Insights
Venture Capital
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, 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.
- 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.
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Investing with Penny Pritzker and Building a Robust Venture & Growth Practice with Momei Qu, MD, PSP Partners
“We’ve definitely had conversations in the past where within 10 minutes; the founder goes ‘we’re oversubscribed; are you in or are you out?’
For those we’ve said, we’re out”
The pressure cooker looks different in venture & growth these days; far from the highs of when the cost of capital was zero!
Momei Qu was on #BillionDollarMoves to discuss:
- The fundamentals of B2B SAAS,
what’s changing with market dynamics
- If we’re over our skis with AI
- What it takes to build a robust venture & growth equity practice PSP Partners
- Learning from and investing with a trailblazer, Penny Pritzker
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Scaling to $2 billion, Backed By Oprah and Finally Getting to His Why
Nearly 25% of fruits and vegetables are lost globally, and a shocker to some North America is among the global regions with the highest level of food waste. For the company Apeel — mitigating food waste is a multi trillion dollar market opportunity they’re working on, made even more critical by the pandemic.
To keep fruits lasting longer, Apeel has engineered an edible coating product made from plant materials that can make fruit last two to three times as long and is today is commercially available for avocados, organic apples and citrus fruits (mandarins, lemons, limes, finger limes).
- Billion Dollar Moves Episodes, Personal Growth, Startups, Venture Capital
Unleashing AI & The Future of XR with Martina Welkhoff
Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm. And with it, a whole conversation surrounding AI, it’s opportunities and yes perils. Well, to go deeper in this, I’m excited to speak with someone who has been working in this space of AI, VR and XR, immersive and extended reality long before it was the hype it is today. Martina Welkhoff, Managing Partner of WXR fund, an early stage fund that invests in two of the greatest opportunities of our time: the next wave of computing + female entrepreneurs; with companies like Obsess AI, BODs and Embodied labs in her portfolio.
- Personal Growth, Venture Capital
Q1 2023: You’re Holding Yourself Back and Don’t Even Know It, SVB Collapse and Venture Markets
What a wild quarter it has been!
Between the Silicon Valley Bank collapse (and now First Republic Bank on the edge , with the stock now down 95% for the year to date!), ChatGPT taking over and the further fragmentation of our world with US-China tensions increasing, it's been a lot.
Yet, I've been encouraged by a recent read about Jeff Bezos' approach that I'm implementing to balance out the constant that is change:
"FOCUS ON WHAT DOESN'T CHANGE"
Jeff Bezos, known for his long-term value focus once said, "I very frequently get asked about what's going to change in the next ten years, and almost never - what's not going to change".