VentureForth - Adventures in Startups

Michael Berolzheimer is the founder & managing partner at Bee Partners, a fund specializing in partnering with startups at the earliest stages of their business.  Some of their notable pre-seed and seed investments include TubeMogul, IndieGogo, Tradesy, tbh, and even Bear Naked Granola. On this episode, we’ll explore the pre-seed investing space, dig into Bee Partners’ decision-making process, as well as the evolution into partnering with blockchain startups.   Learn more about Michael, Bee Partners, and the Frontier Innovation Awards. Follow Michael (@berolz) on Twitter. Michael's favorite book: 2312 Michael would travel 500 miles to see the band: Seven Mary Three and Tom Petty Got big ideas in blockchain and ties to UC Berkeley?  Click here to apply for the Frontier Innovation Awards. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Alan R. Milligan is the founder & CEO of White Rabbit.  White Rabbit is a browser plug-in that recognizes the content you watch, allowing you to reward the films and series you stream, ensuring artists receive their fair share. In this episode, we learn all about the movie business, why it's so messed up, and how cutting out the middle man might just be the solution the industry needs to level the playing field for content creators. Learn more about Alan and White Rabbit! Follow White Rabbit (@WRJumpIn) on Twitter. Alan's favorite book: Any book by Roald Dahl Alan's favorite film: Midnight Cowboy, Godfather, and Saturday Night Fever A blockchain trend Alan would like to see in 2018: How blockchain can change politics and give power to the people _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Fred Krueger is the co-founder and CEO of TroopMarket and WorkCoin, a token and marketplace powering the future of freelance work.  Fred has been a TEN time founder with multiple exits in the social networking, advertising, and casual gaming space, and is maintaining an extremely pragmatic, fundamental approach to his latest project. In this episode, we discuss how Fred's philosophy of building a real product with immediate utility ahead of their upcoming ICO will drive value for investors, and why the ecosystem may benefit from legal and SEC regulation. Learn more about Fred, WorkCoin, and TroopMarket! Follow WorkCoin (@workcoin) on Twitter. Fred's favorite book: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Fred's advice for blockchain founders: Find things that are broken, focus on building a real business, and how crypto can improve how things are done. _____ This episode of the Ventureforth podcast is sponsored by: White Rabbit - A New Digital Streaming Reality White Rabbit is a browser plug-in that opens access to a global content library, without the need to subscribe.  White Rabbit makes content accessible to everyone by allowing viewers to compensate rights holders directly, while streaming from whatever P2P site they prefer. White Rabbit's pre-sale whitelist is currently underway, with plans to issue the MVP in Q1 2018.  Head over to Whiterabbit.one to sign up for the newsletter and whitelist, and to join the new digital streaming reality. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Mark Jeffrey is the co-founder & CEO of Guardium and Guardian Circle, products tackling an extremely critical industry that most of us take for granted…emergency response.  He's also a 5-time entrepreneur with multiple exits, eight time author, and worked closely with some of the biggest names in tech including Jason Calacanis and Travis Kalanick. In this episode, we talk about the access and evolution of emergency response services, the Guardium token sale, and how Guardium's framework will help save the lives of the 4 billion unbanked people worldwide with no 9-1-1. Learn more about Mark, Guardium, and Guardian Circle! Follow Mark (@markjeffrey) on Twitter. Mark's favorite book: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever Band that Mark would travel 500 miles to see: Pink Floyd _____ This episode of the Ventureforth podcast is sponsored by: TroopMarket - Hire a Great Freelancer with Crypto WorkCoin - The Cryptocurrency for Freelance Work TroopMarket is a platform for hiring a great freelancer with WorkCoin, the cryptocurrency for freelance work.  WorkCoin is unique in that it provides escrow protection, independent arbitration, and most importantly, fast transactions so that sellers can get paid immediately, and avoid the slow mining and high transaction fees of paying for services with Ether or Bitcoin. WorkCoin’s presale starts on March 1st, but you can buy and sell freelancing services on TroopMarket using WorkCoin today.  For more information on the token sale, go to www.workcoin.net.  You can also go to www.troopmarket.com and earn $10 in WorkCoin just for listing a service. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin  

Paul Veradittakit is a partner at Pantera Capital, the world's most successful venture fund.  Pantera Capital recently announced returns of over 25,000% to early investors in its short 4-year life, largely driven by the meteoric rise in the price of Bitcoin. Paul's accomplishments with Pantera include closing over 30 venture investments, 20 token pre-sale investments, growing Pantera’s brand, and building relationships with incubators, startups, and institutions to discover unexpected and valuable opportunities for everyone involved. In this episode, we learn about Paul's path to Pantera, the firm's ICO investing philosophy, and explore the future of crypto and the blockchain. Learn more about Paul and Pantera Capital! Follow Paul (@veradittakit) on Twitter. Paul's favorite book: eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work _____ This episode of the VentureForth Podcast is sponsored by: GUARDIUM - Token for Global Decentralized 9-1-1 GUARDIUM is a token for a new global public safety utility, providing an economic framework for distributed emergency response to the four billion unbanked people worldwide with no 9-1-1. The GUARDIUM Token is not in public pre-sale.  Get a 25% bonus if you act now.  Go to Guardium.co and sign up on the mailing list to get more info.  That's Guardium.co for Global Decentralized Emergency Response. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Roger Ver is the founder and CEO of Bitcoin.com, one of the earliest evangelists of Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Cash, and the first investor in Bitcoin-startups including Bitinstant, Ripple, Bitpay, and Kraken. He's one of the most well-known and controversial figures in the bitcoin and crypto ecosystem, and even ran for California State Assembly as a Libertarian Party candidate in 2000. In this episode, we learn about Roger's life, explore the growth of Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Cash, dig into the civil war between the two Bitcoin forks, and the future of the ecosystem. Learn more about Roger and Bitcoin.com.  Get your Bitcoin.com wallet! Follow Roger (@rogerkver) on Twitter. Roger's favorite book: The Ethics of Liberty & Cryptonomicon Roger used to collect: Magic: The Gathering cards and Beanie Babies Roger's most successful investment: Blockchain.info Roger's favorite non-Bitcoin app: Sleep Cycle _____ This episode of the VentureForth Podcast is sponsored by: The Bee Token - The Future of Home Sharing Do you find yourself renting houses while on vacation or on business instead of the same old boring hotels?  Or do you rent your house or apartment out for extra income on the side? Well there's a new company out on the blockchain that is doing this with ZERO percent commission.  They're called the Bee Token, and are run by a seasoned team of former employees from Google, Facebook, Uber, and Civic. Bee Token is reimagining the home sharing economy by building Beenest and the Bee Protocols on the Ethereum blockchain.  Presale starts January 2nd, and ICO begins January 31st. Visit www.beetoken.com for more information _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Jon Chou and Tony Tran are the co-founders of the Bee Token, a decentralized home sharing network where hosts and guests can connect with one another without going through a middleman like Airbnb or VRBO.  That means cheaper stays for guests, and more money for hosts, democratizing access for just about anybody. In this episode, we follow the Bee Token's growth from idea in October to ICO in February, and share their learnings for others who want to follow the cryptocurrency route.  Their ICO presale sold out in just 5 minutes! Learn more about Jon, Tony, and Bee Token. Follow Jon (@SimplyJonChou) and Tony (@quicksorter) on Twitter. Jon's favorite book: Choose Yourself! Tony's favorite book: The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance & Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach How Jon would fix Uber: Build a sustainable business, even if it requires curbing growth. How Tony would fix Uber: Cut politics out of the workplace. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Peter Tang is a managing partner of GoldLok Vodka, one of America’s newest craft vodka brands.  He’s also got one of my favorite Instagram accounts because he’s always surrounded by beautiful cars, famous people, and an amazing lifestyle. In this episode, we learn about Peter's hustle coming up in the luxury car game to breaking GoldLok Vodka into one of the largest liquor markets in the world...Las Vegas.

Mike Jones is the co-founder and CEO of Science Inc, a disruptive media company, incubator, and fund that invests in, and scales early stages startups like MeUndies, Mammoth Media, Flutter, and Earny.  They're also one of America’s most successful incubators with exits including Delicious, DogVacay, and Dollar Shave Club, which was acquired by Unilever for $1B in 2016. In this episode, we learn about Science Inc's recently announced Science Blockchain ICO, the first ICO blockchain incubator of it's kind. We also dig into Mike's plans for the ICO as well as his views on how ICOs will affect traditional venture capital. Learn more about Mike Jones, Science Inc, and the Science Blockchain ICO! Follow Mike on Twitter @mjones. Mike's favorite book: Ready Player One If Mike was the CEO of any company for a day, it would be: Snapchat or Riot Games _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Kara Goldin is the Founder & CEO of Hint Water, the leading all natural, sugar free, and zero-calorie flavored water brand. Kara created Hint as a healthy alternative to soda, and also thought that plain water was simply too boring. In this episode we learn about how Kara's personal struggles inspired her to set out on this venture, how Hint is expanding into new product lines, and how she created a new consumer category out of her home. Learn more about Kara Goldin and Hint Water! Follow Kara on Twitter @karagoldin. Kara's favorite book: Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World Kara's favorite flavor of Hint: Cherry Fizz   _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Siqi Chen is the VP of Growth at Postmates, the leading on-demand logistics provider.  He was previously the co-founder and CEO of Hey (acquired by Postmates), maker of Heyday, an automated journal app, Stolen (the short-lived, but incredibly viral Twitter hit), and Famous.af (Stolen’s less controversial successor).  