Podcasts about flex capital

Chris Erler was co-founder and COO of ComX, a sales pipeline generation for mid-market B2B companies in Germany and Europe. Chris and two other founders started the company in 2018 to conduct turnkey modern digital marketing and lead generation solutions for traditional German companies. As a tech-enabled service that combines technology, data, and people-powered solutions, ComX delivers proven results through subscription and outcome-based pricing. They grew quickly to approximately $20 million in revenue in four years before being acquired by the private equity firm FLEX Capital.  In this episode, Chris talks about: Growing a team of 70 employees in South Africa Starting in Germany with mid-market companies The challenges of debt financing of private equity buyouts Quote from Chris Erler, cofounder of ComX “99% of the time, I ask the founder, Why are you raising money from investors that early? I'm very pushy on that one because I know the freedom that you can create when building a bootstrapped business. “For me, raising money from investors and giving away shares very early means you're not focusing on customers, but rather focusing on collecting capital to build the product without having it validated too early. I just share our bootstrapped story with ComX which I believe works well.  “That's why I'm a big fan of your podcasts. There's a huge education needed, especially in Europe. People need to be educated on how to found properly. Of course, it can go well, but the chances that something f***'s up are much higher. And then young people are in a very bad situation.” Links Chris Erler on LinkedIn ComX on LinkedIn ComX website FLEX Capital website The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com.

Jan Hauke Holste, Director People bei Flex Capital, ist in diesem SAATKORN CHRO-Talk zu Gast.

In dieser Folge spricht Dr. Sebastian Voigt mit Christoph Jost, Gründer und Managing Director von FLEX Capital, über die Strategien und Hebel, die Private-Equity-Firmen wie FLEX Capital nutzen, um das Wachstum ihrer Portfoliounternehmen voranzutreiben. Christoph erklärt, wie FLEX Capital durch eine Kombination aus strategischen Investitionen, kontrolliertem Einsatz von Preisstrategien und wachstumsorientierten Maßnahmen den Wert ihrer Unternehmen steigert. FLEX Capital (a.k.a. Founders, Leaders and Executors – multiplied with Capital) zählt für viele zu den Rising Stars der PE-Szene. „Pricing ist ein faszinierender Hebel. Wenn Du die Preise smart nutzt, verdoppelst Du den Wert der Firma und hast 3x Geld gemacht.“ Christoph Jost beschreibt Pricing als einen der wirkungsvollsten, aber zugleich sensibelsten Hebel, der mit Bedacht eingesetzt werden muss. Statt vorschneller Preisanpassungen setzt FLEX Capital auf Transparenz und Kundenvertrauen. Ein Beispiel verdeutlicht diesen Ansatz: Eine von FLEX Capital übernommene Softwarefirma aus Köln hatte ihre Preise seit 15 Jahren nicht angepasst. Durch die Inflation entstanden so erhebliche reale Verluste. Gemeinsam mit den Gründern entwickelte FLEX Capital eine faire Preisstrategie, die nicht nur die Profitabilität wiederherstellte, sondern auch den Mehrwert für die Kunden klar kommunizierte. Über den Gast: Christoph Jost ist Founder & Managing Director bei FLEX Capital, einer Private-Equity-Gesellschaft, die auf Investitionen in wachsende Tech-Pioniere in der DACH-Region spezialisiert ist. FLEX Capital verwaltet derzeit rund 450 Millionen Euro über zwei Fonds und Co-Investitionen. Zuvor war Christoph Gründer und CEO von ABSOLVENTA Jobnet und hat mehrere erfolgreiche Unternehmen durch strategische Investitionen und Verkäufe begleitet, darunter Egoditor GmbH (verkauft an Bitly) und Passion 4 Gästezimmer GmbH (verkauft an FUNKE Mediengruppe). Zusätzlich ist er als Non-Executive Chairman bei verschiedenen Portfolio-Unternehmen von FLEX Capital tätig, darunter Proxora, lawpilots und die EVEX Group. Christoph hat Betriebswirtschaftslehre an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München studiert.

Willkommen zur neuen Private Equity-Podcast-Reihe von deutsche-startups.de. In der zweiten Folge dieser Reihe spricht Alexander Hüsing, Chefredakteur von deutsche startups, mit Christoph Jost von Flex Capital, einem Berliner Private Equity-Investor, der in gebootstrappte Internet- und Softwareunternehmen investiert. Das Thema: Die schattenhaften Private Equity-Heuschrecken: Was ist an diesem Bild heute noch dran? Sponsor OMMAX ist ein schnell wachsendes, digitales Strategieunternehmen, dass sich auf drei Themen konzentriert: die Transaktionsberatung, die digitale Strategieentwicklung und die Umsetzung der Digitalprogramme. Unsere Vision ist es, weltweit Digital Leaders über sieben Industrien aufzubauen, um Innovation zu fördern, das organische Umsatzwachstum zu beschleunigen und die Profitabilität zu sichern. In den letzten 13 Jahren durften wir auf über 300 M&A Transaktionen mitarbeiten und haben über 2000 internationale Digitalisierungsprojekte umgesetzt. Überwiegend für Private Equity Fonds und große Family Offices. Mehr unter www.ommax-digital.com. Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ Christoph Jost, Flex Capital - www.linkedin.com/in/christophjost/ Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #StartupRadar, #Interview und #Startup101. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/

Lauren Long is Co-Founder & CTO of Ampersand, the developer platform for native product integrations. Ampersand has raised $5M from investors including Matrix, Base Case Capital, Flex Capital, and 2.12 Angels. In this episode, we dig into their differentiation as a "code-first" product, why they focused on the GTM vertical to start (Salesforce was the first integration), why their CLI is open source but their orchestration layer is closed source, how being transparent on pricing has been a differentiator for them & much more!

Willkommen zur neuen Private Equity-Podcast-Reihe von deutsche-startups.de. In der ersten Folge dieser Reihe spricht Alexander Hüsing, Chefredakteur von deutsche startups, mit Christoph Jost und Peter Waleczek, den Machern von Flex Capital, einem Berliner Private Equity-Investor, der in gebootstrappte Internet- und Softwareunternehmen investiert. Zum Start bietet das Trio in knapp 30 Minuten eine Art "Private Equity 101", mit allem, was man über Private Equity wissen muss.  Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ Christoph Jost, Flex Capital - www.linkedin.com/in/christophjost/ Peter Waleczek, Flex Capital - www.linkedin.com/in/peterwaleczek/ Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #StartupRadar, #Interview und #Startup101. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/

Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and GP of Flex Capital, interviewed Ben Casnocha, Village Global co-founder and partner, on Auren's World of DaaS podcast. They are longtime friends and had a wide-ranging discussion on career strategy, evaluating founders, serendipity, wealth, and much more. We've cross-posted that conversation here.Highlights:The relevance of what you know vs. who you know has been a debate in the career strategy space for decades. Ben believes that the “what you know” is often dependent on the “who you know” because with the advent of the internet, public information is accessible to all but the insights that live in the heads of the smartest people are not shared widely and require a personal relationship with someone to be able to access that information.Talent spotting is about finding value in the unexpected and recognizing the strengths in those who may not fit the typical mold. Sometimes people who have clear and obvious flaws in one area are overlooked by people who can't see the brilliance beyond that particular flaw.Certain seasons of life are good for maximizing for serendipity and taking random coffee meetings. The key is to know what season of life you are in and whether it's better in the long-term at that moment to be maximizing for serendipity or not. The pendulum will swing back around at some point.There's a certain level of wealth where your wealth actually starts to detract from your level of happiness. Sometimes people are better served by aiming for a lower level of wealth in order to maximize for happiness.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Want to get updates from us? Subscribe to get a peek inside the Village. We'll send you reading recommendations, exclusive event invites, and commentary on the latest happenings in Silicon Valley. www.villageglobal.vc/signup

