences. In FitXR's virtual gym, users have access to 20-plus hours of boxing and dance workouts choreographed by professional fitness instructors. Sam draws on his background in consulting and private equity to lead the FitXR team and Sameer's experience in the gaming industry informs his work around product creation. On this episode of Boost VC, Sam and Sameer join us to describe their dynamic as cofounders, discussing what they do to navigate disagreements and how brutal conversations early on served to strengthen their relationship. They explore their inherent drive to be entrepreneurs and share the lessons learned from their struggle to raise money for FitXR. Listen in to understand why fitness is the killer app of VR and learn how Sam and Sameer are building a dynamic team that makes progress—with or without their meddling! Topics Covered Why Sam & Sameer think fitness is the killer app of VRMost fun way to work out at homeTransport self to completely different world Public assumptions re: VR based on the hype of 2015Cumbersome tech with lots of cablesFor gaming only, doesn't scale How Sam & Sameer met and became cofoundersDiscussed idea at business school interviewFounded FitXR 12 months after graduation Why Sam & Sameer work well together as cofoundersShared ideals and work ethicCandid communication (brutal conversations) How Sam & Sameer navigate disagreementsListen to each other and respect expertiseBring in data, ask team for input on decisions How Sam & Sameer divide up responsibilitiesSameer responsible for product creationSam works with all department leads The fundraising challenges Sam & Sameer facedLessons learned from struggle (be cockroach)Easier as more understand + respect space Sam & Sameer's drive for entrepreneurshipEncouraged by parents, support of partnersAlways entrepreneurial but risk averse The most fun part of Sam & Sameer's day-to-dayBuild team and watch company growProgress made without their direct touch Sam & Sameer's definition of successGoal-driven to accomplish missionSee work through to end (good or bad) Connect with Sam & Sameer FitXR https://fitxr.com/FitXR on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WeAreFitXR/ FitXR on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wearefitxr/FitXR on Twitter https://twitter.com/weareFitXRFitXR on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5j5_pTobcYj50xfaxE68Ng Resources Beat Saber https://beatsaber.com/Oculus Quest 2 https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/Accepted https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/Startup School https://www.startupschool.org/Minecraft https://www.minecraft.net/en-usFIFA 21 https://www.ea.com/games/fifa/fifa-21Super Smash Bros. https://www.smashbros.com/en_US/Planet Earth https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mywy Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have been on the forefront of two internet revolutions, social networking and cryptocurrency. So, what do they think is the next big thing? Cameron and Tyler are the Cofounders of Gemini, a next-generation cryptocurrency exchange and custodian that allows users to buy, sell and store digital assets. The brothers are famous for creating the precursor to Facebook (as portrayed in The Social Network) and owning 1% of the global Bitcoin. Cameron and Tyler are also the Cofounders of Winklevoss Capital Management, a firm that invests across multiple asset classes and provides seed funding to startups. On this episode of Boost VC, Cameron and Tyler join us to explain why Bitcoin is still the next big thing, discussing what inspired them to build Gemini and why the best minds in finance are migrating to crypto. They describe how a founder's role evolves as a startup scales, sharing what it takes to be a good leader as your team grows and offering insight into their working relationship as brothers and cofounders. Listen in for Cameron and Tyler's advice on building a business and find out what resources they used to adapt as Gemini grew from a team of five to 50 to 350. Topics Covered Why Bitcoin is still the next big thing Could easily hit $500K per coinStill big opportunity to step in How Tyler and Cameron got into BitcoinIntroduced during 2012 vacation to IbizaResearch led to form Bitcoin/Gold thesisEarly adopters = smartest people in room The migration of smart people to cryptoMore brilliant people in space nowToday people ‘fail into Wall Street' Why Tyler and Cameron created Gemini Mt. Gox not equipped to handle success of BitcoinCouldn't find team solving problem right wayDecided to build regulated option themselves How Tyler and Cameron work together on GeminiCameron more tactical, Tyler focuses on strategyFair amount of overlap (similar interests) How a founder's role evolves as a startup scalesHeavily involved in hiring early onEmpower team to make decisions as you growShift focus to getting most out of team The resources that helped Tyler and Cameron scaleLearn from books, Bezos shareholder lettersTalk to other founders + angel investors What it takes to be a good leaderServe as symphony conductorCommunicate mission, message The relationship between Tyler and CameronCompetitive but friendly and supportiveShared values, on each other's side How Tyler and Cameron define successDo work that is fulfilling, meaningfulHigh level of happinessConnect with Tyler & Cameron Gemini https://gemini.com/Gemini on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GeminiTrust/Gemini on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/gemini/Gemini on Twitter https://twitter.com/geminiTyler on Twitter https://twitter.com/tylerCameron on Twitter https://twitter.com/cameronWinklevoss Capital https://winklevosscapital.com/ Resources Bitcoin Conference https://b.tc/conferenceThe Case for $500K Bitcoin https://winklevosscapital.com/the-case-for-500k-bitcoin/The Social Network https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/Tyler & Cameron's Bitcoin is Better Than Gold Thesis https://www.ft.com/content/a9d4b73a-abdd-11e6-ba7d-76378e4fef24Erik Voorhees https://twitter.com/ErikVoorheesNo Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/1984877860Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296Jeff Bezos' Shareholder Letters https://www.cbinsights.com/research/bezos-amazon-shareholder-letters/Eric Schmidt, Larry Page & Sergey Brin at Google https://www.wired.com/story/at-google-eric-schmidt-wrote-the-book-on-adult-supervision/Counter-Strike https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_Global_Offensive/Age of Empires https://www.ageofempires.com/Settlers of CATAN https://www.catan.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Despite being raised in the tech startup world, Jesse Draper didn't believe she could BE that. Because she didn't see women entrepreneurs, it didn't seem like an option. So, Jesse started seeking out female founders—first to interview and later to invest in. And now, she runs a venture fund that is like the Batwoman-Signal for companies with female founders, attracting 4,972 deals last year alone. Jesse is the Founder and Managing Director at Halogen Ventures, a VC fund focused on investing in early-stage consumer technology startups with a female in the founding team. She has dedicated her career to empowering women entrepreneurs, starting with the talk show and tech news site, The Valley Girl Show with Jesse Draper. Today, she manages a fund of 62 companies and serves on the board of Werk, Blue Fever and Preemadonna. Jesse is also making waves with her recent post, ‘Investing in Women Isn't a Fucking Charity.' On this episode of Boost VC, Jesse joins us to discuss what inspired her piece on investing in female founders and express her desire to make a shit-ton of money on the very best deals—as opposed to ‘giving money away.' She explains the need for more capital run by women as well, challenging women to talk about money and invest in for-profit opportunities. Listen in for Jesse's insight on how she spends her time as a fund manager, what the best founders have in common and where venture funds can go to find women entrepreneurs. Topics Covered Jesse's commitment to empowering female entrepreneursTalk show/tech news site The Valley Girl with Jesse DraperFund invests in early-stage female founded consumer tech What has changed for female founders in the last 15 yearsGetting better but men still control majority of capitalNeed for more capital run by women The education problem Jesse sees around women and moneyAfraid to talk about money, let alone investCreated education track to help women investors learn Jesse's take on the momentum behind female foundersPeople look to diversity portfolios (e.g.: Yale endowment)Women still underfunded, VCs stick with existing network Where funds should be looking for female foundersReach out to networks/accelerators like All RaiseLook at pitch competitions for women (i.e.: SoGal, P&G) How Jesse spends her time as a fund managerFocus on supporting top 10 companies in portfolioGive founders two years to prove themselves Jesse's advice to founders on communicating with investorsMonthly until raise series A, quarterly moving forwardBest founders have heads-down mentality Jesse's definition of successFreedom to do something you loveMay change daily in pursuit of missionConnect with Jesse Halogen Ventures https://halogenvc.com/Halogen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/halogenvc/Halogen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/halogenvc/Halogen on Twitter https://twitter.com/halogenvcJesse on Twitter https://twitter.com/JesseDraper Resources Jesse on Boost VC EP065 https://theboostvcpodcast.simplecast.com/episodes/57d367fa-bebb2890Jesse's Article on Investing in Women https://medium.com/@jessecdraper/investing-in-women-isnt-a-fucking-charity-ceabe8918b9cThe Skimm https://www.theskimm.com/Carbon38 https://www.carbon38.com/HopSkipDrive https://www.hopskipdrive.com/drive/FLEX https://flexfits.com/?view=hello-flexL. https://thisisl.com/The Valley Girl Show with Jesse Draper https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3893996/Bleacher Report https://bleacherreport.com/‘Mattel Sales Soar as Pandemic Spurs Demand for Toys' in the Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/ac59759a-d6c0-4ab4-9741-80b4ed5e3317Billions https://www.sho.com/billionsYellowstone https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4236770/‘Yale's David Swensen Puts Money Managers on Notice About Diversity' in APK Metro Newshttps://apkmetro.com/yales-david-swensen-puts-money-managers-on-notice-about-diversity/Maddie Callander https://www.maddiecallander.com/All Raise https://www.allraise.org/SoGal https://www.iamsogal.com/P&G Ventures Pitch Competition https://pgventuresstudio.com/challenge/Create & Cultivate https://www.createcultivate.com/Jesse on Molly Sims' Instagram Live https://www.instagram.com/tv/CG2-C8Jppry/Las Vegas https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364828/BlockCypher https://www.blockcypher.com/Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/
