Podcasts about startx

In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Shreya Mehta, co-founder and CEO of Zenflow.Zenflow is a medical device company focused on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A biomedical engineer, Shreya brings over 15 years of experience in medtech, including serving as a lead reviewer at the FDA, where she specialized in cardiovascular devices. Shreya co-founded Zenflow in 2014 out of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship. The company was one of the first medical device startups backed by Y Combinator and also received early support from StartX and the UCSF Rosenman Institute at QB3.Shreya's experience at Zenflow reveals strategies for grounding innovation in patient needs, building productive FDA relationships, and leveraging accelerator programs to transform academic concepts into viable businesses.Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things:First, if you're into learning from medical device and health technology founders and CEOs, and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter.Second, if you want to peek behind the curtain of the world's most successful startups, you should consider a Medsider premium membership. You'll learn the strategies and tactics that founders and CEOs use to build and grow companies like Silk Road Medical, AliveCor, Shockwave Medical, and hundreds more!We recently introduced some fantastic additions exclusively for Medsider premium members, including playbooks, which are curated collections of our top Medsider interviews on key topics like capital fundraising and risk mitigation, and 3 packages that will help you make use of our database of 750+ life science investors more efficiently for your fundraise and help you discover your next medical device or health technology investor!In addition to the entire back catalog of Medsider interviews over the past decade, premium members also get a copy of every volume of Medsider Mentors at no additional cost, including the latest Medsider Mentors Volume VII. If you're interested, go to medsider.com/subscribe to learn more.Lastly, if you'd rather read than listen, here's a link to the full interview with Shreya Mehta.

This week, we revisit our interview with Nick Damiano. Nick is a serial entrepreneur focused on solving unmet needs to improve patient care. He is currently CEO & Founder of Andromeda Surgical, which is developing autonomous robots for safer, better, more efficient surgery. Before that, he was CEO & Co-Founder of Zenflow, where he co-invented a novel implant for BPH (enlarged prostate) and led the product from inception through multiple clinical trials to commercial readiness, raising over $60M in funding. He was also CTO & co-founder at Nurep, later re-branded as Avail MedSystems. He was the key architect of the company's remote surgical support product for operating rooms that is now used in hundreds of medical facilities. Nick earned his M.S. and B.S. with Distinction in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and was an Innovation Fellow at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign. He was the first medtech founder to be funded by Y Combinator twice and actively advises startups through StartX, UCSF Rosenman Institute, and Nucleate Bio. He also dabbles on the investor side as a Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund.

This week, we revisit our interview with Heather Simonsen. Heather is the CEO and Board Member of Boomerang Medical, Inc., a bioelectronic medicine company focused on autoimmune diseases.  Throughout her career, Ms. Simonsen has served in numerous executive leadership roles, most recently as the President of PQ Bypass, Inc., a medtech company acquired in 2021 in one of the highest-valued vascular device exits in the past decade. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at both venture-funded medical technology startups, five of which were acquired, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott and Johnson & Johnson.  She spent the early part of her career in hospital administration and management consulting with a specialty focus on risk management for healthcare organizations. Her record of effectively and efficiently bringing multiple companies from start-up to liquidity, including the successful sale of PQ Bypass. In addition to her operating roles, Simonsen was one of the founding board members for the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) in San Francisco and also served on the HBA national Board of Directors. Currently, she serves on the Founders Board of Advisors for Stanford's StartX incubation program for entrepreneurial companies focused on changing the future of healthcare. She has an MBA from Chicago's DePaul Kellstadt School of Business and completed the Executive Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

A new programme called StartX has been launched by South East Technological University (SETU) that addresses the need for strengthened innovation and entrepreneurship in the south east region. The programme will support four cohorts of ambitious early-stage innovators with pre-accelerator programmes running between March and May 2024. Each pre-accelerator programme is thematically focused on a specific area of innovation which aligns with the research areas of the four Technology Gateways within SETU: Design+; PMBRC; SEAM; and the ICS Technology Gateway at Walton Institute New StartX entrepreneurship programme Over the course of the programme, participants will gain a better understanding of entrepreneurship, and will be provided with best-in-class tools to think clearly about the opportunities they wish to pursue. StartX will also expose them to world-class insights and experience from industry veterans and participants will be signposted towards right-sized supports within the local ecosystem which are appropriate to their stage of development. The programme is fully funded by SETU, and will be delivered by Resolve Partners, a specialist innovation advisory firm, with a long and successful track record of delivering innovation development programmes in the south east region. The StartX programme will be delivered in-person, at a range of venues across the south east. The participants will be brought through a series of deep learning and mentoring sessions and engage with a broad array of speakers from enterprise and innovation agencies, local corporates, research networks, investors, and successful business leaders - all with a particular focus on the wealth of research, technical, and commercial expertise available within the SETU network. Speaking about the programme, Dr James O'Sullivan, Head of Innovation and Commercialisation at SETU, said, "As the fulcrum for innovation in the region, supported by our internationally renowned Gateways, SETU is delighted and excited to be in a position to provide this wonderful opportunity to train and work with our entrepreneurial community. StartX is uniquely designed for regional engagement between participants and SETU to develop the most impactful start-up environment." StartX participants will come from a variety of backgrounds including the academic community, early-stage entrepreneurs, and local businesses looking for an innovative edge to fuel their growth. In addition to the excellent programme content, participants will be in-line to compete for cash prizes, hot-desking facilities at Arclabs and ERIC, and free consultancy sessions with leading professional services firms. They will also join in a leading innovation conference taking place in May 2024, to coincide with the programme finish date. For more information on StartX and how to apply visit setu.ie/startx See more breaking stories here.

Artificial intelligence is perhaps the most discussed – and least understood – topic in technology today. We in electronics design and manufacturing know, of course, that automation is part and parcel of what we do. But while the landscape has changed, be it the transition from mechanical drawings to CAD tools with their autorouters, or from manual and semi-automatic printers and placement machines to lights-out factories where cobots have replaced operators, the industry still has a long, long way to go in terms of widespread implementation of AI, or even understanding what it all means. Andrew Scheuermann joins Mike Buetow to share some perspective on this emerging technology. Scheuermann, along with his business partner Tim Burke, is cofounder and CEO of Arch Systems, a Silicon Valley-based developer of software tools that collect raw machine data and use predictive analytics to calculate manufacturing key performance indicators, or KPIs. Scheuermann has published numerous scientific papers in the areas of semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, and renewable energy. He has a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford, and is also part of StartX, a startup accelerator for company founders who are affiliated with Stanford that has invested over $200 million across various companies, including 13 now valued over $1 billion. 

This week, we revisit our interview with Heather Simonsen. Heather is the CEO and Board Member of Boomerang Medical, Inc., a bioelectronic medicine company focused on autoimmune diseases. Throughout her career, Ms. Simonsen has served in numerous executive leadership roles, most recently as the President of PQ Bypass, Inc., a medtech company acquired in 2021 in one of the highest-valued vascular device exits in the past decade. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at both venture-funded medical technology startups, five of which were acquired, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott and Johnson & Johnson.   She spent the early part of her career in hospital administration and management consulting with a specialty focus on risk management for healthcare organizations. Her record of effectively and efficiently bringing multiple companies from start-up to liquidity, including the successful sale of PQ Bypass. In addition to her operating roles, Simonsen was one of the founding board members for the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) in San Francisco and also served on the HBA national Board of Directors. Currently, she serves on the Founders Board of Advisors for Stanford's StartX incubation program for entrepreneurial companies focused on changing the future of healthcare. She has an MBA from Chicago's DePaul Kellstadt School of Business and completed the Executive Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Biquan Luo of LumosTech sits down with us to talk about her upbringing in East Asia, the difference between the "success model" in Asia and the U.S., and how her curiosity of nature led to her development of a product that is helping individuals attain optimal sleep.Biquan Luo, co-Founder and CEO of sleep tech startup LumosTech, shared the story behind her title with us on September 20, 2023.Dr. Luo developed the algorithm to shift circadian clocks against jet lag based on Dr. Jamie Zeitzer's research at Stanford and created the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask to help everyone improve their sleep. She built the company's circadian rhythm optimization IP portfolio and product roadmap, and she is the inventor of 1 issued and 2 pending patents on circadian rhythm adjustments. She has been working closely with military sleep scientists and human performance leads to enhance mission readiness.Dr. Luo is an alumna of the Ignite Program for Entrepreneurship at Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Stanford-affiliated accelerator StartX, and the Sleep Cohort of the Philips Healthworks Accelerator. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and has a Ph.D. in Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Southern California.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/women-to-watch-r/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tony Lai is co-steward of Mother Tree Labs and fellow at CodeX Stanford. In conversation with Matthew Monahan. Watch this episode on video: https://youtu.be/orP-opBY8FM Mother Tree Labs: https://www.mothertreelabs.com/ CodeX Stanford: https://law.stanford.edu/codex-the-stanford-center-for-legal-informatics/ Tony's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lai THE REGENERATION WILL BE FUNDED Ma Earth Website: https://maearth.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maearthmedia Community Discord: https://maearth.com/community Podcast Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/theregeneration/feed.xml EPISODE RESOURCES Mother Tree Labs: https://www.mothertreelabs.com/ Embassy Network: https://embassynetwork.com/ StartX at Stanford: https://startx.com/ Ministry for the Future book: https://www.amazon.com/Ministry-Future-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0316300136 Regen Network: https://regen.network/ Hypercerts Foundation: https://hypercerts.org/ RELATED SEASON 1 INTERVIEWS Jessy Kate Schingler (Embassy): https://youtu.be/MEhM6PSfCWM Primavera De Filippi: https://youtu.be/JlmQKuSIc-Q Jessica Flore Angel (Feÿ): https://youtu.be/npNVQFBQ2TE Gregory Landua (Regen Network): https://youtu.be/JKgK4ZDf8gk Holke Brammer (Hypercerts): https://youtu.be/q3osrfEW4WQ This interview took place during Eco-Weaving 2023. SOCIAL Farcaster: https://warpcast.com/maearth X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/maearthmedia Lenstube: https://lenstube.xyz/channel/maearth.lens Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maearthmedia/ Mirror: https://mirror.xyz/maearth.eth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maearth/ Lenster: https://lenster.xyz/u/maearth Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maearthcommunity TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maearthmedia

Devin: What do you see as your superpower?Dorian: I look at my superpower as a blended cocktail of perseverance, humility, and true empathy.“Funding Hope is one of the good things that came out of Covid,” says the company's founder, Dorian Dickinson. “Prior to Covid, I was doing rural development and economic development work, mostly in conflict zones and developing countries.”“When Covid hit, my business went from 100 to 0 in about 48 hours,” he says. He began thinking about how he could deploy his experience abroad here at home.“It always circled back to funding,” Dorian says. The key being, his experience showed, “funding that really hit the ground really reached the people most in need in communities that could then drive economic development activity in their community.”Success in a community doesn't stop there. “That then would expand regionally,” he says. “At the end of the day, it would create a safer, healthier, cleaner environment for all.”Today, Funding Hope is live, FINRA-registered and taking funding applications. He has a message for investors:These communities that we're working in, which are distressed, at-risk in rural zip codes across America, are ripe with potential, but they're starving for capital. This is an opportunity for us to connect everyday investors to these small business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators who are also contributing to sustainability. Our target [investors] are committed to helping achieve UN Sustainable development goals in these communities because, at the end of the day, we're going to end up with safer, healthier, cleaner communities.Dorian has developed impact in his career by deploying a triple cocktail of superpowers, perseverance, humility and empathy.AI Episode Summary* Dorian Dickinson is the co-founder and managing director of Funding Hope, a crowdfunding site targeting solutions to big problems at the community level.* Dickinson believes that crowdfunding can be a part of the solution to these problems by using investment dollars from ordinary people to address economic development challenges in distressed rural communities.* He started Funding Hope after his previous business in rural and economic development was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.* Funding Hope aims to get money into the hands of the people most in need and support small business owners, entrepreneurs, and innovators in rural areas.* The platform is vetting issuers looking to raise between $500,000 and $5 million and actively helps them target potential investors and drive funding for their projects.* Dickinson's career has taken him to conflict zones and developing countries, where he has worked on rural development projects.* One of his most memorable experiences was in Kabul, Afghanistan, where a 12-year-old boy expressed hope for a better future due to the work Dickinson was doing.* Dickinson believes his superpower is a blend of perseverance, humility, and empathy, which allow him to push through challenges, understand his limitations, and connect with the needs of others.* He advises others to step outside themselves, listen, and learn from different perspectives in order to improve their ability to help others.* To connect with Funding Hope and Dickinson, visit the Funding Hope website and sign up to receive their newsletter or become an investor. Dickinson can also be found on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.How to Develop the Triple Cocktail As a SuperpowerDorian explains how his superpowers, perseverance, humility and empathy work together:My background has given me the wherewithal to push through any difficulty or challenge and continue to pivot when necessary to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which I always hope is not a train coming at me. From there, humility gives me a clearer understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. I fully embrace my limitations and recognize that I'm not always the sharpest knife in the drawer. Then true empathy lets me move beyond just understanding someone's feelings to mentally connect with their needs and situation to gain a deeper insight into their state of mind and how they're acting the way that they are, and how we can improve their position to give them hope for the future.Dorian shared a story to illustrate the impact of his triple cocktail:A few years ago, before Covid, I was standing on a rooftop in Kabul, Afghanistan, with a government official from there. We had a small team with us. The work we were doing–some of it was urban work, some of it was rural work. But the man had his son with him; he was a 12-year-old boy who the father took out of school that day just so he could meet me. And the boy came up to me and said, “I just love the work you're doing here. I pray to God that you'll be successful, and you'll make the country a better place for us.”And that just stuck with me, where I put myself in his father's footsteps. I put myself being that young boy again, [feeling] what it would be like, what his life is like, and how we could make it better and what we can do to make it better.It's not bringing Western philosophy there. It's listening to them, listening to what their needs are, listening to how they would like to accomplish their goals, their ambitions, to restore that hope in what they can do moving forward in life. That stays with me every day.Dorian offers some thoughts about developing this triple cocktail of superpowers for yourself.I think everybody needs to take a step out of themselves. They need to try to put themselves in the other person's footsteps and understand where this person is coming from by listening to them. Listening is such a huge, huge attribute that people need to adopt and need to understand so that people can then share what they want, what they need so that then you can come back and you can look at how you can help guide them and help them achieve some level of success of where they want to be.Everybody has the opportunity to learn, and everybody else has that opportunity to educate someone. So, I think by taking the time to learn from somebody when you're having a conversation with somebody. Always try to leave with one or two ideas of what you've learned while you're having a conversation with them. This will make the world a whole lot better place.By following Dorian's example and advice, you can develop the triple cocktail of perseverance, humility and empathy as strengths that empower you, potentially allowing you to make them superpowers that let you do more good in the world.Guest-Provided ProfileDorian Dickinson (he/him):Co-Founder & Managing Director, FundingHopeAbout FundingHope: FundingHope, LLC is an investment crowdfunding platform registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and as a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FundingHope connects everyday impact investors with entrepreneurs, small business owners, and innovators who are in need of capital to grow their business and who are focused on achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets in distressed, at-risk, and rural communities across America. FundingHope aims to transform how impact investments reach those who are often left behind by big banks and Wall Street by providing an online marketplace so that everyone can invest in what matters most to them.Website:fundinghope.comTwitter Handle:Company Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fundinghopecrowdfundingOther URL:Biographical Information: Dorian Dickinson founded FundingHope with the mission of connecting investors to entrepreneurs and SMEs in economically disadvantaged communities to help achieve UN SDG targets and to grow stronger in America and around the world. For over a decade, Dickinson has worked on economic development and sustainability projects in rural America, as well as in conflict zones and developing countries in the Middle East, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.Dorian Dickinson's career began with the Connecticut State Police before he established himself as a leader in the development of innovative business strategies for leading retailers and consumer goods companies in America and Europe.For the past 15 years, Mr. Dickinson has dedicated his career to creating and building economic development activity, sustainability programs, and improved health and sanitation initiatives in rural and economically challenged communities in the US, Mexico, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Mr. Dickinson was part of the leadership team that developed the first commercial poultry farming operation in Afghanistan in over 40 years. During his career, Dickinson has developed rural development programs that aim to disrupt drug cartel routes in Mexico and Central America, and he has introduced renewable energy and improved sanitation to drought-stricken areas of Kenya and Palestine.Closer to home, the American Farm Bureau Federation recognized Mr. Dickinson as the architect of the first comprehensive agribusiness-focused economic development program for rural communities. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration contracted with Mr. Dickinson to create Make It Right, the city's first all-encompassing crime prevention, youth engagement and community development project.Mr. Dickinson is a commissioned Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the Governor of Kentucky, in recognition of his noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to community, state, nation and planet. He was twice named Illinois Agribusiness Leader of the Year, was a charter board member of the Council of the Great Lakes Region, and has been recognized by Canada's Governor General, the Right Honourable David Johnston, as a cross-border economic development leader.Throughout his career, Mr. Dickinson has built a proven record of success as a skilled strategist, out-of-the-box innovator and passionate entrepreneur collaborating with governments, companies, and internationally recognized organizations in primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Twitter Handle: @doriandickinsonPersonal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/DorianDickinsonLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/doriandickinsonInstagram Handle: @doriandickinson Superpowers for Good is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Join us for the SuperCrowdHour with Lea Bouhelier-Gatreau of KingsCrowd as she explains how you can start investing for impact with just $100 on August 16th at 1:00 Eastern/10 Pacific. Register at half-price here.Léa is a Sr. Investment Analyst at KingsCrowd who writes the company's impact investing monthly article, providing investors with the best impact investing deals and market insights. She previously worked for Stanford's accelerator, StartX, and led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. She holds a degree in Anthropology from France and studies at UC Davis, working toward an MBA. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

