Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital Sarah Chen-Spellings
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Lead, build, and invest better.
Join award-winning entrepreneur and investor Sarah Chen-Spellings as she travels across the globe in search of what she calls the 'unexpected leader'.
Every week, we deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them underestimated long before they became iconic.
Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you.
This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture.
Billion Dollar Moves is proud to be part of the Hubspot Podcast Network with 10 million downloads a month as a group.
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LP View: Breaking Bias to Drive Returns w/ Joanna Kuang, Illumen Capital
“We believe an inclusive and optimal asset management industry will be the cornerstone of an equal and equitable future.” - Illumen Capital
While organizations explore ways to embody diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), authenticity and clear, measurable outcomes are essential for effectiveness.
This week, we're joined by Joanna Kuang, Senior Vice President of Product Development and Impact at Illumen Capital. We delve into the significance of impact investing and strategies to ensure tangible efforts are made to drive meaningful change in venture, in our society.
TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS
0:00 - Intro
02:18 - Joanna’s backstory as the daughter of immigrants; living experience in Mississippi Delta that drove her to join Illumen Capital
04:02 - Genesis of Illumen Capital as a fund of funds
05:42 - Study alongside Stanford SPARQ: Race influences professional investors’ financial judgments (2019)
09:16 - Diversity efforts in venture today; DEI policies
13:10 - Quantitative data to drive accountability; best practices to remove biases in pitching and diligence processes
18:06 - Illumen Capital’s stand under the backdrop of many anti-DEI laws
21:19 - Diversity drives performance: investment strategies and performance measurements
24:41 - Established and emerging managers as the next key strategy for Illumen Capital
28:18 - Portfolio construction as a fund of funds and ticket sizes
30:42 - The winning factors versus common mistakes in diverse fund managers; impact washing
32:47 - Looking ahead 2024 private market; advice for fund managers
35:38 - Billion Dollar Questions
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About Illumen Capital
Illumen Capital is an impact fund of funds addressing systemic inequity by reducing racial and gender bias in investing.
Working closely with the world’s leading social psychologists at Stanford SPARQ, they combine investment capital with evidence-based tools and training designed to reduce implicit racial and gender bias in order to unlock latent return and multiply impact.
More about Illumen Capital: https://www.illumencapital.com
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -
Building Billion Dollar Business with Strategic Marketing w/ Ross Simmonds, Foundation Marketing
Berkshire Hathaway and the famed investor Warren Buffett himself are often the topic of discussion when it comes to achieving success in the world of venture.
Nevertheless, despite the almost unassuming marketing strategies compared to today’s eye-catching everything, Berkshire Hathaway illustrated incomparable strategic marketing that yielded loyalty and reputation.
This inspired today's Billion Dollar Bite, where we delve into the topic of strategic marketing and how us in the venture world can learn a thing or two.
Ross Simmonds is the founder of today's leading content marketing firm, Foundation. Ross leads the team at Foundation, specializing in helping B2B and SaaS brands build content marketing engines that generate millions of visits a year, resulting in millions worth of new business.
We covered a range of topics from A.I. and marketing reskilling your workforce to breaking down some amazing case studies from billion-dollar businesses like MasterClass and Berkshire Hathaway.
TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS
0:00 - Intro
2:47 - AI for marketer; takes on AI replacing marketer’s job
6:24 - Biggest lessons from MasterClass: building around Google search intent
10:33 - MasterClass’ marketing strategy
12:18 - Glassdoor’s content creation and SEO strategies
13:33 - Leveraging AI, the best approach to expand globally as B2B business
16:36 - Mr.Beast; Berkshire Hathaway; should all businesses be creators?
19:11 - Leaders as the voices on platform like LinkedIn
21:32 - Content creation in leadership position is a waste of time?
23:30 - How do we engage with public reaction on social media?
24:42 - Takes on nonpolitical versus political leader; common mistakes made by companies on social initiatives
28:00 - Billion dollar questions
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About Ross Simmonds
A marketer, keynote speaker, SaaS & B2B tech investor, writer and the CEO of Foundation. Ross is multitalented and devoted his work to help, inspire and teach the underdogs of the world how to use research, creation, distribution and optimization to unlock new levels of growth and opportunities.
Ross’ content marketing agency, Foundation, offers content marketing services to a diverse clientele spanning the globe. We’ve worked some of the most successful SaaS companies in the world and work as partners for multiple publicly traded cloud companies who have redefined entire industries.
