Podcasts about yeswecode

In this episode, Will.i.am, Van Jones, and Peter discuss what the Make Wakanda Real campaign stands for, how technology is changing lives across the globe, and the state of legacy media.  Recorded on Feb 22nd, 2025 Views are my own thoughts; not Financial, Medical, or Legal Advice. Will.i.am is a globally recognized artist, entrepreneur, and innovator at the intersection of music, technology, and philanthropy. As the founder of FYI, i.am+, and co-founder of Amuse, he pioneers AI-driven platforms and smart consumer products while advising Atom Bank. Best known as the frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, he has shaped modern music with hit albums like Elephunk and The E.N.D., alongside his solo work #willpower. His tech ventures include FYI.AI, and Sound Drive with Mercedes-AMG. Committed to bridging technology and social impact, he co-founded Make Wakanda Real with Van Jones, an AI initiative to empower underrepresented communities. Through the i.am Angel Foundation, he continues to champion STEAM education for underserved youth, ensuring that innovation reaches those who need it most. Van Jones is a prominent political commentator, social activist, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of media, technology, and justice. A longtime CNN contributor, he hosts The Van Jones Show and previously led The Redemption Project. As the founder of Dream Machine Innovation Lab, he focuses on bringing AI to underrepresented communities while continuing his work with Dream.org on initiatives like #YesWeCode, #cut50, and Green For All. He co-founded Make Wakanda Real with will.i.am, a movement inspired by Black Panther that seeks to democratize AI access for marginalized groups. Jones has received numerous accolades, including a 2020 Emmy Award and the 2021 Courage and Civility Award, which granted him $100 million to support nonprofits. A senior advisor at Teneo and a board member of multiple social justice organizations, he is also a bestselling author, with his latest book, Beyond the Messy Truth (2017), offering insights on unity and reform. Learn more about the FYI.AI app:https://fyi.ai/  Learn more about Make Wakanda Real: https://www.dreammachine.org/  Learn more about Rapport: https://www.rapport.co/  ____________ I only endorse products and services I personally use. To see what they are,  please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:  Get started with Fountain Life and become the CEO of your health: https://fountainlife.com/peter/ AI-powered precision diagnosis you NEED for a healthy gut: https://www.viome.com/peter  Get 15% off OneSkin with the code PETER at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod _____________ I send weekly emails with the latest insights and trends on today's and tomorrow's exponential technologies. Stay ahead of the curve, and sign up now:  Blog _____________ Connect With Peter: Twitter Instagram Youtube Moonshots

Software and tech companies get much higher valuations than traditional service-based companies because these “digital” companies are valued on a multiple of revenue instead of a multiple of EBITDA. This huge difference in how the business is valued provides a unique opportunity to reap high financial rewards by transforming old analog businesses into technology companies. Today’s guest, Corey Tollefson of ArcSpring, shares how his company combines capital, technology, operational expertise, and design to unlock exponential growth in traditional businesses. He and his team of rock stars (a bunch of heavy hitters from Oracle and Infor) are creating real value—and multiple arbitrage—by investing in companies they think should be software companies. What You Will Learn In Today's Podcast Interview What ‘Analog to Digital’ (A2D) means and how it impacts the value of a business Why transforming an analogue business into a technology business changes the valuation methodology How ArcSpring scales their portfolio companies by focusing on ‘micro-verticals’ The difference between a spreadsheet jockey private equity firm and one that has an operations background How ArcSpring defines digital transformation Why ArcSpring bought the largest flag football league in the area and how they scaled it by integrated technology Why having—or upgrading—an ERP system is not the type of technology that can change your valuation multiple How to mine your customer base for new products and services Why a five-year timeline to transform a business from analog to digital is more than enough time to capture the value creation and multiple arbitrage How his company got to the tagline “Enterprise software sucks!” Why the experience and involvement of the general partners at a private equity firm matters How to use your customers and their needs as the backbone of your digital transformation Things to think about when you are trying to determine how much equity you should be rolling back into your business What makes companies consider becoming a SaaS business Are You Growing The Value of Your Business Take The 2-Minute Assessment To Get Your Intentional Growth Score™ And 1-Page Vision Board. Are your company's current initiatives intentionally designed to increase the value of the business? Do you know what you want from your business long term and why? Do you know what your company is worth? Do you know the differences between Management, Family Transitions, PE Firms, ESOPs and Strategic Buyers? Does the business have a written strategic plan on how to achieve the desired normalized EBITDA and valuation? About the Guest: Corey Tollefson is co-founder and general partner at Arcspring, a PE firm that invests in companies that should be software companies, and has over 20 years of experience in the software and technology industry. He’s on the Board of Advisors for #YesWecode, Sezzle and PLNIFY. Previously, Corey was senior vice president and general manager at Infor and group vice president at Oracle. He also has a BSc in Marketing and Management Information Systems from the G.R. Herberger College of Business at Saint Cloud State University. Quotes: 06:57 - “To really own an industry and to become dominant in an industry, you have to have micro-vertical solutions.” – Corey Tollefson 07:21 - “The more you can speak to ru

