Podcasts about lps

For decades collectors of comic books, coins & sportscards have protected their collectibles by having them professionally graded & slabbed. The team behind Vintage Media Grading (VMG) shares how their process can be a gamechanger for vinyl record collectors. Topics include: Vinyl grading is tricky – why use VMG? VMG Grading comes from Goldmine standard Using best practices from Baseball Cards & Comic Book gradings Walking through the grading process Supplying info, provenance, etc What would get rejecting for rating? How other industries get graded (paintings, cards) Is there an appeals process for a grade? The difficulty in getting a “10” grading Grading is consistent no matter the rarity 12” records now, 7” and 10” under development Can they do double or triple LPs? What about inserts, special LP additions, etc Ability to change album details if new information arises Vinyl has much more complexity than other graded items VMG Focuses only on facts, cannot state assumptions How VMG labels promotional copies Their sources for determining authentic pressings and info Not relying on crowd-sourced materials Does VMG do play-testing? Hot-stampers may not be right for VMG The impact of the plastic case on records and covers Can the plastic case be opened? Autographed records, backstage passes, etc Will they work with acetates and test pressings? Working with international customers Best practices for shipping to VMG How are the records handled through the grading process Length of time the grading process takes Not just collectible records but personally important records Interview wrap up Learn more at VMGVinyl.com Extended, High-resolution & Commercial Free version of this interview available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/2Y6ORU0 Listen on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/36qhlc8 Follow our Podcast: https://linktr.ee/vinylguide Facebook: www.Facebook.com/VinylGuide Instagram: www.Instagram.com/VinylGuide Support our show: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide If you like records, just starting a collection or are an uber-nerd with a house-full of vinyl, this is the podcast for you. Nate Goyer is The Vinyl Guide and discusses all things music and record-related

On this Bob Corritore interview: Years and years of honing his craft and serving the blues, releasing his first solo LP at age 46, the incredible relationships he forged with blues legends like Louisiana Red, John Primer, Jimmy Rogers, Koko Taylor and others… Being willing to try new things (production, club ownership, band leader) and how this created new music and business opportunities, quitting drinking at age 24, his Top 3 music experiences, moving in a more positive direction, the best decision he's ever made, why he's no longer looking to prove himself, why “He's the best me he can be,” and loads more cool stuff.  Cool Guitar, Music & ELG T-Shirts!: http://www.GuitarMerch.com   Bob Corritore is one of the most active and highly regarded blues harmonica players on the scene today. He developed his style from listening to many of the original pioneers of Chicago Blues. Between his own releases and as a sideman for other artists, Bob has performed on over 100 LPs. Bob's worked with loads of guests we've had here on Everyone Loves Guitar including Bob Margolin, Dave Mason, Kid Ramos, Sugaray, and others. Many of the albums Bob has play on were nominated for or winners of various Handy, Grammy, Living Blues, Blues Music Awards and Blues Blast Music Awards. Bob is a non-singing blues harmonica player and the things he's accomplished are a testament to his sense of hustle and his work ethic. Subscribe & Website:  https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/subscribe Support this show: https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/support  

Shawn Griffith is managing director at TWT Multifamily, which syndicates value-add multifamily in DFW and other markets in Texas. In this episode, Shawn discusses the major tax benefits he's seen in his several years of investing full time, the technology he's using to manage deals and stay in touch with LPs, and how motivations are changing for investors in his syndications.   Shawn Griffith | Real Estate Background Managing director at TWT Multifamily, which syndicates value-add multifamily in DFW and other markets in Texas Portfolio: Three properties, 303 doors $30M in AUM actively owned 14 current passive deals and three more full cycle Based in: Denton, TX Say hi to him at:  TWT Multifamily LinkedIn Best Ever Book: The Power of One More by Ed Mylett Greatest Lesson: Not raising enough capital upfront so there was a significant reserve fund.    Click here to learn more about our sponsors: MFINCON BAM CAPITAL

Has Eli finally met his match? Usually, he only has to fend off the annoyances of ONE Paul, but this week, he is up against THREE! Mr Gannon is joined by Paul Rose (Mr Biffo) and returning guest, Paul Putner! The much-loved comedian and actor returns to the CheapShow fray for a bumper Charity Shop Showcase and a Price of Shite with real, terrifying stakes. Over the course of 90 minutes, you'll hear tales of showbiz woes, listen to what went on with “Knife and Wife”, discuss the secrets of The Bill and drown in a sea of weird “exercise and healthy living” 12-inch LPs. From Slim Goodbody to Sesame Street Live, via tiny toys, classic comedy sketches, Star Wars anecdotes and video game guides… It all leads to a thunderous and fiery climax! It's going to get rowdy! With Special Thanks to @noiselund for the “Charity Shop Showcase” Theme! See pics/videos for this episode on our website: https://www.thecheapshow.co.uk/ep-333-3-pauls-and-a-silverman And if you like us, why not support us: www.patreon.com/cheapshow If you want to get involved, email us at thecheapshow@gmail.com And if you want to, follow us on Twitter @thecheapshowpod or @paulgannonshow & @elisnoid With guests @RealPaulPutner & @mrbiffo Like, Review, Share, Comment... LOVE US! URINEVISION 2023 is coming, so catch up with our 2021 episode: https://www.thecheapshow.co.uk/ep-232-urinevision-2021 MERCH Official CheapShow Merch Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/cheapshow/shop www.cheapmag.shop Thanks also to @vorratony for the wonderful, exclusive art: www.tinyurl.com/rbcheapshow NEW ART: Get hold of Spunk.Rock's exclusive new CheapShow Artwork: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/CHEAPSHOW-EST-2016-by-spunkrock/115961855.WFLAH.XYZ www.instagram.com/spunk__rock Send Us Stuff: CheapShow PO BOX 1309 Harrow HA1 9QJ

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress.Mohammad Barkeshli is the Vice President of Full Consequence Investing at Hall Capital Partners. Hall Capital Partners has a singular focus on building and managing large investment portfolios. Their clients include families, endowments, and foundations with over $40 billion under management. Mohammad focuses on the firm's impact investing efforts which they've coined Full Consequence Investing or FCI. He's responsible for research, identification, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring of investments across asset classes. Jason and Mohammad have a great discussion in this episode about Hall Capital's strategic  approach, where it fits in the climate tech and capital stack, the criteria they use when making investment decisions, what they're hearing from their clients now, and how that's evolved.In this episode, we cover: [3:00] The benefits of increasing transparency across the capital stack and why Mohammad agreed to come on the show[4:35] An overview of Hall Capital[6:48] The firm's approach known as Full Consequence Investing (FCI)[8:25] The average asset class for its clients[11:38] Hall Capital's different investment vehicles[16:26] How the firm's investing teams are divided across asset classes[21:00] Mohammad's background[22:25] Where FCI fits into Hall Capital's story and brand[28:06] FCI as a key diligence effort for the firm's investment strategy[29:38] What falls within FCI and how Hall Capital evaluates opportunities across categories[34:00] The role of ESG across industries and investments[36:00] Hall Capital's process for working with clients who are interested in building a portfolio that's geared toward climate solutions[42:46] Balancing investments for profit, impact, and the public good[46:23] Limitations and challenges with time horizons[47:57] How Mohammad thinks about team and track record[52:55] Concessionary impact investments[1:00:57] Hall Capital's involvement with philanthropic capital[1:04:36] Areas Mohammad would like to improve for his clients and their investments[1:06:51] Who Hall Capital would like to hear from and how people can helpGet connected: Jason JacobsMohammad Barkeshli / Hall CapitalMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on April 5, 2023.

David Grier Interview: 3-time IBMA Guitar Player of The Year, David talks about playing with Clarence and Roland White, why he left Rounder Records... why, after all these years, he finally started singing on his latest album, what picks him up during bad times, and more: Cool Guitar & Music T-Shirts, ELG Merch!: http://www.GuitarMerch.com 3-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitar Player of The Year award winner, David has been playing bluegrass since he was a kid. First, with his father Lamar - who was a member of “Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys,” and later as a solo artist who's recorded on 15 LPs. David was a member of Psychograss and is the founder of The Helen Highwater String Band Subscribe & Website: https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/subscribe Support this show: https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/support

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Jordi Alexander. Jordi is a poker player turned quantitative trader. While Jordi was trained in high-frequency trading, he has a deep passion for macro and taking fundamental positions that computer models may disagree with. We take full advantage of Jordi's breadth of knowledge in this wide-ranging conversation. We first dive into the mysterious world of high-frequency trading and Jordi's experience at GETCO, Tower, and then leaving to build his own firm, Selini Capital. We discuss Crypto's product market fit, how Jordi assesses the value of Bitcoin and Ethereum, the Balaji bet, and more. Please enjoy my conversation with Jordi Alexander. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by OKX. You may have seen OKX on McLaren's Formula 1 race car or Manchester City's football kit. But what is OKX? OKX has over 730 spot trading pairs, 280 derivatives markets, and 1000 options markets. It processes 400,000 requests per second with 99.95% uptime. That's why over 20 million traders and institutions choose OKX when they want to trade. Visit okx.com to learn more. ----- Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @Web3Breakdowns | @ericgoldenx | @patrick_oshag  Show Notes (00:00:32) - (First question) - Exploring how high-frequency traders (HFTs) have generated profits in recent years (00:02:50) - The utilization of technology to forecast the movement of asset classes (00:04:24) - Why he focuses on prediction over speed in trading strategies (00:05:36) - Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of a trading strategy (00:06:42) - The aggressive tactics that HFT firms employ to protect their advantages (00:09:27) - How COVID-19 changed the landscape of news trading (00:11:13) - The importance of talent and finding niches in HFT (00:12:37) - His decision to pursue an entrepreneurial path and establish Selini Capital (00:13:47) - How culture and incentives in the HFT industry impacted the genesis of Selini (00:20:17) - Finding an edge as a smaller team against giants with more resources (00:21:30) - Why he and his team started to transition to crypto (00:24:41) - His perception of other trading firms as Selini moved into the crypto space (00:27:17) - A breakdown of how the team at Selini Capital is structured   (00:29:40) - Why Selini avoids taking outside capital from LPs  (00:30:29) - How Selini operates in both the crypto and fixed-income asset classes   (00:31:11) - Why his non-technical background positions him to approach the market differently (00:36:09) - Using the dog and the fox parable to describe his view of crypto in the long term    (00:38:06) - The roles human psychology and survival strategies play in the crypto landscape (00:40:25) - Drawing comparisons between financial markets and gambling (00:43:11) - Advice on what exposure newcomers should have in the crypto space (00:45:07) - His thoughts on Balaji's outlook on Bitcoin (00:47:43) - Creating new money in a way that is globally accepted and fair for everyone (00:50:04) - His thoughts on crypto regulation and international adoption abroad (00:54:32) - What he's most excited to build over the next six months and six years 

Today, I am blessed to have here with me Dr Rachel Brown & Ally Houston. Rachel is a consultant psychiatrist and functional & metabolic practitioner, while Ally is a Metabolic mental health coach trained by PreKure and Dr Georgia Ede. Rachel and Ally both work as a coach in MetPsy, empowering people with mental illness to use proven diet and lifestyle techniques to heal themselves. They offer Coaching programs for your mental health, no matter where you are in the world.  Dr Rachel started her Atkins diet when a family friend introduced it. Over the year, Dr Rachel suffered from sugar addiction. This made her stray from a low-carb diet and instead go to more intuitive eating programs. Not just did it not help her with her addiction, but it left the worst experience for her to remember. Eventually, Dr Rachel managed to go back to a low-carb diet, keto, and more animal-based nutrition. Keto helps her restore her relationship with the foods.  Ally suffered from food addiction. Even though his mom cooks delicious and nutritious foods, he still eats cereals, causing the root of his food addiction. For some reason, his weight did not become a problem until he was in his late 20s when he realized his poor metabolic health. Because of his addiction, Ally had several autoimmune diseases. He goes through the conventional way of healing, which only worsens his disease. Ultimately, all of his autoimmune diseases were gone when he changed to a keto diet.  In this episode, Dr Rachel and Ally shared how mental health problems and gut microbiome are related. They also discuss the three primary reasons for you having a leaky gut. Furthermore, they discuss why you should not just believe in evidence-based medicine. And lastly, Ally and Dr Rachel discuss why it is best to do your research. Tune in as we chat about mental stress, gut microbiome health, evidence-based medicine, and research. 7 Day Keto Challenge Recordings with Ben Azadi, Dr Jason Fung, Dr Boz, & Dr Ken Berry: https://www.ketokamp.com/keto-challenge-april-2023 Order Keto Flex: http://www.ketoflexbook.com -------------------------------------------------------- Download your FREE Vegetable Oil Allergy Card here: https://onlineoffer.lpages.co/vegetable-oil-allergy-card-download/ / / E P I S O D E   S P ON S O R S  Wild Pastures: $20 OFF per Box for Life + Free Shipping for Life + $15 OFF your 1st Box! https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life-lf?oid=6&affid=132&source_id=podcast&sub1=ad BonCharge: Blue light Blocking Glasses, Red Light Therapy, Sauna Blankets & More. Visit https://boncharge.com/pages/ketokamp and use the coupon code KETOKAMP for 15% off your order.  Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list. [18:49] How Are Mental Health Problems and the Gut Microbiome Connected? -       Gastrointestinal microorganisms are involved because they generate neurotransmitters and produce other metabolites that communicate, such as short-chain fatty acids. -       Interaction between a wheat, protein and Zonulin component opens up tight junctions, causing leaky gut in everyone, not just celiac disease patients. -       LPS can activate immunological resident immune cells in the brain known as microglia. And then, you start a self-perpetuating loop in which immune cells in the brain generate more inflammatory cytokines and free radicals, resulting in oxidative stress and inflammation. -       Whatever happens in the gut occurs in the brain and vice versa. [23:51] 3 Lifestyle Behaviors That Cause Leaky Gut! -       Diet is the top cause of a leaky gut. -       We must be cautious of what we put into our body since it will come into contact with our gut lining and have various effects. -       Stress is the second reason you have a leaky gut because it increases intestinal permeability. -       Alcohol is the third leading cause. [26:04] How Mental Stress Creates Havoc Inside Your Gut Microbiome -       There is brain-to-gut signaling when taking in different sensory perceptions, such as watching or listening to negative news from various sources all the time. -       It's possible that stress is triggering our leaky gut. It's also possible that when stressed, we're compelled to eat in ways that aren't good for our gut. -       The tight junction system is also found in breastfeeding women, which is why casein is potentially such a massive concern for persons with autoimmune, gut difficulties, or with mental health issues. -       Information about the microbiome is still lacking. -       Managing gluten, stress, and dairy can help you have a healthy microbiome. [37:11] Do You Only Believe in Evidence-Based Medicine? Here's What You Need to Know  -       If we take the research literature as a whole, there's publication bias that comes with it. -       The vast majority of information on diet evidence is based on associational data that does not establish one thing or the other and is flawed due to confounding factors within the populations studied. -       Imagine discovering that the truth of a subject contradicts what your academic parent, someone you care about, disagrees with. This is the most serious conflict of interest in science. -       The notion that there is one science, one evidence-based medicine, is equally absurd because practically any subject can be found where someone from Oxford and someone from Harvard are opposed. [44:28] Research and Lab Work: How to Find an Approach That Works For You -       It is highly recommended to do your research, not just blindly believe anything somebody might be saying. -        Dr Rachel also does her research on triglyceride to HDL ratio. -       Ally does a Mcdonald's experiment wherein he only eats a huge amount of food at Mcdonald's for a month. AND MUCH MORE! Resources from this episode: ●  Website: https://metpsy.com/ ●  Follow Ally Houston: ●  Twitter: https://twitter.com/allytransforms?lang=en ●  Follow Dr Rachel: ●  Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrRSBrown ●  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnivoreshrink/?hl=en ●  Join the Keto Kamp Academy: https://ketokampacademy.com/7-day-trial-a ●  Watch Keto Kamp on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUh_MOM621MvpW_HLtfkLyQ Order Keto Flex: http://www.ketoflexbook.com -------------------------------------------------------- Download your FREE Vegetable Oil Allergy Card here: https://onlineoffer.lpages.co/vegetable-oil-allergy-card-download/ / / E P I S O D E   S P ON S O R S  Wild Pastures: $20 OFF per Box for Life + Free Shipping for Life + $15 OFF your 1st Box! https://wildpastures.com/promos/save-20-for-life-lf?oid=6&affid=132&source_id=podcast&sub1=ad BonCharge: Blue light Blocking Glasses, Red Light Therapy, Sauna Blankets & More. Visit https://boncharge.com/pages/ketokamp and use the coupon code KETOKAMP for 15% off your order.  Text me the words "Podcast" +1 (786) 364-5002 to be added to my contacts list. Some links are affiliate links  // F O L L O W ▸ instagram | @thebenazadi | http://bit.ly/2B1NXKW ▸ facebook | /thebenazadi | http://bit.ly/2BVvvW6 ▸ twitter | @thebenazadi http://bit.ly/2USE0so ▸ tiktok | @thebenazadi https://www.tiktok.com/@thebenazadi Disclaimer: This podcast is for information purposes only. Statements and views expressed on this podcast are not medical advice. This podcast including Ben Azadi disclaim responsibility from any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained herein. Opinions of guests are their own, and this podcast does not accept responsibility of statements made by guests. This podcast does not make any representations or warranties about guests qualifications or credibility. Individuals on this podcast may have a direct or non-direct interest in products or services referred to herein. If you think you have a medical problem, consult a licensed physician.

