Podcasts about next ventures

This week, we chat with Melanie Strong! Mel started her career as a first grade teacher and journalist. A fateful interview with her running hero Joan Benoit Samuelson led to a long-shot interview for an entry level job at Nike. She spent 17 years there, where she led several businesses including Nike Women and Nike Skateboarding, and worked on the launch of the Nike Running and Training Club apps. Mel started angel investing and advising early stage founders in 2017, and left Nike to co-found venture capital firm Next Ventures in 2019. There she's focused on innovative technology investments across health, wellness and sports in companies like Oura ring and Outside. She serves on the boards of Outdoor Afro and USA Cycling, and most weekend you can find her riding her mountain bike on the trails where she lives in Hood River Oregon.Follow Us!Melanie Strong: @girlstrongNext Ventures: @nextventuresErica Wenger: @erica_wengerDear Twentysomething: @deartwentysomething

From Nike to Next Ventures, Mel Strong has mentored talent from every end of the spectrum - leading giant teams at Nike in their women's, running and skateboarding divisions, and now investing in early stage startups through Next Ventures. We dig into her history at Nike, and how that informed and motivated a big shift to the world of venture capital. In the outdoor industry, understanding the impact of a VC has many pros and cons, and in this podcast, we tackle both sides of it.   Mel Strong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-strong/   Nike SB: https://www.nike.com/skateboarding   Sandy Bodecker: https://www.sneakerfreaker.com/news/r-i-p-the-godfather-of-nike-sb-sandy-bodecker/   Breaking 2 Project: https://www.nike.com/gb/running/breaking2   Joan Benoit Samuelson: https://www.instagram.com/joanbenoitsamuelson/   Next Ventures: https://www.nextventures.com/   Oura x Dexcom News: https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/19/oura-valued-at-5b-following-deal-with-medical-device-firm-dexcom/   Oura Ring: https://ouraring.com/   Swimming With Allocators: https://swimmingwithallocators.com/   Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia

In this special episode of Miss Willa's Book Club, we're thrilled to sit down with Stacey McEwan, the brilliant mind behind the Glacian Trilogy! Join us for an exclusive interview where we dive into the inspiration behind her captivating series, discuss the challenges of writing epic fantasy, and explore what's next for her characters and the world of Glacia. Plus, Stacey gives us an exciting sneak peek into her upcoming fantasy series with Peaky Blinders vibes, shares some fun behind-the-scenes moments (including the time she turned purple due to technical difficulties), and we get up close and personal with the author herself. Whether you're a devoted fan of the series or just curious about the magic of storytelling, this episode offers a unique glimpse into the creative process of one of fantasy's rising stars. Tune in for an inspiring and intimate conversation with Stacey McEwan! Connect with Stacey on Instagram and TikTok at: @StaceyMcEwanBooks Connect with us on TikTok and Instagram at @MissWillasBookClubPod, and share your thoughts via email at misswillasbookclub@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/misswillasbookclub/support

Legendary radio personality Charlamagne Tha God stopped by 7PM in Brooklyn to join the guys as they answer some burning questions: Is Stephen Curry the greatest point guard of all-time? Is being a “celebrity” still a real thing? and much more. Tap In! 0:00 Introduction  8:58 Charlemagne's Next Ventures  10:07 Next Media Personality   13:53 Being on Hip-Hop Rankings   15:50 Charlemagne vs Elliot Wilson  20:19 Melo Reacting To Player Rankings When Playing  29:00 Moments In Radio  32:00 Charlemagne Talks New Book 38:54 Let's Discuss: Are There Celebrities Anymore? 41:45 Is Steph Curry The Best PG of All-Time? 43:51 7 PM Moment 45:40 The Power of Hip-Hop 55:25 FWIor FOH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, Stewart Alsop hosts Sam Marelich, founder of Next Ventures, a company specializing in recruiting for venture-backed startups. The conversation touches on the intricacies of recruiting, particularly the differences between internal and external recruiting, the impact of AI on the recruitment process, and the challenges of scaling sales teams in startup environments. Sam also shares his thoughts on the importance of founder-driven sales, the role of SDRs in building a sales organization, and the nuances of working in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York. Check out Sam's new course to help you land a job selling great products for great companiesCheck out this GPT we trained on the conversation!Timestamps00:00 Introduction to the Crazy Wisdom Podcast00:18 The Essence of Recruiting01:35 Internal vs. External Recruiting05:11 The Role of AI in Recruiting08:49 The Future of Recruiting and AI36:09 The Importance of Founder-Driven Sales38:04 The Value of Salespeople and AI Limitations39:18 Navigating Sales Challenges and Being Pushy43:30 Navigating Business Relationships44:06 The Win-Win Strategy in Client Relationships45:07 Recruitment Trends and Market Dynamics45:34 The Impact of High Velocity Money46:26 Challenges in B2B Sales49:06 The Venture Capital Conundrum57:12 Hiring Strategies for Startups01:02:02 The Role of SDRs and BDRs01:09:05 The Future of Sales and Technology01:18:05 Concluding Thoughts and Contact InformationKey InsightsThe Importance of Founder-Driven Sales: Sam Marelich emphasizes that in early-stage startups, founders should be the ones driving initial sales efforts. This direct involvement not only helps them understand customer needs but also builds credibility, as potential customers are more likely to engage with a founder than with a sales representative. Founders need to reach a significant revenue milestone before considering the handoff to a dedicated sales team.The Strategic Role of External Recruiters: External recruiters play a critical role in augmenting a startup's internal capabilities, especially when hiring for niche roles or scaling rapidly. Sam explains that external recruiters can bring specialized knowledge, reduce the time burden on founders, and help avoid biases that may exist in internal hiring processes.The AI Advantage (and Limitations) in Recruiting: While AI tools can be useful in automating certain aspects of the recruiting process, such as lead generation or sorting through large candidate pools, they cannot replace the nuanced human elements of persuasion and judgment. Sam argues that AI's value lies in enhancing efficiency, but the core of successful recruiting still depends on human interaction.The Misconception of Hiring SDRs Too Early: Sam advises against hiring Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) as the first sales hires in a startup. Instead, founders should initially bring on a couple of Account Executives to test and refine the sales process. SDRs are better suited for organizations that are ready to scale, where they can support the efforts of an established sales team.Navigating the Venture Capital Landscape: The conversation touches on the pressures that come with raising large rounds of venture capital, particularly for first-time founders. Sam highlights that significant funding increases expectations exponentially, often leading to unrealistic growth targets and the rapid scaling of sales teams without the necessary groundwork.The Evolving Role of Salespeople in a Digital World: As technology advances and the "buy button" becomes more powerful, the role of salespeople is evolving. Sam notes that while automation is increasing, there remains a critical need for human interaction in sales, especially in complex B2B transactions where trust, negotiation, and relationship-building are key.The Geographic Shift in Tech Hubs: The episode explores the ongoing debate between New York and San Francisco as leading tech hubs. Sam, who has lived in both cities, shares that while San Francisco remains the epicenter for tech, New York is emerging as a strong competitor, particularly for industries like finance and media. The diversity of industries in New York offers a refreshing contrast to the tech-centric culture of San Francisco.