A lot of founders are focused on making their solution accessible to everyone, so they offer it for free. But you've got to make money if you want to build and sustain a successful business. So, how do you identify who sees the most value from your product or service and design a business model accordingly? Emily Dong is the Founder and CEO of SnoutID, a company working to improve the patient experience at veterinary practices through the centralization of data. Prior to Snout, she built and sold Pawprint Inc., a pet health app designed to digitize pet medical records. Emily earned her BS in Accounting Information Systems, Entrepreneurship and Math Finance from USC. On this episode of the podcast, Emily joins us to share the personal experiences that inspired her to found first Pawprint and then Snout, discussing the need for preventative veterinary care and the rising popularity of pet insurance in the US market. She walks us through the three phases of a startup, explaining how her role evolved as buy-in for her company grew. Listen in for Emily's insight on balancing idealism with sustainability as a startup founder and learn her follow-the-money approach to creating a business model around the value you provide. Topics Covered The experience that inspired Emily to start PawprintNeeded vaccination records to board dogVet asked for fax number to send records The need for preventative veterinary care in the pet marketOnly 2% to 5% of pets insured in US30% of pets have never been to vet The rising popularity of pet insuranceGrowing 20% year over yearAlready common in Europe What factors influence the cost of pet insuranceZip codeBreed (e.g.: retrievers more prone to cancer) Emily's take on the biggest challenges of entrepreneurshipFinding business modelBalance idealism with sustainability How Emily's startup evolved from B2C to B2BApp popular with consumers but couldn't make $‘Follow the money' to B2B (identify value to vets) How Emily dealt with burnout as a startup founderTrack quality of sleepConsistent workouts Emily's insight on the three phases of a startupExistential crisis (Am I working on the right thing?)Leverage personal conviction to generate buy-inPeople and org problems Emily's definition of successAvailability of resources (money, network, etc.)Solve any problem passionate aboutConnect with Emily SnoutID https://snoutid.com/SnoutID on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/snoutidSnoutID on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/snoutEmily on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dongemilyEmily on Twitter https://twitter.com/emiidee Resources Pawprint https://www.getpawprint.com/Chewy https://www.chewy.com/Trupanion https://trupanion.com/Healthy Paws https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/Petplan https://www.gopetplan.com/Pet Insurance by Nationwide https://www.petinsurance.com/Adam's MONEY IS GOOD Post https://adamdraper.substack.com/p/money-is-goodAmplitude https://amplitude.com/Oura Ring https://ouraring.com/Threes http://play.threesgame.com/2048 https://play2048.co/Tetris https://tetris.com/Spenser Skates on Boost VC Podcast EP98 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsIryDX8cIJK Rowling https://www.jkrowling.com/Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Ender-Quintet-Orson-Scott/dp/0812550706Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card https://www.amazon.com/Enders-Shadow-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0812575717Bill Gates https://www.gatesnotes.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Finding VC in an I-Don't-Know Moment—with Dillon Liang Are you curious about how different industries work? Would you like to learn something new every day? Then a career in venture capital might be a good fit. Dillon Liang is a Junior VC at Bullpen Capital, an early-stage, post-seed venture fund based in Silicon Valley. His resume prior to Bullpen includes roles at M13, Techstars Cedars-Sinai, Core Innovation Capital and Uncharted Ventures. Dillon earned his BA from UCLA, where he cofounded a nonprofit that connected startups with student talent. On this episode of the podcast, Dillon joins us to discuss the I-don't-know moment that led to his career in VC, explaining what he loves about meeting and working with founders and other investors. He weighs in on what makes a great Bullpen investment and how he learned to identify what kind of deals he likes (and which ones he doesn't). Listen in to understand why founders should talk to Junior VCs and find out if a career in venture capital is right for you. Topics Covered What made Dillon want to become a VCFound internship at family office on UCLA job boardLiked meeting smart people inspired to change world What makes a great Bullpen investmentProduct in market with early signs of tractionTeam of about 10 that's raised up to $4M What Dillon likes most about being a VCMeeting and working with foundersBeing part of effort to change world How Dillon is finding deals in the COVID eraLean on network of trusted sourcesGo deep with relationships formed in last year How we can inspire more people to be VCsBroaden access to processesTransparency around how it works Dillon's I-don't-know moment at UCLARealized lack of conviction for medicineLed to discovery of venture capital Why founders should talk to Junior VCsJunior team included in decision meetingsRally more internal support How Dillon builds internal conviction for a dealTook every meeting in Year One to develop tasteSit in on meetings to understand what partners like What Dillon is most proud of in his VC career thus farDeals that made it over line (e.g.: Honeybee Health)Friendships with founders, other investors Dillon's definition of successContent and fulfilled, happy in workContinue to learn every day Connect with Dillon Bullpen Capital https://bullpencap.com/Dillon at Bullpen https://bullpencap.com/team/dillon-liangDillon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillsl/Dillon on Twitter https://twitter.com/dill_slBullpen on Twitter https://twitter.com/BullpenCap Resources Techstars https://www.techstars.com/Core Innovation Capital http://corevc.com/Honeybee Health https://honeybeehealth.com/Call of Duty: Warzone https://www.callofduty.com/warzoneDiscord https://discord.com/Telegram Messenger https://telegram.org/Reddit Showerthoughts https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/Fortnite https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/homeOculus Quest https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/homeThe Weekend Live Experience https://wavexr.com/theweekndexperience/John Legend's Virtual Concert https://go.wave.watch/johnlegendWave https://wavexr.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
In the early stages of building a startup, the founders are doing all the things—all by themselves. But as a company grows, the most successful founders evolve, taking on whatever role is necessary to move the business to the next level. So, what does that journey look like? And what do you need to know as a founder in the early stages of building a business? Spenser Skates is the Cofounder and CEO of Amplitude Analytics, the leading product intelligence platform that helps companies leverage customer data to build better products. After graduating from MIT in 2010, Spenser spent a year working in finance and convincing his cofounder, Curtis Liu, to join him in building a business full-time. They launched a voice-recognition startup, Sonalight, in 2011 and pivoted to product analytics in 2014. Today, Amplitude generates $100M in annual revenue. On this episode of the podcast, Spenser joins us to share his journey as a founder, explaining the decision to quit working on Sonalight and build Amplitude Analytics. He offers advice on finding the right cofounder, describing what makes his relationship with Curtis work and how his role as CEO has evolved as the company has grown. Listen in for Spenser's insight on mastering sales and management (when engineering is your strength) and learn how to allocate your time as a startup founder in the early stages of building a business. Topics Covered How Spenser came to build Amplitude AnalyticsWork on Sonalight voice recognition startupBuilt analytics in-house for that companySaw