Mar Hershenson is Pear VC's Founding Managing Partner. Pear VC's portfolio includes DoorDash, Gusto, Affinity, among others. After earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Mar co-founded three startups in mobile/e-commerce, enterprise software, and semiconductor industries and has registered 14 separate patents. She is currently a Lecturer at Stanford Univeristy, teaching Lean Launchpad, one of the premier entrepreneurship classes at Stanford. Mar serves on the board of trustees of Harvey Mudd College and the Advisory Board of the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a founder of Equity Summit, the premier conference for connecting URM Venture Capital GPs to LPs, and was an initial founding member of All Raise. She has been recognized by MIT Technology Review as a Top Innovator Under 35, named a Champion of Innovation by Fast Company, awarded the Digital Automation Conference's Marie R. Pistil Achievement Award, and recognized on the Forbes Midas List in 2021, 2022, and 2023.    You can learn more about:  How to start and run a successful VC fund  How to pitch top investors/ invest in the next generation of unicorn startups  How to keep pursuing your startup idea even when people tell you "no"    ===================== YouTube: @GraceGongCEO Newsletter: @SmartVenture LinkedIn: @GraceGong TikTok: @GraceGongCEO IG: @GraceGongCEO Twitter: @GraceGongGG =====================

When a real estate deal goes bad as many are doing now, should limited partners have the right of first refusal to invest rescue capital on the same terms as anything the sponsor can bring in to save the deal? My podcast guest today, attorney Mark Roderick, calls it ‘pre-emptive rights' and, as you will hear, he explains it can make the best of a bad situation. But what does that look like in reality? Here's the script: *** Email #1: From Sponsor to Limited Partners (Investors): Subject Line: We're stopping distributions and need more money from you Sorry investors, we screwed up because we [select from the following] Didn't manage the property aggressively enough to account for a downturn. Underwrote debt levels to eternally low interest rates on variable rate terms and now can't afford the doubling of our debt costs. Our original loan is maturing, the value of the property has gone down, debt costs have skyrocketed, rent growth is not what we assumed in our proforma, and the bank will only lend us 60% of our original loan amount. Cap rates are now nearing 6% not the 4% we projected. Thought this time was different. In sum, we need you to pony up more equity so we can avoid losing the property to the bank. *** Email #2: From Sponsor to Rescue Capital fund (pref equity, mezz debt, whatever) Subject Line: Have we got a deal for you! Our offering docs allow us to bring in additional capital under any terms. Our bank will only lend us 60% of the original loan amount so we need to shore up the difference. Can you help us. *** Email #3: From Rescue Fund to Sponsor Subject Line: We're in! Sure. We'll come in with the 40% you need. We want second position behind the bank (ahead of your existing LPs) and if you miss proforma targets or fail to pay us on time, we''ll remove you as GP and wipe out your LPs' equity. *** Email #4: From Sponsor to Investors Subject Line: Great news! We've found some rescue capital. You get first right of refusal on the terms we just got to protect your investment. Terms are that your new capital will come in ahead of your old [or dilute it out completely], and if we screw up again, you get to remove us as GP. Please accept these terms or someone else gets them. Oh, and by the way, the Rescue Capital wants all or nothing so we need unanimous agreement from all Investors or we go with the Rescue Capital. *** Is this an ‘offer' or a ‘threat'? Or is the dialogue different somehow? At the end of the day, does having pre-emptive rights (right of first refusal) really mean anything? Tune in to hear my conversation with Mark Roderick as we flesh out the pros and cons of pre-emptive rights in a deal gone south. Stay informed and make better decisions by learning from top experts in the field. Join the discussion in the comments and subscribe to GowerCrowd on Youtube or head to GowerCrowd.com to ensure you've got a full picture of the commercial real estate landscape. Teach yourself how to find distressed investment opportunities by subscribing to the GowerCrowd newsletter at https://gowercrowd.com/subscribe *** In this brand new podcast series at GowerCrowd, The Real Estate Reality Show, we take a realistic view of commercial real estate investing, providing pragmatic insights for passive investors who are looking for sponsors they can trust and distressed opportunities they can invest in. You'll find no quick fixes or easy money ideas here, no sales pitches, big egos or hype. You'll learn how to build your wealth while protecting your capital investing as a limited partner in commercial real estate investments, even and especially during an economic downturn. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/gowercrowd?sub_confirmation=1

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series will explore a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we'll take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Will Tickle is a partner, senior investment advisor, and director of impact investing for Ballentine Partners. Ballentine Partners is a wealth management firm that prioritizes the needs of its clients while maintaining integrity and independence. The firm offers customized investment solutions and planning expertise to a wide range of clients, from individual professionals and entrepreneurs with liquid assets of $3.5 million to multi-generational families with assets worth over a billion dollars.In this episode, Jason and Will discuss his process for defining impact and which areas are important for his client's portfolios. They also cover the balance of impact between the firm's contributions and those from the clients directly. Will shares how his clients' impact investments have evolved since the firm's first involvement in 2005. Lastly, they explore where climate and climate tech fit into all of this. Enjoy the show! In this episode, we cover: [2:49] An overview of Ballentine Partners[4:25] How the firm's clients inspired its approach to climate investing[7:09] Will's background and focus on impact[9:27] The firm's ethos to serving clients[11:58] How Ballentine Partners applies an impact lens to its existing portfolio of assets[14:10] What Ballentine is hearing from clients[17:01] Challenges of assessing impact across an entire portfolio[19:23] How Ballentine balances impact with returns[23:55] Capitalism and its role in the future of the clean energy transition ahead[29:24] Changes to inspire widespread adoption of impact investing[32:40] The role of shareholder activism[34:17] Ballentine's impact reports[37:35] Who Ballentine wants to work withGet connected: Jason JacobsWill Tickle / Ballentine PartnersMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on April 4, 2023.  

During this interview, Karen and Matt discusses the importance of investing in climate change technologies and provides insights into how businesses can leverage these investments to make a positive impact on the environment.  It is BIG opptunity to solve the BIG problems and Trillions of dollars will be invested by private investors, institutional investors, corporate venture funds, governments and non-profits over the next 5+ years.  Key Takeaways: 1. Climate change is a pressing global issue that requires urgent attention. Matt stresses the urgency of taking action to combat climate change and encourages investors and entrepreneurs to get involved in the fight. 2. Investing in climate change technologies can be a win-win for both the environment and businesses. Matt explains that investing in climate change technologies can lead to cost savings and increased profitability for businesses while also helping to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. 3. Collaboration is key: The interviewee emphasizes the importance of collaboration between investors, entrepreneurs, and climate activists in order to make progress towards combating climate change and creating a more sustainable future. 4WARD.VC's climate investor syndicate invests invests alongside leading climate funds and accelerators in breakthrough pre-seed and seed stage climate startups led by CRAZY, world-class founders tackling BIG problems in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Construction & Manufacturing, Commerce & Circular Economy, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Energy & Renewables, Transportation & Mobility and anything with positive “climate-economics” that has the opportunity to MASSIVELY better our world. Visit http://4ward.vc for more info and connect with Matt.  BONUS: GET ACCESS TO Free 750+ Climate VC & Accelerator Database 4WARD.VC made a searchable index of 750 climate, sustainability and impact investors, LPs, incubators, accelerator programs and angel investor groups worldwide.  You can filter climate tech VCs by stage, sector, geography & check size to find your ideal investor and/or co investors! https://4ward.vc/VCdatabase Watch the Shark Tank Climate Tech Investor Pitch Show on Youtube The Startup Tank Climate Tech Investor Pitch Show - YouTube Karen Rands is the leader of the Compassionate Capitalist Movement™ and author of the best selling investment primer: Inside Secrets to Angel Investing: Step-by-Step Strategies to Leverage Private Equity Investment for Passive Wealth Creation.  She is an authority on creating wealth through investing and building successful businesses that can scale and exit rich.  Karen is an enthusiastic speaker on these topics for corporations, economic development groups, angel investor networks, and professional  business networks.   About Karen https://www.karenrands.co/about-karen-rands/ Visit http://Kugarand.com and click on the Services tab, to learn more about the Compassionate Capitalist Wealth Maximizer System™.  Read about the Due Diligence Services, Investor Relations, Capital Strategies, Capital Access, and Capital Readiness Coaching serviced offered by her firm, Kugarand Capital Holdings.  The Compassionate Capitalist Show™ is also a Podcast on YouTube.  Please visit and subscribe and share.  It is great to watch Karen and her guests live, in action.  The whole library of podcasts and interviews since 2020 can be found there by category or chronological. https://bit.ly/CCSyoutubepod  Imagine the feeling of investing in a way that had massive impact and a potential pay you back 10x your money. The time is now to find out if Angel Investing / CrowdFunding Investing is the wealth creation strategy for you.  Hear why the most wealthy people invest in entrepreneurs, and you have been told it is riskier than real estate and stocks.  Sign up for the FREE Compassionate Capitalist Wealth Mastery Challenge Power Week, new sessions every month.  http://dothedeal.org    

Chris Paik is a General Partner @ Pace Capital, an early-stage venture firm in NYC. Pace's first fund was $150M and their second was $250M. Before co-founding Pace, Chris was a General Partner at Thrive Capital where he spent an incredible 8 years having joined the firm when they were on their first $10M Fund. In Today's Episode with Chris Paik We Discuss: 1. From Hipster to One of NYC's Best VCs: How Chris made his way from not knowing about venture capital to being one of the most prominent in NYC? What are 1-2 of his biggest takeaways from his 8 years at Thrive? How did they impact how he thinks about building Pace today? What are Chris' biggest lessons from working with Josh Kushner? What did Josh do to spot young talent in a way like no one else did? 2. The Core Pillars of Successful Venture Investing: "Invest in companies that can be described in a single sentence". What does Chris mean by this? How does that impact the type of companies he looks to invest in? "Business Model Fit is as important as PMF". What does Chris mean by this? How does he determine where a company has business model fit? How does Chris analyze his relationship to market sizing? How does Chris think about how willing he is to take a bet on market timing? Why does Chris believe that the more "virtuous" a company is, the less enterprise value it will have? 3. What is Wrong with Venture Capital: The Misalignments: What does Chris believe are the single biggest misalignments between VCs and Founders? What does Chris see as the biggest misalignments between VCs and LPs? Why does Chris believe we should scrap capital gains tax and all be taxed as an income tax? Why do acquisitions allow investors to be screwed over by the acquiring company? 4. The Future of Social and User Generated Content Platforms: How does Chris analyze consumer businesses according to "The Seven Deadly Sins"? Why does he call them, "The Seven Deadly Motivators"? What does Chris believe is the future for Substack? Why does it not have Business Model Fit? What are 1-2 of his biggest lessons from being on the Twitch board? How did that experience impact his mindset and approach to what good is in UGC and social? What does Chris believe is the number one thing to look for in a potential consumer social investment? What do so many miss?