In dieser spannenden Folge des Karriere Insider Podcasts spricht David Döbele mit Jan Hauke Holste, Director of People & Proxy Holder bei FLEX Capital. Sie sprechen über seinen Werdegang, Private Equity, Supplements, Gehaltsmöglichkeiten in der Finanzbranche und viele weitere spannende Themen.   Unsere Website: https://pumpkincareers.com/ Investment Banking Analyst Report 2024 (Frankfurt): https://pumpkincareers.com/investment-banking-analyst-report-frankfurt/   Jans LinkedIn-Profil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-hauke-holste/ Karriereseite von Jan: https://www.flex.capital/wer-wir-sind/jan-hauke-holste/ Schaut euch unbedingt auch das Investment Career Accelerator Program (ICAP) an, bei dem FLEX Capital dabei ist: https://www.icap-gapyear.com/de/ Timestamps:   00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:46 - Jans Werdegang 00:18:37 - HR-Einstieg (Deutschen Bank und Wechsel zu KPMG) 00:32:44 - Wechsel zu Lesara, dann PlusDental, dann FLEX Capital 00:42:55 - Welche Skills für HR für seinen Job braucht (Wissen, Skills, Weiterbildung etc.) 01:14:32 - Karriereentwicklung im Private Equity 01:19:52 - Produktivitätsroutinen im Alltag 01:37:55 - Biohacking bei FLEX Capital 01:45:51 - Q&A (Buchempfehlungen, Karrieretipps, Gesundheit, Beziehungen) 01:57:23 - Outro   Weitere hilfreiche YouTube-Videos:   INVESTMENT BANKER WERDEN (Guide): https://youtu.be/nT0haK_NCIc  UNTERNEHMENSBERATER WERDEN (Guide): https://youtu.be/50Hg3nO09HA  Die besten Unis für den Bachelor: https://youtu.be/n-YSo8ss0Ks  Die besten Unis für den Master: https://youtu.be/fdKknPZzO4w  ALLE JOBS NACH DEM BWL-STUDIUM: https://youtu.be/D1Ssf6uAQlY  ALLE FINANCE JOBS nach dem BWL-Studium: https://youtu.be/6kD05whSvEU  Wenn du dich für den Berufseinstieg in Investment Banking, Unternehmensberatung oder Private Equity interessierst, haben wir hier einige nützliche Links für dich zusammengefasst.   BWL-Masterplan: https://bwl-masterplan.com/ Der BWL-Masterplan ist ein 11-stündiger Videokurs, der dir sehr übersichtlich aufzeigt, was dich während eines ambitionierten BWL-Studiums erwartet. Kostenpunkt: 49€, hat man schnell wieder drin.   Target-Uni-Report: https://pumpkincareers.com/target-uni-report In diesem kostenfreien PDF-Report bekommst du eine Übersicht über alle besonders empfehlenswerten Unis für ein BWL-Studium in der DACH-Region (inkl. Studiengebühren, namhafte Alumni, etc.).   Investment Banking Analyst Report: https://pumpkincareers.com/investment-banking-analyst-report Für diesen Report hat pumpkincareers® die LinkedIn-Profile sämtlicher Personen analysiert, die 2019 bis Anfang 2021 bei einer der folgenden Firmen in Frankfurt a.M. als Investment Banking Analysten eingestiegen sind: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Barclays, Rothschild und Lazard. Du erfährst genau, an welchen Unis diese Leute studiert haben, wie viele Praktika sie benötigt haben, etc. - sehr zu empfehlen für jeden, der im Investment Banking einsteigen will.   Consulting Einsteiger Report: https://pumpkincareers.com/consulting-report Auch in diesem Report wurden LinkedIn-Profile analysiert, dieses mal von über 1.200 Personen, die 2019 bis Mitte 2021 bei einer der folgenden Firmen in Deutschland, Österreich oder der Schweiz im Consulting nach dem Bachelor oder Master eingestiegen sind: Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Kearney, McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, Roland Berger oder Strategy&. Du erfährst wieder genau, an welchen Unis diese Leute studiert haben, wie viele Praktika sie benötigt haben, etc. - sehr zu empfehlen für jeden, der in der Strategieberatung einsteigen will.   Eine Gesamt-Übersicht über alle unsere bisher veröffentlichten Reports findest du übrigens hier: https://pumpkincareers.com/reports/ Schau gerne auch noch in unserem Blog vorbei: https://pumpkincareers.com/blog/   Falls du Fragen hast, die du persönlich mit uns besprechen willst, kannst du uns gerne auch auf LinkedIn (David Döbele, Jonas Stegh) oder Instagram (@pumpkincareers, @david.doebele) anschreiben.   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14829236/

Auren Hoffman is CEO of SafeGraph. SafeGraph is a geospatial data company focused on understanding physical places. He is also GP of Flex Capital. He is the former CEO and cofounder of LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP) -- the largest middleware provider in marketing technology. He is the founder of the Dialog Retreat and investor in over 160 active technology companies. Auren holds a B.S.E. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from UC Berkeley. Twitter: @auren

Ben Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Fundrise, an online investment platform that gives retail investors access to private assets like real estate and venture capital. Fundrise has invested over $7B in real estate and has 385,000+ investors on its platform.In this episode, Auren and Ben discuss:Real estate data adoptionPublic/private market convergence“Soft” SEC regulations on retail investmentData centers, warehouses & single family rentalLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @WorldOfDaaS.  You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Ben on X at @BenMillerrise. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Harley Finkelstein is the President of Shopify ($SHOP), a leading ecommerce platform valued at over $80 billion. Shopify powers over 2 million ecommerce stores in 175 countries. On this episode, Harley and Auren discuss:  Entrepreneurial renaissance & record business creationNonobvious brand success storiesShopify's ecosystem and partnerships playbookCanadian entrepreneurship and ambitionLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @WorldOfDaaS.  You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Harley on X at @harleyf. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Brent Beshore is the founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, a unique private equity firm that buys cash-generating small and mid-sized businesses— with the intention to hold them indefinitely. Permanent Equity owns over a dozen businesses in diverse sectors including aerospace, building and construction, and martech. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Brent discuss:Secrets to good acquisitionsRunning a PE firm with no leverage and no feesIncentives and efficiency in businessBuilding in Flyover CountyLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @WorldOfDaaS.  You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Brent Beshore on X at @BrentBeshore. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Mark Gerson co-founded Gerson Lehrman Group, the world's largest expert network. He's also the co-founder and Chairman of United Hatzalah and the African Mission Healthcare Foundation. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Mark discuss: Measuring charity impact and ROI Real philanthropy vs “fake charities” Building GLG and expert networksMarriage and religion in the USLooking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to WorldofDaaS.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @WorldOfDaaS.  You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Mark Gerson on X at @markgerson. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Michael Batnick is a managing partner and Director of Research at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He's also the host of the excellent investing and finance podcast network The Compound. In this episode, Auren and Michael discuss: Mega caps, crypto and retail investors Impact of index funds on the stock marketFintech vs legacy  financial institutionsInvesting mistakes and life lessonsWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Michael on X at @michaelbatnick. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Anand Sanwal is the founder of CB Insights, a business analytics platform and global database of intel on technology companies. Anand was CEO of CB Insights for 14 years and recently stepped into the role of executive chairman. In this episode, Auren and Anand discuss: Tech and venture capital narratives vs dataAI integration and workflowsFuture of data businessesCEO transitions at 1 to N companiesWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Anand Sanwal on X at @asanwal. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Scott Lynn is the founder and CEO of Masterworks, the first company to securitize art. Masterworks manages $940 million in art assets and has nearly 900,000 investors on its platform. Scott is also a multitime founder– prior to Masterworks, he founded companies in online gaming, advertising and fintech including AdKnowledge, Virtumundo, V2 Ventures and Payability.In this episode, Scott and Auren discuss: Data insights on the art marketArt trends and investing strategiesNFTs and other collectiblesFraud, money laundering and art scamsWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Scott Lynn on LinkedIn. Follow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Dmitri Alperovitch is the co-founder and former CTO of Crowdstrike, and he's currently the chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a national security think tank. He's also the author of the new book World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century.In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Dmitri discuss: Taiwan's strategic importance in AsiaChina's potential timeframe for invading TaiwanChip dominance and global semiconductor marketsEndgames in the Ukraine-Russia ConflictWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Dmitri on X at @DAlperovitchEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Jonathan Ross is the founder and CEO of Groq, a company that develops high performance microchips purpose built for AI and machine learning. Prior to founding Groq, Jonathan invented Google's AI processor, the TPU. In this episode of World of DaaS, Jonathan and Auren discuss: Future of Industries in AI EraEvolution of AI processing hardwareSemiconductor supply chainsChallenges and Innovations in Chip DevelopmentPrompt writing tips from an AI proWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Jonathan on X at @JonathanRoss321.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Greg Isenberg is the CEO and Founder of Late Checkout Studio, a holding company for online community businesses. Greg has founded three venture-backed startups and he was also an advisor to TikTok and Reddit. In this episode of World of DaaS, Greg and Auren discuss: Changes to startup + VC ecosystemStartup studio model vs. private equityChatGPT businesses in 2024Building without venture fundingWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Greg at @gregisenbergEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Saagar is the co-host of the podcast and web series Breaking Points, which has over a million subscribers on Youtube. He was previously a White House correspondent for the Daily Caller. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Saagar discuss: Media business models and revenue streamsBias and anti-establishment mediaParallels in US history to todayAliens, conspiracies and DC parties World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Saagar on X at @esaagar. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Ryan Petersen is the founder and CEO of Flexport, a unicorn international freight forwarding business. He's also a Venture Partner at Founders Fund. In this episode of World of DaaS, Ryan and Auren discuss: Supply chain breakdowns Geopolitics of commercial shippingScaling freight forwarding businesses 10XDeglobalization vs international tradeReturning to Flexport after stepping down as CEOWhy good CEOs micromanageWorld of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Ryan on X at @typesfast.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Bill Magnuson is the co-founder and CEO of Braze ($BRZE), a publicly traded customer engagement platform valued at over $5 billion.   In this episode of World of DaaS: Growth of mobile technologyPower of first-party relationshipsModern martech mindset vs traditional advertisingTech company IPOsHow SMS spam and fraud worksBuild vs buy martech strategiesToxic tech workplace culture and “family” World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcastsYou can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Bill Magnuson on X at @billmagFollow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Steve was CEO of AOL during its meteoric rise from 1991 to 2003. He's also the chairman and CEO of Revolution, which has invested over $1 billion in startups, and the author of several books, including Rise of the Rest and The Third Wave.In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Steve discuss the early days of the internet and the challenges of getting people to embrace it. Steve highlights the importance of community in AOL's success and the launch of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Steve also shares his vision for the third wave of the internet, where the internet meets the real world and disrupts industries like healthcare. Auren and Steve also discuss Steve's extensive investments with his firm Revolution and his Rise of the Rest Initiative, which seeks to bring venture funding and innovation to non-coastal cities. They close out the conversation with a discussion about the power of optimism in entrepreneurship and the importance of partnerships and policy in driving change. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Steve Case on X at @SteveCase. Follow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Blake Hall is the co-founder and CEO of ID.me, a secure digital identity network with over 100 million members.      In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Blake dive into online security, passwords, AI, and geopolitics. Blake explains the concept of identity wallets and their potential to streamline access to services and benefits. He also breaks down why identity wallets are like VISA and Mastercard, and explains where there's untapped opportunity for a trillion-dollar company in the identity space.  In the second half of the conversation, Auren and Blake discuss espionage in the digital age, the influence of Iran in the Middle East, and adapting to changing warfare tactics. They close with insights into Blake's framework for hiring executives and assessing strategic thinking, and questioning conventional wisdom in entrepreneurship.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Blake Hall on X at @Blake_HallEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Daniel Diermeier is the Chancellor of Vanderbilt University. He's a world-renowned scholar of business management and political science. Before joining Vanderbilt, he was Provost of the University of Chicago. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Daniel engage in a thought-provoking discussion on free speech, academic freedom and the state of higher education at large. They explore the sources behind requests to curtail free speech, the principles guiding free expression at Vanderbilt, and how Daniel has developed programs to teach students about civil discourse. Daniel and Auren also discuss the influence of universities on broader culture to the evolving challenges faced by liberal arts colleges. Daniel shares insightful perspectives on the changing landscape of higher education and insights into the impact of rising student loan costs, the balance between teaching and research, and the rise in mental health challenges among students. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Daniel Diermeier on X at @VU_Chancellor.