need for understanding user journey Why Spenser made the decision to quit SonalightNot passionate about product ourselvesProduct quality not enough to grow quicklyTech still about five years out (too early) Spenser's advice on finding the right cofounderAgree to give it two years minimumNeed deep trust + respect, both add value What makes Spenser & Curtis' relationship workNo ego around who calls shotsConfidence to keep going without external validation How Spenser landed Amplitude's first customersInvestor introduced to gaming companyWork with sales coach to improve skillsAsk for referrals from existing users How startup founders should be using their time50% building product50% engaging with customers How Spenser's job has evolved as Amplitude growsFind product people want to useFocus on salesGrow team (sales first, then executive) Spenser's insight on mastering managementCan't really learn without doing and failingLearn faster from experts with experience When to hire someone vs. do a job yourselfBuild product + talk to customers yourself early onFirst hires should be engineers and sales team Spenser's personal definition of successPursue work with purpose beyond selfMake world better place Connect with Spenser Amplitude Analytics https://amplitude.com/Amplitude on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AmplitudeAnalyticsAmplitude on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplitude-analyticsAmplitude on Twitter https://twitter.com/Amplitude_HQSpenser on Twitter https://twitter.com/spenserskatesSpenser on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/in/spenserskates Resources Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/Curtis Liu https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisliuAirbnb Founder Story https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-inside-story-behind-the-unlikely-rise-of-airbnb/Mitch Morando http://www.morandomethod.com/Zynga https://www.zynga.com/Eric Vishria https://twitter.com/ericvishriaVALORANT https://playvalorant.com/en-us/Minecraft https://www.minecraft.net/en-usUC Berkley Computer Science Association https://www.csua.berkeley.edu/Xerox PARC https://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/sites/mac/parc.html Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Boost VC S5EP4 Streak CRMIf You Can't Be a Unicorn, Be a Workhorse—with Aleem MawaniNot every startup can be the proverbial venture unicorn. But just because a company isn't valued at $1B or more doesn't mean it's dead. So, how do you build a profitable, growing tech workhorse? And how might venture evolve a new model that supports these businesses? Aleem Mawani is the Cofounder of Streak, a CRM for Gmail that helps small teams manage any workflow from their inbox, including sales, project management, fundraising, customer support, hiring and business development. Prior to Streak, Aleem served as a Program Manager at Microsoft and Product Manager at Google, and he earned his MBA at Harvard Business School. Today, Aleem joins us to explain what inspired his team to build Streak, sharing their customer-centric process for adding new features and making pricing decisions. He discusses the concerns founders have around building on a centralized service like Gmail and how his team mitigated their risk simply by talking to the team at Google. Listen in for Aleem's insight on building a profitable tech workhorse (as opposed to a unicorn) and learn how venture might innovate to accommodate growing companies like Streak. Topics CoveredHow Aleem came to build the Streak CRM for GmailNeeded CRM for sales in work with previous startupRealized Salesforce was overkill for small teams The Streak team's current process for adding featuresImbed selves with customers, listen to storiesOffer for free rather than upsell for retention How Aleem's team makes decisions around pricingFind ‘point at which people start caring'Negotiate with clients with 20+ users How Aleem thinks about when to start charging customersEnterprise software can charge from Day OneConsider risk won't be able to charge later How Aleem benefitted from work experience at GoogleBackground in free products, understand scaleFamiliar with Gmail team and Google's priorities The top concerns for building on a centralized servicePlatform risk (e.g.: What if Gmail builds this?)Change product in way not aligned with yours The benefits of being a profitable workhorse like StreakOffer engineers stability but with startup feelNot necessary to stop and raise money Aleem's insight on the need for innovation in ventureModel only appropriate for unicorns that scale fastNo mechanism for long-term investor relationship The challenge around brainstorming during a pandemicRemote works well for executing projects ‘in flight'Much harder to launch new initiatives on Zoom Aleem's personal definition of success and fulfillmentFind something you enjoy, become masterful at itPursue purpose with time for human connection Connect with AleemStreak https://www.streak.com/Streak on Twitter https://twitter.com/streakStreak on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/streakgmail/Streak on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/streak-com/Aleem on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleemmawani/Aleem on Twitter https://twitter.com/aloo ResourcesSalesforce https://www.salesforce.com/Zynga https://www.zynga.com/DocSend https://www.docsend.com/Tempo https://www.yourtempo.co/Books by Warren Buffett https://www.amazon.com/Warren-Buffett/e/B001IGFJO2 Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
We learn more through experience. And we experience more through VR. In fact, virtual reality solves for many of the limitations of in-person learning, allowing students to practice new skills through simulation. What if the future of education is VR?Tom Impallomeni is the Cofounder and CEO of TribeXR, a startup that leverages VR to teach creative skills, with the ultimate goal of turning aspiring musicians into professionals and performers. Tom has an extensive background in building companies, and his resume includes tech startups like Virtually Live, SuperAwesome and Where Are You Now. Tom also serves as an advisor to the teams at Aflete, FireTech Camp and Pyramid. Today, Tom joins us to explain why TribeXR decided to start with DJing and what makes learning that particular skill easier in VR than it is in real life. He describes his experiences as the founder of an early VR company, discussing what metrics his team uses to measure success and how they think about acquiring new customers. Listen in to understand what makes virtual reality the best medium for learning by doing and find out why the future of education is VR. Topics CoveredWhat Tom's team does at TribeXRHarness VR to teach skills (focus on creatives)Turn aspiring musicians into professionals What makes learning to DJ in VR better than real lifeLimitations to learning in classroomDon't need expensive equipment Why Tom's team decided to start with DJingVision to build community grouped around passionsPopular aspirational skill but inaccessible to most The metrics TribeXR uses to measure successNet promoter score, how much people use itAccepted onto Oculus Quest Store Tom's experiences founding an early VR companyTravel with 100 lbs. of equipment (before headsets)Share few sweaty headsets at conferences How Tom thinks about the distribution of TribeXRBuild relationship with Oculus teamEncourage users to share performances on social Why Facebook is critical to the VR marketAcquisition of Oculus starting to pay offFunding development of VR content Tom's take on what problems VR is solvingFantastic for simulation (learning by doing)Best medium for full-body immersive games Why Tom is particularly suited to founding startupsEnjoy building things that have direct impactBuild companies in areas of personal passionPersistence (give self as many shots as can) Connect with TomTribeXR https://www.tribexr.com/TribeXR on Discord https://discord.com/invite/qdhNs2U ResourcesSuperAwesome https://www.superawesome.com/Oculus Quest https://www.oculus.com/quest/Oculus Quest Store https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/Oculus Rift https://www.oculus.com/rift/Viveport https://www.viveport.com/infinitySteam https://store.steampowered.com/steamvrPlayStation VR https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstation-vr/buy-now/CES Conferences https://www.ces.tech/Conference/CES-Conferences.aspxVRLA https://twitter.com/vrlosangelesAdventure Lab https://www.adventurelab.fun/AAA Game Studios https://www.aaagamestudios.com/Space Pirate Trainer https://www.spacepiratetrainer.com/Beat Saber https://beatsaber.com/Half-Life: Alyx https://www.half-life.com/en/alyx/ Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