Software and tech companies get much higher valuations than traditional service-based companies because these “digital” companies are valued on a multiple of revenue instead of a multiple of EBITDA. This huge difference in how the business is valued provides a unique opportunity to reap high financial rewards by transforming old analog businesses into technology companies. Today’s guest, Corey Tollefson of ArcSpring, shares how his company combines capital, technology, operational expertise, and design to unlock exponential growth in traditional businesses. He and his team of rock stars (a bunch of heavy hitters from Oracle and Info) are creating real value—and multiple arbitrage—by investing in companies they think should be software companies. What You Will Learn In Today's Podcast Interview What ‘Analog to Digital’ (A2D) means and how it impacts the value of a business Why transforming an analogue business into a technology business changes the valuation methodology How ArcSpring scales their portfolio companies by focusing on ‘micro-verticals’ The difference between a spreadsheet jockey private equity firm and one that has an operations background How ArcSpring defines digital transformation Why ArcSpring bought the largest flag football league in the area and how they scaled it by integrated technology Why having—or upgrading—an ERP system is not the type of technology that can change your valuation multiple How to mine your customer base for new products and services Why a five-year timeline to transform a business from analog to digital is more than enough time to capture the value creation and multiple arbitrage How his company got to the tagline “Enterprise software sucks!” Why the experience and involvement of the general partners at a private equity firm matters How to use your customers and their needs as the backbone of your digital transformation Things to think about when you are trying to determine how much equity you should be rolling back into your business What makes companies consider becoming a SaaS business Are You Growing The Value of Your Business Take The 2-Minute Assessment To Get Your Intentional Growth Score™ And 1-Page Vision Board. Are your company's current initiatives intentionally designed to increase the value of the business? Do you know what you want from your business long term and why? Do you know what your company is worth? Do you know the differences between Management, Family Transitions, PE Firms, ESOPs and Strategic Buyers? Does the business have a written strategic plan on how to achieve the desired normalized EBITDA and valuation? About the Guest: Corey Tollefson is co-founder and general partner at Arcspring, a PE firm that invests in companies that should be software companies, and has over 20 years of experience in the software and technology industry. He’s on the Board of Advisors for #YesWecode, Sezzle and PLNIFY. Previously, Corey was senior vice president and general manager at Infor and group vice president at Oracle. He also has a BSc in Marketing and Management Information Systems from the G.R. Herberger College of Business at Saint Cloud State University. Quotes: 06:57 - “To really own an industry and to become dominant in an industry, you have to have micro-vertical solutions.” – Corey Tollefson 07:21 - “The more you can speak to run