Lance Armstrong shares the unseen struggles in the cycling world, going from hero to zero in an instant, meeting and defeating cancer, and through it all, how he chose to rebuild a life of integrity and meaning.5 years ago he devoted himself to a 5-day intensive experience at Onsite Nashville where he began to peel back the layers of his emotional pain; that for so long were covered with bandaid after bandaid. He emerged from this retreat with a revived understanding of himself and responsibility for the life he continues to choose.Lance and I dive into...➝ An exclusive look at his training protocol with Dr. Michele Ferrari➝ Unpacking his PTSD at a 5-day intensive at Onsite Nashville➝ Growing through the darkness of his past choices➝ His vision with WEDŪ and Next Ventures➝ How he maintains his physical and mental performance at 52➝ And more!Resources:The Amazing Development of Men [ https://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Development-Men-Expanded-2nd/dp/B00B2PID8S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=35HQ2IGUR7BG0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zkGKjCp0ZpNtJ7eDTfrhTCXvluLE9709iqfjtFLCScI4rfG_TCN7eUFI_T-H6H2tGDjuzs9YGjgqfKC5-8kFugDq4eeP20rjHXdP1JZWE9rS7umchxT08OUCJLKORjg6BFXuMthacNKjl1E9RpzxEdM5BJ0OOVA4_Ds3jd8bEgBrtG9QldUW3jEdobEybGHmNc_M5KZGYPiiFnNHSN-OJuT22xyX3H-SHIIeXSTkVB4.ORt16yj0y2HtTr5P3f_2eYbVKXYL5UH9UwTtakczNUk&dib_tag=se&keywords=alison+armstrong&qid=1708561299&sprefix=alison+arm%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-4 ]OnSite [ https://experienceonsite.com ]Hoffman Institute [ https://www.hoffmaninstitute.org ]Connect with Lance:The Forward [ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-forward/id1125521492 ]The Move [ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/themove/id1254370585 ]WEDŪ [ https://wedu.team ]Next Ventures [ https://www.nextventures.com ]Connect with Cal:Instagram [ https://www.instagram.com/cal.callahan/ ]Facebook [ https://www.facebook.com/thegreatunlearn ]YouTube [ https://www.youtube.com/c/thegreatunlearn/ ]Website [ https://www.thegreatunlearn.com ]Subscribe to the newsletter [ https://www.thegreatunlearn.com/newsletter ]This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Melanie Strong is a founding partner of Next Ventures, a VC firm she co-founded with Lance Armstrong that focuses on building the next generation of sports, health and wellness brands. Melanie has spent her entire life in the sports industry. She's a lifelong runner and started her career as a journalist at Runner's World magazine. She then applied for a position at Nike despite not having the “right” pedigree, college background, and experience. Good thing she did because she ended up having an incredibly successful career at Nike, spending most of her time at Nike building high-performing teams all over the world and holding positions from the VP of Global Brand Marketing for Nike Women to the GM of Nike Skateboarding. After 18 years at Nike, Melanie had the opportunity to break into the world of venture capital. She left her very stable career to start from scratch and become a first-time investor AND fund founder. In our conversation, Melanie opens up about how she faced her fears when reinventing herself later in her career and overcoming the imposter syndrome she felt when breaking into a male-dominated industry.✨ You'll also hear some honest reflections on the founder-investor relationship and who is the right fit for VC funding, along with some empowering advice for founders seeking funding. We also discuss the importance of authentic relationships in life & business, how to build a unique brand in the environment we're in today, and so much more!In this episode, we'll talk to Melanie about:* Learning from others' success and embracing self-confidence. [3:18] * Melanie's upbringing and her positive mindset. [7:33]* Melanie's diverse jobs before Nike. [9:26]* Inspiration and starting at Nike. [12:02]* Networking and mentorship's impact. [16:30] * The power of people and true relationships. [17:45]* What she looks for in a founder. [19:08]* Melanie reflects on being an angel investor and why it took her so long to do. [23:23]* Taking the leap to leave Nike and steps to overcome imposter syndrome. [27:18]* Changes in feedback processes and trusted companies. [31:37]* Some top advice for thinking about your company as a brand. [36:15]* Melanie and Yasmin each share the hacks that keep them anchored into their purpose. [41:50]* Diving into greater detail on traits she looks for in a founder and what a founder-investor relationship needs. [45:02]* Impact of exit-focused founders. [47:30]* Suitability for VC funding and fundraising insights. [50:50]* Melanie's comments on due diligence plus some great advice to founders. [54:45]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Melanie: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniestrong/* Website: https://nextventures.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melanie Strong shares her journey at Nike and the inception of NEXT VENTŪRES. Starting at Nike in 2002, Melanie's role evolved from managing non-e-commerce websites to spearheading Nike's digital products, including the Nike Run Club app. She recounts Nike's strategic shift in soccer, initially dominated by Adidas, and how Nike disrupted the market by scouting and nurturing untapped talent, like Cristiano Ronaldo, and making strategic acquisitions like Umbro. Her experiences showcase Nike's commitment to innovation, consumer-focused approach, and the importance of cultural relevance in different markets. Melanie also delves into Nike's forays into wearable technology, like the Fuel Band, highlighting the blend of technology and marketing strategy. Finally, she discusses transitioning to venture capital with NEXT Ventures, focusing on whole-person health and the lessons from Nike that influence her investment approach. Next Ventures ► https://nextventures.com Twitter ► https://twitter.com/girlstrong -- TERRA ► http://tryterra.co More Podcasts ► https://tryterra.co/podcast Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi , https://twitter.com/@kyriakosel -- 0:00 Intro 0:14 - Melanie's early role and Nike's initial digital forays 1:17 - Overview of Nike's evolution 2:52 - Initial major projects 4:06 - Nike Run Club and digital innovation 5:13 - 2010 World Cup 7:22 - Beginnings in Football 10:10 - Talent scouting methods 13:02 - Product innovation and athlete focus 16:00 - Melanie's personal involvement in talent scouting 19:08 - Development and challenges of Nike's wearable technology 22:00 - Marketing strategies for Nike's new product launches 26:10 - Building authentic influencer relationships for product launches 31:20 - The consumer-focused approach and innovation culture at Nike 37:15 - NEXT VENTŪRES and working with Lance Armstrong 47:23 - Investment approach and future trends in health and wellness

