Podcast appearances and mentions of ryan caldbeck

Today we are thrilled to have Sam Yagan, co-founder of OKCupid and ultimately the CEO of Match Group through its rapid growth and IPO. Sam takes us behind the scenes of OKCupid's gripping acquisition process (including phone calls from the delivery room). He also dives into his unlikely journey of being selected successor to his acquirer -- becoming the CEO of publicly traded Match Group. Jesse is joined again by special co-host Ryan Caldbeck: a startup founder and CEO himself, who is also well known on tech Twitter for discussing founder mental health. Don't forget to catch up on Ryan Caldbeck's In The Arena episode, “Terrifying Growth”, Managing Mental Heath, and Radical Sharing- linked below. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e7-ryan-caldbeck-on-terrifying-growth-managing-mental/id1691530886?i=1000623146998 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7H9Q0Cbudh3DeIKTzjTHBc?si=5HyYcAXRTxemSGNP9tzZ4Q RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix's culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Episode Preview: Sam Yagan (03:30) The day Sam is about to sign a term sheet to sell OKCupid (16:37) “Am I gonna miss my kid's birth?” (19:50) A last-ditch effort (23:44) The deal is on! Sam's reflections on dealmaking and unmaking (35:30) The state of the co-founders and exec team prior to selling (44:55) Would Sam have done things differently if he had traditional venture backing? (48:00) Failure feelings about getting out (58:18) Sam's best advice (1:04:00) After the deal: Sam stays on with OKCupid and then catapults to CEO of Match Group (1:13:53) Match's wartime CEO (1:20:15) Individual relationships in business matter, even as companies scale X: @samyagan (Sam) @ryan_caldbeck (Ryan) @jessegenet (Jesse) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @inthearena_pod

Ryan Hudson, the co-founder of Honey (which sold to PayPal for $4B in 2019) sits down with Jesse Genet and Ryan Caldbeck for a rare interview about his rollercoaster trajectory, so emblematic of the startup struggle - but with an M&A ending. Ryan dives into what it was like at the startup's early days when Honey was unattractive to investors, the great personal risks he undertook to keep working on the company, the chaos of being directly targeted by Amazon in the weeks leading up to closing the PayPal deal, and gives us a revealing look at what it's actually like getting acquired. Ryan Caldbeck, guest on episode 7 of In The Arena, is the perfect co-host for this conversation: a startup founder and CEO himself, who is also well known on tech Twitter for discussing founder mental health. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix's culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics Catch up on Ryan Caldbeck's episode: “Terrifying Growth”, Managing Mental Heath, and Radical Sharing Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e7-ryan-caldbeck-on-terrifying-growth-managing-mental/id1691530886?i=1000623146998 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7H9Q0Cbudh3DeIKTzjTHBc?si=5HyYcAXRTxemSGNP9tzZ4Q TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Episode Preview (04:15) Honey under siege from Amazon (11:07) Could the Amazon action endanger the Paypal acquisition? (17:15) Was Ryan lucky or unlucky to have closed an M&A deal right before the pandemic (21:00) How do you tactically handle the moment conversations turn to a potential acquisition? (23:19) How do you set a price? (26:00) Honey didn't want to sell (29:30) Smoothest exit in history? (36:40) Co-founder relationship tested during the stressful moments (38:55) Leaving as Honey's co-founder to go be a Product Manager at another company (41:24) $5,000 in the bank and supporting 3 kids (47:09) How Honey finally began earning revenue (52:57) How to design a deeply aligned Co-Founder relationship (57:24) What to look for in a co-founder (01:03:00) Why firing employees is such a painful practice in fast-growing companies (01:09:30) Controversial influencer marketing strategy and crisis comms X:  @ketau (Ryan Hudson) @ryan_caldbeck (Ryan Caldbeck) @jessegenet (Jesse) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @inthearena_pod

Ryan Caldbeck is a tech founder, investor, and former CEO of CircleUp, which raised over $50M in venture capital during his tenure. Ryan is especially well known for his personal writings in the form of thought-provoking twitter threads where he chronicles his struggles with mental health, extreme leadership pressures, and sheds light on conflicts with investors. We dive into all this and more, including his experiences replacing himself as CEO while battling cancer. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix's culture deck Patty McCord. https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics In The Arena is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Turpentine VC: Delve deep into the art and science of building successful venture firms through conversations with the world's best investors and operators. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVC Catch up on host Jesse Genet's own crucible moments in her entrepreneurial story in Episode 6: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HQKu4vbaIuAvhgKLBuyYk?si=UYb2aGlJTxynO_B8UzMkUQ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e6-host-jesse-genet-on-selling-her-startup-lumi-while/id1691530886?i=1000622369978 TIMESTAMPS: (01:00) Episode Preview (04:00) The inflection point when Ryan decided to pivot  (08:59) “Terrifying growth” (11:35) Vulnerability with the board vs vulnerability with the executive team (16:00) How transparent should a leader be? (20:50) Ryan's hindsight about vulnerability (26:55) 2019: Ryan starts to post publicly on Twitter (28:25) How to deal with feeling bad about yourself (37:30) A real leader never quits (42:33) Dark side of VC (46:00) Ryan's feedback email to one of his investors LINKS REFERENCED: Ryan Caldbeck's writing https://ryancaldbeck.co/ Ryan Caldbeck's Pivoting CircleUp thread: https://twitter.com/ryan_caldbeck/status/1118288136918847488?lang=en Hard Things About Hard Things: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1690962629&sr=1-1 X:  @ryan_caldbeck (Ryan) @jessegenet (Jesse) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @inthearena_pod 