Devin: Peter, what is your superpower?Peter: My superpower is caring and doing humanitarian efforts most of my life.Devin: John, what's your superpower?John: I grew up in a very large family, and the concept of getting along with people comes into play because, you know, you got to love brothers and sisters.When Peter Teahen started thinking about this round-the-world trip, his wife was supportive but didn't expect him to pull it off. After a year, when he announced his plan to actually go, she insisted he find a co-pilot. Luckily, marriage had connected the pair to a cousin who was also a pilot, John Ockenfels.John, with over three decades in Rotary, was excited to make the trip and, after a few weeks of contemplation–and discussion with his wife–agreed to the journey and brought the fight to end polio to the flight.That, it turns out, was just the beginning of their challenges.“This was the trip that couldn't be done, that shouldn't be done, that nobody in their right mind was going to do. But somehow, we managed to pull that off,” John says.Planned for 2020, the pair had their trip canceled by covid. Rescheduled for 2021, covid's relentlessness canceled the second effort. A third effort, in 2022, was blocked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The duo had planned to take an established northern route that included stops in Russia. US-Russia tension after the attack resulted in revoked invitations. Almost anyone else would have given up at this point. The primary alternative, a southern route, would require 15 and 17-hour-long hops over the Pacific, which their plane couldn't handle.Undeterred, the pilots just bought a plane that could make the trip!They left on May 5th and returned on July 31st. Over the years of preparation and during the flight, the duo raised millions for polio, counting the $2 for $1 match provided by the Gates Foundation.“We believe we had just raised our first million dollars before our departure. Since then, we're pretty sure that we've got at least another half a million that we've raised along the route. So that's going to be a pretty good check to the Rotary Foundation,” John says.Rotary leads the global effort, now funded primarily by the Gates Foundation, in collaboration with UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control.John explained the history from his perspective, “I joined Rotary in 1986. They had just gotten on board with this polio elimination program. At that point, three-fourths of the world was endemic with polio. We watched these charts go from red to green as polio around the world went away.”Today, polio is endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A 2022 visitor from Pakistan was contagious, and the first case of polio in the US in decades was recorded.Peter explains the growing vulnerability around the world, including in rich countries:In today's environment, where there's a decline in people vaccinating, especially post-covid, a lot of people have just dismissed vaccinations. The vaccination rate in the world is at the lowest it's been for years. That sets up trouble for children and families whose children will be exposed to the polio virus. Studies show that if we don't eliminate polio soon, in the next ten years, we'll see 200,000 new cases of polio. It's time to stop. It's time to get across the finish line.Completing the journey and raising so much money to end polio required the pilots to use their superpowers, Peter's caring and John's getting along with people.AI Episode Summary* Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels completed a round-the-world trip in their Cessna airplane to raise money and awareness for the fight to end polio.* Peter had the dream to fly his plane around the world and started planning in 2018.* He approached John, who initially hesitated but eventually joined the trip.* Their original route was canceled three times due to Covid and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, so they had to plan a new southern route.* The route included stops in Newfoundland, Iceland, Europe, Crete, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kuala Lumpur, Surabaya, Darwin, Canes, Brisbane, Pango Pango, Hawaii, Maui, and Oakland.* The trip was challenging, and they faced risks and limited communication, but they successfully completed the journey.* Their goal was to raise money for the fight against polio, as there are still cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan.* They raised over a million dollars before their departure and believe they raised another half million along the route.* They emphasized the importance of polio eradication and the need for continued vaccinations and funding.* Their trip was a spiritual journey, and they were inspired by the support and dedication they witnessed in communities affected by polio.How to Develop Caring As a SuperpowerPeter shared his feelings about the trip, which included time volunteering directly to give oral polio vaccines to children:For me, this trip around the world became a spiritual journey. It was so true, especially when we were working in the ghettos in the poorest part of Karachi in Pakistan, holding babies in our arms and giving them the vaccine, talking to the parents, talking to the caregivers who are there. It moved me to tears.In Afghanistan, a lot of the resistance came from the fathers of the children who would prohibit the vaccinations. John and I witnessed in the ghettos of Karachi, where the fathers came out of their homes with their babies in their arms, and they presented their children for the polio [vaccine] drops. That brought tears to my eyes. I'm thinking that is the power of humanity when in one country, people would be killed for giving drops to their children and through education and creating an environment where they felt safe, the men presented their children for the drops.By following his example of caring, you strengthen your ability to care, potentially helping to create a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.How to Develop Getting Along With People As a SuperpowerJohn grew up in a large family and learned a lot of lessons there. He shared a notable insight:Being in that large family, we didn't really have a lot of money. We had to make do. But we also found out that we got a lot of help from other people.I found out that returning that help, giving that help back and working in other entities, Rotary or Jaycees or whatever the organization is–many other organizations I've been working in–I enjoy that aspect of it. Even today, now that I'm retired, my wife and I still spend many, many hours every week and every year in particular, doing things for other organizations for which we get no funding or no pay. And we're okay with that.John has worked his entire career with his four brothers in the family business. He shared the advice he often gives to help people learn to get along. “There are differences for everybody and everything. Play to those differences. Work with those differences, and you can make a difference.”By following his example and advice, you can emulate John's ability to get along with others, serve in your community and make it a strength that can enable you to do even more good in the world.Superpowers for Good is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Guest-Provided ProfileAbout Flight To End Polio: Our pilots, Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels, are raising awareness for polio eradication by piloting a single-engine aircraft all the way around the globe in 90 days. Only 700 pilots in history have ever achieved this feat, and less than 270 are alive today! Both Peter and John are Rotarians and members of the Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. They departed from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 5th, 2023, and returned on July 30th. They flew a 1977 Cessna T210M (single-engine) airplane. Along the way, they encouraged support of ending polio forever throughout the world.Website: FlightToEndPolio.comCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/flighttoendpolio/John Ockenfels (he/him):Pilot, Flight To End PolioBiographical Information: John has been piloting small aircraft for over 43 years. He maintains antique training airplanes from World War II in his free time and is the proud owner of two WWII war birds.He is a member of the Iowa City, Iowa A.M. Rotary Club and also served as District Governor for Rotary District 6000. Like Peter, John is also a member of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians.John is now retired, having spent his career as CEO of City Carton Recycling, based in Iowa City, Iowa. John attended the University of Iowa and then served in the United States Air Force from 1972 to 1976. Two years of his service to our country was as a crew member on board an AC-130 aircraft in Thailand.Personal Facebook Profile: John OckenfelsPeter Teahen (he/him):Pilot, Flight to End PolioBiographical Information: Peter is an experienced pilot and has been piloting small aircraft for over 47 years. He is a member of the Cedar Rapids West Rotary Club and of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians.​Peter is a Funeral Director and President of Teahen Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids, IA. He is an author and a mental health professional. He was awarded the designation of Diplomate from the National Center for Crisis Management and the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Peter serves on the faculty at the University of Iowa and is the founder of the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival.Peter has served in leadership roles on sixty-seven major disasters throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Sri Lanka, Haiti, and the Darfur Region of Sudan. He responded to the September 11th World Trade Center attack, Hurricane Katrina, Indonesian Tsunami in 2004, and the Haiti Earthquake in 2010. He is recognized for his work on aviation disasters and is internationally known for his work in critical incident stress management and the psycho-social impact of disasters.He has served as a volunteer for 19 years as national media spokesperson for the American Red Cross. He has been interviewed on Good Morning America, Oprah, Weather Channel, Fox News, the British Broadcasting Company and Aljazeera.Peter is the recipient of numerous national awards of distinction that includes the National Public Spirit Award. American Legion Auxiliary. Previous recipients include Ronald Reagan, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ann Landers, and Dr. Robert Schuller.For a complete record of Peter's boundless volunteerism, professional accomplishments, and philanthropic efforts, please visit PeterTeahen.com.Join us for the SuperCrowdHour with Lea Bouhelier-Gatreau of KingsCrowd as she explains how you can start investing for impact with just $100 on August 16th at 1:00 Eastern/10 Pacific. Register at half-price here.Léa is a Sr. Investment Analyst at KingsCrowd who writes the company's impact investing monthly article, providing investors with the best impact investing deals and market insights. She previously worked for Stanford's accelerator, StartX, and led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. She holds a degree in Anthropology from France and studies at UC Davis, working toward an MBA. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

Devin: What do you see as your superpower?Nika: There are a lot of areas where I feel like I am skilled that relate to my profession, but one that is not spoken of as often, which I do very much consider to be a superpower, is my ability to hold the middle, to appreciate the nuance, to be that bridge builder.In a historic ruling In June, the Supreme Court decided that college admissions could not be guided by affirmative action. The ruling has left corporate professionals engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) anxious.Dr. Nika White, author of Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI, joined me to talk about the implications of the ruling.“Don't panic,” she says to those who work in corporate DEI and human resources. “Nika: this is a time for organizations to realign and reassess their why. Why did they, in the first place, have such a deepened commitment to DEI?”“This is time for leadership, in particular, to show that leadership,” Nika says. “Equity and inclusion is all about leadership and not finding this news as a crutch or an excuse or a reason to abandon the work.”She also explained the broad appeal of her new book, Inclusion Uncomplicated.”Nika: this is a book that helps everyone, regardless of your position, your title, where you are within your journey of deepening your understanding of DEI, to really think about, ‘What is my role now, and what type of influence do I have within the circles that I belong to; where I can take a more active part, a more intentional part of fostering equity and inclusion?”AI Episode Summary* Devin and Nika discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and its impact on academia and corporate environments.* The ruling currently only applies to higher learning institutions but could potentially affect corporate environments in the future.* Nika advises organizations to remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values despite the ruling.* She recommends organizations realign their DEI strategies and have open conversations about the impact of the ruling.* Leadership should show support for DEI initiatives and not use the ruling as an excuse to abandon the work.* Nika is the author of "Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI," which helps individuals understand their role in fostering equity and inclusion.* She believes that resistance to DEI often stems from a lack of clarity and suggests demystifying the complexity of DEI to engage more people.* Nika emphasizes the importance of listening and asking thoughtful questions to facilitate conversations about DEI.* She advises individuals to hold the middle, appreciate nuance, and bridge divides to foster understanding and acceptance.* Nika's superpower is her ability to hold the middle, bridge gaps, and appreciate both sides to address divisions within society and organizations.* She suggests developing curiosity, active listening skills, tolerance for difference, and deliberate intention to improve listening abilities.How to Develop Holding the Middle Ground As a SuperpowerNika's career highlights her ability to hold the middle ground, allowing people of differing opinions to see each other more fully and respectfully. She shared an anecdote that illustrates this especially well.I remember this was years ago. I am based in Greenville, South Carolina. And Greenville County was the last county in the nation to recognize MLK, Dr. King [Day] as an official holiday. That news left a stain on Greenville. And there were a lot of protests, a lot of division. Finally, once the holiday was passed, they needed a lot of healing. So, I would say that the “both-and” was being a convener of different individuals within the community, different leaders and influencers, and just giving space for people to express their frustration, to express their dismay, but then also to turn that into, say, “How can we now let this work for our good?”When I think about the outcome that I'm really proud of, we went on–a group of us–served as founders of what became known as MLK Dream Weekend for ten years. We curated these special events and different types of initiatives in honor of Dr. King's legacy. One of those initiatives was a diversity banquet.The very first year after the holiday was passed, we convened hundreds of people for this banquet and this celebration. We were fortunate enough to be able to get the attention of Dr. Bernice King to come and be our keynote speaker.The reason that I reflect on that is when you think about MLK weekend–where the children, the voice, the legacy of Dr. King could be anywhere delivering any type of message–that Dr. Bernice King saw fit to come to Greenville and to share a message with us. And that message was “the last shall be first.”When I think about holding the middle, and the “both-and,” we could have waddled in that disappointment; we could have let that define us. We could have just not taken the initiative to really try to see the other side of it–the “both-and.” That is something that I'm proud to say that I was a part of is bringing that level of healing through these specially curated events in honor of Dr. King.After sharing that powerful example of holding the middle and its impact, she offered a few tips for developing that superpower.First, she encouraged viewers to foster their curiosity, attributing her ability to hold the middle, in part, to her curiosity. “Asking questions is a great way to learn and to form a perspective–not judgment.”Second, she encouraged the audience to practice accepting what people say. “Acceptance doesn't always mean agreement,” she says. It simply means acknowledging that others hold a different perspective or opinion.Finally, she encourages everyone to listen with intention. Focus on listening to “respond” rather than “react.”By following her example and advice, you can strengthen your ability to hold the middle, potentially making it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Guest-Provided ProfileDr. Nika White (she/her):Dr. Nika White, founder, CEO of Nika White Consulting and author of Inclusion Uncomplicated.About Nika White Consulting: Nika White Consulting is a diversity, equity, and inclusion boutique consulting firm with recognized authority on strategic diversity, intentional inclusion, and organizational effectiveness.Website: www.Nikawhite.comCompany Facebook Page: facebook.com/nikacwhiteBiographical Information: Dr. Nika White, the author of Inclusion Uncomplicated: A Transformative Guide to Simplify DEI, is president and CEO of Nika White Consulting (www.nikawhite.com). Dr. White is an award-winning management and leadership consultant, keynote speaker, published author, and executive practitioner for DEI efforts in the areas of business, government, non-profit and education. Her work helping organizations break barriers and integrate DEI into their business frameworks led to her being recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazer. The focus of Dr. White's consulting work is to create professional spaces where people can collaborate through a lens of compassion, empathy, and understanding. Twitter Handle: @NikaWhiteLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/nikawhite/Instagram Handle: instagram.com/nikacwhite/Join us for the SuperCrowdHour with Lea Bouhelier-Gatreau of KingsCrowd as she explains how you can start investing for impact with just $100 on August 16 at 1:00 Eastern/10 Pacific. Register at half-price here.Léa is a Sr. Investment Analyst at KingsCrowd who writes the company's impact investing monthly article, providing investors with the best impact investing deals and market insights. She previously worked for Stanford's accelerator, StartX, and led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. She holds a degree in Anthropology from France and studies at UC Davis, working toward an MBA.Register for SuperCrowdHour Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

