Podcast appearances and mentions of chris redlitz

In 2010, Venture Capitalist, Chris Redlitz spoke to incarcerated men at the infamous San Quentin Prison. That visit inspired him to launch a technical program, for those incarcerated, that would disrupt the incarceration cycle and offer certifications in coding to enable those returning to society the opportunity to find employment. The Last Mile technical program is now offered in 21 classrooms across 7 State prisons and has assisted 467 returning citizens in successful re-entry. Molly and Kevin Kelly are two of those returned citizens who now work for The Last Mile as Returned Citizen Advocates and along that journey they also found love.

Today John tells the tale of 3 Republican efforts in stupidity. In West Virginia a law protecting child marriage, in Tennessee low level government clerks can deny marriage licenses if they choose, and evangelicals have kicked out their most popular church because they chose to ordain women as clergy. Then he talks to Prof. Corey Brettschneider about Trump being invited to appear before a N.Y. grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money probe. Next he talks to Last Mile Radio hosts Chris Redlitz and Eric Abercrombie which deals with prison reform. And finally he takes listener calls and he plays a clip of Stacey Elizabeth Plaskett. She is a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands and she called out Jim Jordan for withholding information from the Democrats during their Twitter hearings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joe Madison brings in Chris Redlitz and Maserati-E, hosts of the brand new show "The Last Mile Radio," who are sharing stories of the incarcerated Americans whose lives are changed with web development, audio and video production, and other training and education that will prepare them for a career on their release.Listen to the show Saturdays at noon ET on SiriusXM Triumph (Channel 111): https://thelastmileradio.org/

Chris Redlitz, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, has made a career of capitalizing on emerging technologies, but a visit to San Quentin made him recognize another great investment, the vast untapped human talent languishing in our nation's prisons. The Last Mile was co-founded by Chris in 2010 as an organization with the goal of breaking the cycle of incarceration by providing education and career training. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://thelastmile.org/ https://lavaforgood.com/righteous-convictions/ Righteous Convictions with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1.

Chris Redlitz, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, has made a career of capitalizing on emerging technologies, but a visit to San Quentin made him recognize another great investment, the vast untapped human talent languishing in our nation's prisons. The Last Mile was co-founded by Chris in 2010 as an organization with the goal of breaking the cycle of incarceration by providing education and career training. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://thelastmile.org/ https://lavaforgood.com/righteous-convictions/ Righteous Convictions with Jason Flom is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This discussion is a LinkedIn LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast featuring Chris Redlitz and Jason Jones, of The Last Mile, a non-profit breaking the mass incarceration cycle by combating recidivism through in-person education and post-release mentorship focused on coding and software engineering. (for those pondering what this means, recidivism is the tendency for a convicted criminal to reoffend). The Last Mile's returned citizen alumni, maintain 0% recidivism. Chris Redlitz is a general partner of Transmedia Capital, one of the best performing micro funds in Silicon Valley, and co-founder of The Last Mile. Through The Last Mile, Chris, along with his wife and co-founder Beverly Parenti, launched the first-ever full stack coding program inside US prisons. Previously, Chris co-founded KickLabs, which Forbes ranked as a top technology accelerator and incubated Wish, AngelList and other influential companies. He received Ad Age's prestigious i20 award for his contributions to the development of interactive marketing and advertising. Earlier in his career, Chris was part of Reebok's explosive growth where he held positions in sales and marketing and also owned one of the first specialty sports retail chains in Southern California. Jason Jones is a full-time disruptor, activist, educator, and software engineer. Jason is the Remote Instructor Manager for The Last Mile, and leads a team of educators that remotes into classrooms across the US to deliver virtual lessons in computer coding. On September 25th, 2018, Jason was released after 13 ½ years incarcerated, during which time he graduated from The Last Mile's inaugural coding class. Three weeks before his release, Jason became the first person from his cohort to sign a work agreement with a tech company as a software engineer. Jason was also the first justice-involved person to be accepted into the Lightspeed fellowship with a team from Stanford, and today he is a participant in the Koch Associate Program.We talk across a broad range of topics in our time together today, from the very problem that The Last Mile is committed to help solve, to the systemic impact that incarceration creates within different communities, and the importance of solving the challenges facing the formerly incarcerated and system impacted individuals in our country.If you'd like to find out more about The Last Mile, or you are looking for ways to contribute, you can navigate to thelastmile.org/, or you can send an email to info@thelastmile.orgThank you for listening, and for being a part of this very important conversation. Key Takeaways: [07:28] The context of The Last Mile (TLM) and why is it created[09:30] What TLM means and the importance of Jason's story[11:31] The gap between hope and transparency for the justice impacted[13:41] What came into Chris's mind in creating TLM and the vision for hope and transparency[17:12] How TLM integrated into the prison system, and the importance of story telling[19:36] The big problems that The Last Mile is trying to solve[20:54] The challenge of developing a support system and creating opportunities for the justice impacted[24:39] How Chris and Jason think providing coding skills disrupts the very lineage of the problem [30:18] The process of admitting and providing education within the prison system[34:55] The obstacles that Chris and Jason have to overcome at the student level as part of the process and how this is navigated[38:46] Perceived challenges at the hiring organization level, when hiring justice impacted graduates [41:49] What Jason sees as potential challenges in working with companies as a TLM graduate[44:55] The big vision for TLM[48:58] What direction Jason seeks from the program, its listeners, and its communities[51:05] What support TLM needs and ways to get involved[55:55] What causes would they focus efforts on, if allocated unlimited resources and seven days to execute Memorable Quotes:[12:30] “When you talk about where the problem lies, not only control the narratives but also be able to see more than what your current situation is.” - Jason Jones [19:42] “I think that is one of the leverages we have been able to have is make our participants more visible by doing interviews or having media coms, stuff like that, putting the story to the name and not just the crime to a person. That's where it is really easy to dehumanize people, when all you have to go off of is just a crime or the narratives that are out there.” - Jason Jones[20:55] “The most vulnerable time for someone who's coming out is the first 120 days, and it's having a job, having a place to live, and a support system. So, we have worked really hard at developing that. We started inside as education, now we have a full-blown re-entry effort.” - Chris Ridlitz[22:14] “It is really important for us to sort of break that mental ceiling. There are people in prison who are living in a box and many think in the box, and you have to think literally sort of not to go trampled out of the box and blow away that perceived ceiling and we've done that now.” - Chris Ridlitz[32:38] “In our classroom we have every ethnicity, we have all folks working together that may not have ever interacted in their facilities or in the yard. I think it's important that it's not only the coding but it is also learning how to interact and work in teams and be collaborative and that's a big big part of it.” - Chris Ridlitz[34:03] “That was like the big challenge for all of us is just breaking down the barriers of politics inside. Once that happens and all those areas get broken down it makes it so much easier to learn because everyone's goal is to learn as much as they can so that it can get them close to getting a job in tech.” - Jason Jones[37:20] “When you think about the experience of each one of our learners and the different types of ways that they learn, one thing that helps is the fact that our company's built in a diverse way where so many different experiences on business, venture capitalists, corporate world, and then lived experience of incarceration, and learning in the program, you add that in the pot and you create a human-centered design and it makes a lot easier to build the system support for each individual.” - Jason Jones[49:49] “You shift from being system impacted to impacting systems. That is where I really want everything to start shifting towards. No one else is doing it. What we are doing is revolutionary. It's all about disruption.” - Jason Jones Resources:The Last Mile – thelastmile.org/ Learning to Code in Prison - https://youtu.be/7P4klAfyiG8 A Look Inside An Oklahoma Prison | Women Learning to Code - https://youtu.be/XjCpEKF_K6o Prevalence of Imprisonment in the US Population, 1974-2001 - https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/piusp01.pdfPrison Policy Initiative: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020 - https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html Just Mercy Movie - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4916630/ Thank you for listening! --------------------------------   Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** - Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell   Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com   Connect with Derek: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell Email: derek@thedatabinge.com

Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz are the co-founders of The Last Mile, an organization that aims to break the cycle of incarceration by providing education and career training opportunities in prisons. Founded in 2010 at San Quentin State Prison, The Last Mile has become one of the most requested prison education programs in the United States. In this talk, joined by former TLM student and Healthy Hearts Institute founder Ray Harts, they discuss how to build and grow social ventures that make a difference.

For the first time ever, we're extending our ETL series into the summer! We’ll be inviting some of our most impactful past ETL speakers to reflect on clips from their previous ETL talks, explore how they’re responding to the current moment, and point out strategies that remain as powerful as ever. Our summer season kicks off on Wednesday, June 24 with Inspirit founder Julie Zhuo. Later on we’ll hear from innovators like Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs, Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz (co-founders of the prison reform nonprofit The Last Mile) and Ann Miura-Ko (founding partner at the VC firm Floodgate). Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes delivered straight to you every Wednesday!

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Mastin Kipp Podcast! Today’s episode is an interview with Chris Redlitz of The Last Mile. Chris Redlitz is the managing partner of Transmedia Capital, a venture investment firm located in San Francisco. In 2010, Chris and his wife Beverly Parenti co-founded The Last Mile (TLM), a California based non profit that provides technology training for incarcerated men and women. TLM is the most progressive prison training program in the United States, currently in five California prisons. In 2016, they launched TLM Works, the first web development shop in a US prison, providing services for outside companies and earning the highest wage in any prison in America. Learn more about The Last Mile by visiting https://thelastmile.org/. Take a listen and enjoy!

On today’s Best of the Laura Ingraham Podcast, Ben Shapiro joins Laura in an exclusive interview to discuss whether we still have free speech in America. Plus, Chris Redlitz explains his successful non-profit, “The Last Mile,” that helps convicts have a future.

On this "Best Of the Laura Ingraham Podcast," Peter Schweizer joins Laura to expose the truth about Joe Biden's corrupt ties to China, Tim Carney discusses his new book "Alienated America,” and Chris Redlitz stops by to explain his successful non-profit that helps convicts have a future.

Chris Redlitz, General Partner of Transmedia Capital, shares success of The Last Mile program teaching tech to incarcerated populations, insights from investing/advising in 90+ startups, nurturing networks & deal flow, evolution of syndicates, urgency of smart money first, & backing founders with passion, presence & perseverance

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Dianne Feinstein is confronted by disrespectful and brainwashed students demanding she vote for the Green New Deal, Byron York stops by to explain the dilemma for NeverTrumpers in 2020, and Chris Redlitz explains his successful non-profit that helps convicts have a future. Plus, an Oscar recap with film critic Armond White.

Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz had already achieved plenty of success when they first entered San Quentin State Prison just north of San Francisco. Though they were not looking for a new venture, they ended up crossing paths with inmates including Kenyatta Leal, then serving a life sentence. They ended up founding The Last Mile, preparing incarcerated individuals for reentry through business and technology training. The results are extraordinary.

Earlier this year Lance was offered an opportunity to tour the San Quentin Prison and speak to the inmates currently enrolled in The Last Mile program. TLM teaches current inmates the job of coding with the hopes of earning employment in the tech world up their release. After his tour Lance talked with Chris Redlitz, the founder or TLM, about how he created the program and his initial hesitation to accept the invite. Lance also talked with Kenyatta Leal and Chris Schumacher about their experience in TLM. They discuss how they learned to code, job prospects upon release and starting relationships post incarnation. Lance also made a commitment to return to San Quentin to run the prison marathon. For more information on TLM visit https://thelastmile.org/

How can a side-project become a multimillion dollar venture? How has San Quentin become a technology incubator? How can we work to curb America’s prison problem? Paul and Rich talk to Chris Redlitz about Venture Capital and his newest nonprofit, The Last Mile. Invest in the Pivot: This week Paul Ford and Rich Ziade sit down with VC, Chris Redlitz to talk about his newest venture, The Last Mile (TLM). What started as a mission to instill hope in prisoners has become a technology incubator and coding school. We talk about access to information, the stigma around hiring criminals, and the tangible steps we can take to curb mass incarceration and reduce the recidivism rate in America. Rich also reveals his subconscious love of tight polyester pants! 3:52 —Chris: “We’ve seen some of the best companies come out of pivots or side projects.” 9:34 — Chris: “Kenyatta Leal who was in our first [round of the program], he’s on our board of directors, he was serving a life sentence when I met him as a result of the three strikes reform. He was released, now he’s on his four year anniversary and he works for a technology company here in San Francisco. Someone like that has just become a beacon of hope for those inside.” 11:56 — Chris: “The first thing that we recognized was that many of [the students] just lacked hope. They lived in a box and they thought in a box…And so our first premise was to instill hope and confidence, so that they could dream big.” 12:58 — Chris: “It’s come a long way from this idea of just instilling hope. Now we are teaching practical skills and we have guys getting out, getting hired as software engineers. We just had three guys hired within the last month in the Valley as Javascript coders.” A full transcript of this episode is available. LINKS Chris Redlitz Guy Kawasaki — Enchantment The Last Mile on Twitter The Last Mile The Last Mile Newsletter Donate to The Last Mile Wish Transmedia Capital Inside San Quentin’s Coding School Track Changes is the weekly technology and culture podcast from Postlight, hosted by Paul Ford and Rich Ziade. Production, show notes and transcripts by EDITAUDIO. Podcast logo and design by Will Denton of Postlight.