On this Chris Duarte interview: Sobriety and surviving 3 divorces… how accidentally playing as a trio changed his career and his life, Being named one of the top 3 guitar players in Texas & how this changed the game for him, backstory to some of his greatest songs… Why “You gotta will those sounds out,” John Coltrane, “Never say die,” Best decision he ever made, and why he has nothing to prove to anyone, any more. Great, sincere convo! Cool Guitar, Music & ELG T-Shirts!: http://www.GuitarMerch.com   Chris Duarte is an incredibly talented, passionate and quite versatile guitarist / singer / songwriter / artist.... with a very high level of musical awareness. He's a phenomenal soloist who's not afraid to inject jazz and unconventional blues fills into his music. Chris has released 14 LPs including his latest record that just dropped, Ain't Giving Up. Subscribe & Website:  https://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/subscribe Support this show: http://www.everyonelovesguitar.com/support

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series will explore a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we'll take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Today's guest is Sarah Hinkfuss, a partner at Bain Capital Ventures. Bain Capital Ventures is a multi-stage VC firm investing across four core domains, fintech, application software, infrastructure, and commerce tech.Leveraging the unique resources of Bain Capital, they deploy targeted support at every stage of company building. For over 20 years, they've helped launch and commercialize more than 400 companies, and they also recently announced $1.9 billion in new funds.This is an insightful conversation as Bain Capital Ventures has not historically been a climate-focused investor, but they're increasingly paying attention to and getting active in this area, and Sarah's leading the charge.In this episode, we cover: [3:23] An overview of Bain Capital Ventures and Sarah's focus in the firm[5:35] BCV's exploration of climate tech and the firm's motivations[12:04] How the allocation of resources is influenced by time horizons[15:22] BCV's areas of focus through a climate lens[17:04] Sarah's climate journey from environmental justice and public service to early-stage startups and investing[23:07] Her experience leading the effort and formalizing BCV's climate approach[28:07] An example of the evolution of BCV's funds[31:37] The relevant types of expertise needed to make confident investments [35:45] BCV's insights into the role software plays in solving the climate problem [38:18] The firm's 6 areas of focus [44:48] Founder market fit and the importance of deep market strategy and commercial experience[50:00] How climate-focused investors should approach a company's more profitable opportunities in other markets[53:31] BCV's climate investments to date and other related efforts across its portfolio [57:12] The role of a changing climate in a company's evolution and BCV's approach [1:05:05] The value of authentic experiences and deep expertise[1:08:44] Founders BCV wants to hear from Get connected: Jason JacobsSarah Hinkfuss / Bain Capital VenturesMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on April 19, 2023. 

This week's guest is Domingo Valadez, Co-founder & CEO of Homebase, a platform that lets people invest in tokenized residential real estate for as little as $100. As real estate prices continue to get more and more unaffordable for people, Homebase aims to be the destination for US renters to invest in the US residential real estate market via fractionalizing NFTs. Show Notes:0:50 - What is Homebase?2:05 - Why Solana?4:06 - How does it work?7:09  - Benefits using web3 and Solana9:17 - Us vs International11:11 - How things can evolve for Homebase?  14:18 - Regulatory landscape in the US / next US markets to expand to17:04 - User journey from first wallet to being a homeowner20:04 - Voting  21:14 -  Retaining people in Crypto    22:57 -  Exciting things in on-chain residential real estate.24:38 -  A builder Domingo admires in the Solana ecosystem Full Transcript:Brian Friel (00:05):Hey, everyone, and welcome to The Zeitgeist, the show where we highlight the founders, developers, and designers who are pushing the Web3 space forward. I'm Brian Friel, developer relations at Phantom, and I'm super excited to introduce my guest, Domingo Valadez, the co-founder of Homebase, a digital platform for fractionalizing residential real estate via NFTs. Domingo, welcome to the show. Domingo Valadez (00:28):Thanks so much for having me, Brian. Super excited to be here. Brian Friel (00:30):Yeah, super excited to have you on as well. You guys are a hotly anticipated recent launch. I've seen you guys on Twitter. It's one of the most, I'd say, unique and more pragmatic applications I've seen most recently launch on Solana. Can you give us a quick overview of what is Homebase and how can users start using it today? Domingo Valadez (00:51):Yeah. Homebase is a platform that lets people invest in tokenized residential real estate for as little as $100. The main value property right people is just getting exposure to an actual physical rental property and starting to get some of that passive income, starting to get that appreciation over time in terms of how you can participate and invest, you can just go to our website, make an account, we do force you to put a KYC and that's just to follow us regulations. So right now we're limited to just US investors unfortunately, but have plans to make it international as we continue to grow. But right now it's a matter of KYCing. You also have to set up a 15-minute call with one of my co-founders, Alex, and that's just to make sure that you're a sophisticated investor so you get to know us a little bit. So we're very transparent with our team and what we're doing, but we had 38 people participate in our very first home and now have 1500 that want to participate in our next one. Brian Friel (01:41):That's awesome. So residential real estate investing, that's something that I'd say a lot of the demographic with Solana maybe skews potentially on the younger side. This is something that people think is interesting but have historically been left out of this world of investing. What made you guys decide to do something in a purely digital way that's different than traditional residential real estate investing and what made you guys choose to launch this on Solana? Domingo Valadez (02:05):I grew up in a family that has always seen real estate as a great way building wealth over time and just growing up I've very quickly seen it become unaffordable for most people in my generation. So I was working at Google for five years, still couldn't afford anything in the Bay Area and I was like, "This is absurd." And so it was like how can we make this affordable for people where they can actually get some skin in the game with the properties they're living in? And so that was really a big culmination for why Homebase and so then I've invested in my own residential property, myself and my hometown of McAllen just going into that flow, so many third parties, how to work with a bank, took literally three months to buy the property and that was just awful as well. So it's kind of like what can we do that's completely digital that just makes the experience really, really easy for people? (02:49):And so that's where the idea around Homebase came from. We're making it where people can invest in properties for as little as a hundred dollars. And so real estate's also a industry that loves silo data. You have big players that really hold their data near and dear to their heart and don't want to share it, and that's the complete opposite of public blockchains, right? It's like, "Let's just get data. Everyone should have a fair shot at understanding what's going on and if you know how to utilize that data, you can make some great decisions with it." A big piece of it came from the mission as well of I've been following Bitcoin since 2017, love the decentralization aspect of it and so wanted to see how we could get real estate in a very transparent open source way. That was a big culmination about why even build in a digital space using blockchain to do this. Brian Friel (03:33):Love it. I think that story resonates with a lot of listeners potentially I myself in Bay Area. Similar story there, so it's similar frustrations. I guess I'm a little curious how does this at a high level work under the hood? Kind of back to my earlier question, a lot of folks maybe don't know much about real estate investing. There's a lot of paperwork involved. What role is Homebase playing? What parts of this are done on chain? How do I go from, "I'm just a normal crypto user with NFTs." To now, I can say, "I'm a part of this homeownership project." How does that all work under the hood? Domingo Valadez (04:07):I'll share the Homebase side, then I'll share the user experience side. So it's actually quite complex to make it work. It took us seven months to build out the legal frameworks to how to do this and then building out the software for tokenization took about two months for us to do. But just to walk you through this first home, how we did it effectively, we found a property that was suitable. We put it under an exclusive buyer seller agreement, so Homebase had full rights to sell the house on behalf of the owner. We then spun up a special purpose vehicle that was sole intent was to purchase that property, and so then we created NFTs that represent ownership in that special purpose vehicle and we had a mint date on that mint date. It was basically like the day we started selling the property. (04:45):And so people could literally go to our website, these are people that have already KYC accredited, non-accredited, could then buy tokens with USDC and they would mint them directly on our platform. And so they would get those tokens immediately to their account and then in tandem they would get DocuSign documentation sent to them. So they have to sign a legal LLC operating agreement, they need to sign a security token purchase agreement, all this legal documentation that basically says like I am buying tokens using USDC and I'm now a member of this LLC that was created. So once we acquired all the money that was necessary, we then closed up the SPV and then actually completed the transaction. And so the owner received the amount of money that they were trying to sell on his first property, and then once that was closed, we then filed with the local title companies to basically transition the title from the owner into this new SPV we created. (05:40):So the piece that's truly on chain are the NFTs we created to represent ownership, but we're pretty much a Web 2.5 company where we do need to know who exactly owns what tokens, and we only whitelisted wallets can effectively trade them between themselves. So we file these as Reg D 506, security, private placement offerings, and in that regulation you have to hold the investment for at least a year. You can't trade it for that initial year, and then after that you can sell it through our platform either back to us or eventually want to allow for peer-to-peer trading, but we need an alternative trading system license for that, which we don't have yet. So the majority of it's going to be people selling it back to us and then us reselling it to the next person. Brian Friel (06:23):That makes a lot of sense. That was going to be one of my follow-up questions because given the permissionless nature of most tokens by default on chains, I was wondering how that works within a legal framework. You mentioned this first home that you guys tokenized from what I saw, it sold out within the first two weeks. It was a great success, but you guys basically just proved a use case that, "Hey, within the legal framework of how this exists today, this actually works." I think we could get into in this podcast talking a lot about where you guys see this going in the future and how this whole process is going to evolve. But can you talk a little bit about even just this first home that you guys tokenized and sold, what were some of the immediate benefits that you saw using Solana or blockchains in particular that might be different than the normal process? Domingo Valadez (07:09):I think a lot of the benefits are for users, not for us as the company doing it. So there was still a lot of complexity when it came to structuring all this and every single home we tokenize and sell on the platform has a lot of complexity behind the scenes, but for the end user, people could literally invest in this first home within five minutes. That's how long it took some of our users to purchase these tokens. And then they're just relying on us to do all the paperwork on the backend. Moving forward, we're going to be distributing out all funds using USDC, we're actually partnering with Circle. They're our money transmitter. They're the ones basically sending out all the funds to every single holder and we're going to be doing that monthly. (07:46):So as an end user, you just became a fractional owner in this property. You don't need to deal with any sort of property management headaches. You get your passive income and when you're ready to sell, you can just sell it back to us. We're going to be partnering with blockchain home registry to showcase the value of the properties monthly, and so you'll be able to sell it at true fair market value as dictated by five different data points of trusted institutions saying, "This is what the value of that property should be." Brian Friel (08:11):That's pretty awesome. One thing I want to hit on too is you mentioned that there's accredited investor checks, but is this also open to non-accredited investors as well? Domingo Valadez (08:19):We can have up to 35 non-accredited investors participate per home offering. It's limited to that just by the Reg D 506 B offering that we do, but we can have unlimited accredited. So moving forward, we think the 35 non-accredited spots will be taken pretty quickly because of course that's the main use case for people where they see the main value in what we're doing. But yeah, we plan to switch to Reg A offerings in the future and that'll allow anyone to participate. No limitations whether accredited or non-accredited. Brian Friel (08:47):These terms, accredited investor, unaccredited, Reg A, they're very, I would say US-centric. There's a lot of particular nuances to US investing laws that maybe contribute to why folks like us are interested in these kind of products. We can't always afford residential real estate in areas that we live and work. Is Homebase exclusively focused on the US Do you guys also see this problem internationally and can you talk a little bit about maybe how the US differs from some other major markets internationally? Domingo Valadez (09:17):The US probably has the toughest regulation when it comes to this. So for us, we very much wanted to tackle one of the hardest markets and also two of the three co-founders are US based, are three co-founders in Canada and both markets so similar, very, very expensive real estate in any sort of big city all feel priced out. So we really all align in the mission behind this. Our initial launch market was in McAllen, Texas, so that's where I'm originally from. So it was very near and dear to my heart to launch there and see properties that I grew up with actually get access to the internet and get tokenized in that capacity. But we'll stay likely in the US for the near medium term, but we do want to allow international investors to participate as well. So we've already been reached out to by a few big players internationally that want to be LPs in our future properties and then they can sell it to some of their customers as well, and that's how we'll open it up and expand the pie to international investors as well. Brian Friel (10:12):I love that. So you mentioned when you did the high level overview of how this process works, essentially onboarding people one by one, taking video calls with them, making sure they understand the process, having to give them tokens that there's restrictions on how they can actually be sent to different people if they want to resell. It oftentimes having to go through you guys that whole process and then I'm sure even just the whole process of you setting up these legal entities as Homebase and your Web 2.5 company right now, there's a lot of legwork that you guys are doing on the back end, abstracting this out. (10:45):I think listeners of this could imagine a world where one day this is all pushed more to the edges, to the actual token holders and owners themselves. How do you guys think about how this is going to evolve over time? Which pieces of this do you think potentially in the next couple years could be more evolve, looking in areas where you guys maybe at Homebase aren't doing as much legwork and which areas do you think are going to be a little bit slower to evolve over time? Domingo Valadez (11:12):US real estate's very locally driven. Not only do you have to follow federal regulation, you also have to follow state regulation. You also have to follow local regulation all the way down to the county level. And so understanding each of those three layers of regulation is really important. And so that drove a lot of where we first launched. So Texas is very pro landlord, they're pro tendency in common, so it was very easy to fractionize the property there and they don't have any sort of transfer taxes. So if I sold my tokens to you, other states or other cities would charge a tax on that, Texas doesn't. So that was a big piece that kind of decided where we even launched on the piece about where we're going and what do I think is going to get better over time. One of the big reasons we even did this on chains, we've had a lot of people say, "Why don't you just fractionize this without blockchain that's so complex, you're making your process harder." (12:00):It's really about the secondary financial implications of what it means to have things decentralized and on an open platform. So for example, we're already in discussions with an on chain lender to allow people to collateralize their tokens to actually take on chain debt. No bank, no credit score required, literally just you collateralizing your tokens to take on debt and that to me is a beautiful thing. You cannot own any piece of a home without a mortgage under your name or a bank, someone getting involved and checking out your credit score. So that to me is really, really exciting and something we can already do with the first home moving forward. Another piece would be as regulation gets looser, having more clarity around allowing peer-to-peer trading. So alternative training license is what we're going to be going for relatively soon, and that's going to allow for people to trade within themselves so they don't have to sell it back to Homebase, but actually allow for peer-to-peer trading. (12:55):To me, it's really just like all of the applications that then could get built on top of having real estate completely tokenized on chain is what gets me excited about the Web3 space. I think the pieces on the regulation that's going to push back is making sure everyone's KYC, making sure you know who your users are, making sure they didn't launder any of their money. But yeah, I think that's one of the biggest benefits of Web3 and creating liquidity in a market that's historically been pretty illiquid and at a very, very high prices. Brian Friel (13:23):Yeah, I think you're right. There's this element of composability that comes with this when this is native to the internet, it's online and there's a token, anyone can [inaudible 00:13:34]. Then like you said, build a lending market around that. And there's a world where one day you guys aren't even involved with that decision, it's just someone can just sole end or another project can say, "Hey, we already have this lending market and we accept these tokens now as collateral." My gut tells me that you guys are doing this by the book. That regulation is going to be the rate limiting step in all of this as it starts to go. How do you guys see the current regulatory landscape in the US and you mentioned that there's some differences not just federally, but on state levels and on county levels. Can you talk a little bit about that and why maybe you guys are choosing to start in Texas and where you guys, I mean maybe foresee the next markets that you guys are expanding to as well? Domingo Valadez (14:18):You're absolutely right. Regulation's going to be the inhibitor on doing a lot of Web3 related transactions for properties. I think Coinbase getting sued by the FCC is going to provide a ton of clarity around... Or that's my hope at least a lot of clarity around how Web3 companies should be operating. I think there's been a lot of confusion around what's legal, what's not legal. So just to keep our users safe, we chose the web2 legal approach where we tried being as closely to the book as we can in case things go wrong or awry. Our users are completely fine and we feel very confident with that. But of course as we continue scaling the company and getting bigger, we love for these secondary applications like a Solend. To just say, "Hey, we just created this lending platform, we actually don't need your permission to do it. We can just trade." (15:05):That to me would be amazing because that means we're succeeding in actually bringing homes on chain and tokenizing them and letting people do what they want with their assets. But the regulation's really going to kick in until then. Texas was great because it was very landlord friendly, very easy to fractionize the property and no taxes associated with that. We'll likely continue to stay in Texas for the near to medium term, we're in McAllen now, plan to go to Austin later this year. (15:31):Other markets we'd likely open it in would be Colorado is also pretty open to this. So is Florida, specifically Miami is pretty pro Web3 and pro tokenization. It would be very, very city state dependent on what laws they have in place and how we can make this work. For example, even us opening it up to international investors, that requires us to redo some of the legal structures we have to allow for international investors to even invest. So we're going to very much rely on partners that say... There's a lot of demand in Latin America, for example, specifically from this country, "Okay, that's going to be the first country we allow to invest internationally just because of the regulatory piece of that." And we don't want any of our users to worry about that. So we're trying to remove all that complexity for end users while Homebase deals are all the complexities around that. Brian Friel (16:19):That makes a lot of sense. Miami, Florida doesn't sound like the worst place to be a homeowner as well, so that aligns pretty nicely. Taking a step back as an end user who's thinking about this, let's say that somebody has a Phantom wallet, they've experimented with sending some crypto to their friends, they maybe have a few NFTs. What would they need to know to feel confident in taking this next step and being an owner of residential real estate? Is it as simple as just showing up to your guys' website, hitting connect wallet, filling out a couple forms in a Zoom call? Is there anything that they need to do after they've already completed the purchase or other things that they should be aware of? Essentially, could you walk us through the user journey from getting their first wallet to actually being a homeowner? Domingo Valadez (17:05):Yeah, absolutely. So funny enough, for our very first property, we actually had a lot of new to Web3 users participate. So plug for you guys, we had Phantom as the preferred wallet for people to create and effectively onboard into the Solana ecosystem. And I think something that was very beautiful about this was people could upload their money into Coinbase, send Solana or USDC and Solana to their Phantom wallet and see it happen in two seconds within the call that we were helping them do it. So I don't think it's the same thing for other chains, but that's something that Solana does really, really well. So once you have a loaded wallet, you as you mentioned, have to make an account on our website, you do need a KYC, you set up a quick call with us, just it's your way of understanding who we are as founders and you can ask us questions directly. (17:50):It's really just to build trust with people. But once we have a home that's live, you literally just go to the property page, you connect your wallet that we've already whitelisted preemptively, and then you can just buy however many tokens you like. So every single token is denominated in a hundred dollars, so everything's transacted in USDC and you can just buy however many tokens you like, they immediately get minted to your wallet and then you get sent DocuSign links to sign that'll make you truly a fractional owner of the legal entity we spun up to acquire that property. So once you purchase it and everything closes, you don't need to worry about anything. We know exactly whose wallets hold what tokens, and we just start sending you your proportional amount of net rent every month and then you can decide to sell whenever you'd like. Brian Friel (18:35):So there's no upkeep. Part of the joys of being a landlord is things break in houses, there's taxes, property taxes to pay, all this kind of stuff. All of that is abstracted away from an end user. Domingo Valadez (18:47):So any home we list on our platform, we charge an extra 5% fee and that's really just to have a capital reserve pool. So if anything breaks, like we as Homebase have a property manager, they'll go out and fix it and then we refill that reserve pool with rent. So the goal is to never ask people that purchased it for money, we can refill it ourselves with the rent we collect, which is what's beautiful about real estate, it's cash generating and in terms of property taxes, we handle everything from that end. We do distribute K1s to everyone at the end of the year because everyone has their own personal income taxes they need to pay. So we can't force you to pay them, but we can give you all the information you need to pay them on your behalf. Brian Friel (19:25):That makes a lot of sense. I was also thinking when we talked earlier about the layers of this that could be abstracted away and evolved over time, that's potentially one of them, but I'm not sure if people actually at the end of the day want that. Is there a world where there's Homebase down people are voting on how do we pay for fixing the plumbing leak? I have a feeling that that's a service that all owners here are pretty glad that you guys are handling on behalf of them. Domingo Valadez (19:50):Yeah, one thing that is true though is people can vote us out. So we're the default manager of the property, but if you're not happy with the job we're doing, you can absolutely vote us out. Brian Friel (19:58):Oh, that's interesting. How does that vote happen? Is that an on chain vote with tokens or how did you guys set that up? Domingo Valadez (20:05):Yeah, so not on chain right now, but theoretically you're truly an owner of the LLC and you have voting rights in that LLC. So if people just came together and said like, "Hey, we want to vote them out." There's a meeting set up, people say like, "Yay, we want to remove Homebase." We won't be the manager anymore. It'll be up to the owners to pick a new manager and then that's how they can start facilitating the management of that property. Brian Friel (20:28):Wow, that's fascinating. Domingo Valadez (20:30):Yeah, we truly want people to be owners. Brian Friel (20:32):Oh, that's really cool. So I guess I have a couple questions here to kind of wrap up, but you mentioned that you guys are onboarding a lot of net new users to Web3, essentially people getting their wallet for the first time, maybe they don't fully understand how to use these wallets or the gravity of sending things on chain and the irreversibility of a lot of this. Do you guys have any particular insights from getting on calls with these people and walking them through this process? Do these users stay in crypto in your view? Do they stay engaged with it? Is it a steep learning curve for them? Basically, how as an industry are we doing at onboarding these people who maybe find crypto not because of crypto but because of a use case Homebase where they're just, it's a solution to their problem. Domingo Valadez (21:15):So very transparently, I'd say some people do have difficulty and it's a 30-minute call, and other people it's very easy. So I think something a lot of users asked for was like, "How can we abstract the complexities of wallets even further?" We're thinking about potentially having noncustodial wallets on our website where we partner with someone that basically just showcases the wallets directly there and then for an end user, it doesn't matter if it's crypto, you just know you own tokens in a property, you didn't have to create any wallet, it was automatically created for you. But for the people that do know Web3 and have their own Phantom wallets, have their own personal wallet, they can do what they like with those tokens and use on chain, that sort of piece. So I think for the industry to continue to expand, we need to continue to make it easier for people to onboard, abstracting away a lot of the complexity is something that'll continue to be key to keep widening the pie for everyone. Brian Friel (22:09):Totally. I can't imagine the call where someone buys a bunch of shares in a residential property and then forgets their seed phrase so, these are things that we're thinking about as well. I mean, I liked that framing of essentially giving users the easy option to start and the optionality to eject from that and really take control if you really know what you're doing. I think that's awesome. Domingo Valadez (22:31):Absolutely. Brian Friel (22:32):Well, this has been an awesome discussion, Domingo. Before we wrap up with one closing question, I always ask everyone I want to know for you too, what excites you the most right now from where you guys sit in this new field of on chain residential real estate, where are you guys heading next and what do you think is the most exciting next frontier? Is it new markets? Is it improvements in the way this is happening on chain? Is it in regulation? Or maybe it's something completely different that you guys are seeing? Domingo Valadez (22:57):I'd say one of the biggest drivers for me for building Homebase, we want to redefine home ownership and what that even means, I think we'll continue to see real estate prices keep getting more and more unaffordable for folks. And I think being a homeowner's going to start being a privilege, which is a really sad reality. Unless we have true government intervention come in and add more housing supply, I think it's going to get worse. And so with that reality, it's like it's up to private markets to figure out how do we actually make more people homeowners? So something we care a lot about at Homebase and something we're very mission driven about is making the tenants that live in these properties, also fractional owners of them. And so getting people comfortable with the idea of only owning 10, 20, 30% of their property, but still feeling like an owner of that property. (23:42):And so for this very first home, for example, Homebase bought an extra piece of it so that we can offer it to the tenant to actually buy it from us so that they can also be a fractional owner of the apartment they're living in. And so in 10 years we want Homebase to be the destination for renters. When you're moving to a new city, you use a Homebase platform, you find an apartment, you move in, you buy 30% of the value, and now you're a fractional owner of that property. So that's why Web3 excites me. You can completely do this in an open liquid market and we're trying to facilitate that through Homebase. Brian Friel (24:14):Yeah, that's putting skin in the game too, right there, you're a renter and you actually have upside if you treat the place well. That's pretty cool, and I think that's kind of spinning the model on its head in a really crypto native and interesting way. And I love that framing. Well, Domingo, this has been an awesome discussion. One question we ask all of our guests, and I want to know this for you as well, is who is a builder that you admire in the [inaudible 00:24:38]. Ecosystem? Domingo Valadez (24:38):Okay, this is going to be a total cop out, so I'll give you two. My first one's [inaudible 00:24:44]. I love that man's Twitter content. I feel like the way he speaks, he's clearly very, very technical, but also very good at bringing things to a high level and explaining things. And it's no secret that Solano ecosystems gotten a lot of heat from a lot of third parties where the day FTX went down, someone from the Binance blockchain basically told me I was dumb to continue building on Solana and was really trying to pull us to build on their chain. (25:09):And I was like, "I think the leaders of Solana are taking this very well and are being very, very thoughtful about how they're moving things forward." So that's the first piece really, really like [inaudible 00:25:19]. The second one's [inaudible 00:25:21]. I love his content. He's been a champion for Solana and you can always rely on that guy to call out people that are spewing fake news about the chain and really showcase his technical know-how of how things truly work behind the scenes. So I think those are probably my two biggest, I fanboy over both of them a good amount. Brian Friel (25:43):I think those are both great choices. And a sneak peak, you mentioned that the [inaudible 00:25:47]. Recording was just before this, but [inaudible 00:25:49]. Also mentioned [inaudible 00:25:50]. As his choice. So you're in good company there. Part of what [inaudible 00:25:55]. Was saying too is he loves people that are building pragmatic applications that can "Only be done on Solana TM." And I think Homebase is a really awesome shiny example of that. So thank you so much for taking the time to walk us through it. I'm super excited. I'm going to have to check it out, bring my Panama to it. I know nothing about residential real estate, but I think you've given me the confidence to give it a try today. For folks who want to check it out, where can they go to learn more about Homebase? Domingo Valadez (26:22):Yeah, you can go directly to our website, which is Homebasedao.io. Brian Friel (26:26):I love it. Domingo Valadez (26:27):Everything's completely transparent on our website, we even have a white paper that goes into all the technical pieces, whether it's the legal side, whether it's all the technical side on the blockchain component piece. So we're very, very transparent and we also have a discord where we answer questions as people have them. Brian Friel (26:42):That sounds great. Domingo the co-founder of Homebase, thank you so much for coming on. Domingo Valadez (26:48):Absolutely. Thanks so much, Brian, for having me.   