Siqi previously served as the GM at Zynga after an acquisition of his Facebook app startup, Serious Business, maker of the ridiculously viral Friends for Sale, as well as stints at Powerset, Veoh, and NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. In this episode, we learn how Siqi leverages data to drive growth and build viral products, why the ability to build rapidly growing businesses failed to make Heyday stick, and how he applies these lessons to give super powers to everyday people. Learn more about Siqi Chen and Postmates! Follow Siqi on Twitter @blader. Siqi's favorite book: The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are Something Siqi spends too much money on that he doesn't regret: Travel & food Siqi's favorite travel destination: Osaka, Japan Siqi's favorite restaurant (in the world): Saison _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Tony Conrad is a partner at True Ventures and co-founder of 2 companies acquired by AOL, about.me and Sphere.  He's invested in some of today’s most well-known and well-loved brands like Wordpress, Fitbit, and Blue Bottle Coffee, and Jeff Clavier says that Tony is one of the few guys who figured out how to be both a great entrepreneur and a great VC. In this episode, we learn about how Tony's background of growing up in a small farming community in Indiana, coupled with living and working all over the world, contributed to his unique perspective to consistently support amazing founders. Learn more about Tony Conrad and True Ventures! Follow Tony on Twitter @tonysphere. Tony's favorite book: Shackleton's Boat Journey Tony's hardest, most humbling eclectic job: Janitor Tony's funnest eclectic job: Yogurt merchandiser _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Jeff Clavier is the founder and managing partner at SoftTech VC, one of the most well-known venture firms in the industry.  As one of the original so-called super angels or micro VC’s, Jeff is a legend in the valley and has seen it all.  He knows how to pick winners, and some of his most notable investments include Mint.com, Fitbit, Eventbrite, Hired, Postmates, Poshmark, about.me, and many, many more. In this episode, we learn about how Jeff got his start in venture, how he raised his most recent $150M fund, and how SoftTech VC stands out from the rest by not following the crowds. Learn more about Jeff Clavier and SoftTech VC! Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeff. Jeff's favorite book: Dune Jeff's number one passion: Collecting, drinking, and appreciating wine. If Jeff was CEO of any company for one day, it would be: Twitter.  Find out why on the show! _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Bill Clark is the founder and CEO of MicroVentures, an online equity crowdfunding platform that enables accredited investors to connect with startups, businesses and services to raise capital or participate in secondary market opportunities.  MicroVentures has raised millions for startups, backing several multi-billion dollar companies including Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Yelp, and many more before they reached the public markets. In this episode, we learn about how Bill founded MicroVentures, raised over $100M for startups, and recently partnered with IndieGogo to launch their Title III equity crowdfunding platform. Sign up as an investor at MicroVentures and check out their partnership with IndieGogo! Follow Bill on Twitter @austinbillc. Bill's Favorite Book: Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist Bill asks every entrepreneur: Why did you start the company? If Bill was CEO of a portfolio company for one day, it would be: Lyft.  Find out why on the show! _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Eileen Carey is the founder and CEO of Glassbreakers, an enterprise SaaS company focused on supporting diversity and inclusion as a core business function.  Glassbreakers connects employees with resources, mentoring, and a community of peers, making a difference to their enterprise customers’ bottom line today. In this episode, we learn about Glassbreakers' unique approach to improving diversity and inclusion, why it is important, the challenges of building software for a new category and selling it into the enterprise, and the effect their technology has had on closing the gender, racial, and ethnic gap in the workplace.  We also discuss how Eileen's background in high-level PR contributed to building the Glassbreakers community and opened doors to Chief Diversity Officers at Fortune 500 companies.  Learn more about Glassbreakers' technology.  They're hiring! Follow Eileen on Twitter @eileenmcarey. Eileen's Favorite Book: The Collected Poems & How to Murder Your Life: A Memoir How Eileen Spends Her Free Time: Volunteering at homeless shelters & hackathons _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Jake Gibson is the co-founder & former COO of NerdWallet, a website that gives consumers and small businesses clarity around all of life’s financial decisions.  Since departing in 2014, Jake has become an active angel investor in companies like Earnest, The Hustle, Captain401, DataFox, InDinero, Meadow, and many more.  He is currently an EIR at 500 Startups, lending his knowledge and experience with the 500 fintech fund. In this episode, we learn about how the financial crisis led to the creation of NerdWallet and why he and co-founder Tim Chen opted to bootstrap instead of raising traditional VC funding to start their business. Compare the best Credit Cards, Car Insurance, CD Rates, Savings Accounts, and more at NerdWallet. Follow Jake on Twitter @iamjakestream. Jake’s Favorite Book: Seveneaves Jake’s Credit Card Protip: Chase Sapphire Reserve _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Ian McHenry is the co-founder and CEO of Beyond Pricing, an essential revenue management and dynamic pricing tool for vacation rental owners who list on sites like Airbnb and VRBO.  He's a Renaissance man whose background includes investment banking, consulting, solving rural poverty in Africa, sailing throughout Southeast Asia, and even a bit of wine-making. In this episode, we follow Ian's journey as he embarks as a first-time entrepreneur and builds a company that's not only huge in Japan, but all over the world. Automatically price your Airbnb, VRBO, or FlipKey with Beyond Pricing. Follow Ian on Twitter @ianmchenry and read his blog. Visit McHenry Vineyard for January 2017 Passport Weekend!  Ian's favorite books: Tales of the South Pacific & The Royal Road to Romance Ian's favorite travel destination: Andaman Islands Ian's most essential "man skill": Starting a fire _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Michael Sacca is the newly minted President of Crew.co, a platform for hiring trusted creative professionals.  The Montreal-based company was formerly known as “Oomph”, and has raised about $14M to date. In this episode, we learn about how Michael got the top job at Crew and how pursuing side projects saved the company from obscurity to becoming the best place to build your projects. Hire a trusted freelancer at Crew.co. Subscribe to the Rocketship.fm podcast. Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelsacca and read his blog. Michael's favorite book: The Social History of the Machine Gun Something Michael strongly believes: Not everybody should try to be an entrepreneur. _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin  

Dori Yona is co-founder and COO of Earny, an app that makes it super simple to automatically get money back on almost every purchase you make.  Earny has raised $1.2M and has processed over $1B in receipts to date. In this episode, we learn about how Dori's experience as a Commander in the Israel Defense Forces prepared him to guide the Earny team and triumph over overpaying. Download Earny in the App Store! Dori's favorite book: Hatchet Apps Dori can't live without: Snapchat, Chase & United Airlines _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Husayn Kassai is the co-founder and CEO of Onfido, a service making background check screening and identity verification easy and cost effective. In this episode, Husayn shares how his own job hunting struggles led him to founding an indispensable service used by startups, governments, and banks worldwide. Integrate Onfido's identity & document verification, and background checks into your business. Apps Husayn can't live without: Blinkist, Trello, Slack, Lyft and Uber Husayn collects: Business cards & ideas Husayn hopes to be remembered for: Fostering a new generation of entrepreneurs.  

Lisa Qiu Fetterman is the co-founder and CEO of Nomiku, a smart sous vide machine that makes delicious home cooking accessible and affordable to everybody. In this episode, Lisa shares how she leveraged her experiences with Kickstarter, Y Combinator, and Shark Tank to build a big business out of a small kitchen appliance, and why your next meal should be Nomiku'd. Buy Nomiku in time for Christmas at Williams Sonoma or Nomiku.com. Follow Lisa on Twitter @LisaQFetterman and see her pitch on Shark Tank! Lisa's Favorite Book: Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone & Alluring Lettuces: And Other Seductive Vegetables for Your Garden Lisa's Signature Dish: Porcini Coated Steak & Matsutake Salt Steak _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Debra Lin Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Sam Parr is the co-founder and CEO of Hustle Con Media, one of America’s fastest growing media companies. In this episode, Sam shares his eclectic history of hustling and his mission to build a media conglomerate for the ages. Subscribe to The Hustle daily email. Follow Sam on Twitter @thesamparr and experience his cross-country motorcycle trip in photos. Sam's recommended reading: Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr & Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way Sam collects: Vintage Motorcycles & Vintage Denim _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Howard Lindzon is the co-founder and general partner at Social Leverage - an early stage venture fund, and co-founder and chairman of StockTwits – a social network for traders and investors to share real-time ideas and information. In this episode, Howard shares his beginnings as a Toronto comic and how he combined humor with social media to become the Howard Lindzon we know and love today. Learn more about Social Leverage. Follow Howard on StockTwits @howardlindzon, on Twitter @howardlindzon, and read his blog. Apps Howard can't live without: Gmail, Google Maps & StockTwits Howard's Hot Stocks: $PYPL, $IRBT, $GOOGL, $NKE, $LULU, $UA, $SCHW & $GRID _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin

Vincent Cardillo was the co-founder & former CTO of Bento, a startup delivering delicious Asian food on demand. Bento was featured on Season 3 Episode 6 of Gimlet Media's Startup podcast, following the entrepreneurial journey faced by Vincent and his co-founder Jason Demant. In this inaugural episode of the VentureForth podcast, we catch up with Vincent and hear about his experience with Bento, the Startup podcast, and the future of food delivery. Get Bento delivered with Postmates Vincent's first business: Computer Repair Vincent collects: Ham Radio and Electronics Founders Vincent most admires: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk _____ Executive producer & host: Joe Mahavuthivanij Edited by: Joe Mahavuthivanij Theme music by: Music for Makers Logo design: Debra Lin