Chris Redlitz, venture capitalist and founder of Transmedia Capital, sits down with Aaron Strout to discuss how he followed his passions and persevered to become a successful entrepreneur. He also partnered with his wife to start The Last Mile, an organization designed to prepare incarcerated individuals for successful reentry through business and technology training.

“Unfortunately we see a lot of shows like Lockup and so forth that portray a certain subset of what goes on in prison. And that's real. But there are a lot of things that are not necessarily shown all the time that are really positive. I had no experience with prison. Never been a prison before. I stepped in San Quentin the first time. I had the same sort of perception that most people do. San Quentin is a very ominous looking place. It has all the death row inmates for California. I thought this a place where people go to serve out their time and a lot of these guys are beyond any type of help. That was my perception and for most people I think that's the case. I did a small class talking about entrepreneurship, and I did not have any idea that the response that I would get would be so amazing and deep. These guys were just thirsting for education, for conversation about things that they were so interested in. They wanted to start business. They wanted to learn. And it really immediately changed my perception of that. ” – Chris RedlitzChris Redlitz is a general partner of TransCapital Media and the founder of The Last Mile, which prepares incarcerated individuals for successful reentry through business and technology training. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

11. Spreading Awareness: Although our growing portfolio of rental properties had become an integral part of our wealth-accumulation strategy, I remained determined to build a digital-products business. With hopes of finding more institutional buyers for the program, I accepted 12 speaking assignments in the fall of 2015, keeping me in different airports every week. I traveled to various cities between Tacoma and Washington DC, striving to create market awareness for Earning Freedom products. Some of those speaking events provided memorable experiences, and opportunities that I hope to leverage in months to come. Earlier I mentioned that the Washington State Department of Corrections was a client of the Straight-A Guide product that I created. When I made my initial sales call in Washington State, I had an opportunity to build a friendship with Michael Colwell, assistant director of Correctional Industries. He introduced me to his colleagues, including Bernie Warner, Dan Pacholke, and Scott Frakes. At the time, Bernie served as Secretary of the state’s prison system. Since then, he retired and went on to lead a private prison system. Dan took over as Secretary in Washington’s prison system, and Scott Frakes advanced to become Secretary of Nebraska’s prison system. Those were powerful allies for me, and I hoped to persuade them to use the Earning Freedom programs in their prisons. Through those relationships I’d built in Washington State, I received an invitation to give a keynote presentation at a regional training conference in Spokane. Representatives from correctional industries in 11 Western states would be in attendance. Business entities that served the corrections industry sponsored the event with vendor booths. Keefe Group and Union Supply were two of the vendors in attendance. I approached the sales representatives and introduced myself. They didn’t know that I’d been incarcerated previously, so I played a hoax. “I was a loyal customer of yours for more than 25 years,” I said. When the sales representatives smiled, I told them that I’d never buy another one of their products again. Keefe Group and Union Supply were two of the most influential vendors to prison industries. They not only supplied commissaries and food services, they also were creating devices to deliver digital content. The devices were designed in such a way that they would not compromise security, and inmates could use them to download music or entertainment. After getting to know representatives from Keefe Group and Union Supply, I suggested that they connect me with decision makers. I wanted to make a case that those companies should make Earning Freedom products available to people in prison. As a consequence of those meetings, I received invitations to visit leaders of Keefe Group at the corporation’s headquarters in St. Louis, and I visited with leaders of Union Supply in Los Angeles. I also received an invitation to visit with leaders from New Mexico Department of Corrections, including Secretary Gregg Mercantel. Through these relationships that I’m developing, I anticipate that I’ll succeed in building interest for digital products I’m creating with Earning Freedom.   Sales Funnels and Webinars: The more I worked to generate purchase orders from giant corporations or government agencies, the more I realized the time commitment necessary. Complaining about the challenges of selling into this market wouldn’t advance my cause. The market existed, but as Andi advised, I would need to invest significant amounts of time to build the business model. By continuing to create content, make sales calls, and bring awareness to the value of Earning Freedom products, I’d sow seeds that would lead to the multi-million dollar business we aspired to create. Meanwhile, by learning more about the digital marketplace, I learned techniques that would allow me to offer products and services directly to consumers. Again, masterminds taught that we could create value when we trained ourselves to think about issues that were beyond our personal experiences. Every individual in society faced challenges. Those people could overcome challenges if they learned strategies that masterminds taught. In an effort to bring products and services to their attention, I invited Tulio to work with me. Earlier I wrote about Tulio Cardozo, one of the first graduates of Chris Redlitz’s The Last Mile program. I admire formerly incarcerated individuals who successfully transitioned into society. Tulio was especially impressive because he trained himself how to code computers and use technology while he was locked inside of solitary cells. Using the same strategies that empowered me through my journey, Tulio wrote letters to people and requested books. Since he had an interest in computers, he asked for books that would teach him how to code. When he concluded his prison term, he interned with technology companies and honed his skills further. Tulio’s expertise would prove invaluable as I worked to build products and services for consumers. Tulio kept his home base in the San Francisco Bay area and I worked from my office in Irvine. Using screen-sharing services, we devoted dozens of hours mastering the process of creating automated services. Using technology, we could deliver products and services that would bring value to the lives of others. All of those products and services either taught strategies to overcome challenges, or they offered opportunities clients could seize create wealth. All of our work began with the premise that anyone could take advantage of the same strategies and opportunities that allowed me to work toward my first $1 million. If I could do it after 26 years in prison, anyone could follow the pattern and create their success. We also began marketing our services to other entrepreneurs or business owners, creating solutions for them to use technology in ways that would increase revenues.   Alternative Investments: As we close out 2015, I’m particularly enthusiastic about using the expertise I’m developing with webinars and other digital projects to create more value in real estate. With Tulio, I’m creating digital courses to teach strategies Carole and I use to build our real estate portfolio; others can use those strategies to prepare for their financial stability. We’re teaching techniques we use to raise capital to purchase properties, to manage properties, to find tenants for our properties, and to keep our investments operating smoothly. Besides the courses, we’re also creating opportunities. I’m particularly enthusiastic about an agreement I’ve created with a developer who builds master-planned, oceanfront communities in Central America. In exchange for hosting webinars that bring attention to his properties, we’re creating favorable financing terms for those who visit the webinar—and also for Carole and me. We’re seizing the initiative to own appreciating assets in appreciating markets. I’ll write an update to this book later to show how the opportunities mentioned above contribute to my goal of earning my first million by August 12, 2018—five years after completing 26 years as federal prisoner 16377-004.

Spreading Awareness: Although our growing portfolio of rental properties had become an integral part of our wealth-accumulation strategy, I remained determined to build a digital-products business. With hopes of finding more institutional buyers for the program, I accepted 12 speaking assignments in the fall of 2015, keeping me in different airports every week. I traveled to various cities between Tacoma and Washington DC, striving to create market awareness for Earning Freedom products.   Some of those speaking events provided memorable experiences, and opportunities that I hope to leverage in months to come. Earlier I mentioned that the Washington State Department of Corrections was a client of the Straight-A Guide product that I created. When I made my initial sales call in Washington State, I had an opportunity to build a friendship with Michael Colwell, assistant director of Correctional Industries. He introduced me to his colleagues, including Bernie Warner, Dan Pacholke, and Scott Frakes. At the time, Bernie served as Secretary of the state’s prison system. Since then, he retired and went on to lead a private prison system. Dan took over as Secretary in Washington’s prison system, and Scott Frakes advanced to become Secretary of Nebraska’s prison system.   Those were powerful allies for me, and I hoped to persuade them to use the Earning Freedom programs in their prisons. Through those relationships I’d built in Washington State, I received an invitation to give a keynote presentation at a regional training conference in Spokane. Representatives from correctional industries in 11 Western states would be in attendance. Business entities that served the corrections industry sponsored the event with vendor booths.   Keefe Group and Union Supply were two of the vendors in attendance. I approached the sales representatives and introduced myself. They didn’t know that I’d been incarcerated previously, so I played a hoax.   “I was a loyal customer of yours for more than 25 years,” I said. When the sales representatives smiled, I told them that I’d never buy another one of their products again.   Keefe Group and Union Supply were two of the most influential vendors to prison industries. They not only supplied commissaries and food services, they also were creating devices to deliver digital content. The devices were designed in such a way that they would not compromise security, and inmates could use them to download music or entertainment. After getting to know representatives from Keefe Group and Union Supply, I suggested that they connect me with decision makers. I wanted to make a case that those companies should make Earning Freedom products available to people in prison.   As a consequence of those meetings, I received invitations to visit leaders of Keefe Group at the corporation’s headquarters in St. Louis, and I visited with leaders of Union Supply in Los Angeles. I also received an invitation to visit with leaders from New Mexico Department of Corrections, including Secretary Gregg Mercantel. Through these relationships that I’m developing, I anticipate that I’ll succeed in building interest for digital products I’m creating with Earning Freedom.     Sales Funnels and Webinars: The more I worked to generate purchase orders from giant corporations or government agencies, the more I realized the time commitment necessary. Complaining about the challenges of selling into this market wouldn’t advance my cause. The market existed, but as Tim advised, I would need to invest significant amounts of time to build the business model. By continuing to create content, make sales calls, and bring awareness to the value of Earning Freedom products, I’d sow seeds that would lead to the multi-million dollar business we aspired to create.   Meanwhile, by learning more about the digital marketplace, I learned techniques that would allow me to offer products and services directly to consumers. Again, masterminds taught that we could create value when we trained ourselves to think about issues that were beyond our personal experiences. Every individual in society faced challenges. Those people could overcome challenges if they learned strategies that masterminds taught. In an effort to bring products and services to their attention, I invited Tulio to work with me.   Earlier I wrote about Tulio Cardozo, one of the first graduates of Chris Redlitz’s The Last Mile program. I admire formerly incarcerated individuals who successfully transitioned into society. Tulio was especially impressive because he trained himself how to code computers and use technology while he was locked inside of solitary cells. Using the same strategies that empowered me through my journey, Tulio wrote letters to people and requested books. Since he had an interest in computers, he asked for books that would teach him how to code. When he concluded his prison term, he interned with technology companies and honed his skills further. Tulio’s expertise would prove invaluable as I worked to build products and services for consumers.   Tulio kept his home base in the San Francisco Bay area and I worked from my office in Irvine. Using screen-sharing services, we devoted dozens of hours mastering the process of creating automated services. Using technology, we could deliver products and services that would bring value to the lives of others. All of those products and services either taught strategies to overcome challenges, or they offered opportunities clients could seize create wealth. All of our work began with the premise that anyone could take advantage of the same strategies and opportunities that allowed me to work toward my first $1 million. If I could do it after 26 years in prison, anyone could follow the pattern and create their success. We also began marketing our services to other entrepreneurs or business owners, creating solutions for them to use technology in ways that would increase revenues.     Alternative Investments: As we close out 2015, I’m particularly enthusiastic about using the expertise I’m developing with webinars and other digital projects to create more value in real estate. With Tulio, I’m creating digital courses to teach strategies Carole and I use to build our real estate portfolio; others can use those strategies to prepare for their financial stability. We’re teaching techniques we use to raise capital to purchase properties, to manage properties, to find tenants for our properties, and to keep our investments operating smoothly.   Besides the courses, we’re also creating opportunities. I’m particularly enthusiastic about an agreement I’ve created with a developer who builds master-planned, oceanfront communities in Central America. In exchange for hosting webinars that bring attention to his properties, we’re creating favorable financing terms for those who visit the webinar—and also for Carole and me. We’re seizing the initiative to own appreciating assets in appreciating markets.   I’ll write an update to this book later to show how the opportunities mentioned above contribute to my goal of earning my first million by August 12, 2018—five years after completing 26 years as federal prisoner 16377-004.