In this episode, Sophie Vo, founder of Rise And Play, and Miska Katkoff, former CEO and co-founder of Savage Games, and founder of Deconstructor Of Fun reflect on their key lessons in starting a new company. We dive into the importance of self-esteem and self-awareness when throwing yourself out there to build your new business and being 100% behind it. We also cover strategies for dealing with negative feedback and the importance of self-reflection and self-evaluation. The conversation shifts to the common pitfalls of leadership, specifically misalignment within teams. Sophie emphasizes the need for alignment in vision, values, and purpose within a company and highlights the challenges that can arise when co-founders have different motivations. At the end, we offer avenues on how to achieve deep alignment in your team, through group mediation and sometimes therapy at an individual level.

My guest today is Arthur Alves, corporate venture capital manager of Gerdau Next Ventures, the CVC arm of Brazilian steel manufacturer Gerdau. The venture fund was established in 2020 under in partnership with American CVC-as-a-Service firm Touchdown Ventures, and Alves was hired last year to fully integrate Gerdau Next Ventures into its parent company. The post Arthur Alves: Gerdau Next Ventures appeared first on CVC Unplugged.

Join us on this episode of Why Not Now? as we delve into Melanie Strong's extraordinary journey from a 17-year tenure as a top executive at Nike to co-founding Next Ventures, a venture capital firm, with Lance Armstrong. Melanie shared her pivotal Why Not Now moment that ignited her career reinvention, propelling her into the realm of angel investing and funding. Despite her initial lack of venture capital experience, Melanie's intuitive approach, coupled with her background as a teacher and journalist, paved the way for a revolutionary strategy that challenges traditional VC norms. Melanie and Amy Jo explore embracing fear as a compass, the art of self inspiration and the leadership philosophy that has driven Melanie's Success.   For more info and to join Renegade, head to renegade.global.   Follow Renegade Global on Instagram Get Amy Jo's newsletter.   Follow Amy Jo:  Instagram Twitter Facebook Why Not Now? Instagram Buy Amy Jo's Book

