The Silicon Valley Podcast
We open a window into the minds of the most successful leaders, investors, creators, and inventors — sharing Silicon Valley business acumen with entrepreneurs around the world. Silicon Valley ”Podcast Must Follow” - Feedspot
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Episodes
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Rich Razgaitis has been passionate about building brands and teams. Since 2002, he has served in CEO/president-level roles in several venture capital backed start-ups, privately held turnaround and growth companies, and he brings insight from those experiences to his work today at FloWater.
Raz was the CEO of several consumer-tech companies, including DealOn, an e-commerce company that developed the Web’s first deal-commerce exchange, and another, MyTownPerks, which built the first PCI-complaint, cloud-based loyalty program for B2B. (Both companies were subsequently acquired.)
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What is the current problem with the “state of water” domestically and globally?
What are the challenges of a hardware company when it comes to cash flow?
How is a hardware company’s growth different than a software company?
How are “refill stations” positioned as smart devices?
What is the big vision and big events for the company Environmental Tech in 2020?
Help us out!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
Find out more about FloWater
Follow FloWater on Twitter
Follow FloWater on Instagram
Email FloWater
CONNECT WITH RAZ
Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Crystal McKellar is the Founder and Managing Partner of Anathem Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in companies that have developed breakthrough technology that they are pragmatically leveraging to win and own uncrowded, high-margin markets. Crystal currently serves on the board of Cooler Heads, and previously served as a board member at Siren, Neurable, and DoubleDutch (acquired by Cvent) and as a board observer at Fractyl.
Crystal is a Kauffman Fellows Mentor, and has served as a mentor to the TechStars MetLife Digital Accelerator and the Ad Astra tech incubator program. Crystal is a proud member of All Raise and is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and innovation at technology conferences and finance events.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
When raising a fund, what recommendations are there for first-time fundraisers?
What are the relationship dynamics between a Venture Capitalist and the Limited Partners (LPs)?
The life of a VC, how is it really? What are some of the positives and negatives of the role?
What are the advantages of keeping the fund size small?
We would like to thank Maya Tussing for making the introduction which allowed for today’s episode. Thank you for the support!
HELP US OUT!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
CONNECT WITH CRYSTAL
LinkedIn| Website | Email
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we’re happy to chat with Nichole Yembra. Nichole is the Founder and Managing Director of The Chrysalis Co which houses The Chrysalis Capital, a new $15M Africa and Diaspora early stage tech fund and The Chrysalis Advisors, a strategy and investment advisory firm.
In addition to this work, Nichole is deeply committed to making gender diversity a priority within the financial-technology 'fintech' space in Nigeria and enhancing opportunities for women in leadership. She founded the Garden Women's Network, a group dedicated to the development and retention of high-performing women in the Nigerian tech ecosystem.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What’s it like to be a minority Female Venture Capitalist raising a fund to invest in African Startups?
Does a typical Silicon Valley Venture Capital fund structure work in Africa?
Which countries in Africa have a thriving startup ecosystem?
What are some difficulties facing African entrepreneurs?
How do African startups expand into new markers?
We would like to thank Nigel Salina who made the introduction that allowed the interview to happen.
HELP US OUT!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
CONNECT WITH NICHOLE
LinkedIn | Twitter | Email
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we sit down with Kelly Coyne who is deeply immersed in the Silicon Valley start-up community. Having grown multiple start-ups from conception to over $100M valuations, she is a leading Go-To-Market expert. After earning her MBA from Oxford University, Kelly served at the helm of several early-stage hardware companies (Lily, Mimosa, Candl) and advised many others.
Kelly has broad technology experience, but specializes in guiding Robotics, AI, AR/VR and computer vision companies from concept to launch. She has tremendous experience managing successful betas, developing use cases, connecting products to the right customers, and leading successful product launches. She has also seen some of the extreme pitfalls of SV start-ups - this unique knowledge helps her guide new companies to success. She is a Techstars and Oxford Creative Destruction Labs mentor.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How have the VCs changed over time in relation to their paths and career backgrounds before becoming a VC?
What are the skills or knowledge that is going to be key to be a successful VC in the future?
What does it look like to be a fundable pre-seed hardware company?
What are the two largest issues that early-stage robotics and artificial intelligence startups face?
What is “humanized AI”?
HELP US OUT!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
Guest
Kelly Coyne on Linkedin
GritVentures.com
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today's show, we sit down with Elnaz Sarraf, who is a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in technology, business, sales, and marketing. She is currently the CEO and Founder of ROYBI; an investor backed EdTech company focusing on early childhood education, that recently raised $4.2 million in its seed round. Before starting ROYBI, Elnaz co-founded and led a consumer electronics/IoT company, iBaby, serving as the company's President.
As an immigrant and female founder, Elnaz has made worthy accomplishments in a short duration living in the US. Honors include being selected as Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Milestone Maker 2018, named the Woman of Influence through Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2016 and Entrepreneur of The Year in 2016 in Silicon Valley. She has been a speaker at several conferences such as the Mobile World Congress, ASU GSV Summit, Consumer Technology Association, and more.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How many pitch events or investor meeting might it take to raise capital?
What is it like to raise $4.2 million on just an idea?
Growing a hardware company, what are the struggles one might have to face?
What are some of the limits to Artificial Intelligence and how the collection of data help improves user experiences?
HELP US OUT!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
Guest
Roybi website
Elnaz Sarraf on LinkedIn
Email Elnaz Sarraf
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today's show, we're happy to chat with George Gammon. George Edward Gammon is an American real estate investor and entrepreneur. He produces and stars in the hit reality television series "Vide En Remodelacion," a home remodeling program on the Colombian network Telemedellin.
Prior to 2012, George started, owned, and operated multiple businesses ranging from conventions to advertising. After 12 years as a successful entrepreneur, at the age of 38, George semi-retired and shifted his focus to real estate in the United States. He has recently started focusing on Medellin, Colombia. He has a thriving YouTube Channel and podcast where he focuses on investing and changes in the economy.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What are some of the most difficult milestones for a company?
What is it like for an entrepreneur who is very young and able to retire?
Does investing in Silicon Valley companies make financial sense?
What is the “Everything Bubble”?
What business opportunities are there in Medellin Colombia?
Help us out!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
CONNECT WITH GEORGE
YouTube | Twitter | Email
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we sit down with Bill Reichert. Bill is the Managing Director at Garage Technology Ventures, a seed and early-stage venture capital fund, which invest in extraordinary entrepreneurs with unique technologies that will define the next era of innovation. He takes a hands-on approach from the very beginning, partnering with talented entrepreneurs to transform their vision into reality.
He is an entrepreneur, mentor, author, speaker, board member, adviser, educator, partner, spouse, parent, and general enthusiast. Not always in that order.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What are some of the misunderstandings on trends in technology?
What is the typical view of leadership and why this view is flawed?
What is the difference between innovation and invention?
What are the different types of computing and how will they impact us in the future?
What do you see as the “hot” sector or trend for 2020?
This episode is dedicated to Craig Johnson who had a great influence in Silicon Valley.
Help us out!
Please take a few seconds and leave us a positive review as it helps the show grow and motivates us to create content. Thank you for helping and giving back to the show!
Guest:
Bill Reichert on LinkedIn
Bill Reichert on Twitter
Garage Technology Ventures
Startup World Cup
GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Email: Shawn@TheInvestorsPodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we interview Brett Sharenow. Brett is a trusted advisor on raising capital from VCs, PE, and Angel investors, for start-up, growth, pivot, and exit. Since 1995, he has helped companies raise more than $750 million and have facilitated exits valued at more than $6 billion.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What happens in an analyst meeting?
What is the “ladder” bump in valuation?
How do companies plan out their go-to-market strategies?
What are the 3 C’s that every company needs to have?
What questions do Venture capitalists ask themselves when they are being given a presentation?
Help us out!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
Guest:
Brett Sharenow on LinkedIn
Email Brett Sharenow
Website
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Summary
On today’s show, we interview Brett Sharenow. Brett is a trusted advisor on raising capital from VCs, PE, and Angel investors, for start-up, growth, pivot, and exit. Since 1995, he has helped companies raise more than $750 million and have facilitated exits valued at more than $6 billion.
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we welcome Andreas Ramos. Andreas moved to Silicon Valley in 1992, where he worked in engineering at SGI, SUN Microsystems, Brio, IMSI, and other companies. He did translations and localization in six languages at these companies before joining Acxiom as head of the digital agency, where he worked with Global Fortune 200 clients. Andreas then led global SEO at Cisco, where he worked in 44 languages in 86 countries. He is now an Adjunct Professor of Digital Marketing at CSTU and INSEEC, and is the author of 16 books on SEO/SEM with seven Amazon #1 Best Sellers.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What are some stories of the rise and fall of some giant companies in Silicon Valley?
Will Google and some of these monster tech companies hold their lead in the future?
Which companies are recruiting the best engineers?
Which technology sectors might be areas to keep an eye on in the future?
Help us out!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
GET IN TOUCH WITH ANDREAS
Linkedin | Twitter
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
On today’s show, we are happy to chat with Steve Hoffman. Steve, or Captain Hoff as he’s called in Silicon Valley, is the CEO of Founders Space, one of the world’s leading incubators and accelerators. He’s also an angel investor, limited partner at August Capital, serial entrepreneur, and author of Make Elephants Fly, the award-winning book on radical innovation.
Always innovating on his life, Captain Hoff has tried more professions than cats have lives, including serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, angel investor, studio head, computer engineer, filmmaker, Hollywood TV exec, published author, coder, game designer, manga rewriter, animator and voice actor.
Hoffman was the Founder and Chairman of the Producers Guild Silicon Valley Chapter, Board of Governors of the New Media Council, and founding member of the Academy of Television’s Interactive Media Group.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What is the future of technology? Where are we headed in 20 years?
Personal lessons shared from failing and succeeding in business?
The reasons corporations have trouble innovating.
One key piece of learning from your book: Make Elephants Fly?
Help us out!
Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!
BOOKS AND RESOURCES
Steve Hoffman on Linkedin
Twitter
Steve Hoffman on Instagram
Steve Hoffman’s Book Make Elephants Fly
Founders Space
CONNECT WITH SHAWN:
https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV
Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account
Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account
Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account
Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account
Change to Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com
Loving the Opportunity to talk to some of the most interesting people on the plannet :))