Software and tech companies get much higher valuations than traditional service-based companies because these “digital” companies are valued on a multiple of revenue instead of a multiple of EBITDA. This huge difference in how the business is valued provides a unique opportunity to reap high financial rewards by transforming old analog businesses into technology companies. Today’s guest, Corey Tollefson of ArcSpring, shares how his company combines capital, technology, operational expertise, and design to unlock exponential growth in traditional businesses. He and his team of rock stars (a bunch of heavy hitters from Oracle and Infor) are creating real value—and multiple arbitrage—by investing in companies they think should be software companies. What You Will Learn In Today's Podcast Interview What ‘Analog to Digital’ (A2D) means and how it impacts the value of a business Why transforming an analogue business into a technology business changes the valuation methodology How ArcSpring scales their portfolio companies by focusing on ‘micro-verticals’ The difference between a spreadsheet jockey private equity firm and one that has an operations background How ArcSpring defines digital transformation Why ArcSpring bought the largest flag football league in the area and how they scaled it by integrated technology Why having—or upgrading—an ERP system is not the type of technology that can change your valuation multiple How to mine your customer base for new products and services Why a five-year timeline to transform a business from analog to digital is more than enough time to capture the value creation and multiple arbitrage How his company got to the tagline “Enterprise software sucks!” Why the experience and involvement of the general partners at a private equity firm matters How to use your customers and their needs as the backbone of your digital transformation Things to think about when you are trying to determine how much equity you should be rolling back into your business What makes companies consider becoming a SaaS business Are You Growing The Value of Your Business Take The 2-Minute Assessment To Get Your Intentional Growth Score™ And 1-Page Vision Board. Are your company's current initiatives intentionally designed to increase the value of the business? Do you know what you want from your business long term and why? Do you know what your company is worth? Do you know the differences between Management, Family Transitions, PE Firms, ESOPs and Strategic Buyers? Does the business have a written strategic plan on how to achieve the desired normalized EBITDA and valuation? About the Guest: Corey Tollefson is co-founder and general partner at Arcspring, a PE firm that invests in companies that should be software companies, and has over 20 years of experience in the software and technology industry. He’s on the Board of Advisors for #YesWecode, Sezzle and PLNIFY. Previously, Corey was senior vice president and general manager at Infor and group vice president at Oracle. He also has a BSc in Marketing and Management Information Systems from the G.R. Herberger College of Business at Saint Cloud State University. Quotes: 06:57 - “To really own an industry and to become dominant in an industry, you have to have micro-vertical solutions.” – Corey Tollefson 07:21 - “The more you can speak to ru

Today on the show Jayson is doing his Beat the Buzzer gameshow style event again! In which audience members come onto the stage and practice pitching their business in 45 seconds or less. If they fail to beat the time limit, they will hear a buzzer and will be cut off.After hearing the pitch, the hosts will pick apart the pitches and offer constructive criticism in order to improve in the future. If you’re looking to improve your business’ pitch tune in to this week's live episode of True Underdog on Clubhouse. **Meet the Panel** Glenn Stearns Glenn is an entrepreneur, mentor and philanthropist.He is the founder of Stearns Lending, an American wholesale, retail and correspondent lender one of the largest mortgage lenders in the US.Stearns not only survived the 2007 mortgage-lending crisis but it emerged even stronger as one of the top lenders in the country.Glenn attributes his resilience to putting “people before profit” and having transparent integrity in lending standards.Since 2010, Stearns Lending LLC has funded over 30-billion dollars in loans. Cheryl Contee Founder and Chair of Do Big Things, a women-owned and women-led, creative digital agency that brings together a diverse team that uses new narrative and new tech like blockchain, AI, bots and machine learning to make the world a better place for everyone. Author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success - a best-selling guide on how to navigate Silicon Valley and startup culture like a pro to ensure your startup’s success.Co-founder of Attentive.ly - a groundbreaking social marketing software and the first tech startup with a black female founder on board in history to be acquired by a NASDAQ-traded companyCheryl is also a proud co-founder of #YesWeCode, a movement representing low opportunity youth as they achieve high-quality tech careers. Links:  Follow True Underdog on IG: www.instagram.com/true_underdogReach out to Jayson directly at jayson@trueunderdog.comFollow Jayson on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayson-waller-/Follow Jayson on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaysonwallerbamCheck out our website to meet the team, view show notes and transcripts: www.trueunderdog.com