What you'll get out of this episodeListen in as host Tim Fitzpatrick chats with RJ Briscione from The Focus Group about his work in the social determinants of health (SDoH) areas of food, housing and transportation having worked in leadership at several large payers. RJ talks about the importance of getting it right in the last mile of care and services, why having data isn't always enough, and how startups and large organizations are partnering to improve the quality of life in communities across the United States.In this episode you'll discover: The importance of creating a closed-loop system for providers to refer people to resources in need of social support such as food banks, housing opportunities, heat sources, etc. Why the outreach to patients is equally as important as the behind-the-scenes work of getting a program designed and implemented. How companies like Unite Us, Season and WellTheory are thinking about designing services that truly make a difference, and why they are differentiated from the way health plans traditionally operate. What RJ has learned in his journey from working in health plan leadership to supporting early stage startups and now as an advisor at Next Ventures working alongside Lance Armstrong, Melanie Strong and Julian Eison to optimize health and human performance. Quotables“We did so much work on what we call the backend in designing these programs, that all sound amazing and sound great, but the outreach misses at the last mile, like right in front of the member. It falls flat in front of the member's face. So, when we think of new and innovative and interesting ways to get to those members and make them aware of this.” @rj_bris #TheFocusGroup on Ep 24 @T-Minus10 w/ @trfitzpatrick“ I can give a good example, WellTheory, who you probably know, Tim. They said well what's the difference in that and that the health plan already does; and the difference is that, like get up every day and make life better for those with autoimmune disease, in that example right, to have a specific set of health nutrition and wrap-around services built around that specific condition.” @rj_bris #TheFocusGroup on Ep 24 @T-Minus10 w/ @trfitzpatrickRecommended Resources Next Ventures Q&A with R.J (Next Ventures on Substack) On a Mission to Break Down SDoH Barriers (Icario Webinar)  Should Social Determinants Come From Payers and Providers? (Out-Of-Pocket) Food-as-medicine startup Season Health nabs $34M backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Cityblock's Toyin Ajayi (Fierce Healthcare) 2023 may bring progress in SDOH tech, telehealth and interoperability (Healthcare IT News) Join the Conversation Are you a healthcare innovator? Tell us what topics and people you'd like us to cover in future episodes:RJ Briscione on LinkedInRJ Briscione on TwitterHuge step forward for access to #cancertreatment #clinicaltrials . Provider friends, this is built for you and to keep community practices whole. Jump on this/happy to connect! //@ RJ Bricione on LinkedInI generally list Mental Health Access as one of the bigger problems in Healthcare... check out what Sero Health is doing to provide EMDR therapy at home! // @ RJ Bricione on LinkedInAbout Your HostTim Fitzpatrick is the CEO of IKONA Health, a company using neurobiology and immersive technology to improve how patients learn about their care and treatment options. Tim co-founded IKONA based on his own patient experiences while serving in the US Navy and now in the VA health system. He has served as Principal Investigator on multiple federal research grants, has co-authored papers on learning science, VR, and mental health in the age of COVID-19, and has partnered with top healthcare investors and institutions including the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Artificial Intelligence Institute, StartUp Health, On Deck, FundRx, MATTER and NVIDIA.T-Minus 10 is a part of the Slice of Healthcare podcast network. 

On this week’s Dead Cat, Tom Dotan and I reflect on this year’s SXSW. We take stock of the Austin tech scene and ponder what storylines emerged from the mega conference.At the 19:24 mark, VC Jeopardy starts. You can listen in as I host four venture capitalists in a fierce battle of startup-world trivia. Our contestants were Deena Shakir at Lux Capital, Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures, Julian Eison at Next Ventures, and Steve Brotman at Alpha Partners. You can also play along yourself:Here’s a link to the first round questionsHere’s a link to the second round questionsThanks to my dear friends, Max Child and James Wilsterman at Volley for hosting the SXSW event. Wilsterman wrote the Jeopardy questions with some light oversight from yours truly. Volley is a San Francisco-based startup that creates voice-controlled games. The company just announced a partnership with Sony Pictures Television to produce a Jeopardy! game for Amazon’s Alexa and for Google smart devices. Great to see everyone who made it out to the event. Let’s do it again next year!Give the episode a listen. Get full access to Newcomer at www.newcomer.co/subscribe

On this week's Dead Cat, Tom Dotan and I reflect on this year's SXSW. We take stock of the Austin tech scene and ponder what storylines emerged from the mega conference.At the 19:24 mark, VC Jeopardy starts. You can listen in as I host four venture capitalists in a fierce battle of startup-world trivia. Our contestants were Deena Shakir at Lux Capital, Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures, Julian Eison at Next Ventures, and Steve Brotman at Alpha Partners. You can also play along yourself:Here's a link to the first round questionsHere's a link to the second round questionsThanks to my dear friends, Max Child and James Wilsterman at Volley for hosting the SXSW event. Wilsterman wrote the Jeopardy questions with some light oversight from yours truly. Volley is a San Francisco-based startup that creates voice-controlled games. The company just announced a partnership with Sony Pictures Television to produce a Jeopardy! game for Amazon's Alexa and for Google smart devices. Great to see everyone who made it out to the event. Let's do it again next year!Give the episode a listen. Get full access to Newcomer at www.newcomer.co/subscribe

Lance has been a legendary figure in professional cycling, having won numerous awards, and amongst them 7 consecutive Tour de France titles - but also controversial due to using performance enhancing drugs. He is also an active investor in Startups in the fitness and health space, with his fund NEXT Ventures. Today we discussed with him amongst others, about his early days, training optimisation, thoughts on wearables, apps in the space of fitness, and Terra - the API that makes it easy for apps to connect to wearables. The Site ► https://tryterra.co More Podcasts ►https://blog.tryterra.co Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi Linkedin ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi

Melanie Strong is a founding partner of Next Ventures, a VC firm she co-founded with Lance Armstrong that focuses on building the next generation of sports, health and wellness brands. Melanie has spent her entire life in the sports industry. She's a lifelong runner and started her career as a journalist at Runner's World magazine. She then applied for a position at Nike despite not having the “right” pedigree, college background, and experience. Good thing she did because she ended up having an incredibly successful career at Nike, spending most of her time at Nike building high-performing teams all over the world and holding positions from the VP of Global Brand Marketing for Nike Women to the GM of Nike Skateboarding. After 18 years at Nike, Melanie had the opportunity to break into the world of venture capital. She left her very stable career to start from scratch and become a first-time investor AND fund founder. In our conversation, Melanie opens up about how she faced her fears when reinventing herself later in her career and overcoming the imposter syndrome she felt when breaking into a male-dominated industry.✨ You'll also hear some honest reflections on the founder-investor relationship and who is the right fit for VC funding, along with some empowering advice for founders seeking funding. We also discuss the importance of authentic relationships in life & business, how to build a unique brand in the environment we're in today, and so much more!In this episode, we'll talk to Melanie about:* Modeling other people's versions of success, and tips for being more comfortable in your own skin. [3:09] * Melanie shares about how her upbringing created her positive mindset. [7:10]* Hear about her various interesting jobs leading up to Nike. [9:10]* The story of who inspired her and how she got her starting role at Nike. [11:42]* Speaking about the power of networking and mentorship. [18:23] * The power of people and true relationships. [19:34]* What she looks for in a founder. [20:53]* The importance of the right advisors and some of her mentors. [22:46]* Melanie reflects on being an angel investor and why it took her so long to do. [25:15]* Taking the leap to leave Nike and steps to overcome imposter syndrome. [29:11]* How the feedback processes have changed and some companies that she feels confident in. [33:40]* Some top advice for thinking about your company as a brand. [0:38:14]* Melanie and Yasmin each share the hacks that keep them anchored into their purpose. [44:27]* Diving into greater detail on traits she looks for in a founder and what a founder-investor relationship needs. [47:02]* Talking about founders who are focussed on the exit and the impact of that. [49:30]* Who she thinks is and isn't the right fit for VC funding, and comments on fundraising [52:51]* Melanie's comments on due diligence plus some great advice to founders. [56:45]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIREFollow Melanie: * Melanie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniestrong/* Website: https://nextventures.com/Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Melanie Strong is a founding partner at Next Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on empowering passionate founders to set a new pace in human optimization. Prior to becoming a full-time VC and advisor, Mel spent her career building high-performing teams at Nike, where she held titles like VP of Global Brand Marketing for Nike Women and GM of Nike Skateboarding. In 2019, Mel co-founded NEXT VENTŪRES with Lance Armstrong with the intention of helping founders innovate quickly in the health and wellness space. In this episode, Mel discusses the importance of investing in disruptive technologies and FOUNDERS who will have a broad and positive impact on the future of human health and wellness. She shares that only 3% of venture capitalists in the US are women… a bleak statistic… and why it is important for women to embrace the conversation around growing their personal wealth. We share a few laughs about her propensity for WORK… and finally, Mel shares that, while leading your life with gratitude is not easy, it is the ONLY way to be truly fulfilled.This interview was produced by WINS, a PR agency on a mission to influence gender equality in the C-suite across sports, entertainment and the greater media. WINS services are designed exclusively for woman-owned and led businesses. To learn more about WINS, visit https://www.wins.media.

Can a teenager make $1 billion in revenue? Shaahin did.   On this episode of the Making Bank Podcast, Shaahin Cheyene chats about his journey of creatin a billion-dollar company all by 16-years-old. With his homemade product herbal ecstasy, Shaahin managed to grow his company without the help of a degree or the internet. He delves into his wild tale of how he went from a homeless teenager to a business mogul. Listen to the episode to hear his incredible journey, as well as his ventures in vaping technology and early Amazon days.     Listen to Josh and Shaahin discuss herbal ecstasy:  Shaahin's Background (3:20)  From an immigrant family, Shaahin was one of many outcasts at school. He decided to start selling illicit objects such as cigarettes, alcohol, and magazines, and organized the other misfits to do the same. At fifteen, he left home to make himself rich.    Herbal Ecstasy (7:39)  After realizing the demand for ecstasy, Shaahin set out to make a legal form of it. He cooked batches until he found the right formula—which he called herbal ecstasy. A year later, he broke a billion dollars in revenue. He was still a teenager.   Keep Getting Up (18:00)  Life can be challenging. Shaahin talks about how everyone gets knocked down. The important thing is to learn from it and keep getting back up. Shaahin shares an incredible story about how success is the best revenge.  Next Ventures (25:06)  Shaahin chats about being at the forefront of vaping technology, as well as his brain supplements. He then speaks about getting up on Amazon in the early days and how that's altered his perspective.  Segment Description (27:59)  Shaahin breaks down Jeff Bezos's business model and what he's done to disrupt e-commerce. He delves into how he's run his own successful businesses through Amazon. Now, he's taking what he learned and sharing it with others.   Segment Description (35:19)  Before wrapping up, Shaahin speaks on how mindset can really make the difference. Whether you believe in yourself or not, you'll end up right. So, may as well believe in yourself, your business and product, and try to grow your wealth.     Links mentioned:  Making Bank - Website    darkzess@gmail.com    https://www.shaahincheyenne.com/hack-and-grow-rich-podcast   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JVGZVYT   https://fbasellercourse.com/  