We're excited to announce that the Superpowers for Good show is now available for streaming on television via e360tv. Download the e360tv app on your Apple TV, Roku or Amazon Fire TV device to enjoy the show on your big-screen TV. The app is also available for mobile devices.Devin: Stephanie, what is your superpower?Stephanie: My superpower is my imagination.Devin: Hayley, what's your superpower?Hayley: I'm going to say the word connecting, the ability to connect. And it's not just with people. It's with animals, too.Twenty-somethings Stephanie and Hayley Painter founded and now lead as co-CEOs of Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt, which is growing like one of the well-fed calves on their dairy farm.The pair founded the company to ensure the farm could remain economically viable for future generations. “We are the fourth generation on our family's organic dairy and crop farm,” Stephanie says. “We're a regenerative farm in northern Pennsylvania. We've always wanted to vertically integrate our family's farm and connect consumers to the direct source of their food, which is the American farmer.”The company is raising money on Wefunder to provide the fertilizer it needs to continue its rapid growth. “We decided to utilize a crowdfunding campaign instead of going directly to one investor because we are a mission-oriented company,” Stephanie says.“We want to sustain Mother Earth. We want to give people great transparent products,” she says, adding, “We are also young women in this CEO role.” Data shows that crowdfunding may be one of the best ways for women to attract business capital.The campaign could benefit Painterland Sisters' growing community. “It's a great opportunity for our community who supported us from the beginning to come in,” Haley says.One of the things that attracted my attention was the pair's commitment to regenerative agriculture. Folks like me, far removed from farm life, hear about cows' contributions to climate change. The sisters explain how the animals can contribute to carbon sequestration.Hayley says:Cows and land and soil it's a symbiotic relationship along with the community that supports it. And so as the cows release that carbon and that fertilizer, it goes back into the soil where they graze. They also act as natural aeration because when they walk on it, that really supports getting the ground ready to accept that carbon in that carbon goes back into the ground, back into the soil, and then it comes back fueling those plants for the cows to then eat again. So it's a completely symbiotic relationship.Stephanie adds, “We need grazing animals grazed sustainably and regenerative agriculture so that we can help turn around the climate crisis that we are facing today and sustain Mother Earth for generations to come.”To build Painterland Sisters–which they tell me did over $1 million in revenue in its first full year in operation–they used their superpowers, Stephanie's creativity and Hayley's ability to connect with people and animals.AI Episode Summary* Stephanie and Haley Painter are the founders and co-CEOs of Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt.* They come from a fourth-generation regenerative farm in northern Pennsylvania.* Their goal is to vertically integrate their family's farm and connect consumers directly to the source of their food.* They launched an organic Icelandic-style skyr yogurt and have achieved significant sales growth, with a projection of $3.5 million in sales for 2023.* Their yogurt is sustainably sourced from their family farm and other local farms and contains high protein and billions of probiotics.* They are raising money through a crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder to allow their community to invest in their mission and become equity owners.* Stephanie's superpower is imagination and creativity, while Haley's superpower is connecting with people and animals.* Stephanie coaches others to develop imagination by visualizing solutions and maintaining a positive mindset.* Haley encourages others to develop their ability to connect by getting involved in communities, volunteering, and networking.* People can learn more about Painterland Sisters and their crowdfunding campaign by visiting their website, social media platforms or searching for their campaign on Wefunder.How to Develop Imagination As a SuperpowerStephanie developed her imagination early in life, leading young family members on adventures.I would just line up all my siblings and cousins, and we would go on all these adventures. We would be–I didn't realize it was called hiking until I went to college–walking up the hills. We just called it walking. We'd walk up the hills. We'd imagine ourselves in different worlds. Like, we grew up in the middle of nowhere. That's what people would call it, the absolute middle of nowhere. We had to create our own world and our own fun.Stephanie offers a few insights for developing imagination. “I just naturally tell people how to expand your mind. You can do it. There's always a different way to figure things out.”“I think imagination has to be coupled with positivity and a belief in yourself and a connection to your soul,” she adds.By following Stephanie's example and advice, you can strengthen your imagination and build it into a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.How to Develop Connecting with People and Animals As a SuperpowerHayley sees the business as evidence of the benefits of her superpower, connecting with people and animals. “We started in 2018. We did not know how to start a national yogurt brand. I didn't even like yogurt. Now I love our yogurt. I had to make one that I liked, and then I had to make one that was really nutrient dense. That was the problem. How we got started is we talked to everyone.”Things are going pretty well as a result of those connections, she says. “We've now been asked to sit on the board of Team PA next to the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, and Secretary Russell Redding, the agriculture secretary here.”Hayley offers a few tips for strengthening your ability to connect. “Don't be afraid to try something new.”To help you see how she works, she shares an example of her approach. “When we were learning how to make products, I wanted to make cheese. So, I traveled across the country, meeting different cheesemakers.”By following Hayley's example and advice, you can improve your ability to connect with people–and perhaps animals–potentially turning connection into a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Guest-Provided ProfileHayley Painter (she/her) and Stephanie Painter (she/her): Co-CEO and CO-Founder, Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr YogurtAbout Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt: Sisters Stephanie and Hayley Painter launched Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt as part of their mission to preserve, showcase and utilize their family's Pennsylvania organic dairy farm, Painterland Farms, as well as others like theirs. Additionally, they strive to connect the consumer with the direct source of their food; The American Farmer. A fourth-generation family-owned and operated farm, Painterland Farms practices regenerative farming and uses rotational grazing to keep the farmland as nutrient-rich as possible.  Painterland Sisters Organic Skyr Yogurt is a certified Woman-Owned business, and the yummy skyr contains billions of probiotics (BB12), is high in protein and calcium, lactose-free and Kosher.Website: painterlandsisters.comLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/painterland-sisters/Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/painterlandsistersInstagram Handle: @painterlandsistersBiographical Information: Hayley Painter is one of the two sisters who founded Painterland Sisters. She graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Animal Science. After college, Hayley focused on value-added products through learning how to produce, sell and market cheese, yogurt and gelato. One of the most fun experiences, she says, is getting to work in farmers markets in NYC, where she sold the products she helped make and got to connect with all types of consumers! With that experience, Hayley went on to pursue her dream of vertically integrating her family's farm alongside her sister by creating Painterland Sisters and selling their Icelandic-style skyr yogurt! Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/hayley.painter.75Biographical Information: Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Admin with a specialty in Marketing and a heavy load of entrepreneurship classes. She gained business insight, management experience, and sales experience at a top high-end auction house after university. She's traveled extensively around the country and the world to figure out how to connect the farm to the consumer and the consumer to the farm. She is a momma, a dog momma, a hiking/ outdoor lover and natural food enthusiast!Superpowers for Good is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Join us for the SuperCrowdHour with Lea Bouhelier-Gatreau of KingsCrowd as she explains how you can start investing for impact with just $100 on August 16 at 1:00 Eastern/10 Pacific. Register at half-price here.Léa is a Sr. Investment Analyst at KingsCrowd who writes the company's impact investing monthly article, providing investors with the best impact investing deals and market insights. She previously worked for Stanford's accelerator, StartX, and led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. She holds a degree in Anthropology from France and studies at UC Davis, working toward an MBA. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

We're excited to announce that the Superpowers for Good show is now available for streaming on television via e360tv. Download the e360tv app on your Apple TV, Roku or Amazon Fire TV device to enjoy the show on your big-screen TV. The app is also available for mobile devices. That said, I'm embarrassed to report that the new workflow got me a bit discombobulated, and I neglected to upload the audio for the podcast here! So, I'm sending it again with the audio. Please forgive me.Devin: What do you see as your superpower?Lynn: I will share something that a friend of mine said when I was on a walk with her. I was telling her what I thought her superpower was, and she came back to me and said, “Well, I think your superpower, Lynn, is that you…” How did she phrase it? I can't remember how she phrased it, but she said basically, “You have the guts to try things that you have no business trying, that you set your mind on something, and you'll go out, and you'll just make it happen.” I guess the short answer to your question would be it is just sort of the guts to–what's the Yiddish word? The chutzpah. I'm not Jewish, but I love that word.Solar can be expensive and difficult to install on your rooftop, especially for households in low-income communities with older buildings. Renters are typically excluded from the option to add rooftop solar. The Community Action Fund, a nonprofit, steps into this gap in hopes of allowing everyone to save money on their energy bills and lighten their carbon footprint.Founder and CEO Lynn Heller says, “Living in Baltimore City, I regularly witnessed lots and lots of poverty. So, I was trying to figure out, all right, how do we create a very scalable model for low-income household access to clean energy? The world is transitioning to clean energy. Let's not leave out huge swaths of the population.”Under Lynn's leadership, the nonprofit has attracted a diverse funding strategy, including a tranche of crowdfunding raised via the FINRA-registered portal Raise Green. Everyone is eligible to invest–even I invested!The funding round was successful, exceeding the target cap of $370,000.To make this happen, Lynn uses her superpower: chutzpah.AI Episode Summary* Devin Thorpe is interviewing Lynn Heller, CEO of the Climate Access Fund.* The Climate Access Fund is a nonprofit green bank that focuses on providing low-income households with access to clean energy, particularly through community solar projects.* Community solar allows households to sign up for solar power from a project located elsewhere, such as a large tract of land or a rooftop, and receive a discount on their electricity bill.* The Henderson Hopkins School project in Baltimore is a community solar project that will provide a 25% discount on electricity bills for low-income households in the neighborhood.* The project is unique because it is entirely for low-income households, it has co-benefits such as job training programs and educational components, and the nonprofit owns a portion of the solar asset to share dividends with subscribers.* The Climate Access Fund has raised around $350,000 through a crowdfunding campaign on Raise Green.* The fund initially hoped to give low-income families the opportunity to invest directly in the project but faced challenges due to mistrust from previous bad experiences with third-party electricity providers.* Lynn Heller sees her superpower as having the guts to try things that others may not feel confident in attempting.* She is proud of where the Climate Access Fund has come and its ability to carve out a niche in the industry.* Lynn advises others to listen and learn from different perspectives, collaborate with well-meaning experts, and align themselves with a team to collectively foster innovation and confidence.How to Develop Chutzpah As a SuperpowerLynn sees the progress at The Climate Access Fund as evidence of the power of having the guts to try something you have no business doing. She explained:I'm proud of where the Climate Access Fund has gotten today. We have a long way to go, in that we are we have been a startup nonprofit in a startup industry, so it's kind of a double startup, which, I have to be honest, has been difficult at times. We've had to be very nimble as the community solar market has evolved over the last five to seven years in Maryland. We have been very involved with some of the legislative efforts and in advocacy and also, at the Public Service Commission level, the regulations. I'm very proud that last year I originated A law–a bill that passed that session in Annapolis in the state legislature that increased the benefits to low-income households through community solar. So, there are certain tasks that I'm proud of. But I would say overall, I'm proud of the fact that we have been able to carve out a niche for ourselves, again as a startup in a startup industry.Lynn sees two essential aspects to building chutzpah:First is the self-confidence to keep trying when you inevitably encounter challenges. Say, “All right. Well, that didn't work. But let's try this. That didn't work. So, let's try this.”The second is to be inclusive. Build a diverse team that includes people with different skills, perspectives and abilities to take risks. “The best thing folks can do is to listen to other people and learn from other people,” Lynn says. Building a team builds confidence.Following Lynn's example and advice can strengthen your confidence, potentially turning it into the sort of chutzpah that can become a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.Guest-Provided ProfileLynn Heller (she/her):Founder, CEO, Climate Access FundAbout Climate Access Fund: The Climate Access Fund (CAF) is a statewide nonprofit green bank based in Baltimore, Maryland. CAF leverages public and philanthropic capital to drive private investment into the low-income residential energy market. CAF's goal is to substantially reduce the energy burden of low-income households through access to offsite, or “community,” solar.  CAF offers financial incentives to solar developers who provide attractive savings to low-income subscribers, and it develops projects in historically disinvested communities through community-based partnerships. By demonstrating that affordable solar power can be successfully financed and deployed, CAF is helping to bring an equitable clean energy market to scale in Maryland and beyond. Website: climateaccessfund.orgOther URL: vimeo.com/682058145Biographical Information: Lynn Heller is the Founder and CEO of the Climate Access Fund, a nonprofit green bank focused on expanding clean energy access in disinvested communities. Lynn has previously served as Vice President of the Abell Foundation, worked as a strategic planning and management consultant, and led start-ups in refugee resettlement, microenterprise lending, voter education, and election monitoring in the U.S. and overseas. Lynn is Board Chair of the MD League of Conservation Voters and past member of the MD Commission on Climate Change and the Baltimore Sustainability Commission. Lynn earned degrees from Princeton University and the Harvard Kennedy School and loves spending time with her husband, three kids and dogs.Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lynn-heller-22932131/Join us for the SuperCrowdHour with Lea Bouhelier-Gatreau of KingsCrowd as she explains how you can start investing for impact with just $100 on August 16 at 1:00 Eastern/10 Pacific. Register at half-price here.Léa is a Sr. Investment Analyst at KingsCrowd who writes the company's impact investing monthly article, providing investors with the best impact investing deals and market insights. She previously worked for Stanford's accelerator, StartX, and led the first award-winning study on the Malawian startup ecosystem. She holds a degree in Anthropology from France and is currently enrolled in the UC Davis MBA program. Get full access to Superpowers for Good at devinthorpe.substack.com/subscribe

Growing Venture Backed Startups Matt Pru, Stackmatix   – The Sharkpreneur podcast with Seth Greene Episode 942 Matt Pru Matt Pru has spent his career in startups. He was one of the first dozen employees at TalentBin and MightyHive, which were both acquired for $20M and $150M, respectively. Matt is currently a 2nd time Founder working on Stackmatix where he has helped over 100 startups with their go-to-market and scaling strategies. Matt is a Mentor in some of the world's top startup programs like TechStars, StartX, and Alchemist and was recognized by Forbes as one of the Next 1000 top entrepreneurs.   Matt is an investor in over 30 startups and has been an equity advisor for several as well. Matt has both done 10's of millions of dollars in sales in his career as well as managed 10's of millions of dollars in marketing budgets. He is one of the few people with holistic strategic and operational experience across sales and marketing with a knack for getting startups off the ground – one of the greater challenges in business.   Listen to this informative Sharkpreneur episode with Matt Pru about growing venture backed startups. Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week's show: - How the proliferation of AdTech, MarTech, and SalesTech makes it difficult for people to know which tools to use for their business. - Why startups need to allocate their money early on as efficiently as possible. - How most full-service organizations don't cater to early-stage start-ups because they think they're too risky. - Why it's important to be up to date on the trends happening in AI and robotic process automation. - How no one should have to give up on their own business because they don't know what to do next.   Connect with Matt: Guest Contact Info Twitter @stackmatix Instagram @stackmatix_team Facebook facebook.com/stackmatix LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/stackmatix   Links Mentioned: stackmatix.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are excited to introduce John Melas-Kyriazi, Co-Founder and CEO of Standard Metrics. John began his journey as a physics Ph.D. student at Stanford before embarking on a career as an Investor in 2014 at Spark Capital in Boston. After five years of sourcing and leading 10+ investments, John left to start his own company. Standard Metrics is a portfolio collaboration tool for venture capital firms and startups. During our discussion, John dives into sourcing tactics, contributing as a younger board member, the inception of Standard Metrics, the evolution of the ideal customer profile, and the future of data automation and reporting.Episode Chapters:Path To Studying Physics - 1:22Introduction to StartX - 4:35Starting at Spark Capital in Boston - 7:20Sourcing Tactics - 9:30Transition To Leading Deals - 13:00Adding Value as a Junior Board Member - 14:40Catalyst for Starting Standard Metrics - 16:45Evolution of The Ideal Customer Profile - 23:15Future of LP Reporting - 25:25Competition/Platform Displacement - 28:15Automation of Financial Data - 30:20Leveraging Artificial Intelligence - 32:44Ending Questions - 34:50As always, feel free to contact us at partnerpathpodcast@gmail.com. We would love to hear ideas for content, guests, and overall feedback.