On this episode of the Dr. Funk Show, we talk with Van Jones about his relationship with the music icon PRINCE along with the movements #Yeswecode and Prince's charitable causes that Van was a part of plus all things purple.... 2 donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/drfunkpodcast venmo: Drfunkenberry cashapp: $drfunkenberry

Hello and welcome to the Diverse VC business podcast where social is the new capital. I'm your host Alec Taylor, the Founder of Diverse VC. This is Part 2 of a two-part series with Cheryl Contee. Cheryl Contee is the award-winning CEO and co-founder of Do Big Things, a digital agency that creates a new narrative and new tech for a new era focused on causes and campaigns. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success. Cheryl is also the co-founder of Fission which helped the world's leading non-profits & foundations design digital ecosystems that create change globally. Cheryl was a co-founder of social marketing software Attentive.ly at Blackbaud & is the first tech startup with a black female founder on board in history to be acquired by a NASDAQ-traded company. Her company Fission helped write the early source code for Crowdtangle, earning sweat equity in a successful social enterprise startup acquired by Facebook in Dec 2016. Cheryl is proud to be a co-founder of the tech inclusion initiative #YesWeCode. Thanks for listening to the DiverseVC Business Podcast! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/diversevc/support

Hello and welcome to the Diverse VC business podcast where social is the new capital. I'm your host Alec Taylor, the Founder of Diverse VC. This is Part 1 of a two-part series with Cheryl Contee. Cheryl Contee is the award-winning CEO and co-founder of Do Big Things, a digital agency that creates a new narrative and new tech for a new era focused on causes and campaigns. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success. Cheryl is also the co-founder of Fission which helped the world's leading non-profits & foundations design digital ecosystems that create change globally. Cheryl was a co-founder of social marketing software Attentive.ly at Blackbaud & is the first tech startup with a black female founder on board in history to be acquired by a NASDAQ-traded company. Her company Fission helped write the early source code for Crowdtangle, earning sweat equity in a successful social enterprise startup acquired by Facebook in Dec 2016. Cheryl is proud to be a co-founder of the tech inclusion initiative #YesWeCode. Thanks for listening to the DiverseVC Business Podcast! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/diversevc/support

Idalin Bobé is an IT consultant and founder and Co-Director of TechActivist.org. Her passion is in bridging the digital divide among hard-to-reach populations and creating more technical community-driven leaders. Originally from the North Side of Philadelphia, Idalin has impacted thousands of men, women and children globally with her work in tech literacy and empowerment. Her work includes spearheading tech initiatives within organizations like Hands Up United, India Rise, Black Girls CODE, Qeyno Labs Hackathons, and #YesWeCode. Idalin is a rising social entrepreneur, whose work has positioned her at the forefront as an innovative leader in technology, activism and community development.