Can a teenager make $1 billion in revenue? Shaahin did.   On this episode of the Making Bank Podcast, Shaahin Cheyene chats about his journey of creatin a billion-dollar company all by 16-years-old. With his homemade product herbal ecstasy, Shaahin managed to grow his company without the help of a degree or the internet. He delves into his wild tale of how he went from a homeless teenager to a business mogul. Listen to the episode to hear his incredible journey, as well as his ventures in vaping technology and early Amazon days.     Listen to Josh and Shaahin discuss herbal ecstasy:  Shaahin's Background (3:20)  From an immigrant family, Shaahin was one of many outcasts at school. He decided to start selling illicit objects such as cigarettes, alcohol, and magazines, and organized the other misfits to do the same. At fifteen, he left home to make himself rich.    Herbal Ecstasy (7:39)  After realizing the demand for ecstasy, Shaahin set out to make a legal form of it. He cooked batches until he found the right formula—which he called herbal ecstasy. A year later, he broke a billion dollars in revenue. He was still a teenager.   Keep Getting Up (18:00)  Life can be challenging. Shaahin talks about how everyone gets knocked down. The important thing is to learn from it and keep getting back up. Shaahin shares an incredible story about how success is the best revenge.  Next Ventures (25:06)  Shaahin chats about being at the forefront of vaping technology, as well as his brain supplements. He then speaks about getting up on Amazon in the early days and how that's altered his perspective.  Segment Description (27:59)  Shaahin breaks down Jeff Bezos's business model and what he's done to disrupt e-commerce. He delves into how he's run his own successful businesses through Amazon. Now, he's taking what he learned and sharing it with others.   Segment Description (35:19)  Before wrapping up, Shaahin speaks on how mindset can really make the difference. Whether you believe in yourself or not, you'll end up right. So, may as well believe in yourself, your business and product, and try to grow your wealth.     Links mentioned:  Making Bank - Website    darkzess@gmail.com    https://www.shaahincheyenne.com/hack-and-grow-rich-podcast   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JVGZVYT   https://fbasellercourse.com/  

This week we had on Mel Strong (@girlstrong) at NEXT Ventures. NEXT is a first-time fund designed to invest in sports, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. Mel is one of three managing partners at NEXT, and before joining the team, she spent the bulk of her career building and designing products at Nike. In this talk, we discuss: Transitioning from a major corporate into VC Identifying the DNA traits of successful founders Sub-verticals of interest within sports, fitness, and nutrition

In this episode, we meet Harpreet Singh Rai, CEO of ŌURA. ŌURA is the company behind the Oura Ring — a wearable health platform that delivers daily, personalized sleep, and overall health insights. With precise data and personalized guidance, ŌURA helps people better understand their health and live healthier, more fulfilled lives. To-date, ŌURA has sold 500,000 rings across 100+ countries. ŌURA has raised $148M in total funding to-date, recently closing a $100M Series C financing round led by The Chernin Group and Elysian Park; health investors Temasek, JAZZ Venture Partners, and Eisai Co., Ltd.; growth investors Bedford Ridge and One Capital from Japan. Existing investors who participated in the round include Forerunner Ventures, Square, MSD Capital, Marc Benioff, Lifeline Ventures, Metaplanet Holdings, and Next Ventures. In 2021, Fast Company listed ŌURA as the #5 (out of 10) Most Innovative Wellness Companies of 2021. Prior to joining ŌURA, Harpreet worked as a portfolio manager at Eminence Capital for 9 years and began his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Harpreet majored in MEMS, Micro Electronic Mechanical Systems (sensor design) at the University of Michigan. In this episode, Harpreet and I chat about: How Harpeet's personal motivations and passion for technology and health led him to joining ŌURA and what it means to “own your health” Broader trends and landscape of the wearables industry — and how ŌURA's focus on clinical validation and accuracy is different from other wearable companies How ŌURA has partnered with numerous sports leagues, including the NBA, WNBA, UFC, and NASCAR to optimize performance and monitor a user's wellness What is required for wearables to reach their full potential: from consumer education to buy-in from healthcare stakeholders

Robin Thurston is an energetic person who began life in sports. First as a skier, and then as a professional bike racer who competed internationally before switching to business after a major accident. His rise in the business world has been plutonic ever since, carrying lessons from each part of his life to build better. His venture, Felix has raised more than $180M from top-tier investors like Sequoia Heritage, Jazz Venture Partners, Zone 5 Ventures, and Next Ventures.

Robin Thurston is an energetic person who began life in sports. First as a skier, and then as a professional bike racer who competed internationally before switching to business after a major accident. His rise in the business world has been plutonic ever since, carrying lessons from each part of his life to build better. His venture, Felix has raised more than $180M from top-tier investors like Sequoia Heritage, Jazz Venture Partners, Zone 5 Ventures, and Next Ventures.

お魚の肉を培養するプロジェクトに携わっていらっしゃる、Beyond Next Ventures株式会社 ラボマネージャー/ 特定非営利活動法人日本細胞農業協会 理事 杉崎 麻友 氏 にお話を伺ったEP:10-03回目です。

お魚の肉を培養するプロジェクトに携わっていらっしゃる、Beyond Next Ventures株式会社 ラボマネージャー/ 特定非営利活動法人日本細胞農業協会 理事 杉崎 麻友 氏 にお話を伺ったEP:10-02回目です。

お魚の肉を培養するプロジェクトに携わっていらっしゃる、Beyond Next Ventures株式会社 ラボマネージャー/ 特定非営利活動法人日本細胞農業協会 理事 杉崎 麻友 氏 にお話を伺ったEP:10-01回目です。

Our guest in this episode is Melanie Strong. Mel is a Managing Partner at Next Ventures, working alongside Julian Eison and Lance Armstrong. Next Ventures is a health and fitness focused venture capital fund. Prior to joining Next, Mel spent the majority of her career so far in Sports Marketing, included 17 accomplished years at Nike.  In this episode, Matt and Mel discussed things like her decision to move on from Nike, how she goes about setting expectations for herself, and building relationships with people in the venture space. The two also talked about things like the possible lasting changes of 2020 and the connection between mental health and spending time outdoors.Find Mel:InstagramTwitterFind Momentous:LiveMomentousInstagramFacebookTwitterYoutube

Visionary Investor of the Year Mel Strong, Brand Visionary of the Year Jackson Jeyanayagam and Venture of the Year Xiaoyin Qu of Run The World come together to share their secrets on Revolutionizing How We Connect. This recoding of the live event on 1/28/21 covers D2C (direct-to-consumer), hyper personalization, human optimization, virtual serendipity and cutting the innovation cycle to keep up with accelerating change.

We have taken insights from past guests to answer why established business and large industries should partner with startups. Featuring Mastercard, The Clorox Company, CMAB, Microsoft, Paramount Pictures, Learfield IMG College, Next Ventures, and The Estee Lauder Companies.

Today's episode features David Lekach, founder of Dream Water, a natural, zero calorie, 2.5oz liquid sleep enhancer, that is also available in a powder format that you can take with or without water. Prior to the sale of his company in May of 2018, David was the CEO of Dream Products LLC, which manufactures and markets the product. David has spent his last 6+ months investing the proceeds of the sale and consulting for a variety of companies with topics and mandates ranging from innovation, to executive team building, to legal/deal structuring projects, and a host of different strategic development initiatives with companies in the CPG, cannabis, direct to consumer/Amazon platforms, and travel retail spaces. Moderated by Aryan Rashed, founder of Tremble, learn more about the reality of growing and successfully exiting a company. Here are the topics addressed and timestamps: David's Background, Childhood, EducationEarly Businesses, Digital Marketing, Motivation, Idea Execution, Building Dream Water, Raising Capital, Distribution Lessons, Shifts in Dream Water and Expansion, Exit Preparation and Process, Next Ventures in Cannabis and NewsLink, Advice for First Time Entrepreneurs, Q&A Remember to follow us @thebigideabox @thelabmiami @endeavormiami #BrainfoodMIA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Connect with our guests @dreamwater Share your feedback with this link: bit.ly/2C3fwFj and enjoy the show!! Brainfood Speaker Series is a monthly, hands-on discussion with local entrepreneurs who share the secrets of their success and failures. This monthly event takes place at The LAB Miami, helping Miami startups as well as entrepreneurs understand the opportunities alongside the challenges of launching and growing a business. We're sharing these amazing stories that provide new ideas and key, practical advice to advancing one's own entrepreneurial career. Brainfood is brought to you by The LAB Miami in partnership Endeavor Miami. Show Notes: Aryan Rashed - University of Michigan - Duane Reade - NewsLink - David Lekach - Blue Mountain - NDA - Hudson News - Dream Water - Tic Tac Toe Auction - Friendster - Paradies Shops - Perfumania.com - Amazon - Myspace - CNBC Stores - Perry Ellis - Ebay - Walgreens - Miami International Airport - Paris Hilton - Yahoo - DSD Direct to Store Distributer - Fort Lauderdale - Guess - March Madness - Walmart- Melatonin - Ed Hardy - Facebook - Jerry Mcguire - True Religion - Harvard University - Hemp Bill 2014 - BCBG - Mark Zuckerberg - CBD - Katy Perry - Harvard Crimson - Johnson & Johnson - Adam Levine - 5 Hour Energy - M&M Mars Inc - Duty Free Americas - Givaudan - Harvest One

How can the tech tools of the most elite athletes help us perform better in our daily lives? Why should large companies partner with startups? Can sports transform culture? Mel Strong is the Managing Partner at Next Ventures, a VC fund investing in human performance via innovative health, sports and wellness companies. Mel began her investing career after 17 years at Nike where she held senior roles on NikeID, Women's Training, Skateboarding and more, and is now an advisor to Nike's Valiant Labs as well as on the board of Women in SportsTech.

This conversation offers a simple, yet often tough, perspective when it comes to how we respond to challenging periods in life. Do you retreat when you are in mucky waters or do you lean into it and allow your hurt / humiliation / anger to evolve into purpose?From 7 Tour de France wins to Livestrong Foundation to battling lawsuits to Next Ventures, Lance Armstrong shares his journey through life and how facing his challenges head on served him rather than hiding away and letting that minimize him.With the current climate, I've had many conversations with others on the hardship that they are experiencing. This episode with Lance provided a nice shift in awareness that we are responsible for how we feel, given any type of circumstance.During this conversation, Lance and I discuss...• What can come from releasing bitterness.• The emotional impacts from retirement that no one talks about.• Not allowing hardships take us out of the game of life.• Continuing forward movement through our darkest moments.• How a simple mindset shift opened a channel for opportunities.• Letting our kids choose their own life path, their own passions.References:The Forward Podcast – https://bit.ly/forwardpodThe Move Podcast – https://bit.ly/movepodPowerDot – https://www.powerdot.comStrava – https://www.strava.comNext Ventures – https://nextventures.comPr Lotion – https://amphuman.comConnect with Cal –UnlearnX: https://www.thegreatunlearn.com/unlearn-xInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cal.callahan/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegreatunlearnYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thegreatunlearn/Website: https://www.thegreatunlearn.comNewsletter: https://www.thegreatunlearn.com/newsletterThis show is produced by Soulfire Productions

In this special episode, we feature a panel from our Rogue Women event in May, 2020, with three executives from the sports industry discussing the future of the fan experience, live sports, storytelling and more.

You probably know who Lance Armstrong is, but this is Lance as you've never seen him before — with his kimono wide open. We are always trying to figure out what we've done right, what we've done wrong, and how we can move forward. Today, Lance gives a candid take on what he did in the past and how he can move forward in a different way. It's an incredible redemption story that's up there with the best of them. Lance's first podcast was called The Move (https://wedu.team/themove) , which jumped to the top of Apple's podcast charts as soon as it came out. Lance sees what happened to him — and because of him — as a result of being ruthless and mean. Nobody would have seen him coming back in the way he has, but he had to keep moving forward. There was no plan in place. He just kept taking one more step. He made a lot of mistakes, but he looked inside himself to what was true — his love for the sport, his family, his friends — and began rebuilding his life on top of that foundation. You can't continue to measure yourself against the past, but you can continue to move forward and create something new — maybe even something better. We Discuss: 10:10 - How Lance got into endurance sports 19:39 - The challenges of going from an individual sport to a team sport 23:22 - Constantly moving forward in life. 26:31 - Letting go of bitterness and anger 37:44 - Lance's philosophy for advertising 44:05 - Lance's future business endeavors 52:34 - What it feels like to retire 58:34 - The life lessons Lance wants to pass on to his kids 1:07:08 - Parenting as someone who has reached a high level 1:16:30 - Trying not to measure yourself against your past Resources: The Forward Podcast: wedu.team/the-forward (https://wedu.team/the-forward) The Move Podcast: wedu.team/themove (https://wedu.team/themove) Sign up for my weekly newsletter: thegreatunlearn.com/newsletter (https://www.thegreatunlearn.com/newsletter) Next Ventures (https://nextventures.com) The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LC9C7Q4?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=6F8T6S5B1GYMVYDFMJ4F) by Boyd Varty Ed Ruscha (https://edruscha.com/featured-works/) AMP Human (https://amphuman.com) Power Dot (https://www.powerdot.com) Jesse Itzler (https://jesseitzler.com) Connect with Lance Armstrong: Website | lancearmstrong.com (https://lancearmstrong.com/) Instagram | instagram.com/lancearmstrong/ (https://www.instagram.com/lancearmstrong/) Twitter | twitter.com/lancearmstrong (https://twitter.com/lancearmstrong) Facebook | facebook.com/lancearmstrong (https://www.facebook.com/lancearmstrong/) Connect with Cal: Website | https://www.thegreatunlearn.com (https://www.thegreatunlearn.com) Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bunkercal/ (https://www.instagram.com/bunkercal/) Twitter | https://twitter.com/BunkerCal (https://twitter.com/BunkerCal) Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/BunkerCal (https://www.facebook.com/BunkerCal) YouTube | The Great Unlearn (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCneI0an6qiL7t-7sne9TjhQ) Subscribe to the Great Unlearn Podcast: Apple Podcasts | https://apple.co/3a4ATpc (https://apple.co/3a4ATpc) Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2Rb7emv (https://spoti.fi/2Rb7emv) Google Play | http://bit.ly/2sehHUE (http://bit.ly/2sehHUE) Stitcher | http://bit.ly/2t8wHE6 (http://bit.ly/2t8wHE6) If you are called to support the podcast, please share the show with a friend!!! This is the best way to spread the message ❤️