Positive Connections: Through Justin I met Scott Budnick. Through Scott Budnick, I met Chris Redlitz. And through Chris Redlitz, I met Tulio Cardozo. Tulio was one of the first graduates from The Last Mile. As I had done, Tulio made some bad decisions as a young man, becoming involved with drugs. While incarcerated, however, Tulio chose to reinvent himself. Through textbooks, he trained himself how to code computers. Those efforts brought Tulio to the attention of Chris Redlitz and Chris authorized Tulio to participate in The Last Mile training program. When Tulio concluded his prison sentence at San Quentin, Chris offered Tulio an internship so he could learn more about working with technology companies. As it turns out, Tulio also followed the pattern of masterminds. He lived deliberately, and his deliberate actions led to success. Although I didn’t know much about technology, Tulio had a wealth of information. He invested hundreds of hours helping me to build MichaelSantos.com. Whenever I had a technology problem, I could turn to Tulio for immediate advice. If he didn’t know how to solve the problem, he used his resources to help me find solutions. The human connections, I learned, were incredibly valuable to accelerate growth. What type of human connections are you making?What could you do today to build stronger, more valuable connections tomorrow?In what ways will the connections you build contribute to your success?   Quora Besides introducing me to Tulio, Chris Redlitz also introduced me to the importance of social media. Chris and Beverly used Quora as a resource for teaching prisoners at San Quentin through The Last Mile program. Historically, prisons isolated people inside from the broader population. Yet Chris recognized that if people were going to overcome the challenges they would face upon release, they would need to build stronger connections. Although prisoners didn’t have direct access to the Internet, through volunteers, they could use Quora to interact indirectly. Quora was a question-based website. Anyone with access to the Internet could use the Quora website to ask questions. Then, the millions of people who used Quora could answer. Those who responded with subject-matter expertise would receive more attention. When people asked questions about prison on the website, The Last Mile team would print out those questions and bring them into San Quentin. Men who participated in The Last Mile program had subject-matter expertise on such topics, and they handwrote responses to questions that people asked. Then team members from The Last Mile would convert the prisoner responses into a digital file and publish responses on the Quora website. “You should open a profile on Quora,” Chris advised me during our first meeting. “Start answering questions about prison.” When I returned to my computer, I logged onto the Quora website and began to explore. In the search field I typed prisons and I saw all types of questions. I started to answer, always being authentic about the perspective from which I was writing. Responses I wrote have generated more than 1.1 million views, broadening my social network. As a consequence of that exposure to my writing, many opportunities opened that would advance the career I was trying to build. Several editors of other publications contacted me and asked permission to publish more of my writing. Gizmodo, a popular technology website published one of my articles, generating thousands of new connections. An editor from The Daily Dot, another online news service invited me to contribute articles. I received invitations to contribute new articles for many publications. That publicity brought me to the attention of Dr. Alan Ross, a professor at the University of California in Berkeley. “I’ve got more than 700 students who want you to come speak about your experiences in prison,” he said. I’m hoping that readers who are in jails or prisons will see the pattern. Many opportunities opened for me when I transitioned from the prison in Atwater to the halfway house in San Francisco. But had I not prepared myself during the decades I served as a prisoner, none of those opportunities would’ve opened. When I went to prison I didn’t have any academic credentials and I didn’t know how to write a coherent sentence. I certainly couldn’t stand in front large audiences and give one-hour lectures, or write for publication. Yet as a consequence of my exposure to Socrates, I learned about Socratic questioning. Instead of focusing on my own struggles, I focused on what my avatars would expect. By anticipating their expectations, I had reason to avoid the negativity and criminal influences. Instead, I focused on educating myself, on contributing to society, and on building strong support networks. Those decisions led to new relationships and new opportunities. They empowered me through the time I served in prison and they eased my adjustment into society upon my release.   Social Networks: As a consequence of my experience with Quora, my social media profile grew. By posting regularly on Facebook, thousands of people ‘liked’ my public page. On Twitter, my followers grew into the thousands. On LinkedIn, I could build an online resume where anyone could read about my passion for improving outcomes of our nation’s prison system. More than 1,000 people followed my progress through LinkedIn. By building a larger social network I could claim more authenticity. Instead of hiding from my criminal background, I lived transparently. Every step I took had a relationship to the successful life that I wanted to build. Since I anticipated that others would judge me for the bad decisions I made when I was 20, or the decades I served in prison, I wanted to provide them with more information to influence their judgment. By populating the record with my writing and speeches, I could influence them. And by influencing them, I could open more opportunities. Some of those opportunities brought financial resources, many did not. Either way, every investment of time that I made to spread awareness about the criminal justice system paid enormous dividends. They brought experience that I needed, they brought new relationships, and they brought new opportunities for me to persuade other people that I was worthy of their time. The stronger my social network became, the more opportunities opened. During the time that I served in the halfway house, NBC Bay Area Proud profiled my work, PBS NewsHour featured me on a segment, and organizers of a TEDx conference in Silicon Valley invited me to present. With that exposure, I built more credibility. I could then leverage the credibility to further my quest to improve outcomes of our nation’s criminal justice system, while simultaneously working to build a career.

Through Justin I met Scott Budnick. Through Scott Budnick, I met Chris Redlitz. And through Chris Redlitz, I met Tulio Cardozo. Tulio was one of the first graduates from The Last Mile. As I had done, Tulio made some bad decisions as a young man, becoming involved with drugs. While incarcerated, however, Tulio chose to reinvent himself. Through textbooks, he trained himself how to code computers. Those efforts brought Tulio to the attention of Chris Redlitz and Chris authorized Tulio to participate in The Last Mile training program. When Tulio concluded his prison sentence at San Quentin, Chris offered Tulio an internship so he could learn more about working with technology companies.   As it turns out, Tulio also followed the pattern of masterminds. He lived deliberately, and his deliberate actions led to success.   Although I didn’t know much about technology, Tulio had a wealth of information. He invested hundreds of hours helping me to build MichaelSantos.com. Whenever I had a technology problem, I could turn to Tulio for immediate advice. If he didn’t know how to solve the problem, he used his resources to help me find solutions. The human connections, I learned, were incredibly valuable to accelerate growth.   What type of human connections are you making? What could you do today to build stronger, more valuable connections tomorrow? In what ways will the connections you build contribute to your success?     Quora Besides introducing me to Tulio, Chris Redlitz also introduced me to the importance of social media. Chris and Beverly used Quora as a resource for teaching prisoners at San Quentin through The Last Mile program. Historically, prisons isolated people inside from the broader population. Yet Chris recognized that if people were going to overcome the challenges they would face upon release, they would need to build stronger connections. Although prisoners didn’t have direct access to the Internet, through volunteers, they could use Quora to interact indirectly.   Quora was a question-based website. Anyone with access to the Internet could use the Quora website to ask questions. Then, the millions of people who used Quora could answer. Those who responded with subject-matter expertise would receive more attention. When people asked questions about prison on the website, The Last Mile team would print out those questions and bring them into San Quentin. Men who participated in The Last Mile program had subject-matter expertise on such topics, and they handwrote responses to questions that people asked. Then team members from The Last Mile would convert the prisoner responses into a digital file and publish responses on the Quora website.   “You should open a profile on Quora,” Chris advised me during our first meeting. “Start answering questions about prison.”   When I returned to my computer, I logged onto the Quora website and began to explore. In the search field I typed prisons and I saw all types of questions. I started to answer, always being authentic about the perspective from which I was writing. Responses I wrote have generated more than 1.1 million views, broadening my social network.   As a consequence of that exposure to my writing, many opportunities opened that would advance the career I was trying to build. Several editors of other publications contacted me and asked permission to publish more of my writing. Gizmodo, a popular technology website published one of my articles, generating thousands of new connections. An editor from The Daily Dot, another online news service invited me to contribute articles. I received invitations to contribute new articles for many publications. That publicity brought me to the attention of Dr. Alan Ross, a professor at the University of California in Berkeley.   “I’ve got more than 700 students who want you to come speak about your experiences in prison,” he said.   I’m hoping that readers who are in jails or prisons will see the pattern. Many opportunities opened for me when I transitioned from the prison in Atwater to the halfway house in San Francisco. But had I not prepared myself during the decades I served as a prisoner, none of those opportunities would’ve opened. When I went to prison I didn’t have any academic credentials and I didn’t know how to write a coherent sentence. I certainly couldn’t stand in front large audiences and give one-hour lectures, or write for publication. Yet as a consequence of my exposure to Socrates, I learned about Socratic questioning.   Instead of focusing on my own struggles, I focused on what my avatars would expect. By anticipating their expectations, I had reason to avoid the negativity and criminal influences. Instead, I focused on educating myself, on contributing to society, and on building strong support networks. Those decisions led to new relationships and new opportunities. They empowered me through the time I served in prison and they eased my adjustment into society upon my release.     Social Networks: As a consequence of my experience with Quora, my social media profile grew. By posting regularly on Facebook, thousands of people ‘liked’ my public page. On Twitter, my followers grew into the thousands. On LinkedIn, I could build an online resume where anyone could read about my passion for improving outcomes of our nation’s prison system. More than 1,000 people followed my progress through LinkedIn.   By building a larger social network I could claim more authenticity. Instead of hiding from my criminal background, I lived transparently. Every step I took had a relationship to the successful life that I wanted to build. Since I anticipated that others would judge me for the bad decisions I made when I was 20, or the decades I served in prison, I wanted to provide them with more information to influence their judgment. By populating the record with my writing and speeches, I could influence them. And by influencing them, I could open more opportunities. Some of those opportunities brought financial resources, many did not. Either way, every investment of time that I made to spread awareness about the criminal justice system paid enormous dividends. They brought experience that I needed, they brought new relationships, and they brought new opportunities for me to persuade other people that I was worthy of their time.   The stronger my social network became, the more opportunities opened. During the time that I served in the halfway house, NBC Bay Area Proud profiled my work, PBS NewsHour featured me on a segment, and organizers of a TEDx conference in Silicon Valley invited me to present. With that exposure, I built more credibility. I could then leverage the credibility to further my quest to improve outcomes of our nation’s criminal justice system, while simultaneously working to build a career.

5. Support Networks Accelerate Growth Opportunities Earlier, I wrote about rules in the halfway house that required me to have a job. So long as I had a job that paid a steady paycheck, my case manager in the halfway house authorized me to leave. My friend Lee was more like a sponsor for me than an employer. He set a schedule for me to work 10—hour shifts, Monday through Saturday. I reported to an office and sat at a desk, but instead of doing work for Lee, I focused on creating a business. First, I needed Lee to see the vision. I persuaded Lee that our nation’s commitment to mass incarceration was one of the greatest social injustices of our time. Although it would take time, I convinced him that a need existed for programs and services to help people emerge from prison successfully. He encouraged me to develop a plan that would lead to a sustainable business providing products and services that would improve outcomes of our nation’s prison system.   Technology: My first challenge was learning how to use technology effectively. The world had changed during the decades that I served. I went to prison at a time when Bill Gates was talking about a time when there would be a computer in every home and on every desk. When I returned to society his vision had become a reality. We didn’t only have computers in every home and on every desk, but also in everyone’s pockets. Since I’d been away during the hyper-growth era of technology, I had to learn how to use computers and the Internet effectively. Although most people used personal computers powered by Microsoft operating systems, I’d read that Apple products were easier to learn. On the Saturday after I transitioned to the halfway house, Carole and I visited the Apple store. I purchased a MacBook Pro and a 27” iMac desktop computer. Knowing that technology could help me reach a wider audience, I spent my first weeks on the job learning how to use these fascinating products. While I was in prison I didn’t have much access to computers. I read many books about the development of the Internet, search engines, social media, and software applications. Yet when I began working with my computers, I realized that I would need to invest hundreds of hours to become proficient. Fortunately, I had Carole to tutor me. When she wasn’t at the hospital, she would sit at desk beside me to work on her studies. I liked having her close by and she was always willing to assist when I had questions about technology.   Websites: I began learning about WordPress, the powerful platform for building websites. When Carole first came into my life, we purchased the domain name MichaelSantos.net because the dot-com domain wasn’t available. Carole retained a web developer to build our new website. I published thousands of articles to document progress I made through my final decade in prison. Toward the end of my journey, we were able to purchase the domain name MichaelSantos.com for $1,000 and we began making the transition from MichaelSantos.net to MichaelSantos.com. I wanted to have a central location that would demonstrate my authenticity. Since Carole was busy with her career and school work, I needed to educate myself quickly on how to use WordPress so that I could manage my own websites. I made some critical errors in the beginning. By switching hosting companies and redesigning MichaelSantos.com, I lost thousands of articles and journal entries that I’d made over the years. For decades, I wrote a daily journal entry and sent my journals home. Carole published each entry as my “daily log” on the website. I wanted people to see the path, that through hard work, an individual could triumph over prison. Unfortunately, I lost all of those records with my decision to switch from one web-hosting company to another. We pay a price for inexperience. In time, I became more fluent with WordPress and with social media.   Building Networks: Although I didn’t understand much about using technology or computer networks, my adjustment through prison gave me other skills. One prong of my adjustment strategy was building support networks. If I could build strong support networks, I believed that more opportunities would open in prison and upon release. The goal of building strong support networks influenced my Socratic questioning: What steps could I take today to influence people to believe in me tomorrow? Those types of questions influenced my adjustment. The accomplishments I made while inside persuaded other people to believe in me. I could leverage those relationships to open new relationships. For example, earlier I wrote about my friendship with Justin Paperny. Justin was a graduate from USC and he had built a career as a stockbroker. Although he made some bad decisions that resulted in his being convicted of securities fraud, Justin’s crime didn’t characterize his entire life. He’d been successful in society once and as we built our friendship, I sensed that he would be successful again. When Justin concluded his obligation he launched the Michael G. Santos Foundation and he invested time to build that nonprofit. He attended schools, workshops, and conferences that exposed him to problems people in underserved communities faced. By relaying those findings to me, I had information I could use in ways that would help us contribute solutions. Through our work, Justin met new people and he introduced those people to me. Scott Budnick was one of the people Justin brought into my support network. Scott is famous for his role as a Hollywood producer of many blockbuster films, including The Hangover series, Starsky and Hutch, and other big-budget films. Scott’s passion, however, is juvenile justice. Scott founded The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), a nonprofit that strives to reduce recidivism. When I returned to society, Scott invited me to visit him in Hollywood. Rules of the halfway house, however, precluded me from being able travel. Until I concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons, I could only go from the halfway house to my place of employment. Travel limitations and halfway house restrictions were a problem. Human support networks were a solution. Scott said that since I lived in San Francisco, I had to meet Chris Redlitz. Scott then wrote an introductory email to Chris and I followed up by writing Chris about my background, telling him about my vision of building a business around my journey. I wanted to teach other people how to emerge from prison successfully. Chris responded within hours and he invited me to meet him. Turns out that Chris Redlitz is an influential figure from the San Francisco Bay area. As a professional, he was a successful venture capitalist. Through his firm Transmedia Capital, Chris and his partners matched investors with technology entrepreneurs who wanted to build compelling businesses that changed the world. But in addition to providing funding, Chris also ran a series of business incubators, providing resources for technology startups. Besides his business career as a venture capitalist, Chris also had a passion for improving outcomes of our nation’s prison system. When not putting multi-million dollar investments together, he and his wife volunteered at the San Quentin state prison. Initially, he went in to give a speech about entrepreneurialism. The prisoners inspired him. Chris then went home and convinced his wife and business partner, Beverly Parenti, to join him. Together they launched The Last Mile, an organization that would invest in human beings. They created a comprehensive curriculum that would teach business principles to people in prison. Later, participants in The Last Mile could learn how to write computer code from inside of the prison system.

  Support Networks Accelerate Growth Opportunities Earlier, I wrote about rules in the halfway house that required me to have a job. So long as I had a job that paid a steady paycheck, my case manager in the halfway house authorized me to leave. My friend Lee was more like a sponsor for me than an employer. He set a schedule for me to work 10—hour shifts, Monday through Saturday. I reported to an office and sat at a desk, but instead of doing work for Lee, I focused on creating a business. First, I needed Lee to see the vision.     I persuaded Lee that our nation’s commitment to mass incarceration was one of the greatest social injustices of our time. Although it would take time, I convinced him that a need existed for programs and services to help people emerge from prison successfully. He encouraged me to develop a plan that would lead to a sustainable business providing products and services that would improve outcomes of our nation’s prison system.     Technology: My first challenge was learning how to use technology effectively. The world had changed during the decades that I served. I went to prison at a time when Bill Gates was talking about a time when there would be a computer in every home and on every desk. When I returned to society his vision had become a reality. We didn’t only have computers in every home and on every desk, but also in everyone’s pockets. Since I’d been away during the hyper-growth era of technology, I had to learn how to use computers and the Internet effectively.   Although most people used personal computers powered by Microsoft operating systems, I’d read that Apple products were easier to learn. On the Saturday after I transitioned to the halfway house, Carole and I visited the Apple store. I purchased a MacBook Pro and a 27” iMac desktop computer. Knowing that technology could help me reach a wider audience, I spent my first weeks on the job learning how to use these fascinating products.   While I was in prison I didn’t have much access to computers. I read many books about the development of the Internet, search engines, social media, and software applications. Yet when I began working with my computers, I realized that I would need to invest hundreds of hours to become proficient. Fortunately, I had Carole to tutor me. When she wasn’t at the hospital, she would sit at desk beside me to work on her studies. I liked having her close by and she was always willing to assist when I had questions about technology.     Websites: I began learning about WordPress, the powerful platform for building websites. When Carole first came into my life, we purchased the domain name MichaelSantos.net because the dot-com domain wasn’t available. Carole retained a web developer to build our new website. I published thousands of articles to document progress I made through my final decade in prison. Toward the end of my journey, we were able to purchase the domain name MichaelSantos.com for $1,000 and we began making the transition from MichaelSantos.net to MichaelSantos.com. I wanted to have a central location that would demonstrate my authenticity. Since Carole was busy with her career and school work, I needed to educate myself quickly on how to use WordPress so that I could manage my own websites.   I made some critical errors in the beginning. By switching hosting companies and redesigning MichaelSantos.com, I lost thousands of articles and journal entries that I’d made over the years. For decades, I wrote a daily journal entry and sent my journals home. Carole published each entry as my “daily log” on the website. I wanted people to see the path, that through hard work, an individual could triumph over prison. Unfortunately, I lost all of those records with my decision to switch from one web-hosting company to another. We pay a price for inexperience. In time, I became more fluent with WordPress and with social media.     Building Networks: Although I didn’t understand much about using technology or computer networks, my adjustment through prison gave me other skills. One prong of my adjustment strategy was building support networks. If I could build strong support networks, I believed that more opportunities would open in prison and upon release. The goal of building strong support networks influenced my Socratic questioning: What steps could I take today to influence people to believe in me tomorrow?   Those types of questions influenced my adjustment. The accomplishments I made while inside persuaded other people to believe in me. I could leverage those relationships to open new relationships. For example, earlier I wrote about my friendship with Justin Paperny. Justin was a graduate from USC and he had built a career as a stockbroker. Although he made some bad decisions that resulted in his being convicted of securities fraud, Justin’s crime didn’t characterize his entire life. He’d been successful in society once and as we built our friendship, I sensed that he would be successful again.   When Justin concluded his obligation he launched the Michael G. Santos Foundation and he invested time to build that nonprofit. He attended schools, workshops, and conferences that exposed him to problems people in underserved communities faced. By relaying those findings to me, I had information I could use in ways that would help us contribute solutions. Through our work, Justin met new people and he introduced those people to me.   Scott Budnick was one of the people Justin brought into my support network. Scott is famous for his role as a Hollywood producer of many blockbuster films, including The Hangover series, Starsky and Hutch, and other big-budget films. Scott’s passion, however, is juvenile justice. Scott founded The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), a nonprofit that strives to reduce recidivism. When I returned to society, Scott invited me to visit him in Hollywood. Rules of the halfway house, however, precluded me from being able travel. Until I concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons, I could only go from the halfway house to my place of employment.   Travel limitations and halfway house restrictions were a problem. Human support networks were a solution. Scott said that since I lived in San Francisco, I had to meet Chris Redlitz. Scott then wrote an introductory email to Chris and I followed up by writing Chris about my background, telling him about my vision of building a business around my journey. I wanted to teach other people how to emerge from prison successfully. Chris responded within hours and he invited me to meet him.   Turns out that Chris Redlitz is an influential figure from the San Francisco Bay area. As a professional, he was a successful venture capitalist. Through his firm Transmedia Capital, Chris and his partners matched investors with technology entrepreneurs who wanted to build compelling businesses that changed the world. But in addition to providing funding, Chris also ran a series of business incubators, providing resources for technology startups.   Besides his business career as a venture capitalist, Chris also had a passion for improving outcomes of our nation’s prison system. When not putting multi-million dollar investments together, he and his wife volunteered at the San Quentin state prison. Initially, he went in to give a speech about entrepreneurialism. The prisoners inspired him. Chris then went home and convinced his wife and business partner, Beverly Parenti, to join him. Together they launched The Last Mile, an organization that would invest in human beings. They created a comprehensive curriculum that would teach business principles to people in prison. Later, participants in The Last Mile could learn how to write computer code from inside of the prison system.