Au cours de cette discussion captivante, Henri, l'un des fondateurs de Start-X, nous partage les éléments clés concernant le positionnement de cet accélérateur par rapport à des acteurs majeurs tels que Y Combinator, les accélérateurs de l'Ivy League, ou encore celui de Berkeley. Henri souligne l'importance des universités, en particulier Stanford, dans la promotion de l'écosystème entrepreneurial et technologique aux États-Unis. Il explique le rôle essentiel des incubateurs et accélérateurs universitaires, y compris Start-X, dans le soutien et l'encouragement des startups. Cet entrepreneur devenu investisseur partage avec nous la genèse de Start-X et son propre rôle dans sa création. Il dévoile les critères de sélection des startups, avec en tout premier lieu celui de la qualité de l'équipe fondatrice. Il mentionne les avantages des ressources et des réseaux disponibles à travers l'université de Stanford pour les entrepreneurs participants. Nous revenons sur quelques succès notables comme Kodiak ou Patreon. En tant qu'organisation « non profit », Start-X se distingue par sa mission et ses objectifs par rapport à d'autres accélérateurs à but lucratif . Nous abordons les avantages et les inconvénients liés à ce fonctionnement et nous détaillons le financement et les ressources nécessaires pour soutenir ses activités. Nous terminons sur les perspectives d'avenir prometteuses de Start-X et la manière dont l'accélérateur envisage d'accroître son impact sur l'écosystème entrepreneurial et technologique, notamment géographiquement.

This week we interview Nick Damian. Nick is a serial entrepreneur focused on solving unmet needs to improve patient care. He is currently CEO & Founder of Andromeda Surgical, which is developing autonomous robots for safer, better, more efficient surgery. Before that, he was CEO & Co-Founder of Zenflow, where he co-invented a novel implant for BPH (enlarged prostate) and led the product from inception through multiple clinical trials to commercial readiness, raising over $60M in funding. He was also CTO & co-founder at Nurep, later re-branded as Avail MedSystems. He was the key architect of the company's remote surgical support product for operating rooms that is now used in hundreds of medical facilities. Nick earned his M.S. and B.S. with Distinction in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and was an Innovation Fellow at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign. He was the first medtech founder to be funded by Y Combinator twice and actively advises startups through StartX, UCSF Rosenman Institute, and Nucleate Bio. He also dabbles on the investor side as a Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund.

Extrait de l'épisode de Dimanche. Au cours de cette discussion captivante, Henri, l'un des fondateurs de Start-X, nous partage les éléments clés concernant le positionnement de cet accélérateur par rapport à des acteurs majeurs tels que Y Combinator, les accélérateurs de l'Ivy League, ou encore celui de Berkeley. Henri souligne l'importance des universités, en particulier Stanford, dans la promotion de l'écosystème entrepreneurial et technologique aux États-Unis. Il explique le rôle essentiel des incubateurs et accélérateurs universitaires, y compris Start-X, dans le soutien et l'encouragement des startups. Cet entrepreneur devenu investisseur partage avec nous la genèse de Start-X et son propre rôle dans sa création. Il dévoile les critères de sélection des startups, avec en tout premier lieu celui de la qualité de l'équipe fondatrice. Il mentionne les avantages des ressources et des réseaux disponibles à travers l'université de Stanford pour les entrepreneurs participants. Nous revenons sur quelques succès notables comme Kodiak ou Patreon. En tant qu'organisation « non profit », Start-X se distingue par sa mission et ses objectifs par rapport à d'autres accélérateurs à but lucratif . Nous abordons les avantages et les inconvénients liés à ce fonctionnement et nous détaillons le financement et les ressources nécessaires pour soutenir ses activités. Nous terminons sur les perspectives d'avenir prometteuses de Start-X et la manière dont l'accélérateur envisage d'accroître son impact sur l'écosystème entrepreneurial et technologique, notamment géographiquement.

В гостях у nFactorial Podcast невероятный Досжан Жусупов – основатель и CEO CEREBRA.ai, который помогает врачам диагностировать инсульт при помощи ИИ.  Досжан изучал развитие бизнеса и международные отношения в Бристольском Университете, проработал в большой четверке три года и понял, что ему нравится медицина. А сейчас его стартап попал в крупнейший в мире акселератор медицинских технологий и в акселерационную программу StartX от Стэнфордского университета. Досжан рассказал про первый прототип Сerebra и почему он оказался нерабочим и вспомнил то, как долго они пытались убедить топового нейрокардиолога поработать с ними. Досжан очень добрый, потому он поделился несколькими вещами, которые помогут стартаперам заинтересовать и привлечь инвестиции от  Тимура Турлова. А еще мы узнали то, как Cerebra попал в клуб предпринимателей StartX при Стэнфордском университете и какие планы есть у них на лето.  Друзья, давайте смотреть эпизод и следить за ростом Cerebra вместе!

Chris McCann is a general partner at Race Capital, entrepreneur, and community builder. Prior, Chris founded and led the community program at Greylock Partners, a San Francisco based venture capital firm with $3.5 billion under management which led investments in Facebook, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Coinbase, among others. Chris has an angel portfolio of over twenty investments within the fintech and blockchain verticals including: Binance, Solana, Serum, among others. Before he joined the firm, he was the co-founder and CEO of StartupDigest – one of the earliest technology focused email newsletters – which he grew from zero to over one million subscribers before being acquired by Techstars. He was an early advisor for the Thiel Fellowship & StartX at Stanford University. He also writes a newsletter covering the fintech & tech sectors and reaches 15,000 entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors on a weekly basis. Chris's Twitter: @mccannatron Chris's Website: https://www.chrismccann.com/ Race Capital: https://race.capital/ Logan's Twitter: @LoganJastremski Frictionless Capital: https://www.frictionless.fund/

Jason Hirshman is the Co-Founder and CTO of Uncountable where he leads product development and the engineering team.  Jason was previously at Stanford University, where he received a Master's in Computer Science and a B.S. in Mathematics. He was selected for the Stanford A.I. Innovation Group, which sought to apply machine learning in impactful ways. Jason's prior industry experience includes building software at Palantir to model data from Syrian refugee camps, leading the mentorship program at StartX, and working as an engineer at BenchPrep.Connect with Behind Company Lines and HireOtter Website Facebook Twitter LinkedIn:Behind Company LinesHireOtter Instagram Buzzsprout

Andy Bromberg is now on his third startup. One which has already raised $100M from top investors, to make the financial services space simpler, and more accessible to everyone, everywhere. His latest venture, Eco, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners, StartX, Formless Capital, and Blockchange Ventures.

This week we interview Heather Simonsen, CEO and Board Member of Boomerang Medical, Inc., a bioelectronic medicine company focused on autoimmune diseases. Throughout her career, Ms. Simonsen has served in numerous executive leadership roles, most recently as the President of PQ Bypass, Inc., a medtech company acquired in 2021 in one of the highest-valued vascular device exits in the past decade. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at both venture-funded medical technology startups, five of which were acquired, as well as Fortune 500 companies such as Abbott and Johnson & Johnson.  Currently, she serves on the Founders Board of Advisors for Stanford's StartX incubation program for entrepreneurial companies focused on changing the future of healthcare. She has an MBA from Chicago's DePaul Kellstadt School of Business and completed the Executive Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Tommaso Di Bartolo is a serial entrepreneur, startup investor, author, and an advisor to some of Silicon Valley's most renowned startup accelerators such as Google Launchpad, Draper University, and The Alchemist.A Master's in Electronic Marketing from Bavarian Academy for Advertising and Marketing, Tommaso has built four tech startups from scratch and has two exits under his belt.Tommaso is a frequent global keynote speaker at 10 default talks on topics including Future back innovation (his books), corporate innovation, and startup frameworks. He is also Metaverse Business Counselor at Forbes Business Council, and Founder chairman of AlmaMeta.He volunteers as mentor at BootstrapLabs, Mind The Bridge, the European Innovation Academy, The GSVlabs Pioneer Accelerator, and StartX. He is a faculty member at UC Berkeley running a class on entrepreneurship and serves the role of guest lecturer at Stanford University. His expertise in metaverse and NFTs led him to serve as a professor at Everyrealm Inc during 2022. He is also the Founding Board Member at SiliconVal.ly, an institute that helps "future-proof" traditional corporations, by applying transformative innovation systematically. Based in Silicon Valley, Tommaso speaks 7 languages, and is the author of "Navigating the Metaverse" and "Growth Hack Your Startup: How 'Creative Traction Methodology' Gets Innovators Traction”.In his role as philanthropist, Tommaso is the Chair of the ProteinX Foundation, a non-profit organization fostering next-gen proteins and sustainable packaging. He also hosts proteinX, a podcast series that is focused on next-gen protein.Tommaso Di Bartolo Interview Questions1. About professional and academic background2. From Cecille to Silicon Valley, what motivated you?3. How did you establish between the different layers of your personality: entrepreneur, author, teacher, and technology enthusiast?4. How did you transition and now coordinate your different roles?5. About ‘Navigating The Metaverse': how did the book come and what is the message?6. What is and what is not metaverse? What are some of the myths and misconceptions about the metaverse?7. How are we going to attract adoption of metaverse?8. How are we going to achieve this vision of the metaverse economy?9. How can we guide businesses in the metaverse?10. You wrote “Growth Hack Your Startup: How 'Creative Traction Methodology' Gets Innovators Traction”. Give us a highlight/ sneak-peek into it.About the book “Navigating the metaverse”Like the early internet and social media before it, the metaverse represents the next great inflection point in technology that will declare new winners and new losers of online business.Navigating the Metaverse helps businesses and creators discover their "aha" moment by breaking down the metaverse by its parts, including NFTs, user trends, business models, and more. Readers will explore everything from the metaverse basics, its economy, to strategy, and advice on how to make a first or an existing metaverse project a success.About Dinis Guarda profile and Channelshttps://www.openbusinesscouncil.orghttps://www.intelligenthq.comhttps://www.hedgethink.com/https://www.citiesabc.com/More interviews and inspirational videos on Dinis Guarda YouTube

Judah Pollack is an accomplished author, executive coach, trainer, speaker, and the Head of People at KindEarth.Tech, a science- and sustainability-focused ecosystem. He has written The Net and the Butterfly and is working on his upcoming book The Genius Myth: How Anyone Can Learn To Access Their Inner Einstein. He also works as an Instructor of Psychological Awareness for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command. As an executive coach, Judah has worked with a broad variety of people and organizations, including tech founders, Fortune 100 executives, US Army Generals, Lucasfilm F/X teams, and several nonprofits. He is particularly known for his work on the impact of the impostor syndrome and the inner critic on innovation potential. In this episode… The Enneagram model has exploded in popularity over the past decade. Organizations and everyday people alike have made use of applying its nine personality types to their lives. It can also be a helpful tool for businesses, but many fail to use the model correctly.  As an expert in psychology, Judah Pollack is interested in the overlap between how people act and how it applies to a business setting. He uses the Enneagram model to show people the roads to growth and expansion in their lives without the fear that accompanies it. Using the Enneagram model as a tool can also show you how to be a better leader, parent, friend, and human being by making you more aware of yourself as a person and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses. It can change your behavior and help to create more effective business leaders. So, how can you apply it to your life and interactions? In this episode of Next Wave Leadership, Dov Pollack sits down with his brother Judah Pollack, Head of People at KindEarth.Tech, to talk about using the Enneagram model as a tool in the workplace and your everyday life. Judah starts with his work in the military and the importance of knowing yourself in that environment. They also discuss finding your strengths and weaknesses, knowing how to work well with others, and what it means to look at your own shadow.

Is Wellbeing a non-negotiable in your life? In this episode, the Founder & CEO of Garten, Michael Heinrich digs into how to create a culture and workplace that empower people to live healthy and blissful lives. He shares his journey building the Stanford StartX & Y Combinator company Garten, and how the company since then has grown to offer a variety of products and services designed to support workplace wellbeing. Michael also stresses why the pandemic gave him the opportunity to reimagine his business and operating model. Pay close attention to how he developed the concept of Garten time, and why it is a key element. Listen and enjoy! Michael went to undergrad at UC Berkeley, did research at Harvard, and got his Master's at Stanford University where he founded Garten, a StartX & Y Combinator company that is a tech-empowered Employee Experience & Wellbeing Platform that top companies utilize to serve their most valuable asset (their people). Key Highlights: [00:01 - 10:20] Opening Segment How Michael's ended up creating Garten Lacking a sense of meaning in his life Empowering people to live healthy and blissful lives How Michael found his voice and what really inspired him  [10:21 - 22:20] The Best Way to Change Your Life What the values of Garten are and how they were set Fun is a big part of well being The first product/service that Garten had How Justin and Michael met [22:21 - 31:08] Finding More Health and Balance Justin shares his journey prior to joining Garten Be yourself and express who you truly are Going from StartX to YCombinator [31:09 - 41:15] The Deep Anchor, The Deep Calmness Having the attitude of let's just figure it out The first company benefit that Michael provided  A transcendental meditation benefit What transcendental consciousness cultivates  [41:16 - 51:33] The Garten Time How Garten made COVID into a gift Bringing health and bliss to people wherever they were Reimagine how they operate as a company in the world What the Garten Time is and why it's important [51:34 - 1:01:11] Closing Segment  Michael's personal and company philosophy Do less to accomplish more Why workplace well-being is a key element Connect with Michael on LinkedIn  & Twitter! Key Quotes: “A problem will arise, but there's always a way to figure it out together.” - Michael Heinrich “Rest is the basis of successful results.” - Michael Heinrich “Make Wellbeing a non-negotiable in your life.” - Michael Heinrich “If you want to change your life, change your environment.” - Justin David Carl WANT TO LEARN MORE? Follow my personal website: https://alchemizelife.com/ Follow my Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Youtube, & Twitter Show Notes: www.alchemizelife.com/podcast/ Sponsors: Are you ready to get in the best shape of your life, double your income, and 10x your savings/investments? I'm incredibly passionate about fitness & money and have reached a strong degree of mastery in these domains and built an incredible coaching program to help you. Head to www.fitrichvegan.com, sign up for a Free Consultation, or DM me on Instagram with the words "Fit Rich Vegan" to discover if it'd be a good fit for you! For something like you've never had before and to get into an almost euphoric state of Focused Flow & Productivity, try Feel Free by Botanic Tonics! Go to www.botanictonics.com and use code DRAGON to save 40% off your first order! If you desire to lead a happy, healthy, fit life, go to www.vedgenutrition.com/dragon, and grab your plant-based healthy essentials. Use the code DRAGON and get 15% off! Thanks for tuning in!   If you liked my show, LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!

Jamil catches up with successful entrepreneur Philipp Pieper to learn more about his move into the blockchain space. More about Philipp Pieper is a co-founder of Swarm Markets as well as the Swarm Network, an open-source project and DAO. Philipp also co-founded Proximic (acquired by comScore), Loop Media and Bitadel Crypto Trading. Philipp has been engaged in decentralized technologies and crypto-asset trading since 2015. He is also a startup investor and mentor at Singularity University and StartX. He is a member of the AIMA blockchain committee and Digital Currency Trade Association (DCTA). About Swarm Markets (website) Acceleration of digital transformation and historically low interest rates is pushing more capital onto the Blockchain. With increasing regulatory crackdowns on the crypto industry, companies in the sector are responding in different ways. Swarm Markets is skating to where the puck is heading by having authorisation from The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), from day one. It's licensed protocol will be the first of its kind to enable retail and institutional market participants to trade both crypto and digitised traditional financial instruments, like securities and commodities, in one place. We know institutions need to work with licensed platforms that remove counterparty risk and give access to legally digitised tokens in order to access DeFi. This is demonstrated by the 1,500+ people signed up to our liquidity provider programme who have pledged over $45 million in assets. In the future, there will not be a difference between TradFi and DeFi, rather everything integrates as 'Fi'. We know we will have achieved our goal to integrate traditional finance with the DeFi ecosystem, when people will access financial products and services and without even realising they're on the blockchain. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crypto-hipster-podcast/support

Welcome Back to Bill Murphy's 10x Podcast. Our guest in this episode is Peter Cohan, founder and principal of The Second Derivative, author of “Great Demo!” and a savant in the sales world.   Additionally, Peter serves on the Board of Directors for Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc., is an advisor to IN2SV, Inc., holds a degree in chemistry, and is a mentor to StartX, the Stanford University start-up accelerator.  Peter has vast experience working with senior management in marketing, sales, and business development. and has learned to discover and understand the needs of a customer. Peter's mission is to advise organizations on the ways they can better improve their sales and marketing results through creating and executing compelling demonstrations.   In this episode, he shares with listeners his best-known method, the “Last Thing First,” which teaches you to “turn the demo upside down” and start with the end-result first.  You do not have to be in sales to benefit from Peter's methods, his principles prove valuable to many parts of an organization  Peter hopes to inspire you to constantly seek ways to improve upon your skills and practices.  Show your customers the possibilities that will benefit the future of their business and an end- result that cannot be refused.  Tune in to learn more.   As a Chief Information Officer and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening:  4:00 There are two roles of an IT Leader: offense and defense. The defense protects the kingdom, keeps the lights on, and ensures the users are happy. The offense helps put points on the board and supports sales.   5:00 Modern IT leaders can support sales in the future by providing subject matter expertise to the sales team, enabling a demo environment, and seeking to understand where the organization needs to go and what can be done to help by providing tools and services.   6:30 The key success factor in the pre-sales process is having a structured way of communicating information.  6:40 “The Great Demo” introduces a structure called the situation slide, which is used to recommunicate key pieces of information to deliver a credible demo.   8:00 Before you call a prospect, have a conversation with the vendor and ask: What is our objective for this demo? What do we know about this prospect? What do you want me to present in this demo? What do you not want me to present in this demo?  10:00 The key element in creating any demo is understanding what specific capabilities a prospect needs to see versus everything else that is in your offering.   11:30 Find sales representatives who are highly respected and use those people as your models to learn their best practices.  12:00 Successful sales reps execute the most important part of the sales process: sufficient discovery of the customer's needs followed by communicating those discoveries with the team.  18:30 Vision generation demos spark interest and highlight what is possible.  20:30 Lead with pictures of graphs, reports, and dashboards to present complex ideas in a straightforward way. Do not bury people in complexity.   23:30 The goal of a demo is to show your customer a “menu” of your offerings. If you are offering several different modules, utilize vision generation.   27:00 In a demo, do not show a prospect a boring boat. Show them that it is a battleship driving through the heavy seas. This is the result a prospect is looking for.  28:00 The higher you go in an organization, the less they care about the process and more just the end-result. Turn the demo upside down and do that last thing first.   32:30 A successful salesperson is interested in continually improving his or her process.     Resources:   Great Demo Book  GreatDemo.com  LessIsMore.com (For PowerPoint Presentations)   Information is Beautiful  _____________________________________________________________________  Love this episode? Leave a Review  Share it on your LinkedIn feed.  If you have not already, please leave us a review on iTunes.  ______________________________________________________________________  About Bill Murphy  Bill Murphy is a world-renowned IT Security Expert dedicated to your success as an IT business leader. Follow Bill on LinkedIn.  If you are interested in learning more about RedZone Technologies, and its security expertise, email us at info@redzonetech.ne

Karthik Balakrishnan (CEO) and Anand Kesavaraju (Chief Strategy Officer) are the co-founders of Nodexus, a Biotechnology startup that is developing scientific tools to accelerate biological workflows and make them universally accessible. Their first product is a single cell sorting and dispensing machine. In this episode of lab to startup, we talk about the problems around single cell sorting and the solution they have come up with; the evolution of technology, challenges and advantages of growing a lean operation; identifying markets, mentors, and investors; and some of the lessons learnt building a scientific tools company. Show notes: - https://nodexus.com - Biotechnology company that commercializes tools to accelerate biological workflows and make them universally accessible. - Benchtop single cell sorting and dispensing - People who built something previously are a good fit to recruit - Some of the programs that helped: Berkeley SkyDeck, StartX, QB3, NSF I-Corps - Targeting right partners, investors is super important - How to convince people to use innovative products - Feature based on customer feedback - Being a part of incubators/accelerators gives a network around you to share and learn from problems that others are going through - Careers: https://boards.greenhouse.io/nodexusinc

About Julia Hu:Julia Hu is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Lark. Founded on the personal experience of having grown up with an undiagnosed chronic condition, Julia is passionate about bringing compassionate care to those struggling with or at risk of chronic disease. Hu was named one of the “Top 10 Women in Tech” by Forbes and was a winner of Inc. Magazine's “30 under 30”. Prior to founding Lark in 2011, Julia ran a global startup incubator, the Clean Tech Open, built a sustainable construction startup and was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford's StartX incubator. She is on the board of the Council for Diabetes Prevention and a Singularity University faculty member. Hu received her Master's and Bachelor's degrees at Stanford University and half of an MBA from MIT Sloan before founding Lark. Julia loves to stay fit with hip hop.Things You'll Learn:Lark Health helps, through conversational AI, anyone struggling with a chronic condition, or at high risk of chronic disease, to live a happier and healthier life.Lark Health has been clinically effective in managing pre-diabetes in areas with shortages of healthcare professionals.If not for the Lark Virtual Diabetes Prevention Program, only 5% of the population in those areas would have had access to in-person care services.Conversational AI and remote patient monitoring can provide care delivery in chronic preventative and behavioral health areas.It took Lark seven years to train their AI with a million and a half patients before they started getting clinical equivalents to live nurses for the disease states the platform covers.In a post-COVID world, Lark provides an excellent opportunity to turn healthcare into a system that services each patient individually to their needs.Resources:Follow and connect with Julia Hu on LinkedInFollow Lark Health on LinkedInDiscover more about Lark Health on their Website

As a country, we spend approximately $500 billion on prescription drugs. Specialty drugs account for less than 2% of prescriptions but will cost us over $250 billion (that's in 2021)—so, 2% of prescriptions but half the spend. Specialty is the fastest-growing segment of healthcare spend and is a dominant issue that self-funded employers and other purchasers face. But let's dig into that $250 billion being spent on specialty drugs, shall we? I have to say, personally, that if we spent $250 billion but saved more than that in medical costs or if the patient quality of life went up measurably or if life expectancy or overall survival or whatever metric you used to assess quality … if that big spend produced even bigger returns/results, I for one would be like, “OK, trade-offs. Let's discuss.” But the thing is, clinical trials and real-world evidence alike suggest that there's a lot of patients who don't really benefit from the expensive drugs that they are taking or were prescribed, and even those who benefit might not get the results that they're hoping for or even de minimis expecting. In this healthcare podcast, I am talking with Pramod John, CEO of VIVIO Health; and he makes a couple of great points about all of this that I'll repeat here and then he's gonna say them again later in this episode but in context—and probably better. There was some research done that showed for a really popular, really expensive drug, only 2% of patients who took it got the expected, maybe promised, benefits. But 100% of the patients who took that drug got bad, in some cases dangerously bad, diarrhea. This situation is really kind of typical. A drug will work great for some people, mediocre for other people/patients, and not at all for, say, the remaining what might be majority of patients. So, you'll have 2 patients where the results are out of the park, 23 patients where results are pretty darn good, 25 patients reporting meh results but something you can actually still point to, and then maybe 50 patients who see absolutely no improvement in anything. So, here's an important point: Maybe there's, let's just say, 3 drugs or 10 drugs in this therapeutic category, and that same patient distribution is true for all of them—except different drugs may work for different people. So, by enabling access to all the drugs, you can see that patients have a better chance of being in one of those first groups where they actually get results because there's more drugs that they can try and different drugs work differently in different people. But now, let's consider the way that we pay for specialty drugs: One or two of them get on formulary typically, and then all the others are excluded. That said, the purchaser, patient, and/or taxpayer is gonna pay a whole lot of money for those drugs regardless of how well they do or do not work. And with fewer drugs on formulary, there's less of a chance that results gold will be struck. But we're gonna pay a whole lot of money, also in terms of human life, to deal with the direct and cascading side effects of drugs whether they do or don't work. I have to admit, I kind of have a new appreciation for so-called me-too drugs after this conversation. Let me just add that here for the record. My guest today and next week is Pramod John, who is the founder and CEO over at VIVIO Health. VIVIO contracts with self-insured employers and helps their employees/members/patients (whatever you call them) get the right drug. They actually expand access, and the employer saves money. After what I just said, you might be cottoning on to why. The show this week concerns the reality of specialty drugs and what the terms efficacy and effectiveness really mean because they might not mean what you think they mean. As inconceivable as that might feel, I learned something. You might, too. And there are implications—big implications—for all of this for patients/members/employees. Or you and your family. In this episode, we also define and discuss the terms NNT (number needed to treat) and NNH (number needed to harm), which are really important and, in my humble opinion, do not get discussed enough—especially with patients who need to know these things to make informed choices. Next week's show is also with Pramod John, and we get into how what we talk about here intersects with rebates and formularies. Come back for that. It's probably a 400-level class in specialty pharmacy rebating, but some of you will appreciate it. You can learn more at viviohealth.com or by emailing Pramod at pramod@viviohealth.com.   Pramod John, PhD, is the team leader of VIVIO, a public benefit corporation whose mission is to ensure that drugs work in the real world for the people on them and that their costs reflect the value provided. VIVIO's model has improved health outcomes and generated 35% to 40% savings on drug acquisition costs. It accomplishes this by answering three simple questions: (1) Is this the right drug? (2) Is it a fair price? and (3) Is it working for the patient? Before VIVIO, Pramod was founder of Oration PBC (acquired by PokitDok), which gave consumers control over their drug purchasing by capturing the prescription in the physician's office and providing real-time pricing options and automatic routing capabilities. Pramod was also vice president of strategy and innovation at McKesson, the world's largest healthcare company. At McKesson, Pramod helped develop solutions that leveraged advanced technologies and business process improvements to optimize healthcare delivery systems, infrastructure, and supply chains. Earlier, Pramod founded and served as CEO of PacketMotion, Inc, a venture-funded startup in the enterprise network information and policy management industry. VMware later acquired the company. In addition, Pramod founded netExaminer.com, a managed-vulnerability assessment company acquired by SonicWALL. Pramod earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves on the board of Wycliffe USA. He also serves on the advisory board of Folia Water and as a mentor at StartX. 05:34 What does a good response mean in pharmaceutical products? 06:06 “Different people get different utility out of something.” 06:31 Why doesn't efficacy mean what you think it means in terms of pharmaceutical products? 08:40 What is the difference between efficacy and effectiveness in Pharma? 09:10 Why aren't drugs' major side effects factored into a drug's efficacy and effectiveness? 10:14 “What's the benefit of this versus what's the harm in this?” 13:35 “Clearly as consumers, we all feel that we're special. But what about physicians?” 14:14 “The benefit itself—what does it have to be?” 15:18 EP334 with Sunita Desai, PhD.17:11 “We tend to think of things as a binary distribution—it works or it doesn't.” 18:22 “The default choice that we start with is often the wrong one.” 20:54 “It doesn't matter why if we can't fix the reason.” 22:02 “At some point, the question becomes, ‘Do we have any information?'” 22:36 Why do other developed countries pay less for their drugs? 24:21 How do we end up with crappy drugs on the market that don't really move the dial? 25:57 EP303 with Anna Kaltenboeck. 27:22 “We can build a better system. And that's what we do every day.” You can learn more at viviohealth.com or by emailing Pramod at pramod@viviohealth.com.   Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs What does a good response mean in pharmaceutical products? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “Different people get different utility out of something.” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs Why doesn't efficacy mean what you think it means in terms of pharmaceutical products? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs What is the difference between efficacy and effectiveness in Pharma? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs Why aren't drugs' major side effects factored into a drug's efficacy and effectiveness? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “What's the benefit of this versus what's the harm in this?” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “Clearly as consumers, we all feel that we're special. But what about physicians?” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “The benefit itself—what does it have to be?” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “We tend to think of things as a binary distribution—it works or it doesn't.” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “The default choice that we start with is often the wrong one.” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “It doesn't matter why if we can't fix the reason.” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs “At some point, the question becomes, ‘Do we have any information?'” Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs Why do other developed countries pay less for their drugs? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs How do we end up with crappy drugs on the market that don't really move the dial? Pramod John discusses #specialtydrugpricing on our #healthcarepodcast. #healthcare #podcast #pharma #specialtypharma #specialtydrugs   Recent past interviews: Click a guest's name for their latest RHV episode! Dr Eric Bricker, Katy Talento, Stacey Richter (INBW33), Stacey Richter (INBW32), Dr Steve Schutzer (Encore! EP294), Lisa Trumble, Jeb Dunkelberger, Dr Ian Tong, Mike Schneider, Peter Hayes, Paul Simms, Dr Steven Quimby, Dr David Carmouche (EP343), Christin Deacon, Gary Campbell, Kristin Begley, David Contorno (AEE17), David Contorno (EP339), Nikki King, Olivia Webb, Brandon Weber, Stacey Richter (INBW30), Brian Klepper (AEE16), Brian Klepper (EP335), Sunita Desai, Care Plans vs Real World (EP333), Dr Tony DiGioia, Al Lewis

Dr. BJ Johnson is CEO and co-founder of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a growing startup dedicated to developing clean engine technology for heavy-duty truck, off-highway, and industrial applications. Together with co-founder Dr. Julie Blumreiter, BJ founded ClearFlame to develop solutions that increase the performance of and reduce emissions from internal combustion engines using decarbonized fuel, such as ethanol. BJ was the lead inventor on a patent filed by Stanford University for this work, which now forms the center of ClearFlame's intellectual property. BJ's passion and leadership for this work have helped him to secure investors and strategic partners, including the support of multiple industry manufacturers, agencies like the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and world-class accelerators like StartX, I-Corps, Ameren Accelerator, and WERCBench Labs. In 2021, BJ was named one of the Grist 50—an annual list of emerging leaders from across the US working on fresh, real-world solutions to our world's biggest challenges—and competed in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield and SXSW Pitch. BJ earned his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. https://www.clearflameengines.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Khaled Naim, is the co-founder and CEO of Onfleet, a last mile delivery platform. Khaled and his co-founders started working together during grad school at Stanford University where they initially came together solve a problem that plagues delivery businesses in emerging markets: lack of functional street addresses. They went through Stanford's accelerator program, StartX, before realizing they needed to pivot their business to a more crucial problem facing online retailers and delivery services: lack of technology. Most companies were using archaic systems, primarily pen and paper, spreadsheets, phone calls, and text messages. From there, they decided to build a smartphone-based delivery logistics platform to help these businesses run more efficiently. Enter Onfleet.

Philipp is cofounder of Swarm Markets as well as the Swarm Network, an open source project and DAO. Philipp also co-founded Proximic (acquired by comScore), Loop Media (public at USOTC: LPTV) and Bitadel Crypto Trading. Philipp has been engaged in decentralized technologies and crypto asset trading since 2015. He is also a startup investor and mentor e.g. at Singularity University & StartX. Member of the AIMA blockchain committee and Digital Currency Trade Association (DCTA). In our conversation we dig deep into the behaviors successful “disruptors” show on a daily basis, and why “aubergine people” are best avoided at all cost.

A self-professed “accidental venture capitalist” and entrepreneur with a background in engineering and solar cells, Homan Yuen is helping to make dreams come true for founders in Silicon Valley and beyond. After several years in the engineering game, he dipped his toes into the investment game, and hasn't looked back. Yuen now works with Fusion Fund, a Palo Alto, CA-based firm with a focus on technically-differentiated companies and industrial automation, healthcare, and enterprise. Alongside data-minded colleagues Lu and Kevin Zhang (whose insights made this episode possible), he uses his technical expertise to evaluate investment opportunities and push the needle toward a more advanced world. In this episode of Crazy Hard Robots, Tom chats with Homan Yuen, partner of Fusion Fund. Listen in as Tom and Homan talk about Challenges in finding the right investors to take a leap of faith on robotics What to look for from founders to evaluate investment opportunities The first-time VS. repeat founder argument Having the right customer set in mind to go to market faster Robotics and AI investment opportunities outside Silicon Valley The “It” factors that make certain robotics investment opportunities stand out Future investment opportunities and automation advances turning the corner About Homan Yuen Homan Yuen provides deep expertise in the application of technologies and in operations and management. Prior to Fusion Fund, he was the co-founder, CTO, and director of Solar Junction Corp., which produces and sells world-record solar products to the terrestrial and satellite markets. Yuen has 20 years experience working in a broad range of technologies, management, finance, and investor activities. He is active in the entrepreneur and investor communities, providing mentorship to programs like StartX and Alchemist Accelerator, and in the community with organizations like the Asian Pacific Fund, where he is on the Advisory Board. Yuen holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford University and a B.A. in Physics from UC Berkeley.

About Chris McCannChris McCann is a general partner at Race Capital, entrepreneur, and community builder. Prior, Chris founded and led the community program at Greylock Partners, a San Francisco based venture capital firm with $3.5 billion under management which led investments in Facebook, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Coinbase, among others. Chris has an angel portfolio of over twenty investments within the fintech and blockchain verticals including: Binance, Solana, Serum, among others.Before he joined the firm, he was the co-founder and CEO of StartupDigest – of the earliest technology focused publications – which he grew from zero to over one million subscribers before being acquired by Techstars. He was an early advisor for the Thiel Fellowship & StartX at Stanford University. He also writes a newsletter covering the fintech & tech sectors and reaches 15,000 entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors on a weekly basis.★ Support this podcast ★

Jamil catches up with successful entrepreneur Philipp Pieper to learn more about his move into the blockchain space. More about Philipp Pieper is a co-founder of Swarm Markets as well as the Swarm Network, an open-source project and DAO. Philipp also co-founded Proximic (acquired by comScore), Loop Media and Bitadel Crypto Trading. Philipp has been engaged in decentralized technologies and crypto-asset trading since 2015. He is also a startup investor and mentor at Singularity University and StartX. He is a member of the AIMA blockchain committee and Digital Currency Trade Association (DCTA). About Swarm Markets (website) Acceleration of digital transformation and historically low interest rates is pushing more capital onto the Blockchain. With increasing regulatory crackdowns on the crypto industry, companies in the sector are responding in different ways. Swarm Markets is skating to where the puck is heading by having authorisation from The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), from day one. It's licensed protocol will be the first of its kind to enable retail and institutional market participants to trade both crypto and digitised traditional financial instruments, like securities and commodities, in one place. We know institutions need to work with licensed platforms that remove counterparty risk and give access to legally digitised tokens in order to access DeFi. This is demonstrated by the 1,500+ people signed up to our liquidity provider programme who have pledged over $45 million in assets. In the future, there will not be a difference between TradFi and DeFi, rather everything integrates as 'Fi'. We know we will have achieved our goal to integrate traditional finance with the DeFi ecosystem, when people will access financial products and services and without even realising they're on the blockchain. Jamil Hasan is a crypto and blockchain focused podcast host at the Irish Tech News and spearheads our weekend content “The Crypto Corner” where he interviews founders, entrepreneurs and global thought leaders. Prior to his endeavors into the crypto-verse in July 2017, Jamil built an impressive career as a data, operations, financial, technology and business analyst and manager in Corporate America, including twelve years at American International Group and its related companies. Since entering the crypto universe, Jamil has been an advisor, entrepreneur, investor and author. His books “Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance” (2018) and “Re-Generation X” (2020) not only discuss the benefits of blockchain technology, but also capture Jamil's experience on how he has transitioned from being a loyal yet downsized former corporate employee to a self sovereign individual. With over fifty podcasts under his belt since he joined our team in February 2021, and with four years of experience both managing his own crypto portfolio and providing crypto guidance and counsel to select clients, Jamil continues to seek opportunities to help others navigate this still nascent industry. Jamil's primary focus outside of podcast hosting is helping former corporate employees gain the necessary skills and vision to build their own crypto portfolios and create wealth for the long-term.

Hoy ha venido a hablar con nosotros Mikel Cármenes, fundador y CTO de OnFLeet, una startup norteamericana que nos explica las diferentes etapas que ha atravesado desde la primera idea hasta el momento actual, facturando millones de dólares, pasando por las rondas de financiación. Una charla apasionante que nos muestra la cara de montar una startup en el dinámico mercado norteamericano, contada desde dentro. Sobre OnFleet Onfleet es una empresa de tecnología con sede en San Francisco que construye software para las operaciones de entrega de última milla. Fundada en 2012 por un equipo de ingenieros de la Universidad de Stanford, Onfleet participó en el prestigioso programa de aceleración StartX de Stanford y ha recaudado capital de algunos de los principales inversores de Silicon Valley. Hoy en día, Onfleet es una corporación privada financieramente independiente que impulsa millones de entregas cada mes para algunas de las empresas más innovadoras del mundo. Mikel Cármenes es socio fundador y Chief Technology Officer de la empresa.

It's the dream of every startup — to get acquired by a big internet company. But what is that experience really like? Marko Gargenta, Founder of PlusPlus.co, joins us to share what he learned when his previous startup, Marakana, was acquired by Twitter. He also shared other insights from his extensive startup career. Some topics we cover: -3 reasons why Marko agreed to let Twitter acquire Marakana -The importance of having a support network — like a founders group -Getting involved with startup groups like StartX and Sand Hill Angels -How building a startup with investors differed from building one without Want to reach out to Marko? -Follow him on Twitter -Follow him on LinkedIn This discussion with Marko Gargenta was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts. If you don't use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here. Listening on a desktop & can't see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorit

Mike Petrakis is the CEO and Co-Founder of Bach. BACH is a mobile app for groups planning bachelor and bachelorette parties to discover and book incredible experiences. Growing up in Philadelphia, Mike had a love for the outdoors and playing competitive sports which ultimately led to his passion for entrepreneurship. While in college, he broke his neck during a snowboarding accident, and the experience changed his perspective on life. While his friends were at school partying, he was at home for a year thinking about his future and how he could make the most out of his career after his near-death accident. His entrepreneurial journey started shortly after graduating from college while building ecommerce businesses in New York City. After running through the trials and tribulations of building startup apparel businesses, he was ready for his next challenge. He saw an explosive growth opportunity when exploring the BACH idea. He was intrigued by the wide open market opportunity and the ability to scale user growth quickly. With the help of his partner Greg Ramey, the team built the BACH MVP and launched their Beta product in January 2020. They quickly saw the virility of the product, gaining 150,000 users in their first 60 days from launch. And then the pandemic hit. The timing couldn’t have been worse; the future seemed macabre. The BACH team saw the timing of this as an opportunity, as the world was on pause they learned from the data they gathered from their launch and used it to reinvent their product and expand the marketplace. Since then, Bach has expanded from three to fourteen cities across the US and now offers over 1500 curtailed experiences. The team is very excited to launch bookable accommodations this coming March as well. The BACH team is beginning to see signs of a travel boom; their app is gaining three thousand parties a week and excited for the year ahead. Being recently accepted into Stanford’s StartX program and the tailwind of a travel comeback behind them, they are positioning themselves well to have an explosive summer in bookings. If you want to talk to Mike or the rest of the BACH team, you can reach them info@thebach.com

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Augmedix. To learn how they are revolutionizing the electronic health record: https://augmedix.com/passionatepioneers/ (CLICK HERE) --- At times, when patients experience healthcare's inefficiencies and brokenness, some of these patients turn their frustration into innovative startups that are dedicated to reimagining an industry that we all know can be so much better.  During this episode, Andrew Lockhart, the CEO of Fathom, joins us for an insightful discussion about how his team is applying the intersection of deep learning and natural language processing to the healthcare industry medical record.  While together, Andrew shares how his knee injury, and receiving his medical bill, opened his eyes to the opportunities to improve medical coding, a massive area in healthcare ripe for innovative ideas and technology.  Join us to learn from Andrew and the mission he is on in building Fathom and how you can get involved as we continue to work together to move our healthcare industry forward!  Episode Highlights: Andrew’s knee injury that led him to experiencing the broken healthcare system How Andrew went about learning the intricacies of medical coding  Why Andrew knew there is significant opportunity for improving the industry The opportunities to engage and partner with Andrew and the Fathom team About our Guest:  Andrew Lockhart is the cofounder and CEO of Fathom, a Google Ventures and Founders Fund backed startup using machine learning to automate medical coding. Previously, Andrew cofounded another venture-backed machine learning startup as well as lead design and innovation projects for Fortune 500 clients for global design firm, Idea Couture. He is active in the startup communities in both San Francisco and Toronto as a seed investor and mentor with StartX. Andrew received his MBA from Stanford and his BA from the University of Toronto. Links Supporting This Episode: Fathom website: https://fathomhealth.com/ (CLICK HERE) Andrew Lockhart LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewlockhart/ (CLICK HERE) Andrew Lockhart Twitter page: https://twitter.com/andrewlockhart (CLICK HERE) Visit our website: https://www.passionatepioneers.com/ (CLICK HERE) Subscribe to newsletter: https://forms.gle/PLdcj7ujAGEtunsj6 (CLICK HERE) Guest nomination form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqk_H_a79gCRsBLynkGp7JbdtFRWynTvPVV9ntOdEpExjQIQ/viewform (CLICK HERE) Support this podcast

Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015. On this episode, Matteo offers insight into the nuances of how and why we sleep. He touches on how various inputs affect our quality of sleep such as food, caffeine, alcohol and supplements. He also describes various levels of sleep: Light, Deep and REM. Finally, Matteo and Chris talk about Eight Sleep's technology and how it has been able to help people improve their sleep. Enjoy!  Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/ (01:42) - Matteo’s Background (02:30) - How did you get the idea to start Eight Sleep? (03:34) - What was your experience like going through Y Combinator? Y Combinator (04:26) -  Why do you characterize sleep as a form of fitness? (05:34) - Why do you suggest compressing your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours? (06:33) - How do you define light sleep, deep sleep, and REM? (07:58) - What happens to the body when you’re sleeping? Why do we need sleep? (09:51) - Does the amount of total time in bed but not asleep benefit you at all? (10:24) - What effect does alcohol have on sleep? (12:21) - What effect does eating before bed have on sleep? (13:29) - How does caffeine impact sleep? (14:39) - How does exercise and when you exercise affect your sleep? (16:02) - Does having sex before you go to sleep affect your sleep? (16:27) - Do you recommend sleep supplements like Melatonin? (17:35) - What are your thoughts on going to sleep around the same time every day? (20:43) - How does your mood before going to bed impact your sleep and how you wake up? (21:56) - Is there data on sleep quality for couples vs. those sleeping alone? (22:58) - Why do people dream? (24:17) - Why are some people really heavy sleepers and others light sleepers? (24:57) - How does age affect sleep? (26:17) - Does gender affect sleep? (26:40) - How does sleeping on a mattress for most folks affect sleep vs. people in poverty that have worse sleeping conditions? (27:40) - How does light and temperature in the room affect sleep? (28:21) - What is it about the products you offer that make sleep better for people? (30:00) - How are these mattresses able to control body temperature? (30:34) - What type of information do the mattress sensors pick up about the user? (31:53) - Does the mattress differ in terms or softness or firmness? Does it even matter? (32:50) - Do pillows matter? (33:16) - What data do customers get in the morning on the Eight Sleep app? (33:47) - Circulating Water into the Mattress (34:46) - Can you describe the pods and cover you offer? (35:58) - What can folks who travel a lot do to make sleeping better? (36:30) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life? (37:15) - Do you have a morning routine? (38:05) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (38:14) - If you had a billboard that was on a major highway, what would you put on it? (39:08) - How can people reach you? eightsleep.com Follow Matteo on Twitter

Our guest this week: Chris Mosunic, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer of Vida Health. "Vida is a virtual care company that combines a human-centric approach with technology to address chronic and co-occurring physical and behavioral health conditions. We provide personalized chronic condition management combined with health coaching and therapy through a mobile and online platform that supports individuals in managing and significantly improving conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression, anxiety, etc. Our platform integrates deeply individual expert care with machine learning and remote monitoring to deliver lasting behavior change, health outcomes and cost savings. Vida is in the business of enabling self-insured employers, health plans and providers to take better care of their employees and members. They are trusted by Fortune 1000 companies, major national payers, and large providers to activate, engage, and empower their employees to live their healthiest lives. Based in San Francisco, CA, Vida is backed by investors including Khosla Ventures, StartX, Aspect Ventures, Canvas, Workday, and Nokia." On this episode, we discussed: - His background - How he got to where he is today? - What is Vida Health? - What's next? - ...and much more! WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: Our sponsor for this episode is BlocHealth. BlocHealth is building the ecosystem of healthcare services and solutions to power the future of healthcare. Through the platform, healthcare professionals and organizations can use their credentialing data for more! They can store their credentialing and licensing-related documents, fill out a smart, common application and use the information within it to order multiple services such as provider enrollment, license registration, license renewals, and more! For more information, please go to www.blochealth.com and be sure to follow BlocHealth on social media - @blochealth *This podcast was recorded within the last 6 months To learn more about Vida Health, please use the links below: -Website - LinkedIn - Twitter - Facebook - YouTube Also, be sure to follow Slice of Healthcare on our social channels: - Website - Facebook - LinkedIn

Nick Damiano is a serial entrepreneur with broad experience in medical devices and digital health. He has 15 years of experience as a healthcare entrepreneur, engineer, and leader. He is currently Co-Founder & CEO of Zenflow, which is developing a novel office-based therapy to relieve symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which affects over 500 million men globally. The company has raised over $40 million in funding and conducted successful clinical trials in four countries. Zenflow is backed by leading venture firms including Invus and F-Prime and was one of the first medical device companies funded by Y Combinator, the world’s leading startup accelerator. Prior to Zenflow, Nick was an Innovation Fellow at Stanford University. Before Biodesign, he co-founded Nurep (now called Avail MedSystems), a company developing telemedicine solutions for medical device procedures. In this role, Nick led the successful technical development effort to bring the company's product to market and also played key roles in strategy, sales, and fundraising. Prior to Nurep, he worked in engineering roles for several small medical device companies, including developing critical algorithms for the world’s first leadless cardiac pacing system at EBR Systems. Outside of Zenflow, Nick plays an active role in mentoring and advising medtech and healthcare entrepreneurs and startups. He has served as an advisor in various capacities at StartX, Y Combinator Startup School, Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, and the Rosenman Institute. He is also a Venture Partner at Pioneer Fund, a venture fund led by Y Combinator alumni. Nick grew up on the east coast and earned his M.S. and B.S. with Distinction in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University.

Miriam Rivera talks about the lack of diversity in the industry, and her investments with a mission to promote entrepreneurship among women and people of color. She shares how her husband is the best partner both at home and at work.   9% of VC decision makers are women. Unfairness hurts the industry. We need change.She doesn't hide the ball. She openly discusses risks with entrepreneurs and highlights areas they can improve.Decision analysis brings transparency to the due-diligence process. Non-profit: Kauffman Foundation

One of the biggest challenges of launching a company is transitioning from the security and support of a corporate job into the unknown, and how your former corporate allies may question every move you make. For Alexandra Zatarain, cofounder of  EIGHT SLEEP (the world's first sleep fitness company), she had both the trust in and of her cofounders, and the knowledge that they were onto something important that’s universal to everyone on the planet: the need to fall, and stay, asleep. Alexandra and her team have now raised millions of dollars, were selected to participate in prolific accelerator programs like StartX and YCombinator, and have been shipping product non stop since they completed their fundraising seed round! Alexandra joins Socialfly co-founder Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success, including about the challenges Latino and female founders go through; why Indiegogo was such an important tell for cash flow and testing interest; how Eight Sleep uses science and leverages knowledge through the mattress itself; and, why it’s important to just keep swimming.

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John is on a mission to end aging while keeping a heart filled with joy. John Chi is a mad scientist that isn't so mad. He is actually filled with much joy. John has a degree in electrical engineering from Stanford. His company (Synova Life Sciences) recently graduated from Y Combinator and Stanford's StartX. Synova is bringing technologies to market that fuel the growth of personalized regenerative medicine. He is currently in development of a device that extracts a patient's own stem cells from their fat (adipose tissue), using a novel, non-enzymatic process to provide patients, doctors and researchers with fast, safe, sterile, high-yield access to stem cells. We dive deep about his technology, use cases and his personal journey of discovering the stem cell industry. At the end we talk about what daily buffs he does to keep centered and have his heart filled with joy and love.

Nyheter Firefox 72: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/72.0/releasenotes/ Blockerar "fingerprinting scripts" som standard Trevligare blockering av Notis-förfrågningar Picture-in-picture für alles! Darktable 3.0: https://www.darktable.org/2019/12/darktable-30/ Nytt (css-themable) UI Bättre Noise Reduction KDE flörtar med Windows 7 användare: https://dot.kde.org/2020/01/08/plasma-safe-haven-windows-7-refugees Otrevligheter Kinesisk spyware eller fake news? - https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/ektg8u/chinesespywarepreinstalledonall_samsung/ Trevligheter Node-RED: https://nodered.org/ fediverse.space: https://www.fediverse.space/ DeGoogle yourself: https://github.com/tycrek/degoogle https://restoreprivacy.com/google-alternatives/ Utmaningar Alex diskuterar OS till PinePhone: https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone Ubuntu Touch PostmarketOS Sailfish OS Manjaro? Seb benar ut vad en distro är och hur dessa (oftast) är uppbyggda Kerneln (Kärnan) Pakethanterare Skal Distributioner Kontakta oss Hemsida: https://trevligmjukvara.se Mail: kontakt@trevligmjukvara.se Twitter: @trevligmjukvara (https://twitter.com/trevligmjukvara) Telegram: Trevlig Mjukvara (https://t.me/trevligmjukvara) Tack till Ljudeffekter från https://www.zapsplat.com/ Musik från https://filmmusic.io "Pixelland" av Kevin MacLeod "NewsSting" av Kevin MacLeod "Cursed Intro - Dark Dramatic Epic Trailer" av Rafael Krux "Beautiful World - Epic and Uplifting Motivational Trailer" av Rafael Krux "Pixel Peeker Polka - Faster" av Kevin MacLeod License for all: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Grafik och font i loggan: Ok-emoji: emojione version 2.2.7, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emojione_1F44C.svg (CC BY 4.0) Font: Sulphur Point av Dale Sattler, https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Sulphur+Point (OFL)

Montse Medina was pursuing her PhD at Stanford’s Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (ICME) when she realized she had a great idea for a company. She left her graduate program to found Jetlore, a prediction platform that empowers retailers with AI-driven content, which was acquired by PayPal in 2018. Montse has since moved back to her native Spain as a partner for Deloitte where she is responsible for their advanced analytics and asset-enabled business.Montse discusses her lessons learned growing Jetlore with Stanford’s Margot Gerritsen, Stanford professor and host of the Women in Data Science podcast.She started the business with her thesis advisor and was supported by Stanford’s incubator program StartX that helps students start companies and introduces them to investors. Though they were able to raise money, there were plenty of challenges getting the business off the ground. At first, they didn't want to tell anybody what they were doing. “That already shows that we were very naïve. If we had told people, they would have given us advice, we could have adapted faster,” she says.The technology was great but it was difficult to find the right market fit. They had to listen and pivot a lot. She had to learn how to fail, something she was not used to doing. Failure was not in her vocabulary and that was a big lesson. They had to fail to adapt, and the most important thing was to adapt fast.She believes that entrepreneurship is also about luck. “You could be doing everything right and working super hard and being the best entrepreneur, but if you don't get some luck, you won't get the reward,” she says. And if you don’t get that luck at first, she says talk to others, listen to the environment to understand why, and then adapt fast.Montse says it’s no longer necessary to be in Silicon Valley to start a successful company. She believes Silicon Valley is not a place; it’s really a network. For those outside of Silicon Valley who want to be part of that network, she recommends first finding successful entrepreneurs in your region as they likely will have some connections to Silicon Valley. She thinks there are going to be a lot more startups coming from all over the world.It’s important to keep all your options open. When asked about her biggest dreams for herself ten years from now, she replied: “I don't like to box myself into a dream because that forces me into that. I think that there are so many great things that can happen to you just by letting things flow. If I were to think about a goal, then that would probably close other doors that are opening on my sides and windows that I probably would neglect.”RELATED LINKSConnect with Montse Medina on Twitter (@montsechka) and LinkedInRead more about Deloitte Espana and JetloreConnect with Margot Gerritsen on Twitter (@margootjeg) and LinkedInFind out more about Margot on her Stanford ProfileFind out more about Margot on her personal website

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Kreig Kent talks with Khaled Naim about his journey building Onfleet. Khaled shares advice on raising money and the importance of hiring very carefully in the early stages of your company. Khaled is CEO and Co-Founder at Onfleet, the fastest growing last-mile delivery management software platform. Khaled holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BE in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is based in San Francisco, California. Some Questions Kreig asks Khaled: - When did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? (21:36) - What was your experience raising money for Onfleet and going through StartX? (23:25) - What do you think is the most important ingredient for a founder? (26:50) - What is some advice you can give to founders who are in the early stages of starting a company? (31:59) - Can anyone learn how to be an entrepreneur? (32:49) - If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your former self? (33:56) In This Episode, You Will Learn: - About Khaled’s background and how he started an Onfleet (4:24) - Focus on raising money from smaller funds and angel investors in the early stages (23:33) - Why you need grit (27:08) - Hire very carefully (32:12) - Anyone can learn the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur (32:55) Connect with Khaled Naim: Twitter Onfleet Also Mentioned on This Show... Khaled’s favorite quote: “Life is too important to be taken seriously.” ―Oscar Wilde

Jill Tiutan is a product designer who currently studies Cognitive Science at UCLA. She has been designing professionally for the last 5 years and was most recently a product design intern at Factual, a big data company focused on location. Prior to that, Jill has also interned at Fjord (Accenture Interactive) in LA, and at GoGuardian, where she built Enterprise tools for schools. Apart from being an avid designer, she also co-founded Applica.me, which became a part of Stanford’s StartX student program in 2017. In this episode we talk about building Applica as a student design co-founder, getting internships in LA, finding a home in a fraternity, interning in the US, and so much more.

Jill Tiutan is a product designer who currently studies Cognitive Science at UCLA. She has been designing professionally for the last 5 years and was most recently a product design intern at Factual, a big data company focused on location. Prior to that, Jill has also interned at Fjord (Accenture Interactive) in LA, and at GoGuardian, where she built Enterprise tools for schools. Apart from being an avid designer, she also co-founded Applica.me, which became a part of Stanford’s StartX student program in 2017. In this episode we talk about building Applica as a student design co-founder, getting internships in LA, finding a home in a fraternity, interning in the US, and so much more.

Silicon Valley is the place where most companies around the world come to find innovations. Within Silicon Valley, one of the most important sources for insights and ideas is Stanford University campus. In this episode we're discussing with Ryan MacArthur of StartX - the incubator that helps Stanford alumni to accelerate the startups in their early stages. StartX uniquely helps corporates access and tap into this talent pool. As Ryan has history on being on both sides of the startup-corporate collaboration, he is able to provide a lot of great insights on how to make the best of the collaboration projects and deliver true Horizon 2 innovation.

The big 3 For all the talk about the big numbers of 2018 – Global Corporate Venturing tracked 2,775 deals worth an estimated total of $180bn, the details of which you can find in the January issue out and the World of Corporate Venturing annual review published at the GCVI Summit at the end of the month … Continue reading "28 January 2019 – Stanford StartX Fund Comes to an End"

Boosted nabs $60M as the electric skateboard maker looks to build something new Boosted has scored some serious cash as it looks to move beyond the world of electric skateboards to conquer new forms of personal transportation. The startup announced today that it has closed a $60 million round of Series B funding co-led by Khosla Ventures andiNovia Capital.Stanford's StartX and Bay Meadows also participated in the round. Boosted has now raised north of $70 million.

In this episode, Hall T. Martin conducts an interview with Clint Korver of Ulu Ventures. Clint is a Managing Director and co-founder of Ulu Ventures, a $50m seed stage venture firm investing in enterprise IT companies from Stanford and Silicon Valley. An active supporter of entrepreneurship within the Stanford community, Clint taught entrepreneurship in the School of Engineering; mentors at StartX, Stanford's accelerator; and co-founded Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, an alumni group with over 1000 members. Over the last 9 years, Clint and his partner Miriam Rivera have invested in over 80 startups. 50 have come from the Stanford community including Palantir, SoFi, Krux (acquired by Salesforce), and Blue River Technology (acquired by John Deere). Prior to Ulu, Clint was a serial entrepreneur, co-founding four Silicon Valley startups which provided tools to help individuals or organizations make better decisions. He co-authored Ethics for the Real World (Harvard Business Press 2008), is a Kauffman Fellow, and holds a PhD and an MS in engineering from Stanford, and a BA in mathematics from Grinnell College where he served as Chair of the Board of Trustees. In this episode, they speak about Clints entrance into the startup world and how he became a venture capitalist. They speak about Ulu Ventures and what type of investments they make as well as the funding process.  

Pramod John is team leader of Vivio Health, a company that is reinventing the therapeutic use and supply chain for the specialty drug space. The Vivio Health plan solution is challenging the current framework of efficacy and extending it to true effectiveness in the real world. It also offers significant drug acquisition savings and simplicity for the patient by integrating the supply chain into a unified and data driven process. Prior to Vivio Health, Pramod was founder of Oration PBC (acquired by PokitDok) which was focused on giving back consumers control over their drug purchasing by capturing the prescription in the physician's office and providing real-time pricing options and automatic routing capabilities. Pramod was also VP of Strategy and Innovation at McKesson, the world's largest health care company. At McKesson, Pramod helped develop solutions that leveraged advanced technologies and business process improvements to optimize health care delivery systems, infrastructure, and supply chains. Earlier, Pramod founded and served as CEO of PacketMotion, Inc., a venture-funded startup in the enterprise network information and policy management industry. The company was later acquired by VMware. In addition, Pramod founded netExaminer.com, a managed-vulnerability assessment company acquired by SonicWALL (owned by Dell). Pramod earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves on the Boards of Mission Aviation Fellowship, a global relief organization, and 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley, CA. He also serves on the advisory board of Folia Water and as a mentor at StartX. 00:00 What aspects of health care that Vivio solves. 02:15 What would care look like by starting with the question, “What outcome do we want to see?” 04:40 Benefit designs. 06:00 Vivio's customers. 06:50 How this works from the patient side. 09:00 How this looks from a clinician standpoint. 13:00 Proactively building clinical models and data collection. 13:30 Results of Vivio's transparency. 14:45 How this comes down to a numbers problem. 15:00 “There's very little clinical to do in a clinical trial.” 17:00 The types of reports that Vivio comes up with, and who they benefit? 19:00 “How do we help people see, ‘Here are the one or two things you need to understand.” 22:30 You can learn more at www.viviohealth.com.

Pramod John is team leader of VIVIO Health, a company that is reinventing the therapeutic use and supply chain for the specialty drug space. VIVIO Health's solution is challenging the current framework of efficacy and extending it to true effectiveness in the real world. It also offers significant drug acquisition savings and simplicity for the patient by integrating the supply chain into a unified and data driven process. Prior to VIVIO Health, Pramod was founder of Oration PBC (acquired by Pokitdok) which was focused on giving back consumers control over their drug purchasing by capturing the prescription in the physician's office and providing real time pricing options and automatic routing capabilities.   Pramod was also VP of Strategy and Innovation at McKesson, the world's largest healthcare company. At McKesson, Pramod helped develop solutions that leveraged advanced technologies and business process improvements to optimize healthcare delivery systems, infrastructure and supply chains. Earlier, Pramod founded and served as CEO of PacketMotion, Inc., a venture-funded startup in the enterprise network information and policy management industry. The company was later acquired by VMWare. In addition, Pramod founded netExaminer.com, a managed-vulnerability assessment company acquired by SonicWALL (owned by Dell). Pramod earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves on the Boards of Mission Aviation Fellowship, a global relief organization and 3 Crosses Church in Castro Valley, CA. He also serves on the advisory board of Folia Water and as a mentor at StartX. 00:00 Pramod's article on Amazon getting into Pharmacy & Stacey's Inbetweenisode 14. 00:45 The four key structural roadblocks Amazon would have to overcome to get into Pharmacy. 02:20 The issues in the pharmacy space & the hope that a disruptor can come in and fix these issues. 03:50 What Amazon would have to do to overcome the current issues in the drug market. 05:00 What innovation would Amazon have to bring to the market to truly be innovative? 07:00 The unmovable vested interests in the pharma industry. 08:15 The monopoly of the pharma industry on the micro level. 09:45 Why consumers go to Amazon. 10:15 The difference between the health care consumer market and other consumer markets. 11:10 The primary driver for consumers in the drug space. 12:20 The disjointed process of prescriptions and pharmacies. 13:15 What will lead to real disruption in this industry. 15:15 “Amazon doesn't just mean Amazon anymore.” 16:15 The difference Amazon has made in an unregulated market versus a regulated market. 17:00 “What are we going to do about these intermediaries?” 17:30 The economic problem in the pharma market. 17:45 The best strategy to completely change the dynamics of the industry. 18:10 Taking insurance, Getting in Network, E-Prescribing, Buying a PBM. 22:45 “You can't grow demand when three people control 70% of the market.” 28:50 The self-administered space. 30:15 “Disruption is going to come because we're getting ahead of where the money is coming from in the future.” 31:00 You can learn more at www.viviohealth.com.

This week, Ben and Carter are joined by Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient Joe Vasquez, co-founder of StartX and The Human Potential, and director of the Runway Incubator and the Michelson Runway Accelerator. We’ll ask him about his experience helping early stage founders to access critical resources needed to build thier companies. As always, you can reach out to us—or to our studio audience—here on Facebook, or via Twitter (@gatewayvc) or Instagram (@gateway.vc) with questions or comments using the hashtag #GatewayOH.

