Insights
Personal Growth
From the real-world impact of AI and the rise of operator-investors, to the growing influence of women and underestimated founders in the funding landscape. Sarah breaks down what’s happening beyond Silicon Valley, explore how capital and media now move together, and spotlight the billion-dollar ideas driving the next wave of innovation.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups
Coming into Her Own with Rachel Lim
In 2005, three Singaporean teenagers set up a secondhand clothes blog. They didn't realize it at the time, but it laid the framework for this multi-million dollar empire, one of the largest omnichannel womenswear brands in Southeast Asia, that has gone global, delivering to 18 countries with its most recent pop up store in SoHo New York. This week we dive into the story of Love, Bonito, in the business of serving the modern Asian women; which last raised a $50M Series C in 2021 led by Primavera Capital Group, China’s second-largest private-equity firm which previously invested in Alibaba and ByteDance. We chat with Love Bonito’s co-founder Rachel Lim about risking her mother’s entire savings to overcoming jealousy of her new CEO and finding herself as a leader even as they scale profits, revenues and markets, and build to an exit for their investors. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Pivot or Persevere? Being a Growth Company CEO w Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera
Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. ELSA, an AI-powered learning app, provides users with an interactive and personalized approach to improving English pronunciation,
50 million users later, over $27 million dollars raised, with investors including Gradient Ventures, Google’s dedicated AI fund, this is a conversation not to be missed.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Unleashing Africa’s Tech Potential: Investing in Emerging Markets with Eunice Ajim
Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. ELSA, an AI-powered learning app, provides users with an interactive and personalized approach to improving English pronunciation,
50 million users later, over $27 million dollars raised, with investors including Gradient Ventures, Google’s dedicated AI fund, this is a conversation not to be missed.
- Personal Growth
Redefining Work for the Next Generation
“Give them some purpose, unlimited vacation time, free food, and beanbags.”
🙄 Yet why are workers still unhappy and disengaged?
😳 40% of workers say they're likely to leave their current job in the next 3-6 months
📈 The voluntary quit rate is the highest it's ever been since pre-pandemic levels.
In this piece on The Hustle, I explore a question I get asked often:
"What exactly does the next generation workforce want from me?"
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
The Unstoppable Power of Web3, Scaling Amazon with Jeff Bezos and the Future of Online Identity with Sandy Carter
From building emerging tech in IBM to working with Jeff Bezos and Andy Jessy, being a part of scaling Amazon from a $12 Billion to $80 Billion company; tech pioneer and trailblazer, CNN’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech Sandy Carter is now betting big on Web3: as COO of Unstoppable Domains, a platform for user-owned digital identity that hit the unicorn status last year led with a round led by Pantera Capital.
Today we break some exciting news by Unstoppable Domains launching, discuss the viability of Web 3.0 and how it is creating new business opportunities and reshaping the way we think about commerce, entertainment, and social interaction.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
From Underestimated to 50 Million+ Users: Leveraging AI to Empower with Vu Van, ELSA
Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. ELSA, an AI-powered learning app, provides users with an interactive and personalized approach to improving English pronunciation,
50 million users later, over $27 million dollars raised, with investors including Gradient Ventures, Google’s dedicated AI fund, this is a conversation not to be missed.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Leaving a $250 Million Fund: Ollen Douglass Speaks Out about being a Black Man in Venture Capital, the Power of Diversity to Drive Returns
Ollen Douglass is a name that many have come to recognize in the venture industry, in particular for building the first venture fund for the Motley Fool; a popular news and media platform providing investing insights and financial advice to millions of people for over 25 years. But his story takes an unexpected twist as he walks away from a $250 million outfit he helped start. His abrupt departure left industry insiders hungry for answers. And today, he's here to reveal in his own words what happened and why; and importantly we’ll chat about his mission to challenge the status quo as a Black man in this industry.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Why Early Specialization doesn’t Guarantee Career Success with David Epstein, Global Bestselling Author, Range
"But I'm way too late to be successful"
For as long as we can remember, we've been told that if you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start.
But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule. I chat with two-time Best-Selling Author, David Epstein about the power of Range; and how being multi-faceted is a plus; and how you too, can benefit from it in your life on #BillionDollarMoves.