More about Ross and Foundation: https://rosssimmonds.com/
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -
Unveiling Unicorn Pathways: How to Become a Unicorn w/ Leah Barto, Endeavor Global
In venture capital, pattern recognition is a valuable skill.
Investors often analyze various pieces of a puzzle, employing pattern recognition to assess whether a company might be on the path to success.
This week’s Billion Dollar Bite features Leah Barto, Senior Director of Research at Endeavor Global, who leads a team to redefine pattern recognition through the lens of data journalism.
Endeavor has dedicated its mission to uncover unicorns worldwide, employing a data-driven approach and producing a comprehensive study titled “Where Do Unicorns Come From?”
We’ve discussed the intriguing findings of this robust research, unveiling the factors that drive entrepreneurial ecosystems to thrive, and challenging stereotypes about what success should look like.
You won't want to miss this!
Timestamps/ Key Takeaways
0:00 - Intro
2:15 - Endeavor’s mission, data journalism, “Where Do Unicorns Come From?” & the multiplier effect in startup ecosystems
5:37 - Takeaway #1: Educational backgrounds & debunking the myth of the elite educational pedigree.
6:29 - Takeaway #2: Entrepreneurial experience & age
7:58 - Takeaway #3: Global citizens - mostly with a migration background & advice for funders
9:35 - Takeaway #4: Pattern recognition - backgrounds and innovation made by unicorn founders from US versus emerging markets
11:30 - Takeaway #5: Solution to underrepresentation of female founders
14:33 - Takeaway #6: Hande Cilingir’s success story
16:32 - Takeaway #7: Scaling & paying it forward
About Endeavor Insight
Endeavor Insight is the research division of Endeavor that provides data-driven analysis and visualizations showing what makes entrepreneurial ecosystems thrive. Our research team of economists, data scientists, and policy analysts specialize in understanding the needs of high-impact entrepreneurs and evaluating the networks that enable them to scale and pay it forward.
Where Do Unicorns Come From?
Link: https://endeavor.org/unicornpathways
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -
Unlocking Venture Capital through Private Wealth w/ Samir Kaji, Allocate
This week's guest is Samir Kaji, a prolific writer and host of Venture Unlocked, a podcast and blog that dives into the inner workings of venture capital, and the CEO and co-founder of Allocate. With over 20 years of experience in VC and private equity ecosystem, Samir's work has guided many investors, entrepreneurs, and fund managers on how to navigate and succeed in the private markets.
Our conversation covers everything from the scale of private wealth funding, venture capital to the explosion of emerging managers and why the track record trap is one we need to be mindful of. Whether you are a GP, LP, or founder tuning in, this episode is full of gems.
TIMESTAMP / KEY TAKEAWAYS
0:00 - Intro
2:54 - Who is Samir Kaji?
04:41 - How are banks different moving forward in 2024; interest rate and the end of ZIRP era
09:49 - Allocate: to provide opportunities to private markets & to invest with more visibility and transparency
13:34 - Business model of Allocate; bridging venture gap or beyond?
17:00 - Trends in venture from 2022 onwards
21:23 - How should LPs be thinking about misinformation of performance; portfolio construction as LPs
27:45 - Generating alphas and diversifying networks
32:49 - The track record trap; Pejman, Pear VC
36:54 - Fundraising, building enduring franchise and common mistakes of emerging managers; Kirsten Green, Forerunners
40:55 - Diversity in the realm of venture
42:30 - Predictions for 2024
44:46 - Billion dollar questions
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About Allocate
Alternative investments have become a growing staple in investor portfolios as investors continue to seek better portfolio diversification and higher returns. However investing in and alongside the most promising venture funds is primarily limited to institutional investors and industry insiders. We are here to change that.
Allocate is a digital investment platform that provides all types of investors with a programmatic and efficient way to discover and invest in high quality emerging and established venture capital funds, while providing fund managers with a streamlined way to access the fragmented private wealth market.
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -
Behind the IPO: ACV Auctions & ASV w/ Somak Chattopadhyay & Vikas Mehta
This week we had not one but two esteemed guests - a funder and his founder of choice to talk through everything from building trust and partnership to getting to that IPO.
Featuring Somak Chattopadhyay, founder of Armory Square Ventures, and Vikas Mehta, COO of ACV Auctions. Their paths beautifully overlapped after their MIT days when Somak recognized ACV's potential in B2B automobile marketplaces and recruited Vikas to lead the operation.
The rest is history, but in today’s episode, we delve deep into how Somak identifies potential in companies like ACV and, alongside Vikas, continues to drive value and scale to today, one of the most exciting marketplaces that investors are closely watching on the NASDAQ.
TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS
0:00 Intro
3:00 Where the paths crossed: Somak’s journey with Armory Square Ventures; and Vikas’s prior to ACV Auctions
7:55 Takeaway 1: How did Somak identified and surfaced ACV as a tech unicorn
11:34 Vikas saying yes to Somak’s pitch on ACV Auctions
15:31 Takeaway 2: Breaking down business model of ACV Auctions from digitalising to scaling; “it was basically to get a level of trust and transparency on the asset that was previously unimaginable,”
21:07 Takeaway 3: Bringing in mentor who guides and fits well with the team and hiring the best talent
25:10 Takeaway 4: Adding value versus overstepping your bounds as a VC
28:11 Takeaway 5: Navigating through pandemic and building infrastructure under hyper growth
30:57 Takeaway 6: “What else could we do to leapfrog everyone else“; building and maturing a system that fills the industry gap
36:24 Takeaway 7: Vikas’ reflection: be more risk taking and hiring key unlockers of acceleration at early stage
37:53 Takeaway 8: Somak’s reflection: every time frame is different and about false positives on people
39:49 Looking forward #1: the automotive industry in 2024
40:46 Looking forward #2: 2024 as the best vintage year?
42:41 Takeaway 9: Vikas to founders: "How the world is predicted to be is rarely how it ends up being"
43:49 Takeaway 10: Somak: "Don't rely on zoom and teams or whichever tool you have as a crush for everything"
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -
[REPLAY] Investing with Penny Pritzker & Building a Robust Venture & Growth Practice w/ Momei Qu, PSP Partners
“If you can show strong growth in this environment, that means you’re getting corporate budgets at a time when corporate budgets are tightening.”
As we continue to emerge from the belt-tightening era in investment and venture, now is an opportune moment to revisit an episode featuring Momei Qu, Managing Director of PSP Growth.
Momei carved her own path in leadership, having worked with one of the trailblazers, the esteemed Penny Pritzker, former United States Secretary of Commerce and American billionaire businesswoman known for family investments in Hyatt Hotels and Marmon Group.
Today, Momei, who leads PSP's venture capital and growth equity initiative, shares her leadership lessons, from collaborating with a trailblazer to building a robust venture and growth practice and focusing on the future of B2B SaaS despite the valuation slashes we've witnessed.
TIMESTAMPS / KEYTAKEAWAYS
0:00 Intro
0:55 Recognizing the gap in commercializing technology
2:40 Joining Merrill Lynch and stepping into venture
06:01 Skillset as both engineer and venture investor; upbringing and exposure to deals
8:10 Working with Penny Pritzker's private investment group; “If you don't ask for something, you might not get it.”
12:28 PSP’s collaborative strategies: ventures, multi-family and industrial properties, private equity, etc; “I've been pleasantly surprised, the unexpected piece of how collaborative everyone has been, and how much better it has been to unlock the power of the whole platform.”
17:07 Takes on allocation and balancing investments for family offices
19:11 Investing in adversed time and building a robust venture practice; on me too companies
21:28 Solutions that go hand in hand with the market and the focus on B2B SaaS
24:44 Notable patterns in SaaS
27:42 Takes on B2B SaaS application and AI technologies: security and responsibilities
30:50 Takes on founder’s limits and ethics in AI tech innovation
32:45 Diligence as an investor
34:24 Billion Dollar Questions
𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 is THE show for the audacious next-gen leaders.
Unfiltered. Personal. Inspirational.
Tune in to learn from world's foremost funders and founders, and their unicorn journey in the dynamic world of venture and business.
From underestimated to iconic, YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com
Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal
Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves
FOLLOW SARAH:
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal
Customer Reviews
Deep conversations every leader needs
Practical yet vulnerable conversations that every C-level exec needs to tune into!
Powerful conversations to scale your leadership
Just wow! Insightful, in-depth conversations with high profile guests that have shaped my thinking as a C-level leader working in global markets. Cannot recommend enough!
Global perspective with local depth
Insightful podcast that delivers unlike any other. As a finance professional that deals in the global markets, I enjoy learning from the candid views of other leaders revealed through Sarah’s thoughtful lines of questioning.
Highly recommend to the ambitious leader!