Alvin's career to date has been an epic adventure, a journey that's taken him across epicenters of technology and the world's three largest internet markets: China, India, and the US. As a Stanford undergrad, he started ThinkBulbs, which developed 2 leading iOS photo apps and amassed over a million users before being acquired by Megatasty Labs. After college, Alvin spent time as EIR at StartX, before joining Flipboard to lead their China entry efforts. That in turn opened his eyes to the torrid growth of China's tech sector, eventually leading to a role as Chief of Staff for Hugo Barra, the legendary Google exec who had been hired by Lei Jun to run Xiaomi Global. Today, Alvin heads up Xiaomi Global's sales operations, and plays a critical role in developing Xiaomi's India business. On our podcast, Alvin talks us through his personal journey, reflecting first on his foundational experiences in Silicon Valley before taking on the Wild Wild West of China's tech sector in the early 2010s. With Alvin, we then conduct a deeper dive on Xiaomi's India strategy. How did Xiaomi grow so quickly in India, reaching #2 market share, with its best selling 'Redmi' shipping over 1m units in just 30 days? What are similarities and differences between China and India? How does Xiaomi approach localization, not only in terms of product but also on its org structure and management approach. Ultimately, what are the keys to success in this market and how will Xiaomi fend off competitors that invariably follow it into an attractive new market? Lastly, Alvin shares his experience on why it's the right time to come out to China (and India), the need for a bridge type leaders between markets, and how to leverage a global perspective to one's advantage. Link to write-up here: https://www.theharbingerchina.com/blog/from-silicon-valley-to-china-to-india-with-xiaomi-global-head-of-sales

If you've ever wanted to rediscover your power, and transform your health and your life, then do we have the shamanic journey show for you! Today I'll be talking with Judah Pollack, former faculty member at Stanford's StartX and the co-author of an incredibly creative and entertaining new book we've spoken about on the show, The Net and the Butterfly. Today I want to talk with him about the shamanic journey, what it is, what it looks like, and how we can reclaim our power and connection to the natural world. Shamanic Journey Questions and Topic Include: What's Judah Pollack's background and how'd he get into Shamanism? How has it helped the former Stanford StartX's faculty member? What exactly is a shamanic journey? What does shamanism and the shamanic journey have to do with nature? What can the shamanic journey help with? Why is it so important today? How does it help overcome obstacles? What is soul loss and how does the shamanic journey help? How does power loss come about? What are the symptoms? Can it show up as illness as well? What is soul retrieval? How does one lose pieces of one's soul? Why is it so important to do something about it? What is the shamanic journey itself? What is a helping spirit? What's the importance of the drum, rattle, or chanting – or what's a sonic driver? What happens wihen the drum plays? Do we need a shaman? Where do we go? What are the upper, middle, and lower worlds? What's a departure point? Why is it so important to remember your way back? What's it mean to develop a disciplined practice and why is it so important? How do we maintain a journey practice on our own? What's the importance of setting intention before taking a journey? Can you lead us through a guided journey? Guided shamanic journey with drums! For more info visit: JudahPollack.com Judah Pollack on How to Reclaim Your Power, Health, Energy & Happiness By Taking a Shamanic Journey! + Guided Meditation with Drums!!! Health | Fitness | Inspiration | Motivation | Spiritual | Spirituality | Self-Improvement | Self-Help | Inspire For More Info Visit: www.InspireNationShow.com

In this episode, Mark Milliron speaks with Cathy Casserly, VP of Learning Networks with EdCast, a Stanford StartX company, about microcredentials and more trends around personalization across higher education institutions.

If you've ever wanted breakthrough ideas, and incredible creativity then do we have the Net and the Butterfly Show for you! Today I'll be talking with Olivia Fox author of The Charisma Myth, and Judah Pollack, both former faculty members at Stanford's StartX and the authors of an incredibly creative and entertaining new book on breakthrough ideas, The Net and the Butterfly. And that's just what I want to talk with them about today, about the art and practice of breakthrough thinking. If you've ever wanted to find success, think outside the box, break-through paradigms, or re-invent your job, career, or life, then today's show is for you! Breakthrough creativity Self-Improvement and Self-Help Topics Include:  What can we learn from Einstein and special relativity. What's a breakthrough? What's the difference between the executive network of the brain and the default network? What can we learn from Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones What's the importance of switching back and forth between the Executive and the Default Network? What does switching between the EN and the DN have to do with automatic writing? What's the importance of sleeping on things? What's the hypnagogic state? What's the hypnopompic state? What's the importance of each state and how do we get into each? How do we access “genius mode” What's the importance of mindless activities? What's the importance of taking a shower or shaving? What's the benefit of taking a walk? Why do we want to change our environment? What can we learn from Casablanca and We Are the Champions? What's an exercise we can use to change our psychological environment? What's the importance of nature for creativity? What does LUMIAMI stand for and what's the breakthrough process? What's the importance of Novelty How do we practice brain plasticity What's a great exercise to cultivate creativity in our mind What do we do about our inner critic? What are a few quick fixes for fear? How do we reframe and bounce back from failure What are supertools for creativity? Why is a higher a purpose and altruism important How does meditation and metta-kindness help with creativity? What one exercise can you begin today to cultivate creativity? For More Info Visit: TheButterfly.Net Olivia Fox Cabane & Judah Pollack on How to Cultivate Breakthrough Thinking! + Guided Meditation | Health | Fitness | Career | Inspiration | Motivation | Spiritual | Spirituality | Inspirational | Motivational | Self-Improvement | Self-Help | Inspire

Karan Chaudhry, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder and CPO of Comnplus, a company building advanced machine learning based personalization and recommendation engine focused on online digital content industry. He received his MS from Stanford University and is an active mentor and advisor at StartX, advising entrepreneurs on topics like fundraising, team building, data product management and product marketing. Prior to Comnplus, Karan was the co-founder and CEO of DropThought, a machine learning based instant feedback and text platform for voice over applications. Listen as Karan explains how DropThought was acquired last year and how he started Comnplus. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Steve Jobs What CEO do you follow? – Elon Musk  Favorite online tool? — Asana Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self know one thing, what would it be? – “Take risk. Failures are highly over-rated. It just makes us stronger”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:44 – Nathan introduces Karan to the show 02:35 – DropThought was acquired last year 02:43 – DropThought is doing feedback-based analytics 02:58 – Karan raised a couple of rounds for DropThought 03:10 – DropThought was acquired by Bahwan CyberTek 03:22 – Karan was in the process of fundraising for DropThought when Bahwan CyberTek approached him 03:50 – There were other companies who want to acquire DropThought 04:33 – Valuation of DropThought 05:24 – Team size for DropThought is 15-20 05:35 – Comnplus is taking the machine analytic context to the content industry 05:50 – Companies find it difficult to recommend similar content to their customers 06:30 – Comnplus is only 3-4 months old 06:42 – TVF funded Karan $ 500,000 to start Comnplus 07:09 – Comnplus is creating clusters of users with similar habits for TVF 07:28 – Comnplus handles marketing and contact targeted users 07:48 – Comnplus reaches out to users with customize recommendations 08:35 – Comnplus market is the large content providers 08:58 – Comnplus price point 09:15 – Comnplus is currently bootstrapped 09:50 – Comnplus has a small but qualified team 10:35 – Karan is willing to spend 50-70% of revenue for customer acquisition 11:35 – Target RPU is $ 500,000 12:15 – Comnplus is currently not fundraising and TVF as their only client 12:43 – Biggest competitors are Rich Relevance and Gravity R&D 13:48 – Get in touch with Karan through his email 15:28 – The Famous Five   3 Key Points: Find the right people and they will acquire your business. It’s about quality and not quantity. You can never “lose”. Resources Mentioned: Toptal – Nathan found his development team using Toptal  for his new business Send Later. He was able to keep 100% equity and didn’t have to hire a co-founder due to quality of Toptal  developers. Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for the cheapest price possible. Freshbooks – The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts. Leadpages  – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+ Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he’s driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books. Assistant.to – The site Nathan uses to book meetings with one email. Acuity Scheduling – Nathan uses Acuity to schedule his podcast interviews and appointments. Drip – Nathan uses Drip’s email automation platform and visual campaign builder to build his sales funnel. Karan@Comnplus.com – Karan’s email address Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

Whitney Sales is the VP of Sales at TalentIQ, has been involved in bringing products to market and managing high growth sales teams for over a decade. She is the creator of the Sales Method, a strategic framework for launching products, which she used to help three companies earn a place on the Inc 5000 fastest growing companies list. Prior to joining TalentIQ, Whitney held executive positions at Wanelo and SpringAhead and currently serves as a mentor at StartX, Alchemist, and previous guest Acceleprise and a huge thanks to Michael Cardamone @ Acceleprise for the intro to Whitney today. In Today’s Episode You Will Learn: How did Whitney make her way into the world of SaaS and more specifically sales? What are the 5 key criteria that founders need to consider before embarking on the sales process? How specific and targeted should a customer profile be? How many profiles can they have? What are the best questions to determine the optimal customer segment? How can founders identify which buyers are innovators? What tools are best for this? Once discovered, how should founders approach these innovators? Founders learn about gaps in customer information from selling. So how close should the integration of content marketing and selling be in the early days? 60 Second SaaStr What are Whitney’s preferred tools for her tech stack? What does Whitney know now that she wishes she had known at the beginning? Does the proliferation of sales tools make it harder or easier? If you would like to find out more about the show and the guests presented, you can follow us on Twitter here: Jason Lemkin Harry Stebbings SaaStr Whitney Sales

Nick Weaver is the Founder & CEO @ Eero. The company that makes your wifi hyper fast, super simple and brilliantly efficient. Prior to founding Eero, Nick was himself a VC at Menlo Ventures where he worked with companies like Uber, Betterment, Periscope and Dropcam. Before becoming a VC, Nick co-founded StartX, the community for the best Stanford entrepreneurs providing them with the required resources to build the next generation of leading companies.   In Today’s Episode You Will Learn: 1.) How Nick made the move from VC with Menlo to Founder and CEO @ Eero? 2.) How can founders identify nascent and attractive markets that are ripe for disruption? 3.) How did Nick approach the pricing mechanism with Eero? Why do hardware startups need to have a greater margin than software startups? 4.) Why did Nick raise 2 rounds of funding before the product launched? Why did Nick decide he wanted to own all the parts of the production chain with Eero? 5.) How does Nick view the competitive landscape for such products? How does he view large incumbents like Netgear, compared to smaller startups like Luma? Items Mentioned In Today’s Show: Nick’s Fave Blog and Newsletter: Term Sheet: Dan Primack Nick’s Fave Book: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl As always you can follow Harry, The Twenty Minute VC and Nick on Twitter here! Likewise, you can follow Harry on Snapchat here for mojito madness and all things 20VC. Eve make 1 perfect mattress – made with 3 layer technology and next generation memory foam. It comes packaged in a beautiful box and arrives the day after you order. You get 100 nights to try it with free return pick-up – it really is the perfect mattress for everyone. Just go online to evemattress.co.uk and enter the code 20VC for £50 off. Everybody deserves the perfect start with Eve.   Cooley are the global law firm built around startups and venture capital. Since forming the first venture fund in Silicon Valley, Cooley has formed more venture capital funds than any other law firm in the world, with 50+ years working with VCs. They help VCs form and manage funds, make investments and handle the myriad issues that arise through a fund’s lifetime. So to learn more about the #1 most active law firm representing VC-backed companies going public. Head over to cooley.com and also at cooleygo.com.  

We can induce creativity, innovation and genius from our minds. "We are a vast magma of instincts and emotions with a thin veneer of civilization on top." -Olivia Fox Cabane The Cheat Sheet: What is a metaphorical insight and how can you use it? The Thin Air Myth: what is it and why is it a myth? What James Watt and Phineas Gage have taught us about the brain. This is one of the biggest blocks to your genius ideas: what is it? What high performance athletes do differently than other athletes. And so much more... Have you ever had a eureka moment? A split second flash of genius? Whether you have or not, there's now a way to create that experience on demand. And here to tell us more is Olivia Fox Cabane. Olivia is the author of The Charisma Myth and joins us to discuss the fascinating science of creativity and genius on today's show. Listen in for all of that and more on episode 395 of The Art of Charm. Click Here to Support The Show and Check Out Host Gator! More About This Show: Olivia Fox Cabane is known as an expert on behavioral science, and applying it to everyday life to become more productive, more effective and create more breakthroughs. Currently she is the Director of Innovation at Stanford's StartX program and has two additional books about to be published. On today's show we discuss why breakthroughs are not accidental, what we've learned about the neuroscience behind epiphanies as well as ways you can realize more of your mind's insights and genius ideas. One of the most fascinating topics we dive is the different modes of the brain. The default mode network is your brain's network composed of 10-13 different areas that are responsible for the creative, innovation and genius. Another mode your brain has is executive mode. Executive mode is just what it sounds like: that part of your brain that makes decisions, executes and puts plans into actions. But here's the kicker: only one part of your brain can be in charge at a time. So if your executive mode is always on your default mode network (or DMN) cannot be running the show. That means if you are constantly engaging your decision-making mind and are in executive mode, your genius ideas have no way to come through. Turning off executive mode is simple: do repetitive tasks that are basically mindless. Like showering or washing the dishes or driving: these are things you already do the executive mode of your brain doesn't need to be engaged in for you to complete them. And that means your DMN can kick in. You can do what high caliber professional athletes do and create little rituals to tell your brain it's time to ramp up or ramp down. Think of baseball players and their rituals: some brush off their shoes in the batter's box and then tap home plate between pitches. They are telling their brains to power on into high performance mode, and slow down. On this episode Olivia and I also discuss the roles uncertainty and shame play in our creative capacities, what we can do to overcome our innate fear of both and why choice minimal lifestyle can be so liberating and freeing for our DMN! You'll want to give this one your full attention, enjoy. THANKS, OLIVIA FOX CABANE! If you enjoyed this session of The Art of Charm Podcast, let Olivia know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Facebook: Click here to thank Olivia on Facebook! Resources from this episode: Olivia Fox Cabane's websiteThe Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane Olivia on Facebook The Art of Charm bootcamps Try Squarespace (Free) and Support Our Supporters! Also sponsored by: You'll also like: -The Art of Charm Toolbox-Best of The Art of Charm Podcast Wanna leave a comment? Too bad! Email me instead (we read everything)! HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! If you dug this episode, please subscribe in iTunes and write us a review! This is what helps us stand out from all the fluff out there. Ways to subscribe to The Art of Charm Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher FEEDBACK + PROMOTION Hit us up with your comments and guest suggestions. We read EVERYTHING. Download the FREE AoC app for iPhone Email jordan@theartofcharm.com Give us a call at 888.413.7177 Stay Charming!

ADI Bittan, is the co-founder & CEO of OwnerListens, a platform for real time texting between businesses and customers. You text what you need and OwnerListens does the rest. Safe, private, immediate. Former attorney for the Israeli government & a Captain in the IDF. Stanford MBA. Worked with Peter Thiel at Clarium Capital. Mentor at StartX, Stanford's incubator/accelerator, & at Upwest Labs startups accelerator. See her beautiful infographic show notes, plus her top tips and advice for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs at www.TodaysLeadingWomen.com or by clicking here!

Judah is the co-author (with Ori Brafman) of The Choas Imperative: How Chance and Disruption Increase Innovation, Effectiveness, and Success. He is an expert in the art of leadership in a rapidly changing world. A regular speaker at Startx, Stanford’s incubator, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and TEDx’ he has spent the past three years designing for and speaking to The US Army’s General staff and Special Forces. In this interview, we talk about the need to create white space and encourage chaos in order to drive innovation.

Venture inside StartX, an educational non-profit that supports the development of passionate Stanford entrepreneurs. In this panel discussion, current and former members of the StartX community describe their experiences inside the accelerator and the value they received through a culture of collective intelligence and mentorship.

Venture inside StartX, an educational non-profit that supports the development of passionate Stanford entrepreneurs. In this panel discussion, current and former members of the StartX community describe their experiences inside the accelerator and the value they received through a culture of collective intelligence and mentorship.

Venture inside StartX, an educational non-profit that supports the development of passionate Stanford entrepreneurs. In this panel discussion, current and former members of the StartX community describe their experiences inside the accelerator and the value they received through a culture of collective intelligence and mentorship.