We welcome back our friends Christoph and Peter from FLEX Capital in Berlin, Germany. Our conversation covers everything you would expect . . . how is the tech market holding up in Europe, how is deal flow, are deals getting done, are founders selling or holding on, where are valuations today compared to a few years ago, how is the fundraising market, what does competition for deals look like? We also cover the basics, such as what Christoph and Peter look for in a deal, what they will and won't do, and how that has changed over time. Here are their emails if you'd like to connect . . . pw@flex.capital and cj@flex.capital

Daniel Lurie is currently running for mayor of San Francisco. Prior to running for mayor, he was the founder and CEO of Tipping Point Community, a charitable organization that distributed over $30 million to organizations fighting poverty throughout the Bay Area last year.  In this episode of World of DaaS, Daniel discusses tackling crime, homelessness and cost of living in San Francisco. He breaks down the structural factors in the city's governance and explains how they're enabling corruption and inefficiency. In particular, Daniel outlines how he would reform the city's massive $700 million homelessness efforts to better support drug recovery.Daniel and Auren also discuss Daniel's background in philanthropy in New York and San Francisco. Daniel shares his insights on what makes a charity effective and efficient, and how he evaluates charities. They also discuss the impact of ranked choice voting, and how it changes campaigning. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit worldofdaas.buzzsprout.com, and follow us @WorldOfDaaS. You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Daniel on X at @DanielLurieEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Sarah Tavel is a general partner at Benchmark Capital. She serves on the board of Chainalysis, Hipcamp, Medely, Rekki, and Cambly. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Sarah discuss the concept of selling work in the SaaS industry and how it differs from selling traditional productivity software. Sarah explains how selling work could unlock whole new verticals for software penetration and disrupt existing SaaS giants. Auren and Sarah explore the areas where these new, leaner software companies could flourish and discuss the broader impacts of AI in SaaS. As one of the earliest hires at Pinterest, Sarah also has deep expertise with consumer social, which is set to be transformed by AI. She and Auren talk chatbots, AI avatars, and the responsibilities founders have as AI begins to replace more human interaction. The conversation wraps up by touching on Harvard as an institution, conspiracy theories about UAPs and TikTok, and questioning conventional wisdom about fundraising and growth. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.Follow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaSYou can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Sarah Tavel on X at @sarahtavel.

Meb Faber is the co-founder and CIO of Cambria Investment Management, which has over $2B in assets under management. He's also the host of the excellent financial podcast the Meb Faber Show. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Meb discuss global portfolio allocation, bitcoin ETFs, controversial investing strategies, and little-known financial industry secrets. They discuss the most common mistakes Meb sees in investment portfolios, the importance of global diversification and tax efficiency strategies for founders. This is a high-level investing strategy discussion, with Auren and Meb diving deep on the relative safety of different assets, ETFs vs mutual funds, and Meb's learnings from angel investing. They close out the conversation with Meb's thoughts on the role of optimism in investing in startups, conspiracy theories, and his views on conventional wisdom in investing.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Meb on X at @MebFaberFollow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Dr. Neil Buddy Shah is the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the former managing director of GiveWell. In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Buddy dive into all things data, public health, and AI. Buddy discusses innovative solutions for data scarcity in low-income countries, such as using machine learning algorithms to better target social and medical aid. He also explores the potential of low-cost surveys and the role of cell phones in data collection. Buddy is a longtime member of the effective altruism movement and the former managing director of GiveWell, a EA-focused organization that evaluates charities based on their cost-effectiveness. He shares some nuanced insights on the EA movement's strengths and weaknesses, and where he'd like to see it improve. Auren and Buddy also discuss the impact of economic growth and governance on public health, the decline in HIV/AIDS lethality, the decline in trust of experts, and the Forbes Under 30 list. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Buddy on X at @NeilBuddyShahFollow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Dan Siroker is the co-founder and CEO of Rewind AI. He also co-founded Optimizely, and he was the Director of Analytics at Obama's first presidential campaign.     On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Dan discuss how Rewind raised its Series A in public, and how the unconventional move benefited the company. Dan shares insights on creating a compelling pitch and the importance of practicing and honing the pitch through meetings with investors. Dan also discusses the challenges and opportunities in building screenless wearable devices, and what future wearables could look like. Auren and Dan explore how wearable AI tech could affect cancel culture, transparency, and surveillance. The conversation closes with Dan's advice for parent founders and his thoughts on conventional wisdom and advice.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Dan Siroker on X at @dsiroker. Follow World of DaaS @WorldOfDaaS 

Emil Michael was the Chief Business Officer at $UBER during its hyperscale period from 2013 to 2017. He's currently the CEO of DPCM Capital, and he's also a strategic advisor to a number of amazing companies, including Codecademy, GroupMe and Taser. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Emil cover everything from tech IPOs and Uber's stock performance to the future of AI, the relationship between Uber and Benchmark, and more. Emil shares insights into the reasons behind the delay in tech IPOs, the profitability of ridesharing companies, and the future for Uber and Lyft as they expand their food delivery businesses and explore new verticals. He also discusses the impact of higher interest rates on startups and the nuances of launching and operating marketplace businesses. Emil and Auren also have a candid conversation about Uber's relationship with Benchmark Capital and how it affected the trajectory of the company– Emil thinks Uber could have been 2 or 3 times as large as it is now. He offers key advice for founders on choosing your VCs and keeping execs and the board in alignment. To close out, Emil also shares some counterintuitive management advice and insights from conducting over 3,000 interviews at Uber.  World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Emil on X at @emilmichael. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Austen Allred is the founder and CEO of the Bloom Institute of Technology (formerly known as Lambda School), a coding bootcamp that's helped thousands of students get a job in tech.      The discussion kicks off with an exploration of Income Share Agreements (ISAs) and how BloomTech has used them as an alternative to student loans. Austen shares insights on the financial incentives and regulatory pressures that have prevented more schools from embracing ISAs, and how the current student loan regime works.   Auren and Austen dive deep on education and discuss different funding models at public and private universities, the decline of apprenticeship, and the structural factors that have caused the cost of education to skyrocket in the last few decades. Austen sheds light on questionable practices of for-profit colleges and the intriguing dynamics of universities acquiring coding bootcamps.As the conversation unfolds, Austen shares insights on how being an investor makes him a better CEO and even delves into intriguing conspiracy theories. The episode wraps up with Austen debunking common management advice and offering unconventional perspectives on micromanagement and employee satisfaction. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Austen Allred at @Austen

Oren Cass is the founder and executive director of the think tank American Compass, and the author of the book The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America. He was also the Domestic Policy Director for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign. In this episode, Oren discusses the limitations of common economic statistics, emphasizing their narrow scope in capturing the overall economic landscape. He challenges prevailing notions about the cost of thriving in the middle class, shedding light on inflation measures and geographical variations that impact individual spending.The conversation extends to the changing dynamics within conservative ideologies, the role of unions in the new right, and the future of GOP/labor relationships. Oren explores the implications of automation on the workforce, shares insights on globalization, and critiques industrial policy. The episode also touches on the decline of apprenticeships in favor of formal education, concluding with Oren's unconventional advice on success. Tune in for a straightforward exploration of tech, data, and macroeconomics that challenges conventional economic wisdom.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Oren Cass at @oren_cass on X.

This episode is a rebroadcast of Auren's appearance on Media Empires with Erik Torenberg. Go check out  Media Empires for more from the best YouTube creators, podcasters, newsletter writers, and media entrepreneurs. In this episode, Erik and Auren discuss all things data business, including data on windfalls and net worth, reputational databases, and the failures and successes of LinkedIn. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Erik on Twitter at @eriktorenberg

Greg Lukianoff is the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). He's also a bestselling author of several books, including The Coddling of the American Mind and most recently The Canceling of the American Mind.On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Greg delve into the current state of cancel culture. Greg reveals surprising stats on which schools are the best and worst for free speech in 2024 and breaks down the escalating levels of shoutdowns and violence observed on campuses in 2020 and 2021.Beyond campus dynamics, the discussion expands to the broader significance of the situation in academia and what the value of a degree should be in the workforce. Greg advocates for a shift in focus from degrees as a metric of value, and talks about what smart companies are looking towards for alternative hiring criteria. Auren and Greg also explore of the origins of cancel culture in 2014, tying in historical lessons on censorship and highlighting the interplay between free speech and the contemporary culture of safetyism.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Greg Lukianoff on X at @glukianoff.

Mary Kay Henry is the president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million people in unions across the US and Canada.In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Mary Kay discuss the current surge in the labor movement and what it means for American companies and workers. Mary Kay breaks down some recent developments, including Microsoft's agreement with the Communications Workers of America around unions for game developers.  The conversation also delves into political dynamics, exploring the evolving relationship between Republicans and labor, with Mary Kay providing nuanced insights into why some newly elected figures in the Republican party seem to be evolving on labor issues. They also discuss the effects of immigration on the country's labor market over the last 50 years, and where the labor movement stands on immigration today. The episode concludes with Mary Kay sharing advice for CEOs, discussing term limits, and even delving into a conspiracy theory she finds intriguing. The conversation offers a unique glimpse into Mary Kay's leadership philosophy, advocating for a culture of agility and a proactive approach to challenges within the labor movement.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Mary Kay Henry on X at @MaryKayHenry.

Joe Lonsdale is a co-founder of a number of amazing companies, including Palantir, Addepar and OpenGov, and he's a cofounder of the University of Austin. He's also the founder and managing partner of the venture firm 8VC, and he's invested in some incredible companies, including Oculus, Anduril, Wish and Flexport.In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Joe engage in a thought-provoking discussion on optimism and pessimism, technological progress, and reforming society at the most basic levels. Joe shares his vision for revolutionizing American healthcare, emphasizing the need to fix a broken system without sacrificing innovation. Auren and Joe also explore the challenges within higher education, unpacking surprising statistics about administrator-to-student ratios and contemplating the evolving nature of meritocracy.As a cofounder of Palantir, Joe has unique insight into the defense industrial complex, and he and Auren delve into the intersection of defense, geopolitics, and technology. Joe makes predictions about the future of defense innovation, and speculates on the emergence of new unicorns in the sector. The episode concludes with a challenging, contrarian take on entrepreneurship, where Lonsdale redefines the qualities required to be a founder and questions some of the conventional wisdom about starting companies. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Joe Lonsdale on X at @JTLonsdale. 

Sam Lessin is a GP at Slow Ventures, a former Facebook product manager, and the founder of Drop.io and Fin. He's also the co-host of an excellent podcast on tech called More or Less. On this episode of World of DaaS, Sam gives a comprehensive breakdown of the state of venture capital. Auren and Sam discuss the “unicorn factory” for building public companies, the influence of megafunds like Tiger Global and Softbank, and the fundamental changes that VC went through in 2018-2022. Sam also shares his outlook on the best areas for investment in 2024 and beyond, including which founders are set up to thrive and which businesses are likely to struggle. They also go deep on the dynamics of investing in AI– Sam is confident he knows who the winners will be in artificial intelligence. To close out, Auren and Sam dive into some of the “weird” investment ideas they're exploring, like income share agreements and backing creators. They also reflect on the changing global landscape of tech and discuss whether the era of the “open internet” is over. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Sam Lessin on X at @lessin. 

Brian Halligan is the co-founder, longtime CEO and now executive chair of Hubspot, a full service platform for marketing, sales and customer service. Hubspot was founded in 2006 and has a market cap of $23B today. Brian coined the term “inbound marketing” and helped give rise to one of the biggest shifts in marketing of the last 20 years. In this episode of World of DaaS, Brian offers a deep dive into the intricacies of boardroom politics, effective leadership transitions, and the ever-evolving landscape of marketing in the AI age. He offers a candid perspective on what makes a bad board, and how to steer clear of individuals who are a “waste of a board seat.”As the conversation unfolds, Brian forecasts the future of marketing, envisioning a landscape transformed by AI and the democratization of information. He highlights the unique model of renowned venture capital firm Sequoia and draws comparisons between the cultural dynamics of the tech scenes on the West and East coasts. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Brian Halligan on X at @bhalligan. 

This episode is a rebroadcast of Auren's appearance on the MapScaping Podcast. In this episode, Auren and MapScaping host Daniel O'Donohue go deep on geospatial data. They start by discussing Placekey– an open entity resolution service for places and addresses. Auren gives a breakdown of the complexities involved with address matching, and what that has to do with the dollar, Unix time, and innovation. Auren and Daniel also delve into a broader conversation about join keys, data integration and the future of data interoperability. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and on X and Daniel O'Donohue on LinkedIn. See more from the MapScaping podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts.  

Sam Corcos is the CEO of Levels, an a16z-backed health tech startup. While Levels' mission is amazing, what really sets the company apart is how Sam runs it: Levels is highly transparent, asynchronous first, and serious about leveraging delegation for maximum productivity. In this episode of World of DaaS, Sam gives a master class on the art of virtual assistance and delegation.  Levels uses VAS to allow team members much greater leverage over their work. Sam himself has four EAs that allow him to get an extra 90-120 hours of work done each week.Auren and Sam also delve into transparency and building in public, a principle Sam champions as a CEO. Sam discusses the leadership skills that allowed him to build enough trust in his organization to try out experimental management techniques like radical transparency and asynchronous-first communication.    Sam isn't just an optimizer in his professional life– he's a hardcore minimalist (he owns just one pair of pants), a digital nomad, and a deeply intentional thinker on matters in his personal life. Sam shares the mathematical formula that led him from single to married in six months, how he thinks about consumerism, and his formula for throwing the perfect salon dinner.  World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Sam on X at @SamCorcos

Jeff Lawson is the cofounder and CEO of Twilio, a $10 billion public software communications company.Jeff has an incredible founder story. Prior to Twilio, he co-founded Versity, which he sold for $30 million when he was just 23 years old. He was also the founding CTO of Stubhub and one of the first product managers at AWS. He founded Twilio in 2008. In this episode, Jeff shares his insights into the API economy, scaling successful businesses, and the future of the SaaS business model. Jeff and Auren reflect on the evolution of SaaS and discuss which areas still have yet to be disrupted. Jeff dives into Twilio's fascinating journey, including his takes on raising money in a challenging environment and pitching new technology to investors. He provides a firsthand account of Twilio's journey from startup to billion dollar public company, including how they built a top tier sales organization. He and Auren also discuss API business models, the challenges of M&A, and breaking down internal silos that hold companies back. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Jeff Lawson on X at @jeffiel. 

Spencer Kimball is the founder and CEO of Cockroach Labs, a $5 billion company that makes the CockroachDB database used by Netflix, Nubank, Shipt, and many other leading tech companies. Spencer was building and contributing to major open source projects before he graduated from college. In this episode of World of DaaS, Spencer and Auren do a deep dive on open source companies: How they make money, what the ecosystem looks like in 2023, and competing with the giants like AWS and Oracle. Auren and Spencer open with an in-depth history lesson on the software industry and open source's role in it. Spencer explains how open source and open core companies evolved and how the rise of cloud giants like AWS has changed the industry. They also discuss how belief and optimism affects founders, Spencer's “hierarchy of success,” and essential advice for first time founders.  World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Spencer on LinkedIn. 

Jack Altman is the Founder and CEO @ Lattice, the #1 people management platform, last valued at $3BN. Jack is an investor through his founding of Jack Altman Capital where he has invested in WorkOS, NexHealth, Owner.com, Mercury and more. Auren Hoffman is the Founder and CEO @ Safegraph, the most accurate database of global points of interest, last valued at $550M. Auren is an investor through his founding of Flex Capital where he has invested in Chime, Checkr, Coinbase, Flexport, Vercel and more. Jason Lemkin is the Founder and CEO @ SaaStr, the world's largest SaaS community. Jason is an investor through his founding of The SaaStr Fund. In the past, Jason has invested in Pipedrive, Algolia, Salesloft, Front, GreenHouse, Owner.com, Gorgias and more. In Today's Episode on Founder-Led Funds We Discuss: Why have we seen the rise of "Founder-led Funds"? Are founder-led funds more empathetic to the founders they invest in? How do founder-led funds source and pick investments in a way that traditional VC does not? Will we see founder-led Funds truly compete against the Sequoias of the world? How does being an operator make you a better investor? How does investing help you be a better founder and operator? How do you communicate your investing practice and firm to your company and team? What are the biggest excitements and concerns LPs have for Founder-led Funds? Will we see the face of venture changing much more broadly and structurally? How do founder-led funds manage both time and company conflicts?

Michael Seibel is a group partner at Y Combinator and the managing director of YC's startup accelerator. He evaluates 1000s of startups a year and sees hundreds go through YC, which means he has better data on startup success than just about anyone in tech. He's also the cofounder of Twitch. In this episode, Michael and Auren dive into the startup landscape and the inner workings of Y Combinator. As a partner at YC, Michael sheds light on the top qualities he seeks in applicants, drawing from his experience of sifting through a staggering 20,000 yearly applications to their accelerator program. They also discuss Michael's journey as co-founder of Twitch (formerly known as Justin.tv), which now boasts an impressive 140 million monthly active users and was acquired by Amazon for roughly $1B. Michael delves into the mistakes Twitch made along the way and the surprising advice that saved the company from collapse. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Michael on Twitter at @mwseibel.

Ben Horowitz is the cofounder and CEO of Andreessen Horowitz, the most influential venture capital firm of the last 20 years. Ben and Andreessen Horowitz (also known as a16z) have invested in some of the biggest companies out there, including AirBnb, Coinbase, Facebook, Instacart, GitHub and Oculus. Prior to his VC career, Ben founded Opsware/Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6 billion. He's also the author of the bestselling books 'The Hard Thing About Hard Things' and ‘What You Do Is Who You Are.'In this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Ben discuss the data moats, AI vs software, and the nuances of the modern VC. Ben starts by exploring whether AI will eat the world like software has, and who the winners and losers of the AI revolution might be.  They also explore one of Ben's best-known management concepts: wartime to peacetime CEOs, and how every CEO should be thinking about strategy and adaptability during broader tech headwinds. Ben's offers a candid perspective on how to build the right culture and what sets Andreessen Horowitz apart in the venture capital world.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.‍You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Ben on Twitter at @bhorowitz.