Most of us spend a significant amount of time cultivating our online assets. And yet, we don't actually own our slice of the digital economy. Our social media accounts and even our personal websites can be censored or taken away from us at any time by the big companies that control them. But the decentralized web is different. Matthew Gould and Bradley Kam are the cofounders of Unstoppable Domains, a crypto startup that builds censorship-resistant websites and sells blockchain domain names to fund the gateway to the decentralized web. Prior to Unstoppable, Matthew and Brad both served on the team at Talkable, the leading online platform for referrals and loyalty marketing. Today, Matthew and Brad join us to discuss what differentiates blockchain startups from traditional internet companies, explaining how they knew Unstoppable could be sustainable business. They weigh in on the challenges of managing a remote work environment and describe their unique rapport as cofounders. Listen in for insight around what the decentralized web is trying to build and learn how dWeb facilitates freedom of speech and gives us ownership of our digital assets. Topics CoveredHow Matthew and Brad got into cryptoExposure to crypto community in San FranciscoSolves some of world's fundamental problems What differentiates crypto from traditional internet businessesMust invent business model, no expertsImportant to tell story (market education) How Matthew and Brad invest in their communityProduct exploration, help companies build websitesCreate community and share ideas on Telegram What the dWeb is trying to buildInternet where users in controlLaunch business or transact from anywhere The benefits of the dWeb over the traditional internetPrevents government or company censorshipUsers own assets in digital economy How Matthew and Brad knew Unstoppable was a viable companyCustomers willing to buy NOWPrecedent for domain names as businessPotential to replace many parts of traditional web The rapport between Matthew and Brad as cofoundersMatthew develops product, Brad handles BD + growthBattle regularly over ideas but no ego involved How Matthew and Brad think about remote workHarder for managers, easier for individual contributorsOverhead higher as must invest heavily in tools What Matthew and Brad are doing to prep for hiring remotelyMake sure standardized process in placeInvest more time (15 hours per week)Matthew and Brad's personal definitions of successWorld changed because of something we didUse of blockchain domains in everyday life Most of us spend a significant amount of time cultivating our online assets. And yet, we don't actually own our slice of the digital economy. Our social media accounts and even our personal websites can be censored or taken away from us at any time by the big companies that control them. But the decentralized web is different. Matthew Gould and Bradley Kam are the cofounders of Unstoppable Domains, a crypto startup that builds censorship-resistant websites and sells blockchain domain names to fund the gateway to the decentralized web. Prior to Unstoppable, Matthew and Brad both served on the team at Talkable, the leading online platform for referrals and loyalty marketing. Today, Matthew and Brad join us to discuss what differentiates blockchain startups from traditional internet companies, explaining how they knew Unstoppable could be sustainable business. They weigh in on the challenges of managing a remote work environment and describe their unique rapport as cofounders. Listen in for insight around what the decentralized web is trying to build and learn how dWeb facilitates freedom of speech and gives us ownership of our digital assets. Topics Covered How Matthew and Brad got into cryptoExposure to crypto community in San FranciscoSolves some of world's fundamental problems What differentiates crypto from traditional internet businessesMust invent business model, no expertsImportant to tell story (market education) How Matthew and Brad invest in their communityProduct exploration, help companies build websitesCreate community and share ideas on Telegram What the dWeb is trying to buildInternet where users in controlLaunch business or transact from anywhere The benefits of the dWeb over the traditional internetPrevents government or company censorshipUsers own assets in digital economy How Matthew and Brad knew Unstoppable was a viable companyCustomers willing to buy NOWPrecedent for domain names as businessPotential to replace many parts of traditional web The rapport between Matthew and Brad as cofoundersMatthew develops product, Brad handles BD + growthBattle regularly over ideas but no ego involved How Matthew and Brad think about remote workHarder for managers, easier for individual contributorsOverhead higher as must invest heavily in tools What Matthew and Brad are doing to prep for hiring remotelyMake sure standardized process in placeInvest more time (15 hours per week) Matthew and Brad's personal definitions of successWorld changed because of something we didUse of blockchain domains in everyday life Connect with Matthew & Brad Unstoppable Domains https://unstoppabledomains.com/Unstoppable on Telegram https://t.me/unstoppabledomains Resources 20 Mission http://www.20mission.com/Jered Kenna https://twitter.com/jeredkenna Talkable https://www.talkable.com/Kyber Network https://kyber.network/Switcheo https://switcheo.network/GitLab https://about.gitlab.com/GitLab's Remote Playbook https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/WordPress https://wordpress.com/Automattic's Blog on Remote Work https://wordpress.com/blog/2020/03/20/remote-work-reader/InVision https://www.invisionapp.com/InVision's Remote Culture https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/build-remote-culture-bonusly/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
The old way of doing capitalism is about making money in the short term, and that way of thinking has caused a lot of destruction. But some venture funds are taking a new approach and deploying capital in a way that is net beneficial for society in the long term. So, how do we leverage this new kind of conscious capitalism to support the biotech companies that are making the world a better, more sustainable place?Arvind Gupta is a Partner and at Mayfield Fund, a venture capital firm that operates under a framework of conscious capitalism. Arvind is also the Founder and Venture Advisor at IndieBio, the world's largest biotech accelerator, where he invested in 136 companies in five years and grew a portfolio worth $3.2B. Arvind has been a guest lecturer at UCSF, MIT and Harvard, and he is the coauthor of the forthcoming book, Decoding the World: A Roadmap for the Questioner.Today, Arvind joins us to share his mission to help scientists create companies, explaining why access to equity is more important than capital and what we can do to address the trending economic inequality. He discusses the connection between social revolution and new technologies, introducing us to the idea of conscious capitalism as a way to make an impact AND create better returns. Listen in for insight around the challenges of scaling a bio-related startup and learn how Arvind is working to deploy the capital necessary to build the technology that will save the world. Arvind's work as the founder of IndieBioHelp scientists become entrepreneurs136 companies valued at $3.2B The connection between revolutions and new technologySocial shift demands new way of doing thingsGen Z, millennials willing to pay to affect change Arvind's philosophy on the way we view animalsSee as living thing or disposable productReflects way we treat each other The benefits of replacing meat with lab-grown foodSubtract moral cost of meatRemove carbon from supply chain Why Arvind sees COVID as the Great AcceleratorSpeeding up every trendIncludes biology, neo-feudalism What we can do to correct neo-feudalismReinvent education to create mobilityCreate jobs that provide access to equity How Arvind is engaging in conscious capitalismDeploy capital for things feel important + make moneyCreate better returns by changing way things done Arvind's insight on the idea of designed humansAbility to make compounds by delivering RNA/DNA (but not keep)Editing DNA too dangerous for future generations What's different about funding a bio-related startupTech is alive under hood and living things don't always behaveChallenge to ensure production platforms repeatable at scale What inspired Arvind's transition to MayfieldBio companies need support in series A/B for movement to growLearn from world-class team devoted to conscious capitalism Connect with ArvindIndieBio https://indiebio.co/Mayfield Fund https://www.mayfield.com/Arvind on Twitter https://twitter.com/arvndgpta ResourcesArvind on Boost VC Podcast EP034 https://theboostvcpodcast.simplecast.com/episodes/f2db5d9c-d3c4f571Decoding the World: A Roadmap for the Questioner by Po Bronson and Arvind Gupta https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-World-Questioner-Po-Bronson/dp/1538734311IDEO https://www.ideo.com/Memphis Meats https://www.memphismeats.com/Finless Foods https://finlessfoods.com/New Age Meats https://www.newagemeats.com/George Church's Woolly Mammoth Revival https://reviverestore.org/projects/woolly-mammoth/Khan Lab School https://www.khanlabschool.org/Navin Chaddha's Post on Conscious Capitalism https://www.mayfield.com/conscious-capital/‘China's CRISPR Babies' in the MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/03/131752/chinas-crispr-babies-read-exclusive-excerpts-he-jiankui-paper/The Martian by Andy Weir https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025Dan Carlin's Hardcore History https://www.dancarlin.com/Yik Yak https://www.linkedin.com/company/yik-yak-inc-Tim Chang at Mayfield https://www.mayfield.com/team-member/tim-chang/Ursheet Parikh at Mayfield https://www.mayfield.com/team-member/ursheet-parikh/Mammoth Biosciences https://mammoth.bio/ Connect with Boost VCBoost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVCBoost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/
A whole lot of founders make the mistake of undervaluing their product. Some even give it away for free, not realizing that generating revenue is critical to proving out a business model and attracting venture investors. Healthcare education startup GIBLIB struggled to gain traction until the team shifted to a subscription-based platform, and now they are thriving in their mission to leverage virtual reality to revolutionize medical training.
How is an early-stage VC a lot like Shane Battier or Andre Iguodala? When they are on the court, they make the players around them better. That's how Michael Sidgmore sees his role as a pre-seed and seed round FinTech investor: He's the sixth man, coming off the bench to serve as the glue that helps his team get to the next level. He may not be in the trenches on a daily basis, but when he does get in the game, good things happen. Michael is a Partner at Broadhaven Ventures, an independent investment bank serving the financial services industry. In his role at Broadhaven, Michael focuses on sourcing, investing and managing investments in early-stage FinTech startups. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a pre-product employee at iCapital Network and the first sales hire at Mosaic. Michael is also the founder of Let's Humanize Finance, an interview series with FinTech entrepreneurs and innovators who are changing the way we interact with money. Today, Michael joins us to share his unique path from semi-pro soccer player to Broadhaven Ventures, explaining how reading Leaving Microsoft to Change the World changed his life. He offers insight around how to measure impact in a nonprofit organization and how FinTech companies can make both a profit and an impact. Michael also gives us his take on the evolution of FinTech and the way cryptocurrency might fit into the larger picture of financial services in general. Listen in for Michael's top four opportunities in the FinTech space and learn how he sees the role of an early-stage VC as that of the sixth man. Topics Covered Michael's path from semi-pro soccer to Broadhaven Ventures Interned for Room to Read during accidental gap year in UK Transfer from Middlebury to London School of Economics Work at Goldman Sachs before shift to FinTech startups The key to running a successful conference Engaging content (e.g.: Shark Tank for trade ideas) Interesting people How to measure impact as a nonprofit organization KPIs specific to goals (i.e.: # of students with library access) View donors as investors expecting social return Michael's definition of success in business Do something you love, doesn't feel like work Help entrepreneurs realize dreams + make impact FinTech's ability to make a profit AND an impact Access to credit for unbanked individuals, small businesses Facilitate growth of middle class in emerging markets Michael's take on the evolution of FinTech From $3B of VC in 2012 to $16B in 2016 Challenge for disruptors to create standalone brand Bring enabling tech to traditional financial institutions Michael's insight around the opportunities in FinTech Emerging markets (Asia, Latin America) Big brands become FinTech companies Banking the SMB Collaborations (e.g.: Goldman + Apple) Michael's thoughts on how crypto fits into the FinTech picture Irony of centralized organizations in decentralized framework Interesting use cases in tokenization of assets How Michael sees his role as an early-stage VC Serve as sixth man (critical player off bench) Get companies ready to graduate to series A How Broadhaven is building out their team Institutionalizing processes Adding skill sets like culture, HR Connect with Michael Broadhaven Ventures https://www.broadhaven.com/ Broadhaven on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/broadhaven/ Michael on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsidgmore/ Michael on Twitter https://twitter.com/michaelsidgmore Let's Humanize Finance http://www.letshumanizefinance.com/ Resources Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/ Room to Read https://www.roomtoread.org/ LSE Alternative Investments Conference https://www.lseaic.com/ David Rubenstein at The Carlyle Group https://www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/team/david-m-rubenstein Silver Lake https://www.silverlake.com/ Glenn Hutchins http://www.hamiltonproject.org/people/glenn_h._hutchins Man Group https://www.man.com/ Lord Stanley Fink https://www.crunchbase.com/person/stanley-fink#section-overview Mosaic https://www.joinmosaic.com/ iCapital https://www.icapitalnetwork.com/ QED Investors https://qedinvestors.com/ Gusto https://gusto.com/ Chime https://www.chimebank.com/ MoneyLion https://www.moneylion.com/ SoFi https://www.sofi.com/ Michael Gilroy https://www.canaan.com/team/michael-gilroy Canaan Partners https://www.canaan.com/ ScaleFactor https://scalefactor.com/ Greg Phillips https://www.broadhaven.com/greg-phillips Guissu Raafat Baier https://www.linkedin.com/in/guissu/ The Third Door by Alex Banayan https://thirddoorbook.com/ Keith Rabois on Boost VC EP090 https://theboostvcpodcast.simplecast.fm/rabois Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
An Amazon study revealed that 100ms in latency cost them 1% in sales. Meanwhile in crypto, it can take as long as a week to set up a CoinBase account! Imagine how conversion rates would skyrocket if the industry tackled latency and solved for the two greatest voids in the market: fiat on-ramping and scalability. So, what blockchain startups are making progress toward these goals? And how is the blockchain landscape likely to shift in the next few years as we work toward large-scale adoption? Joey Krug is the CIO of Pantera Capital, an investment firm focused exclusively on digital currency and ventures in the blockchain space. Prior to Pantera, Joey cofounded the Forecast Foundation, an organization that contributes to the Augur Project, a decentralized prediction market protocol owned and operated by the people that use it. He also started an AngelList syndicate that backed the popular 0x protocol. Today, Joey joins us to explain how he balances his work for Pantera with his ongoing involvement in Augur. He offers insight around the early days of the Augur Project, discussing the decision to pursue an ICO, his method for building the team, and the hurdles he faced developing Augur on Ethereum. Joey also shares why he took on the oracle problem at Augur and gives advice on building for chains other than Ethereum. Listen in to find out what recent investments Joey is most excited about and how those companies address the current voids in the market, fiat on-ramping and scalability. Topics Covered Joey's path to Augur and Pantera Capital Came across Bitcoin in 2011 on Overclock Started Augur to disrupt financial system Joined Pantera as technical partner in 2017 The Augur reporting system Designated reporter selected to submit answer Stake tokens (reputation) on real winner Disputes end OR split into two universes Why Joey financed Augur through a crowd sale Project rather than company (no equity to sell) Needed own token due to forking concept Joey's take on how the market has changed Pendulum swing from ICOs to equity deals The voids in the market Joey is looking to fill Fiat on-ramping Scalability problem NFT ideas Joey finds interesting NFTs with video games Buy electronic artwork How Joey balances work between Pantera and Augur Most of time at VC firm Oversee that Augur running smoothly Joey's advice to his younger self at Augur Fully think through what you're building How Joey built the Augur team Skype crypto discussion groups Open communication on Reddit, Discord No org chart but defined responsibilities Joey's thoughts around building for future chains Likely compatibility with EVM, WebAssembly Build on Ethereum now (high odds of porting code over) Recent investments Joey is most excited about Wyre likely to increase conversion rates exponentially Bakkt (institutional grade exchange for crypto) Synthetic Minds makes secure smart contracts easier The hurdles Joey faced in developing Augur on Ethereum Making smart contracts secure Writing decentralized UIs Joey's insight on the oracle problem Design for incentive compatibility Still slow (takes one week to resolve markets) Joey's thoughts on the scalability timeline 2K transactions/second in next 18 months 10K TPS in 4 years (many sidechains necessary) The difference between fiat and Dai stable coins Fiat = same drawbacks as existing system Dai backed by Ether as collateral (fewer limitations) Why Joey took on the oracle problem with Augur Maintain decentralization, remain P2P Connect with Joey Pantera Capital https://www.panteracapital.com/ Pantera on Twitter https://twitter.com/PanteraCapital Augur https://www.augur.net/ Augur on Twitter https://twitter.com/AugurProject Augur on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Augur Augur on GitHub https://github.com/AugurProject Joey on Twitter https://twitter.com/joeykrug Resources Overclock https://www.overclock.net/ Zeppelin https://zeppelin.solutions/ 0x https://0x.org/ MakerDAO https://makerdao.com/en/ MetaMask https://metamask.io/ Cosmos https://cosmos.network/ Polkadot https://polkadot.network/ Guesser https://www.guesser.io/ Discord https://discordapp.com/ StarkWare https://www.starkware.co/ zk-SNARKs https://z.cash/technology/zksnarks/ EVM https://www.mycryptopedia.com/ethereum-virtual-machine-explained/ WebAssembly https://webassembly.org/ Wyre https://www.sendwyre.com/ Amazon Latency Study https://blog.gigaspaces.com/amazon-found-every-100ms-of-latency-cost-them-1-in-sales/ Bakkt https://www.bakkt.com/index Synthetic Minds https://synthetic-minds.com/ IPFS https://ipfs.io/ Oraclize https://provable.xyz/ Chainlink https://chain.link/ TLSNotary https://tlsnotary.org/ Gnosis https://gnosis.pm/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
The best venture investors bring more to the table than capital. The most successful venture investors serve as active advisors, mentoring unproven entrepreneurs and propelling startups forward. So, what do such founder-driven investors look for in emerging talent? How do they teach the fundamentals of operating a business? How do they identify and then cultivate the SPARK it takes to build a company with the potential to change the world? Keith Rabois is General Partner at Founders Fund, a VC firm focused on supporting entrepreneurs building revolutionary technologies. Keith is known for guiding early-stage startups to become successful businesses, and his impressive resume includes executive positions at PayPal, LinkedIn and Square. After 13 years in the C-suite at high-growth companies, Keith transitioned to venture capital, joining Khosla Ventures in 2013 and moving to Founders Fund in February of this year. He is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Today, Keith joins us to share his approach to identifying unproven talent and mentoring young founders in ‘Rabois Bootcamp.' He offers advice on building a team around the most difficult challenges and biggest risks the business is likely to face and explains the difference between hiring for value protection versus value creation. Keith also shares his uncommon insight on how Bitcoin adoption correlates with the rule of law and discusses the true measure of success in VC. Listen in to understand why Keith is more successful than the average venture investor and learn how he avoids mediocre returns by investing only when he has an unusual advantage. Topics Covered Keith's path to VC Entrepreneur, executive in high-growth companies Active angel investor (i.e.: Airbnb, YouTube, etc.) Keith's definition of success Identify undervalued people and propel forward Iconic companies with potential to change world Keith's insight on identifying talent Meet and assess large number of people Look for irrational confidence, unreasonable tenacity + skill Keith's approach to mentoring unproven talent Osmosis-like learning (build, run + operate business) Direct feedback on performance Who Keith goes to for support Peter Thiel, close friends (feedback on big decisions) Young people most important in shaping views Keith's advice on building a team Identify most difficult challenges, biggest risks Find world-class to run point on each Keith's paradigm for risk reduction Value creation = raw ability Value protection = experience Keith's take on Bitcoin Adoption inversely correlated with rule of law Value prop in speculation How Keith leverages his background in law as a VC Look for legal, regulatory risk Asymmetrical ability affords advantage Why Keith focuses on $1M to $3M seed investments Invest early (team is only data point) Noncompetitive part of capital stack Keith's insight on measuring success in VC Smart decision based on available info Adjust returns based on risk The most impactful thing Keith has accomplished Hire people with no entry point in industry Introduce to mainstream ethos of Silicon Valley Connect with Keith Founders Fund https://foundersfund.com/ Founders Fund on Twitter https://twitter.com/foundersfund Keith on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith/ Keith on Twitter https://twitter.com/rabois Resources Jeff Jordan at a16z https://a16z.com/author/jeff-jordan/ Opendoor https://www.opendoor.com/ Peter Thiel at Founders Fund https://foundersfund.com/team/peter-thiel/ ‘How to Operate with Keith Rabois' on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w19IBxDu2Y4 Stellar https://www.stellar.org/ Keith's Investment Criteria https://twitter.com/rabois/status/934099022603747329 ForwardHealth https://www.forwardhealth.wi.gov/WIPortal/ Michael Moritz at Sequoia Capital https://www.sequoiacap.com/people/michael-moritz/ Stratechery https://stratechery.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
CEOs in the deep tech space are deeply passionate about what they are building. But these brilliant technical minds tend to be less passionate about sales and marketing. So, how can a VC with a background in branding inspire his founders to invest in marketing material that reflects the power and beauty of what they're building technically? Greg Castle is the Founder and Managing Director of Anorak Ventures, a fund dedicated to early-stage, disruptive technologies like virtual reality, robotics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, computer vision and internet of things. Greg believes that the next decade will be defined by the emerging technology of today, and he is passionate about investing in teams with the right mix of intellect, experience and integrity to succeed. Prior to Anorak, Greg worked in corporate marketing and served as the cofounder of Pure Food, a UK startup of fast casual restaurants. Today, Greg joins us to share his experience as a seed investor in Oculus, explaining how the experience inspired him to become a VC. He describes his value-add for the companies he works with in the realm of sales and marketing and discusses the importance branding that reflects the work you've put in on the technical side. Listen in to find out how Anorak has evolved since its inception in 2016 and learn why Greg is looking for founders who understand the ‘illogical' nature of running a venture-backed business. Topics Covered Greg's path to Anorak Ventures Sales and marketing at Bloomberg out of college Moved to UK to become restaurant entrepreneur Returned to States to work in video game tech Seed capital to Oculus, interest in investing Greg's value-add for the companies he works with Background in gaming tech + Oculus experience Inspire CEOs to invest in marketing and sales The evolution of Anorak in the last 2½ years Opportunities outside Bay (capital efficiency + focus) More valuation sensitive, comfortable saying no What Greg looks for in a founder Repeat founders/early employees in venture-backed co. ‘Unsexy businesses' causing disruption (e.g.: Orderful) Connect with Greg Anorak Ventures https://www.anorak.vc/ Anorak Ventures on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/anorak-ventures/ Greg on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorycastle/ Greg on Twitter https://twitter.com/gpcastle12 Resources Greg on Boost VCC EP001 https://simplecast.com/s/3a5f6c48 Oculus https://www.oculus.com/ Flexport https://www.flexport.com/ Autodesk https://www.autodesk.com/ Mass Effect https://www.masseffect.com/ ‘AR Will Spark the Next Big Tech Platform—Call it Mirrorworld' in Wired https://www.wired.com/story/mirrorworld-ar-next-big-tech-platform/ Oculus Kickstarter Campaign https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game CB Insights https://www.cbinsights.com/ Kobie Fuller https://www.linkedin.com/in/kobiefuller/ Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/ Alchemist Accelerator https://alchemistaccelerator.com/ Orderful EDI Solution https://www.orderful.com/ Tekken https://tk7.tekken.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
If you've ever wished you could fly, your dream is within reach. The jetpack industry, though still small, has developed to a point where a handful of startups are consistently carrying out safe flights and building businesses around the superpower most of us have daydreamed about, but never recognized as a realistic possibility. David Mayman is the founder, CEO and Chief Test Pilot of JetPack Aviation, the undisputed leader in turbine-powered, VTOL aircraft. With more than a decade of experience refining its technology, JetPack is the first company to design and manufacture a true jetpack for personal flight, creating an entirely new aviation market for individuals, corporations and military clients. Today, David joins us to discuss the business case for personal flight via jetpack. He speaks to the other players in the space, explaining why the industry is slow to grow and how to get into the business through partnerships with manufacturers. Listen in for David's insight into the chief consumer fears around flying jetpacks and learn how close we are to engineering completely safe, autonomous machines for use by the general public! Topics Covered David's path to JetPack Aviation Flew plane before drove, dreams of personal flight Career in commerce and investments in tech space Capital to further flight education The bureaucratic process to do a proper test flight 6 months of negotiation to fly around Statue of Liberty Much easier after establish track record The other players in the personal flight space Richard at Gravity Industries Franky at Flyboard Air Yves Rossy Why the jetpack space is slow to grow Expensive hardware ($12K to $60K/engine) Time consuming to build on own How to hack the space without capital Build relationships with manufacturers Vision of your ability to innovate The business case for jetpacks Education and entertainment (i.e.: Red Bull events) Experience Center training facility The chief consumer fears around flying jetpacks Heat of engines and flight safety Falling out of sky What needs to happen for jetpacks to be commonplace Completely safe, autonomous machines Use to commute and transport items David's definition of success Change status quo Motivated when told can't be done Connect with David JetPack Aviation https://jetpackaviation.com/ JetPack on Twitter https://twitter.com/jetpackaviation JetPack on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jetpackaviation JetPack on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/jetpackaviation JetPack on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jetpackaviation/ David on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmayman/ Resources 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WWDnOiQR7A AJ Forsythe https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajforsythe Gravity Industries https://gravity.co/ Zapata Flyboard Air https://zapata.com/air-products/flyboardair Yves Rossy http://www.jetman.com/loft/ Own the Sky Documentary http://paperbarkfilms.com/films/own-the-sky/ ‘What Crossing the Arctic Taught This VC About Entrepreneurship' by Collin West https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288830 Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
Prior to 2016, no proper study had been done around the economics of the ocean. At the time, the ocean economy was estimated at $1.5 trillion and expected to reach $3 trillion by 2030. In fact, the ocean has the potential to solve several of humanity's biggest problems, and the opportunities in ocean tech are as vast and deep as the ocean itself. Liané Thompson is the cofounder and CEO of Aquaai, a B2B startup using AI, computer vision, machine learning and biomimicry to create ecofriendly robotic fish to monitor below the surface and gather sophisticated data from the ocean. Prior to Aquaai, Liané spent 20 years in media, serving as a radio reporter, video journalist, TV producer and media executive. Today, Liané joins us to explain the work they do at Aquaai, sharing how she made the jump from journalist to ocean tech entrepreneur. She shares her approach to climate deniers and walks us through Aquaii's evolution as a business. Liané also discusses the team's decision to form a company rather than a nonprofit and what differentiates Aquaai from the traditional Silicon Valley startup. Listen in for insight around the economics of the ocean and learn about the vast opportunities in the ocean tech space. Topics Covered The work Aquaai does Robotic fish gather data from ocean ‘Intelligence below the surface' How Liané got into the ocean tech space Met Simeon (‘Q' of Israel) as journalist Promise to his daughter to save seas The evolution of the Aquaai clownfish First iteration 12 inches long (auto Tweet photos) Current 1.5-meter fish gathers sophisticated data Swim in fish farms supplying salmon to Whole Foods Liané's transition from journalist to entrepreneur Desire to keep learning after return to US Idea to turn promise to Emily into business Liané's response to climate deniers Encourage to read, observe extreme weather More concerned with educating people on fence The Aquaai trajectory as a company Early interest from global reinsurers Reached out to fish farmers (pilot partners) The greatest challenges in the ocean tech space Underwater conditions (salty, cold + can't see) Technology unbelievably expensive How Aquaai differs from a typical Silicon Valley startup Not MIT or Stanford scientists Tough and experienced Aquaai's decision to form a company rather than a nonprofit No desire to ask for money entire career Found their people in B2B aquaculture The economics of the ocean At least $1.5T in 2016, $3T by 2030 Solve food, water and energy problems Liané's 10-year vision for Aquaai Key in changing perception and behavior Channel to show ‘good, bad and ugly' Connect with Liané Aquaai https://www.aquaai.com/ Aquaai on Twitter https://twitter.com/aquaaicorp Aquaai on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Aquaai/ Aquaai on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/aquaai-corp/ Liané on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lianethompson/ Liané on Twitter https://twitter.com/lianethompson Resources The Fish on My Plate Documentary http://pbsinternational.org/programs/fish-on-my-plate-the/ ‘The Ocean Economy in 2030' by Claire Jolly https://www.oecd.org/sti/ind/Session%201_b%20-%20Claire%20Jolly%20-%20Web.pdf Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
If you look at the numbers, VR appears to be on the precipice of mass adoption. 60 virtual reality titles have generated more than $1M in revenue, with the top-grossing games making $10M-plus. Millions of headsets are in circulation, and we're seeing 3K to 5K concurrent users per popular title. Governments are investing billions to develop VR technology and $3.4B in VC money was invested in the ecosystem last year alone. So, what will it take for VR to take off around the world? Tipatat Chennavasin is the cofounder and General Partner with The Venture Reality Fund, a VC firm that invests in early-stage AR, VR and AI startups in an effort to power the future of computing. Tipatat is a thought leader in the AR/VR space, mentoring companies, incubators and accelerators around the world. Prior to The VR Fund, he served as cofounder and CEO of Big Head Mode, a mobile gaming startup acquired by PlayFirst in 2013. Tipatat earned his BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford. Today, Tipatat joins us to explain what first drew him into the world of virtual reality. He describes the consumer appetite for VR in Asia and the incredible Chinese city dedicated to the space. Tipatat also shares detailed metrics around VR adoption and VC investment in the industry. Listen in for Tipatat's insight on the tipping point for global acceptance of virtual and augmented reality—and learn about his vision of the role VR will play in the future of work. Topics Covered What inspired Tipatat to invest in VR Cured real life fear of heights Change way we learn, heal and communicate The consumer appetite for VR in Asia Gaming ingrained in culture Chinese government investment How the numbers differ from perceived investor sentiment $3.4B invested in ecosystem during trough $3.2B invested during height of hype The data around VR adoption 3M PlayStation VR, 4M NVIDIA headsets 60 titles made $1M+ in revenue (top-grossing $10M) Tipatat's take on the most surprising VR use case Virtual influencers What's preventing mass adoption of VR Alignment of hardware and software Underestimate impact of Oculus Quest How Tipatat spends his time in VR 2.5 hours/day VRChat, Rec Room and art programs Tipatat's insight on the current gaps in VR Use digital skills to make living in VR Enable non-IT workers to do IT work Resources Tipatat on Boost VC S2EP03 https://simplecast.com/s/28858f9c John Carmack https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Carmack CES https://www.ces.tech/ VRST in Tokyo https://vrst.acm.org/vrst2018/ Nordic VR Forum https://vrforum.no/ Road to VR https://www.roadtovr.com/ VRChat https://www.vrchat.net/ SteamDB https://steamdb.info/ Oculus Quest https://www.oculus.com/quest/ Beat Saber http://beatsaber.com/ Rec Room https://www.againstgrav.com/rec-room/ Job Simulator https://jobsimulatorgame.com/ FitXR https://fitxr.com/ Space Pirate Trainer https://www.spacepiratetrainer.com/ Future Present by Michael Pinsky https://www.amazon.com/Future-Present-Ethics-Science-Fiction/dp/0838639240 Tilt Brush https://www.tiltbrush.com/ Oculus Quill https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1118609381580656/ Goro Fujita https://twitter.com/gorosart?lang=en Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
“Clearly, the killer use case, the most valuable thing 6DoF can do is allow two or more humans to interact—just be with each other from wherever they are.” The internet has succeeded in connecting people to machines and information. So, what's missing? Anjney Midha argues that the element of human interaction is what the web lacks, and he is on a mission to develop the tools creators can use to design shared experiences online through XR. Anjney Midha is the cofounder and CEO of Ubiquity6, a startup using computer vision to create multiplayer experiences for augmented and virtual reality. Founded by alums from Metamind, Facebook, Tesla, Twitter and Stanford, the Ubiquity team is leveraging spatial computing to bring people together in valuable new ways. Anjney began his career in venture as Founding Partner of KPCB Edge, a Kleiner Perkins fund formed to support founders in AR, VR and computer vision. Today, Anjney joins us to share his background in frontier tech and explain how his experience in VC led to the creation of Ubiquity6. He offers insight on the problems in venture capital, describing how good and bad investors can impact a startup. Anjney also discusses the particular challenges of the deep tech space and the futility of the AR versus VR debate. Listen in to understand the tech advancements that have facilitated networked capabilities and learn how Ubiquity6 is solving for shared experiences—at six degrees of freedom. Topics Covered Anjney's background in frontier tech Formed fund within Kleiner (AR, VR + computer vision) Influenced by Bing Gordon, Mike Abbott Time spent investing AND building software Founded Ubiquity6 to solve for shared experiences Anjney's take on good vs. bad investors Great investors = 100X or more Bad investors destroy value More pretenders than ever Look at track record of success, failure How Anjney communicates with investors Text message, reply within 10 minutes Best investors view as service industry The role of Ubiquity6 in solving for shared experiences Serve creators with tools Launch own experiences ‘Shared AR in persistent way' Anjney's insight around the challenges of deep tech Timing (invest in real tech that doesn't exist) Bring research to market in compelling way How Anjney built a tribe of support Early-stage founders vocal about problems Obvious from listening to early adopters Why Anjney is excited about audio As powerful, immersive as visual AR Shared audio channels for consumers Why Anjney believes AR vs. VR is a false debate Different viewing modes of same experience High level of abstraction = unproductive debate The positive mass market signals for Anjney and his company ARKit, ARCore (networked AR) On-device capabilities to shared capabilities Connect with Anjney Ubiquity6 https://ubiquity6.com/ Ubiquity6 on Medium https://medium.com/ubiquity6 Ubiquity6 on Twitter https://twitter.com/ubiquity_6 Ubiquity6 on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ubiquity6/ Anjney on Medium https://medium.com/@anjneymidha Anjney on Twitter https://twitter.com/anjneymidha Anjney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjney/ Resources Kleiner Perkins https://www.kleinerperkins.com/ Bing Gordon https://www.kleinerperkins.com/people/bing-gordon/ Mike Abbott https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelabbott/ Virtual Human Interaction Lab https://vhil.stanford.edu/ Jeremy Bailenson https://vhil.stanford.edu/faculty-and-staff/ Adam Arrigo https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-arrigo-b4637620/ TheWaveVR http://thewavevr.com/ LYNX Capital https://www.lynxtrading.com/ Benchmark Capital http://www.benchmark.com/ Index Ventures https://www.indexventures.com/ Vinod Khosla Interview https://blog.ycombinator.com/vinod-khosla-on-how-to-build-the-future/ John Doerr https://www.kleinerperkins.com/people/john-doerr Marc Andreessen on a16z Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O91S1NL-B0Q&t=14m34s ARKit https://developer.apple.com/arkit/ ARCore https://developers.google.com/ar/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
