Startups for Good: Recent Episodes
Miles Lasater
Startups for Good is a podcast exploring high-growth, high-values ventures. Join us to hear how startups can be a force for good. Guests include founders of mission-driven companies, creators of startup nonprofits, and their investors/donors plus other inspiring thinkers and doers. Your host is founder turned investor Miles Lasater.
Chris Fredericks founded Empowered Ventures, serves as president & CEO, and is a member of the board of directors. Chris has a diverse background in management, accounting and finance, business valuations, mergers and acquisitions, operations, people development, and strategy.
In 2010, he proposed and led the acquisition of TVF (www.tvfinc.com) on behalf of the employees using an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), which enabled a successful ownership transition for the founder. After overseeing a decade of success as an employee-owned company, Chris and TVF launched Empowered Ventures (www.empowered.ventures) in 2020 to grow and diversify the ESOP through acquisition. Inspired by TVF’s transformative employee ownership experience, Chris led Empowered Ventures to define its purpose which is to perpetually create life-changing financial and personal wellbeing outcomes for its employee owners.
Chris resides near Burlington, Vermont, having relocated from his home state of Indiana in 2022. He is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. A former CPA, Chris started his career in public accounting in the nonprofit sector before joining TVF in 2005, where he served in various positions including chief financial officer, before serving as president from April 2010 through March 2021.
He's a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington Kelley School of Business with a bachelor's degree in accounting. As a former CPA, Chris started his career in public accounting in the nonprofit sector, before joining the company in 2005, where he served in various positions, including chief financial officer and President from April 2010 through March 2021.
We talked about the differences between a stock option plan and a worker ownership plan. Chris shared the differences between a company being worker owned and being worker managed. In addition, we discussed the differences between that and a co-op. Also, we talked about how he leads with open book management and creates alignment among different leaders and the team in general. And, we talk about what it means for an owner to sell to a worker owned company and what it means for the workers of the company that's purchased.
“We're in a fortunate position that when good opportunities arise that the fit our profile, …, both from a returns perspective, but and also all the other critically important…, orientations or requirements we're looking for in a business, that we're able to pull the trigger.” - Chris Fredericks
Connect with Chris on Twitter @esopchris and on LinkedIn
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Jeannie founded Funding U to provide a responsible loan option for academically achieving, low income students who needed last gap funds to complete college, but for whom the only available options were high interest rate credit cards. Her drive to solve this problem came from a decade of working in education nonprofits in Atlanta and an understanding that a mother’s education level holds the single strongest correlation to outcomes of infant mortality, child literacy, household employment and income, and likelihood to live in poverty.
Today, Funding U has originated $42M in affordable student loans to more than 4000 academically achieving undergraduates, 40% of whom are from families with income of $40,000 or less, and 60% are first generation 4-year college students. In 2020, the Company launched a Platform as a Service product, “Powered by Funding U,” which provides end to end data and technology solutions for organizations that want to provide outcomes based, income share repayment loan options for low income or other marginalized Americans.
Funding U has raised ~$80M in equity and debt financing from investors including Goldman Sachs, Mackenzie Scott and Deciens Capital.
Prior to starting Funding U, Jeannie was the first employee of the Atlanta Girls’ School in Atlanta, Georgia, where she acted as Founding Director of Admissions. She then became Director of Development for Literacy Action and then worked for the Rollins Center for Early Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School as a Strategic Consultant. She is a currently a Trustee of Atlanta Girls’ School, served on the Emory Board of Visitors from 2017 to 2019, was a Founding Board Member of Girls on the Run, Atlanta, 1998-2001, and was the first alumna trustee of The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 1994-1996.
Jeannie is a graduate of Princeton University, where she obtained a B.A. cum laude, in English Literature and American Studies.
She has launched three other successful ‘startups’ - her children, Anna, Peter, and Robert - ages 22, 21, and 18.
Jeannie joins me today, we start at a very high level about the industry in this conversation, we get very tactical for early stage founders.
“I feel I fight and resist and tell my team to resist any binary conversations or a binary way of thinking.” - Jeannie Tarkenton
Connect with Jeannie on LinkedIn
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
David Blake operates at the intersection of the future of work and the future of politics. David Blake has spent his career innovating in formal education and lifelong learning. He is on a mission to future proof our workforce and use learning and skills to enable everyone to fulfill their personal missions.
David is the co-founder and CEO of Degreed. Millions of individuals and hundreds of organizations use Degreed’s platform to discover and answer for all of their learning and skills. Prior to Degreed, he helped launched a competency-based, accredited university and was a founding team member of university-admissions startup Zinch (acquired by NASDQ: CHGG). David was selected as a Top EdTech Entrepreneur by the Stanford d.School EdTech Lab, sponsored by Teach For America and NewSchools Venture Fund.
He is the co-author of the book, The Expertise Economy: How the smartest companies use learning to engage, compete, and succeed and the co-creator of the Skills Quotient. He is a sought-after expert on the topic of the future of work and learning, speaking at companies such as Google, Deloitte, and Salesforce and at conferences globally.
David joins me today to discuss the surprising downside of curiosity, how artificial intelligence impacts learning and earning. Also, we talked about the growing skills gap, the best way to hire, how he learned to be a founder, and the book he thinks best captures what it's like to be a founder.
“I find, the best way to get started is to be intentional and to have a goal.” - David Blake
Connect with David on LinkedIn and Twitter or email David at D@davidblake.com. To find out more about David’s companies visit degreed.com or bookclub.com.
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Nikhil is the technical cofounder of Hearth. Hearth was founded to give home improvement contractors and businesses the tools to achieve the American Dream. Hearth does this by providing an all-in-one tool suite for owners to manage their operations covering: lead management, quoting, customer financing options, invoicing, contracts, payments, and checking accounts. Nikhil has operated the business since its inception seven years ago, from individual contributor to VP level in product, data, revenue operations, and customer success. Over his time there, Hearth has grown to serve over 14,000 users, a $23M revenue run rate, and raised over $60M in venture capital funding.
Nikhil joins me today to talk about finding product market fit, how a founder’s role evolves over time. We discuss the importance of feedback loops and how to build them into your business. As well as the best advice you ever received as a founder.
“Data is an asset, and you want to collect as much of it as possible upfront to create a full profile of your customer base and really understand them.” - Nikhil Pat
Connect with Nikhil on Twitter and LinkedIn
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Normally on Startups For Good, we interview external guests. Today, we turn the mic back around and focus on Purpose Built and what we're up to. Recently, we did a webinar called “Ready to Build. How do I know if I'm ready to be a startup founder?”
Have you had a nagging feeling that you'd one day like to start a company or have people told you they want to work with you or for you? Perhaps you're in a moment of a career transition where you're exploring your next steps, you could consider yourself a future founder. But how do you know if you're ready? And what are the things you should consider?
I'm CEO and co-founder of Purpose Built, joined by Reini Chipman, Head of Human Capital in the webinar, and we talked about what makes a great startup founder, what common misconceptions there are and when to know you're ready. Part of what was fun for me is being able to incorporate some of the previous episodes that we've done, Episode 86 with Noam Wasserman, author of The Founders Dilemma. We referenced Alex Lazarow, author of Out-Innovate episode 20 and Ali Tamaseb, author of Super Founders episode 64. Check out that one as well. If you want to learn more about purpose built there's our website. And you can also listen to the Access Ventures Podcast that I was interviewed for their More Than Profit December 8 episode.
Taylor’s HBR article about MVPs is online here.
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- What makes a great startup
- Myths about VC backed founders
- Career Goals
- Knowing when you are ready
- First steps to starting a business
- The value of a startup studio
- The process that Purpose Built Founders go through
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Adam Jackson is the co-founder and CEO of Freelance Labs, builders of Braintrust, the first user-controlled talent network that provides enterprises with the highly skilled technical and design talent they need.
Prior to founding Braintrust, Adam co-founded Doctor on Demand, the popular video telemedicine provider, with daytime talk show personality Dr. Phil, as well as his son Jay McGraw. Other notable ventures include DriverSide, the first website specifically designed for car owners, which was acquired by Advance Auto Parts in September of 2011 and MarketSquare, the first online local shopping destination on the Internet which was acquired by Intuit in September of 2006. Adam is a passionate Angel investor in 45+ companies including LTSE, SuperHuman, Automatic, Apero Health, Zenefits, and more.
Adam joins me today to talk a lot about marketplace dynamics in web two and web three. We also discuss how he's taken his learnings from growing his marketplace businesses before into a new world aligning incentives in the web three world we talked about compliance risks. We also talked about management challenges, and about advice that he has for founders on how to become a better storyteller.
“You have to be telling a big, powerful story, there's a disconnect with founders, it's the art of the possible. What if this could exist? How cool would that be? With VCs, It's the art of the probable. How many bets do I need to make? And what do they need to look like for me to return the fund and hopefully raise the next one? So there's, there's a little bit of misalignment there.” - Adam Jackson
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Braintrust and it’s uniqueness
- How the tokens work
- Differences in extracting more value than you are providing
- Common mistakes when pitching to investors
- How to approach competition
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Shannon Farley is an experienced social entrepreneur. She was the founding Executive Director of Spark, the world's largest network of Millennial philanthropists. Prior to joining Spark, Shannon helped start The W. Haywood Burns Institute, a MacArthur Award-winning juvenile justice reform organization. Shannon holds a BA in American Studies from Georgetown University and an MS in Gender and Social Policy from the London School of Economics.
Shannon joins me today to chat about tech nonprofits, and often startup tech nonprofits. Fast Forward celebrates nine years of accelerating dozens of tech nonprofits. And in this episode, we discuss when to choose a for profit versus a nonprofit model. We discuss that definition more in depth, we talk about the capital crunch that many experience and how to solve it, we talk about compensation levels in nonprofits, and we talk about the new program at Fast Forward.
“It's a terrible, great idea, a nonprofit for nonprofits to advance nonprofits. But it was needed.”
- Shannon Farley
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Selecting for profit or non-profit business model
- Main differences between for profit and nonprofit
- Capital landscape for tech nonprofits
- Capital requirements at a tech nonprofit
- The tradition of giving away wealth
- The donor’s view on compensation
- Other obstacles that are missing
- In person vs. online collaboration
Connect with Shannon Farley on LinkedIn
To find Shannon’s Tech Nonprofit Playbook visit this website
To listen to Miles on the Access Venture podcast More Than Profit
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Anna Counselman is co-founder at Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST), a leading AI lending marketplace that partners with banks to improve access to affordable credit. Upstart helps millions of consumers who don’t have access to credit, pay too much for it, or take on credit they can’t ultimately afford. Anna leads business operations where she drives focus on operational scalability, employee experience, and culture-strategy alignment. Since co-founding Upstart, Anna has led Operations, People/HR, and myriad other initiatives before taking on Business Operations. Prior to Upstart, Anna led Gmail Consumer Operations as the business grew from 150 million to 450 million users and launched the global Enterprise Customer Programs team. Anna received a White House Champion of Change award and was recognized as one of Silicon Valley Business Journal's 40 under 40. Anna graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston University with a BA in Finance and Entrepreneurship.
Anna joins me today to talk about a lot of great topics, including the best advice she got for mentors, how to scale yourself as a founder, changes in culture and operations when you run a public company versus startup. But how do you keep running at the same speed just as fast as a startup as your larger company? And how do you stay together as a co-founding team for the long term.
“Make sure you keep a problem space that you are deeply interested in. Startups take longer than you expect. And so making sure that you select something that makes enough of a difference in the world, that it will keep you engaged and going as your business model might change.” - Anna Counselman
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Running a company after is goes public
- Managing regulatory risk
- Shifting the vision of the product
- Preparing for the founders experience
- Facing challenges during an economic downturn
Connect with Anna on LinkedIn
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Before coming to YU, Noam was a professor at Harvard Business School for 13 years. He was also the founding director of the Founder Central initiative at the University of Southern California and the Lemann Chair in Entrepreneurship there. He won the MBA teaching awards at both Harvard and USC, and has written two bestselling books, The Founder’s Dilemmas (2012) and Life Is a Startup (2018).
Noam grew up in Los Angeles, received undergraduate degrees in engineering and business from the University of Pennsylvania, and worked as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist before attending Harvard for his MBA and his PhD. He has 8 children and 8 grandchildren."
Noam joined me today and we discussed how to make a startup successful, to avoid the biggest pitfalls around team dynamics and people. We also talked about what's changed since his book came out. Are founders born or made? Is it good to found a business in a recession? How to have hard conversations, why it's worth it, and how to split equity with other founders.
“I tend to think of the core of entrepreneurship as being a three legged stool…, there are a bunch of other things around it that are important supports, but the core of it is those three things. Those are the financing of the product and the people.” - Noam Wasserman
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Can entrepreneurship be taught?
- Having the right people at the right time in a startup
- Having the ability to recover from mistakes
- Early doubts from founders
- Pitfalls of founding teams
- Ways to prepare for personal life events
- Characteristics of a good founder
- The rise in coaching and mentorship
Learn more about Noam through his podcast and his book
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Entrepreneur and investor with a love of learning, a passion for making dreams become reality and having a positive impact on the world. Husband, father and book addict.
Miles is founder/CEO of Purpose Built Ventures Studio where he co-founds winning mission-driven companies with passionate entrepreneurs.
Miles is an Investor in early-stage startups. As Founding Partner of Purpose Built Ventures, he previously invested in tech startups working to make people healthier or wealthier. He has invested in and advised dozens of companies at the earliest stages including Honor, Brightside Health, Remix, Notable Health, and Balto Software. Additionally, he has helped seed nonprofits such as Issue One, One Acre, and MakeHaven.
Miles is an Entrepreneur. Starting his career as an entrepreneur while still a college student, he co-founded Higher One in his living room. As senior exec and later board chair, he led the company from idea to $200mil+ revenue, 750+ employees and IPO including making multiple acquisitions. He was proud to campaign internal culture and values including open communication and client service. Higher One also ranked highly on the national Great Place to Work list twice as well as Inc 500 and multiple other fast growth lists.
Miles went on to start two other venture-backed startups: SeeClickFix (SaaS for government) where he serves on the board and OneUni (higher education via smartphone).
Miles was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year regional winner and national finalist.
Miles is a Podcast Host: Startups for Good is a podcast exploring high-growth and high-values ventures. Join us to hear how startups can be a force for good. Guests include founders of mission-driven companies, creators of startup nonprofits, and their investors/donors plus other inspiring thinkers and doers. http://startupsforgood.com/
“The lesson for social benefit startups more broadly, is to make sure that your solution is full of other benefits besides positive externalities. Don't expect people just to want to do the right thing.” - Miles Lasater
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Attracting early adopter customers
- Pricing for value
- Be optimistic and trust yourself
- Don’t confuse stocks and flows
- Building relationships
Links mentioned in the show:
Forward Obsessed Podcast featuring Miles
Look forward to hearing him on an episode of the More Than Profit podcast by Access Ventures
Vision of Failure
A Quantitative Approach to Product Market Fit article
Start Ups for Good website
Miles' website
Newsletter: https://mileslasater.substack.com/
Writing: www.venturepatterns.com
Personal Website: http://www.mileslasater.com
Podcast: http://www.startupsforgood.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mileslasater
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you...
Jon has over 15 years of experience in energy investing and project finance. Prior to launching Carbon Direct, he was the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of BBL Commodities, a commodity hedge fund. Jon started his career at J. Aron, the commodities division of Goldman Sachs where he managed a large proprietary trading book across global macro markets with an emphasis on commodities. Jon was then a partner at Glencore, managing the firm’s US derivative business prior to its IPO.
Jon's focus on climate change and negative emissions extends to his work at Columbia University where he sits on the board of the Center on Global Energy Policy. He has been a lecturer on energy issues at the university and helps steer the Carbon Dioxide Management program. He is also an advisor to Lawrence Livermore National Lab on negative emissions.
Jonathan joins me today to discuss the combination of advising and investing and how you put those two pieces together. Also, what skills are needed in the climate space. We talked about the impact of the new law, the IRA, what he thinks of voluntary carbon credits. Finally we chat about some of the biggest challenges in building the company.
“Our approach has always been that for carbon management to scale, and that's ultimately the goal of our firm is to enable a vibrant carbon management ecosystem.“ - Johnathan Goldberg
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
- Carbon Management Industry
- Business opportunities in climate tech
- Managing conflicts between regulatory and commercial interests
- Future of carbon credit disclosures
- The importance of aviation fuel
- What’s missing in CFO type skills in early stage companies
To learn more about Carbon Direct on their website
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Miles on Twitter or LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about Purpose Built visit our website.
Rafi Levi, BSc. Mechanical (Technion, Israel), MSc. N.A.M.E (University of Michigan, USA), has over 35 years of Engineering, project management, business development, and business management experience, in Israel and worldwide. Rafi joins me today to talk about how much fertilizer is wasted and turns into pollution because farmers don't have the data. The difference between agriculture tech and climate tech and how they can be merged. We discuss doing business in different countries and cultures. We talk about how important it is to be optimistic as a startup founder or employee, and about working with scientific co-founders and how to find early adopters.
“My wife always says, '' You're so optimistic, you never plan for the worst. And I say no, no, I'm so optimistic because I completed planning for the worst. And now I hope for the best. I always plan for the worst.” - Rafi Levi
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Current fertilizer assessment protocols Dots technology Business sweet spots Selecting the right business model Ag tech innovations Distinguishing between science project or company Importance of trusting a partner
Connect with Rafi onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rafi-levi-04a244/ ( LinkedIn) and on thehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rafi-levi-04a244/ ( Dots website )
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Erin Levine is the CEO & Founder of Justice Tech company, Hello Divorce. After 16 years as a divorce lawyer, Erin knows just how broken, toxic, wildly inefficient and unreasonably expensive the family law system is - with Americans spending 30 billion a year on legal fees alone. No longer wanting to be a complicit participant in a process that routes spouses through war, Erin set out to revolutionize how consumers access the law and provide a kinder, easier and cheaper pathway to divorce. Ultimately, Erin's mission is to help people reorganize their lives and families with less stress and mess - providing a bridge to financial independence and emotional well being. Erin and I talked about the mission of Hello Divorce and why it's important barriers to more legal tech, or justice tech innovation. We talk about their fundraising process, and we dive into how to have hard conversations and why it's so important to founders. “We offer a new and different opportunity for people to get divorced, find solutions that are rooted in fairness, without necessarily making a huge mess out of their divorce.” - Erin Levine Today on Startups for Good we cover: Income differentials Divorce trends Finding solutions rooted in fairness Helping couples come to an agreement Innovations in legal tech Challenges in building the business Having hard conversations Big barriers to amicable divorce
Some books recommended by Erin are Brene Brown’s https://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592407331/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1665698029&sr=8-6 (Daring Greatly) and https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Lead-Brave-Conversations-Hearts/dp/0399592520/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1665698090&sr=1-6 (Dare to Lead). Also, Glennon Doyle’s https://www.amazon.com/Untamed-Glennon-Doyle-Melton/dp/1984801252/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1665698144&sr=1-2 (Untamed) Connect with Erin onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlevine/ ( LinkedIn) andhttps://www.instagram.com/hellodivorce/ ( Instagram) or on the Hello Divorce https://hellodivorce.com/ (website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Dr. Seth Feuerstein is the Founder and CEO of Oui Therapeutics. He has expertise across multiple areas of medicine, technology and business. . He is a founding board member of the Center for Biomedical and Interventional Technology at Yale and Executive Director of the Center for Digital Health, Innovation and Excellence. He teaches at the medical school and is the faculty advisor for Innovation in Healthcare at the Yale School of Medicine and has an appointment in the Department of Defense. He works across multiple sectors in healthcare including health insurance, healthcare startups, healthcare investing, clinical care delivery innovation and early-stage emerging medical technologies. He sits on multiple for-profit and nonprofit boards. Seth joins me today to discuss Oui Therapeutics, they built out their research based solution and they're in trials with adults, including the military. We handle a tough topic today around suicide and suicide prevention. If you or anyone you know are having suicidal thoughts, you can call 988, which is the new national crisis hotline or you can text the Crisis Text Hotline at 741741. We speak about mental health, we speak about behavioral health, we think about digital therapeutics, how you transition from academics to business and his journey. “It helps retrain them in how they identify when they're at risk, how they prevent being at risk, and what to do when they are at risk. Not unlike what happens, you know, when people have cardiac conditions, they learn about how to identify when things are going badly and when to go to the doctor.” - Seth Feuerstein
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Understanding the rise in suicide rates Challenges and stressors on the brain What interventions are available Patient experiences for those using Oui Therapeutics The limits of certain therapeutics The importance of university support of a project How to help someone who is suffering
Connect with Seth onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-feuerstein-47b0a31/ ( LinkedIn)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Jeff is a Co-Founder and CEO of Fig Tech. Fig creates onramps for underbanked Americans to repair their credit score and regain access to traditional financial services. Fig started as a collaboration with the United Way in Houston and became the first fintech to be both B Corp certified and a US Treasury recognized Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Fig's investors include Techstars, Upper90, Village Capital, and Purpose Built. Prior to Fig, Jeff previously worked at the Boston Consulting Group in strategy and consumer products. Jeff holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA in Applied Data Analytics from the Wharton School. Jeff joins me today to discuss his company Fig. They serve 400,000 customers. One of their products is a loan which average is $400 in size, so unsecured short term loan, they do all of this to serve all these customers with only about 15 employees. There's a lot to learn in this episode about picking your co-founder, his approach to prioritization, thinking about how optimistic to be trade offs in growth and profitability, and why their mission is so important. “Imagine someone judging you based on your driver's license photo, and only that. We're looking to help these people update that photo, we're looking to help them make their credit score look like who they are today and who they want to be tomorrow. And in that sense, unlocking their financial potential. - Jeff Zhou
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Short term loans Realizing potential Credit reporting services Emergency loans Why are people still utilizing predatory loans? Learning about the needs of the customer Cycle of borrowing Shiny Object Syndrome
Connect with Jeff onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyyzhou/ ( LinkedIn)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Born to immigrant parents in poverty, Jonathan and his family quickly learned the value and need for community (something he discovered later on was very hard to come by for folks on the street). Receiving an opportunity to study at the University of Michigan, Jonathan earned a degree in Informatics, specializing in UX design. After producing a documentary on social change ("Talim" on Amazon), Jonathan developed a tool for restaurants to convert surplus food into funding for local food banks called FoodCircles. From there he helped create Samaritan, with the goal to give people without a home the social and financial support needed to leave the street. Through all this, he wants people to meet Jesus and come to know His unconditional love for them. Jonathan joins me today to discuss the causes of homelessness, ways to address homelessness, how volunteers can help a person without a home, why they chose a for benefit corporation rather than nonprofit and what some of the challenges have been, as well has his advice at the end. “We just find that, if you have a social home, addressing that financial poverty becomes a lot easier and higher likelihood that the person is able to do that. And then the physical home can follow thereafter.” - Jonathan Kumar
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Why Jonathan is drawn to helping the homeless Paying generosity forward Causes of homelessness Leaning on people to help you through tough times Does mental illness and substance abuse play a role? How Samaritan works Raising capital as a public benefit corporation
Connect with Jonathanhttps://twitter.com/youaresamaritan ( Twitter) andhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kumario/ ( LinkedIn)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Misha is the founder of Effective Government California. He believes government is a vitally important institution, and that our responsibility as citizens is to help improve it. Today Misha will make the case that startup skills are partially transferable into the political and policy domain and encourages you to consider it when it's the right time. And perhaps some issues will be better served, better impacted through advocacy, politics and policy than through startups. “Let's look at the landscape and understand whether there are existing organizations that we can just partner with, because there's great people there and great, they already have a cadence of performance and out driving outcomes, or whether there needs to be something new.” - Misha Chellam
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Why should startups care about politics Changing minds about money in politics Goals for a new advocacy organization Challenges when building a political startup
Connect with Misha onhttps://twitter.com/mishachellam ( Twitter) and subscribe to theirhttps://modernpower.substack.com/ ( newsletter) The book that Misha referenced is:https://www.amazon.com/Captured-Economy-Powerful-Themselves-Inequality/dp/019062776X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660763327&sr=8-1 ( The Captured Economy) by Steve Teles and Brink Lindsey Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Millennial, Immigrant, Uber driver (36000 mi) turned Techstars fintech startup founder @Line Financial. Previously Product Leader @PayPal (75 consumer fintech patent publications). Dad, Husband, Brother, Proud son of parents who came from extreme poverty, worked hard to give us great education, tolerant values and culture. Akshay joins me today to discuss his company, the product and how it works. We talked about what motivates him and the growth of the company. We talked about how to include the voice of the customer inside the company and do that in a systematic way.
“Look for problems or several other problems, right around you. If you go down the path of identifying problems, and trying to solve them, you will be on the right path.” - Akshay Krishnaiah
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Lending in a alternate way How they have grown What he learned at PayPal If the patent system promotes innovation How to keep the team focused
Connect with Akshayhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/entrprenr/ ( Linkedin) andhttps://twitter.com/entrprenr ( Twitter) Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
After working in private equity and investment banking, Jacob Sills’s passion for criminal justice reform led him to start Uptrust, a communication and engagement platform focused on ending mass incarceration. To date, Uptrust has helped over 300,000 people across 22 states navigate the criminal justice system and avoid violations that could send them to jail or prison. Jacob received his B.A. from Cornell University and his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Jacob joins me today to discuss how he investigated the market at the beginning to learn how to be a bails bondsman. He actually went to see a bail be set and did the research to understand the market. We talk about finding a co-founder and early customer decisions he's made to protect the mission. We also discussed the importance of market sizing. “A lot of research has shown that, … If you punish them for five years, instead of two years, it doesn't actually negate it. It's not like a supply demand curve where if the price goes up, you know, demand goes down.” - Jacob Sills Today on Startups for Good we cover: How to change the criminal justice system The efficacy of deterrence on crime Reasons for people not showing up for their court date Selling to the government How does low churn and long sales cycle affect growth Approaching investors
Connect with Jacob at @jacobrsills onhttps://twitter.com/jacobrsills ( Twitter) or onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-sills/ ( Linkedin)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Adena Hefets is the co-founder & CEO of Divvy Homes, a proptech company on a mission to make homeownership accessible to everyone. Today, Adena is one of the few female founders to reach double unicorn status and to be valued at approximately $2 billion. Adena set out to solve a problem she saw in the market: fewer people can afford to purchase a home today than two decades ago. To solve this, she came up with a new way to finance a home purchase through a rent-to-own model that allows renters to gradually build up ownership in their future homes. Prior to founding Divvy, Adena joined Square in 2013 and was responsible for building out Square Capital, a merchant cash advance platform with billions in loans outstanding. Prior to joining Square, she was part of the large-cap buyout team at TPG, a private equity firm, where she helped purchase companies in the real estate sector. She started her career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Adena holds a Bachelors of Science, Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University and a Masters of Business Administration, Stanford Graduate School of Business. She was named 40 Under 40 by Fortune and is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Capital, and Caffeinated Capital. She currently lives in Oakland, California. Adena joins me today and we discuss profitability, first growth trade off, co-founder relationships, the role of a CEO, getting and learning from mentors, along with a lot more. “I think the trade we make, and why that's acceptable to us as a business is we end up getting tenants who think act and feel like homeowners.” - Adena Hefets
Today on Startups for Good we cover: The high expense of housing Thinking about growth How investor background helps fundraising Self awareness to keep up company growth Finding mentors Finding the right co-founder Working with a startup studio The downside to CEO-ness
Connect with Adena on Twitter @AdenaHefets
Books mentioned on the show: https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116300/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1657137073&sr=1-1 (Seven Powers) by Hamilton Helmer https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1657137175&sr=1-1 (The Hard Thing About Hard Things) by Ben Horowitz
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Thomson Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Nearside, a financial services provider and neobanking platform built on the belief that starting a business should be easier. A data scientist turned entrepreneur, Thomson focuses on providing an estimated 60 million entrepreneurs, micro-SMBs, freelancers, gigsters, and unbanked individuals with fair financial products, including free small business checking accounts with no monthly, overdraft or ATM fees and cashback rewards. Thomson joins me today to talk about how he was a gig driver in order to learn about working as a gig worker, how he suggests getting started serving customers, and how he gives out his personal email address to all his customers. “I've always told our team to focus on what works for us and not over rotate on current trends or proselytizers, or what people are saying out on like social media” - Thomson NguyenToday on Startups for Good we cover: Handling your competitors How a data scientist background is helpful with fintech Serving customers before you have a product Pros & cons of remote work
Connect with Thomson at Thomson@nearside.com Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Alex's entrepreneurial journey started long before he ever knew the concept of a business plan. In fact, he did not realize it at the time, but his earliest experiences in childhood gave him the background and understanding of a problem (and how to solve it) that would lead Alex down the entrepreneurial path. Alex has since served in leadership positions at numerous social enterprises and technology start-ups in D.C., London, and San Francisco. Alex is a proud product of Bellevue Public Schools in his native Washington state; he believes in the productive potential of design, compassion, and digital technology. He worked as a member of Barack Obama's field team in 2007 and 2008, managing hundreds of paid staff who organized thousands of volunteers for the then-Senator's successful presidential primary and general election campaigns. Alex then served as a Founding Regional Director of Obama for America – the political mobilization wing of the Democratic National Committee – until 2010. Alex got his start in real estate at real estate developer Forest City (now Brookfield Properties). He holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Alex splits his time between his native Seattle and Landed’s headquarters in San Francisco, and he and his husband spend their decompression time outdoors, on the dance floor, or playing the “funcles” (fun-uncles) role. We dive into topics such as what he's learned from politics and brought into startups, more about the details of the housing market and the details of their product, as well as how to welcome emotions into the workplace and use them for higher productivity. “I got really excited about the idea that the tools out there that people could use to better match their economic reality. And one of those tools is shared appreciation or shared ownership or co-ownership that allows you to spread out and share risk.” - Alex LoftonToday on Startups for Good we cover: High-cost of housing Success with investors Impact capital vs. charitable capital Relationships with regulators Dealing with fear in a startup
Connect with Alex onhttp://landed.com/ ( landed.com) Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Tony Huang is the Co-founder & CEO of Possible Finance, a consumer fintech company focused on improving the financial health of lower-income Americans. Since 2019, Possible has provided small dollar installment loans to over 500,000 Americans to help them cover emergency expenses and build credit history. Recently, Possible announced the Possible Card, an unsecured credit card without interest fees or late fees, just one flat monthly fee. They designed this product so that they never make money from customers being stuck in vicious debt cycles which is unfortunately all too common for subprime credit cardholders. Possible’s lead investors are Union Square Ventures, Euclidean Capital (Jim Simons’s family office), Canvas Ventures, and Unlock Ventures. Prior to founding Possible, Tony and his co-founders collectively spent 26 years building body cameras for cops. Possible is a fully distributed company with team members all across the globe, and Tony has spent the past 18 months as a digital nomad living in various cities across the country. Tony joins me today to discuss how within two weeks of announcing the new credit card product, they have over 175,000 people on the waitlist. We talk about trade offs between short term profits and long term mission, product design with mission in mind his personal journey and the consumer debt market in the US.
“We wanted to create value for customers and for society overall.” - Tony Huang
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Why payday loans cost so much Lending to lower income communities The importance of better data International micro lending vs. domestic payday loans The debt cycle Trade offs in managing mission and the product Debt investor experience
Connect with Tony onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tghuang/ ( LinkedIn) or through the Possible Financialhttps://www.possiblefinance.com/ ( Website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Jens is the founder of NewImpact, a humanity benefit nonprofit based in Seattle, WA. NewImpact is seeking to change the way the world finds opportunities and solves problems by pioneering the field of Tri-Sector Innovation. NewImpact inspires and enables innovators and organizations to design solutions and business models that repurpose and realign the best resources available within the private, social and public sectors. Jens first realized the potential for tri-sector innovation when he founded Coinstar in 1990. His goal was to create a company that could simultaneously benefit the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Today, Coinstar has processed trillions of coins and billions of dollars for millions of people, raising over $150M in donations to nonprofits and saving the government billions of dollars, all while providing a valued consumer service and increasing spendable cash power. After the success of Coinstar, Jens realized tri-sector business models could be applied to many types of organizations, with the potential to help transform society. Jens has been invited to present tri-sector methodologies at numerous keynotes, business school presentations and curriculum, before the United Nations, and at other gatherings, and he is always seeking opportunities to share his vision for a world where social and economic progress are available to all. We talked about the story of Coinstar and when the mission came into it, how he learned how to talk about it, the tri-sector model in more detail. I'm sure you're wondering about it, including some examples of it. “I would just encourage people who are starting companies or existing companies to really think about a tri-sector mindset out there, and I think they can grow their companies faster.” - Jens Molbak
Today on Startups for Good we cover: When mission became a part of Coinstar Attracting investors when mission is part of the business How to continue to innovate Tri-sector and how it differs from triple bottom line How to identify public sector resources Challenges to building software as a non-profit Universal basic service
Connect with Jens onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jens-molbak-0340351/ ( LinkedIn) or theirhttps://www.newimpact.care/ ( website) Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Arna Ionescu Stoll has deep expertise developing complex, multi-touchpoint healthcare products that integrate seamlessly into people’s lives. As the Chief Executive Officer at Wavely Diagnostics, she is guiding Wavely’s technology through development and into viable commercial markets based on her decades of experience developing high impact, innovative healthcare products that solve real human needs. Arna has been a part of the digital health community since before the term “digital health” was coined, and she has served as executive, consultant, and senior advisor to various healthcare, digital health, and medical devices companies. Prior to her role at Wavely, she was the founder and principal at Triody, a boutique consulting firm focused exclusively on supporting early stage healthcare companies, the Vice President of User Experience & Design at Proteus Digital Health, a start-up creating digital medicines to support adherence and diagnostics that grew into a billion dollar company before her departure, and a Health Practice lead at IDEO, a global design and innovation consulting firm, where she built IDEO’s first “Connected Health” business focused on supporting companies that used technology to facilitate healthcare delivery. Arna holds a B.S.E. in Computer Science and minor in Modern Dance from Princeton University, and an M.S. in Computer Science/Human Computer Interaction from Stanford University." A special episode as Arna and Miles went to elementary school together and Purpose Built is an investor in Wavely. We talked about how to bring a product to market and how to work with academic co founders, how mission driven messages resonate differently with employees and investors and how to build a parent friendly workplace and much, much more. “I think it's really important to find the right investors. I think having people who will support you in building a company, having people that you really enjoy speaking with is much more important than having a check.” - Arna Ionescu Stoll
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Using a cell phone to diagnose an ear infection Being realistic about timelines The biggest surprise when a client becomes your employer Human centered design How to seek non-dilutive funding Working with academic co-founders Creating parent friendly work environments How to attract investors and employees with a mission Advice for female founders and CEOs
Connect with Arna onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaionescu/ ( LinkedIn),https://twitter.com/wavelydx ( Twitter) andhttps://www.instagram.com/wavelydx/ ( Instagram) or on theirhttps://wavelydx.com/ ( website).
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Sander Daniels is passionate about ensuring we have good jobs for people in the future as technology accelerates. He spends his time doing what he can to create, connect, and train people into new jobs. Sander is a founder of Thumbtack, the modern home management platform. Millions of households in the U.S. use the Thumbtack platform to manage their home, and Thumbtack helps hundreds of thousands of local service professionals across 500 occupations grow sustainably. Sander has also recently founded Scaled, a recruiting startup focused initially on connecting great People, Legal, and Finance talent to top startups, and GroomBuggy, a mobile dog grooming business in the San Francisco Bay Area. “There's a huge opportunity for tech to get back to the ground roots to connect itself much more with Washington DC, with politics with local communities, and figure out how tech can really connect itself much more to the American national interest to creating jobs in the United States to rebuilding local communities across the country.” - Sander Daniels
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Which makes a bigger impact, policy or tech startup? Criteria for startup ideas Changing the Silicon Valley mindset How to pick the right executive coach Creating a globally diverse team Knowing when it is time to quit your job How parents influence a career path
Connect with Sander onhttps://sanderdaniels.substack.com/ ( Substack),https://www.linkedin.com/in/sander-daniels/ ( LinkedIn) andhttps://twitter.com/sanderdaniels ( Twitter)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Jimmy Chen is the Founder and CEO of Propel, creators of the Providers app, which is used by over 5 million Americans to manage their SNAP benefits and banking. Propel was founded through a fellowship at the Robin Hood Foundation, and has raised over $80m in venture capital funding from investors including the Financial Health Network, Andreessen Horowitz, Kevin Durant, and Serena Williams. In addition to his work at Propel, Jimmy is Vice Chair of Technology at the eGovernment Payments Council, an industry task force around the future of government payments, he was an advisor to President Biden's Tech Transition Committee, and he has testified in front of Congress on the topic of modernizing America's safety net. Prior to Propel, Jimmy led product teams at LinkedIn and Facebook and studied Symbolic Systems at Stanford University. “Start from a clear consumer pain point, start from talking to people who are navigating those challenges in their day to day lives, gain as much empathy as you can for their experiences.” - Jimmy Chen
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Market opportunity to serve low income people Measuring your positive impact What makes a product respectful How a feature can evolve into a business Revenue through advertising Choosing advertisers that are aligned with company values Managing fifty different state government regulations Dealing with competition Willingness to have frank conversations
Connect with Jimmy onhttps://twitter.com/jimmychen ( Twitter) or find out more from thehttps://www.joinpropel.com/ ( Propel website) http://paulgraham.com/mit.html (The Paul Graham article that was mentioned)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Chukwudi N. Kanu is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and investor, laser-focused on leveraging technology to solve today's systemic problems while creating a more equitable & inclusive future. He is the Cofounder & CEO of Humblebrag, a tool for investors to find overlooked pre-seed founders in emerging tech hubs while giving scouts interest on the investment. In addition to that, Chukwudi is the Managing Director of Binghamton Alumni Angels, the Binghamton University alumni investment network. He is also an active angel investor that has co-invested with notable investors Bill Trenchard, Naval Ravikant, Arlan Hamilton, and Marc Randolph. He's been recognized by LinkedIn, Indeed.com, the United Nations Development Programme, Ernst & Young, Notley, the United States Senate, and Venture For America for his leadership and new ideas. HumbleBrag is in an earlier stage than other companies we normally feature although it is part of our mini-series on alternative funding models with OnDeck, Wefunder, Pando and Exit to Community. “Learn how to tell your story, and tell it succinctly. Definitely know what your story is, tell it and be confident when you tell it like that's the biggest thing before you open your mouth.” - Chukwudi N. Kanu
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Deciding on entrepreneurship Channeling confidence Becoming a scout Regulatory constraints Tips for raising money Locations for future innovation
Connect with Chukwudi onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kanunchukwudi/ ( LinkedIN) orhttps://twitter.com/kanunchukwudi ( Twitter) The book discussed in this episode ishttps://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Blind-Spot-Wrong-Ideas_and/dp/194688555X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1J4R8E29NSH4S&keywords=the+innovation+blind+spot&qid=1648055520&s=books&sprefix=The+innovation+blin,stripbooks,124&sr=1-1 ( The Innovation Blindspot by Ross Baird)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Jonny leads the fundraising team at Wefunder, a platform that lets startup founders raise capital from their customers and community, as well as rich people. Before joining Wefunder, Jonny founded the U.S. team at the non-profit Kiva.org. He is from the UK where he studied history at the University of Cambridge, and is the proud dad of Felicity, Carlyle and Margot. I've invested with the Wefunder platform in one of the companies that was raising money, and I'm also an investor and a competitor. So I know a little bit about this space, but I learned more in this episode. We went deep on how crowdfunding Reg CF offerings work. We also learned about the scale that Wefunder has already achieved with 40% market share, over $450 million dollars raised on the platform, 1800+ founders, 26,000+ jobs created and on a mission to democratize investing in startups and small business.
“Wouldn't it be cool if the wealth that's created by the next Uber or the next Airbnb be shared among middle class Americans, as opposed to being concentrated in the hands of the investors?” -Jonny Price
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Community Round Marketing vs. building customer relationships Transparent reporting and auditing Regulation A crowdfunding vs. Regulation A offerings How to select the right crowdfunding platform Industry specialization Measuring mission impact Partnership with Micro acquire
References from the show: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/josh-clemente-founder-of-levels/id1538756698?i=1000507257086 (Josh Clemente, Founder of Levels episode of Startups for Good) https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296/ref=asc_df_0804139296/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312118059795&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3395807943360033503&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1024458&hvtargid=pla-432168417267&psc=1 (Zero to One by Peter Thie)l andhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOB7nezuQ7g ( Peter Thiel’s TedTalk) https://www.amazon.com/Uncharitable-Restraints-Nonprofits-Contemporary-Perspectives/dp/1584659556/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7SHXCZBUME8B&keywords=dan+pallotta&qid=1647464688&sprefix=dan+pollatta,aps,138&sr=8-1 (Uncharitable by Dan Pollotta) https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People/dp/1471195201/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647464747&sr=8-1 (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey) Connect with Jonny onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyprice/ ( LinkedIn) andhttps://twitter.com/Wefunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor ( Twitter) or follow Whttps://www.youtube.com/c/Wefunder (efunder on YouTube)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) orhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Shalen is a recovering banker who worked at Deloitte, BNP and SMBC, primarily in M&A and Leveraged Finance. During this time, he co-founded Global Clinic as a volunteer to deliver free cataract and cleft surgeries and primary eye and dental care around remote parts of Asia, which led him to quit banking and dedicate his career to healthcare. Shalen holds math, finance, and public health degrees from LSE, Cambridge, and Harvard. Before his master’s degree at Harvard, Jake worked as a consultant in healthcare strategy and technology. He focused on innovative care delivery models and early value-based care initiatives for providers, payers, and state agencies. He is passionate about building teams and tech that enable thoughtful remote care models for vulnerable populations. We discussed the transition from the corporate world to being a founder, bringing your authentic self to work, starting a family while being a founder and building a health tech company.
“I think that relationship is really important. So somewhere along the way, you have to turn the dial from extrinsic and intrinsic to make them really start to believe in themselves. And I think that's what we're trying to accomplish here.” - Jake Keteyian
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Extrinsic motivation vs. intrinsic motivation Making decisions in an nonhierarchical environment Deciding on a particular population to work with Creating a cohesive vision with many service offerings Keeping with company missions while remote Smoking cessation rates
Connect with Shane and Jake throughhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-keteyian-57083917/#experience ( LinkedIn),https://www.facebook.com/vincerehealth ( Facebook) orhttps://www.vincere.health/ ( Vincere’s website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Ali Tamaseb is a partner at DCVC, a Silicon Valley VC fund with over $2 billion under management. The investments Tamaseb led on behalf of DCVC has generated an enterprise value of over $6 billion and the companies he sits on as a board director employ over 3,000 people. Tamaseb studied Electrical Engineering at University of Tehran, Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London, and general management at Stanford Graduate School of Business and he was an honoree of the British Alumni Award of 2018 by the British Council, and was the recipient of Imperial College President’s Medal for Outstanding Achievement. Tamaseb has 7 publications, including two books and five academic papers, holds several patents, and has won medals in national and international Physics and Computing Olympiads. Ali’s latest book “Super Founders: What Data Reveals about Billion-Dollar Startups” became the #1 bestselling Venture Capital and Startup book, is published in over 50 countries and is being translated into over 10 languages. Ali and his work have been featured in the WSJ, BBC, Fortune, Guardian, The Telegraph, and Forbes among others and he has given keynote talks at major events and conferences. We have a fascinating conversation, which I think will blow up some of your myths you might have about what it takes to be a super founder. We discussed the number of co-founders, the founder staying CEO, whether first mover is an advantage, what happens when you have competition, the importance of timing, and we talk about how success is so rarely overnight. He also suggests areas that he thinks founders should be building in for the future. “I recommend [when you raise a lot of money] to entrepreneurs, it takes a very, very good discipline of you don't necessarily have to spend the money that you raise. But if you have the discipline of being lean, and only spending that money, there's product market fit” - Ali TamasebToday on Startups for Good we cover: Misconceptions of the qualities of a founder The value of a co-founder Survivorship bias Myths and stereotypes of being an investor The correlation between the amount of money raised and success Competition can show that there is a market
Connect with Ali onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alitamaseb/ ( LinkedIn) andhttps://twitter.com/alitamaseb?lang=en ( Twitter) Ali’s bookhttps://www.amazon.com/Super-Founders-Reveals-Billion-Dollar-Startups/dp/1541768426/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1645559861&sr=8-3 ( Super Founders) can be purchased where all books are sold Other references from the show: https://venturepatterns.com/blog/startup/founder-ceos-and-survivorship-bias/ (Miles’ blogpost on Survivorship bias)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Dr. Jasmin Hume is the Founder and CEO of Shiru, a biotechnology company addressing a critical need in the food industry by providing access to more sustainable and healthy ingredients. Jasmin is an expert in proteins, leveraging deep biochemistry, materials science, and food science knowledge to bring transformative, sustainable foods from concept to reality. In addition to her work as CEO and Founder of Shiru, she is a 2019 graduate of Y Combinator, former Director of Food Chemistry at JUST, and a former summer associate for VC firm Lux Capital. Jasmin holds a doctorate in protein engineering from NYU, an MSc from Chalmers University, and a BEng from McGill University. Jasmin joins me today to talk about being a solo founder. We also address how time inside a VC firm can teach you about being a founder and what it's like to fundraise while you're eight months pregnant.
“I think that one of the things that I talked about is balanced between ambition, visionary, big picture, and, also recognizing, what tools are in your toolbox today and what you can do.” - Jasmin Hume
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Environmental Sustainability Encouraging people to be plant based Fundraising advice Building a team and making decisions as a sole founder Selecting and engaging with mentors
Learn more about Shiru on theirhttps://www.shiru.com/ ( website) or connect with them onhttps://twitter.com/shiruinc ( Twitter) andhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/shiru-inc/ ( LinkedIn)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built) visit our website.
Will Sealy is the co-founder and CEO of Summer, a B Corp that's helping student loan borrowers navigate the repayment process to maximize their savings. Prior to Summer, Will worked at SoFi on business strategy and operations, and, prior to that, served as one of the first student loan policy experts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Will was a special assistant and policy advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren at both the CFPB and the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 2010, Will worked on the White House team tasked with implementing the Dodd-Frank Act. Will earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management and his BA from the College of William & Mary. On the episode we discussed his journey through the government to startup founder, how a friend inspired him to start his first organization, which decisions to make quickly and which to take your time on and managing multiple consumer channels.
(On choosing your co-founder) “This is a person who is going to be so with you through the the high highs and low lows, that it's not just about their accomplishments, it's really about their character” - Will Sealy
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Common misunderstandings about student loans Potential solutions for overwhelmed students Common reasons people can’t pay back student loans Ways to improve the student loan system Getting the most out of business school
Connect with Will and learn more about Summer on theirhttps://www.meetsummer.org/ ( website)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://www.startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttp://www.purposebuilt.vc/ ( Purpose Built visit our website.)
Muriel Clauson is the co-founder of Anthill, HR solutions for employees who don't sit at a desk or computer. Anthill is focused on helping workers in manufacturing and supply chain roles have the same support in their careers as their desked peers. Muriel has been an active researcher and advisor on the future of work and artificial intelligence. She has authored scientific publications, was a scientific advisor for several governments and organizations around the world, and is an advisory board member for Humans for AI. Previously, Muriel advised former ambassadors, prime ministers, and presidents across four continents on their future of work policy through her work with the InterAction Council. She has appeared in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Conscious Company, and Forbes and is a speaker with emerging technology think-tank Singularity University. She speaks on technological change and the future of work globally with organizations including the World Bank, China’s SAI Task Force for Innovation, the Milken Institute, United States Embassies, the Aspen Institute, the Young Presidents Organization, Palo Alto Networks, Silicon Valley Bank and more. Muriel is a doctoral candidate in industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Georgia and conducted research at Emory University's Goizueta School of Business and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Muriel joins me today to discuss more about their fundraising. They have done over 4 million between pre seed and seed and have an employee count of 31, with 10 full time. We discuss the journey from academic researcher to founder and CEO. What you have to unlearn and what you have to learn. We talk more about the makeup of the workforce these days? And how deskless workers fit in? How they get less attention, perhaps in the public conversation, and in terms of tools that are being built for HR, what the pandemic has meant for her company and for these workers. And we talk about a great offer from her for startup founders.
“I am grateful for this startup experience, and how much it's taught us, just like what actually matters, and getting down to brass tacks and speaking in a language that people understand and can get behind” - Muriel Clauson
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Desk-less Employees Utilizing SMS for employee communication Career development Changes in the employment landscape The Great Resignation
Connect with Muriel at muriel@anthill.co or at https://www.anthill.co/ (Anthill’s website).
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttps://www.purposebuilt.vc ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Arjan is a trusted and experienced venture investor and founder of Core Innovation Capital, a leading venture capital fund investing in financial services companies that democratize prosperity. He is a passionate advocate for market-based financial access and empowerment. His investments include Ripple, NerdWallet, Bestow, and Oportun. He is a Senior Advisor to the Financial Health Network (formerly CFSI), the nation’s leading authority on financial health, which he helped start in 2004. He has served on the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board and currently serves on the Fed’s Consumer Advisory Counsel. Several of Arjan’s investments have been acquired or gone public, including TIO Networks (by PayPal), Fundera (by Nerdwallet), Coverhound (Brown & Brown), Oportun (Nasdaq:OPRT), Honest Dollar (by Goldman Sachs), L2C (by TransUnion), AccountNow (by Green Dot), CircleLending (by Virgin Group), and RentBureau (by Experian). Arjan writes regularly, and has been noted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Economist, and in the documentary, Spent. He speaks regularly including at the White House, SXSW, Stanford, Harvard, and MIT. On a local level he serves on the Compton Community Development Corporation Board. Prior, he spent a decade as an operator in several venture backed startups as a technology leader, product- and general manager including Pierian Spring Software, Cognitive Concepts (acquired by Houghton Mifflin), Capella Learning (now NASDAQ: CPLA), and DoTheGood. Arjan joins me today to discuss mainly about a piece he wrote forhttps://medium.com/working-your-core/how-missionary-are-you-actually-6e49bc11a45a ( Medium) called How missionary are you actually?, which I think has so many insights per sentence. It is mind blowing, how dense and how much information is in the short piece. I thought it was worth a deep dive on the podcast, especially for founders thinking about how to hold themselves accountable to the mission. How to make sure it lives on past your initial excitement. And those moments when you say, Let's go climb that mountain..
“We believe in Occam’s razor, so pick the simpler versus the more complex solution, when there's a choice. We believe in creative destruction. And so rather than perfect academic rigor, we're fine to always be tinkering and improving it. Then we put together a small group of folks whose job it is to call our bluff, to hold our feet to the fire to insist on intellectual honesty.” - Arjan Schütte
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Misguided perseverance Impact externalities report Why mission driven startups are intent on financial health The importance of writing down the company’s mission Calculating correlations between social impact and enterprise value Different ways to levy fees Understanding your customer better Sharing positive externalities with steak holders Taking The Founder’s Pledge
Arjan’s article inhttps://medium.com/working-your-core/how-missionary-are-you-actually-6e49bc11a45a ( Medium) Connect with Arjan through his email at a@corevc.com or at Core’shttp://corevc.com/ ( website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
David Helene is the founder and CEO of Edquity (www.edquity.co), a provider of equitable and effective cash transfer administration technology for institutional and government partners. Under his leadership, Edquity has worked with over 30 innovative partners in postsecondary education to process over $85 million in emergency grants to over 90,000 students, 40% of whom have been student parents, as well municipalities that include the City of Baltimore. He has helped the organization attract over $8 million in support from some of the most innovation national postsecondary funding partners in the country, including ECMC Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, Strada Education Network, Imaginable Futures, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, Spring Point Partners, WGU Labs, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others. For his work at Edquity, David was named to 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Social Entrepreneurship. Prior to Edquity, David founded a non-profit college access organization called UniFi Scholars, where he worked with over 400 students around college financial planning, and spent nearly three years at The Clearing House, a financial trade association and payments company representing the interests of the nation’s largest commercial banks. David joins me today to discuss changing demographics in students, the importance and purpose of higher ed, why college costs keep rising, taking policy risks as a startup, launching a second product and the role of business in politics.
“About 75% of students are going to community colleges or open enrollment for your institutions. And that's really where we should be focusing our time and attention, because those are the institutions that are educating the vast majority of the next generation of our workforce.” - David Helene
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Fighting structural inequality Rising college costs Balancing two customer bases Policy risk and evaluation Should companies take political positions?
Learn more about Edquity on theirhttps://edquity.co/ ( website) and with David at david@edquity.co
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Ronnie Kwesi Coleman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Meaningful Gigs, a tech-enabled marketplace connecting skilled African designers with companies seeking high quality digital design. After dropping out of college at 20 to support his family in Ghana, Ronnie got a job at a tech startup in Washington, DC. Soon after, he helped launch the VC-backed startup StayNTouch, which grew to 100+ employees and was eventually acquired for $40M. Since co-founding Meaningful Gigs in 2019 Ronnie has led the company’s financial efforts, raising over $1M in seed funding and creating jobs for and upskilling more than 300 African designers. A longtime advocate for Africa, Ronnie’s own Ghanaian heritage inspired him to focus specifically on global equity. With a mission to help people reach their full potential, Meaningful Gigs is impacting people in Africa in real, tangible ways. In just under two years, the company has already placed designers in roles with Starbucks, Bloomberg, Facebook, and IDEO, and has a vision to create 100,000 skilled jobs in Africa by 2028. Ronnie is also a Co-Founder of the Black Exchange, an organization that helps black entrepreneurs connect with black investors. Ronnie lives in Washington, DC, where he oversees Meaningful Gigs’ world-class team. In his spare time, he can be found playing chess—he’s a nationally-ranked expert!—or playing basketball with friends. On today's episode I speak with Ronnie about his company which has about 12 full time people and has grown it’s revenue four to five times in 2021. They are also out now to raise a Series A. We discussed finding investors, finding co-founders and how you match your values, the values of the company and how that really comes together. We talk about finding investors when you don't have a network, how to prioritize which investors you want to work with. And we also end up with his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“How you do anything, is how you do everything. So pretty much if you can find a business or do whatever you need to do that harmonizes with your life, and it's not completely separate, it's not something new. Then try to do that.” - Ronnie Kwesi Coleman
Today on Startups for Good we cover: How chess is like building a startup Probabilistic thinking Factors making someone reach their full potential Addressing differences across national cultures Operating virtually The work force in Africa Resolving conflicts amongst founders The importance of mission when bringing in investors
Connect with Ronnie onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-kwesi-coleman-b0368a88/ ( LinkedIn) or through the company’shttps://www.meaningfulgigs.com/ ( website)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Alex Mooradian, founder and CEO of Resolve, is a private equity investor turned entrepreneur. He is the Founder and CEO of Resolve, a company which combines caring human experts with powerful technology to provide people with affordable and transparent debt relief solutions. Prior to founding Resolve, Alex was Entrepreneur In Residence at Expa and the founder of Readyforce, a company that helps people find jobs and get to work. He was also a Principal at Eos Partners, a growth equity investment fund in New York, and an Associate at First Atlantic Capital and Fremont Partners. Alex began his career as an Analyst in the Mergers and Acquisition Group at Merrill Lynch. A frequent public speaker and panelist on financial technology for good, Alex has spoken at Financial Health Network's Annual EMERGE Forum, Hope Global Forum, and CB Insights' Future of Fintech, among others. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia Business School, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and children." I was so excited about the story when I met Alex that I made an investment. Now, he has progressed quite a bit, and I'm excited to share the story with you. Just before having this conversation he closed another $5 million round. He tells a story of his intense pivot. He had 25 employees and was going in one direction, realized he had to change directions, given the market circumstances and he brought the team down to five people and then back up to eight. They've got eight open positions now and expect to continue to grow. It's a wonderful story of a turnaround in the middle of a startup. We also discuss direct and honest conversations. How this funding environment is actually working for entrepreneurs measuring progress along a mission. When do you persevere or pivot?
“If you no longer are excited to solve that problem, even if it's a big problem, if you're not excited to solve it anymore, personally, it's probably time to move on as well. You know, this job is so much fun, I love doing what I do, I would not want to do anything else with my life” - Alex Mooradian
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Helping people in financial crisis Product evolution Deciding to change course and the emotional toll Communicating to investors who are mission oriented and those that are profit-maximazing Building diversity on the team Measuring progress with metrics other than finances
Connect with Alex by email alex@helloresolve.com and learn more about the company athttp://helloresolve.com/ ( Resolve’s website)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Damola Ogundipe is the CEO of Civic Eagle, a public policy data and software company helping build a limitless world with intelligent and useful public policy data. Damola was born in Nigeria and grew up in Minnesota where he attended the University of Minnesota and later on founded Civic Eagle. I’ve been an investor in the company since 2018, they've been a remote only company, which we talked about in the episode. They've grown by three times in the last year, raised over $3 million and grown to 22 people in the company. We also discuss what makes a great founder, how to make decisions including a pivot, what building a remote only company is like and how to do it. So you're reaching for greatness, starting Employee Resource Groups early on, and how investors say no, and how they should keep the door open if they want to, and much more.
“I think being a really good leader, being a strong leader, inspiring the people that are getting behind you, and I'm really actually holding your hand through this journey is by far the most important thing”. - Damola Ogundipe
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Early signs of entrepreneurship Knowing when to pivot the model of the company Matching your customers to your product or service Creating a remote culture Hiring and firing best practices Saying no to investors
Connect with Damola onhttps://twitter.com/DamolaOgundipe ( Twitter) or email him at Damola@civiceagle.com
Miles mentioned the bookhttps://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1640272120&sr=8-1 ( The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Matt Spettel is the co-founder and CEO of CoPilot, a Pittsburgh-based remote personal training startup. With an engineering background from Carnegie Mellon University, Matt specializes in designing and building innovation consumer products and experienced. Since its founding in 2019, CoPilot has raised $10M, grown to 50 full-time employees, and impacted thousands of lives across the globe. Matt joins me today to discuss his company CoPilot. I am a happy user and an investor. During this episode, we cover the evolution of the company vision, how to learn about new disciplines as a founder. Matt shares how he always wanted to build robots and how he ended up working on copilot building a team from five to over 50 In one year, and how to successfully fundraise.
“If you can't make it happen with two overworked, overtired people sitting in a garage with a dream, then you're probably not going to be able to make it happen with $3,000,000 and two people sitting in a garage overworked with a dream. I'd say there's very, very specific cases where capital is truly the limiting factor to move to the next step.” - Matt Spettel
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Realizing the larger mission Combining tech tools and human coaching Constantly iterating Choosing your ideal customer Learning the marketing space Building a team with rapid growth Tips on fundraising
Connect with Matt onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-spettel/ ( LinkedIn) and right now CoPilot is offering a free 14 day trial (no credit card needed) athttps://mycopilot.com/ ( mycopilot.com) to try the service out for yourself. Miles mentioned the book:https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/B07W14CDB3/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=lean+startup+book&qid=1639601655&sr=8-4 ( Lean Startup by Eric Ries)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Paul is an economist and entrepreneur working to accelerate the end of extreme poverty. He is an associate professor of economics at UC San Diego. His research examines the design, implementation, and impact of anti-poverty programs at large scales. He is co-founder, former president, and current director at GiveDirectly, the leading international NGO specialized in digital cash transfers and consistently rated one of the most impactful ways to give. He subsequently co-founded and served as a director of the enterprise payments company Segovia (acquired) and the digital remittance company Taptap Send. Paul is a recipient of a Sloan Fellowship and has been named a “Top 100 Global Thinker” by Foreign Policy magazine. He holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University. Paul joins me and we talked about the opportunity to do so much good for just a little bit of money, how people living in extreme poverty choose to use their cash. We talk about the differences between for profit and nonprofit startups. We talk about the advantages to not being 100% committed into one thing, particularly when it's new or experimental, and he gives advice on a number of other issues. “The point though, I think still holds that you'd like for there to be some of that accountability to the people that we're trying to help. And not only to the people that are putting the money upfront, on the donor side.” Paul Niehaus
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Returns to quality in nonprofit vs. for profit Earn to give Mobile money providers Setting up teams Balancing family, startups & academics Universal basic income experiment
Connect with Paul onhttps://twitter.com/PaulFNiehaus ( Twitter)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Charlie Olson is the co-founder and CEO of Pando. Pando was founded after Charlie and his co-founder, Eric Lax, graduated from Stanford's Graduate School of Business in 2017. Since inception Pando has signed hundreds of professional athletes and entrepreneurs into income pools and has raised a Series A from top fintech investors. Prior to his time at Stanford, Charlie worked with Bob Grady at Cheyenne Capital, a private equity firm based out of Jackson, WY. Concurrently, Charlie worked in search fund investing for Professor David Dodson and was a speechwriter and policy analyst for two governors. Charlie also holds two other degrees from Stanford, including a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in US History. Charlie was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Charlie joins me today to discuss his income pooling company, Pando. He explains the concept and shares with us the higher than average results that the company has provided. He shares the type of client that Pando seeks. Charlie also vulnerably shares some of his early challenges as a founder. “When you're trying to overcome a challenge, a CEOs job is to be somewhat of the ballast and not allow the team to get too high or allow the team to get too low.” - Charlie Olson
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Risk Tolerance Challenging limiting beliefs about success rates Consumer protections Building new markets Loss aversion Conflict resolution between co-founders
Connect with Charlie onhttps://twitter.com/imCharlieOlson ( Twitter) and Pando athttp://pandopooling.com/ ( pandopooling.com)
The book that Miles mentioned ishttps://www.amazon.com/Lifecycle-Investing-Audacious-Performance-Retirement/dp/0465018297/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1638386591&sr=8-4 ( Lifecycle Investing) by Ian Ayres & Barry J. Nalebuff
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit our http://startupsforgood.com/ (website), connect with Miles on https://twitter.com/Startups4Good (Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ (LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ (The Giving Circle)
Jeff is a serial entrepreneur who brings a wealth of experience in the climate tech industry and has served in multiple executive roles in clean energy, waste repurposing, and venture capital. He also serves as an advisory board member to a Bay Area biotech company. Jeff completed his master’s thesis on economics in PHA production, and is the co-inventor of Full Cycle technology. His zeal for tackling plastic pollution and food waste makes him a force for change. Jeff joins me today to discuss how he got into plastics and what drew him to applications for improving the environment. He shares with us how inspirational his parents were and how his desire to build things moved him to be a founder. Jeff talks about his fundraising efforts and the growth of his company. We are grateful to Jeff for also sharing with us some hardships and how the company tackled them. “It depends on what you're good at. My magic is finding opportunity. And again, the reason we got here was finding out what people value and giving it to them, and finding creative ways to do that.” - Jeff Anderson
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Science risk vs. tech risk Compelling investors on the project Maintaining the ownership of the intellectual property Investors as plant-building partners Symbiotic relationships End user cost trends for bioplastics Managing a team with rapid growth Co-CEO/founding with a twin Balancing time between tasks Relying on your executive team
Connect with Full Cycle on theirhttps://fullcyclebioplastics.com/ ( website) andhttps://twitter.com/FullCycleBio ( Twitter)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
David is the CEO of On Deck, a network of communities dedicated to unlocking human potential — helping founders start up and raise early capital, top talent connect with opportunities and explore "what's next" in their careers. David joins me today to discuss the Silicon Valley ecosystem and what is stands for. We discuss if a founder needs to have experienced the problem being solved as a requirement to start the company. David shares with us how he met his co-founder in On Deck. He talks about why we want more founders in the world. . I ask David how he imparts the Silicon Valley culture without bringing in the less desirable aspects. He also talks about OnDeck’s newest initiative ODX. On picking a co-founder: “I encourage people to do is go out there and maybe find four or five different people to go on a series of “dates”, maybe take on a project, do some consulting, work together, perhaps don't work on the the one thing that you want to get ultimately solve, because you want to build trust.” - David Booth
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Knowing if you are ready to start a company The necessary depth of familiarity in your co-founder Launching a new program Managing team growth in a remote world Managing change internally Fundraising
Connect with David on Twitter or thehttps://beondeck.com/ ( On Deck website)
The Evolve Podcast that Miles mentioned is availablehttps://www.evolvethe.world/ ( here)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
At the age of 15 Jason Wang was given a 12-year sentence at a maximum security prison in Texas. Upon release he earned two master’s degrees and was still unable to find a job due to his criminal history. Jason decided to become an agent for change. He started FreeWorld. FreeWorld empowers people who have been in prison with educational support and technical skills to enter into high wage, high demand careers so they can live fulfilling lives, prison-free. Freeworld aims to break the cycle of recidivism and generational poverty by demonstrating the potential of reentering citizens creating meaningful career pathways and providing critical support services for the individuals and their families to overcome significant barriers. Jason joins me today to discuss his non-profit and the life path that brought him to start it. He shares with us the three benefits to society of former inmates finding jobs and not only the economic motivations but other social benefits. Jason tells us about the lessons that he has learned on his way to becoming a founder and CEO of a non-profit. Though Jason shares some roadblocks and obstacles he is optimistic of the change that can be made by moving obstacles and giving these former inmates a chance to provide for their families and change their lives.
“If former prisoners get jobs, what that ends up meaning is that we have safer communities, we are saving taxpayers a lot of money on re-incarnation costs. And we're also helping a population that normally is excluded from the economy actually participate into the economy by paying taxes.” - Jason Wang
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
The role of personal responsibility of inmates Some of the causes of recidivism Technical parole violations Radical transparency Building trust in others The role identity plays on leading others The opportunities within trucking companies Real problems in the real world Legitimate first chances
Resources from this episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-an-ex-felon-is-helping-others-with-their/id1080864041?i=1000534422787 (The Sounds Good podcast featuring Jason Wang)
Connect with Jason at https://www.joinfreeworld.com (joinfreeworld.com)
Thehttps://www.amazon.com/Great-CEO-Within-Tactical-Building/dp/0578599287/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N2ZO2QEW80VP&dchild=1&keywords=the+great+ceo+within&qid=1635365409&sprefix=the+great+CEO+,aps,219&sr=8-1 ( Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary)
http://venturepatterns.com/ (venturepatterns.com)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Amanda DoAmaral is an educator, activist, and co-founder of Fiveable - a social learning network for students. She spent a half a decade teaching high school history in Oakland, CA, where her passion for creating equitable educational opportunities was ignited. Amanda has been a vocal advocate for inclusive history curriculum and is active within the Milwaukee tech community. Amanda joins me today to discuss how teaching differs from being a tech startup CEO. She shares what skills she pulled from teaching to help her excel in the tech ed space. Amanda also tells her founder's story. Even as a young company, Fiveable has already acquired another company and Amanda takes us through that process and what made that company desirable. “I hope that this is a moment where people shoot for the moon, rebuild, start, try something new, it doesn't have to be the way that it used to be.” - Amanda DoAmaral
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Important learnings from an accelerator When to bring on the engineering team Things to remember when hiring for equity rather than salary Bringing in a co-founder Criteria when choosing headquarter location The value of student employees at Fiveable Premium pricing vs. free content How to deal with a seasonal business Considering non-profit vs. for profit
Connect with Amanda onhttps://twitter.com/AmandaDoAmanda ( Twitter) or athttp://fiveable.me/ ( fiveable.me)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Andrew Yang is an American businessman, lawyer, book author and philanthropist, as well as a former 2020 Democratic US presidential and New York City mayoral candidate. He is the founder of Venture for America which connects young professionals to innovative companies in economically challenged cities. As the first repeat guest on Startups for Good, Andrew joins me to discuss his new book Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy and his new political party Forward. We discuss how starting a startup is similar to starting a political campaign. He also shares his insights on why he felt compelled to start a new party and why he believes in a multi-party political climate. We also discuss the role of a startup founder in mitigating societies issues. And we discuss the best way for the government to support small businesses. “We built a very, very fragile, corruptible system that also will not deliver results for the American people. It's like if you looked at it as a startup operator, you'd be like, wow, this stuff's really broken.” - Andrew Yang
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Long form discussions like podcasts vs. short form like social media Political monopolies Rank voting - histories and outcomes Digital Social Credits The benefits of charter cities Skinny Cars
Resources discussed in the episode:
https://www.amazon.com/Forward-Notes-Future-Our-Democracy/dp/B09B2PX3VQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3O0P0Z3XJE96Y&dchild=1&keywords=forward+andrew+yang&qid=1634162147&s=audible&sprefix=forward,audible,222&sr=1-1 (Forward) by Andrew Yang https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward/id1508035243 (Forward Podcast) hosted by Andrew Yang https://www.amazon.com/Why-Were-Polarized-Ezra-Klein-audiobook/dp/B07V25JH7N/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwh5qLBhALEiwAioods6msA-qIudhbnGgN12sGv36uhk0OawjJmlffewk374o9akJEo1uiwhoCgiQQAvD_BwE&hvadid=406670123653&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9032904&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14090270033590876587&hvtargid=kwd-852381097591&hydadcr=21696_9764457&keywords=ezra+klein+why+we%27re+polarized&qid=1634161929&sr=8-1 (Why We’re Polarized) by Ezra Klein Connect with Andrew athttp://forwardparty.com/ ( forwardparty.com)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Paul Gross is the co-founder and CEO at Remora. While at Yale, he conducted experimental research that uncovered solutions to collective action problems like political polarization and the climate crisis. Remora got started when he read a dissertation on mobile carbon capture written by his co-founder, Christina, and convinced her to quit her job as a scientist at the EPA. Then, he recruited his co-founder, Eric, a mechanic-turned-engineer who built hydrogen and electric semi-trucks for some of the world's largest automotive companies. Paul joins me today to discuss how he convinced his co-founder to quit her government job to join a two person startup. We also talk about the various reasons that the environmental industry is seeing growth as of late. Paul shares his opinion on the future of carbon capture devices regarding size and standards.
“I don't think everyone needs to do that science, because I've already come across so many scientists who are blocked at that point of having an idea, but not being able to start a company around it.” - Paul Gross
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Developing judgement for good science when reading theses Creating a systematic approach when seeking new idea Carbon capture vs. catalytic converter Finding first adopters of the technology When investors share your mission How to build culture within an organization Their first round capital raise with investors like Lower Carbon Capital and Union Square Ventures Working with major fleet companies like Ryder
Books and podcasts discussed in this episode: https://www.startupschool.org/ ( )https://www.startupschool.org (Startup School)
Connect with Paul athttps://www.remoracarbon.com/ ( Remora Carbon), onhttps://twitter.com/remoracarbon ( Twitter) or send him anhttp://hello@remoracarbon.com/ ( email) at hello@remoracarbon.com
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Ethan Davidoff founded Atlas in 2017 and serves as CEO. Prior to Atlas, Ethan was a founding member of RiskIQ, where he took on a variety of individual contributor and management responsibilities resulting in exponential revenue growth and ultimately an acquisition by Microsoft. Prior to RiskIQ, Ethan owned and operated a software development firm that built smartphone applications for fortune 500 brands. Ethan earned his business degree from UC Berkeley and attended the London School of Economics. Ethan joins me today to discuss how his company helps patients pay for their healthcare. He shares his personal story that brought him to his company’s mission. He explains how they found initial customers and how to convince them to work with a startup.
“Making sure we continue to hire the right people into the right roles, setting the right structure, giving everybody an amazing career path. Making sure we're generous and thoughtful with compensation structures. Making sure we're thoughtful human beings, and we're good to each other and that we don't we find the balance of the intensity and the passion and the killer instinct and the end the long hours of work with, being there to support each other's families, and time off, and mental health and balance.” - Ethan Davidoff
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Medical financial aid Selecting the right co-founder Changing leadership while keeping the company strong Challenges to fast growth COVID’s impact on the company The role of a startup founder How concept market fit differs from product market fit Ethically promoting the company Nurturing the relationship with the early adopters
The book that Ethan mentioned was:https://www.amazon.com/New-Great-Depression-Winners-Post-Pandemic/dp/0593330277/ref=monarch_sidesheet ( The New Great Depression) Connect with Ethan throughhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/edavidoff/ ( LinkedIn)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Tinsley Galyean is a Co-founder and Executive Director of Curious Learning. Curious Learning with partners has curated thousands of free and open source interactive literacy learning experiences reaching over 3.5 million users. Tinsley holds a PhD from the MIT Media Lab and a ScM in computer graphics from Brown University. He has developed interactive technology driven projects for museums around the world. He’s also developed media experiences through Disney, Warner Brothers, and an Emmy-nominated program for Discovery Kids. Tinsley joins me today to share how he came to literacy and its impact on the world. We discuss how people learn and why some of them struggle to learn how to read. He tells us the importance of curiosity in learning. We discuss how to approach building a team in dealing with being a non-profit and a tech company. We get into the difference between the academic research orientation and the tech startup AB testing orientation. As Chair of the Board of Curious Learning, I’m excited to share this story with you.. “You earn 40% more over the course of your lifetime you live 26 years longer if you're literate, there's direct impacts on your health, your ability to access resources of understand how to take care of yourself and your health, how subject you are to being radicalized and its impact on world peace or or human trafficking or child labor.” - Tinsley Galyean
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Can reading be taught on a smartphone? Learning from past tech “failures” and incorporating them into the software Limiting beliefs and its effect on the organization How funding is different as a non-profit How to reach more people Protecting the learner’s privacy
Connect with Tinsley byhttp://tgalyean@curiouslearning.org/ ( email) or on thehttp://curiouslearning.com/ ( Curious Learning website)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Madison Campbell is a trailblazer and sexual assault advocate. After going to college to study epidemiology in space populations, Madison has become a well-seasoned entrepreneur. She led a company prior to Leda Health called “Iyanu,” which was a software development shop based in Lagos, Nigeria. Today, she is working hard to promote the autonomy and self-actualization of sexual assault survivors through Leda Health by developing and providing resources to help them overcome their difficult trauma. Madison joins me today to discuss her company and her thoughts on transformative justice through the use of the at home evidence collection kits. We kick off the episode with a question about why so few sexual assault cases are resolved by the legal system. We also discuss the proper role of the legal system and the cost to the victim following a sexual assault. Madison shares her opinion on ways of ending the cycle of abuse. She also tells us about the other service offerings of Leda Health.
“I think we will be not only like the market creator for this space, but I do think there is a possibility of being a winner take all and I want to be the winner.” - Madison Campbell
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Transformative Justice At home self collection evidence kits How to build a strong relationship with your co-founder The Nigerian business ecosystem How improv can improve business skills Using Excel spreadsheets with ideation How to take the news when investors say no How the mission can help in dealing with controversy
Connect with Madison on Twitter:https://twitter.com/martyrdison ( @martyrdison) IG:https://www.instagram.com/martyrdison/ ( martyrdison):
Books mentioned in this episode: https://www.amazon.com/48-Laws-Power-Robert-Greene/dp/817649030X/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=42+power+Robert+greene&qid=1631830654&sr=8-15 (48 Laws of Power) by Robert Green https://www.blitzscaling.com/ (Blitzscaling) by Reid Hoffman
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Slava Solonitsyn is an accomplished investor, entrepreneur, inventor, co-founder, and CEO of Mighty Buildings, a construction technology company creating beautiful, affordable, and sustainable homes using 3D-printing, advanced materials, and robotic automation. Mighty Buildings is based in Oakland, CA and is backed by several notable International and Silicon Valley tech investors, including Khosla Ventures, Zeno Ventures, and Y Combinator. Mighty Buildings has a near-zero waste production process, preventing 1,100 - 2,000 kg of CO2 emission per 3D-printed home. We are committed to achieving Net-Zero by 2028 - making our company 22 years ahead of the construction industry. Not only are we certified under California's Factory Built Housing program to build units using 3D-printing, but we are also the first company to achieve certification under the UL 3401 standard for evaluating building structures and assemblies. “Tolerance to risk in Silicon Valley is absolutely one of the key advantages” - Slava Solonitsyn
Today on Startups for Good we cover: New innovations in 3D printing homes How to select the first market to enter with an new invention Managing former founders differently than start up employees The difference between the Silicon Valley ecosystem and other ecosystems Cultivating innovation is a regulated industry How to level up as a founder Admitting you’re wrong Lean culture Discussing mission internally Building partnerships
The books that were discussed on today’s episode were:
https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/B0845Z14DX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1USR7EG99V5RL&dchild=1&keywords=no+rules+rules+netflix+and+the+culture+of+reinvention&qid=1631137527&sprefix=no+rules+rule,aps,229&sr=8-1 (No Rules Rule) by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Hardcover-1st-Scott/dp/B08QMJ39MX/ref=sr_1_4?crid=YBQ9UP580DMD&dchild=1&keywords=radical+candor+by+kim+scott&qid=1631137624&sprefix=radical+can,aps,233&sr=8-4 (Radical Candor) by Kim Scott Books byhttps://www.jimcollins.com/ ( Jim Collins) Connect with Slava at https://mightybuildings.com/ (mightybuildings.com)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Anna de Paula Hanika is the Co-Founder and CEO of Uno Health. Uno Health unlocks financial equity for low-income seniors so millions can afford better health. Uno enrolls and re-certifies the Medicare members in all state and federal programs they are eligible for - putting thousands of dollars in their pockets and creating direct revenue and savings for their insurance company. Anna has raised a successful seed round from Floodgate and Cowboy Ventures. She also worked in product and operations and product and marketing at places like Google, Clover, mHealth, and Sum. She has also been a fellow at HITLAB Healthcare Innovation Lab. Bachelors from University of Oxford in Psychology & Neuroscience. On knowing when to expand your team - “So it’s a combination of, data driven, but also a good amount of gut that gets you to identify when you need to actually hire someone and give your hat to them.” - Anna de Paula Hanika
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Helping consumers on the enrollment side How company ideas evolve throughout the startup process Differing CEO roles for product based business vs service based Knowing when to expand your team Testing your hypothesis How to create a good relationship with your co-founder Vulnerabilities
Some of the books that Anna discussed were: https://www.amazon.com/VOSS-Never-Split-Difference-%E3%80%902018%E3%80%91/dp/B07HD58PJQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?dchild=1&keywords=Best+Seller+Never+Split+the+Difference:+Negotiating+as+if+Your+Life+Depended+on+It+Never+Split+the+Difference:+Negotiating+as+if+Your+Life+Depended+on+It&qid=1630532675&sr=8-1-fkmr0 (Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss) https://www.amazon.com/Team-of-Teams-audiobook/dp/B00UVW4RV0/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Team+of+teams&qid=1630532717&sr=8-1 (Team of Teams) by Gen. Stanley McChrystal https://www.amazon.com/Getting-More-Stuart-Diamond-audiobook/dp/B004HFPET6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=getting+more&qid=1630532761&s=audible&sr=1-1 (Getting More) by Stuart Diamond And Chris Voss does have ahttps://www.masterclass.com/classes/chris-voss-teaches-the-art-of-negotiation ( Masterclass) Connect with Anna:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-de-paula-hanika-15550922/,%20https://twitter.com/annadph, ( LinkedIN) and on thehttps://www.unohealth.com/ ( UnoHealth Website)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
We are taking a short break here at Startups For Good. Miles will return in September with new guests to inspire. In the meantime please revisit some of our earlier guests that you may have missed and check out our website and other links found below for more information. Thank you for listening. Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Atif is the Executive Director of Tarjimly, a tech nonprofit with the mission of eliminating language barriers for refugees. He served as an interpreter for his own refugee and immigrant family and graduated from MIT during the height of the Syrian refugee crisis. In 2017, his team joined Y Combinator and launched Tarjimly, an app that enables bilinguals to volunteer as translators for refugees and NGOs which has helped 25,000 people overcome language barriers globally. He was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30, Silicon Valley Business Journal's 40 Under 40, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and MIT Martin Luther King Service Award. Atif joins me today to enlighten us on the refugee crisis around the world and what his company Tarjimly can do about it with the help of micro volunteers. We discuss how web based translators are sometimes unsuccessful in certain scenarios. Atif talked about revenue as well as B2B and B2C models. He also shares the reasons why they chose to build their non-profit like a for profit tech start up. “As populations grow around the world, I think the United Nations expect us to break 100 million displaced people around the world quite soon. So it's a sad reality, but there's a lot of things we can do to help.” - Atif Javed
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-How volunteers can help from across the world -How quickly volunteers are matched and offer assistance -Maintaining quality given the variety and scale of Tarjimly -Selecting the non-profit structure -Vanity metrics vs. metrics that matter
Connect with Atif on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atifmjaved/
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
Victor is an economic growth expert. His ideas have shaped the economic lives of millions of people worldwide. His work has helped over 300 communities, cities, states, companies, and even entire countries in creating greater economic prosperity. His economic development clients have included the World Bank, Ford Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has also worked with corporate clients seeking to grow entrepreneurial innovation, including Accenture, IBM, and Microsoft. He is founder and CEO of Victor & Company, an economic growth consultancy. He is founder and CEO of Right to Start, a campaign fighting to rebuild the economy by making entrepreneurial opportunities available to all. Previously, he was Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, the world’s leading philanthropy supporting entrepreneurs with an endowment of $2 billion. At Kauffman, he led initiatives that impacted over 200,000 entrepreneurs, including efforts in catalyzing capital formation, transforming economic development practices, launching a national policy roadmap, and breaking barriers for underserved entrepreneurs. Victor has created two leading conferences on unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship: Global Innovation Summit and ESHIP Summit. The Global Innovation Summit became Silicon Valley’s leading conference on building innovative economies, with over 1,000 delegates from 50 nations. The ESHIP Summit, during Victor’s term at the Kauffman Foundation, became the nation’s leading conference on building entrepreneurial communities, with over 1,200 attendees from all 50 states and over 100 mayors and key staff. Victor was co-founder and CEO of the startup Liquidity, a Silicon Valley venture-backed firm making safe drinking water filtration based on nanotech manufacturing. He led the company through product launch, early revenues, and winning the TechCrunch Disrupt startup competition. He was CEO and co-founder of T2 Venture Creation, a venture firm that built startup companies and designed ecosystems that fostered entrepreneurial innovation in dozens of countries and cities. He was President and Chief Operating Officer of Larta Institute, an organization commercializing technology from key government agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He was chief strategy officer of Veatros, a video startup where he led the company’s acquisition by a public company. Victor practiced corporate and technology law with the firms of Mayer, Brown & Platt and Irell & Manella. He has been a contributing columnist to Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and Entrepreneur, and his opinions have been cited in The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among others. National Public Radio named his graduation address to Austin Community College one of “the best commencement speeches ever.” Victor pioneered the use of the metaphor “rainforest” in a business context. He applied it to show how communities can replicate the historical innovation dynamics of Silicon Valley. His co-authored book, The Rainforest, was awarded Book of the Year, Gold Medal, by ForeWord Reviews for “a big idea that defines a way of thinking.” Victor received his bachelor's degree (with honors) from Harvard University, where he studied Government, plus additional studies in Computer Science. He received his law degree from the University of Chicago.
Victor joins me today to share the differences and benefits of high tech startups and small businesses. We discuss the importance of company culture and how to foster the values of the corporation with the employees. Victor tells us about the aspects that make one economic ecosystem better than another. We talk about the cache of being an angel investor and if that expands beyond the silicon valley. We...
Dani Pensack is the CEO and Co-founder of Rightfoot. With over a decade of experience working in the financial technology space, she started her career leading API strategy for IBM's banking clients. At Stanford's MBA program, she and her co-founders dug deep into the problem of student debt, collaborating with professors and classmates. Rightfoot's leadership team have all taken on student loans and understand the real challenges it presents for millions of Americans. The team started Rightfoot to break apart the American debt crisis, starting with student debt. Dani joins me today to explain why there is so much student debt and how her company, Rightfoot, is attempting to help college graduates pay it off. She enlightens us with the demographics of the average student debt holder. Dani tells us about her three types of customers and their specific needs. She shares with us her founder story and what she values in her co-founders.
“Find co founders who you trust, respect, believe in, and who will challenge you to be the best leader possible.” - Danielle Pensack
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Changing product focus midstream -Building trust with competitors to parlay them into customers -The benefits and values of being a mission driven company -Lean Startup methodology -How specificity can generate more generosity -Selling to developers vs. selling to human resources -The importance of transparent pricing
The book that Danielle mentioned:
The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard - https://www.amazon.com/New-One-Minute-Manager-Manager-updated/dp/8172234996/ref=sr_1_3?crid=14LKGFMICEV5K&dchild=1&keywords=the+one+minute+manager&qid=1626279729&sprefix=the+one+minute+manager%2Caps%2C237&sr=8-3
Connect with Dani at danielle@rightfoot.com, find more information about Rightfoot athttp://www.rightfoot.com/ ( www.rightfoot.com) and contact them at info@rightfoot.com.
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) http://startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good (https://twitter.com/Startups4Good) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/.Sh
Jonathan Petts is the co-founder of ImmigrationHelp.org, a tech nonprofit helping low-income immigrants make their immigration dreams come true. Prior to co-founding ImmigrationHelp.org, Jonathan co-founded another legal tech nonprofit, Upsolve (YC W19), and practiced at two international law firms. He has served as an advisor on international law to both the IMF and the World Bank. In 2017, Jonathan was recognized by FastCase as one of the 50 most innovative leaders in the legal profession. Jonathan is the proud son and husband of immigrants. I kick off the interview with Jonathan asking if lawyers are trained to be bad entrepreneurs, listen to find out what his answer is. Jonathan shares with us what brought him to want to help clients dealing with bankruptcy procedures. He discusses with us where the funding for his two non-profits came from. We discuss the bureaucracy of the immigration system and if it is designed to be complicated. He also shares with us what most American’’s don’t understand about the immigration process. http://immigrationhelp.org/ (ImmigrationHelp.org) was a recipient of our own Giving Circle funds. “This process can be. I mean, you can have done everything perfectly and have a very simple straightforward case. But then like, you know, your paperwork is lost by the government or there's one you know, blank square that's, that's unmarked for there is you know, any any number of just really bizarre reasons, and then you're denied. And your life is in upheaval, the life that you thought you're going to build in the US. And that's just really, really scary.” - Jonathan Petts Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-How to know where to start as a co-founder -How to measure success with a non-profit -The efficacy of software in the legal world -The impact of immigration on society -Should government be more user driven -The advantages and disadvantages of a tech non-profit -Competition in the non-profit space -How to set pricing in a non-profit
Books suggested by Jonathan:
The Great CEO Within by Matt Mochary https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+great+ceo+within&crid=1MTV4ARXAK8UJ&sprefix=the+great+CEO+within%2Caps%2C234&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_20 Shoe Dog by Phil Knight https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Phil-Knight-audiobook/dp/B01CRJA470/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3VXDVEXP4TYA3&dchild=1&keywords=shoe+dog&qid=1625690050&sprefix=Shoe+Dog%2Caps%2C536&sr=8-1 Connect with Jonathan by email: jonathan@immigrationhelp.org or athttp://www.immigrationhelp.org/ ( www.immigrationhelp.org)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
As the Financial Health Network’s Vice President for Innovation, Hannah Calhoon is responsible for the strategic direction of our Innovation practice, including the Financial Solutions Lab. In her role, she leads our efforts to uncover new ways to support our innovators as they work to improve financial health and deliver quality services that treat communities with dignity. Hannah has more than 12 years of experience building mission-oriented innovation systems. Before coming to the Financial Health Network, Hannah founded Blue Ridge Labs, an initiative inside the Robin Hood Foundation that unites communities and technologists to build new tech platforms that address economic inequality. Before founding Blue Ridge Labs, Hannah was Project Leader in BCG’s healthcare and global development practice areas and held roles at Acumen and Embrace. She currently sits on the Legal Service Corporation’s Emerging Leaders Council and the advisory boards of Finance Forward and legal tech start-up community.lawyer. Hannah holds a BA in Social Studies from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and her two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys baking, hiking, and sci-fi novels." Hannah joins me to discuss some of the aspects of serving a low income population in improving their financial health. She shares with us the things that she learned working with founders of this type of company. Hannah talks about the differences between a for profit and a non-profit company. She shares with us some of the companies that are coming out of the Financial Services Lab incubator. Hannah continues to tell us what areas are missing or needs tackling.
“…it's never a bad idea to go find a couple of people you can bounce ideas off of who can serve as your kitchen table of sorts, because it is a long and challenging journey to get from the very beginning of these things to something that looks like an exit, if that's what you're looking for.” - Hannah Calhoon
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Founding a company without experience with the problem -Building trust to get the best answers from users -How the short term nature of the VC process works in serving low income populations -Biases in the founder and the customer population that is served -Is the financial health of families in America improving? -How the regulatory environment effects the health of families -User centric software products that help awareness of government programs
Other Mentions:
Episode 6: Mara Zapeda, Managing Director at Zebras Unite:https://www.startupsforgood.com/sfg-06-mara-zapeda/ ( https://www.startupsforgood.com/sfg-06-mara-zapeda/) Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss the Jonathan Petts episode releasing next week, Monday, July 12th. The book that Hannah mentioned, The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahcalhoon/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahcalhoon/) and Financial Health Network on Twitter, https://twitter.com/finhealthnet, LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/finhealthnetwork/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/finhealthnetwork/) and their website is:https://finlab.finhealthnetwork.org/ ( https://finlab.finhealthnetwork.org)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more...
Cityblock is a new kind of healthcare provider and technology company, based out of Brooklyn. Started in the fall of 2017, we have quickly grown to 600+ employees serving tens of thousands of members across the Northeast. Their focus is on medically complex and socially underserved Medicaid populations, and our doctors and nurses deliver a home-based intensive primary care model with integrated behavioral health, substance abuse counseling, and social benefits coordination (think: housing support, legal support). It's a fascinating and operationally complex business, and we have been building out an in-house Technology team from day one, with early teammates hailing from Google, Facebook, Artsy, Uber, Knewton, Compass, Oscar, and Squarespace. Today we are backed by $500M in venture capital, and hiring across the board. Prior to Cityblock, Bay was a product manager at Google working out of the Zurick and Bangalore offices and later part of the venture investment team at Thrive Capital, where he focused on the categories of developer tooling and consumer. Bay received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Yale University. Bay joins me today to discuss if healthcare can be improved by involving more people in the process. He shares with us more about Cityblock and how they are making a business out of providing this type of healthcare. He shares with us who the customer is; the patient, the healthcare professionals, or the government. Bay talks about how the mission impacts the team.
“It's really about human relationships, you know, trained clinicians, trained social workers, working in person with empathy over many, many months, to turn lives around. And what we think of with technology is using technology to augment to speed up right to enforce right and to empower them, but they really go hand in hand. And so I think that healthcare is, you know, in 2021 is much, much better off because of technology.” -Bay Gross
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Maintaining the quality of healthcare when adding in technology -Preventative care -The learning curve when adding tech to the medical space. -Starting a company inside Sidewalk Labs. -Role of product leader and product organization in healthcare
Connect with Bay on Twitter @BayGross and Cityblock at https://www.cityblock.com
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) https://twitter.com/Startups4Good or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
Dr. Caneel Joyce is an executive coach, leadership developer, culture builder, speaker, wife, mother of two, and podcaster. Throughout her career, Caneel has worked with some of the world’s most transformative entrepreneurs and companies, including leaders at LinkedIn, Dropbox, Snap, Slack, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Disney, plus hundreds of CEOs, founders and leaders in technology and beyond. Caneel’s mission in life and work is to positively impact the world, challenging each of us to draw upon our unique gifts to take on the world’s most pressing issues. Her three impact priorities are addressing climate change, empowering women, and democratizing access to creative and entrepreneurial opportunities. With fierce intellect, rigor, and irresistible vulnerability, Caneel drives change by coaching, teaching, and inspiring leaders of all kinds - and igniting their desire to become proactive allies to all of humanity and the planet. Caneel has over 20 years of experience leading and advising innovative companies. She has a B.A. in Mass Communications from UCLA, and a Masters and Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and she is a sought-after podcast guest and keynote speaker. She is a former Professor of Management at the London School of Economics and at Stanford University’s prestigious Institute of Design (known as “the d.school”). Her company, Kickass Enterprises Inc., is a member of the 1% for the Planet Foundation. Caneel has discovered it’s not just business leaders who benefit from connecting with their authentic selves, finding their Zones of Genius, and living in flow. Finding that peace within ourselves is the first step to creating a more peaceful human experience for everyone. Among many other programs she has initiated and spearheaded, Allowed is a new podcast experience that Caneel designed to bring her formally elite, exclusive coaching to a much broader audience so that everyone can be a more conscious, inspired, and whole leader of their own life - and together, bring meaningful change to the world.
We kick off our episode today demonstrating a checkin and discuss the purpose of checkins and the benefits of them. Caneel shares with us what a coach is and who can benefit from them. We discuss the difference between coaching and therapy. Caneel shares how she helps clients make peace with past trauma and optimize current performance as a coach.
“We can have our emotions and even listen to the wisdom of our emotions. At the same time, we don't think our emotions are truth tellers. And then suddenly, now we need to change course all the time.” - Caneel Joyce
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Unarguable and Red, Yellow, Green check ins
-Conscious Leadership
-Different coaching styles
-Common traits in Founders
-Shadow self
-Zone of Genius
For more information on her online course go tohttp://www.caneel.com/yes ( www.caneel.com/yes)
Connect with Dr. Caneel Joyce on Instagram and Tik Tok athttp://caneel.is/ ( caneel.is) and @Caneel on Twitter
You can listen to Caneel’s podcast Allowed: Conscious Leadership and Personal Growth with Dr. Caneel Joyce on multiple podcast platforms.
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter https://twitter.com/Startups4Good) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information...
Dr. Garry Cooper is the Co-founder and CEO of Rheaply, a Chicago-based tech company that enables Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and universities to better visualize, quantify, and utilize their physical resources. He also serves on the boards of directors of P33 Chicago and 1871, the faculty of Northwestern University, and the investor team at LongJump Ventures, of which he is a founding partner. Previously, Dr. Cooper facilitated supply chain and performance improvement for enterprise businesses at Ernst & Young. As a result of his work, Dr. Cooper has received recognition on the Forbes Next 1000, Chicago magazine’s The New Power 30, and Crain’s 40 Under 40 lists, and as a Scholar at Google for Entrepreneurs. Dr. Cooper has published in high-impact, peer-reviewed international journals and holds a U.S. patent. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University, a Certificate in Management from the Kellogg School of Management, and a BS & BA from Indiana University. Garry joins me today to discuss circular economics. He shares with us the key similarities between being a research scientist and startup founder. Garry shares with us the key factors to deciding on launching a new product during the pandemic. He talks about how often people are buying or renting equipment and if they donate why they donate.
“I think that founders, at least for me, we lose our sense of confidence and we need to start realizing that we are at the frontier. We are pushing and we are some of the most knowledgeable people on this topic in the world” - Garry Cooper
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Launching a product during a pandemic
-What a supply chain looks like in a circular economy
-Aligning people, organizations and incentives work with Rheaply
-How being a mission driven company affected series A funding -Handling the many “No”s that come with a round of fundraising
-What topical event fueled him to move forward with the fundraising effort
Connect with Garry on all social platforms @garrycooperjr and @rheaplyinc to find out more about Garry’s company Rheaply.
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) startupsforgood.com/, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter https://twitter.com/Startups4Good) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/, and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
Marc is a Venture Partner at Spero Ventures, focused on companies that improve the health of the planet. He previously co-founded two successful companies, NuvoMedia in 1997 and most famously, Tesla in 2003. Marc holds a BA in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. “The car industry doesn't have electrical engineers in the same way that Silicon Valley thinks of them. And they, they've even outsourced all the, you know, the ECU is, which are the little computers that make the, the internal combustion engines that make the spark plugs go in, they control the engine, all of that's outsourced as well. So they don't really do any electronics. And it puts them at a huge disadvantage, because I think modern cars are becoming evermore computers on wheels.” - Marc Tarpenning
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-Judging market timing
-Tech trends for founders to be watching
-Some learning from the clean tech space
-How to decipher unit economics in the early stages
-How to address safety with the quick Silicon Valley pace
-VC risks that are worth taking including technology vs. science risk
Connect with Marc on his website https://marctarpenning.com/, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/speroventures/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/Spero_VC and learn more about his company at spero.vc https://spero.vc
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) https://www.startupsforgood.com, connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter https://twitter.com/Startups4Good) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle) https://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/
Rahim is the CEO and Co-Founder of SV Academy, an online, employer-driven school that helps underrepresented jobseekers break into non-coding careers in the tech industry. SV Academy was named the #2 Most Innovative Education Program by Fast Company. Prior to SV Academy, Rahim was the CEO and Co-Founder of Involver, an enterprise social media platform, which was acquired by Oracle and is now part of the Oracle Marketing Cloud. Post sale, he was a key account executive supporting the global field and inside sales organizations. Previously, he founded a web hosting company with his friend Husein while still in high school. Its sale (for $1.5m!) was negotiated while writing his senior year exams. Because of life circumstances, Rahim didn’t end up going to a four-year college, or receiving his bachelors. A few years back, Rahim received an Empact 100 Award at the White House from Startup America and The Kauffman Foundation. Rahim was also named one of the Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 in America by Inc. Magazine, one of the Top 40 Under 40 by the San Francisco Business Times, and one of the Top 25 Digital Thought-Leaders by iMedia. Rahim loves helping and learning from people who are charting their own course. He’s an investor or advisor to a number of start-ups, early-stage venture funds, and non-profit organizations. He’s also been invited to speak at several cool places around the world like SXSW, President Obama's Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Dubai, MIT’s $100K Business Plan Competition, Imperial Bank in Kenya and Startup Weekend in Egypt. I kick off the conversation with Rahim by asking him which city has the best economic opportunity. I was intrigued by his response. We discussed how sales and business have changed in the new remote working environment. Rahim shares his advice for other tech founders embarking on a startup. We talk about his founder’s story which began in high school. The mission of his new company SV Academy is to train underrepresented people in remote areas to be able to participate in business. Rahim also shares some of his biggest challenges as a founder. “It could be because they have some disability that might prevent them from being there in person. But they've got the motivation, they've got the skill, they've got the know-how, and they're able to create, like this really compelling experience for their prospect without ever leaving their home. And that is most definitely the direction we're headed. And I think it will become the new norm again, with some selective, selective in person.” - Rahim Fazal
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
-The role family and extended family play for a founder
-The changes in jobs as more companies utilize remote workers
-Human centered skill sets
-Training people in sales and how it has changed
-How to deal with imposter syndrome as a founder
Connect with Rahim onhttps://twitter.com/rahimthedream ( Twitter https://twitter.com/rahimthedream) and find out more about SV Academy on Twitter https://twitter.com/SVAhq and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/svahq/ and their website https://sv.academy
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Atticus is the CEO & founder of PadSplit, an online marketplace that leverages shared housing as a tool for financial independence. PadSplit is a public benefit corporation that has garnered national acclaim as a solution for housing affordability, creating more than 1,600 affordable units in the last 3 years. Atticus has been an affordable housing developer since 2008 and has presented on housing solutions at MIT, UC Berkeley, and the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He is also the co-founder of Stryant Construction & Management Inc. Atticus serves as the co-chair of ULI’s UrbanPlan Education Initiative, co-chaired the Design For Affordability Task Force in 2018, was a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2020, and is currently a volunteer with Mad Housers. He graduated from Yale University with a BA in Architecture, and currently lives with his family in Decatur, GA along with 2 dogs and lots of chickens. “I'm a big fan of charting out the vision first. And just understanding what your Northstar is where you want to go. And if the only thing that you do for your organization is aligned on that I'm sure that everyone in the organization does.” - Atticus LeBlanc
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
The explanation of the housing crisis we are having Addressing some of the concerns associated with cohabitating Some of the other benefits offered by PadSplit Zoning issues and the history of some zoning laws Moving into a tech start up without a tech background The importance of perseverance as an entrepreneur The value of the “Care, Show, Prove It” mentality on business
The book that we discuss is calledhttps://www.amazon.com/Color-Law-Forgotten-Government-Segregated/dp/1631494538/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+color+of+law&qid=1621436675&sr=8-1 ( The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein)
Connect with Atticus onhttps://twitter.com/atticusleblanc ( Twitter) orhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/atticus-leblanc-3960466/ ( LinkedIn)
Atticus writes for Forbes Real Estate Council and here is his latesthttps://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesrealestatecouncil/2021/05/04/the-zombie-that-is-single-family-zoning---destroy-it-before-it-destroys-us/?sh=2e69e6eb1dd3 ( article)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Mitchell is a founder with the goal of helping all people to better save and invest for their financial future. He believes that with the right nudge (and a little help from software) his company can help people do the right thing and make money a bit less stressful. Mitchell is an Ex Facebook and Dropbox, product manager, a Yale University graduate, and a proud Ohioan by origins. Mitchell joins me today to discuss his founder path from Yale, Facebook, Parable and now Lendtable. I open the podcast by asking why people don’t take advantage of the free retirement money their businesses offer them. Mitchell explains how pensions are a thing of the past and how the individual is now fully responsible to make all investing decisions. “I still always knew that before I was able to start a company I needed to know how to build, I needed to be a student of the game” - Mitchell Jones
Today on Startups for Good we cover:
What needs to be acknowledged as a startup What assumption should be challenged as a startup founder Actions that need to be taken to change the opportunity of who gets to be a founder The type of person who typically gets VC dollars The benefit of accelerators for first time entrepreneurs How to create FOMO in the investor Why story is so important
Connect with Mitchell onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchell-jones-333559a2/ ( LinkedIn)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Aaron Feuer is the co-founder and CEO of Panorama Education, a Boston-based education technology company that he launched while an undergraduate at Yale. Panorama Education's college- and career-readiness tools, school climate surveys, and social-emotional learning assessments are currently used to support the success of more than 12 million K-12 students in 21,000 schools every year. Places like NYC, Dallas, Detroit, SF and Indianapolis. When he was a high school student in Los Angeles, he got involved as an organizer to fight for better schools. They got a bill passed in California that encouraged schools to give students a voice through student surveys. However, the bill didn’t end up making much impact. And thus was born Panorama. I kick off our discussion with Aaron by posing him with the question about how to change the world. We discuss the best ways to use the technology that Panorama has. He explains the differences and benefits of online and offline products in their offering. Aaron offers us some unique perspectives on student startups. He shares with us why belonging is so important in corporate culture and how Panorama fosters it. “I think as a startup founder, you're constantly learning at every scale.” - Aaron Feuer
Today on Startups for Good we cover: How schools assess the whole student experience today Learning how to be a startup founder The importance of good network advisors and a succession plan Figuring out how to tailor sales to schools How the power of the mission influences fundraising Some of the big challenges
Publications discussed in the episode: http://www.paulgraham.com/mit.html (Paul Graham’s essay) about students and the power of poverty https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1620240963&sr=8-1 (The Hard about Hard Things) by Ben Horowitz https://www.amazon.com/Advantage-Harnessing-Cumulative-Winner-Publishing/dp/1087914787/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1620241148&sr=8-3-spons (Advantage) by Joe Solari https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MKUEOFYT6AQV&dchild=1&keywords=high+output+management&qid=1620241220&sprefix=High+Output+Man,aps,229&sr=8-1 (High Output Management) by Andrew S. Grove https://www.amazon.com/You-Want-Talk-About-Race/dp/1580056776/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1620241274&sr=8-1 (So you Want to Talk About Race) by ljeoma Oluo
Connect with Aaron onhttps://twitter.com/PanoramaEd ( Twitter) and athttp://panoramaed.com/ ( panoramaed.com)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Christie Lagally is the founder and CEO of Rebellyous Foods. She is a mechanical engineer with nearly 20 years of engineering experience and holder of five patents in manufacturing technology. She spent much of her career in the aerospace industry working on commercial airplanes and spacecraft in testing, design, and manufacturing, and she served as the project manager for a $10M R&D effort for the 777X wing manufacturing unit at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Until January 2018, Christie served as a Senior Scientist for the Good Food Institute uncovering the technical barriers in the development of plant-based meat and cultured meat. Christie holds Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Organizational Psychology and a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Christie joins me today to discuss how she decided to be a founder and the initial steps that she took to find the problem to solve. She explains the three avenues to customers and how the company concentrates on each of them. She shares how articulating the mission helps in growing the company culture and fundraising. Christie tells us about her approach to fundraising and how incubators helped her. Today on Startups for Good we cover: Tackling the taste and cost barriers to plant based meat products The specifics that drive the school lunch customer Clean meat and the impact on the industry How sometimes constraints breed more creativity The fundraising process Transitioning between two industries
Connect with Christie athttp://rebellyous.com/ ( rebellyous.com) and theirhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkLG5Lu2WzfesrG__xYlORg ( YouTube channel)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Ross is the CEO at ZenBusiness, which democratizes entrepreneurship by making it easy to create, maintain and manage a LLC or other corporate entity. With more than 30 years as an entrepreneur, technology leader, c-level exec, angel investor and board member, Ross Buhrdorf has been at the forefront of how consumers interact with technology. Most recently as the founding chief technical officer for HomeAway (NASDAQ: AWAY) - one of Austin’s most iconic tech companies - he was responsible for building both the team and the technology platform that powered the company from a startup, through the IPO to its recent acquisition by Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE) for a whopping $3.9B. “You can fool your customers for a little bit. But you can't fool them forever. And so you'd need to pay very close attention to what your customers are asking for what they're telling you. And you need to deliver.” - Ross Burhdorf Ross joins me today to discuss the importance of small businesses in our economy. We talk about the growth of freelancing. He shares about building a great culture in his company. Ross and I talk about the disruption of the incumbents and successful acquisitions. Ross shares his opinion on delivering value in a mission driven company. He informs us of the numbers of his company Zen business. And he shares his theory on fear being a liar. Today on Startups for Good we cover: Lessons learned from the .com boom and bust Risks in small companies vs. larger companies Trends in small business formation Does success affect the ease of fundraising How to evaluate preemptive fundraising as a CEO Making acquisitions successful How acquisition impacts the culture of the business
To find out more about ZenBusiness on theirhttps://www.zenbusiness.com/ ( website) and you can email Ross, ross@zenbusiness.com
Books discussed on today’s episode: https://g.co/kgs/XwptRr (Innovators Dilemma by) Clayton Christensen
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Ade Adesanya, is the Co-founder & President of Moving Analytics Inc, a telehealth company that is increasing access to cardiac rehab and helping patients recover faster at home through an innovative app-based virtual cardiac rehab program, Movn. Moving Analytics’ programs are developed in partnership with Stanford University, and are based on more than 30 years of published research. Ade is also a lecturer of entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California. Prior to launching Moving Analytics, Ade helped researchers at the University of Southern California to commercialize their research into startup ventures. Ade grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to the US to study electrical engineering at the University of Houston, he later got a master’s in engineering management from the University of Southern California and a certificate in Finance from UCLA. He was recently recognized as a top 30 under 30 in healthcare by Forbes magazine. Ade joins me today to discuss the impact of his company and the growth with the increase of Telehealth in this post COVID environment. I ask him why it takes a life changing event like cardiac arrest for some people to change their health habits. Ade shares his founder’s story with us and the growth of the company over the past few years bringing him to 2000 patients. He discusses how Stanford university’s technology transfer office was pivotal in his company’s success. Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Finding the why when founding a company Knowing when to bring on extra staffing Is Vertical integration a pattern to be repeated in other areas Common barriers in Telehealth Fundraising challenges for minority entrepreneurs
Connect with Ade throughhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ade-adesanya/ ( LinkedIn)
Ade’s non-profit MAIN (Multicultural Angel Investor Network) can be found onhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/lighthouse-ventures/about/ ( LinkedIn)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Nadim is the son of immigrants who arrived in the US with virtually nothing. His upbringing instilled in him a passion for helping people build financial resilience and independence. Prior to EarnUp, Nadim worked at Serent Capital, a $600M private equity firm, focused on tech-enabled services. Prior to Serent, Nadim led investments with NCB Capital, a $12B asset manager. Before this, Nadim worked at McKinsey & Company consulting large banks. Nadim also practiced IP and technology law at Kirkland & Ellis. Nadim holds a JD degree from Harvard Law School and graduated highest honors from Rutgers University. I kick off Nadim’s interview with a question about banks, a necessary evil or are they fighting the good fight. He turns the tables and returns the question and we have a good discussion about the banking industry. Nadim continues the interview by sharing his founder's story and how it was inspired by his family and his own experience with paying off their mortgage payment. He tells us how his company grew in customers and employees. He shares the impact on the company and the startup space when his co-founder stepped down to care for his own mental health. Near the end Nadim asks me how people can put into practice the learnings from leadership books. (Note: EarnUp is a Purpose Built portfolio company.) “ I think that's a that's one of those proud moments for me, where we we spend that we spent all the years building a business that has a trusted relationship, a trusted conduit with the customer, such that one of our investors in this nonprofit at the same time is comfortable enough and confident enough in our ability to do the work, but also our relationship with the customer.” - Nadim Homsany
Today on Startups for Good we cover: How FinTechs differ from traditional startups The insights of the word “earn” rather than “save” The impact of a kitchen table on a startup What a Concierge MVP offers Mental health in tech startups The concerns of a double bottom line company Building a diverse team Managing diverse investors Balancing internal resources when you are a B2B2C
Connect with Nadim onhttps://twitter.com/nhomsany ( Twitter) or athttp://myearnup.com/ ( myearnup.com)
The books that Nadim referred tohttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove-ebook/dp/B015VACHOK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=high+output+management&qid=1617805104&sr=8-1 ( High Output Management) andhttps://www.amazon.com/Feedback-That-Works-Deliver-Message/dp/1604919213/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=feedback+that+works&qid=1617805157&sr=8-2 ( Feedback that Works) The books that Miles suggested:https://www.amazon.com/15-Commitments-Conscious-Leadership-Sustainable-ebook/dp/B00R3MHWUE/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2NEQYGHYLJGO6&dchild=1&keywords=15+commitments+of+conscious+leadership&qid=1617805203&sprefix=15+commitments+of+conscious,aps,224&sr=8-2 ( 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership) andhttps://venturepatterns.com/blog/book/book-the-great-ceo-within-five-star-review/ ( The Great CEO Within) (review) as well ashttps://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation-ebook/dp/B004J4XGN6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29O2S7SSCKEJF&dchild=1&keywords=lean+startup&qid=1617805327&sprefix=Lean+Startu,aps,224&sr=8-1 ( Lean Startup)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Laura Kleiman is Founder and CEO of Reboot Rx, the tech nonprofit dedicated to fast-tracking the development of affordable cancer treatments using repurposed generic drugs and AI technology. Laura’s career has focused on building collaborations across disciplines and sectors to expand treatment options for cancer patients. She was previously Scientific Research Director in the Department of Data Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Laura earned a PhD in Computational and Systems Biology from MIT and conducted translational cancer research as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Laura was recently featured in Forbes and received the 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award. Laura joins me today to discuss not only her founder story but the role perseverance plays in all realms of a startup. She shares with us her experiences with fundraising as well as some of the challenges and advantages of choosing to be a tech non-profit. “I'm passionate about bringing together different people towards a common goal. And in my case, I'm very focused on improving the lives of cancer patients through developing more effective and affordable drugs.” - Laura Kleiman Today on Startups for Good we cover: How to know if you have chosen the right co-founder The implications of choosing tech non-profit status Lessons for other founders about fundraising The Mass Challenge incubator Misnomers of repurposing generic drugs Ways that clinical trials could be hastened
Connect with RebootRx athttp://www.rebootrx.org/ ( www.rebootrx.org) or onhttps://twitter.com/RebootRx ( Twitter),https://www.linkedin.com/company/rebootrx/ ( LinkedIn),https://www.facebook.com/RebootRx.Org ( Facebook) andhttps://www.instagram.com/reboot_rx/ ( Instagram). The podcast that Laura referenced washttps://www.startups.com/community/startup-therapy ( Startup Therapy)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please share your feedback about the podcast on our listener survey pagehttps://www.startupsforgood.com/survey/ ( here).
Nathan Schneider is an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leads the Media Enterprise Design Lab. His most recent book is Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that Is Shaping the Next Economy. Danny Spitzberg is a user researcher for a cooperative economy. Nathan and Danny join me today to discuss their Exit to Community report that they have been recently working on. They share with us recent examples of other exit to community companies that we would be familiar with. They also talk about another effort, Start Co-op. We also discuss if innovation is tied to risk taking and they share their advice with us. “The cool thing that this startup culture is good at is, is being nimble and being a pivot and enabling really creative exploration to figure out where the market fit is where the who the true community really is, and sometimes it takes some time to figure that out.” - Nathan Schneider Today on Startups for Good we cover: Policy changes that are needed when to support exit to community Thinking about the exit during the start up phase Blockchain compared to co-op models Sharing equity with users and the SEC take on it How tech enabled co-ops can access capital If co-ops can scale quickly
Learn more at the https://e2c.how/ ( exit to community website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please share your feedback with us by going to our listener surveyhttps://www.startupsforgood.com/survey/ ( here).
Max Nova is the co-founder and COO of SilviaTerra. He has spent the last decade designing, building, and deploying precision forestry tools for some of the largest landowners in the US. Using satellites, cloud computing, and mobile technology, SilviaTerra collaborated with Microsoft to develop the first high-resolution forest inventory of the United States. This data is now informing markets for natural capital like carbon, wildlife habitat, and fire risk. Born and raised in Louisville, KY, Max earned a degree in computer science from Yale University. Max joins me today to discuss his early start to becoming a founder. He shares the core technology that is the center of the company. We talk about which came first, the mission or the technology. Max counters the criticism of some that don’t value a carbon exchange program. He also speaks to his reluctance of taking on outside investments and the benefits of not being too quick to fundraise. He shares his vision for the company in the years to come. Max shares some controversial advice in the startup community. “I think it's much more important to say, Well, what are the types of problems I want to be working on, and to really focus on that. And so the reason I tell people not to do startups necessarily, is because I think you gain so much by being able to specialize and having an institutional overhead in place for you” - Max Nova
Today on Startups for Good we cover: How to find the right co-founder The benefits of having a co-founder A carbon exchange program What motivates major corporations to choose a carbon exchange program The use of the technology to reduce wildfire risk Building the team of a mission driven company The increasing workforce in mission driven companies
Connect with Max onhttps://twitter.com/MaxNova90 ( Twitter) and his companyhttps://twitter.com/SilviaTerra ( SilviaTerra) or Max’s book recommendation website, http://books.max-nova.com/ ( books.max-nova.com)
The books that Max recommended:https://www.amazon.com/Power-Broker-Robert-Moses-Fall/dp/0394720245/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TSHR53TLOMJE&dchild=1&keywords=the+power+broker+by+robert+caro&qid=1616014961&sprefix=The+power+broker,aps,230&sr=8-1 ( The Power Broker by Robert Caro) https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Discipline-Novel-Pat-Conroy-ebook/dp/B003Y3BCS4/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2WNOD7VKOS3AY&dchild=1&keywords=lords+of+discipline&qid=1616015059&sprefix=lords+of+disci,aps,231&sr=8-3 (The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy) https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32OEQOFXI6CNK&dchild=1&keywords=getting+things+done+david+allen&qid=1616015100&sprefix=Getting+things+,aps,234&sr=8-1 (Getting Things Done by David Allen) https://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Surprising-Learned-Resources_and/dp/1982103574/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1UBGXJZQLVIDW&dchild=1&keywords=more+from+less+andrew+mcafee&qid=1616015256&sprefix=more+from+less,aps,313&sr=8-2 (More From Less by Andrew McAfee)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please share your feedback on the podcast at ourhttps://www.startupsforgood.com/survey/ ( Listener Survey). Thank you.
Diane Yoo is a results-driven entrepreneur, venture capitalist and angel investor with more than 15+ years of experience. As an accredited investor, she has invested in 30+ companies and is passionate about empowering women and diversity investors and founders. With only 1% of Asian females leading as Partner or Founder in Venture Capital, Diane is the first woman General Partner for medtech and healthtech venture capital in the heart of the largest medical center of the world, Texas Medical Center. With a proven track record, she is a seasoned expert as founder and partner to several investment funds and investment networks. Diane has extensive experience in leading deals, sitting on boards and leading companies to successful exits. Diane joins me today to discuss her road to venture capital which had stops in the restaurant and bar industry and the fashion industry. Diane speaks to how these industries helped her to express her creative side that is sometimes missing in the business world. She shares with us her work with universities. “I think it all comes down to relationships, whether it be an entrepreneur, investor, it all comes down to having a great reputation, building a brand and having these relationships and a large part of it is.” - Diane Yoo
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Venture Capital Advocating for diverse teams Starting your own venture capital firm Creating expanded opportunities for minorities in tech Why business relationships are so important.
Connect with Diane onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-yoo/ ( LinkedIn).
Some of the books that Diane referenced are: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SS28IFKMXNS3&dchild=1&keywords=the+lean+startup&qid=1615398597&sprefix=The+lean+sta,aps,229&sr=8-1 (The Lean Startup) https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Deals-Smarter-Lawyer-Capitalist/dp/1119594820/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38GTF9N2WGMBV&dchild=1&keywords=venture+deals&qid=1615398662&sprefix=Venture+D,aps,235&sr=8-1 (Venture Deals) https://www.amazon.com/Business-Venture-Capital-Website-Structuring/dp/1119639689/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NYGQ9P6BTST2&dchild=1&keywords=the+business+of+venture+capital&qid=1615398705&sprefix=The+Business+of+Ve,aps,460&sr=8-1 (The Business of Venture Capital)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please complete our listener survey to help us improve the podcast. It will only take three minutes.https://www.startupsforgood.com/survey/ ( Click here)
Alexandre (Alex) Lazarow has spent his career working at the intersection of investing, innovation, and economic development in the private, public, and social sectors. He is the author of Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs - from Delhi to Detroit - Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley (HBR Press). Alex is a venture capitalist with Cathay Innovation, a global firm that invests across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Previously, Alex worked with Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm that has invested over a billion dollars in hundreds of startups around the world. He has served as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company, a financial regulator with the Bank of Canada, and an M&A investment banker with the Royal Bank of Canada. Alex is an adjunct professor specializing in impact investment and entrepreneurship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He is a Kauffman Fellow, CFA Charterholder, and a Stephen M. Kellen Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm from the University of Manitoba. Alex is a regular columnist with Forbes, and his writing has been featured in the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, McKinsey Quarterly, Entrepreneur Magazine, TechCrunch, Fast Company, VentureBeat, Business Insider, and Quartz , among others. He speaks regularly on global innovation trends and has presented at Collision, Endeavor, InsureTech Connect, the Social Innovation Summit, SOCAP, and the Corporate Venture Capital Summit. He is most proud of having once been called a ‘sad, low budget Ryan Reynolds’ on Twitter. “ I believe that some of these businesses in this impact world are building not just fabulous business models, but something that has impact aligned with it. And as they scale they will scale to their impact as well.” - Alex Lazarow Alex joins me today to discuss his background in impact investing with the Omidyar group. We discuss financial ecosystems around the world and how they differ from the changing ecosystem in Silicon Valley. Alex shares some advice for people seeking investment and with those who want to become an investor. Alex shares his secret to getting fifteen minutes with a venture capitalist. Today on Startups for Good we cover: Frontier Ecosystems Global Financial Inclusion Investing A camel as an example rather than a unicorn Blitz Scaling How to develop a team in a frontier market Multi Mission Athletes
Connect with Alex on hishttp://www.alexlazarow.com/ ( website) or onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrelazarow/ ( LinkedIn) orhttps://twitter.com/Alex_Lazarow ( Twitter) You can purchase Alex’s bookhttps://www.amazon.com/Out-Innovate-Entrepreneurs-Detroit-Are-Rewriting-Silicon/dp/1633697584/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=out+innovate&qid=1614787461&sr=8-1 ( Out Innovate) on Amazon or like Alex suggested your local bookstore. The authors that Alex suggested:https://www.foundrygroup.com/team/brad-feld/ ( Brad Feld) and Bill Draperhttps://www.amazon.com/Startup-Game-Partnership-Capitalists-Entrepreneurs/dp/0230339948/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bill+draper&qid=1614787711&s=books&sr=1-1 ( Startup Game)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please share your feedback in our new Listener...
Ben Chesler has been a social entrepreneur since before he really knew what the words meant. He just liked solving problems. While in high school he co-founded a non-profit that went on to raise $100,000+ to combat the child sex trade. In college, he started the Food Recovery Network to bridge the gap and recover food and donate it to food banks and shelters in the community. Over the next 4 years, they scaled Food Recovery Network to 200 colleges across the country, and it became the largest student movement against hunger in the US. Ben kicks off our discussion by answering my question to force rank Customers, Employees, Planet and Investors. Listen how our answers differ. Ben also talks about starting Imperfect Foods and some of the mistakes that were made and the benefits of not always knowing the “proper” way of starting a business. He shares how the press was helpful to their launch and it was not customer acquisition. Ben shares why they chose to register as a B-corporation. He also discusses his different roles within the company and the one that he has settled on now. “I think that I really believe in the power of, you know, young people with ideas to change the world. And I don't believe that, you know, you have to be an expert to solve a problem.” - Ben Chesler
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Starting a business while still in college How to hire the right people and how to know they are right Raising money from venture capitalists The differences from impact investors vs traditional investors Starting a company with a friend The highs and lows of starting a company Creating good jobs for the employees
Connect with Ben onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/benchesler/ ( LinkedIn) and check outhttps://www.imperfectfoods.com/ ( Imperfect Foods)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle). Please provide us with your feedback on ourhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/1p0YbhM5SZrezZQUi-Rsw2y40R_pV8lvY2JVfeEjfWxg/edit ( new survey)
David is the Founder and CEO of Founders Pledge, a global community of entrepreneurs finding and funding solutions to big global challenges. Launched in 2015, Founders Pledge has raised more than $2 billion in pledges from 1400 entrepreneurs in 30 countries and seen $450 million donated to charity as a result. Their members include the people behind some of the most innovative companies in the world, including Planet, Bolt, Memphis Meats, Transferwise, Credit Karma, Skype, Spotify, Klarna, Deepmind, and many more. David joins me today to discuss how he came to create Founders Pledge. He shares their mission and how successful they have been so far. David also conveys some of their big challenges. We discuss where he received the seed money for the firm. David also shares with us what he considers, “the best thing on the internet”. “That's sort of how founders pledged developed is this idea where, you know, just help the best people do the most good with their money” - David Goldberg Today on Startups for Good we cover: Founders Pledge goals of community, advising and gaining pledges The criticism of Donor Advised Funds being a tax shelter and the funds getting stagnant The challenges of being an international company. The funding environment of for startups and non-profits
Connect with David through Founders Pledgehttps://founderspledge.com/ ( website)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Tara is founder & CEO of Rupa Health, an integrative health tech company that aims to make root cause medicine the standard of care. Their first product, Rupa Labs, is a lab ordering portal for telemedicine providers that turns 15 hours of weekly physician admin work into 15 minutes. Tara joins me today to discuss how she bridged her worlds to create Rupa. She shares with us about the early days and the low tech way that her and her co-founder would get the work done at first. We learn about the scale and the future of her company. Tara shares her philosophy of interviewing and the importance of growing a great team. “If you can just be really kind and make everybody be genuinely interested in the people you're talking to, and care about them and their life and what their wants and needs are. So if you're a founder, and you're meeting an investor, take time to learn about their life and what you know what they've done. And that will go a long way. And people forget about that.” - Tara Viswanathan
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Weaving conventional medicine with other styles How it feels when you reach market fit Selling your product when it isn’t quite ready Fundraising strategy The importance of momentum
Connect with Tara on herhttp://www.taraviswanathan.com/ ( website),https://www.linkedin.com/in/taraviswanathan/ ( LinkedIn),https://www.facebook.com/tarav ( Facebook) andhttps://www.instagram.com/taraviswanathan/ ( Instagram).
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) and sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss any information about our upcoming guests. Connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Dean Karlan is the Frederic Esser Nemmers Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance Kellogg School of Management, and co-director of the Global Poverty Research Lab at Northwestern University. He is the Founder and President of Innovations for Poverty Action, a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting solutions to global poverty problems, and working to scale-up successful ideas through implementation and dissemination to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors. His research focuses on development and behavioral economics, and he is on the Board of Directors of the M.I.T. Jameel Poverty Action Lab. Dean joins me today to discuss his academic career and why he decided to be a founder. There appears to be a theme with Dean’s academic work and we discuss how that influences the companies that he has founded. We discuss the frustration that comes when the evidence that you are generating are not changing policy. We also talk about his other startups Stickk and ImpactMatters. “Know what problem you're trying to solve”… “as clear as you can in your mind, so that you are able to focus on thinking through whether what you're doing is really addressing that problem.” - Dean Karlan Today on Startups for Good we cover: How IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action) works Randomized Controlled Trials - the needs and criticism that comes with them The size and scale of IPA today and some of the challenges they have faced Methodology of a lean startup and did he use it for IPA The acquisition of ImpactMatters by Charity Navigator How to measure impact of a charity Lessons learned from being a founder
Connect with Professor Karlan onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/deankarlan/ ( LinkedIn) orhttps://twitter.com/i/events/1356987871505182723 ( Twitter)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Josh Clemente, Founder of Levels, is a mechanical engineer and CrossFit-L2 trainer. At SpaceX, he led a team to develop life support systems that sustained astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on their May 2020 trip to the International Space Station aboard Dragon Endeavor: the first new crew-carrying spacecraft since 1980. Josh has also spent time designing and building Hyperloop technology and leading engineering for a company providing vehicle-based rescue systems for emergency response teams. Josh enjoys the outdoors, functional fitness training, technology, coffee, and restoring motorcycles. Josh joins me today to discuss not only his founder’s story but his background at SpaceX and Hyperloop. He tells us about some of the things he learned there and what information he brought to his new company and some areas that he wanted to develop. He shares with us the technology and story behind his company Levels and the use of continuous glucose monitors. Josh tells us about some of the challenges and how he communicated the mission of the company during his round of fundraising. “By using not just hardware, but then advanced software, machine learning algorithms and insights frameworks that can help people orient themselves and then make better choices in a very short period of time.” - Josh Clemente Today on Startups for Good we cover: How individuals can use continuous glucose monitors to learn more about their food choices. How to get your product to reach the masses The challenges to creating new technology The challenges of transparency prior to and during fundraising Working in public Demonstrating progress during fundraising How to pick a co-founding team
Connect with Josh onhttps://twitter.com/joshuasforrest ( Twitter) andhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joshclemente/ ( LinkedIn) orhttps://www.instagram.com/josh.f.clemente/ ( Instagram). Check out the Levelshttps://www.levelshealth.com/ ( website): Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Spencer is founder and CEO of http://www.sparkwave.tech/ (Spark Wave), a startup foundry (a.k.a. company builder / startup studio) that creates new software companies from scratch, designed to help solve big problems in the world. He has a PhD in applied math from the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courant_Institute_of_Mathematical_Sciences (Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences) at NYU, with his specialty being machine learning (sometimes referred to as “artificial intelligence”). He also has a bachelor of science degree from Columbia University, where he studied applied math and computer science. He has published papers on a variety of topics in applied math, machine learning, mental health and social science. Spencer joins me today to discuss his founder’s story and the many projects that his company, Spark Wave, are working on. We learn more about Spencer’s take on ethical value and how this drives him in business and life. Spencer shares how his academic background in mathematics influences the work that he does. He also tells about some of the challenges he has encountered, and advice to all inspiring founders.
“Entrepreneurship is basically the world punching you in the face between 10 and 100 times, and the vast majority of people would give up after a few punches, right?” - Spencer Greenberg
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Keeping track of multiple products within a company Products and business idea generation and evaluation What an effective altruist is The type of team involved with a general studio model How to recruit a CEO or co-founder to pair with an idea Spencer’s new podcast - Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg Questions to ask yourself prior to becoming an entrepreneur. Net Promoter Score and Dissatisfaction Score and other metrics
Connect with Spencer onhttps://twitter.com/SpencrGreenberg ( Twitter) andhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/spencergreenberg/ ( LinkedIn). For more information abouthttp://sparkwave.tech/ ( sparkwave.tech) andhttp://clearerthinking.org/ ( clearerthinking.org)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
At the time of recording, Desiree Vargas Wrigley was the President of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy and the founder of Pearachute, a company that helps parents and children drop into the best family activities in town. Prior to launching Pearachute, Desiree co-founded GiveForward, the world’s leading crowd giving platform for people facing a major life event. Under her leadership, the company helped friends and family contribute nearly $160M to loved ones in need. After graduating from Yale, Desiree worked at the Kauffman Foundation as a specialist in entrepreneurship and at Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. Most recently, she taught New Venture Discovery at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Desiree has been named Inc's 30 Under 30, Crain's 40 Under 40, one of Parents Magazine's Most Inspiring Moms, one of Forbes’ Women to Watch, and has appeared on Shark Tank, closing one of the largest deals on the show to date. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her 2 young sons, stepdaughter, and crime-fighting husband. Desiree joined me today to discuss when she started to feel the pull of entrepreneurship. She shares with us when her initial idea went from kernel to a more serious pursuit. Desiree shares some of the big challenges of her first venture, GiftForward. She talks about some of the lessons of working with the board of directors and how grateful she is for them. “I really do believe that we are in a unique position to help feed the diversity pipeline that goes into innovation and entrepreneurship, and including computer science.” - Desiree Vargas Wrigley
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Knowing when to start on a company Crowdfunding landscape before Kickstarter and GoFundMe Understanding the differences between the venture capitalists and the customer Knowing when to scale the business and when to sale The experience of a Shark Tank pitch, deal and the aftermath Mentoring and enriching the lives of young entrepreneurs
Connect with Desiree onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/desireevw/ ( LinkedIn),https://www.instagram.com/pearachutemom/ ( Instagram) andhttps://twitter.com/DesireeChicago ( Twitter)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
SFG12 - Nat Manning, CEO of Kettle
Nathaniel is the co-founder and COO of Kettle, a machine-learning-powered reinsurer that protects people from increasing climate change crises. Nathaniel previously led Ushahidi, the world’s largest open source data platform for crisis response. There he helped scale the Ushahidi platform to over 200 countries gathering over 10M first hand reports. Previous to that he was a Presidential Innovation Fellow for Open Data, and then the first Chief Data Officer of the US Agency for International Development, where he helped open up and analyze large data sets for humanitarian response. He has been part of the founding teams of technology startups like BRCK and FellowAI and is on the board of Project Wayfinder. Nathaniel joins me today to discuss his path from Ushahidi to forming his own company, Kettle. We learn more about crowdsourcing information and why Ushahidi’s timing was fruitful. Nathaniel shares with us the types of funding that Usahidi looked into and the benefits and pitfalls of each. I ask him for his input on how would he change the funding system for tech nonprofits. Nathaniel speaks to how his time with the government at USAID prepared him for the CEO role at Ushahidi. We also learn about Nathaniel’s passion for insurance and the beauty of insurance in its purest form.
“That's the impact you're really making is that sort of financial safety net there to let people who get hurt from these, acts of God, whether it's a hurricane or a fire, which, like I said, sadly, or there's only more and more of that they're protected, and that our communities are protected.” - Nathaniel Manning
Today on Startups for Good we cover: How Ushahidi fostered creativity amongst the employees The challenges of running a big tech non-profit Building business development teams Dealing with misconduct in leadership as a CEO
Connect with Nathaniel onhttps://twitter.com/natpmanning ( Twitter) or Kettle’shttps://ourkettle.com/ ( website) and his own personalhttp://natmanning.com/ ( website) Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Ralph Clark is a technology company CEO who is equally committed to shareholder value and making a meaningful societal impact. Leading ShotSpotter since 2010, he has been dedicated to helping law enforcement agencies provide equal protection for at-risk, underserved neighborhoods, reducing gun violence and restoring police as trusted guardians of the community. Clark led the transformation of ShotSpotter to a SaaS based business model ultimately taking the company public in 2017. With more than 30 years of corporate, financial and organizational leadership, Clark was previously CEO of GuardianEdge Technologies Inc. where he drove its acquisition by Symantec. Earlier in his career he worked for IBM, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. Clark received the 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award for Northern California. He is a former board member and chair of Pacific Community Ventures, former board member and chair of the Oakland Boys and Girls Club, former trustee and Vice-Chair of the Oakland Museum of California, is a member of Harvard Business School’s California Advisory Board and is a trustee of the American Conservatory Theater. He holds a B.S. in economics from the University of the Pacific and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School Ralph joins me today to discuss ShotSpotter and the mission to reduce and prevent gun violence through the use of acoustic gunshot detection technology. He discusses the alignment and balance of law enforcement as the consumer, the company’s interest and the investors. He shares with us the differences in using violence interruption interventions and law enforcement interventions. Ralph shares with us the metrics behind the success of ShotSpotter. He shares his story of growing up in Oakland and working for GuardianEdge which brought him to ShotSpotter.
"So you had this layer cake, different series of preferred with different rights, different privileges, different investors, all with very different outcomes, depending upon, you know, what that outcome was. So you can imagine that was anything but aligned around there, the beautiful thing about going public is that, all that preferential layered cake gets smashed into one thing called common, we're all aligned together, management, every single investor, both the previous private investors, as well as the new public market investors, we're all common now. So we all have this, we all have this shared, same shared lens through which to look at, you know, success, or failure.” - Ralph Clark Today on Startups for Good we cover: The benefits of a mission-driven company for the employees The friction in the relationship between communities and law enforcement Utilizing the technology to enforce poaching and blast fishing The importance of reducing blast fishing on the whole ecosystem How to maintain power and communication to the acoustic gun detection units What net promoter score is and how valuable it is to a company The moment when he adjusted the business model against cultural resistance The decision to go public and some advice during the IPO process The concept of Long Term Greedy
Connect with Ralph onhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkralph/ ( LinkedIn) orhttps://twitter.com/ralphaclark ( Twitter) or email him at rclark@shotspotter.com
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information abouthttps://www.startupsforgood.com/giving-circle/ ( The Giving Circle)
Tess Michaels founder and CEO Stride Funding which is a venture backed student financing company. Stride offers a more flexible financing option to traditional student loans using an income shared agreement. Tess is a serial entrepreneur and has worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Vista Equity Partners. She is an alum of University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School Tess joins me today to discuss how she was inspired to start Stride and how she built the team there. She shares how they have managed their investor relationships with two rounds of capital funding and investor funding for their impact financing products. Stride is changing the payment structure of traditional loans to being more tied to the students' graduation outcome. Tess discusses some of the latency that occurred this year in conversion as students were adapting to the changing college landscape. We are happy to have Tess here to share some of her lessons, entrepreneurial heroes and some of the books they have written. “I think economic mobility is very much something I’m a huge believer in. Both my parents were immigrants and education was the reason they really were able to progress in their careers and their journey to America” - Tess Michaels
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Outcome driven products The differences between income shared agreements (ISA) and traditional loans How higher education may change in light of the changes in instruction methods due to COVID Investing in data science How impact investing was welcomed at a school like Wharton How to juggle the many hats of raising funds for the business and the student financing Some of the biggest challenges of growing a business Consumer education about ISAs and alternative financing models
Connect with Tess Michaels onhttps://www.instagram.com/stridefunding/ ( Instagram) or theirhttps://www.stridefunding.com/ ( website) as well as any questions for Tess can be emailed at Tess@stridefunding.com
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media. For more information about The Giving Circle please visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website) and click on Giving Circle
Adam Rein oversees all aspects of CapShift’s operations, investments, and technology. Since 2014, he has served as a managing director for MissionPoint Partners, an impact asset managing firm. Previously, Adam co-founded Altaeros Energies, a startup launched out of MIT to bring low cost wind energy and tele-communications to the developing world. Adam is also a co-founder of Greentown Labs, the country’s largest clean technology incubator. Previously, Adam worked as a strategy consultant for Bain & Company. Adam has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a BA from Yale University. Adam joins me today to discuss CapShift and how they are the building the leading impact investing platform. He shares some lessons about the startup process. Adam tells us about the beginnings of Alteros and Greentown Labs, his other startups. We talk about dealing with some of the big changes of growing companies. Adam shares some advice to beginning founders and resources. “Every venture I’ve worked on has had at least two or three moments where we were very close to failing and going under. Whether it’s some combination of luck or fate or hard work that there is some success bias in our sector.” - Adam Rein Today on Startups for Good we cover: The various investing opportunities that CapShift offers The three key metrics that investors are looking for What is driving the increase in impact investing Adam shares what can be learned from failure How purpose driven ventures should communicate to their investors
Connect with Adam onhttps://twitter.com/adamrein ( Twitter) andhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrein/ ( LinkedIn) Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Tiffany is the CEO & Cofounder at Remix (remix.com), a collaborative software platform for 350+ cities to plan their mobility future. Remix is backed by Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, and Energy Impact Partners. Tiffany was a Fellow at Code for America, launched the UX practice at Zipcar, worked as an innovation consultant at Continuum, and wrote for Dwell. With a background in architecture and urban planning, she constantly thinks about how the built environment of our cities can be better designed for people and our planet. Tiffany joins me today to discuss her start at Code for America and how she became a founder. Tiffany discusses her transition from design to sales and marketing to CEO especially with all of the challenges and heavy decisions during a pandemic. “Can you get up and go to work everyday with a group of colleagues who care as deeply about the same things that you do?” -Tiffany Chu Today on Startups for Good we cover: The origins of Remix and the company’s evolution What strong product-market fit looks and feels like The fundraising options that Remix approached and the potential signaling The ramifications and challenges of working with government agencies especially during COVID How being a mission-driven company affects the culture of the company How micro-mobility fits in with what cities are looking for How to follow a very successful product launch with additional products How Remix interacts with the open source community
Connect with Tiffany: On Twitter and Instagram https://twitter.com/tchu88 (@tchu88) Remix athttp://remix.com/ ( remix.com) and https://twitter.com/remix (@remix) on Twitter
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Seth Sternberg, Founder of Meebo & Honor Honor is working to re-invent in-home care for parents. Honor is on a mission to enable parents to live in their own homes for as long as they please! Honor has 300+ HQ employees, is operating in 6 states and has raised $220M+ in capital. At Google Seth was Product Management Director for Google+ Platform. They launched Google+ Sign-In, a great way for users to connect their Google experience with the rest of the internet. Seth Co-Founded Meebo along with Elaine Wherry and Sandy Jen. He is Incredibly proud of the entire Meebo team and all that it accomplished - they reached north of 100M US Uniques monthly and revenue in the mid 8 figure range. Meebo was acquired by Google in June, 2012. Prior to Meebo Seth was at the Stanford GSB. He left a few weeks into his second year when Meebo began growing too fast to concentrate on both. His first job out of school was at IBM in their Corporate Development group where he learned a ton. Seth Sternberg joins me today to discuss how he got started as an entrepreneur creating Meebo, with some of his fellow business school chums. Seth discusses the many challenges with startups but also how mission driven startups pushes you through to the rewards. He also shares how his station in life informed his next venture, Honor, an elder care provider company and how that company utilizes technology. Seth shares with us how being a mission driven company has helped him to perform better as a business. Honor had some challenges during the COVID pandemic and Seth discusses the many ways that the company addressed them and innovated during a difficult time.
“I could have some pretty great returns, but I could also truly make the world a better place for a certain segment of the population. And that's like, by far the number one thing that being a mission driven company, I think gets us is really great people.” - Seth Sternberg Today on Startups for Good we cover: How to find good people to work with on startups Does the team come first or the idea Managing an elder care company during COVID-19 Machine learning and how it relates to the complexities of elder care Long term orientation How to communicate with employees differently than investors
Connect with Seth on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sethjs (@SethJS)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
SFG06 - Mara Zapeda, Managing Director at Zebras Unite Mara Zepeda is the managing director athttps://zebrasunite.coop/ ( Zebras Unite). In 2013, she co-founded Switchboard, an engagement platform designed to be used by leaders in higher education and independent schools (including MIT, Williams, Oberlin, Reed, Willamette, University of Portland, and Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) and membership organizations. Switchboard made it easy for members of trusted affinity networks to help each other find what they needed, strengthen loyalty and increase giving. They focused on serving communities underserved and overlooked by technology. Switchboard was part of Wieden + Kennedy's Portland Incubator Experiment 2013 class. In 2016, the company was recognized with the top honor in its field: a gold Circle of Excellence award for student and alumni engagement by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Higher Education. Mara joins me to discuss her founder story and how being a community organizer led to her first startup. She explains what a Zebra company is and the particular set of beliefs that exemplifies them. She also shares some of the other exciting organizations that she has started. We discuss Silicon Valley and should one desire to change it or create another model. We talk about planning forward as capitalism evolves. “And so as someone that's creative by nature, that often means that when you see a problem, or when you see something that frustrates you, you're compelled to fix it, or you're compelled to make art about it.” - Mara Zepeda Today on Startups for Good we cover: Founding story of Switchboard and Zebras Unite We find out what DazzleCon is How to know if you are building a Zebra company How a Zebra co-operative works Systems level changes within the context of business strategy Multi-stakeholder initiatives Explaining exit to community and the impact Different forms of investing/alternatives to traditional VC funding Alternative capital taxonomy Resources to learn more about Zebra companies
To connect with Mara: Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/marazepeda (@marazepeda ) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marazepeda/ (Mara Zepeda) Company Twitter: https://twitter.com/Zebras_Unite/ (@Zebras_Unite) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zebras-unite/ (Zebras Unite)
Other Links mentioned in the episode: https://zebrasunite.coop/ (Zebras Unite Website) https://medium.com/zebras-unite/zebrasfix-c467e55f9d96 (Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zebracast/id1276069634?mt=2 (Zebracast Podcast) https://medium.com/zebras-unite (Medium Channel) for Zebras Unite https://www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/exit-to-community (Exit to Community) https://medium.com/village-capital/venture-capital-is-like-skinny-jeans-or-why-we-need-a-new-language-for-capital-6a935bf15ce7 (Alternative Capital Taxonomy piece). Article on thehttps://nextcity.org/daily/entry/small-loan-funds-for-underserved-businesses-join-forces ( Inclusive Capital Collective) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/technology/start-ups-rejecting-venture-capital.html (More Start-Ups Have an Unfamiliar Message for Venture Capitalists: Get Lost) https://venturepatterns.com/whats-wrong-with-vc-and-the-silicon-valley-mindset/ (Venture Patterns: What’s Wrong with VC And the Silicon Valley Mindset)
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Patrick is the co-founder of FreeWill, a social venture which has helped organizations raise nearly $2B in new planned gifts, stock gifts, and qualified charitable distributions. Patrick and his co-founder Jenny were recently named two of the Top 50 Philanthropists in the World by Town & Country. Today on Startups For Good Patrick shares with us his journey to entrepreneurship fromhttp://change.org/ ( change.org) to his own startup. He discusses his co-founder, Jenny Xia Spralding and how they came to the decision to be co-founders and how they divide responsibilities. Patrick fills us in on how FreeWill got its start, how it works and some of the numbers that represent its success. “People often talk about startups founders as these charismatic visionaries, but in many ways, along with velocity, the most important attribute for a startup founder is humility, and being open to being wrong at every turn, and then learning from that extremely quick.” - Patrick Schmitt Today on Startups for Good we cover: When Patrick realized that the business could be a force for good not simply profit How he challenged himself to create ideas for a startup Two barriers why people haven’t started the company they have an idea for. First steps to take a business from ideation to reality How to manage existing products while launching new products Some of the challenges with this startup How the values they set up drive their focus The impact of COVID on management Two pieces of advice for anyone thinking to become a founder
Connect with Patrick through the FreeWill website:http://www.freewill.com/ ( www.freewill.com) Connect on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/schm1tt/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/schm1tt/)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes! Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app. Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Andrew Yang is an American businessman, lawyer, book author and philanthropist, as well as a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He is the founder of Venture for America which connects young professionals to innovative companies in economically challenged cities. Andrew joins me today to discuss Venture for America and his 2015 book Smart People should Build Things. He shares his experience with building a social venture and placing young professionals in cities like Detroit, New Orleans and Cincinnati. He discusses the mindset of entrepreneurship and how to be successful. Andrew shares how he prepared himself for the leadership role and what inspires him. “What most business boils down to is that sense of what makes people tick.” - Andrew Yang Today on Startups for Good we cover:
Andrew's beginning following graduating from Brown and entering law school. Explaining what inspired Venture for America and how it began. Andrew also shares the success of Venture for America. We learn about the mission and goals of the company. Andrew shares the relationship between the fellows and the companies. Some of the challenges as CEO of a non-profit and why he chose the non-profit route. Some of the staffing issues involved when hiring for a social impact venture. Andrew addresses if he has received any criticism in regards to a high scale/high growth model.
Connect with Andrew: https://twitter.com/andrewyang (@AndrewYang) on Twitter Andrew’s https://movehumanityforward.com (Website) His latest book https://shop.movehumanityforward.com/products/book-war-normal-people (The War on Normal People)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our http://startupsforgood.com (website), follow Miles on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ (LinkedIn), follow us on https://twitter.com/startups4good (Twitter) or https://www.instagram.com/startups4good/ (Instagram), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
For more information or to join The Giving Circle visit: www.startupsforgood.com and click on Giving Circle.
Professor Lynn stout was a professor at Cornell Law School, where she was an internationally recognized expert in the field of corporate governance, securities, regulation, financial derivatives, law and economics. Lynn discussed her book, Shareholder Value Myth. Recorded in 2015 Lynn shares with me more of the insights from her book. This book is short and easy to get through, but packed with a very clear perspective and some great insights. “And each of the 50 states has a corporate code, including Delaware, which is the most important state for corporate law since the majority of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated there.” - Lynn Stout
Today on Startups for Good we cover: Lynn’s background and how she got her start in business and corporate law. She shares with us how she came to realize that a company’s responsibility to increase shareholder value is a myth and what that has translated in long range returns. She shares how this way of thinking has impacted other people within the corporation especially the employees. Directors and officers of corporation have no general legal duty to maximize shareholder value She explains the business judgement rule and how it affects how the directors are held responsible.
Here are the links to the articles that Miles referenced in the episode: https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans (https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redefines-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-all-americans) https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrine-the-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html (https://www.nytimes.com/1970/09/13/archives/a-friedman-doctrine-the-social-responsibility-of-business-is-to.html)
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit our http://startupsforgood.com (website), follow Miles on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ (LinkedIn), follow us on https://twitter.com/startups4good (Twitter) or https://www.instagram.com/startups4good/ (Instagram), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
For more information or to join The Giving Circle visit: www.startupsforgood.com and click on Giving Circle.
Bart Houlahan, along with his partners, Jay Coen Gilbert and Andrew Kassoy, co-founded B Lab in 2006. B Lab is a non-profit organization serving a movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab is redefining success in business by shining a light on leaders through a corporate certification (2500+ Certified B Corporations in 50+ countries), and then providing easy pathways for others to follow. B Lab encourages all companies to measure and manage their social and environmental impact using the B Impact Assessment (70,000+ companies engaged). And it works to create opportunities for companies to align their mission with their governance (Benefit Corporation legislation passed in 37 states and in process in 11 countries). Prior to B Lab, Bart was President of AND 1, a $250 million basketball footwear and apparel company. Bart is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute; a recipient of both the 2014 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the 2015 John P. McNulty Prize; and an advisory board member of the Duke University Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). Bart Houlahan joins me today to give us a clear picture of B lab, for benefit corporations and, and certified B corps. Bart shares with us how he started B lab and the motivation behind it. He goes into great detail about the law modifications of a for benefit corporations (B corp) and why startups should consider structuring as such. We discuss the international aspects of benefit corporations and some of B-labs partnerships. Bart closes the episode with some advice for up and coming entrepreneurs when contemplating a a for benefit corporate distinction. “The secret is this isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also good business. And if you are looking to create long-term value for yourself and for your shareholders, having a greater commitment to the environment and to society and governance practices should result in long term increased profitability. - Bart Houlahan Today on Startups for Good we cover:
How B Lab started and its mission We discuss the corporate certification that B Lab offers Bart explains a For Benefit Corporation and why a company would choose such a distinction He shares how this effects venture capitalists and other investors We learn the legal implications and the support for this distinction
To more information about B Lab:http://bcorporation.net/ ( bcorporation.net) Twitter: @BCorporation
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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with us onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Kanyi is a Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures. He served as a Partner at Collaborative Fund, where he was an early advisor to Tala and Walker & Co., and a board member at Buffer, Camino Financial, Spruce, and True Link. Kanyi is a co-founder at Heartbeat Health, and previously ran growth at One Block Off the Grid (acquired by $NRG) and was an early employee at Doostang (acquired by Universum Global). Kanyi has also served as a Lecturer and Adjunct at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, a curriculum adapted from his time as a student at Stanford University. Kanyi and I spoke in 2015 to discuss Collaborative Fund and the companies that they are partnering with. He shares his background and how he came to join Collaborative Fund. We discuss the differences between blended value and blended return. We also get into the topic of shared economy. Miles challenged Kanyi to further explain how some of their companies are “for good”. “We have to make enough bets that we can find a couple of home runs in there. And we don’t know going in which of those are going to be the home runs.” - Kanyi Maqubela Today on Startups for Good we cover:
The perspective on risk reward when you are considering investing in a company Listen to find out what one company owner said that made Kanyi want to strive to be able to collaborate with them. The reason that some company owners are hesitant to take on an investor and why they should consider it Kanyi shared his fascination with Bit coin and block chain and where internationally these are popular
Social Media for Kanyi: Twitter: @km
Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!
Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of Startups For Good with your host, Miles Lasater. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast listening app.
Don’t forget to visit ourhttp://startupsforgood.com/ ( website), connect with Miles onhttps://twitter.com/Startups4Good ( Twitter) or https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ ( LinkedIn), and share your favorite episodes across social media.
Miles shares with you his vision for the podcast and highlights upcoming guests and intention of the podcast The first four episodes will be: Andrew Yang, Venture for America Lynn Stout, Professor Cornell Law School Bart Houlan, B Lab Kanyi Maquebela, Kindred Ventures “Join us to hear their stories, join us to be inspired to be a founder or join to be a part of a community that believes startups can be a force for good” -Miles Lasater. Subscribe and Share to people who will be interested in this episode Don’t forget to visit our http://www.startupsforgood.com (website), connect with Miles on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslasater/ (LinkedIn), and https://twitter.com/mileslasater?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor (Twitter).