Guillermo Rauch is the founder and CEO of Vercel, a cloud platform that powers some of the biggest names on the internet, like Patreon, Ebay, Netflix and Adobe.  Guillermo has an incredible founder story– he began coding at age 10, dropped out of high school and moved from his native Argentina to San Francisco as a teenager. He's also the creator of several major open source projects and a dual threat CEO who runs his own solo VC firm, Rauch Capital. In this episode of World of DaaS, Guillermo and Auren discuss  the future of web development, the significance of user experience, and the rise of developer-first companies. They also explore the world of open-source business models and AI's impact on data interactions.Guillermo also shares his unique personal journey and some thought-provoking insights on health, the immigrant experience and conspiracy theories. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Guillermo on Twitter at @rauchg.

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a financial columnist for the New York Times, a co-anchor of CNBC's Squawk Box and the founder and editor of DealBook. He's also the co-creator of the hit-show Billions and the author of the bestselling book Too Big To Fail, on the 2008 financial crisis. On this episode of World of DaaS, Auren and Andrew dive into the intersecting realms of technology, finance, and data. Andrew offers non-obvious insights into the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting the nuances of a pivotal moment in history. He also discusses the evolution of the banking system since 2008, and how that crisis compares to the SVB collapse earlier this year. As the conversation unfolds, Andrew delves into topics such as venture capital in the media industry, AI's role in copyright, changes in M&A driven by private equity, and even touches on intriguing subjects like independent media and conspiracy theories.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Andrew on Twitter @andrewrsorkin or at NYT DealBook. 

Peter Thiel is one of the greatest entrepreneurs and investors of his generation. He was the co-founder and CEO of PayPal, the first investor in Facebook, and co-founder of Palantir Technologies. He's the founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Founders Fund, and the author of Zero to One, one of the best business books of all time.In this episode, Auren and Peter dive deep on venture capital, scientific stagnation, AI, tech start-ups, and more. Peter shares his compelling theory for why scientific progress has slowed down dramatically in the last decades, and explains how that's affected start-ups and investing. Auren and Peter also survey the global economic landscape and discuss why the US and China have outperformed the rest of the world's economies by such a wide margin. Peter breaks down the conclusions from his book The Diversity Myth and explains why “competition is for losers.”World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Peter Thiel on Twitter at @peterthiel.

Amjad Masad is the founder and CEO of Replit, an online coding environment. Amjad and Auren discuss what the rise of AI means for coding, developers, and tech companies. Amjad shares his thoughts on consumer vs creator computer culture, why development hasn't moved to the cloud faster, and why everyone should be able to call themselves a programmer. They also discuss Amjad's experience coming from Jordan to start a company in the US. Amjad shares whether he still thinks Silicon Valley is the best place for startups. They also discuss unique considerations for CEOs that aren't talked about often: free speech as an executive, assessing expert opinion, and how investing makes you a better CEO. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Amjad Masad on Twitter at @amasad. 

Sir Martin Sorrell is the founder of WPP, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, which he ran for over 30 years. He's currently the executive chairman of S4 Capital, which is a pure play digital advertising company he founded in 2018. In this episode, Auren and Martin dive into the fascinating intersection of AI in advertising, the economic impact of Brexit, and the ever-evolving landscape of ad revenue at big tech companies. Martin shares his global outlook for advertising, including the regions he's most bullish about, and he also outlines how the UK mishandled its economic opportunities with Brexit. Auren and Martin also dive deep into some technical concerns in the advertising space, including cookie deprecation, ad targeting, and brand building in the social media era. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Martin Sorrell on Twitter at @martinsorrell.

Neil Strauss is a 10x New York Times bestselling author and a renowned journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Esquire.  Neil and host Auren Hoffman delve into the intriguing world of charisma, self-improvement, and relationships. Neil explains how anyone can learn to be more charismatic, and what charisma has to do with group dynamics.   The conversation then shifts to personal transformation and the challenges of breaking recurring patterns. Neil challenges societal notions of relationships and discusses the evolving role of emotional intelligence in today's world.As the discussion unfolds, Neil delves into the impact of AI on creative work and social media credulity, providing a unique perspective on technology's influence. The podcast touches on various thought-provoking topics, from NFTs and Neil's book on the Bored Ape Yacht Club to relationships with AI and modern parenting. Throughout, Neil Strauss offers a candid take on common advice and shares his intriguing thoughts on conspiracy theories.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Neil Strauss on Twitter at @neilstrauss.

In this 50-minute interview, I had the pleasure of having a great conversation with the legend, Auren Hoffman. Auren is CEO of SafeGraph: the place for data about physical places. Auren is the former co-founder and CEO of LiveRamp - the largest middleware company that connects marketing applications. LiveRamp was acquired by Acxiom in 2014 for $310 million. LiveRamp was formerly named Rapleaf. LiveRamp is now a public company (NYSE:RAMP). He is the Chairman and co-founder (with Peter Thiel) of the Dialog Retreat. He is also a Board Member of Datavant. He serves as a General Partner in Flex Capital. We discuss some of the best practices to create successful exits in business, core traits of successful and unsuccessful businesses, some core hard lessons learned, and more. Connect with Auren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auren/ Join my free weekly newsletter to get 1 free audience growth tip to scale your online business: https://www.mattgray.xyz/newsletter Unlock explosive growth for your personal brand (for free): https://www.mattgray.xyz/founder-os-mini-course Join the Founder OS Course to build a proven system for audience growth in 2 hours here: https://www.mattgray.xyz/courses If you're interested in working together 1:1 with me, join here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mattgray.xyz/coaching Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/matt_gray_ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/matthgray/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmattgray YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@realmattgray LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgray1/

Bram Cohen is the creator of BitTorrent, which revolutionized digital entertainment and has been downloaded over two billion times.Today, Bram is the founder and CTO of Chia network, which manages the Chia cryptocurrency. Chia uses a unique proof of space model, in contrast to proof or work or proof of stake models like Bitcoin and Ethereum. In this episode of World of DaaS, Bram and host Auren Hoffman discuss a wide range of topics related to technology, data science, and cryptocurrencies. Bram begins by sharing insights into Chia, Crypto, and BitTorrent, touching upon the importance of breakthroughs in data science and the limitations of recommendation algorithms when dealing with poor-quality data and misaligned incentives. Bram also highlights the dominance of BitTorrent in internet traffic and discusses the role of decentralized compute work, proof of space, and the revolutionary potential of decentralization. Additionally, the podcast delves into subjects like the hype around cryptocurrencies, the possibility of a banking collapse, and even Bram's personal beliefs regarding conspiracy theories. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. To learn more about SafeGraph, visit https://www.safegraph.com To learn more about Flex Capital, visit https://www.flexcapital.com You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Bram on Twitter @bramcohen and on Substack. 

Bryan Johnson is the founder of the payments processing company Braintree, which sold to Paypal for $800 million in 2012. He's also the founder of OS Fund, which invests in advancing genomic and biological technology, and Kernel, which is focused on developing brain-machine interfaces. In 2021, he launched Project Blueprint, which aims to slow and reverse the aging process in the human body. He's spent millions of dollars optimizing and tracking his health, becoming the "most measured man in history."Auren and Bryan delve into a comprehensive discussion about optimizing health, longevity, and well-being. Bryan Johnson starts by sharing insights into his biological age and training regimen, including strategies for enhancing V02 Max. He elaborates on motivating oneself for rigorous training and emphasizes Blueprint as a positive pathway for health transformation. They also explore fasting windows and their effects on sleep, along with the scientific formulation of Bryan's diet and the importance of aesthetics to the overall anti-aging project. Bryan explains what he recommends as a starting point for anyone interested in implementing the Blueprint, along with the supplements and medications that are part of his daily regimen. Finally, Auren and Bryan explore ideas of addiction and self control, the future of humanity, and the role of data in decision-making. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Bryan Johnson on Twitter at @byan_johnson.

Sue Gordon is the former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. She had a 30+ year career with the CIA, as well as serving as Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Auren and Sue discuss shifting global power dynamics and the nature of modern intelligence in an ever-evolving world. They delve into the realm of cyber defense and Sue gives an overview of the expanding threat landscape that stretches far beyond government borders. They also discuss open source intelligence (OSINT) and the cutting-edge world of satellite technology and geospatial intelligence.Sue and Auren also explore the dynamics of coalitions and how they've challenged established perceptions about military invasions and global power dynamics in the wake of the Ukraine invasion. They also discuss the inner workings of INQTEL, the CIA's technology investment arm, and get a firsthand account of Sue Gordon's extensive experience at the helm of various CIA departments.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Sue Gordon on LinkedIn.

Ajit Pai is the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, where he served from 2017 to 2021. He's currently a partner at Searchlight Capital.Auren and Ajit delve into the intricacies of technology regulation, including the nuances of regulating AI and crypto. Ajit outlines the essential triggers for preemptive intervention, and the many unintended consequences of Section 230 and Europe's GDPR privacy regulation. They also discuss the anticompetitive nature of big tech, censorship concerns, and the aftermath of net neutrality debates. Shifting to communication infrastructure, Ajit and Auren break down the amazing explosion of the commercial satellite industry. Ajit shares how the FCC is modernizing the broadcast spectrum for faster WIFI and better mobile connectivity. They finish with a discussion of the overall health of private equity– which firms will fare well coming out of the pandemic bubble, and which could face collapse as interest rates and valuations change. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Ajit on Twitter @AjitPai.