Ryan Caldbeck, is the COO of Dune, a powerful analytics platform for blockchain research. It can be used to query, extract, and visualize vast amounts of data on the Ethereum blockchain. Ryan was previously the founder, and CEO of CircleUp, a technology platform focused on finding and evaluating private companies. He is also an angel investor in several high-growth technology companies. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the role of independent directors at startups; how to find them and work with them; how they can mediate between the other board directors like investors and the CEO; when and how long to bring them on for. We do a deep dive into the topic of building trust, not only with the IDs, but also other members of the startup like employees, co-founders, board of directors and others. Shownotes: - https://ryancaldbeck.co - Tweet storm about independent directors:  https://twitter.com/ryan_caldbeck/status/1651441866213318656 - Who is an independent director (ID) - How to pick them - What and where do you look for them? - Trust = (Reliability x Credibility x Authenticity) / Self-Interest. - Building trust - Writing the job description for an ID - How IDs can mediate between investors and the CEO - Receiving and offering feedback - What point of the startup journey should we bring on an ID? How many? - Etiquette to building a relation with independent directors - IDs and board members interacting with upper management

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:Leadership techniques Ryan learned from Coach K, the famous basketball coach at Duke University, while he was on the basketball team.The traditional path and alluring appeal of becoming an institutional investor, but also what it lacks.The hidden misalignments of incentives in the crowdfunding space.How investors can protect themselves while considering crowdfunding deals.Insights into building your own board, team, and cap table.The future of fintech and web3.And a whole lot more.BOOKS AND RESOURCESRyan Caldbeck's Website.Ryan Caldbeck's Twitter.Trey Lockerbie's Twitter.Preston, Trey & Stig's tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.If you're new to the show and don't know where to begin listening, check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.Identify and stop paying for subscriptions you don't need, want, or simply forgot about with Truebill.Donate to GiveWell's recommended charities and have your donation matched up to $1,000 before the end of August or as long as matching funds last if you've never donate before. Pick PODCAST and We Study Billionaires or enter code TIP at checkout.Remove uncertainty from your portfolio and receive a steady flow of cash all year round with Farmfolio.Every 28 seconds an entrepreneur makes their first sale on Shopify. Access powerful tools to help you find customers, drive sales, and manage your day-to-day. Start a FREE fourteen-day trial right now!Make your home safe with Simplisafe and get 40% off today. Indoor and outdoor cameras, comprehensive sensors, you name it.Get in early on medical technology, breakthroughs in ag tech and food production, solutions in the multi-billion dollar robotic industry, and so much more with a FREE OurCrowd account. Open yours today.You can see eczema on the surface of your skin, but there may also be irritation below that you can't see. Discover Eucrisa as it works both above and below the skin to treat eczema in adults and children 3 months of age and older.Get access to some of the most sought-after real estate in the U.S. with Crowdstreet.Optimize your payments infrastructure, simplify expansion plans, and create new revenue streams for your business with Stripe. Join millions of companies from all sizes. Learn more and get started today!Be part of the solution by investing in companies that are actively engaged in integrating ESG practices with Desjardins.Canada's #1 employee benefits plan for small businesses! The Chambers Plan evolves with the way you work and live while keeping the rates stable. Opt for the simple, stable, and smart choice for your business.Stay on top of all your processes - directly inside Gmail with Streak. Get 20% off the Pro plan today.Yieldstreet allows you to invest beyond the stock market with an evolving marketplace of alternative investments. Create your account today.Protect your online activity TODAY with ExpressVPN, the VPN rated #1 by CNET and Wired, and get an extra 3 months FREE on a one-year package.Now, not only the wealthy can afford collectibles! Enter Otis, an investment platform that makes it possible for almost anyone to invest in shares of cultural assets. Sign up now at withotis.com/TIP to get your first share for FREE!Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors.HELP US OUT!What do you love about our podcast? Here's our guide on how you can leave a rating and review for the show. We always enjoy reading your comments and feedback!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it take to go from small-town kid to successful CEO? To this week's guest, the answer is simple: never stop learning. A self-proclaimed underdog with a burning desire to make an impact, Ryan Caldbeck describes himself as gritty and a dreamer. In this episode, Ryan discusses growing up in a small town in Vermont, becoming an NCAA basketball champion, finding success in private equity, and eventually co-founding (and stepping down from) CircleUp—and the role each played in his passion for tech entrepreneurship.  Ryan's small-town upbringing shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. From the time he was young, he would dream about accomplishing something amazing. As his dreams became a reality, though, he found himself struggling both personally and professionally. Reflecting on his journey in admirable detail, Ryan advocates for tapping into your network for support and stresses the importance of mental health. As someone who is extremely curious and loves to learn and grow, Ryan felt stuck in his career in private equity. That all changed in early 2011, while sitting on a panel where no one could answer the question “How do you raise money for a $5MM business?” At that moment, he knew he wanted to start a company that was going to make an impact—and thus, CircleUp was born. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by people who loved to learn just as much as him, and it was as if his whole life finally made sense. In this episode, we talk about Ryan's intense passion for human connectivity through learning, his journey to CEO, and his ultimate decision to step down. So, what's next for this life-long learner? Listen to the full episode to find out.

What does it take to go from small-town kid to successful CEO? To this week's guest, the answer is simple: never stop learning. A self-proclaimed underdog with a burning desire to make an impact, Ryan Caldbeck describes himself as gritty and a dreamer. In this episode, Ryan discusses growing up in a small town in Vermont, becoming an NCAA basketball champion, finding success in private equity, and eventually co-founding (and stepping down from) CircleUp—and the role each played in his passion for tech entrepreneurship.  Ryan's small-town upbringing shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. From the time he was young, he would dream about accomplishing something amazing. As his dreams became a reality, though, he found himself struggling both personally and professionally. Reflecting on his journey in admirable detail, Ryan advocates for tapping into your network for support and stresses the importance of mental health. As someone who is extremely curious and loves to learn and grow, Ryan felt stuck in his career in private equity. That all changed in early 2011, while sitting on a panel where no one could answer the question “How do you raise money for a $5MM business?” At that moment, he knew he wanted to start a company that was going to make an impact—and thus, CircleUp was born. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by people who loved to learn just as much as him, and it was as if his whole life finally made sense. In this episode, we talk about Ryan's intense passion for human connectivity through learning, his journey to CEO, and his ultimate decision to step down. So, what's next for this life-long learner? Listen to the full episode to find out.

This being human is a profoundly awesome adventure; our lives are peppered with moments of happiness, joy, and wonder, but our experiences can be messy, exhausting, and heavy too. As leaders, how do we manage the cacophony of emotions that we inevitably carry with us to the workplace? What holds us back from opening up, sharing, and being true with our colleagues, especially when we’re struggling? Ryan Caldbeck is the Founder and Executive Chairman of CircleUp. In this episode, Ryan opens up about the inherent loneliness that comes with being a CEO and reveals how a particularly challenging period in his life exacerbated those feelings of isolation. He describes how an interaction with his young daughter drove his decision to step back from his role as CEO, the relief that sharing his experience with his colleagues brought, and the grief that comes hand in hand with closing this chapter of his life. Jerry encourages Ryan to see that in his sadness lives an opportunity to turn towards curiosity and inquire deeply about what’s being born and who he wants to become in this next stage of life. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Follow our step by step guides: - How To: Leave a Review on Your Computer: - How To: Leave a Review on Your iPhone: Never miss an episode! Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on all our episode releases.

The post E1141: CircleUp’s Ryan Caldbeck on the mental & physical toll of being a founder, why he stepped down as CEO & shared his struggle publicly appeared first on This Week In Startups.

The post E1141: CircleUp’s Ryan Caldbeck on the mental & physical toll of being a founder, why he stepped down as CEO & shared his struggle publicly appeared first on This Week In Startups.

We recently hosted a conversation between Ryan Caldbeck, Founder & CEO at CircleUp, and Chris Guest, Lean Startup Co. Advisor, focused on what it’s like as a CEO to take your company through a major pivot. This episode is part two of their conversation. In Chris and Ryan’s conversation they discuss: - How to create a culture that gives support to people that want to be vulnerable and authentic for the benefit of the company and for themselves. - The unique challenges CEO’s face and how they can build a support system for themselves. - How Ryan has utilized Lean Startup methodologies as an entrepreneur. And much, much more… Email us: education@leanstartup.co Follow Lean Startup Co. @leanstartup https://leanstartup.co/education

We recently hosted a conversation between Ryan Caldbeck, Founder & CEO at CircleUp, and Chris Guest, Lean Startup Co. Advisor, about how to navigate through a major pivot. This episode is part one of the conversation with Ryan and part two is coming up next week. Even more exciting, Ryan is also speaking at the Lean Startup Conference this week in San Francisco. Tickets to the conference are still available at LeanStartup.co. Email us: education@leanstartup.co Follow Lean Startup Co. @leanstartup https://leanstartup.co/education

Such a great, candid interview with down-to-earth Ryan Caldbeck, CEO of CircleUp, on some of the rarely-discussed, yet crucial aspects of entrepreneurship, its effects on mental health and how leaders can improve their lifestyle to boost their company's performance. Ryan was very open and receptive towards sharing some of the most intimate issues that he's faced on his journey as a founder.  Check out Ryan's tweetstorm here: https://bit.ly/2O7vhmY Timeline of the conversation: (3:18) - What is the #1 lesson that building CircleUp has taught Ryan? (6:26) - What is the job of a CEO? (8:35) - Ryan's spiritual backdrop (11:43) - Ryan's advice for inexperienced entrepreneurs  (15:49) - Distinguishing between what is Important, what is Urgent, or what is both (23:30) - Business context: Work vs. Non-work (26:20) - Why you should be wary of going to conferences (28:15) - Ryan's experience with series-C investment (34:22) - The role of authenticity in the grand scheme of business (48:44) - Related reading and closing thoughts Please subscribe to Crazy Wisdom wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review in Apple Podcasts.      

Ryan Caldbeck and his co-founder Rory Eakin founded what has become one of the most innovative investment platforms I’ve ever seen with their award-winning company, CircleUp. In short, they use machine learning analysis to find and fund amazing companies in the consumer packaged goods space, companies like Halo Top, Rebbl, Smarty Pants vitamins — and we actually share some of those companies like Halo Top. But, being the founder of an innovative investment approach that is hitting its stride is only the above-the-line version of Ryan's story. Last year, Ryan started sharing what his entrepreneurial experiences have really been like. His open and candid writing on twitter is shared within founder circles more than any other writing, because in a world of posturing and BS, he has begun to turn the tide on with something as simple as honesty— something the entrepreneurial world is craving. We talk about what he’s shared, what he thinks a lot about, where we can do better, what it’s really like to go through a “Pivot” with a capital P. He does it all with a contagious sense ownership and accountability, which is why I think he is a major force in evolving the conversation of what it’s like to be a founder. Email James questions at askbelowtheline@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/gobelowtheline). "Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

Erik is joined on this episode by Ryan Caldbeck (@ryan_caldbeck), co-founder and CEO of CircleUp.Ryan starts out by explaining how he got started in CPG and the mission of CircleUp. He talks about why some VCs don't realize that the market is worth paying attention to and some of their biases when evaluating CPG opportunities.He explains the data-driven approach that CircleUp uses to predict which companies will be most valuable and explains why a fund needs to have CPG as its only focus to succeed.Ryan also opens up about his personal experience as a founder dealing with mental health challenges and talks about why it’s so difficult for founders, employees and investors in the startup ecosystem to be vulnerable about what they're facing. He discusses what he thinks needs to happen for mental health to be addressed properly by the Valley.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. Colin Campbell is our audio engineer and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Erik is joined on this episode by Ryan Caldbeck (@ryan_caldbeck), co-founder and CEO of CircleUp.Ryan starts out by explaining how he got started in CPG and the mission of CircleUp. He talks about why some VCs don't realize that the market is worth paying attention to and some of their biases when evaluating CPG opportunities.He explains the data-driven approach that CircleUp uses to predict which companies will be most valuable and explains why a fund needs to have CPG as its only focus to succeed.Ryan also opens up about his personal experience as a founder dealing with mental health challenges and talks about why it’s so difficult for founders, employees and investors in the startup ecosystem to be vulnerable about what they're facing. He discusses what he thinks needs to happen for mental health to be addressed properly by the Valley.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. Colin Campbell is our audio engineer and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

with Ryan Caldbeck (@ryan_caldbeck), Jeff Jordan (@jeff_jordan), and Sonal Chokshi (@smc90) It's clear that all kinds of commerce companies and consumer products have been disrupted -- or enabled -- by tech. Yet for certain categories, like consumer packaged goods (CPG), it seems like tech hasn't changed things very much. How is the rise of so-called "micro-brands" (or emerging brands) playing out here? And, how is it possible that "real" -- different -- innovation isn't really happening in the CPG industry, despite the tremendous legacy of brand, talent, and more in the space? How are CPG companies tackling grocery, which represents the perfect end-capsule and case study of challenges -- and opportunities -- in going from offline to online, from online to offline, and more? As for grocery itself, stores themselves (in the U.S. at least) haven't changed very much due to tech, either... is it a last-mile delivery thing; could we also possibly move to distribution-only centers in the future? Finally, while the holy grail of performance marketing and personalization remains elusive for the industry -- let’s face it, most brands are still guessing in the dark (and forget trying to customize offerings!) -- even going direct-to-consumer (DTC) hasn't been shining as much of a light here as one might expect. Or so argue the guests in this episode of the a16z Podcast, featuring Ryan Caldbeck of CircleUp, along with a16z general general partner Jeff Jordan, in conversation with Sonal Chokshi. Cuz this episode is all about CPG, DTC; micro-brands, yah you know, all kinds of commerce.

Ryan Caldbeck is the Founder & CEO @ CircleUp, the startup creating a transparent and efficient market to drive innovation for consumer brands. To date, Ryan has raised over $50m with CircleUp from some friends and prior guests of the show including USV, Collaborative Fund and Canaan Partners just to name a few. Prior to CircleUp, Ryan spent nearly 7 years investing in consumer products with the likes of TSG Consumer Partners and Encore Consumer Capital. As a result of Ryan's success with CircleUp he has been recognised as a "Titan of Retail" by Bloomberg and "40 Under 40" by the San Francisco Business Times. In Today’s Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How Ryan made his way into the world of consumer investing and what the realisation moment was for him that the market needed a solution, CircleUp? 2.) Why does Ryan believe that venture capital has a fundamental problem? What is it about the economics of funds that Ryan has a problem with? Who is to blame for this situation; the LPs who fund it or the AUM hungry VCs? Why does Ryan believe the majority of micro VCs are micro as that is all they could raise? Is that really fair or true? 3.) Why does Ryan fundamentally believe the LP ecosystem and mechanism for backing funds is inherently broken? What is so wrong with current LP incentives? What does Ryan believe can be done to encourage more risk-taking and innovation from within the LP class? 4.) Recognising the antiquated nature of much of VC, what does Ryan believe the future of VC looks like? How will we see the use of data impact both sourcing and investment decision-making? Where does Ryan believe it has the most potential? Where is data so sparse that it will be challenging? How does Ryan believe the best managers of the future will use data? 5.) Consumer brands and DNVBs are riding high today, does Ryan believe we are in a consumer bubble? What does Ryan believe is so wrong about how the majority of the current crop of VCs analyse consumer businesses? How should they be analysed? Why does Ryan believe consumer exits will be smaller? Is it fair to say consumer is more capital intensive and largely sells for 1.6-1.8 EBITDA? Items Mentioned In Today’s Show: Ryan’s Fave Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Ryan on Twitter here! Likewise, you can follow Harry on Instagram here for mojito madness and all things 20VC.

My guest this week is Ryan Caldbeck, a private equity investor who wants to bring quantitative rigor to the private markets. Ryan is the CEO of Circle Up, which uses a system it calls Helio to identify attractive investments in early stage consumer brands.  While I am of course a fan of quantitative investing, I also know from experience how much harder private markets are than public markets when it comes to the transactions themselves. We discuss this and many other potential roadblocks to bringing models to private markets. Using many individual companies as examples, Ryan explains some of the major predictive factors they’ve uncovered in their research. We also discuss which parts of the private markets might be infiltrated by quant processes first, and which may never be.  I expect many more to go on a journey similar to Ryan’s in the years to come. They serve as an interesting example for ambitious investors out there. Please enjoy our conversation. For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast. Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag   Show Notes 1:39 - (First Question) – Formation of Helio 6:57 – How they handle the relationship building needed to make investments in private markets 10:26 – Why consumer and retail are interesting spaces to apply their quantitative approach in private markets 12:54 – Searching for new relevant data 16:14 – How do they stay ahead of the commoditization of uniqueness             16:21 – Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning             17:24 – Sam Hinkie Podcast Episode 18:00 – Dominant predictive factors in this world 21:05 – Which is more important, relative value or rate of change 21:48 – What does the data say about online sales vs offline (being in a store) 23:30 – Variable that consumer investors think matters but it doesn’t 24:53 – Valuing companies and accounting for mispricing’s             25:36 – Michael Recce Podcast Episode 26:41 – Goes through the process using Liquid Ivy as an example 28:46 – Most interesting sub-categories 29:33 – Future for this model             32:10 – Albert Wenger Podcast Episode 35:19 – Other categories outside consumer and retail interest Ryan 36:28 – Biggest challenges for CircleUp as a business 38:46 – Handicapping their earnings expectations 41:36 – Take on the VC/PE landscape 43:03 – The types of models that are most interesting to the team 45:05 – Quantitative elements of brand that are most interesting 47:30 – Most unique brand and distribution strategy he’s come across 53:27 – Who has influenced Ryan the most 54:37 – His personal values 55:51 – More people who had an influence on Ryan             56:05 – The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business 57:07 – Thoughts on goal setting at the company 59:29 – Unchangeable factors that shape their long-term vision 1:02:01 – Most interesting individual conversation as part of this journey 1:04:02 – If he could only keep one dataset, what would he keep 1:05:09 – kindest thing anyone has done for Ryan   Learn More For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.  Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub Follow Patrick on twitter at @patrick_oshag

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk Episode #266: Ryan Caldbeck - CircleUp CEO: How To Build The Frameworks Of Your Life & Career We are hosting a workshop on developing YOUR personal excellence as a leader.  For details and availability, go to RyanHawk.me  The Learning Leader Show "What we look for in a person: Horsepower, Integrity, Work Ethic, Teamwork, Pride." Show Notes: Sustaining excellence: Persistence - regardless of skill, willing to run through unlimited doors with no light at the end of the tunnel. It can be soul crushing Identified focus passion - an understanding of the passion that is identifiable. Drive - A motor. Really good at email and/or communication. Can't take too long. "Have a motor." Always moving Values - "I don't say that lightly." You can't sustain excellence without values. "A framework to understand you." Isn't it hard to know what your passion is? "Yes. I got scared about the treadmill that I saw others get on."  However, people don't think they can leave the corporate job that pays well.  But you can.  Begin by thinking about the framework to make it happen. "Silicon Valley is a hard town to talk about challenges." What it's like to lead 60 employees What mistakes were made in the hiring process? "We took too long to make frameworks." "Frameworks show others what to do." What traits/values do you look for in hiring? "The airport test doesn't make sense to me. I don't have to want to spend a day around them in the airport." "We have crystallized what we look for in a person." Horsepower - intelligence over experience Integrity - don't talk negatively about others Work ethic - must be willing to work hard Teamwork - need to work well with others Pride - Care How to gauge work ethic in a job interview? "It starts with everyone knowing we are looking for that." Advice for the individual contributor making the leap to manager... "Figure out framework for your specific role. Get clarity on what each person's role is." "Learn how to develop empathy for what your team goes through. Sit with them without micromanaging them." "Make sure you have a resource (person) to talk to about being a manager. Hire a coach. Get a peer group outside of your company." Why joining The Learning Leader Circle is a good idea Ryan has a coach and a group of 12 CEO's that he meets with regularly Building culture: Focus on your mission "To help entrepreneurs thrive by giving them the capital and resources they need." Their Values: Do it right Be brave Be a solution Constantly reinforce the vision Most useful advice: Winston Churchill - "Never give up." "Do what you're passionate about" How to have balance at home? Two kids and his wife is a senior leader at her company Mediation after the kids go to bed Online working from 8:30-10:00 Spend time with spouse only Use the "Get To Know You Document" "If you don't keep growing, you will become irrelevant." Social Media: Read Ryan's tweet storms: @ryan_caldbeck Connect with me on LinkedIn Join our Facebook Group: The Learning Leader Community To Follow Me on Twitter: @RyanHawk12 More Learning: Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon Episode 216: Jim Collins -- How To Go From Good To Great Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions Episode 234: Jocko Willink -- Why Discipline Equals Freedom

Ryan Caldbeck has two words for brands planning to raise capital in 2018: be careful. With billions of dollars in play in the red-hot CPG space, Caldbeck, the co-founder and CEO of funding platform CircleUp, is advising brands to take extra caution when vetting potential investment partners. He believes that while funding opportunities for food and beverage companies are the most abundant since launching the firm in 2013, he’s concerned about the lack of a strategic component in the money that is currently flowing in from large private equity firms and tech-focused venture capital firms. “They will pay close to zero attention from the $2 billion fund that just invested $10 million; they won’t know their name,” Caldbeck said of some large investors. “Now you’ve partnered with someone that’s not going to give you the support beyond capital.” In an interview included in this episode of Taste Radio, Caldbeck noted that “the tailwinds and the structural dynamics for early-stage consumer companies -- call it $1-$15 million in revenue -- are extremely attractive” for investors of all kinds. Yet, he urged fast-growing companies to “think about the incentives of the investor or the partner that you’re working with” and ask “who else have you worked with that looks like me?” “And when you can drill down on who else they’ve worked with that has similar growth drivers of your business, you’ll find an investor or a partner that’s right for you,” he said. Within the food industry, few categories are attracting more investment than plant-based and lab-grown meat. The Good Food Institute (GFI), a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of plant-based meat brands, is helping to support the growth of many companies in the space. This episode includes a full-length conversation with GFI co-founder and executive director Bruce Friedrich, who details the origins of the organization (it was “literally a religious calling,” he said) and how it supports scientific research and investment in the clean meat space. In this week’s edition of Elevator Talk, we meet with Nansee Kim-Parker, the founder and CEO of Yoot, a brand of ready-to-drink herbal root teas made with herbs and spices. This episode is presented by Saffron Road. Show notes: 2:05: Waxing on West -- The hosts chat about their biggest takeaways from Expo West 2018, including how the show reflected a shift in the retail landscape and route-to-market for natural brands and showcased the sophistication and rapid maturity of many early-stage/pre-launch companies. 16:47: Interview: Ryan Caldbeck, CEO/Co-Founder, CircleUp -- We sat down with Caldbeck at the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show, where he offered his perspective on the landscape and climate for CPG investment. 42:28: Interview: Bruce Friedrich, Co-Founder/Executive Director, The Good Food Institute -- Also joining us at the Fancy Food Show was Friedrich, who spoke about the the rapidly emerging plant-based meat space and where the category is headed. In our conversation, he detailed a clash in perspective with some in vegan community, why GFI is stressing “clean meat” as the preferred nomenclature versus “lab-grown,” regulatory hurdles for clean meat and how improved technology and taste is helping to win over consumers. 1:13:26: Elevator Talk: Nansee Kim-Parker, Founder, Yoot -- Inspired by the traditions of Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Yoot is a brand of herbal root teas brewed from superfood herbs. We caught up with founder Nansee Kim-Parker who dug into the roots of her brand in this edition of Elevator Talk. Brands in this episode: Beyond Meat, JUST, Impossible Foods, Tyson Foods, Maple Leaf, Field Roast, Tofurky, Boca, Memphis Meats, Gardein, Finless Foods, Good Catch Foods, Yoot Tea

The Consumer Packaged Goods space is 3.5 times the size of Tech, but you'd never know it based on how much attention Tech companies receive compared to CPG brands. Part of the reason has to do with efficiency, and the relative ease with which tech startups can access capital - and make splashy headlines as they take on funding or make big exits. Compared to Tech, CPG just isn't efficient. Right now, the best way to learn about new opportunities - both for investors and brands - is to attend a few gigantic, hectic trade shows each year. Ryan Caldbeck is here to change all of that. Ryan is the founder and CEO of CircleUp, an investment platform that provides capital and resources to innovative, early-stage consumer brands. They've developed game-changing machine learning technology called Helio that continuously analyzes 1.2M CPG companies to help connect investors with brands and brands with resources.  In this episode, Ryan tells us why he founded CircleUp, why he's so bullish on data, and why right now is the best time to be an entrepreneur. He also shares a DIY data hack that any brand - regardless of resources - can deploy to help make smarter decisions and iterate their products at the speed of the market. Takeaways: We know data is king - but what if you’re a young brand that can’t afford the money, or time, to invest in it? Ryan presents an ingenious DIY data hack. What’s the #1 metric that investors and retailers care about? Ryan lives and breathes data, and tells us the right KPI to focus on. How do you optimize sampling for maximum insights? Not all sampling is equally effective - Ryan tells you what you need to know. Jump to Ryan describes the journey to find his purpose and the origins of CircleUp. 4:40 A great breakdown of CircleUp's mission and the Helio technology platform that powers much of what they do. 9:19 The DIY data hack that all emerging brands should use to make decisions and iterate their product. 15:10 Why you should think twice about sampling at that big music festival. 22:00 The most important KPI for emerging brands. 23:20 Why right now is the best time to be an entrepreneur. 24:33 Links CircleUp The Up Round (CircleUp's blog) Ryan's blog on Helio Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com. Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

When Rory Eakin and his co-founder, Ryan Caldbeck, created CircleUp they did so in response to a big problem. Consumer goods companies find it very difficult to raise equity capital and most Silicon Valley VCs are not interested in the category. So, they created an equity marketplace focused on that one segment. Fast forward more […] The post Podcast 123: Rory Eakin of CircleUp appeared first on Lend Academy.

When Rory Eakin and his co-founder, Ryan Caldbeck, created CircleUp they did so in response to a big problem. Consumer goods companies find it very difficult to raise equity capital and most Silicon Valley VCs are not interested in the category. So, they created an equity marketplace focused on that one segment. Fast forward more […] The post Podcast 123: Rory Eakin of CircleUp appeared first on Lend Academy.

Nandeet Mehta - Founder & CEO of Pyur SolutionsPree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of PreemadonnaEric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth EverywhereBryson Strauss - Founder & CEO Schlep & FetchJesse Genet - CEO of LumiRyan Caldbeck - ‎Founder and CEO of CircleUpBryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of Citybldr

Nandeet Mehta - Founder & CEO of Pyur SolutionsPree Walia - CoFounder & CEO of PreemadonnaEric Siu - CEO of Single Grain and Founder of Growth EverywhereBryson Strauss - Founder & CEO Schlep & FetchJesse Genet - CEO of LumiRyan Caldbeck - ‎Founder and CEO of CircleUpBryan Copley - CoFounder & CEO of Citybldr

CircleUp created a marketplace that combines the informative profile of a Kickstarter campaign with the due diligence of a venture capital firm - all to help the underserved segment of consumer product and retail entrepreneurs get the funding they need. Why is the pursuit of funding so different for tech companies versus product companies?  What is the "job to be done" that investors hire an investment marketplace to do? Ryan Caldbeck explains the landscape and profile of the players on all sides of the cap table, and why the process of funding startups is changing faster than you can say "unicorn."

Joining me today is our very own Tom Britton, Co-Founder & CTO @ SyndicateRoom, one of the UK’s leading equity crowdfunding platforms having raised £40m in funding for startups last year and having recently raised their own round on their own platform, so a big congrats to them for that and in the show today we discuss the future for crowdfunding in fluctuating credit cycles, why one business is more suitable for crwdfunding than another and the effect of Title III, will it have the ramficiations everyone is expecting? 1.) How did Tom come to co-found SyndicateRoom from a little office in Cambridge? 2.) How will crowd investing perform during a different part of the credit cycle? Does Tom think crowd investing will do well when interest rates rise and defaults rates increase? 3.) What makes a business suitable for crowdfunding vs suitable for VC, and in which case should a business do something like Beaulah did and utilise both? How does Tom compare SyndicateRoom to Angelist? 4.) With the recent announcement of Title III in the US, a friend Ryan Caldbeck, Co-Founder @ CircleUp told me that unaccredited investors would get the worst dealflow as the best startups go to VCs and get funded, those that do not get rejected by them, then go to angels, then go to HNW’s and then when everyone else has rejected them then they go to unaccredited giving them the worst dealflow. What are Tom's thoughts on this and how can we solve for this? 5.) Does Tom see institutional capital entering crowd investing at any point? Would Tom be averse to this? 6.) What does the roadmap look like for the crowdfunding space as a whole in the next 10 years? What are Tom's predictions? Items Mentioned In The Show Today: Tom's Fave Book: Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo Tom's Fave Blog: CB Insights, Both Sides Of The Table As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and see Tom's twitter page here: www.twitter.com/tombritton

A great podcast with Ryan, Founder and CEO at CircleUp.

What's the stereotype of a VC? It’s someone with a computer science degree, an MBA, who ran a startup. The door seems closed to anyone who doesn’t meet those requirements. Meet wunderkind Jessica Peltz-Zatulove, the exception to the rule. Jessica, a Madison Avenue veteran turned venture capitalist at kbs+ Ventures, a corporate VC fund, invests in transformative technologies that big media and advertising brands are seeking. Jessica answers many of the most common questions about VCs: where a corporate VC fits into the VC landscape, what she looks for in founders, the homework entrepreneurs should do in advance of meeting VCs and how to avoid the most common mistakes made with investors. Jessica puts a very human face on venture capital when she talks about the unconditional love/conditional like relationship she has with the entrepreneurs she funds. Listen to hear more of Jessica’s tough love advice: it will make you a lot smarter about the type of money you should be seeking! Notes StrictlyVC Newsletter CB Insights a16z Podcast on iTunes The Twenty Minute VC: Venture Capital on iTunes Good to Great on iBooks Additional Reading Interested in a Career in Venture? 6 VCs Tell You How by Kelly Hoey, Inc. The FBiOS Affair: Why Advertisers Should Care by kbs+ Ventures, Medium Machines Of Loving Grace: Messaging, Personalization & AI by kbs+ Ventures, Medium Stanford eCorner Podcast The Rise Of Corporate Venture Capital by Ryan Caldbeck, Fortune Dear Investors: So You Want to Take Diversity Seriously (Part 1) by Mitch & Freada Kapor The 104 Most Active Corporate VC Firms CB Insights List of Female Angel and Early-Stage Investors in Tech by Mackenzie Burnett, Medium Guest bios & transcripts are available on www.broadmic.com.

Ryan Caldbeck is the Founder & CEO @ CircleUp, the online investing platform that allows you to invest in innovative consumer companies. They have raised funding from some of the best including USV, Maveron and Canaan Partners (all past guests). Before Ryan founded CircleUp, he worked in consumer product and retail-focused private equity at TSG Consumer Partners and Encore Consumer Capital exposing him to many great consumer and retail businesses that were too small to obtain funding through the customary private equity channels. As a result, he decided to make funding available to these promising companies through CircleUp. In Today's Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How Ryan made the move from the world of VC to founding his own tech startup? 2.) Why is CircleUp marketplace investing, not crowdfunding? What does Ryan believe are the misnomers around the term crowdfunding? 3.) Where do you see this sector making sense and where does he think it is not so efficient? Why is it wrong for tech companies? 4.) One manjor aspect in the UK that this segment has struggled with is it’s ability to attract institutional investors to the sector. So with CircleUp, how are institutional investors getting into this market and is there anything more Ryan would like to see with this regard? 5.) To what extent does Ryan think this is disrupting private capital formation? Should VCs be concerned? What sector of the funding environment is most vulnerable to being disrupted by the rise of marketplace investing? 6.) How was the funding process for Ryan? CircleUp raised over $30m over several rounds with investors from our friends at USV and Maveron, how that came about and what Ryan would advise founders entering the process? Items Mentioned In Todays Show: Ryan's Fave Blog: AVC, Jeff Jordan, Bill Gurley As always you can follow The Twenty Minute VC and Harry on Twitter here! If you would like to see a more colourful side to Harry with many a mojito session, you can follow him on Instagram here!