The Silicon Valley Podcast

133 The Best Communicators Win with Brian Sparkes!

133 The Best Communicators Win with Brian Sparkes!
 
Brian Sparkes is an experienced consultant with a demonstrated history of working in higher education, and startup culture. Experienced in high stakes communication, presentation skills, strengthening emotional intelligence in leadership and teams, business development, building business culture, community and social capital.
 
We talk about
 
How does one emotionally connect with their message?
How to tailor a presentation with who you are talking to?
How is it best to tailor the message on each slide of a pitch deck?
When should one start to practice their communication skill...
And much more
 
 
Connect with Brian Sparkes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian%F0%9F%92%A5-sparkes-9967a8a0/
 

132 From For Profit to Non-Profit and everything In-between With Maya Tussing

Maya Tussing Bio
Maya is a Partner of Fairlight Advisors which helps nonprofit leaders fulfill their mission with first-class financial and investment solutions honed while working at the most respected institutions in the world. Prior to Fairlight, Maya was the Head of BlackRock’s Institutional Index Allocation Group, where her team managed over $200B across all asset classes, investment styles and vehicles. Over the last 20 years, Maya has held senior risk management roles at firms such as BlackRock, Barclays Global Investors, Visa, and GE Capital. Additionally, she has coached hundreds of men and women at all levels of corporate and non-profit organizations to achieve personal and professional success and satisfaction. Maya is a graduate of Pomona College and holds an MBA in international finance from the University of Washington.
 
We talk about
 
Has Silicon Valley become risk adverse?
How does interest rates impact fundraising for companies in Silicon Valley?
What lessons can founders of for-profit companies take from non-profits and vice-versa?
What happens when multiple nonprofits collide?
 
And much more
 
 
Connect with Maya Tussing
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-lis-tussing/
 
https://www.fairlightadvisors.com/

131 Technology beyond Government with Dimitri Kusnezov

131 Technology beyond Government with Dimitri Kusnezov
.
Dr. Dmitri Kusnezov received A.B. degrees in Physics and in Pure Mathematics with highest honors from UC Berkeley. Following a year of research at the Institut fur Kernphysik, KFA-Julich, in Germany, he attended Princeton University earning his MS in Physics and Ph.D. in Theoretical Nuclear Physics. At Michigan State University, he conducted postdoctoral research and then became an instructor.
In 1991, he joined the faculty of Yale University as an assistant professor in physics, becoming an associate professor in 1996. He has served as a visiting professor at numerous universities around the world. Dr. Kusnezov has published over 100 articles and a book.
He joined federal service at the National Nuclear Security Administration in late 2001 and is a member of the Senior Executive Service and is also a Visiting Researcher at Yale. He currently serves as Deputy Under Secretary for A.I. and Technology. 
 
 
We talk about
 
How did culture have to evolve to be conducive for discovery to take place?
How is technology being utilized in decision making at all levels in the government?
How does one make complex decisions?
How can a young company get access to Washington DC resources and connections?
And much more
 
 
Connect with Dimitri Kusnezov 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitri-kusnezov-097a9b68/
 

130 Creating the Microprocessor and beyond with Marcian ”Ted” Hoff

Marcian Ted Hoff
130 Creating the Microprocessor and beyond with Marcian "Ted" Hoff
BIOGRAPHY OF MARCIAN E. HOFF
 
Dr. Marcian Edward "Ted" Hoff was born in Rochester, New York.  His degrees include a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York,  (1958) and  an MS (1959) and a Ph.D. (1962), both in Electrical Engineering, from Stanford University, Stanford, California.  In the 1959-1960 time frame he and his professor, Bernard Widrow, co-developed the LMS adaptive algorithm which is used in many modern communication systems, e.g. adaptive equalizers and noise-cancelling systems.
 
In 1968 he joined Intel Corporation as Manager of Applications Research and in 1969 proposed the architecture for the first monolithic microprocessor or computer central processor on a single chip, the Intel 4004, which was announced in 1971.  He contributed to several other microprocessor designs, and then in 1975 started a group at Intel to develop products for telecommunications.  His group produced the first commercially- available monolithic telephone CODEC, the first commercially-available switched-capacitor filter and one of the earliest digital signal processing chips, the Intel 2920.  He became the first Intel Fellow when the position was created in 1980.
 
In 1983 he joined Atari as Vice President of Corporate Research and Development.  In 1984 he left Atari to become an independent consultant.  In 1986 he joined Teklicon, a company specializing in assistance to attorneys dealing with intellectual property litigation, as Chief Technologist, where he remained until he retired in 2007.
 
He has been recognized with numerous awards, primarily for his microprocessor contributions.  Those awards include the Kyoto Prize, the Stuart Ballantine Medal and Certificate of Merit from the Franklin Institute, induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame, the George R. Stivitz Computer Pioneer Award, the Semiconductor Industry 50th Anniversary Award, the Eduard Rhein Foundation Technology Award, the Ron Brown Innovation Award, the Davies Medal and induction into their Hall of Fame from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
 
He has been recognized with several IEEE awards including the Cledo Brunetti Award (1980), the Centennial Medal (1984), and the James Clerk Maxwell Award (2011).   He was made a Fellow of the IEEE in 1982 "for the conception and development of the microprocessor" and is now a Life Fellow.  He is a named inventor or co-inventor on 17 United States patents and author or co-author of more than 40 technical papers and articles.
 
 
 
We talk about
 
How do you see the value of IP?
what should investors be thinking when they are studying a company’s IP?  
What technologies were developed long ago that we are just now starting to see or as a society to adopt?
What was it like being one the inventors of the microprocessor?
How did Intel grow after the invention of the 4004
How have “Innovation” in Silicon Valley Changed over the decades
 
And much more...
 
Connect with Marcian “Ted” Hoff
Best to connect through Mike, President of Intel Alumni
(2) Mike Trainor | LinkedIn
 

129 Investing in Deep Tech with Deepak Gupta

Deepak Gupta
 
Deepak is a Managing Partner at Blue Bear Ventures (BVB), a seed fund investing in Applied Biology and Sustainable Economy startups emerging out of top-tier research universities in the US. He is also a startup leadership coach and coaches’ founders through their entrepreneurial journey. As a trusted advisor, he helps individuals with functional expertise in every facet of startup operations, from C-level support to finance and accounting, from fundraising to culture development, and everything else in between.
 
 
We talk about
What milestones should a company hit before going out for an A round?
What is Venture Debt?
How has deep tech changed in the last 20 years?
How does an investor plan out their milestones?
 
And much more...
 
Connect with Deepak Gupta
@DGuptaSF
deepak.gupta@bbv.io
linkedin.com/in/deepaksgupta

128 Step-by-step fundraising process with Nathan Beckord

128 Step-by-step fundraising process with Nathan Beckord
Nathan Beckord
Earlier in my career, I started two companies, an early web catalog provider and a clinical trial software company. I also worked in investment banking, and was involved in three technology IPOs and nearly 40 acquisitions.On the content side, I produce the popular "How I Raised it" podcast found on iTunes, SoundCloud and Spotify. I also organize various startup events such as FundingV2.com, StartupBD.com and StartupExits.com. Previously, with Pivotal Labs, I produced the ProjectStartup series.I have an MBA in Entrepreneurship, a BSC in Finance, and I am a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). I'm on the Board of Hands On Bay Area, a non-profit. Aside from startups, my passion is sailing, and I've logged more than 10,000 coastal and offshore nautical miles. My longest sail was a 22-day non-stop Pacific Ocean crossing to French Polynesia. Currently, I race on a Knarr team in the SF Bay.Other adventures include climbing 19,340-ft. Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and trekking in Peru, Chile, New Zealand and the Himalayas of Nepal. I’ve also toured the U.S., Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, and Nicaragua by motorcycle.Specialties: Venture capital, startups, entrepreneurial finance, business planning, business development, financial modeling, raising capital, corporate development, strategic partnerships and alliances, exit strategy, startup acquisitions, pitch coaching, investor presentations, startup strategy, go to market planning, startup M&A, private equity, angel capital.
Foundersuite brings structure, speed and efficiency to fundraising and investor relations. Used by 2500+ startups worldwide including those in YCombinator, Techstars, 500 Startups, FundersClub and more, Foundersuite also has product features for investment bankers, VCs and funding advisors.Features Include:- Investor CRM- Investor Database- Investor Updates- Pitch Deck Hosting- Send Email Tools- Deal Docs- Founders Market- Virtual Data RoomI mainly work with early stage Internet, B2B software, mobile, and consumer product startups, and I have a strong interest in platforms, markets, and networks.
 
 
We talk about
 
Why are such a small percentage of companies able to raise any type of funding?
If there was one key difference that sticks out between a company that can raise funding and one can’t, what would it be?
Which fundraising steps do startup founders skip or have the most issues with?
During the outreach, how often should one be updating the materials they are sending, and should they be customized depending on who it is being sent to or is that too time consuming?
What are all the documents a startup should have ready when they go out to raise capital
 
And much more...
 
Connect with Nathan Beckord
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbeckord/
nathan@foundersuite.com
https://foundersuite.com/

127 Always Giving with Amazon Worldwide Head of EPIC Leadership & Chief Evangelist Richard Hua

Richard Hua
Worldwide Head of EPIC Leadership & Chief EQ Evangelist at Amazon
Proven leader with extensive experience in leading large, complex and globally distributed organizations. Developed and implemented innovative expansion strategies and groundbreaking programs across two continents. Possesses outstanding skill in evangelizing ideas, mentoring empathically, building teams and leading change initiatives, which transformed multiple organizations from bottom tier performers to top tier performers. Globally respected speaker with audiences as large as 10,000. Consistent track record of exceeding expectations for revenue goals and achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Spearheaded training programs to evangelize cloud solutions, both with internal audiences and with external customers. Regularly commended by customers and colleagues for ability to add value through technical knowledge, communication skills, and mentoring expertise. Founded the Amazon Culture of Innovation program in the SF Bay Area and regularly present innovation briefings to senior executives of the world's largest corporations. Launched emotional intelligence training programs at multiple companies which have impacted thousands of people across by enabling their professional, personal, and interpersonal success. Highly refined ability to synthesize information and communicate insights and solutions. Utilized this skill to earn a perfect score of 1600 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Earned a Bachelor’s of Science with Honors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Awarded the university’s most prestigious distinction, the Regents’ & Chancellor’s Scholarship.
 
On today Show we Talk about:
We dive into what is the Amazon “6 pager” and how it is used to propose a new idea?
What are the 4-pillars of innovation?
What is “Day 1” of the internet?
How should someone train their mind to make it through tough times?
 
 
Connect with Rich Hua
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richhua/
richhua@amazon.com
richardhua.co  
 
Sam Wong
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wong-startup/
sam@execmatters.com
https://www.fundablestartups.com/

126 From Special Forces to Entrepreneur with Jason Wolf

Jason Wolf Bio
 
From my days as a young officer in the special forces, to work with breakthrough startups and at-risk youth today, through many tech start-up and executive roles, I seek to make a positive impact on the world around me.I am passionate about translating grand visions into effective strategies, execution frameworks, and teamwork that lead to financially and socially impactful success!
 
We talk about
Lessons learned from a entrepreneur father.
What skills transfer from the Special Forces into the startup world?
What its like to be at a company the raises a billion dollars only to collapse?
What is the importance and people and a network in a company?
How is AI helping to secure people?
And much more...
 
Connect with Jason Wolf
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsnwlf/
jason@shulia.com
Home | Genie (lifesgenie.com)

Ep 125 Investing for Impact with Jeep Kline

Show notes for Jeep Kline
Venture Capital Opportunities in Southeast Asia and more with Jeep Kline
Jeep Kline who it the first Thailand Venture Capitalist, her experiences include creating a startup, taking a leadership role in technology companies, and managing Big Data at The World Bank (and teaching at Hass school of business at Berkeley.  She enjoys applying strategies and analytics to solve difficult problems and create meaningful impacts.
 
On today Show we Talk about:
For emerging countries is impact investing particularly important and if so why or why not?
How should one look at a company to scale it and grow it globally?
Does ESG investing impact how a company can scale?
Of ESG, which of those three components will it be hardest for startups to fulfill? 
 
Connect with Jeep
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeepkline/
Clubhouse @jeepkline 
Twitter @jeep_kline 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jeepkline

Ep 124 Agile Merger & Acquisition Process with Kison Patel

Kison PatelIn a world of increasing technological disruption, M&A is becoming necessary in order to stay relevant. However, these transactions are failing because important deal processes, such as diligence and integration, are being poorly conducted and without proven techniques for success.
As a former M&A advisor, I’ve seen these challenges first hand and set out to develop tools and techniques that address these industry failings and enable M&A practitioners to drive growth and maximize value.
On today Show we Talk about:
What is needed to have a successful Agile Process in an M&A deal?How impactful is poor process management in a deal?How important is integration in value creation?What questions should a team ask themselves before the deal closes about the integrations?And much more.... 
Connect with Kison Patel
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kisonpatel/kison@dealroom.netM&A Science | Technology, Training, & a Community for M&A (mascience.com)