Podcasts about safegraph

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

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

Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph discusses the challenges of data matching and the solution provided by Placekey. He also explores the impact of AI and LLMs on data availability and pricing. Tune in to learn about the benefits of seamlessly joining disparate datasets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In today's episode, Erik Torenberg sits down with Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph, to discuss all things data business like building around products, selling horizontal data, second party data sharing, and much more.Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.coWe're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.—LINKS:SafeGraph: https://www.safegraph.com/—RECOMMENDED PODCASTS:Moment of Zen: https://link.chtbl.com/mozUpstream: https://link.chtbl.com/UpstreamTurpentine VC: https://link.chtbl.com/TurpentineVCEcon 102: https://link.chtbl.com/Econ102—(00:00) Episode Preview(01:09) What ties Auren's businesses together(03:00) The importance of market share and declining CACs(03:39) Challenges & types of data businesses(05:00) Selling horizontal data(05:40) People, places, organizations, and products(10:12) Methods for sourcing and verifying data(14:48) Potential of building data businesses around products(16:21) The nuances in recommendations for people and products(26:46) LinkedIn's success and disappointments(33:09) Windfall data and net worth(34:27) Reputation and bias(37:32) Challenges & potential for social recommendations(42:10) Improving the user experience of LinkedIn(47:12) Crossbeam & second party data sharing(49:14) DSL Co-op & aggregating general ledger data(50:41) Building a reputation database(51:50) NDA network(53:01) Software businesses masquerading as services businesses(55:24) Incubators & structuring ownership–X / Twitter:Auren Hoffman: @aurenErik's Twitter: @eriktorenbergMedia Empires: @mediaempirespodTurpentine: @turpentinemedia This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mediaempires.substack.com

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

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

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

Entity resolution is the process of matching and merging records from different sources that refer to the same entity.   today's episode is about entity resolution for place data, why you might want to do that, and what any of this has to do with the dollar, Unix time and the idea that If data is really driving innovation, join keys are going to become more valuable.   Today's guest is Auren Hoffman https://www.linkedin.com/in/auren/ https://twitter.com/auren https://www.youtube.com/@worldofdaas   If you want to try Placekey for yourself go to https://www.placekey.io/   If you want to learn more about SafeGraph listen to this podcast episode https://mapscaping.com/podcast/building-geospatial-truth-sets/          

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

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

In this episode you will learn:00:00 - Introduction01:21 - Who is a solo capitalist?03:42 - What are the merits of being a solo capitalist?07:50 - How is a solo capitalist helpful for a founder?15:20 - Do solo GPs offer better founder friendly terms?17:30 - Can solo capitalists be a bad deal for some founders?22:10 - Why are LPs interested in backing solo GPs?24:20 - Do solo capitalists charge lower management fees than LPs?29:00 - Is there an upper limit to the fund size for solo capitalists?30:08 - What are the challenges of being a solo capitalist?35:40 - How should solo capitalists look at their succession?36:40 - How can solo capitalists stay on top of their game while maintaining work-life balance?38:50 - How do solo VCs and traditional firms differ in terms of diligence, sourcing, portfolio risk management, etc?41:40 - How has being a solo capitalist become a ‘trend' in the last five years?47:50 - Are solo capitalists born out of the evolution of scout programs and super angels?51:00 - Do founders' agile fundraising strategies match the support provided by solo capitalists?56:00 - What is the next step in the evolution of solo GPs?57:15 - Will solo capitalists operate like traditional firms when it comes to managing reserves?01:00:00 - How will the relation between traditional VC firms and solo capitalists evolve?01:03:33 - ConclusionAboutItamar is a solo capitalist and the founder of Recursive Ventures, a pre-seed fund focused on fintech, AI and emerging tech startups. Itamar has been on all sides of the startup table: as a founder and executive, an institutional VC, and an angel investor. He has supported over 50 successful startups, including Deel, Honeybook, Placer, Credible (IPO), MileIQ (acquired by Microsoft), Automatic Labs (acquired by SiriusXM), Tile (acquired by Life360), SafeGraph, and Armory. He's been recognized by Business Insider as a Top 100 global seed investor. As an operator, he helped take Life360 from Seed to IPO, scaling the business to over $250m in revenue. Before that, Itamar was a founding team member and head of Product at Gigya (acquired by SAP). He holds an MBA from Berkeley Haas and an undergraduate degree in computer science from the Tel-Aviv Jaffa College.

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

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

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

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

 Auren Hoffman is the CEO of SafeGraph. SafeGraph is the most accurate database of global points of interest, curated to power the most innovative applications, platforms, and analytics. ★ Support this podcast ★

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

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

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

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