Steven Pinker is a linguist, cognitive scientist, and a professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard. He's the author of twelve books, including the bestsellers How the Mind Works, Enlightenment Now, and most recently Rationality.Auren and Steven delve into the world of artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and intellectual freedom. Steven brings his perspective from cognitive psychology to explain how AI does (and does not) mirror the human brain. They also explore the complexities of disasters, rationality, and academic freedom, with Steven emphasizing the necessity of open debates in universities. The episode concludes with a thought-provoking discussion on honesty, common knowledge, and communication, pondering on the idea that humans sometimes need to forget the truth to remain human.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Steven on Twitter at @sapinker.

Erik Torenberg was the first employee at Product Hunt, and the founder and chairman of On Deck. He's currently a partner at Village Global and the founder of Turpentine podcast network.  Erik and Auren discuss the startup founder mindset and what it takes to be successful in tech. Erik shares the career strategies and frameworks that have allowed him to found multiple companies and a venture capital firm. They also discuss unconventional financial arrangements that could allow more people to found companies, like income share agreements and equity pooling. Erik also shares some of his insights on podcasting and why it's one of the best ways to learn. To learn more about SafeGraph, visit https://www.safegraph.com To learn more about Flex Capital, visit https://www.flexcapital.com You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Erik on Twitter at @eriktorenberg

Jesse is the founder and CEO of Gateway X, a venture studio focused on DTC brands. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Ampush, a digital marketing firm which he bootstrapped to an eight figure exit.Jesse and Auren break down some of the nuances of digital marketing and discuss the state of marketing on the major tech platforms today. They also discuss Red Ventures, “the most impressive company you've never heard of.” Jesse is an expert on DTC companies and shares his insights on the space overall, including where he thinks the next major companies will be built. Auren and Jesse also do a deep dive into the venture studio model and explore how Jesse structures the business and hires CEOs. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Jesse on Twitter @jspujji. 

Immad Akhund is the CEO of Mercury, a bank for startups. He's also a multi-time founder and a Dual Threat CEO with over 300+ angel investments. Auren and Immad discuss the collapse of SVB and how Mercury handled an influx of over $2 billion in deposits. Immad explains some lesser-known structural aspects of the banking system that affect the product and customer experience. Auren and Immad also talk about crowdfunding a startup, how much focus founders need to succeed, and why Dual Threat CEOs can outperform conventional VCs. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Immad on Twitter @immad.

HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud was the head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate for 24 years. He also served as the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the UK, Ireland, and the United States, and he's the author of The Afghanistan File. Auren and Prince Turki discuss the complex history of Afghanistan and Middle East geopolitics. Prince Turki shares his thoughts on the mistakes made by the U.S. in Afghanistan, the consequences of negotiating with the Taliban, and how the U.S. could have made a better strategic exit from the country.They also delve into the failure of Israeli peace talks, the rise of Chinese diplomacy, and the nature of Iran's nuclear program. Finally, Prince Turki provides insights into the changing landscape of the oil market, the impact of fracking on OPEC+, and the plateau that frackers have reached in the industry.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren. 

Alex Levin, the CEO, and co-founder of New York City-based Regal.io, a tech stack for powering calls and messages that might provide customers — as well as sales and marketing teams — a better outbound calling experience. Regal has raised $42.1 million with Emergence Capital leading and Founder Collective, Homebrew, Flex Capital, Inspired Capital, and Operator Collective.Regal.io was founded in 2020 to help brands drive more conversations with consumers and hit their growth goals way faster. They currently have 150 brands that use their product in ways they never imagined to power 40M customer conversations and $1 billion in brand revenue to date. Alex Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlevin1/Regal: https://www.regal.io/If you like our podcast, please don't forget to subscribe and support us on your favorite podcast players. We also would appreciate your feedback and rating to reach more people.We recently launched our new newsletter, Principles Friday, where I share one principle that can help you in your life or business, one thought-provoking question, and one call to action toward that principle. Please subscribe Here.It is Free and Short (2min).

Dmitri Alperovitch is the co-founder and former CTO of CrowdStrike and the founder of Silverado Policy Accelerator. Dmitri and Auren delve into the complexities of cyber warfare, geopolitics, and their intersections. Dmitri explains the intricacies of the 'vulnerabilities equities process' and the challenges in making software safer. The conversation also explores the realm of cyber weapons and Ukraine's resilience in combating cyber attacks. Shifting to geopolitics, they discuss the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China's strategic objectives, and the changing communication dynamics due to Starlink satellites. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts. You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Dmitri on Twitter at @DAlperovitch

Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic. Prior to that, he was editor-in-chief of Wired and a senior editor at The New Yorker.Nick and Auren discuss the evolving relationship between tech and media and the impact of social media platforms like Twitter on these industries. Nick shares insights into the tech industry's self-narratives and its influence on politics. They also delve into the world of AI and its implications for journalism, from generating news stories to creating children's books. Nick discusses advertising challenges in the journalism industry, the dynamics of tech billionaires owning media companies, and the potential of conversation platforms like Speak Easy AI to foster positive conversations and political diversity.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Nick on Twitter at @nxthompson

Hadi Partovi is the founder and CEO of Code.org. He also founded Tellme Networks and ILike, held leadership roles at Microsoft and Myspace, and angel invested in a number of incredible companies, including Facebook, DropBox, Airbnb, and Uber. Hadi and Auren discuss making computer science as part of the core curriculum in public education. Hadi explains the importance of learning basic computer science and explores how AI will change software development and education. Hadi also shares insights and anecdotes from his experiences with some of the most powerful leaders in tech, (like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs) and what their management styles all had in common. Hadi also talks about the thought processes that lead him to make early investments in amazing companies like Facebook and Uber. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Hadi Partovi on Twitter at @hadip.

FLEX Capital ist ein Private-Equity-Fonds, der von erfolgreichen Serienunternehmern gegründet wurde. Wir investieren in profitable und wachsende mittelständische Unternehmen aus dem deutschen Internet- und Softwaremarkt. FLEX Capital "sucht wachstumsstarke und profitable Unternehmen im deutschsprachigen Raum mit einem technologiebasierten Geschäftsmodell." - Peter Waleczek

David Sinclair is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and the founder of the Sinclair Lab. He's the author of the bestselling book Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To, as well as a founder of several biotech companies. Auren and David discuss the potential to expand the average human lifespan by decades. David challenges traditional notions of aging and emphasizes the need to embrace new technologies. They also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of common anti-aging practices like interval training, fasting, and stress reduction. David shares his thoughts on what longevity medicines and supplements are most beneficial, and how to talk to your doctor about them. He breaks down which health metrics to monitor in treating and preventing aging. Overall, David offers an incredibly optimistic vision for what the future of aging could look like, and the science it will take to get there. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and David Sinclair on Twitter at @davidasinclair 

Matt Kaminski is the Editor in Chief of Politico and the founding editor of Politico Europe. Auren and Matt discuss the challenges of restoring trust in journalism and navigating politics in the digital age. Matt highlights the complicated nuances of getting a story right, the role of bias in journalism, and the need to protect free speech. He also discusses how Politico approached breaking the story of the leaked decision in the Supreme Court's Dobbs case.  Matt and Auren also explore the evolving landscape of media coverage, and whether or not there's a conspiracy against Gen X people. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Matt Kaminski on Twitter at @KaminskiMK

Heute u.A. mit diesen Themen:VC-Studie: Europas Unicorns sind überschätztRocket Internet: Keine Startup-Finanzierung mehrEfficient Energy ist insolventSEC verklagt Binance und ZhaoN26-Mitgründer verleiht Anteile für KreditApple vermeidet KI-Begriff bei WWDCPrognose: Finanzierung für Europas Startups sinktAleph Alpha veröffentlicht neue SprachmodelleFlex Capital investiert in LawpilotsSpectrm erhält 6 Millionen Euro

FLEX Capital - Diese Woche beschäftigen wir uns mit den verschiedenen Phasen der Employee Lifetime. Vom Onboarding bis zum Offboarding diskutiere ich mit Jan Hauke Holste, Director People bei FLEX Capital, Strategien zur Optimierung jeder Phase. Jan Hauke Holste teilt mit uns wertvolle Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse zu diesem wichtigen Thema, das bei erfolgreicher Umsetzung zu mehr Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit, Mitarbeiterbindung und einer Verbesserung der Gesamtleistung des Unternehmens beiträgt.

Marissa Mayer was the CEO of Yahoo and the 20th employee at Google, where she held key leadership roles in major Google products including Search, Maps, and Gmail. She's currently the co-founder and CEO of Sunshine. Marissa and Auren discuss the unexpected turn AI has taken towards creativity and expression, and its impact on coding and software engineering. They also explore how AI can improve software engineering and potentially affect the business models of tech giants like Google.Marissa shares insights from her experiences at Google and Yahoo, focusing on bureaucracy and efficiency within tech companies, as well as the origin of Google's famous APM program and her insights for developing talent. They also talk about Marissa's startup Sunshine Contacts, building a personal relationship manager, and managing contacts in the age of AI.World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Marissa Mayer on Twitter at @marissamayer.

Tom Tugendhat is the UK's Minister of State for Security and a British Member of Parliament. He was previously the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, and before that he served multiple tours in the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Auren and Tom discuss the role of the UK's Minister of State for Security and Tom's work with cybersecurity, intelligence gathering, and defense. Tom highlights some of the most overlooked factors in security and what government and private actors should be doing to improve their resilience against cyber threats. Tom and Auren also dive into the changing world of intelligence gathering and open source intelligence (OSINT). They discuss the role of OSINT in understanding the environment and context of situations, how organizations like Bellincat operate, and using OSINT for making predictions. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Tom Tugendhat on Twitter at @TomTugendhat.

Jack Abraham is the founder of Atomic, a startup studio that has launched several dozen companies including Hims & Hers, Openstore, and Bungalow. Before starting Atomic, Jack co-founded Milo, which he sold to eBay.Auren and Jack discuss how the studio fund model works and what's allowed Atomic to be successful in a space where many other studios have failed. Jack breaks down the process of finding scalable ideas and deciding which ones to allocate resources to. Auren and Jack also dive into the history of the startup studio model and highlight the success stories of companies like Uber, Twitter, and Moderna that originated from studios. They also discuss the benefits of starting a company during a downturn, scaling companies quickly, and the art of branding for both DTC and B2B companies. Jack also shares his thoughts on what's made Miami a tech hub and where the city will be going in the future.  World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Jack Abraham on Twitter at @jackabraham.

Will Manidis is the CEO and founder of ScienceIO, which builds data solutions for health care. He was previously a managing partner at Dorm Room Fund, and a Thiel Fellow.Auren and Will discuss American dynamism and the future of knowledge work. Will breaks down his view that technology has not improved our lives as much as it should have. He explains how the nature of platform shifts have accelerated tech earnings over the last decade, but kept actual progress low. Will and Auren also do a deep dive on healthcare: why it's so expensive, why healthcare data is so difficult to work with, and what can be changed. Will emphasizes the need for more usable healthcare data and breaks down how operational workflows consume most of the healthcare dollars spent in the US. They also discuss Will's practical advice for young founders (as a founder and former Thiel fellow), his early work on classical Greek and Latin, and why everyone should believe in demons.  World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Will Manidis on Twitter at @WillManidis.

Avlok Kohli is the CEO of AngelList and the founder of FastBite and Fairy. Auren and Avlok discuss the underestimated impact of AI and how it could be creating a tech mega cycle. Avlok explains the importance of unique data as a moat for companies building on top of large language models, and how this technology can disrupt incumbents. They also discuss the rise of Dual Threat CEOs and their outsized success in early stage venture capital. Avlok makes the case for why more current operators should start funds, and explains why they'll thrive in the changing VC landscape. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Avlok Kohli on Twitter at @avlok.

Elad Gil is a prolific angel investor and advisor whose early investments include AirBnb, Coinbase, Pinterest, Stripe, and Square. He's also the founder of Color Health and author of the bestselling book High Growth Handbook.Elad and Auren discuss the challenges and opportunities for startups in the emerging AI technology landscape, particularly in comparison to incumbent companies. Elad breaks down what he's learned as an angel investor and provides some non-generic advice for making good early-stage investments. Auren and Elad also discuss fundraising and operating in lean times, the potential for life extension drugs, and why the biotech market is so fragmented. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Elad Gil on Twitter at @eladgil.

Johnathan Bi is the host of a fantastic seven-part lecture series on the work of philosopher René Girard. He's also a member of the founding team at Opto Investments. Auren and Johnathan discuss some of the fundamental concepts in Girard's philosophy and how they apply to startups, venture capital, and life more broadly. They break down physical vs metaphysical desire, the power of self-delusion, and Girard's concept of zero-sum and negative-sum human interactions.Johnathan explains what to make of Girard's apocalyptic thoughts on the future of humanity, and makes some useful recommendations for using mimetic theory to improve your life. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcastsYou can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Johnathan Bi on Twitter at @JohnathanBi.

"Bootstrapping" - was ist das eigentlich und warum ist es möglicherweise spannend? So oder so ähnlich könnte man die Folge mit Christoph Jost zusammenfassen. Gemeinsam mit seinen Partnern hat er FLEX CAPITAL gegründet: Einen Private-Equity Fonds, der in gebootstrappte Technologieunternehmen ab ca. 5 Mio. EUR Umsatz  weltweit investiert. Zuletzt haben Christoph und co. ihren 300 Mio. EUR Fonds verkündet - im Podcast verrät er, was sie damit vorhaben. Imprint: www.sustaind.de

Nicole Perlroth was the New York Times' lead cybersecurity reporter for over a decade. She's an advisor to the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity Advisory Committee and the author of the bestselling book This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends.Auren and Nicole discuss the global cyber landscape— which countries have the strongest hacking capabilities, how Ukraine has changed cyber warfare, and where the US stacks up against its adversaries. Nicole also shares insights on personal opsec and recounts her experience tracking down a potential leaker behind the Shadow Brokers hack of the NSA. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcastsYou can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Nicole Perlroth on Twitter at @nicoleperlroth.

Investors are quick to brag about the impact and network they add to their investments. After all, they know a lot of important people, have access to cash, and an infinite source of knowledge. Christoph Jost, Founder & Managing Partner at FLEX Capital, isn't one of them. "We come in when the founders have already done the hard part", he says. "They have scaled their business to 1 million EBITDA or 5 million in revenue. It's clearly working already."  In this episode, Andi and Christoph discuss: What bootstrapped founders face when they scale How FLEX Capital finds and invests in them How FLEX Capital approaches consolidation How Christoph moved into Private Equity More about FLEX Capital: https://www.flex.capital/en/  More about Fintalent.io: https://fintalent.io You can find all episodes of The Wall Street Lab Podcast on https://thewallstreetlab.com/ 

Sigal Mandelker served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence from 2017 to 2019. She's currently a general partner at Ribbit Capital, which invests in fintech companies. Sigal and Auren discuss how sanctions actually work and what makes them effective. Sigal explains how the US's role in the global financial system could change as new financial technology evolves. They also discuss how the government should work with the private sector, why crypto regulation has moved so slowly, and where the US is starting to look to other countries for regulatory leadership. World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcastsYou can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Sigal Mandelker on LinkedIn. 

Real Deals is joined by Lukas Ingelheim and Dan Bender, co-founders at Code & Co, and Peter Waleczek, managing partner at Flex Capital, for a case study on how the GP and tech due diligence provider are working together. As technical due diligence evolves, Code & Co highlights exactly what its work entails and the red flags it looks out for, plus how it differs from IT due diligence, digital due diligence, or cyber due diligence.

In der Nachmittagsfolge begrüßen wir heute Christoph Jost, Managing Partner von Flex Capital, und sprechen mit ihm über die Auflage seines zweiten Fonds in Höhe von 300 Millionen Euro.Flex Capital ist ein Private Equity Fonds, der in profitable und wachsende Unternehmen aus dem deutschen Internet- und Software-Mittelstand investiert. Das Unternehmen hat seit seiner Gründung im Jahr 2019 dreizehn mittelständische Softwareunternehmen mehrheitlich erworben. Der Erfolg zeigt sich beispielsweise darin, dass innerhalb von 2 Jahren Zusammenarbeit der Umsatz der QR-Softwarefirma Egoditor um 250% gesteigert werden konnte. Zudem konnte der anschließende Exit an ein US-amerikanisches Softwarehaus mehr als den gesamten ersten Fonds zurückzahlen. Die Partner des Fonds sind die sechs Unternehmer Christoph Jost, Peter Waleczek, Andreas Etten, Jan Becker, Felix Haas und Dr. Robert Wuttke. Die gegründeten Unternehmen der Partner beschäftigen heute über 1.500 Mitarbeitende auf sechs Kontinenten und erwirtschaften in Summe Umsätze von mehr als 200 Millionen Euro. Zudem haben sie zusammen mehr als 140 Tech-Investments getätigt, die einen Enterprise Value von insgesamt über 20 Milliarden Euro umfassen.Nun hat der Private Equity Investor seinen zweiten Fonds in Höhe von 300 Millionen Euro aufgelegt. Zum Investorenkreis gehören Dachfonds, institutionelle Investoren, wie Vermögensverwaltungen und Universitätsstiftungen aus Europa und den USA, Founder erfolgreicher Tech-Unternehmen sowie ein Profi-Fußballspieler des FC Bayern München. Der Investmentfokus liegt auf profitablen Software- und Tech-Unternehmen aus dem deutschsprachigen Mittelstand. Dabei ermöglicht der gewerbliche Fonds, neben dem finanziellen Investment, seine zukünftigen Portfoliounternehmen auch operativ zu unterstützen.

In der Rubrik “Investments & Exits” begrüßen wir heute zum ersten Mal Niklas Raberg, Investment Manager bei Capnamic. Niklas hat die Finanzierungsrunde von Planted sowie die Mehrheitsbeteiligung von FLEX Capital an ComX. Das Schweizer FoodTech-Jungunternehmen Planted verkündete gestern eine Series B-Finanzierungsrunde in Höhe von 70 Millionen Euro. Planted stellt biostrukturiertes Fleisch aus alternativen Proteinen wie Erbsen, Sonnenblumen und Hafer her. Angeführt hat die Runde das Private-Equity-Unternehmen L Catterton. Ebenfalls dabei waren bestehende Investoren wie Vorwerk Ventures, Gullspång Re:food, Movendo, Be8 Ventures, ACE, ETH Zürich Foundation und Yann Sommer. Neu dabei ist außerdem Tengelmann Ventures.

Entrepreneur by heart, investor by profession. Die Story des Christoph Jost.

