Drinks With A VC (DWAVC): Recent Episodes
Burkland Associates and Green Cow Venture Capital
Hi, we're Bree Hanson & Vikram Lakhwara. DrinksWithAVC combines three of our favorite things - talking with people, helping entrepreneurs, and having cocktails with friends.
We aim to provide our listeners with an unfiltered look at the individuals in the venture capital industry behind the yes or no investment decisions. Each week we'll dig into the life experiences and current events that shape our guest's mindset and approach to their craft, and try and have a few laughs in the process.
What makes us qualified to host? Bree leads business development for Burkland and Vik is the co-founder of Green Cow Venture Capital. Together, they have decades of working in the startup ecosystem.
A director's cut of each episode is available on our Youtube channel. Please visit and subscribe!
About Burkland
Burkland gives startups smarter finance, accounting and tax advice to grow with confidence. We provide financial expertise that makes economic sense for all growth stages - ranging from Pre-Seed to Series C. Our on-demand CFOs, accountants and tax experts give strategic guidance to ease a company’s growing pains and provide financial insight to scale.
About Green Cow Venture Capital
Green Cow Venture Capital is an early-stage venture fund based in San Francisco and New York. We are building a recession-resilient portfolio by investing in dynamic teams leveraging deep tech (AI, ML, Robotics) to solve problems in traditional, global markets ripe for disruption - from farming to finance
Our most recent guest at Drinks with a VC tells us his fascinating story of starting his VC career in NY, dabbling in the comedy scene, and living the life of a typical man in his 20's. On a trip to Israel, his worst nightmare came true: he was diagnosed with cancer. Ben Freeberg of Oncology Ventures shares his tale of battling the medical system, battling cancer, and turning his challenges into improved health, VC money, and comedy gold. Join Vik and Bree as they listen, learn, and laugh from Ben's multiple talents - from joke telling to Chinese Juggling Sticks, Ben shares how to write a startup pitch like joke construction, how to sell your healthcare startup to investors, and how to craft a stellar VC newsletter.
Ben's Comedy Site
Oncology Ventures
Ben's Substack
Chaos Isn't An Excuse TED Talk
Our latest guest traveled the US on a bike building homes for the unfortunate, spent time at strategy at salesforce, and now teaches us about where AI is headed, all while sipping The Dude's drink of choice: A White Russian. We're impressed with New Jersey native Jeremy Kaufmann's upbringing, a stone's throw away from Manhattan, and how his journey led him to the Bay Area through an adventurous compassionate mission. If you're a founder building AI or a VC investing in it, grab some of your favorite vodka and get to know Jeremy!
Join us for an exciting episode featuring Amy Cheetham, partner at Costanoa Ventures. From mucking stalls in rural Maine to making the Forbes 2023 Brink List, Amy’s journey is both inspiring and insightful. Bree & Vik dive into her favorite Italian dishes, the challenges of startup life, and her passion for mental health advocacy. Amy shares valuable advice on the importance of curiosity, her thoughts on the impact of AI in fintech and healthcare, and gives her unfiltered opinion on the significance of diversity on boards. Be sure to stay to the very end when Amy pours out some wine for the one startup that got away!
Links:
www.costanoa.vc
www.dwavc.com
www.fidelity.com
www.ravixgroup.com
www.greencow.vc
www.crisistextline.org
Pour a mint julep and join us on DrinksWithAVC as we dive into the dynamic world of Leshika Samarasinghe, founder and GP at Twine Ventures. In this episode, Leshika recounts her beginnings at Google, where she was instrumental in developing core platforms like Calendar and Blogger. She also shares insights from her time at ARPA-E, where under President Obama’s administration, she worked on pioneering energy projects. Now at Twine Ventures, she's dedicated to investing in startups that leverage AI, data, and software to revolutionize healthcare, climate tech, and financial services.
Be sure to listen/watch until the very end as Leshika does not hold back in our Fidelity Five Questions segment, sharing answers that are as refreshing as her drink of choice!