Cheryl Contee is the CEO and co-founder of Do Big Things, which brings together a diverse team that uses new narrative and new tech like blockchain, AI, and machine learning to make the world a better place for everyone. Cheryl is also the author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success, a best-selling guide on how to navigate Silicon Valley and startup culture like a pro to ensure your startup’s success. Cheryl was the co-founder and CEO of Fission Strategy and the groundbreaking social marketing software Attentive.ly. Attenive.ly was the first tech startup with a black female founder on board in history to be acquired by a NASDAQ-traded company. Cheryl is proud to be a co-founder of #YesWeCode, which represents the movement to help low opportunity youth achieve high-quality tech careers. Cheryl has been listed among The Influencers 50 in Campaigns and Elections magazine. Huffington Post included her as one of the Top 27 Female Founders in Tech to Follow on Twitter. Fast Company named her one of their 2010 Most Influential Women in Tech. In this episode we go over Cheryl's story of Overcoming adversity as a minority and woman in the Silicon Valley startup culture How to be a successful leader for your startup Who and when to hire your first employee The mindset to be successful in spite of obstacles stacked against you Please leave a rating and review on iTunes! http://bit.ly/UnleashSuccessReview Subscribe to the Podcast at  http://www.unleashsuccess.com/podcasts http://bit.ly/UnleashSuccessYoutube Connect with Cheryl Contee https://twitter.com/ch3ryl https://www.instagram.com/cherylcontee/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylcontee/ Get Cheryl's bestseller on Amazon- Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success https://amzn.to/2IRW7dZ Connect with Corey Corpodian! Email: Corey@unleashsuccess.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoreyCorpodian/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/coreycorpodian/

It’s time to get real about being a Black entrepreneur, especially in startup culture. Most entrepreneurial teachers (those who are white) do not speak to the experiences and challenges we face when adding race and gender to the mix. The old advice and the old paradigms don’t work for us. As Black people we typically enter entrepreneurship with less access, resources, and a smaller network than our white counterparts. In this episode Cheryl Contee, author of the newly released book Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success, joins me to discuss how to navigate startup culture as a Black or Black female entrepreneur. Learn what you need to be aware of, how to operate from OUR experiences and not the assumed white experience, and how to break old ways of approaching business that are ultimately holding us back! Cheryl Contee is the award-winning CEO of the digital agency Do Big Things, a diverse team that is using a new narrative and new tech to create global change in a new era. Previously, Cheryl was CEO of Fission Strategy, which brought Silicon Valley startup culture to the world’s leading causes and campaigns. She’s the cofounder of Attentive.ly, the first tech startup with a black female founder to be acquired by a NASDAQ company; the national board chair for Netroots Nation, an affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society; and a proud cofounder of #YesWeCode. Mechanical Bull by Cheryl Contee is available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback. Connect with Cheryl at: DoBigThings.Today Instagram.com/cherylcontee Twitter.com/ch3ryl Please share this episode with others! Make sure you subscribe, and rate and review the show to help others find it! Get your Create Your Future Vision - Free Workbook for Black Creatives at: www.kristiniris.com/vision Support the production of this podcast on my Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/melanatedrising

In this episode, we talk to Vien Truong who is the CEO of The Dream Corps, a nonprofit, a social justice accelerator. Among the things Vien shares is #YesWeCode, their remarkable and empowering project that aims to create more diversity in the tech sector. Listen now!

Kelley O. Williams is the co-creator of the Paige & Paxton Elementary STEM curriculum. While working for signature companies such as American Express and JPMorgan Chase, Kelley led nationally recognized STEM pipeline programs for girls and youth of color as one of the founding team members of the New York Chapter of Black Girls Code. She was also a lead member of the planning team for #YesWeCode youth hackathons, designed to expose middle and high school students to opportunities in computer science. Full show notes: https://blacktechunplugged.com/2017/08/10/ep-03-kelley-o-williams-unplugged/ To leave a review of the podcast on iTunes go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/black-tech-unplugged/id1244622242?mt=2

Kelvin Lightner is a software engineer apprentice at Intuit and a graduate of Dev Bootcamp. Prior to tech, Kelvin has a double major in Legal Studies and Economics from UC Berkeley and he worked as a consultant at Deloitte. A true lover of logic, he jumped from management consulting to tech with this strong belief that the end does not justify the means. Kevin has drawn great support from #YesWeCode, an organization that helps people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the tech space.