Die Themen: SumUp - Gorillas - GoTiger - Highsnobiety - Green Generation Fund - Momo - cognote - aware - Lora - eatDine - Beat81 - Charles +++ SumUp steigt zum Unicorn auf #ANALYSE +++ Gorillas in der Krise #ANALYSE +++ GoTiger übernimmt Bring #EXKLUSIV +++ zalando und der Highsnobiety-Deal #ANALYSE +++ Final Closing beim Green Generation Fund #EXKLUSIV +++ GFC verkleinert sich und investiert in cognote sowie Momo #EXKLUSIV +++ Lakestar investiert in aware #EXKLUSIV +++ Lora sammelt Millionen ein #EXKLUSIV +++ FoodLabs investiert in eatDine #EXKLUSIV +++ Beat81 sucht frisches Kapital #EXKLUSIV +++ Dawn Capital setzt auf Charles #EXKLUSIV Unser Sponsor Die heutige Ausgabe wird präsentiert von FLEX Capital. Internet- und Softwareunternehmer, die über einen Teilverkauf ihrer Firma nachdenken, sollten jetzt genau zuhören! FLEX Capital ist ein Private Equity Fonds der nächsten Generation: Sämtliche Partner und die Mehrzahl der Investoren hinter dem Fonds sind Digitalunternehmer, die entscheidend bei den nächsten Wachstumsschritten unterstützen. Und der FLEX Ansatz funktioniert: Die Gründer der gebootstrappten Bielefelder Software-Firma Egoditor haben Ende 2019 60% der Anteile an FLEX verkauft. FLEX hat dabei geholfen, eine zweite Management-Reihe zur Unterstützung der Gründer zu etablieren, einen Wettbewerber zu übernehmen und die Kunden Churn-Rate von 40% auf 12% zu senken. Beim gemeinsamen Exit für einen dreistelligen Millionenbetrag nur zwei Jahre später haben die Gründer nochmal ein Vielfaches des initialen Kaufpreises erlöst. Mehr Informationen findet ihr unter www.flex.capital Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ & www.twitter.com/azrael74 Sven Schmidt, Maschinensucher - www.linkedin.com/in/sven-schmidt-maschinensucher/ Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #StartupRadar, #Interview und #Startup101. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/ Anregungen bitte an podcast@deutsche-startups.de. Unseren anonymen Briefkasten findet ihr hier: www.deutsche-startups.de/stille-post/

Die Themen: N26 - Trade Republic - CoachHub - Series A-Krise - Immorek - Project Eaden - Otterspace - DriverHero +++ N26 bereitet weiter neues Fundraising vor #EXKLUSIV +++ Trade Republic und der OTPP-Deal #ANALYSE +++ Softbank-Einstieg bei CoachHub ist vollbracht #EXKLUSIV +++ Die Series A-Krise und das Ende des billigen Geldes #ANALYSE +++ Cusp Capital und 468 Capital investieren in Immorek #EXKLUSIV +++ Creandum investiert in Project Eaden #EXKLUSIV +++ Cherry Ventures, Paua Ventures und b2v Partners investieren in Otterspace #EXKLUSIV +++ 10X Founders investiert in DriverHero #EXKLUSIV Unser Sponsor Die heutige Ausgabe wird präsentiert von FLEX Capital. Internet- und Softwareunternehmer, die über einen Teilverkauf ihrer Firma nachdenken, sollten jetzt genau zuhören! FLEX Capital ist ein Private Equity Fonds der nächsten Generation: Sämtliche Partner und die Mehrzahl der Investoren hinter dem Fonds sind Digitalunternehmer, die entscheidend bei den nächsten Wachstumsschritten unterstützen. Und der FLEX Ansatz funktioniert: Die Gründer der gebootstrappten Bielefelder Software-Firma Egoditor haben Ende 2019 60% der Anteile an FLEX verkauft. FLEX hat dabei geholfen, eine zweite Management-Reihe zur Unterstützung der Gründer zu etablieren, einen Wettbewerber zu übernehmen und die Kunden Churn-Rate von 40% auf 12% zu senken. Beim gemeinsamen Exit für einen dreistelligen Millionenbetrag nur zwei Jahre später haben die Gründer nochmal ein Vielfaches des initialen Kaufpreises erlöst. Mehr Informationen findet ihr unter www.flex.capital Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ & www.twitter.com/azrael74 Sven Schmidt, Maschinensucher - www.linkedin.com/in/sven-schmidt-maschinensucher/ Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #StartupRadar, #Interview und #Startup101. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/ Anregungen bitte an podcast@deutsche-startups.de. Unseren anonymen Briefkasten findet ihr hier: www.deutsche-startups.de/stille-post/

In unserem Interview-Podcast ist diesmal Christoph Jost von Flex Capital, zu Gast. Im ersten Fonds des jungen Private Equity-Investors sind 130 Millionen Euro. Flex Capital stemmt in der Regel Mehrheitsübernahmen. Im Portfolio von Flex Capital sind derzeit Unternehmen wie Nitrado und Egoditor. Im Gespräch mit Alexander Hüsing, Chefredakteur von deutsche-startups.de, spricht Jost, der in der Vergangenheit das Unternehmen Absolventa gegründet hat, unter anderem über Bootstrapping, Skalierung, starke Gründer:innen, seinen Weg vom Gründer zum Venture Capitalist, den studiVZ-Exit und Rückschläge als Junggründer. Unser Sponsor Die heutige Ausgabe wird präsentiert von Dell Technologies. Was viele vielleicht nicht wissen: Dell Technologies bietet kleinen Unternehmen und Startups über fachkundige Berater direkte Hilfe – telefonisch oder per Chat -, um die richtige und passende IT-Lösung zu finden. Die Bandbreite reicht dabei von Notebooks, PCs und Zubehör über leistungstarke Workstations bis hin zu Server-, Storage- und Cloud-Lösungen. Im Grunde also alles, was ein Satrtup so braucht! Gerade für Startups dürfe es zudem spannend sein, dass man alles sofort implementieren kann und erst später zahlen muss. Dell Technologies bietet Unternehmen bis zu 180 Tage Zahlungsaufschub auf alle Server- ,Storage- und Netzwerklösungen und bis zu 90 Tage Zahlungsaufschub auf alle Desktops, Notebooks und Workstations. Und auch bei der täglichen Arbeit bietet Dell Technologies Unterstützung: Mithilfe der ProSupport Suite überwacht Dell Technologies kontinuierlich eure IT-Landschaft, damit kostspielige Probleme gar nicht erst entstehen. Alle Infos findet ihr unter www.Dell.de/KMU-Beratung. Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ & www.twitter.com/azrael74 Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #News, #StartupRadar und #Interview. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/ Anregungen bitte an podcast@deutsche-startups.de. Unseren anonymen Briefkasten findet ihr hier: www.deutsche-startups.de/stille-post/

Devin sits down with Christoph Jost and Peter Waleczek, the founders of Berlin-based software buyout fund Flex Capital. Christoph and Peter started as tech entrepreneurs prior to founding Flex and they discuss their process of raising their first fund, what they look for in a deal, how they source companies, and what they do with them after the acquisition. They also talk about the similarities and differences between the US and German tech buyout market.

Airtable has bagged its Series E funding to push it's valuation to $5.77B. Airtable, with more than 200,000 organisational customers is a no-code relational database that has announced the close of $270 million in Series E funding. This funding round has doubled the valuation of the company from its last round in September 2020 when it raised $185 million in Series D funding. This latest funding amount means that Airtable has raised approximately $617 million since inception. This latest round was led by Greenoaks Capital, with participation from WndrCo, as well as existing investors Caffeinated Capital, CRV and Thrive. The company says it plans to use the funding to accelerate the development of its enterprise product and growing the team. Dubai-based company Grubtech has raised $3.4 million in pre-Series A funding for its software platform that helps ghost kitchens and delivery-only restaurants. The investors are yet to be confirmed, however, a large regional family and a US Based Venture capital firm along with Investors seem to be most likely to match. They are looking to use the new funding to expand across the MENA region as well as Europe and the Americas. They are also looking to use the funding to develop their product. Built specifically for cloud kitchen operations or restaurants that are multi-brand but operate from a single kitchen, the epidemic has forced many to adopt Grub-Tech, as the majority of sales moved from over the counter to delivery or pickup orders.iCrowdNewswire powered by Google launched a fully reworked and revamped SaaS platform including industry leading vertical newswires for Legal, Real Estate, Research Marketing, Content Marketing, and general press release distribution. Since shaking hands with Google in 2017, icrowdnewswire has become the prominent press release distribution tech company focusing on paid advertising distribution from a Geographic perspective.  Signiant Inc. today announced the acquisition of the German company Lesspain Software, the  provider of Kyno the desktop application and embedded media processing software.  Signiant looks forward to tapping into Lesspain's talent and technology, which would be used to extend Signiant's Software Defined Content Exchange SaaS Platform, commonly known as SDCX. The software connects more than 50,000 media and Entertainment companies across the globe in varying sizes.The startup, UpCodes, which develops building-code compliance tools, has announced today that it has raised pre-series A funding, totaling $3.36 million dollars. The company has now raised $4.15 million as funding since its inception. Having started their journey in 2016, they took part in Y Combinator's accelerator program in 2017. This new round was led by Point Nine Capital, a Berlin-based company that primarily invests in online marketplaces and SaaS products. Other investors include the co-founder Ryan Sutton-Fee, Ralph Gootee, Tracy Young, and Kenny Stone; Bragiel Brothers; Capital X; Flex Capital and liquid 2 Ventures. Indian based Tata Consultancy Services or also known as TCS has announced the launch of it's SaaS-based automatic suite of security services for cognitive threat management, identity and access management, governance, risk and compliance, data privacy and protection, digital forensics, and incident response. Board-level executives, as well as C-suite's, can get real-time insights to review and fine-tune their risk strategies.