Links:
www.twineventures.com
www.dwavc.com
www.fidelity.com
www.ravixgroup.com
www.greencow.vc
Pour your favorite champagne and join us in toasting Touring Capital's co-founder and GP, Priya Saiprasad! Learn how Priya's nomadic childhood created her superpower, how she took the leap from established firms like M12 and Softbank Vision to start her own fund, and how she weighs team dynamics when evaluating growth-stage startups. The former Forbes 30 under 30 venture capitalist gives us a fascinating look behind the scenes at what it's like to work for Jack Dorsey from her time at Square and doesn't hold back when answering our Fidelity Five Questions.
Links:
www.touringcapital.com
www.dwavc.com
www.fidelity.com
www.ravixgroup.com
www.greencow.vc
Settle in with a Sazerac for the latest installment of DrinksWithAVC, brought to you by Fidelity for Startups! Vik and Bree cover it all with St. Louis-based globe trotter, low-key adrenalin junkie, and venture capitalist Dan Conner. Dan relives harrowing moments on the slopes, talks about the books and quantamental approach that influenced his investment thesis, and shares his story from field engineer to building Ascend Venture Capital.
Links:www.ascendstl.com
Dan's article on how startups can standout: Entrepreneur Magazine
How to make your own sazerac
Sponsors:
Fidelity for Startups Cap Table Management
Ravix Group Startup Accounting & Finance Services
Bree and Vik dive into a captivating conversation with Howie Diamond of Pure Ventures. From his early days in Chicago reminiscent of a John Hughes film to his rockstar nights drumming for Low v. Diamond on shows like Letterman and Leno, Howie's journey is anything but ordinary. Now, his focus on consumer packaged goods (CPG) investments and prioritizing founder mental health through his platform, Pilea, showcases a unique blend of life experiences shaping his approach to venture capital. Links:www.pureventuresvc.com
www.joinpilea.com
Low v. Diamond on Spotify!
Ravix Wind-Down Playbook
In Sanskrit, the word “Manana” stands for understanding, reflection, meditation, thoughtful, or an inference found through reasoning…our DWAVC guest this week definitely lives up to his name! Join Bree and Vik as they sit down with Manan Mehta (Founding Partner of Unshackled Ventures) to discuss his philosophies on adopting curious acceptance into one’s life, his love for the stoics of old (and new) and discovering his take on how immigrants are shaping the future of the startup world and VC ecosystem for the better.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Unshackled Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.unshackledvc.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/greencowvc
Grab yourself a copy of Ryan Holiday's books on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Ego-Enemy-Ryan-Holiday/dp/1591847818
https://www.amazon.com/Discipline-Destiny-Power-Self-Control-Virtues-ebook/dp/B09PB1SB72
Head on over to the Children's Creativity Museum the next time you're in San Francisco:
https://creativity.org/
Check out Trefethen Vineyards to get yourself a bottle of what Vik's drinking this episode:
https://www.trefethen.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
What do you get when you mix a fervid reader with an athlete's persistence, and an adventurous appetite for open dialogue? The answer: Dan Rubin of Alloy Ventures, of course! Check out yet another spectacular episode of DWAVC with this magnate of all things micron.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Alloy Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
http://www.alloyventures.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/greencowvc
Read about Dan's expansive library and see the wonderful pictures of it here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303901504577460770904124192
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Another awesome episode of DWAVC is in the books and ready for you to enjoy this St. Patrick's Day weekend! This week's episode features Georgetown and Harvard Business School Alumnus, Army Ranger, Partner at Crosslink Capital, and proud father, Matt Bigge.
Join us in this special "Shots with a VC" episode as we find out how Matt got into investing, what tools from Matt's military career have benefitted him the most in Venture, and why The Honor Foundation is changing the landscape of business.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Garuda Ventures here:
https://www.crosslinkcapital.com
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/bigge
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
Learn more about The Honor Foundation:
https://honor.org
Donate to The Honor Foundation:
https://honor.org/donate
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Just in time for the weekend is another awesome episode of DWAVC, this time with Garuda Ventures' Rishi Tiparia!
Join Bree and Vik in a conversation with Vik's long time friend and fellow VC as they discuss the state of Seed investing, what it takes to earn an investment from Garuda Ventures and the "meet-cute" story that earned Rishi the name "Sir Texts Alot" long ago.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Garuda Ventures here:
https://www.garuda.vc/
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/taps
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
Subscribe to Rishi's Tippets:
https://taps.substack.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
We are back with yet another great guest, Kobie Fuller of Upfront Ventures! Join Bree and producer, Reyn, as they pick this outstandingly successful VC's brain about his past as a record-breaking athlete and how athletics transfer over into the investment world. Find out what SaaS metric Kobie is focused on at the moment, and of course, with Upfront Summit happening this week in LA, who Kobie is looking forward to attending.
This year's summit is at capacity but you can still stream from home!
https://summit.upfront.com/livestream
Join the Valence Community and help grow the black community inside of business
https://valence.community/
Support Kobie's wife and her kids clothing brand
https://milesandmilan.com/
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Upfront Ventures.
https://upfront.com/
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/upfrontvc
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
After a long holiday break and a couple of bouts of covid for the Production team, Drinks With A VC returns with a bang! Our guest this time is none other than the "OG of PLG", Anoushka Vaswani of Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Looking at her dual degrees in Economics and Philosophy from Columbia where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, her MBA from Harvard, her time at McKinsey where she led the firm’s first project with Facebook on the launch of internet.org, and then going on to working at Matrix Partners, as a PM at Masterclass only provides a portion of what makes her such a dedicated, sought after investor as a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Join the crew with a glass of wine and get ready to find out what's Anoushka's favorite SaaS metric, how her upbringing of constant travel shaped her outlook on investing, whether SaaS startups should focus on growth or profit during a recession, and so much more!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Pitch Ben @ Tenacity Venture Capital here:
https://lsvp.com/
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/anoushkavaswani
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Just in time for the Holidays, Drinks With A VC is back with another fantastic episode! Our guest this time is Ben Narasin, Founder and General Partner of Tenacity Venture Capital.
In 1993 he founded one of the first e-commerce companies and the first cost-per-click portal, Fashionmall.com, which he took public in 1999. He spent the 2000s founding and acquiring companies in the consumer Internet and e-commerce space before becoming a full-fledged investor where his streak of identifying great opportunities continued - as an early investor in companies like DropCam, LendingClub, Kabbage, and Zenefits. He led seed investments for TriplePoint Ventures, co-founded Canvas Ventures, and most recently as Venture Partner at one of the most storied venture firms, NEA.
Join Bree, Ben, and Vik, as they chat about comic books, investing, adopting puppies, Dungeons & Dragons, and much more on this episode of Drinks with a VC and remember: “Life is not about having what you want it’s about wanting what you have”
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Pitch Ben @ Tenacity Venture Capital here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://pitch-ben.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/BNarasin
Ben's foster puppies were all adopted but you can find more furry friends here:
https://www.petfinder.com/member/us/ca/redwood-city/pound-puppy-rescue-ca781/
Treat yourself to an amazing meal at The Butcher Shop in San Francisco:
https://www.nikubutchershop.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Martha Stewart, Buzzfeed, and bartending...what do these things have in common? Kate Shillo Beardsley!
Check out the Season 4 opener of Drinks w/ a VC with our great guest and friend, Kate Shillo Beardsley. Unlike the serial entrepreneurs she interacts with daily, Kate is a serial fund-builder! She is a Managing Partner at Upslope Ventures, a Co-Founding Partner at Hannah Grey Ventures and serves as Senior Advisor at Silicon Hills Capital. Previously, she helped establish, build, and manage three funds and over 200+ investments at Lerer Hippeau Ventures in New York City.
Join Bree and Vik as we dive into Kate's humble beginnings as a bartender in a one-horse town, hear her regale us with stories about being Martha Stewart's assistant in New York after Martha's stint in the clink, and gain some insight on what Kate is doing to shape the world of Web 3 and women in the Venture ecosystem. If there was a Masterclass on the role of follow-up in business, Kate would be the one teaching everyone about it (though she humbly thinks she still has a lot to learn).
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and OCA Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.hannahgrey.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/kshillo
Grab your own Women in VC NFT:
https://mint.women-vc.com/
Relax with some Fisher's Island Lemonade:
https://filemonade.com/
Start a new hobby like Vik with the help of Libby at Needlepoint Clubhouse:
https://www.needlepointclubhouse.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
The DWAVC crew has done it again! This time, Bree & Vik are joined by their first guest LP, Eric Sippel. Philanthropist and Current Chair of Bay Area Goodwill, this former COO of Eastborn Capital Management joins us to talk about the other side of Venture: the life of a Limited Partner. Listen in over the next hour as we discover the books and tools that shaped his early years, hear his thoughts about what it takes to be a successful investor, AND even get his vote on which state in the U.S. makes the best pizza (the answer shocked us all). After listening to this episode, you'll understand why this Wesleyan Cardinal and Stanford law grad with a heart of gold, was able to make it to where he is today.
Find out more about Burkland, and GreenCow here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/ericsippel
Send $1K to directly support a family that has been impacted by the war in Ukraine:
https://www.1kproject.org/
Donate to SF Goodwill:
https://sfgoodwill.org/
Drink what Vik's Drinking:
https://punch5libations.com/
Catch The Full Ratchet Podcast episode with Eric here:
https://fullratchet.net/301-raising-from-family-offices-how-to-differentiate-as-an-emerging-fund-and-common-mistakes-made-by-established-firms-eric-sippel/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
EMPATHY, PASSION, DETERMINATION, HUMANITY, & FRANK SINATRA. What do these things have in common? Find out that and more as Season 3 of DWAVC hits a hat trick with our 3rd great guest in a row...CEO & Managing Partner of OCA Ventures: Jim Dugan.
Jim's 23 Years in Venture have led to great adventures and great investments in Startups like: Alembic, Ocient ,The Mom Project, and Prisidio. Join us as we reveal the Secret Recipe to his World Famous Signature Carbonara, hear the tale of Jim's stand-off against Andre the Giant, and discover how this VC is proving that no city has a monopoly on intelligence or work ethic.
Stick around until the end to hear the new addition to the show: Follow, Co-invest, or Pass!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and OCA Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.ocaventures.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/jimocaventures
Check out The Mom Project:
https://themomproject.com/
Send $1K to directly support a family that has been impacted by the war in Ukraine:
https://www.1kproject.org/
Learn about Tim's tremendous journey across the US:
https://www.interwovencircles.com/
The 2016 is Sold Out but you can still get a bottle of the Heimark 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon here:
https://www.heimarkvineyard.com/acquire/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Another great episode of DWAVC is in the books, this time with Dr. Lan Xuezhao, Founding Partner of the acclaimed, women-led, Basis Set Ventures. With her extensive experience in building the Corporate Development Strategy team over at Dropbox, earning a Ph.D. in human brain functions and psychology and her MA in statistics at University of Michigan, and advising Fortune 500 companies while managing teams at McKinsey in New York and Shanghai, Lan is living proof that the future of Business is female. Join us as we delve into the extraordinary backstory of Lan's parents, hear about Lan's wild adventures abroad, and get her opinions on big data, AI, growth strategy, women in tech and more!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Basis Set Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.basisset.com/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/xuezhao
Check out Basis Set's Persistence Community:
https://www.basisset.com/persistence
Send $1K to directly support a family that has been impacted by the war in Ukraine:
https://www.1kproject.org/
Buy the same coffee Vik is drinking here:
https://birdandbearcoffee.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
DWAVC is back for their Season 3 opener with Matt McCall of Pritzker Group! Named as one of the top 100 VCs in the U.S., a media 100 and Hollywood 100 power player, Matt is the founder & trustee of the McCall Family foundation that advocates for social entrepreneurship and women’s rights. Join us as we dive into Matt's political past, explore the philosophies and philosophers that shape his decision-making, and hear his predictions for if/when another downturn is on its way.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Pritzker Group here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.pritzkergroup.com/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/pritzkervc
Check out Matt's blog:
somethingventured.com
Send $1K to directly support a family that has been impacted by the war in Ukraine:
https://www.1kproject.org/
Buy your own Porron Wine Pitcher like Bree:
https://www.amzn.com/dp/B007XF3SD6/
Grab a copy of The Heroine's Journey:
https://www.amzn.com/dp/1611808308/
Grab a copy of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership:
https://www.amzn.com/dp/B00R3MHWUE/
The first 5 people to reach out to Bree on her LinkedIn will get a lifetime pass to Tripp, the Best VR Meditation/Wellness Experience:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/breehanson/
https://www.tripp.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
The DWAVC team has done it again with another kick ass guest (pun definitely intended)! Join us for a chat with Natalie Luu of Lightspeed Venture Partners, a Muay Thai and kickboxing practitioner, NFT aficionado, Fintech financier, and tea connoisseur. From a young age, she constantly hustled and pushed boundaries, and her career in venture capital is a clear indicator of those characteristics only increasing as time goes on. Join us as we get Natalie's insights on the next business mafia forming in the Bay area, what she looks for when investing in a team, and much, much more!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Lightspeed Venture Partners here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.lsvp.com
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/natluu
Help support Natalie's favorite Non Profit here:
https://www.selfhelpelderly.org/
Big thanks to Tim @ Tea Time for the Tea gifts!
https://www.tea-time.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
The DWAVC team gets the wonderful privilege of sitting down with the Nostradamus of Numbers, the soothsayer of SPACs: David Hornik of Lobby Capital. Join us as we talk with David about his history from lowly lawyer to massively successful Venture Capitalist, his love of the fine arts, his involvement in the LGBTQIA+ community, and his uncanny ability to predict the future of the market.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Lobby Capital here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.lobby.vc/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/davidhornik
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
After our Summer hiatus, Vik and Bree return with another great episode of DWAVC! Join the team as they sit down with Alex Niehenke, Partner at Scale Venture Partners to discuss everything from his love of pickling, his past as a water polo college athlete, growing up as a German immigrant, and some insights about how metrics can help shape a company's success. Make sure to stay tuned until the end to get Alex's take on which Companies and Firms will continue to have their Hot Girl Summer, and which ones should be gearing up for a frosty Winter.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Scale Venture Partners here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.scalevp.com/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/aniehenke
Big thanks to Ugly Pickle Co. for providing us with some special gifts for Alex! https://www.eatuglypickle.com/
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Drinks with a VC is back with another great episode! Founding Partner John Frankel from ff Venture Capital joins us for our first ever alcohol-free version of DWAVC (and our first ever New York VC guest). This episode is packed with stories from John's days at Goldman Sachs, his thoughts on what education means for startups, and tons of goofy hats! Who would've known that this London-born, lover of croquet, would also be a lover of "Dude, Where's My Car" and snowboarding?!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and ff Venture Capital here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.ffvc.com/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/john_frankel
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
In this special episode of Drinks with a VC, we take a look back at some of the best moments from our previous 10 episodes. Join us in this retrospective where we get to see some of the most insightful, informational, fashionable, and outright funniest moments shared between Vik, Bree, and our VC guests.
If you're new to DWAVC, this episode will give you some insight as to what Drinks with a VC is all about: sharing some drinks with Venture Capitalists in a relaxing atmosphere and getting to know the real person behind the investments.
For our audio listeners: this is an episode that you just have to check out on youtube to get the full effect.
Find out more about Burkland and GreenCow here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/greencowvc
Music: Dawn by Markvard
In this episode of DWAVC, Vik and Bree sit down with Precursor Ventures’ Charles Hudson over Manhattans to discuss his storied career from bagging groceries at Kroger, running his own landscaping business, working for the venture arm of the CIA, to his current position as Managing Partner at Precursor Ventures. We also get a glimpse into the personal life of Charles, his love of smoked meats, as well as his immovable embrace of the Chelsea Football Club.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Better Tomorrow Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://precursorvc.com/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/chudson
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Season 2 of DrinksWithAVC kicks off with Better Tomorrow Ventures’ Sheel Mohnot. Vik and Bree unpack the fintech investor’s whirlwind pandemic which saw him become an overnight social media sensation and culminated in the close of his $75M debut fund and ranked #3 on Business Insider’s top 100 seed investor list. We delve deep into what makes him tick - beyond the Zoom Bachelor and Justin Beiber music video cameos - from his close connection with his family to the lengths he’ll go to put himself in peoples’ shoes in order to understand how to improve their lives. We also get his hot takes on the Miami startup ecosystem and plant-based eating and psychoanalyze him via a new segment inspired by his favorite book.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Better Tomorrow Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
http://btv.vc/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/pitdesi
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
In this latest episode of DrinksWithAVC, the Hustle Fund’s Eric Bahn joins Vik & Bree from a treadmill in his garage office. The outspoken proponent of diversity and inclusion in the startup ecosystem recounts the fortuitous event of meeting his wife and business partner on the same day, and gives his takes on fatherhood and what it is like growing up as a “model minority.” Just when we think his senses may be dulled by the Basil Hayden bourbon he surprises the gang with a well-thought out plan in a segment called “Surviving the Apocalypse.” Eric’s answer to the question “Toyota Previa or Tesla Cybertruck?” will leave his Twitter followers floored.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Hustle Fund here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.hustlefund.vc/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
https://twitter.com/ericbahn
Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Vik & Bree "wine down" their St. Patrick’s Day celebration with Bessemer Venture Partners’ newest partner, Tess Hatch. The self-described space nerd - with a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics - dishes on the events that inspired her passion for space exploration to her secret past as a child actor to how she is working to make the venture and startup landscape more diverse and inclusionary. Plus the gang puts her space knowledge to test in a series of insanely ridiculous challenges - “Is this a photo from space or something from Vik’s house” and “Space Fact or Fiction.”
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Bessemer Venture Partners here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.bvp.com/
Follow us on twitter and instagram:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
https://twitter.com/vikbeingvik
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Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
On this episode of DrinksWithAVC, Vik & Bree catch up with OG Los Angeles Venture Capitalist, Rick Smith of Crosscut Ventures. Rick shares an emotional story of how a DNA test during the pandemic led to finding his birth father. We also get his thoughts on a myriad of subjects from the migration of VCs out of Silicon Valley to the evolving LA startup ecosystem. The gang celebrates the 7 year anniversary of his cameo on Silicon Valley with a new bit called SPAC Smackdown and Hank the golden retriever puppy makes his debut!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and CrossCut Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://crosscut.vc/
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Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Rare Breed VC's Mac Conwell joins the gang for the latest episode of @DrinksWithAVC. We keep warm over blood orange Old Fashioneds while digging into his improbable journey from growing up in Baltimore and working at a crab shack to now raising his own fund. We also get his hot takes on Clubhouse, Gamestop, Twitter, corgis and what traits he looks for in founders. Apologies again to Mac's mom for the police disturbance!
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and RareBreed Ventures here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
https://www.rarebreed.vc/
Follow us on twitter:
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Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
In episode 4 of DrinksWithAVC, Vik and Bree are joined by Wave Capital co-founder, Sara Adler. They take in the Presidential inauguration, talk gender diversity in venture, and discuss her crazy ride from Facebook to Dropbox to AirBnB over her drink of choice, the Manhattan.
Find out more about Burkland, GreenCow, and Wave Capital here:
https://burklandassociates.com/
https://www.greencow.vc/
http://wave.capital/
Follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/DrinksWithAVC
https://twitter.com/BurklandAssoc
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Intro Music: Dawn by Markvard
Vik and Bree spread the holiday cheer with Xfund’s Brandon Farwell in episode 3 of DrinksWithAVC. Note to the hosts: challenge guests to name that tune before consuming cocktails.
In the second episode of DrinksWithAVC, Bree and Vik talk living in a global community and dive into Mohanjit Jolly’s journey from fixing the Hubble Telescope to designing smart toys for Mattel to his current role at the India-focused Iron Pillar Fund.
What do a Russian airliner, a mini piano, and Hunter S. Thompson have to do with Norwest Venture Partners’ Scott Beechuk? Tune into DrinksWithAVC’s inaugural episode to find out!