The Last Mile Founder: Chris Redlitz   Chris Redlitz cofounded The Last Mile, one of the most successful prisoner reentry programs in the United States. Chris isn't a traditional prison reformer. He and his wife, Beverly Parenti, are venture capitalists from the San Francisco Bay area. They provide funding and other resources to growing technology companies. While visiting the famous San Quentin state prison in California, the men he met inspired him. Some were serving life sentences. In their stories, Chris and Beverly saw hope. They recognized that anyone had the capacity to change, and they wanted "to be the change they wanted to see in the world" by helping those people in prison prepare for success, in prison and beyond. They volunteered to lead The Last Mile, a program that would teach business and computer skills to prisoners. Since founding the program in 2011, they've mentored and taught hundreds of people in prison. Those people now earn high incomes in the technology sector and they help influence perceptions of other people in prison. Help spread the word on why we should reform our prison system by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the Earning Freedom podcast on iTunes. Click this link to subscribe, rate, and review.

5 years ago, Chris Redlitz walked into San Quentin prison for the first time. He came out a changed man... luckily only 3 hours later. The serial entrepreneur and technology visionary had reluctantly visited to speak to inmates about entrepreneurship, but the passion he witnessed in that room convinced him to start The Last Mile, a business and technology incubator inside San Quentin, the oldest prison in California. On Innovation Crush, Chris walks us through his passion, personal transformation, the differences between incarcerated entrepreneurs and free businessmen... oh and that one time he sailed from California to Hawaii. www.thelastmile.org www.twitter.com/tlm www.twitter.com/ChrisRedlitz

Chris Redlitz is Managing Partner at Transmedia Capital, an early stage venture fund specializing in digital media. Their portfolio includes the likes of Snapchat, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook, just to name a few. Chris also Co-Founded The Last Mile with his wife Beverly, a program that integrates the nation’s penal system with the technology business. Prior to Transmedia and The Last Mile, Chris launched the first online independent yellow page directory, automated coupon platform and content syndication system. As a result, he received Ad Age's prestigious i20 award for his contributions to the development of interactive marketing and advertising. Items Mentioned in Today's Show: Scan.me (acquired by Snapchat) SnappyTV (acquired by Twitter) Newsle (acquired by Linkedin) Josh James: Domo, Omniture Richard Branson: Losing my Virginity Good to Great by Jim Collins The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman Newco: John Battelle In today’s Episode you will learn: 1.) How Chris made his transition into the Venture Capital industry? 2.) How do VCs compete to be involved in the funding rounds of such attractive startups, such as, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook etc? 3.) How has Chris’ investment strategy changed over the years? What were his early deals? What did he learn from them? What does he do differently now? 4.) What is the premise of The Last Mile? 5.) How does Chris plan to scale the Last Mile to be nationally adopted in all prisons in the US? 6.) What has been the most challenging aspect of Chris’ journey with the Last Mile and how did he overcome it?   The episode will then finish with a quick fire round where we hear Chris plans for the next five years for The Last Mile, the resource he would most recommend to aspiring entrepreneurs and his most recent investment and why he said yes?

Imagine trying to bring entrepreneurship education to one of the most challenging environments in the world: San Quentin State Prison in California. In this powerful talk and interview, The Last Mile Co-Founders Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, along with program graduate Heracio Harts, discuss the benefits of commitment and entrepreneurial thinking in supporting individuals to make the successful transition from prison to living productive lives in society.

Imagine trying to bring entrepreneurship education to one of the most challenging environments in the world: San Quentin State Prison in California. In this powerful talk and interview, The Last Mile Co-Founders Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, along with program graduate Heracio Harts, discuss the benefits of commitment and entrepreneurial thinking in supporting individuals to make the successful transition from prison to living productive lives in society.

Imagine trying to bring entrepreneurship education to one of the most challenging environments in the world: San Quentin State Prison in California. In this powerful talk and interview, The Last Mile Co-Founders Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, along with program graduate Heracio Harts, discuss the benefits of commitment and entrepreneurial thinking in supporting individuals to make the successful transition from prison to living productive lives in society.