The world of cryptocurrency is fascinating. It is also noisy. And if you are trying to learn more about digital currency or blockchain technology, it's necessary to sift through a lot of misinformation to get to the good stuff. So, how do you know who to listen to in a space where everyone seems to be shouting from the rooftops? Is there a media outlet you can trust to deliver the truth in an otherwise LOUD ecosystem? Mike Dudas is the founder and CEO of The Block, the most reliable source of information for all things crypto. The media startup aims to cut through the noise, making the blockchain and cryptoassets accessible by way of social engagement and discourse, market information and education. Prior to founding The Block, Mike worked in business development for Google, PayPal and Venmo, and he cofounded Button, Inc., the premiere partnerships platform for mobile commerce. Today, Mike joins us to share his background in media and technology, discussing how to gain credibility in what he calls frontier tech—with or without business school credentials. He explains how The Block was born on Twitter and what it takes to build a media company in the modern era. Listen in for Mike's insight on building a trusted brand and learn how he is working to amplify the best information, in an effort to influence what gets built in the blockchain space. Topics Covered Mike's background in media and technology Degree from Stanford (tech bug) Google, PayPal and Venmo How to gain credibility in frontier tech Accomplishments, network Publish thoughts online Business school less important Mike's inspiration for The Block Crypto research took months (misinformation) Strength in amplifying ideas, attracting experts Mike's insight on building a trusted brand Approachable, willing to experiment with topics Diversity of perspectives How The Block raised capital Traditional venture startup Variety of investors What's different about building a media company today Reporters/journalists brands themselves All writing consistent with mission of company Reach people in channels where spend time How The Block is working to empower citizen journalists Desire to develop social element Facilitate pseudonymous sources Mike's definition of success Happy with accomplishments in all facets of life Balance business, family and health Connect with Mike The Block https://www.theblockcrypto.com/ The Block on Twitter https://twitter.com/theblock__ The Block on Medium https://medium.com/the-block-crypto The Block on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theblockcrypto/ Mike on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdudas/ Mike on Twitter https://twitter.com/mdudas Resources Vitalik Buterin https://vitalik.ca/ Fred Wilson on AVC https://avc.com/author/fred8784/ Frank Chaparro's Fidelity Article https://www.theblockcrypto.com/2018/10/15/fidelity-the-2-5-trillion-wall-street-giant-is-launching-a-brand-new-institutional-brokerage-and-custody-business-for-crypto/ Bakkt https://www.bakkt.com/index ErisX https://erisx.com/ Skift https://skift.com/ The Infatuation https://www.theinfatuation.com/ theSkimm https://www.theskimm.com/ Sriram Krishnan https://sriramk.com/ Felix Salmon http://www.felixsalmon.com/ Taylor Lorenz https://www.theatlantic.com/author/taylor-lorenz/ Mike Isaac https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isaac Lopp's Resources Page https://lopp.net/bitcoin.html Satoshi Nakamoto Institute https://nakamotoinstitute.org/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
The most popular criticism of the crypto space is its lack of stability. What if you could solve for volatility, leveraging a decentralized stablecoin to mitigate the risk associated with a cryptocurrency portfolio? And how would a market risk manager from the traditional finance and investment industry assess the current risk profile of the blockchain space? Steven Becker is the President and COO of MakerDAO, a decentralized, autonomous organization on the Ethereum blockchain. Based in Santa Cruz, California, Maker seeks to realize the potential of cryptocurrency through its Dai stablecoin, collateral loans and decentralized governance. Steven spent two decades doing market risk assessment in the traditional finance and investment space prior to joining MakerDAO. Today, Steven joins us to discuss the current risk profile for cryptocurrency and the benefits of MakerDAO's decentralized model. He shares some of the differences between traditional financial services and the crypto space and offers insight around his decision to transition to the blockchain ecosystem. Listen in for Steven's take on the development of digital cultures and learn how technology, philosophy and economics inform crypto governance dynamics. Topics Covered Steven's background in risk management Traditional finance, investment space Identify weakest point in mechanism The current risk profile for cryptocurrency Perception as brand-new industry Disruption to change to adoption The idea behind MakerDAO Provides digital cash Decentralized stablecoin Solves for volatility in portfolio Steven's experience working in a distributed team Structured meetings (Google Hangouts) 20 hours of ‘open space of operations' How MakerDAO assesses opportunities Weigh against country, jurisdiction and community Top-down approach (i.e.: crypto adoption, ROI) Steven's introduction to the crypto space Inquiry around what stablecoin looks like MakerDAO closest to idea of ideal stablecoin Steven's philosophical approach to the blockchain Concept of distributed trust Stablecoin answer to volatility Steven's favorite part of the crypto space Governing dynamics that make it work Intersection of tech, philosophy and economics Steven's insight on the blockchain's cultural value Granular categorizations of corporate structure Develop value system that aligns with cultural beliefs Connect with Steven MakeDAO https://makerdao.com/ MakerDAO on Twitter https://twitter.com/MakerDAO MakerDAO on Medium https://medium.com/makerdao MakerDAO on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/MakerDAO/ Steven on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-becker/ Resources Rehive https://rehive.com/ The Sun Exchange https://thesunexchange.com/ Google Hangouts https://hangouts.google.com/ Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Office-Required-Jason-Fried/dp/0804137501 MyCrypto https://mycrypto.com/ Taylor Monahan on Boost VC S2EP19 https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-boost-vc-podcast/season-2-ep-19-distributed-KnJjPs_iqRu/ The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else by Hernando de Soto https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Capital-Capitalism-Triumphs-Everywhere/dp/0465016154 Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/ Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC
While the rules of traditional marketing are clearly defined, marketing in the cryptocurrency space is a whole new ballgame. How do you approach promotion in a decentralized market? What are the best strategies for driving traffic to your site and building a strong community around your brand? Jordan Spence is the CMO of MyCrypto, an open-source, client-side tool for interacting with the blockchain. The Ethereum interface provides a suite of tools the community can use to generate a wallet on the Ethereum blockchain, access the addresses they currently own, and even swap tokens. In his role as CMO, Jordan is responsible for bringing users to the site and elevating the MyCrypto brand identity. Prior to his work in the blockchain space, Jordan served as Marketing Coordinator for AZUBU and Marketing Manager for Legendary Entertainment. Today, Jordan joins us to discuss how marketing for cryptocurrency and the blockchain differs from marketing in a traditional setting. He shares his experience with the rebrand as MyEtherWallet became MyCrypto, describing the challenges as well as the benefits of the shift. Listen in for Jordan's insight on working in a distributed team and learn how he is selling trust and transparency in his role at MyCrypto. Topics Covered Jordan's definition of marketing Bring users to site Elevate brand The most effective marketing tactics Communicating, being honest Build strong community The fundamentals of MyCrypto Ethereum interface Suite of tools MyCrypto's end users Daily users of cryptocurrency Breaking into new user space Jordan's experience with the rebrand From established brand to zero Opportunity to make sure ready Jordan's biggest surprises Importance of security in space People losing money The benefits of doing a rebrand Think hard about who want to be Start off on right foot Jordan's approach to marketing Run-and-gun + thought-out tactics Track success on social (responses) Jordan's insight on marketing for crypto No defined tactics Sell trust through transparency The blockchain vs. traditional marketing Can't treat users like numbers Share plans with customers Jordan's take on distributed teams New challenge every day Online tools (e.g.: Slack) What Jordan is excited about Low prices change community ‘Back to what matters' Jordan's definition of success Always growing AND failing Connect with Jordan MyCrypto https://mycrypto.com/account MyCrypto on Twitter https://twitter.com/mycrypto?lang=en MyCrypto on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mycryptoHQ/ MyCrypto on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/mycrypto/ MyCrypto on Medium https://medium.com/@mycrypto MyCrypto on GitHub https://github.com/MyCryptoHQ MyCrypto on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/mycrypto/ Jordan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanspence/ Jordan on Twitter https://twitter.com/spencecoin?lang=en Resources Coinbase https://www.coinbase.com/ Slack https://www.udemy.com/blockchain-and-healthcare/ Confluence https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence Google Hangouts https://hangouts.google.com/ Connect with Boost VC Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/ Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