Dan Wenhold co-leads Fifth Wall's real estate technology fund.  He tells us how Fifth Wall has massively grown their AUM by bringing in LPs from the real estate industry who want access to innovation in PropTech.  He also tells us how Fifth Wall has stayed innovative and leaned into creative deal structures that are outside the typical VC playbook.

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series will explore a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we'll take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Today's guest is Lucas Joppa, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Managing Director at Haveli Investments. Haveli Investments is a new and rapidly growing investment firm led by Brian Sheth, former president of Vista Equity Partners. Prior to Haveli, Lucas was the longtime Chief Environmental Officer at Microsoft where he was responsible for Microsoft's overall environmental sustainability vision, strategy, and program execution. In this episode, Jason and Lucas have an in-depth discussion about Lucas's journey to becoming aware of and caring about climate change, how his views have evolved on the nature of the problem, and the best path forward from when he first started doing this work to today. They also talk about Microsoft's journey when it started caring about sustainability and its evolution to being one of the leaders in driving net-zero ambitions for big corporations. And finally we cover Lucas's decision to switch from wildlife conservation to the private equity world, his motivations and of course, Haveli's approach.In this episode, we cover: [2:10] An overview of Haveli Investments and Lucas's role at the firm [4:29] How Lucas came to work in climate and what got him to care about the problem [11:09] His experience at Microsoft[14:08] What inspired Microsoft to address the climate problem [16:32] The company's internal process[21:51] Influencing factors that led to climate action at Microsoft [28:57] Lucas's thoughts on corporate net-zero commitments[32:52] Weighing the implications of GHG reductions on biodiversity loss[38:40] Radical transformations vs. replacing current systems with sustainable alternatives[42:09] Challenges with private equity embracing sustainability [49:17] Haveli's internal net-zero operations [50:53] How founders should evaluate Haveli's portfolio management relative to other private equity firms[53:30] Lucas' work on sustainable softwareGet connected: Jason JacobsLucas Joppa / Haveli InvestmentsMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on March 20, 2023. 

If there's one thing I love about what I get to do every day, it's speaking to other real estate investors and medical professionals who have already helped so many others and want to use their success to give back and help others. And this is one of those episodes where today's guest is doing precisely that. Jason Balara is the CEO and co-founder of Lark Capital Group. His focus has primarily been on B-class and C-class value-add multifamily deals in the southeast, and he's also added commercial real estate assets to his portfolio of over 600 multifamily units and 400+ units of self-storage. He's also a veterinary surgeon with a passion for real estate and the host of the Know Your Why podcast. In our conversation, you'll hear about his new passion project of creating his first fund to combine real estate opportunities for limited partners and give back to other veterinarians and help them achieve financial freedom. Jason also shares important questions that LPs should be asking sponsors and syndicators to de-risk their deals, and we'll also talk about some of the challenges that investors are facing in a market where deal flow is slower than last year. The Forever Passive Income Live Virtual Event The next FPI Live Virtual Event is coming up on May 19-21, 2023 where I'll be sharing the step-by-step blueprint on how we raised tens of millions in capital and acquired over 4,300 units. Buy your FPI tickets today by visiting ForeverPassiveIncome.com  Key Takeaways with Jason Balara Why Jason is creating his very first fund with the combination of multifamily, self-storage, and buying distressed businesses.  The shockingly high suicide rate among veterinarians and the impact that Jason is hoping to make with charitable work for his fellow vets. How challenging 2023 has been for real estate investors as deal flow has slowed since last year. Why the interest rate for your deal doesn't really matter as long as you understand what the interest rate is. Strategies to de-risk your investments as a limited partner. The questions that limited partners should be asking themselves right now to be successful in today's market. Want the Full Show Notes? To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit https://acceleratedinvestorpodcast.com/361 Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of The Accelerated Real Estate Investor Podcast, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device. You can also help by providing an honest rating & review over on Apple Podcasts. Reviews go a long way in helping us build awareness so that we can impact even more people. THANK YOU! Connect with Josh Cantwell Facebook YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Sign up for the Forever Passive Income Partnering, Mastermind and Coaching Program with Josh Cantwell To unlock your potential and start earning real passive income, visit joshcantwellcoaching.com

On BDO's new Private Equity PErspectives podcast episode, Michael LeTourneau, finance resource partner at Court Square Capital Partners, and Steve Siwinski, senior finance leader at Accel-KKR, join host Todd Kinney to discuss why PE CFOs need a “money-making gene” and “love of controlled chaos.” Tune in to hear their insights on: Talent challenges: How the current labor market headwinds play into fund and portfolio strategies, and what solutions they're deploying The first 100 days: What's most important now in the first 100 days of owning an asset Scaling the approach: How scaling your approach is top of mind for LPs today, and how to do it

Notice If you want to get in contact with us you can reach us via email at ⁠associatedpodcast@gmail.com⁠ as well as on Twitter (@associated_pod). We are trying to understand our listeners better so we can make better content. You can really help us out by filling out our listener survey which you can find here (https://airtable.com/shraJVvUNv6D7PkDP). Description: On the fifth episode of our “How to Raise a Venture Fund” series, we're joined by Rodney Appiah, Managing Partner at Cornerstone VC, an early-stage diversity-focused fund investing in sustainability, productivity, and connectivity. Rodney started his career as an investment banker before moving into venture capital, where he's worked at various funds including Foresight Group as a Director and the British Growth Fund. Alongside his partners, Rodney started Cornerstone because he realized in his investment roles that in VC, the chips were stacked against diverse founders. Cornerstone evolved from an angel group into a £20m Venture fund backed by a institutional LPs. In this episode, Rodney shares his insights on raising a first-time fund under the current market conditions, talks about convincing LPs to let you innovate on strategy and discusses what areas LPs focus on and why. He also provides a detailed taxonomy of the different types of LPs and what to expect when raising from each of them. Lastly Rodney provides a useful primer on the materials that were fundamental to Cornerstone's fundraise and how they were put together. Whether you're an emerging fund manager or an LP interested in investing in a venture fund, this episode is a must-listen. Rodney's insights and experiences are invaluable for anyone looking to navigate the fundraising process successfully. Listen here to learn how to raise a venture fund from someone who's actually done it!

The 77s' 1987 self-titled album was not only that band's first real shot at the "big-time" success their fans knew they deserved. It was also the climax of a creative explosion from a unique Sacramento community that had been cooking up spiritually driven, culturally engaged, artistically excellent music for about a decade. On this special "From The Vault" episode of the podcast, we unveil previously unheard tape culled from frontman Michael Roe's conversation with True Tunes and with The Electric Jesus Podcast to finally answer one of the most fascinating questions of all time: Did U2's breakthrough album The Joshua Tree inadvertently KILL one of our other favorite LPs?    If you dig this, don't miss our previous 2-part deep dive with Michael Roe, our recent @45RPM reflection on U2's Achtung Baby, our conversation with 77s and Exit Records advocate Randy Layton, or our discussions in the vault with fellow Exit artists Steve Scott, Jimmy Abegg, and Charlie Peacock.    For this show's FULL SHOW NOTES - including a list of ALL the music used in this episode and more - visit TrueTunes.com/RoeRedux.   If you want to support the show, please join our Patreon community or drop us a one-time tip and check out our NEW MERCH!

Marlon Evans is CEO of Nex Cubed, an innovation investor that infuses capital to accelerate and scale frontier tech companies. With the recent launch of a $40M fund targeting HBCUs, we discuss the impact that college football at Stanford and being a Girl Dad has had on Marlon's leadership style and penchant for identifying superstar founders and LPs. -One chance encounter generated a benefactor turned mentor who set Marlon on his VC journey.-As a former college football play, Marlon learned how to tackle adversity both on and off the field, while supporting his family.-If you are an emerging manager or founder looking to tap into a second wind, this may be the most important interview you hear this week.Why Interview Marlon Evans?Marlon has experience closing flagship funds from Silicon Valley. You'll learn one of the biggest differences in founders from HBCUs and how to help them succeed.What Will I Learn From This Episode?As a founder or emerging fund manager, you'll learn how to balance high standards with a humanized approach.Subscribe and Review the #11 Podcast for Startups in 2022 as voted by Feedspot.Checkout the full list here-> https://blog.feedspot.com/startup_podcasts/Ranked in top 15% of podcasts shared globally on Spotify.See you inside…Questions Answered Inside:1. Who is Marlon Evans?2. Which NFL great had the most impact on your VC journey?3. What's different about Nex Cubed?

This episode's guest is James Roller, a managing partner at Victorum Capital. James and his partner started Victorum as an investment club based out of OKC, where they would source and evaluate investment opportunities for their LPs. Since then, they have refined their vision and have moved to a traditional investment fund model pursuing opportunities across the tech space. This episode we discuss how Victorum finds and evaluates deals. We talk about the future of technology and entrepreneurship in non-traditional tech regions across the US. We go into the opportunities and challenges involved with focusing on off the beaten path markets. Lastly, we talk about what Victorum looks for in a start-up Founder, and what exciting trends he sees on the horizon.  Hope you enjoy the show! Max's Twitter: https://twitter.com/max_gagliardiPodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/Always_Buildingtiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@max.gagliardiYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@max_gagliardi

What a Creep“Disco Demolition Night: July 12, 1979”Season 20, Episode 1Margo and Sonia put on our boogie shoes and prepare to call bull shit on all of the excuses given for “Disco Demolition Night” on Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, IL. A group of boring, racist, sexist, and homophobic idiots decided disco music had been popular for too long. For fun, Chicago shock jock Steve Dahl created a stunt to destroy LPs on the field of a White Sox & Detroit Tigers game! Mayhem ensued due to the hyped (and hopped) up a crowd of meatheads who had decided that things like Saturday Night Fever, partner dancing, and people who were not “musicians” should have any success, much less a part of pop culture. All of this disco fuss (which coincided with Anita Bryant's gay bashing on the news every night) makes us realize that fighting pop culture “wars” is a sad, furious (and deeply stupid)tale as old as time. We have THOUGHTS about this one! Sources for this episodeWikipediaEDM.comThe Guardian1979 News Coverage YouTubeESPN story on Disco Demolition NightWeird HistoryA variety of clips of local news coverage in 1979Black Girl Culture BlogHBO The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken HeartCape Symphony “How to Disco Begin?”CNN Opinion Ad Campaigns Should be InclusiveVox: The Bud Light BoycottFox News: Sarah Huckabee Sanders “trolls” Bud Light with beer koozies featuring “Real Women” Art & Pop Culture: The first reporting about “disco” by Vince Aletti, Rolling Stone, September 13, 1973 http://artandpopularculture.com/Discotheque_rock_%2773:_Paaaaarty%21Be sure to follow us on social media. But don't follow us too closely … don't be a creep about it!Subscribe to us on Apple PodcastsTwitter: https://twitter.com/CreepPod @CreepPodFacebook: Join the private group!Instagram @WhatACreepPodcastVisit our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/whatacreepEmail: WhatACreepPodcast@gmail.comWe've got merch here! https://whatacreeppodcast.threadless.com/#Our website is www.whatacreeppodcast.comOur logo was created by Claudia Gomez-Rodriguez. Follow her on Instagram @ClaudInCloud

Drawing Pulling Order for the 85 LPS & 95 LPS Tractors for The Puller's Championship! (Audio Only) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beer-money-pulling-team/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beer-money-pulling-team/support

Analytics has led to a revolution in how we approach many aspects of modern life, from how we field a baseball team to when is the right time to send a tweet. And now data and analytics are reinventing how LPs view Venture Funds and how those funds invest. Our guest today uses powerful analytics to help her clients participate in Venture investing at scale, Jamie Rhode, CFA is Principal at Verdis Investment Management, a large Family Office. The analytics she uses and how she communicates with the GPs she invests in are the focus of today's episode. It's a fascinating look at putting emotions aside when investing to maximize returns.About Jamie Rhode:Jamie Rhode is Principal at Verdis Investment Management, focused on venture capital, private equity, and hedge fund investment sourcing and due diligence.She joined Verdis from Bloomberg, where she held roles in both equity research and credit analysis. Jamie is a licensed Chartered Financial Analyst, and earned her bachelor's degree from Drexel University.In this episode we discuss:(01:27) Jamie's journey into investing(03:14) A history of Verdis Investment Management(06:20) How Verdis' approach to venture investing has evolved through the use of analytics(10:37) Not needing to be the first investor in a geography(12:23) Fund sizes they prefer based on their data(17:12) Why Jamie thinks follow-on reserves are a flawed investment strategy(20:22) The data around being overly focused on valuation as a GP(23:06) The value to LPs of recycling(23:56) How shots on goal and consistency of investment is more important than finding winners(25:30) The infrastructure Verdis has to monitor its portfolio(28:52) Qualitative factors that Verids uses to evaluate investments when there is little data(32:40) Does the current market still support the data they have been using(36:14) Data around the importance of VC Brand(39:47) What Jamie's deal funnel looks like and how she manages her meetings(42:27) Why Family Offices are typically very private(43:32) The effect of the current market on Jamie's investingFast Favorites*

Neal Bloom is a Managing Partner at Interlock Capital, a community of founders, investors, and subject matter experts. Victoria talks to Neal about what he finds attractive about startups and companies he's excited about, out of all the pitches he receives, how many he gets to say yes to, and when working with a team, what he uses to manage information and contacts for investors. Interlock Capital (https://interlock.capital/) Follow Interlock Capital on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/interlock-capital/), or Twitter (https://twitter.com/InterlockCap). Follow Neal Bloom on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealbbloom/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/NealBloom). Check out his website (https://withkoji.com/@Nealbloom) and blog (https://freshbrewedtech.com/)! Follow thoughtbot on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: VICTORIA: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Victoria Guido. And with me today is Neal Bloom, Managing Partner at Interlock Capital, a community of founders, investors, and subject matter experts. Neal, thank you for joining us. NEAL: Hey, thanks for having me. It's so great to be here with you. VICTORIA: Fantastic. I'm excited to finally get a chance to talk with you. I met you at an investor hike that you organize once a month. NEAL: A founders' hike, yeah. I get up nice and early on the first Wednesday of each month in Torrey Pines in San Diego. And we hike up and down the hill with ocean views. It's not a bad day. VICTORIA: It's a great way to start the morning, I think, and to meet other people, other builders of products in technology. So tell me more about your work at Interlock Capital. NEAL: Sure. It really kind of organically happened that I became an investor, but not planned at all. I have an aerospace background then built my own edtech and talent tech marketplace. I call it the LinkedIn for students is really what we built as our first startup called Portfolium. We sold it, and I got really into startup communities, especially because of some people who helped me with my first startup. I want to be a part of building an even better ecosystem for others. And that turned into a podcast, a blog, an event series. And once I had the capital from my exit, turned into angel investing as well, too, and really just found that as I got to know people over time, the more and more I got to know them, the more certain ones stood out that said, wow, I don't just want to help them for the good of it. I also just want to be along for the ride. And I started writing checks to other founders. So that was the beginning of my investor journey about five years ago. And over COVID, a whole bunch of other later-stage experience operators, either founder-level or executives at tech companies, said, "I want to learn to do this. Can I do it alongside you?" And we created Interlock Capital as an investment syndicate. A group of us can share and utilize our brainpower, our time, and our capital to help companies. It's kind of our focus. So that's why we call it a community because it's not just kind of a one-way pitch us, and we'll write you a check. It's very much get to know the people, find the exact right domain experts who have subject matter expertise, who've been there and done that before. If they like the company and they want to personally invest, then we go to the greater group and say, "Hey, everyone, who wants to join this deal specifically?" So 18 investments later from Interlock Capital, we now also have an investment fund. So now we write two checks into every company. We do our syndicated style, pass the hat, if you will, "Hey, everyone, anyone want to invest in just this deal?" And then match it from our fund. And we're writing between $300,000 to $500,000 checks into early-stage software or/and software plus hardware companies. VICTORIA: What an incredible journey. And I love that it's led you to creating a community as part of what you do as an investment capital group. What do you find interesting about these startups and these companies that you want to be interested in? NEAL: Part of it is how much you learn about yourself, to be honest. I get to meet three to five new founders a day in a variety of ways, whether it's straight Zoom and pitch, or grab a coffee, or see them on a hike. We're kind of constantly introducing ourselves to each other. There's a bit of learning about how to size someone up to a certain regard. So you're kind of building this inner algorithm of how to top-prank people and their ideas. That's one interesting way that I never thought I would be doing professionally. There's a lot that we say versus what we do, and that's a data point that I have to keep track of because I get pitched amazing ideas that will literally change the world for so much better. And you get really excited about it, and you get invested in it. And I call it founder love. You fall in love with these founders specifically and almost say, "I don't even care what you're working on. I just want to work more with you. How do we do it?" So there's a lot of that. So there are some dating aspects [laughs] in terms of founder dating, like getting to know people. There's the determining how do we date towards marriage? Meaning, I'll write you a check, and I'm along for the ride for the next ten years. And then there's the kind of relationship maintenance which is okay; I wrote the check, now what? Where can I be helpful to the company? How can I anticipate their needs so that they have to think one more thing of how to satisfy me? It's quite the opposite way around. I'm trying not to be a barrier. I'm trying to work for them while they're sleeping. So yeah, it's really interesting the kind of the relationship aspect that goes into getting to know and helping founders take their ideas and turn it into reality. VICTORIA: That's very cool. And I have talked to people who have met you and talked to your company and just how supportive and helpful you all are even if you choose not to invest. So I think that's a really valuable resource for people. And I wonder, do you think it's something unique about the San Diego community in particular that is exciting right now? NEAL: I think so. I think San Diego specifically has always had this culture of give-before-you-get mentality, and so we kind of lead with that. There are a lot of people moving here. And you could choose many places that could be great, like LA versus San Diego, and there's a certain kind of person that chooses here versus somewhere else. And what I have found is there's a certain kind of give-before-you-get cultural mentality here that somehow people register pretty quickly and come with. And so that's an underlying greatness about us here. There's also because of the great environment we live in, by the beach, healthy lifestyle. I think we choose to work on things that maybe are also satisfying, just like our personal lives, meaning we work on things that matter, that are going to change the world, that are life-changing. That's not to say that we don't need certain other kinds of technology. I'm sure at some point, we felt we needed Twitter, and maybe we don't feel like that now. [laughs] But here, it feels like everyone's working on very impactful things, and I think that's really special to think about. Some examples of that is we've got an interesting subset of the SaaS world in nonprofit tech. So GoFundMe was founded in San Diego. They have since acquired three other nonprofit tech SaaS companies in San Diego, like Classy. So that's kind of interesting. You've got people who want to build a business that services nonprofits, and now they're all under one roof. So yeah, I think there is something special. We can dive deeper into some of the other sub-industries or categories that are interesting here, too, if you're interested. VICTORIA: Well, I could talk about San Diego all day. NEAL: [laughs] VICTORIA: Because I'm a fairly new resident, and I'm in love with it, obviously. [laughs] But let's talk more about products that can change the world. Like, what's one that you're really excited about that you've heard recently? NEAL: Ooh. I would start a little high level in certain categories that I'm really liking. I like things I'm seeing in the infrastructure space right now, meaning, you know, whether it's pipes and our water utilities, and I would include that in energy and EV, you know, kind of a mobility piece. There's even the commercial side of mobility, so trucking and freight. That whole infrastructure layer is really interesting to me right now. A certain company that, full disclosure, we invested in recently is a company called EarthGrid. They have a product that is boring holes tunnel-wise underground, but they're using just electricity and air, so plasma. And it's fascinating. They can bore holes 100 times the norm right now. They don't need to potentially trench, meaning they don't need to cut above the surface. They can just dig for miles straight underneath the ground, so they can go under things with that. And really a lot of the expensive pieces, closing lanes on freeways or highways to put fiber in or plumbing and all that. So it's really interesting to see that. Now, one element is the technology is interesting. But they have a plan to actually own their own tunnels that go across the entire United States. So they don't just want to be a device that they're going to sell to everyone. They want to actually own their own utility that has major tunnels across the United States. So that's fascinating to me because that's like think big, think exponential around that. So that's one area that's kind of fascinating to me. VICTORIA: That's super interesting, and thinking about the impact it can have on making power more secure for more people, things like that. There are just so many problems to solve, and so many are people trying to solve them. [laughs] - NEAL: Yeah, exactly. And they have a clean tech angle in that there are a lot of different ways to dig and tunnel that includes chemicals, and so their big thing is to not do that. Some of their background is installing these kinds of lines in the EV space for solar panels. So they have a big kind of clean and sustainability focus there. And our infrastructure is aging big time. We've got 100-year-old bridges and pipes and other things that it's really interesting to see the government put money into. And so that is another aspect, a business model, per se of infrastructure. You have the government putting billions, if not trillions, into upgrading our infrastructure, which as an investor, I like to hear that there's free capital out there in forms of non-dilutive funding to help these along, and that's existed for hundreds of years. Cars and oil industry got these kinds of subsidies, and then the EV and solar panels. So that's a good area that I like to look in as well is where is there additional large-scale funding to help these products really get to market? VICTORIA: That makes sense. And so you're meeting three to five founders a day, and you're watching where the funding is available. And out of all the pitches that you receive, how many do you really get to say yes to? NEAL: Oh, it's small, I mean, one to two a month if that would be a lot, and those could take a few months to work through. The best way for us to invest is to get to know the people for as long as possible. So I kind of mentioned that relationship aspect. I want to see how people operate. I want to see how they build product. I want to see how they get to know their customer and iterate and bring that back into design thinking. And so that's a big piece is getting to know and see the people do the things that they're saying. Man, there are so many companies that I like on paper, whether it's oh my God, amazing team, or, oh, cool, the product. Yes, love that idea. And then you have to look at everything together, the timing, the valuation that they want, the team. Has this team been there, done that before? So there are a lot of elements that go into it. Like I mentioned, you have this founder love where you fall in love with the people, and maybe the rest doesn't work out or vice versa. But yeah, I think each investor comes at it differently. So my area because I built two tech companies that were talent tech-related, meaning connecting people for opportunities; my investing style is very team and talent and recruitment-focused, meaning what are the superpowers of the founders? Are they aware of their weaknesses and their strengths? Have they filled in those gaps by finding co-founders that are complementary and opposites? And then my partner, Al Bsharah, he is a super product guy, and he wants to break the product and see, how can you break it? What are they thinking product roadmap-wise? That's his first go-to. And so, for us, we're super complementary in that regard. So we will assess the same company in very different ways and then come together and say, "Let's share our scores, share our rank. Where do you think this company sits at in all these different areas and boxes?" And so that's a great way, that complementary skill sets as investors. We utilize those strengths together. So yeah, it's hard for a founder to know that. A founder who's building a product, the person on the other side of the screen, they're meeting me. They're not going to know my algorithm. They're not going to know what I value more than something else. So there's this whole dance. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but it is a dance. It's a negotiation. And that's why I build a community because I'd really rather take the gloves off and get to know people when they're not raising capital, when they really are just inspired by innovation and by customers, and they're just excited, and they're building product. That's the time I want to get to know them and see how they iterate before the capital question comes in. Because when it's capital, it tends to feel a little transactional, and that's just not the name of the game per se. VICTORIA: It makes sense. And I'm curious, working with your partner who has a specialty in product, has there ever been a big surprise that he presented with you that you would never have thought of without that product perspective? NEAL: Oh yeah, absolutely. I think there are many times now where either the company is really touting a specific piece of their product, whether it's a certain kind of technology that as a non-product builder either I think, wow, that's unique. That's special; that's novel. And I go to my partner, who really is an automation expert in terms of product building, and boom, can whip it out in a second and say, "I could that with Zapier," or now ChatGPT. So I think there are those elements that are good checkpoints of putting too much...maybe I get too excited about uniqueness or a novelty of a product. And then there's the opposite. There's the team undersells their product, and really they're touting, hey, we have a background in this industry. So we're going to go build because we know how to get into that industry. Our uniqueness is go-to-market, so they think. And it turns out, hey, you're really underselling the product here. There's something special about your vision system here or your data set that you're using to build your ML model. So I've seen a variety of both of those. I think we're going to see more and more right now where ChatGPT and other AI models are going to show that maybe the tech exactly like AI isn't the specialty. That's going to be a democratization across the board. We're just going to expect that everyone can build a baseline product. So how are people going to differentiate on the product? That's where I'm really excited to see where product stands out now that more and more people have more tools at their disposal to build a good product. VICTORIA: Yeah, I'm excited for that too and to see which experiments with AI really pan out to be something useful that becomes part of everyday life. Do you have any instincts on where you think you're going to see the most out of AI innovation in tech? NEAL: AI is such a big word, and it feels so buzzwordy right now. But actually, in San Diego, we have a deep history in the high-level AI, and it starts with analytics. We have a deep, deep bench of analytics talent here. In fact, Google Analytics was founded in San Diego under the name Urchin Analytics and acquired by Google in 2004. VICTORIA: Oh. NEAL: And so you have these big analytic models and builders here that is interesting to tap into. I kind of bucket it in a few areas. I look at the vision aspect, so motion capture, motion classification, image classification. That's really interesting that I think we'll see a lot of that that applied to blank. I'm seeing that applied to life sciences, so cancer detection through some sort of imaging. Obviously, the mobility aspect, whether it's self-driving or driver assisted for blank, whether that's drones, self-driving trucks, all those areas. That's one area interesting from the AI piece. Natural language processing which there's a piece of ChatGPT to that regard. I think it is really interesting from what is your dataset? What are you tapping into? I'm also seeing that applied to digital health, whether it's clinical trials bringing AI models there, whether it's taking genomic data and saying, let's build better clinical trial classes. Maybe we don't need 500 patients when we can build the best 30 patients to enter a trial because we've got genomic data on our side. So yeah, I think I'm more looking at certain industries and saying, what is the right AI model for it? And I think that's pretty exciting. MID-ROLL AD: Are you an entrepreneur or start-up founder looking to gain confidence in the way forward for your idea? At thoughtbot, we know you're tight on time and investment, which is why we've created targeted 1-hour remote workshops to help you develop a concrete plan for your product's next steps. Over four interactive sessions, we work with you on research, product design sprint, critical path, and presentation prep so that you and your team are better equipped with the skills and knowledge for success. Find out how we can help you move the needle at: tbot.io/entrepreneurs. VICTORIA: So tell me, you know, at Interlock Capital, when you're working with a team, what do you use to really manage all of this information and these contacts for your investors? NEAL: Yeah, it's a great question. We decided to build our own products in-house thanks to my partner Al who's a great product builder. At the end of the day, there are a few different funnels we are managing within Interlock Capital. We're managing our customer, which really is the startup. We want to make sure we're keeping track of them on whatever timeline. And so we use CRMs, basically, to manage funnels per se. So that's startups. Then there's the deal flow sharing, so these are other VC firms, maybe other service providers, where we're sharing companies with each other. And then we have investors, so we're using CRM for managing our investors, like our limited partners, our LPs. So that's basic CRM. Luckily, we were able to use an off-the-shelf product called Streak for that. But what we do uniquely is we want to engage in two directions our investment community, meaning we want to get to know them, get to know everyone's expertise so we know when to tap them to say, "Hey, can you help on this deal?" And help is very broad, meaning it could be to give it a quick look before I've even met them to say, "Is this something I should even be looking at?" Or I've already met the team, maybe spent a few hours with them. And I'm asking for a deep dive with an expert to say, "Join a call with me after you've reviewed a deck and help me ask harder questions." So there's that aspect of we wanted to figure out how do we get to know our people in our group? Because we're hundreds now. So we decided to build a platform off Bubble.io and Airtable basic no-code where we could build a light profile of everyone. So everyone self-selects a number of profile aspects about themselves. It's also where we're starting to keep data and documents for them as well too. So whether it's tax documents or other forms, we can have it all in one spot. And then lastly, when we do decide to make an investment in a company, we write a very detailed memo that starts in Google Docs but then gets built into our product, the Interlock platform. And so in that memo which could honestly be 10 to 20 pages of diligence, in our language only, what are the pros, cons, and risks? We also showcase who is on the diligence team, what their specific expertise is to this investment, if they're personally investing or not. We really want to show conviction from the diligence team. And then we've built in some really cool features where you've got a Q&A board that you can upvote other people's questions about that investment. You can watch a video right there and then about the company, and then you can commit to the investment itself on our platform, saying, "I'm interested in this deal specifically. Here's the amount." And boom, we take you over to a third-party platform to just sign in and wire. So that's current day the product that we decided to build. We've got this whole product roadmap that we've built out that we want to build out more. We would love to automate a little bit more of our deal funnel so that a certain company that we meet maybe they get to a certain stage that we know we're ready for diligence. We can auto-ping the ten people that have that specific domain expertise. So luckily, we built out the profiles about everyone. Now we need to start building some automation in there so that maybe I'm not the bottleneck. I'm going to meet three to five companies a day, I mentioned. That's three to five follow-ups that I need to do. I'm never going to be as fast as the founder wants me to be on getting back to them and saying, "Here's our next steps." So if we can utilize the greater body of people that are in our investment community, that's where we'd love to build out some of the pieces next as well. So automation is kind of the hope there. VICTORIA: That's great. And I love that you're able to take advantage of these low-code tools to build something that worked for you. What was your initial approach to figuring out how to build this in a way that worked for your user group? NEAL: Well, we looked at a lot of existing products first, and there are. There are these angel syndicate websites like AngelList is a big one, you know, a consumer-facing platform where if you're interested in investing, you can join a group, or you can join a dozen groups and just get an email when they have a new investment opportunity. And so we looked at...first, it was survey what's existing out there already. Start building a product feature must-have or is nice to have list for us to get off the ground within Interlock. And then determine the pros and cons of building off the shelf, the time and cost, and maintenance versus using something that already exists. So that was a big piece, just assessment upfront before we do anything. And I think learning the landscape was big for us. I find that building tools for startups there's a lot, but there are also not a lot of mature ones because there's just not a lot of money out there to be made. There's not a billion-dollar industry of making a website to invest in startups per se yet. So that was another thing as well. It's just understanding will the companies that we choose off-the-shelf products-wise will they still be there a year or two or three from now? And ultimately, we decided, you know what? We got to build it ourselves if we really want the two-way communication, not just one-way. We didn't see everything out there. And I think the piece you always underestimate is the maintenance over time as well as all the third-party tools and apps and services that you end up needing and using and how do they play into the maintenance role as well too. We've definitely had elements of our product break because they're no longer supporting that tool anymore. So those are all aspects that you can do as much as you can self-assessment upfront. There's obviously the maintenance piece that goes into it down the road as well too. VICTORIA: That makes sense. And then, in this way, you have control over it, and you can change it as often as you want. NEAL: Totally. VICTORIA: And as much as you like, if you have the time. [laughs] NEAL: One piece that I think we have never planned or expected is that because we built it and it's super unique, there are many other angel groups who have come to us and said, "Can we use your tool? Like, yours is better than anything that exists." And we did not build ours with a commercial aspect in mind at first. We can't just clone an Airtable and be like, "Here we go. Here's your product. It's Bubble and Airtable," because if it breaks for them, we're on the hook for that [laughs] as well too. So I don't think we thought through too much around a commercialized product when we built out our own. But because we've been pinged so many times about, can people use it? It's on our mind now. Like, it literally is on our list of priorities of hiring either part-time or full-time a product builder to go back in and commercialize aspects so that we could actually maybe turn this into a product one day, this whole investment community manager software. VICTORIA: That's really cool. And it's funny, talking to founders, there's always a story about how you set out to do one thing, which was build a community around startups and founders in San Diego, and then you end up building a product, [laughs] right? NEAL: Yup. VICTORIA: And getting something marketable later that you never even intended. NEAL: Yeah, I mean, I think the big learning there is, one, listen to your customer first, then go build products. And so yes, you said it exactly; we wanted to build a community where we could be more engaged with our customer. And as we heard more and more from our customer, it told us what to build. And I always find that from other startups, that's a great model to follow as opposed to build and then go determine if there's a market out there for it. VICTORIA: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So it's interesting that you've had this experience of building tech startups from scratch and then now investing, and then now you're back [laughs], and you have a product again. NEAL: [laughs] VICTORIA: So I wonder, if you could go back in time starting Interlock Capital or when you started your companies, like, what advice would you give yourself if you could travel back in time and talk to your past self? NEAL: Oof, so much. Spend a lot of time getting to know yourself, not just what you're good at but what you like to do business-wise. And I actually see those are two different things. Sometimes the things we like to do we're not as good at, but yet we want to spend more of our time on it, and maybe it takes us longer to do it. So do some self-assessment. I would have done that more on myself. And I'll give you an example, I, for whatever reason, like to brute force certain things like our email outreach, whereas my partner loves to build automation campaigns for it because he built a software in the email space. I know I could learn a quick automation route [laughs] to do certain things, but for whatever reason, I love sometimes the analog version of things. And that's good sometimes, and sometimes there's no time for that. So learn a lot more about myself, what I like, and what I'm good at. And then the opposite, what I don't like doing, what could I shed as quickly as possible and could hire for in some way or another, trade my time or capital for time. And then, only then, once I know myself better, then go find the perfect partner that complements everything. It's the opposite of me in that regard, opposite in network, opposite in skill sets, and in that regard too. And so I think my first startup, we were carbon copies of each other. We were both aerospace engineers who kind of wanted to do the same thing who lacked emotional intelligence at the time. So yeah, that's a big learning. But I didn't know enough about myself at the time. And it took hardship to learn the hard things. Honestly, entrepreneurs seem to learn by doing more than anything. So you can only tell an entrepreneur so much. Sometimes they're just going to have to go and figure it out by running through a wall. That's one thing I would have changed about myself in that regard. I also probably would have, even earlier during college, gotten more internships to just test myself professionally and know what environments I do well in, meaning big companies, small company, or hands-on mentorship and management or hands-off certain kinds of skill sets. How could I be presenting more often versus just kind of behind-the-scenes doing? All of those I probably could have learned quicker about myself the earlier I would have put myself in those situations as opposed to getting my first job and working at one place for five years. That's a long time to dedicate to learning one culture about that I thrive in. But you live, and you learn. VICTORIA: I love the drive to keep learning and to be like, you know, don't expect to be good at everything [laughs] that you want to do. I think that's fantastic. And what do you see success really looking like for yourself in the next six months or in the next five years? NEAL: This year, this calendar year is really about getting the fund up and running. So we've raised an initial tranche of capital and got through this calendar year to get the full capital we want for the fund in. And we're being really picky about that. We really want operators, so that just takes time to go and meet the right people that maybe have recently exited, so have a little bit of time and have a little capital and now want to spend time with earlier stage companies. So that's a big piece of this year. I also, on the community side, want to scale it a little bit. I've found recurring...like the founders' hike is a really consistent and easy way to build community, just meet new people, get to meet 30 people at once instead of maybe 30 coffee meetings to meet those people and just kind of selectively choose who is good to follow up with. So building and scaling, thinking about how to scale community growth is another area, and hiring a little bit around that. So hiring either a community manager and understanding what does that role even mean? Because it's vague in a variety of scenarios. I think we as a company could utilize it. But I think even San Diego could really benefit from someone professionally community-managing all of us. I don't even know what that means yet. And I'd actually push that back on you. Like, you're recent to town. You've started to meet people in a variety of venues. What's the community management void that you see that exists locally? VICTORIA: Oh, great question. I'm actually going to the Annual March Mingle tonight. This episode will come out a little bit later. NEAL: I'll be there too. VICTORIA: Oh, I was like, I'm going to interview you and probably see you later. [laughs] NEAL: Awesome. VICTORIA: Yeah, I think what's interesting about what I've experienced so far is that there is a thriving community. People show up to events. There are a lot of different focuses and specialties. Like, there's the San Diego Design and Accessibility meetup, which had over 30 people over and has a lot of great content. The tech coffees usually have your standard crew who comes. I'm in North County in Encinitas, and then there's Downtown San Diego. And I think you and I have talked about this, that there isn't as much of a major hub. And people are kind of spread out and don't really like to travel outside of their little bubble, which isn't necessarily unique to San Diego. [laughs] I think we've seen this in other areas too. So I think deciding where and how and maybe just building that group of community organizers too. One thing we had in DC was we would have a meetup of all the meetup organizers. [laughs] NEAL: Ooh. VICTORIA: They were just the people who are running events would get together and meet each other and talk and get ideas and bounce off, and maybe that exists in San Diego, but I just haven't tapped into it yet. NEAL: Well, that's a great, great, great, great point because, yeah, learning from others. Everyone is out there doing. Let's learn what's working and what's not. I do that actually from community to community. I do compare...I'll pop into a city on personal travel, but I'll look for, say, the Neal Bloom of Phoenix or something [laughter] and share quick notes. Something Startup San Diego started... when Startup San Diego started ten years ago and became a nonprofit shortly thereafter, it wanted to be the convener of all the organizations that help startups. And so there became kind of the startup alliance, I think, where it was all people who run different startup orgs, mostly nonprofits or just meetups getting together. And that hasn't come back since COVID, and I don't know if anyone's thought to bring it back. So this is a great time to think about that. Let's do it. Let's absolutely get the startup community alliance back together and sharing what's working and what's not. Something else that I think matters as we're coming out of COVID and really matters also for product is it feels like curation matters way more than anything before. Like, we value our time more. We want to be home a bit more. And so we're only going to go to the things that we know there's some value out of it as opposed to, oh, I'll show up to that thing. It sounds cool. I get free pizza. So the curation piece, I think, is interesting to think about, like, how do you scale curation? Because if you make smaller groups and make it more valuable, you still can't make a group for everyone. Someone's always going to be missing out. That's a piece when I think of how has product worked really well for that? Obviously, product has done amazing things on curation with using filters and ranking and other things. How do you do that in real-time for community? VICTORIA: Yeah, that's a really cool idea. And it's interesting talking with organizers from Women Who Code DC who are still there and coming back from COVID. They were all virtual events, and now they're having part virtual and part in-person. And it's interesting where some people really want to get back to the in person and see people in real life. The virtual is also still a very good option for people altogether across the board. So, yeah, I think you're 100% right on the event has to be kind of worth it. [laughs] And how do we make that real? But we still have all these other options for connecting with each other too, and we should take advantage of this. I love that here if we're going out in person, you're on a patio. [laughs] You're outside. Even though it's pouring down rain right now so we're probably going to get rained out a little bit. NEAL: I don't think I realized how outdoorsy we already were until this recent rain, one, because COVID forced everyone outdoors already. So for the last three years, we've only been going to places that have been outdoors. But then I realized, wait, every coffee shop I go to already is just open air. Every brewery, every restaurant is open-air. We've got it pretty good here. March Mingle, as big as it is, which it's like you're 17, 18, maybe 20, it's always an amazingly cool crowd and a crowd that I don't always see at every event. It's not the same, same people. It's a crowd that just comes to March Mingle. VICTORIA: That's super cool. I'm excited to see you there later. And maybe by the time we've aired this episode, I'll have actually posted about it, so it won't be a surprise [laughs] for anybody. But I love that. Okay, so, wait, that was...did we talk about six months and five years into the future of success? NEAL: We didn't. We just talked this calendar year. Five years out, professionally, I think a well-oiled community, multiple funds under management that maybe have realized, like, let's have one with different focus. Maybe there's an infrastructure tech fund, maybe there's a diabetes tech fund. I'd love to explore the curated focused thesis aspects because it's easy to be pretty general when I'm meeting so many interesting companies, and I have so many experts at my disposal. Maybe it makes sense to have multiple smaller focused funds in that regard. I think five years out; also, we will have probably weathered some financial storms, probably be on the upswing of that, and therefore maybe there are some exits that would have happened in town. There's certainly a number of late-stage tech companies that have been at it 10, 15 years that a lot of early investors and employees with stock are just kind of waiting for a liquidity event, and I really think by then we will have seen that. And that will be really interesting to see if and how people recycle their capital back into the community, both from investing, from giving philanthropically, and then their time as well. Sometimes when you have really big success, it's easy to check out and leave, and I'm hoping we're getting ahead of that cycle now. We're getting people to put some skin in the game now so that when the exits happen, they stay connected because they're got some investments in the community. So I'm really hoping that we've closed the wheel on the flywheel of capital, recyclable capital here in San Diego five years out from now. VICTORIA: Oh, I really like that. And I think it makes sense from that idea of if you've benefited from being able to run your own company and to work with all these people in San Diego that when you exit, you invest that back into the community and grow future companies with it. NEAL: Exactly. I mean, someone helped you, all of us, and they're just ahead of us. It kind of behooves all of us; then, to each stage and phase we go forward, we should look back and say, "How can we help someone behind us?" And we started this conversation that is a very San Diego culture thing. And so I'm really excited to see when that line bends back on itself, that flywheel closes. So the other aspects of that is we're starting to build some crossroads with Tijuana. We tried before COVID, and we're trying again now. And I'm really excited to see the long-term effect of connecting these cross-border communities. And then we talked about some technology, five years out, man, if GPT is updating so quickly now, I can't even imagine what AI is building product by itself five years from now. And where do the humans play a role in that? People love the splashy headline articles of here's where AI is going to replace your jobs. I'm thinking quite the opposite. I'm so excited for the new jobs to emerge that don't exist right now, for us to complement technology, that, you know, we'll be doing things that are better than humans. So that's a whole piece of technology and product that I'm excited to see play out. VICTORIA: I agree. I think that it's humans plus machines make the most impact, right? [laughs] NEAL: Exactly. VICTORIA: It by itself won't do it. But I think that's fantastic. What a great note to kind of end on. But is there anything else that you want as a final takeaway for our listeners? NEAL: One, I'd love to meet you if you're building an interesting product. I'd love to connect you into our community, so that's a self-serving ask. Find me on LinkedIn or Twitter; probably, Twitter's easier. Write me that you heard me on Giant Robots Smashing Into Others. Absolutely would love to hear that feedback loop. Also, come check out San Diego sometime. Come join our founders' hike. If you're listening to this, pretty much we have it on every first Wednesday of each month. We'd love to welcome you into the community here. And if you have an idea for a startup but haven't started yet, that's a great time to be talking and thinking how could I iterate way sooner than you would have thought. So don't wait to get started on something; just start talking to people about it. Don't be afraid to share your product ideas. No one's going to steal it. So I would just tell people to get started sooner than you think. And the world will benefit from you putting that out into the universe. VICTORIA: I love that. Thank you so much for sharing and for being a guest on our show today, Neal. We'll have links for how to get connected with you in our show notes. You can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. And you can find me on Twitter @victori_ousg. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. ANNOUNCER: This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot, your expert strategy, design, development, and product management partner. We bring digital products from idea to success and teach you how because we care. Learn more at thoughtbot.com. Special Guest: Neal Bloom.

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape.This week on the show we're joined by Meghan Reynolds, partner and head of capital formation at Altimeter. Founded by Brad Gerstner in 2008, Altimeter has backed companies such as Snowflake, Unity, Gusto, and Modern Treasury. Prior to joining Altimer, Meghan worked in a variety of investor relations roles including TPG, Goldman Sachs, and JAZZ Ventures partners.She's also quite prolific on Twitter with her insights on the LP world. This conversation was great as she went through the system she uses to form and maintain relationships with world-class LPs.A word from our sponsor:Venture capital firms and their investors have realized that a fund administrator without best-in-class technology is no longer acceptable. But experienced firms also know that when it's crunch time and that capital call needs to go out now, no technology can replace the need for an expert, highly responsive fund accountant working with you. It's time you talk with Juniper Square: the first technology-driven fund admin built for sophisticated venture capital firms. Learn more and request a call todayAbout Meghan Reynolds:Meghan is the Head of VC Capital Formation and Fundraising for Altimeter, a lifecycle technology investment firm. Prior to joining Altimeter, Meghan was Managing Partner and Co-head of Fundraising at TPG. She began her career and spent nearly a decade in the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs. ShMeghan is also currently a Venture Partner with JAZZ Venture Partners, an early stage Venture firm focused on the intersection of technology and human performance.Meghan graduated from the University of Notre Dame.In this episode we discuss:(02:42) Meghan's career path that led her to Altimeter(05:40) How Meghan defines capital formation(10:33) Making decisions that allow the investment team to thrive while balancing LP interests(14:03) Building the right frameworks with LPs who may ultimately become long-term partners(17:03) Ways managers can differentiate outside of returns(19:44) Other factors that go into LP relationship management(23:16) The importance of transparency with your LPs(26:01) How LPs are reacting to current market trends(29:17) Using an LP Advisory Committee strategically(35:00) International sources of institutional capital(40:14) Fundraising advice for solo GPs(43:32) What to look for when hiring for a capital formation role(47:16) Predicting the market over the next 5 to 10 yearsI'd love to know what you took away from this conversation with Meghan. Follow me @SamirKaji and give me your insights and questions with the hashtag #ventureunlocked. If you'd like to be considered as a guest or have someone you'd like to hear from (GP or LP), drop me a direct message on Twitter.Podcast Production support provided by Agent Bee This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ventureunlocked.substack.com

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series will explore a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we'll take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Today's guest is Mark Robinson, Founder and Managing Director at WAVE Equity Partners, an impact investing firm that seeks to maximize returns for investors, growth for portfolio companies, and impact for all. WAVE achieves this goal by investing in sustainability innovators that tackle our greatest environmental challenges on a global scale. Jason and Mark discuss the origins of WAVE, the timing of its launch, and some of the key lessons that Mark learned from Clean Tech 1.0. They also delve into why WAVE took a contrarian bet when it started and how its approach differs from other firms. Mark explains the company's investment stage, check size, sector focus, diligence process, and value-add post-investment. The episode also covers the industrial market landscape, where WAVE spends a lot of time. Jason and Mark explore various topics such as the ecosystem of founders, the regulatory and policy landscape, and the current capital environment. In this episode, we cover: An overview of WAVE Equity PartnersThe firm's origin story and path to focusing on clean energy, food, water, waste and recyclingEarly fundraising challenges for industrial solutionsKey lessons from Clean Tech 1.0Changes in the ecosystem since WAVE got started and how the firm addressed themWhat gets Mark up every day and the underlying decision to start the firmThe firm's investor makeup and LP shifts over timeWAVE's fund structureNon-starters and the types of risk WAVE is comfortable takingThe balance of fundraising vs domain expertise when building a companyThe role of the regulatory landscape and government funding when making investment decisionsWAVE's 6-month or longer diligence processThe firm's approach to defining and measuring impactMark's thoughts on doing things cleaner vs. reforming entire systemsThe role of government supportMark's wishlist for the future of the industrials marketGet connected: Jason JacobsMark Robinson / WAVE Equity PartnersMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on March 7, 2023. 

Top-tier European VCs are still attracting capital to deploy, Director of Biopharma Intelligence Stephen Hansen said on the latest BioCentury This Week podcast, with LPs looking at funds' track record and the track record for biotech. Hansen discusses how Forbion and Gilde will deploy their newly announced funds as well as what's new in their strategies as they raise some of the biggest VC vehicles ever in Europe. BioCentury's editors also discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's mifepristone ruling and comments filed by the biopharma industry about CMS's draft guidance on implementing the Inflation Reduction Act.

If you want to get in contact with us you can reach us via email at ⁠⁠associatedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠ as well as on ⁠Twitter⁠ (@associated_pod). We are trying to understand our listeners better, so we can make better content. Please consider filling out our listener survey which can be found ⁠here⁠ (https://airtable.com/shraJVvUNv6D7PkDP). Description: For Episode 4 of Season 8, a series on ‘How to Raise a Venture Fund', Danielle, Francesca and Tunde do a full episode together for the first time! We have all listened back to Julian, Staffan and Leila's episodes and have come with thoughts on the overlaps between funds and their structures. Whether it was the fact that all three spent time in Silicon Valley or the psychology behind working with LPs (keep them close even if it is a soft no!) - this episode breaks down what we heard while the mics were live and what we figured out in-between the lines whilst making this season. 6 more guests and 2 more synthesis episodes to go!

Tomasz Tunguz is the Founder and General Partner @ Theory Ventures, just announced last week, Theory is a $230M fund that invests $1-25m in early-stage companies that leverage technology discontinuities into go-to-market advantages. Prior to founding Theory, Tom spent 14 years at Redpoint as a General Partner where he made investments in the likes of Looker, Expensify, Monte Carlo, Dune Analytics, and Kustomer to name a few. Tom also writes one of the best blogs and newsletters in the business which can be found here. In Today's Episode with Tomasz Tunguz We Discuss: Founding a Firm: The Start of Theory: Why did Tom decide to leave Redpoint after 14 years to found Theory? What are 1-2 of his biggest lessons from Redpoint that he has taken with him to his building of Theory? What does Tom know now that he wishes he had known when he started investing? 2. From 150 LP Meetings to Closing $230M: Raising a Fund I How would Tom describe the fundraising process? How many meetings with LPs did he have? How many did he know previously? What documents did he share with LPs? Did he have a dataroom? How did he use it? How did Tom create a sense of urgency to compel LPs to come into the fund? How does Tom feel about the debate between one close and multiple closes? What was the #1 reason LPs said no to investing? What worked and Tom would do again for the next raise? What did not work and he would change for the next raise? 3. Where Will Value Accrue in the Next Decade of AI: Startup vs Incumbent: Will incumbents embrace AI before startups are able to acquire distribution? Infrastructure vs Application Layer: Where will the majority of value accrue in the next decade; infrastructure or application layer? Bundled or Unbundled: Will bundled services be the dominant consumer and enterprise choice or will unbundled specialized solutions win? 4. AI and The World Around It: How does Tom believe AI could save the US economy? Why does Tom believe Google are the losers in the AI race? Which incumbents have responded best to AI? Why does Tom believe we will be in a worse macro place at the end of the year than we are now?

The tables have turned on our host Matt Cohen who was recently a guest on the BetaKit podcast and had a spirited discussion about the recent meltdown of RenoRun. BetaKit features weekly podcasts discussing Canadian technology news and global startup news from a Canadian perspective and it was an honour to be a guest on the show. You can listen to the whole episode where Matt shares the history of Ripple Ventures and a lot more here.From BetaKit's post:BetaKit has reported this year on LPs unable to honour capital calls, leaving Canadian VCs to pull out or renegotiate deals with Canadian startups—one of those startups being Montréal-based RenoRun, which recently filed for creditor protection after failing to raise four different rounds to keep the company alive (along with a few other Hail Mary attempts). Most recently, the Globe and Mail reported that Toronto-based Clearco is looking to raise $20 million USD at a $200 million USD valuation—one-tenth of what it was at its height (BetaKit can confirm we've heard the same numbers).You know things are bad when pension-backed VCs like OMERS Ventures' Laura Lenz are trying to encourage downtrodden founders by tweeting that her firm is still investing.This week we also welcome back John Ruffolo to break down the big tech news.Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here!Podcast production support provided by Agentbee.ai This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by MCJ partner, Jason Jacobs. This series will explore a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we'll take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Today's guest is Grant Mulligan, a Vice President at Alvarium Tiedemann (AlTi). AlTi is a global wealth and asset manager that's in the business of turning powerful ideas into high-performing strategies and solutions. Whether they are individuals or institutions, foundations, or family-led businesses, AlTi offers its clients a connected ecosystem of advice, solutions, and investment opportunities from across their global network. As an institutional investor, AlTi is serious about impact. And Grant focuses specifically on the firm's net-zero strategies and nature-based solutions. This conversation takes a fascinating dive into their approach, their origin story, how they measure impact, and how they allocate capital across many different asset classes. We also discuss the types of clients who prioritize impact investing and how this landscape is evolving over the past few years and into the future. Tune in to learn more about AlTi's mission to create enduring value. In this episode, we cover: [3:00] An overview of Alvarium Tiedemann (AlTi) and where Grant sits in the firm[7:12] The role of impact in AlTi's clients' decision making [12:23] Grant's theory of change and work in wildlife biology[17:56] What inspired him to transition upstream and join AlTi's mission [20:45] A deep dive into the forthcoming wealth transfer [25:21] How AlTi structures capital allocation[29:39] AlTi's theory of change for overall climate sustainability, decarbonization tech, and nature-based solutions[33:45] The role of changing perspectives on impact and asset allocation as a result of recent market fluctuations [39:26] AlTi's impact assessment process[44:45] How Grant balances servicing existing client demand vs generating new demand [53:34] The role of client recommendations in deploying capital[57:12] Grant's thoughts on what's missing in impact investments [1:00:37] Where philanthropic capital fits in Get connected: Jason JacobsGrant Mulligan / Alvarium TiedemannMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on March 8, 2023. 

An interview with music scene MVP,  Doug "DJ" Jayne,  who five days a week hosts Mid-Day Music on KRCB, Sonoma County's NPR station. He draws from a deep crate knowledge gained pulling shifts in Sonoma County's best record store for over 40 years, The Last Record Store ( now renamed The Next Record Store in new partnership with his wife, son, and long term employee ). In this celebratory episode I toast and roast Doug. We reflect the survival of his business across hammering change in the music industry, the secrets of his success, holding every support position in Sonoma County music ( Record Store Owner, Label Owner, Promoter, DJ, Father of a Rock Star ), Sonoma County's best bands, nostalgia, and selling over 1 Million Cassettes, CD's, and LPs! We close out with a recording by Doug, "the one good song he's written," "I'm Not Dead Yet!WEBSITE:Profile: norcalpublicmedia.org/radio-programs/krcb-midday-music-with-doug-jayneLink to his latest Connections local music compilation : https://norcalpublicmedia.org/radio/connections7

For this incredibly thrilling premiere episode of Season 5, I am joined by Marissa Paternoster, the frontwoman of the legendary New Jersey punk band Screaming Females. Marissa and I talked in depth about her band's steadfast DIY ethics, recording the latest Screaming Females album in the now infamous Pachyderm Studios where Nirvana, The Wedding Present, and PJ Harvey made their most iconic LPs, our shared love of Placebo, and so much more. ✨ MORE ABOUT SCREAMING FEMALES ✨Formed in New Brunswick, NJ in 2005, Screaming Females is Marissa Paternoster (guitar, vox), Mike Abbate (bass), and Jarrett Dougherty (drums). Over seven albums and more than a decade of music-making, the band has remained deeply individual and steadfastly DIY. They have also grown into one of the most dynamic and devastating touring bands going today.✨ KEEP UP TO DATE WITH SCREAMING FEMALES ✨Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_screamales/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3pZ666b6CyO1KGpVYirY0tTwitter: https://twitter.com/ScreamalesBandcamp: https://screamingfemales.bandcamp.com/album/desire-pathwayFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/screamingfemalesApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/screaming-females/311088670✨ CONNECT WITH IZZY ✨YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv6SBgiYCpYbx9BOYNefkIgWebsite: https://agrrrlstwosoundcents.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/agrrrlstwosoundcents/Twitter: https://twitter.com/grrrlsoundcents

If you want to get in contact with us you can reach us via email at ⁠⁠associatedpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠ as well as on ⁠Twitter⁠ (@associated_pod). We are trying to understand our listeners better, so we can make better content. Please consider filling out our listener survey which can be found ⁠here⁠ (https://airtable.com/shraJVvUNv6D7PkDP). Description: For Episode 3 of Season 8, a series on ‘How to Raise a Venture Fund', Francesca and Tunde talk to Staffan Hegelsson, the Founder of Creandum. Founded in 2003, the franchise is one of the oldest early stage venture capital examples in Europe. They have since managed over $1.3B in assets under management (AUM), have six funds+, over 38 exits and offices in San Francisco, Stockholm, Berlin and London. They have invested in some of Europe's biggest stars and unicorns including Spotify and Depop. Staffan speaks to his entrepreneurial journey starting with investing in mobile in the late 90s/early 2000s to the generalist first franchise Creandum is today. We talk about everything from how their prioritize limited partners (LPs) to how not to 'bloat' a fund to how they thought about their most recent expansion to London. Staffan provides some great insight here into the psychology of a LP. This isn't one to miss!

It was deeply ingrained into his soul as a child as he listened to the jukebox at his Uncle John's, and with early vinyl records in the 1970s. That sound mesmerized young Tim Dupree and his early fascination with 50s and 60s rock n' roll, then soul and Motown music, never ceased. What also never left him was the love of the sound of vinyl, and over the years he has accumulated over 20,000 records and LPs. Today, as the warmer sound and tactile aspect has popularized vinyl again, DJ Pup Daddy (Tim's stage name) has carved a strong niche in the market with his use of those old (and sometimes new) records. And, by the way, that old jukebox was handed down to him and it remains proudly in Tim's home, along with a number of the vintage turntables and other equipment he has restored. I love this conversation with Tim, as he has truly followed his passion to make it a career. Also, in this episode, we cover the longevity (or lack thereof) of vinyl, CDs, 8-Tracks, cassettes, Tim's process of DJ'ing a party and "it's always spontaneous," growing up using walkie-talkies with his brother playing the role of DJ, back playing and "cue burn" on the turntable, direct drive vs. belt-driven turntables, why Tim shies away from working first weddings, scanning the dump and Goodwill for equipment, tube amplifiers, challenges and opportunities for downtown Pittsfield, dog sitting on the side and more. I hope you'll enjoy my conversation with Tim Dupree (aka DJ Pup Daddy). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-krol/support

1973 was a banner year for classic rock LPs. But from "Houses Of The Holy" to "Goats Head Soup", only one album that year rocked the loudest, hottest, and wettest: "Red Rose Speedway". Ok fine, it's not really a "rock" album. It might not even roll. But that doesn't prevent it from being an inventive and quintessentially Paul (uh, oh yeah, "and Wings") album. On its 50th anniversary, the UBP Living Un-Single pigeons extoll its many charms, in another patented, cliffhanger-laden multi-parter. #HyphenFest In Part 1 (read: "eye", obviously), they also consider:

Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.About the guest author:Boasting one of pop's most beloved voices, Susanna Hoffs grew up in L.A. with an ever-present soundtrack of '60s music. She loved to sing and play guitar, going on to study the arts in college. Stirred by punk and new wave, Susanna started her first band with David Roback while at UC, Berkeley. Upon returning to L.A., she placed a want ad which led her to Vicki and Debbi Peterson. In December 1980, they met in the garage of Susanna's parents' home and a band was born. Blending '60s garage rock, lush harmonies, and jangly guitars, the Bangles became a seminal band of the '80s with a string of hits from three platinum-selling albums. Over the decades since, the Bangles continued to tour and release LPs. In 1991, Susanna issued a pop-heavy solo album, When You're a Boy. Five years later, her eponymous LP brought her closer to her musical roots than she'd been in a long time which was met with critical praise. After working together in the Austin Powers films, Susanna and Matthew Sweet formed Sid 'n Susie, releasing three volumes of their acclaimed Under the Covers series. In 2011, she stole away to the studio for Someday, a retro modern solo set that served as a stylish homage to the '60s pop that she grew up on. She followed that up in short order with two EPs. More recently, Susanna has collaborated with the Zombies, Tom Petty, Chris Martin, Mike Campbell, Jack Antonoff, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, Aimee Mann, Andrew Bird, Jon Brion, Maya Rudolph, and others. Her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown, is published by Little Brown, a division of the Hachette Book Group. She's a graduate from UC Berkeley with a degree in art and lives in Los Angeles with her husband of three decades and has two sons. You can find her at www.susannahoffs.com and follow her on Instagram @susannahoffs.About the host:Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup built to help authors succeed. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. She recently finished her first YA crossover novel inspired by her nephew with Down syndrome. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. To learn more about her books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.If you have a first page you'd like to submit to the Page One Podcast, please do so here.As an author and writing coach, I know that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So I thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook YOU. After the first few episodes, it occurred to me that maybe someone listening might be curious how their first page sits with an audience, so I'm opening up Page One to any writer who wants to submit the first page of a book they're currently writing. If your page is chosen, you'll be invited onto the show to read it and get live feedback from one of Page One's master storytellers. Page One exists to inspire, celebrate and promote the work of both well-known and unknown creative talent.  You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players. Hear past episodes.If you're interested in getting writing tips and the latest podcast episode updates with the world's beloved master storytellers, please sign up for my very short monthly newsletter at hollylynnpayne.com and follow me @hollylynnpayne on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook. Your email address is always private and you can always unsubscribe anytime. The Page One Podcast is created at the foot of a mountain in Marin County, California, and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of my creative community! Be well and keep reading.~Holly~