CNN commentator, former Obama administration "Green Jobs" advisor, and founder of Dream Corps, Van Jones stopped by the offices to talk about his #YesWeCode initiative to make the tech industry more diverse. This was an AMAZING interview that veered off into some big topics (as it always does) including the root of global populist movements on the left and right, how technology has exasperated our extreme partisanship, and the time he completely geeked out when meeting Prince for the first time. Also he called (the newly jobless) Bill O'Reilly a "dick"! Check this one out! PCMag.com is your ultimate destination for tech reviews and news. Subscribe to our videos here: https://goo.gl/JfBShr Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PCMag Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PCMag Gawk at our photos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pcmagofficial Get our latest tips and tricks on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pcmag

#YesWeCode’s National Director, Felix Flores discussing how inspiring youth innovation supports education beyond the classroom. #YesWeCode is a Dream Corps initiative that works with partners to help connect 100,000 underrepresented minorities to careers in technology.

Growing up in one of the poorest zip codes in the U.S., Idalin wanted to bring change and put social justice in the forefront. From North Philly to Cali, Idalin wanted to break into tech so she could bring resources back to her neighborhood. Today, Idalin works as a Senior IT consultant at ThoughtWorks, which is known for having the toughest screening and interview process out of all tech companies. She is also part of ThoughtWork’s social justice team working as a tech activist where she is bringing computer education to the folks on the front lines fighting for justice and organize community-driven leaders around the world in efforts addressing the needs of black and brown people. Idalin has partnered with different organizations such as Black Girls Code, Qeyno Labs, and #YesWeCode in her aim of making an impact on the world through computer and security education.

Segment 1: Van Jones discusses politics and the current Presidential election. He also chats about his non-profit orgs such as #YesWeCode and bringing the digital community to inner city youth. Co-hosted by Joelle Monique Segment 2: Megalyn Echikunwoke the star of the CW Seed series Vixen chats about her role and her upcoming guest star role as Mari McCabe in live action form in Arrow. Co-hosted by Grace Gipson and Joelle Monique Segment 3: Steve Harper is the creator of the new webseries SEND ME, about time travel for Black people back into slavery. Liz Femi a star of the series joins us to talk about the show and its message for viewers. Co-hosted by Joelle Monique and Kayla Sutton Van Jones segment edited by MR Daniel @mrdaniel_then SEND ME segment edited by John Bauer Music By: Sammus, SkyBlew, and Shubzilla

Van Jones, Founder, #YesWeCode Van Jones is a visionary leader at the forefront of the social, economic, environmental and racial justice movements of the last 20 years. He is the founder of #YesWeCode, a national initiative to help train 100,000 low-opportunity youth code to become high-level computer coders. Jones is also the president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, a platform for bottom-up, people-powered innovations to help fix the U.S. economy. A Yale-educated attorney, Jones has written two New York Times best sellers: The Green Collar Economy, the definitive book on green jobs, and Rebuild the Dream, a roadmap for progressives in 2012 and beyond. In 2009, Jones worked as the green jobs advisor to the Obama White House. He helped run the inter-agency process that oversaw $80 billion in green energy recovery spending.

Join us on this special episode EYL where we sit down with the renowned Van Jones. A beacon in social entrepreneurship, CNN commentator, co-founder of Reform, and an advocate for justice and empowerment, Van Jones dives deep into his journey of creating substantial change in society.In 2021, Jeff Bezos awarded Van with the Courage and Civility Award, accompanied by a whopping $100 million grant. In his first on-camera interview about this grant, Van shares his visionary plans to invest in projects aimed at disrupting poverty, transforming the prison industry, and uplifting marginalized communities. From innovations like "Beat The Block" to strategic alliances with public figures such as JAY-Z, Meek Mill, and Prince, his endeavors shine a light on pathways out of systemic disenfranchisement and toward collective prosperity.Apart from these ventures, Van's legacy includes pioneering projects like the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, Green For All, #YesWeCode, and more. His accolades range from the Lumiere Award to an Emmy, reflecting his dedicAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy