The Silicon Valley Podcast

Ep 196 Software Profit Streams with Luke Hohmann

Luke Hohmann
I am a four time author, three time founder, a keynote speaker and internationally recognized expert in Agile Software Development. Coming from Silicon Valley, I know how often founders focus on building companies to flip. My passion is building companies that make the world better.
At FirstRoot, Inc. our mission is to create the next generation of impact investors. We want to get $1K into 1M schools globally and watch what happens when youth control $1B in capital.
The Every Voice Engaged Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that helps citizens, governments and nonprofit organizations collaboratively solve problems that are unsolvable without civic engagement. EVEF has been a leader in the Participatory Budgeting movement, helping citizens prioritize hundreds of millions of dollars through Budget Games.
Conteneo, Inc. was acquired by Scaled Agile, Inc. With our extraordinary development team, we created the Weave, Strategy Engine and Knowsy® decision agility platforms. In partnership with The Kettering Foundation (www.kettering.org), Conteneo created Common Ground for Action, the first scalable platform for deliberative decision-making.
At Applied Frameworks, we make the world better by helping our customers create sustainably profitable businesses. My most recent book, Software Profit Solutions, is co-authored with Jason Tanner and shares key insights from our experience to help transform businesses through profitable, sustainable software solutions.
Join our newsletter linked in my profile above for periodic Profit Streams updates and to be notified when the book is available! https://profit-streams.com/book
We talk about:
 
What is system thinking and how is it used?
What are some of the tools one would use to navigate the “Fog of uncertainty”?
When should one think about raising prices?
When does software eat Hardware?
What is Solution Life-cycle management?
 
Connect with Luke
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukehohmann/
Website https://appliedframeworks.com/

Ep 195 Aligning the Dots with Philippe Bouissou PHD

Show notes for Philippe Bouissou, Ph.D
 
TEDx speaker, best-selling book author, growth expert, entrepreneur, CEO, venture capitalist, board member. Three decades in Silicon Valley growing and running businesses. Managing Partner at Blue Dots Partners LLC, a management consulting firm focused on top-line revenue acceleration for companies or business units with at least $10 million in sales.
 
Specialties:▷ Top-line revenue growth, business development, and business acceleration▷ Management consulting▷ Operations and execution▷ Entrepreneurship and new venture creation▷ Venture capital
 
What are the 5 stages of growth throughout a businesses life-cycle?
How do growth expectations change with the macroeconomic developments?
What is the sinking tower analysis?
What is the A4 precision alignment paradigm?
How do companies lose alignment and how can they get it back?
And much more
 
Connect with Philippr
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/phbouissou/
BlueDotsPartners.com 
PhilippeBouissou.com (

Ep 194 Controlling Your Exit with Todd Sullivan

Todd Sullivan
 
I specialize in helping my fellow founders create the exits they deserve. My team and I at Exitwise.com help each business owner hire and manage the best team of M&A experts from our global network of industry specialized, investment bankers, M&A attorneys and tax accountants, to minimize the risk of a failed engagement and to maximize the outcome for every client.
We serve our fellow founders and business owners in more than 200 middle and lower middle market industries including aerospace and defense, specialty manufacturing, business services, tech enabled services, FinTech, EdTech, HCM, Gaming, SaaS, Marketplaces, eCommerce, IoT, HealthTech, Ad/MarTech, Med Device, SportsTech, CloudTech and many more industries.
I have been fortunate enough to have thoroughly enjoyed my entrepreneurial journey over last 20 years building and selling four businesses. I have learned how to launch, fund, grow and sell software and manufacturing businesses. Now I am eager to share my insights and experience with my fellow founders to ensure that each of you can create the exits you, your families and your employees deserve.
As an entrepreneur, my ventures have been funded by Accel Partners, Lightbank, Great Oaks Ventures, New Enterprise Ventures, CSA Partners, Detroit Venture Partners and various angel groups.
As a private investor and venture partner, I have been honored to invest in entrepreneurs who are developing solutions to improve how businesses and individuals work, connect, transact and perform.
 
Awards:
"Top 20 Entrepreneur" - Zell-Lurie Institute @ UofM
"Top Wireless Startup" - CTIA
"Top 50 Award" - TechCrunch50
"Entrepreneur of the Year"​ - Ross School of Business
 
We talk about:
When there is a timeline with a goal to get acquired, how does that impact the operations of a company?
What is the best way for a founder to mentally prepare for an exit?
How does the sale complexity  change with the dollar amount involved in the transaction?
What areas do sellers seem to have the most confusion over in the sales process?
 
 
And much more
 
 
Connect with Todd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddfsullivan/
todd@exitwise.com

Ep 193 Unlocking Venture Capital With Yash Patel

Yash Patel joined Telstra Ventures in 2014 and leads TV’s consumer tech investing efforts, with an emphasis on esports/gaming, social media, ecommerce, web3 and SaaS. Yash has sourced and led TV’s investments in BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC), Snapchat (NYSE: SNAP), Skillz (NYSE: SKLZ), Near (Nasdaq: NIR), Mobile Premier League, Super, Omaze, Sleeper, Team SoloMid (tsm.gg), FitOn, Swish Analytics, OpenGov, Playbook and Singular. He is particularly interested in products that can reach massive scale and exhibit network effects.
 
 
 We talk about:
 
What should founders think when they are facing a possible down-round?
 
How important is being seen as a thought leader in the world of VC?
 
Why should founders not rely on investors for a bridge round? 
 
How does a VC attract the best investments?
 
What happens to a fund when they start to have some logos on their website of known companies?
 
And much more
 
Connect with Yash
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ypatel1/
yashpatel135@gmail.com

Ep 192 Go Global & Local with David Kaufman

Show notes David Kaufman
 
David Kaufman is the Director of Global Strategies at Nixon Peabody LLP. In this role, he manages and helps develop strategy for the firm’s International Practice, international offices, and relationships with law firms around the world. David works extensively with clients from the United States doing business around the globe and international clients in the U.S. Last year, David was involved in transactions, cases, and other matters touching almost 140 different countries. He has a long history of doing business in China and has worked with NP’s robust Asia-Pacific practice since its creation. Outside the U.S., NP has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, and London. During his tenure, David has served in a variety of leadership positions at the firm, including supervising the regional business development function and leading sales teams for an array of practice groups/industries. Since March 2020, David has also been coordinating the firm's external, client-facing Coronavirus Response Team. In addition, he co-leads the Retail Industry Sector team for TerraLex, one of the largest global law firm networks covering 164 jurisdictions in 101 countries.
 
How should companies go about thinking of networking and community building?
When should a company join a chamber of commerce and how should they position themselves to get the most out of it?
Are they certain “gotchas” in laws or the ways companies conduct business when they enter new countries?
 
Startups when they expand to a new country what should they be thinking?
Connect with David
 
(20) David Kaufman | LinkedIn
dkaufman@nixonpeabody.com

Ep 191 Always Innovating Existing Markets with Michael DiManno

Michael DiManno is the CEO and founder of Samuel Hale, 1 of 70 companies in California approved for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) -- The United Broker’s Insurance Agency, Inc. (TUB), Staff Logical (labor management software). A staffing and insurance industry executive with 30 years of experience, his career has encompassed consulting, financing, funding, and leadership positions within several companies from the startup phase all the way through acquisition or sale. Thanks to his wealth of expertise, Michael was also chosen as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Sacramento Journal’s 40 under 40.
 
In 1992, with only $15,000 of capital he co-founded DiManno/Hansen Insurance & Investment
Services and in less than 6 years sold to Acordia-Wells Fargo for $6.5 million. He has also been the President of other high growth insurance companies such as Intercare Insurance, a $50 million holding company, in which he oversaw their worker’s compensation TPA, managed care enterprise, VIIA, their wholesale and retail brokerage. In 2011, he co-founded, built, and sold 2018 VForce Staffing Solutions.
 
As a serial entrepreneur, Michael has co-founded commercial developments, restaurants, a private investigation company, and an organic soap company, all while serving as a seed capital investor and board member for multiple technology startups like Flash Seats, an electronic ticketing company with patented technology in the sports and entertainment world. His consulting assignments include companies like Sherries Berries, multiple staffing companies, and insurance giant Keenan & Associates. He also spent 5 years in the Sacramento Chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO.)
 
Michael graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. He also is a CAWC, or Certified Authority on Workers Compensation, an Expert Witness for the Department of Insurance, and a top producer in the Circle of Excellence with Vensure Employer Services.
 
We talk about:
 
How do you balance hiring for growth and efficiency of capital?
What is a PEO Service?
Some suggestions for other companies out there as they plan for the potential growth of their company?
What is the current dispute resolution process?
Why are the Workers Comp systems broken?
 
Connect with Michael
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikedimanno/
235.1477(Work)
samuelhale.com (Company)
mikedimanno.com (Personal)

Ep 190 Generational Wealth with Stephen Lovell

Show notes for Stephen Lovell
On his radio show, The Good Life Made Better, Stephen made complex ideas understandable. Executives and Professionals, wealthy investors, and business owners, want a steady hand to help them choose practical ideas so they can do their work and not worry about their money.
Our Mission at Lovell Wealth Management is "to help Americans preserve their heritage, because without heritage every generation must start over. We deliver comprehensive financial advice that is objective, specific, and confidential, in order to protect our clients and their heirs from financial risks."
Stephen has been featured in numerous publications, including MoneyMagazine, InvestmentNews, New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Financial Planning, Huffington Post, U.S. News and World Report, and Time Magazine.
We talk about
What are some common ways that people pass down generational wealth?
What is the future of generational wealth, and how might it change as society and the economy evolve?
How does the tax code affect generational wealth?
How can families ensure that their wealth is used for positive purposes across multiple generations?
 
Connect with Stephen
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenflovell2/
4152548719 
lovellwealthmanagement.com 

Ep 189 AI and the Human Touch with Tatyana Mamut PHD

Show Notes for Tatyana Mamut
 
Transformational technology executive who delivers game-changing results by anticipating the future, obsessing over customers and building amazing teams. Humans create the future; technology is a tool.
- Board Director and Chair of Comp Committee for NYSE IPO.
- Advisor to tech leaders making bold and courageous moves that will bend the trajectory of the world.
 
We talk about:
How has building products in Silicon Valley changed over time?
Where in the decision-making chain does the focus on the customer gets lost?
What are some brand-building strategies for startups?
How is OpenAI/ChatGPT, as well as web3, being discussed in new product development these days?
 
Connect with Tatyana
(2) Tatyana Mamut
 

Ep188 Planning the Exit Before you Purchase with Dan Abbate

Bio
Dan Abbate is an entrepreneur, thought leader, and investor with a career-long focus in business process optimization and automation using advanced technology, organizational development, and continuous improvement. Dan has a heavy transaction background including startup financing, mergers and acquisitions, and turnarounds. As an investor, Dan’s focus is on capital preservation, fixed-income and cash flow through a variety of investment vehicles in operating
We talk about:
What does a “Chief Problem Solver” at a company do?  
When to replace staff with software?
What is the thought process when building customized software for a company vs buying a 3rd party license?
Strategies when acquiring a company
And much more
 
Connect with Dan
 
(2) Dan Abbate | LinkedIn
Twitter robotaton
dan@thebigda.com

Ep 187 Private Equity Playbook with Adam Coffey

Show notes Adam Coffey
 
CEO, Board Member, Best-Selling Author, and Acclaimed International Speaker, Adam Coffey is a visionary leader who drives transformative growth and fosters high-performance cultures.
 
With 21+ years of experience as CEO, Adam led three national private equity-backed service companies for 9 private equity sponsors. During this time period he completed 58 acquisitions, his track record includes notable outcomes measured in the billions, averaging 5x MOIC at exit.
 
Adam is a respected mentor to MBA candidates and a sought-after speaker at UCLA. He brings diverse expertise from commercial and industrial service businesses, alongside being a licensed general contractor, pilot, former GE executive, and US Army veteran.
 
As an author, Adam's books "The Private Equity Playbook" and "The Exit Strategy Playbook" became #1 Amazon Best Sellers. Recognized as one of the "Most Influential Leaders" by the Orange County Business Journal, he founded the CEO Advisory Guru in 2021, providing consulting services to private equity firms, their portfolio companies and to founders.
 
Adam's impactful seminars have generated millions in revenue, solidifying his position as one of the world's top speakers. He resides in Westlake, TX, with his family.
 
We talk about:
 
How should one go about evaluating Private Equity groups when looking to be acquired?
 
What are the roles of consultants in a Private Equity Deal?
 
What is rolling over equity in a transaction and how that can become a residual income streams?
 
There are many mastermind groups here in Silicon Valley, what should one look for when they are thinking of joining one?
 
How did Adam get the nickname “The Chairman”?
 
And much more…
 
Connect with Adam
 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamecoffey/