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Vanta, a company that helps customers get compliant and build security programs, uses an AI tool to answer security questionnaires. Where humans had once spent hours on the task, the tool completes it quickly and accurately. Vanta’s customers love it.

That’s not to raise the specter of automation stealing human jobs, explains Vanta’s chief legal officer and chief people officer, Ari Shahdadi. “We certainly don’t see this as a thing that’s threatening to anybody or going to replace anybody so much as drive future efficiency and accuracy and how people do their jobs,” he says.

Ari joins host Natalie Pierce and Steve Baglio, both former colleagues from Ari’s earlier role at Gunderson Dettmer, to discuss how technology intersects with people, particularly in the legal HR context. Their conversation covers how small, focused teams can prioritize business outcomes; how in-house professionals must become flexible in today’s fast-paced environment; and how the lawyer is moving away from being an “oracle of knowledge,” as Steve says, to becoming an expert in making good judgment.

“If you can put yourself in a position where you’re able to be flexible and develop other operational skill sets, you can have a role in a company like a chief judgment officer, right? Instead of a chief legal officer,” he suggests.

Episode Highlights1. Vanta uses a recruiting tool called Ashby but also has a rigorous, structured interview process designed to bring in strong talent and get them productive as soon as possible. 2. Will AI replace lawyers? “I think they’re useful as tools to kind of help you with general tasks, but I am not going to ask one what the law is on something because I might get a wrong answer,” Ari observes. 3. Today’s general counsel is branching into integrative roles within an organization, such as COO or deputy CO, Steve says. 4. While Vanta isn’t in a highly regulated sector, it has a robust compliance team because, as Ari explains, “if we’re not using our own product, then should our customers?” 5. AI systems excel in areas of subject matter expertise, Ari says – “but they have to be trained properly and designed properly.” 6. The silos around lawyers are breaking down as companies find success by running legal with business development or other functions, Ari says.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guests 💡Name: Ari Shahdadi

Organization: Vanta

Connect: LinkedIn | Email

Name: Steven Baglio

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | X | Gunderson Dettmer

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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“Those that are equipped with and know how to ably use AI are going to be outdoing those lawyers and law firms that do not.”

The FutureWork podcast episode 6 features Dr. Lance Eliot, a regular Forbes contributor and AI Fellow at Stanford University and Dazza Greenwood, a renowned Fortune 100 legal tech advisor and the Executive Director of Law.MIT.edu. Both guests have industry-leading research and publications, and they routinely counsel attorneys, CEOs, educators, and business leaders. Lance and Dazza are also on the cutting edge of GenAI trends–developing roadmaps for legal teams, engineers and executives to transform the future.

Viewing generative AI as an effective tool for lawyers and not something to fear, Lance and Dazza provide listeners with suggestions for the most effective uses of legal prompt engineering and generative AI as a whole. From summarizing discovery material to identifying ambiguities in a legal document, generative AI can be a huge asset to the legal field. However, they caution that the results are only as good as the prompts.

Tune in as Natalie, Lance, and Dazza discuss key steps in creating a framework for the responsible use of generative AI in the practice of law, crucial techniques for how to boost your prompt engineering skills as a lawyer, high value use cases for generative AI in the practice of law, and why lawyers are in a great starting position to use generative AI.

Key Highlights1. An effective framework for harnessing the power of generative AI responsibly in the practice of law involves formulating well-constructed prompts, reviewing and critiquing the outputs, iteration, and human oversight. 2. AI is coming into law practices, whether lawyers or law firms want it or not. 3. Prompt engineering is the idea that there are effective ways to craft prompts to carry on conversations with generative AI that are beneficial to the person who is interacting with the generative AI. 4. Summarization is an example of a high value use of generative AI on legal tasks. 5. There are various prompt engineering techniques that lawyers can use to effectively interact with generative AI.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guests 💡Name: Dr. Lance Eliot

Organization: Stanford University Center for Legal Informatics

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Dazza Greenwood

Organization: Civics.com | law.mit.edu

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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The FutureWork podcast episode 5 features Charlene Li, an expert in transformative technologies that disrupt the business landscape. Charlene is a keynote speaker, Fortune 100 advisor and author. Her upcoming book "Mega Transformations" is set to release in early 2024.

Charlene Li's expertise in generative AI provides valuable insights into the future of work and the potential of AI to drive innovation and transform industries. Companies can benefit from embracing generative AI and leveraging its power to analyze data, enhance collaboration, and create new customer experiences. Natalie Pierce and Charlene discuss what companies can do to start their generative AI journey and how to develop a strategy in the first 90 days.

Key Highlights1. Companies should take action and not be afraid to be early adopters of generative AI. 2. Establishing policies, guidelines, and codes of conduct for the use of generative AI is important for responsible and ethical use. 3. Data governance and permissions are crucial for protecting employee and customer data when using generative AI. 4. Companies should tap into internal data and expertise to enhance collaboration and create new customer experiences using generative AI. 5. Responsible and ethical use of generative AI is essential, and companies should prioritize protecting employee and customer data.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Charlene Li

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Who said the legal industry is slow to adopt novel technology? Generative AI has made it possible to shift even the most reluctant of industries to create a new paradigm for reading, writing and reasoning. And beyond that, the era of generative AI is helping develop a new mindset about how these tools can augment human intelligence and strategic planning.

In this episode, Natalie dives into the world of AI-powered business contracts and how the legal industry may be leading the way, with special guest, Cai GoGwilt. Cai, the co-founder and chief architect of Ironclad, discusses the transformative impact of generative AI tools and Ironclad’s commitment to responsible AI deployment.

Tune in to learn how Ironclad has revolutionized the way contracts are created, reviewed, and managed, and discover the incredible potential of AI technology in the legal industry. From securing a monumental funding round to sharing their generative AI policy, Ironclad is at the forefront of AI adoption and responsible usage.

Don't miss out on this captivating episode where Natalie and Cai uncover the future of work and the power of AI in the world of contracts.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Cai GoGwilt

What he does: Cai GoGwilt is the co-founder and Chief Architect of Ironclad, the leading digital contracting platform. Cai leads research, strategy, and development for Ironclad AI, and has always been passionate about building products that make people more effective at their jobs. He is an MIT graduate in Computer Science and Physics, as well as a former software engineer at Palantir Technologies. By day, he’s a celebrated software engineer and thoughtful leader; by night, he’s a concert cellist and karaoke enthusiast.

Organization: Ironclad

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Who said the legal industry is slow to adopt novel technology? Generative AI has made it possible to shift even the most reluctant of industries to create a new paradigm for reading, writing and reasoning. And beyond that, the era of generative AI is helping develop a new mindset about how these tools can augment human intelligence and strategic planning.

In this episode, Natalie dives into the world of AI-powered business contracts and how the legal industry may be leading the way, with special guest, Cai GoGwilt. Cai, the co-founder and chief architect of Ironclad, discusses the transformative impact of generative AI tools and Ironclad’s commitment to responsible AI deployment.

Tune in to learn how Ironclad has revolutionized the way contracts are created, reviewed, and managed, and discover the incredible potential of AI technology in the legal industry. From securing a monumental funding round to sharing their generative AI policy, Ironclad is at the forefront of AI adoption and responsible usage.

Don't miss out on this captivating episode where Natalie and Cai uncover the future of work and the power of AI in the world of contracts.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Cai GoGwilt

What he does: Cai GoGwilt is the co-founder and Chief Architect of Ironclad, the leading digital contracting platform. Cai leads research, strategy, and development for Ironclad AI, and has always been passionate about building products that make people more effective at their jobs. He is an MIT graduate in Computer Science and Physics, as well as a former software engineer at Palantir Technologies. By day, he’s a celebrated software engineer and thoughtful leader; by night, he’s a concert cellist and karaoke enthusiast.

Organization: Ironclad

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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“Right now, we have this great opportunity to create a balanced and reasonable law that works for industry that also protects individuals.”

In this episode, Natalie welcomes Anna Westfelt, the Head of Gunderson Dettmer’s Data Privacy Practice, to discuss the growth of AI technology, the possible negative and positive effects, and how individuals can prepare themselves for this changing landscape.

Gunderson boasts an emerging company and venture capital (EC/VC) boutique focused on, as Natalie puts it, “building the firm of the future.” For example, generative AI can potentially turn data into a gold mine. As the world continues to receive more regulatory updates in the privacy space with AI, Anna’s team is working diligently to provide counsel and education to clients who are eager to leverage these powerful tools with privacy and security at the core of their development.

Tune in to learn more about generative AI regulations and what the Gunderson Dettmer team expects on the horizon.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Anna Westfelt

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Contact☑️ Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Gunderson Dettmer Website

☑️ Subscribe to the FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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When it comes to integrating AI technology in the workplace, uncertainty and fear can blind business from innovation and advancement. In this episode, host Natalie Pierce, dives back into the discussion of generative AI. The episode kicks off with a discussion of the recent Generative AI webinar series presented by guests and colleagues Katie Gardner and Aaron Rubin, two partners in Gunderson Dettmer’s Strategic Transactions & Licensing Practice.

Katie and Aaron report the wild success of their informational webinar series about AI technology, but both guests also caution against the uncertainties of this rapidly developing field. With Gunderson’s focus on the venture-backed ecosystem, key concerns that clients are raising include the risks of using AI for code development and concerns over how employees are sharing company data while using generative AI technology.

Tune in to hear about applying generative AI to the workplace as well as an insightful discussion on why the fear and uncertainty about AI may be eased through the implementation of learning tools.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Katie Gardner

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Aaron Rubin

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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We're back for Season 5 and we're diving into the fascinating world of generative AI! This season, we'll explore the technology underpinnings, the exciting advancements made so far, the ethical and legal considerations it brings to the forefront, and the possibilities it opens up for the future.

Tune into this first episode as host Natalie Pierce speaks with two colleagues from Gunderson's practice innovation group, Chief Innovation Officer Joe Green and Legal Engineering & Data Strategy Manager John Scrudato.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Joe Green

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: John Scrudato

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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The ESG standards have seen much attention from the SEC in the last several years. Now, the debate of including an “H” stands in line to extend the framework and consider the well-being of individuals with a more concentrated pillar.

In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Dr. Bonny Forrest, a Principal at FirmLeader. Bonny is a renowned psychologist and former big law litigator and in-house counsel who now serves as a Board Consultant and Advisor. Bonny advises company boards on how to evaluate and implement ESG practices and provides coaching to board members on creating value with ESG for their companies.

Natalie and Bonny discuss the importance of incorporating mental health programming as part of companies’ ESG framework. While some have been slower to buy in, companies that are currently investing in mental health are largely focusing on employee burnout and depression, and allowing flexibility in order to keep everyone engaged and thriving.

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode

★ Benefits of Prioritizing Mental Health: When organizations prioritize mental health, it benefits both employer and employee alike–it helps employers retain talent and leads to more progress and bigger profits.

★ Successful ESG Initiatives: In order to successfully incorporate mental health into the company culture, organizations must have someone who both manages its initiatives and champions them. While many companies have yet to fully dive into the mental health space, companies that are currently addressing mental health focus on burnout, depression, and flexibility.

★ How Companies Can Prioritize Mental Health: The best ways to prioritize mental health within your organization are to listen to your employees, start small, identify leaders with healthy habits for success within your company, learn how to resolve conflicts, and embrace difficult conversations.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Bonny Forrest

Organization: Firm Leader

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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“The term ESG, it's a term that gets applied to a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we're really just talking about looking at the risks and opportunities of investing in a company. And we're making it good data.”

In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Lorraine Wilson, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Novata, to discuss the importance of ESG metrics and how Novata helps companies incorporate them.

Novata's goal is to empower private markets to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism. They make it easy for organizations to incorporate ESG metrics so that value is measurable.

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode

★ Novata’s ESG Initiatives: Novata's mission is to make it straightforward for companies to incorporate ESG metrics so that value is measurable. This empowers private markets to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism.

★ Leveraging ESG Practices to Attract Investors: Novata helps companies report their ESG metrics, offering features like data quality guardrails and benchmarking and analytics to contextualize the data.

★ The Future of ESG Reporting and Tracking at Novata: Novata will continue to incorporate more regulatory frameworks as they develop. They’ll also focus on content creation to support growing demand.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Lorraine Wilson

Organization: Novata

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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In this episode, Sarah Milby, the founder and CEO of Valor Performance, joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss the importance of coaching and upskilling in the modern workforce. Valor Performance combines human coaching with technology to provide a personalized coaching experience for leaders while offering data-driven insights to organizations to help make decisions around leading their workforce.

We also hear of examples of how Valor's coaching programs have helped brands increase sales, retain top talent, and enhance work engagement, showing the positive impact of investing in human performance.

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode

★ The Power of Personalized Coaching: Sarah emphasizes the power of combining human coaching with technology to provide tailored coaching experiences for leaders. This can lead to better decision-making, improved retention, and higher engagement in the workplace.

★ Coaching Fosters Behavior Change and Connection: By focusing on areas such as communication and confidence, coaching can promote behavior change and help remote workforces use digital platforms to grow connections and contribute to company culture.

★ Prioritizing Human Performance Sustainability: Sarah envisions a world where brands value the sustainability of human performance alongside financial growth, with coaching as a vital tool to achieve this goal. This focus on human capital can lead to increased sales, retention of top talent, and improved work engagement.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Sarah Milby

Organization: Valor Performance

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with attorneys Alexa Belonick and Andy Thorpe from Gunderson Dettmer's Public Companies and Capital Markets practice. The three discuss the increasing focus on ESG factors in the venture capital landscape and by public companies.

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode

★ The Rising Importance of ESG Initiatives: ESG initiatives have gained significance in recent years. There’s an increased focus from regulators, institutional investors, and the public on the ESG goals and policies of companies. This shift has been driven by high-profile events, the rise of mission-aligned consumers and employees, and the growth of ESG investing portfolios.

★ Adopting ESG Frameworks and Investor Considerations: Businesses can adopt and disclose against existing ESG frameworks, like TCFD, SASB, and GRI. These frameworks can help companies better align with stakeholder expectations and report on ESG performance. Investors are also increasingly considering ESG factors in their decision-making processes through methods including impact investing, negative screening, and setting minimum ESG standards.

★ Challenges and Controversies in ESG Implementation: There are various challenges and controversies surrounding the focus by companies on ESG initiatives. Some stakeholders express skepticism about the link between ESG initiatives and the capital markets, questioning whether ESG initiatives materially improve business performance or address material risks. There are also concerns about "greenwashing," where brands may exaggerate or misrepresent their commitment to ESG principles. Plus, the pace of regulatory changes, such as the SEC's adoption of climate change rules, adds another layer of complexity to ESG implementation. But despite these challenges, businesses and investors must navigate the evolving ESG landscape to remain competitive and meet the demands of an increasingly socially and environmentally conscious market.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guests 💡Name: Alexa Belonick

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Andy Thorpe

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce interviews Alberto Yépez, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Forgepoint Capital, a leading cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm, about incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives into all they do, including the firm’s investing principles.

Our first episode of the year highlights the growing importance of ESG considerations in the venture capital industry and the steps that firms like Forgepoint Capital are taking to integrate these principles and initiatives into their investment strategies and operations. Forgepoint also provides examples in its portfolio like CyberCube, which is taking actionable steps towards ESG goals.

To learn more, check out Forgepoint’s blog on ESG and get a copy of Forgepoint’s ESG Handbook.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie Pierce

What she does: Natalie is the Chair of Gunderson Dettmer’s labor and employment practice. Her practices focuses on the needs of start-ups, emerging growth companies, venture capital firms and private equity funds. She also counsels companies developing and/or incorporating robotics, telepresence, generative AI, and other enhancement technologies into the workplace.

Organization: Gunderson Dettmer

Connect: LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Alberto Yépez

What he does: Alberto is Co-Founder & Managing Director of Forgepoint Capital, the largest and most active sector-focused cybersecurity venture capital firm with over $1B AUM and forty portfolio companies. A serial entrepreneur, executive, and investor in cybersecurity, Alberto has a track record of building global businesses and leading them to successful exits. At Forgepoint, he led investments in Attivo Networks (acquired by SentinelOne) Area 1 (acquired by Cloudflare), BehavioSec (acquired by LexisNexis Risk Solutions/RELX) and currently serves on the boards of Constella Intelligence, Huntress, NowSecure, ReversingLabs, and Uptycs.

Organization: Forgepoint Capital

Connect: LinkedIn | Twitter

ContactConnect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Last year, VTEX went public on the New York Stock Exchange and became the first Latin American company in its niche to do so. On a mission to show other Latin American companies that it’s possible, they accomplished their goal — but not without adequate preparation.

Going public is not as easy as setting a date and expecting it to happen. The team at VTEX was preparing years in advance. For co-founder Alex Soncini and General Counsel Juliana Lopes, going public came with its share of challenges and changes in their respective fields.

In this season finale episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Alex and Juliana join host Natalie Pierce to talk about company growth, personal improvement and achieving your biggest goals. They discuss how their company, VTEX, went public on the New York Stock Exchange and how they prepared for the shift. They also share expert tips on seeking new opportunities, building a stable company, and growing in your personal and professional life.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡 Natalie Pierce | Gunderson Dettmer | LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guests 💡 Name: Alex Soncini

What he does: Alex Soncini brings over 20 years of experience in the digital commerce industry and a passion and appreciation for the accelerated transformation of brands and retailers. With a Computer Engineering, Master's Degree in Project Management, and part of the alumni network of Harvard Business School graduated in the GMP, Alex has participated in hundreds of digital commerce projects spearheading the digital transformation of Fortune 500 companies across diverse industries.

A co-founder of VTEX, the enterprise digital commerce platform, he has successfully propelled the company’s expansion and dominance in Latin America, currently serving over 3,200 online stores in more than 38 countries.

Alex has also coordinated the E-commerce Platform Committee of the Brazilian Chamber of Electronic E-commerce for two years and is an international speaker and subject matter expert for main emerging markets digital commerce events. He also gave digital commerce classes at the most prestigious universities and higher learning institutions in Latin America.

Organization: VTEX

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Juliana Tavares Lopes

What she does: Juliana is the Head of Legal and Data Privacy at VTEX, and for the past few years, she has assisted VTEX in the IPO, fundraisings, and multiple M&As. Ms. Lopes has held various legal positions in Maritime Business dealing with corporate affairs.

She holds a law degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a Master of Laws Degree (LLM) in Business Law from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV). She is a member of "CAJE", the Commission on the Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship and Startups of the Brazil Bar Association (OAB/RJ).

Organization: VTEX

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️ Top takeaways from this episode

★ Going public requires preparation. One year ago, VTEX went public. However, it didn’t happen overnight; the company was preparing years in advance to make sure everything went smoothly.

★ Don’t lose focus on the growth of your company. When you’re trying to sell your company to investors, it can be easy to focus all your efforts on that one area.

★ Welcome failure with open arms. Failure isn’t something you should be afraid of. Whether you’re a leader or not, failure can be a good thing.

Contact Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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In just two short years, Treinta and its co-founders raised over $60M in funding and is bringing its already 5 million small business customers to the digital age.

On this episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Lluís Canadell, founder and CEO of Treinta, joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss the opportunity to build impact with small businesses in Latin America by creating a digital platform for a more connected global market.

Lluis brings his insights on finding a great co-founder, someone he trusted and with skills that complement his own, getting into Y Combinator, and overcoming one of the most difficult challenges in closing a big Series A round.

Lluís’s passion for helping small Latin American businesses drove him to take the leap. He felt there was a gap in fintech where he could make his mark while simultaneously helping people and businesses.

“We have focused on [customer service] since day one,” said Lluís. “For example, one of the metrics that we have for customer experience teams is that we need to have an answer to a WhatsApp message from our users in less than a minute, which is challenging sometimes because the inflow can be more than expected. That is something that we want to maintain, always.”

From the beta phase and fundraising to maintaining an edge in an extremely competitive market, Lluís and Natalie discuss best practices and how Treinta has managed to be so successful.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡 Natalie Pierce | Gunderson Dettmer | LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡 Name: Lluís Cañadell

What he does: Lluís is the co-founder of Treinta, where he fulfills his passion for helping small Latin American businesses become more efficient.

Organization: Treinta

Connect: LinkedIn

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️ Top takeaways from this episode

★ Start off strong. When trying to get a startup off the ground, Lluís says the beta phase is incredibly important. Having benchmark competitors to look to for valuation and qualified numbers can really help founders understand where they stand and what they need to do.

★ Maintain your focus. There are many twists and turns when starting a business, but keeping a tight focus on the company’s core values and mission is pivotal for any young company.

★ Hire the right people. Maintaining a positive company culture is also a crucial ingredient to a business’s success. Lluís discusses the importance of hiring people that you feel embody the culture and values you want to promote.

Contact Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Growing a company is a marathon, not a sprint. Every task from leading a company and developing your team to scaling your culture and building partnerships take time. And for one CEO, Kadu Monguilhott, the marathon led to one great acquisition.

Working with Neoway for nearly 10 years, Kadu saw the ups and downs of building a business. Working his way up from the sales team to executive roles, Kadu became close with the customers and employees, and he understood the vision of the company.

Now, as the CEO, Kadu is taking Neoway to even greater heights. In late 2021, the company was acquired by the Brazilian stock exchange for 1.8 billion Brazilian reais. But it didn’t happen overnight.

Great things — like the Brazilian stock exchange acquisition — take time. For leaders, this means dedicating time to really understand the company’s needs and shape yourself around the company. And don’t just focus on the short-term goals. Plan a strategy for how you’re going to scale, adapt, and continue evolving.

When it comes to partnerships, the same rule applies. Great partnerships (and mergers) don’t happen instantly. You need to keep your connections open, decide on the right path, and develop a collaborative strategy that aligns with each partner’s goals. When you invest time into your plan, you’ll see significant growth and reach incredible achievements.

In this episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Kadu joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss how his company, Neoway, was acquired by the Brazilian stock exchange. Kadu also details his leadership journey, the secrets to a great partnership and growth-centered organization, and how Neoway is working to improve economic growth in Brazil.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡 Natalie Pierce | Gunderson Dettmer | LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡 Name: Kadu Monguilhott

What he does: Kadu is the CEO of Neoway, a Brazil-based company that develops big data analytics and AI solutions that generate precision for decision-making and productivity. Their efforts are focused on areas including marketing, compliance, fraud prevention, legal analysis, and credit management. Kadu studied economics at the University of California, Davis before joining Neoway’s sales team in 2013.

Organization: Neoway

Connect: LinkedIn

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️ Top takeaways from this episode

★ CEOs can succeed by being their authentic selves. There is not one right way to be a CEO, however, there are some traits that can help CEOs succeed on whichever path they take. A CEO needs to have a good read on the company’s current issues and challenges, and they also need to be authentic. Don’t try and imitate others — trust your leadership style and own the fact that you understand your company’s needs.

★ A great partnership requires three key ingredients. Expectations, communication, and transparency lead to great partnerships. It’s crucial that you set expectations early in the process, communicate frequently with your team and partners, and be open in your long-term strategy. This way, your partnership will be a collaboration rather than two disconnected paths.

★ Things take time. Growing a company, developing your relationships, and working through challenges take time. But you have to be resilient and willing to put in the effort to push through difficulties and take your business to the next level. Just remember that it doesn’t happen overnight.

Contact Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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With fearless energy, a little luck, and great connections, Matias Muchnick was able to pitch to top-tier investors and take his business to new heights. However, Matias says that there’s more to building a sustainable business than your investors and revenue.

Getting in front of high-level investors and achieving unicorn status are great accomplishments, but they shouldn’t be your end goal. Your business should always be looking for ways to change the world.

That’s exactly what Matias is doing with his company, NotCo. Although he’s achieved unicorn status and has been backed by top investors like the Bezos Expedition, Matias cares more about how his products are disrupting the industry and bringing positive change.

NotCo combines AI technology and human knowledge to develop and scale plant-based foods. Instead of asking why plant-based, they’re asking why not? While catering to consumers’ needs, NotCo is reinventing the food industry by avoiding animal products and protecting the planet without compromising flavor.

And it doesn’t stop there. Matias and his team are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand their reach. They’re continuing to train their algorithm and ensure that it meets consumers’ changing needs. Their brand has launched in seven countries, with its most recent launch in the North American market. Through the challenges, they’ve kept two key things in mind to succeed: the consumer and their vision.

In this episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Matias joins host Natalie Pierce to talk about how he took his company, NotCo, from startup to successful venture. He discusses the mindset that every founder should have, how he scaled NotCo and continues to disrupt the industry, and the must-read book for founders in any industry.

💡 Meet Your Host 💡 Natalie Pierce | Gunderson Dettmer | LinkedIn

💡 Featured Guest 💡 Name: Matias Muchnick

What he does: Matias is the Founder and CEO of NotCo, a food tech company that combines AI and human knowledge to quickly and accurately develop and scale plant-based foods that appeal to the mass market. Previously, Matias founded Eggless Company, which developed plant-based foods, and Chooz, an app created to incentivize healthy living. Matias received his bachelor’s degree from the Universidad de Chile and went on to further his education at the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and Harvard Business School.

Organization: NotCo

Connect: LinkedIn

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️ Top takeaways from this episode

★ Unicorn status is more than just a title. You shouldn’t be striving to reach unicorn status because it will make your brand look good. You should be striving to disrupt your industry and make a difference in the world. And if you reach unicorn status along the way, that’s just an added bonus. More founders should be focusing on using their brand to positively change the world.

★ Focus on the consumer. When launching your brand in different markets, it’s important to not only focus on what consumers love about certain products but also focus on what they don’t love. Once you know what they don’t like, you can continue developing your product to fit their needs.

★ Every founder needs to read The Hard Thing About Hard Things. This book, written by businessman Ben Horowitz, shows you the truth about founder life. It talks about the difficult side of building a startup, both from a personal and professional standpoint. Anyone who’s thinking of starting a business should read this book, analyze themselves, and ensure that they’re ready to traverse this path.

Contact Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Subscribe to FutureWork Playbook in your preferred podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Inspired and supported by various people throughout his life, Eduardo della Maggiora made it his mission to help people do better, live better, and be better. Now, his company, Betterfly, has taken off to massive heights, becoming Latin America’s first billion-dollar social impact unicorn.

Eduardo was just 15 when his father suffered a heart attack that left him nearly immobile and in very poor health. His father died three years later when Eduardo was 18 years old. Like many Latin American families, Eduardo endured the struggles of losing a loved one without life insurance coverage. This was the first seed planted towards Betterfly.

Decades later, after working in finance for a long time, Eduardo volunteered in Africa. While there, he faced the reality of childhood malnutrition — a preventable disease that takes the lives of millions of children.

Around the same time, Eduardo began training for Ironman triathlons. He began losing pounds of weight, and an idea crossed his mind. He thought, “What if I could convert the pounds I lost exercising into pounds of food for these kids I worked with in Africa? What if we could convert the calories of exercise into calories of food? And what if we could use technology to combine the power of giving back with helping people to live their best lives?" Thus, Betterfly was born.

For just four dollars per month — comparable to a Netflix or Spotify subscription — employees and individuals can live healthier lives while giving back to those in need. Betterfly’s full-stack platform helps people generate healthy habits, gain life insurance coverage, and make an impact on their communities and our planet.

In this episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Eduardo joins host Natalie Pierce to talk about his journey to founding Betterfly. Eduardo shares stories about the inspiration behind the platform, how real people’s lives have changed through Betterfly, and how it’s generating positive impacts across the globe.

💡 Featured Guest 💡 Name: Eduardo della Maggiora

What he does: Eduardo is the CEO and Founder of Betterfly. This benefits program enables employees to build healthy habits and companies to get credit for social impact. Prior to Betterfly, Eduardo founded Tyndall Group and PIC Parks, was the CEO of the Pan-American Games, and was Vice President of M&A at J.P. Morgan for 10 years. Among many achievements, Eduardo has been recognized as one of Chile’s 100 Young Leaders, was the EY Chile Entrepreneur Of The Year™ in 2022, and is a 2x World Champion runner-up in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in his category in 2016 and 2017.

Organization: Betterfly

Connect: LinkedIn

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️ Top takeaways from this episode

★ Social impact models can reach unicorn status. Backed by a mission to help people lead better, healthier lives, Betterfly is proving that you can be a unicorn with a positive global impact. People have a desire to help others, and if your business model helps them do so, you’re on track for success.

★ Combine passion and purpose. Passion and purpose are the ingredients to a successful life. Especially for entrepreneurs who face many setbacks and failures, passion and purpose are what keep you going during tough times. A career built on these two concepts will help you lead a fulfilling, inspired life.

★ Believe in the power of small steps. To achieve ambitious goals, you have to believe in the power of small steps. Breaking ambitions down into small steps helps propel you towards bigger things, and the lofty goals seem easier to achieve.

Contact LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Today on the show we talk with CEO of Lyndra Therapeutics, Dr. Patricia Hurter, and President and COO Jessica Ballinger. Lyndra Therapeutics is reinventing the way we take medicine with game-changing technology that helps patients take oral medications less frequently, using a long-acting delivery system.

In this episode, they discuss how Lyndra Therapeutics has created a diverse and mission-focused team to overcome the challenges surrounding the need to take life-improving medicine on a daily basis.

What we discussed:

Trish details how Lyndra Therapeutics is developing oral long-acting therapies that allow you to take your medicine much less often, sometime once a week or even once a month
Discussion of the prominent female leadership throughout the company and how Lyndra created such a diverse collection of talent
Jessica describes Lyndra’s three core values and the impact those have throughout the company
How Lyndra is able to consistently ensure they are “walking the walk” when it comes to its commitment to diversity of ideas, interests, and backgrounds
Why Lyndra is focusing its efforts on developing a long-acting medicine and how it will be a game-changer
How the dosage form works and the significant impact the freedom from injectables and daily pills has on patients and providers
Lyndra’s important work to combat the opioid crisis and allow patients to travel only once per week, instead of daily, to receive their medication
The challenges around developing this kind of oral medication and how Lyndra has become successful in overcoming them
How Lyndra is focusing its efforts in 2022 and beyond

Helpful links:

Lyndra Therapeutics Website

Dr. Patricia Hurter LinkedIn

Jessica Ballinger LinkedIn

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Today on the show we feature Scott Chetham, Ph.D. and CEO of Faro Health, a company that is leading the charge when it comes to integrated clinical development that simplifies the design and authoring of complex clinical studies.

In this episode, Natalie and Scott discuss the importance of collecting data with a patient-centric approach and how Faro Health strives to simplify the process for project teams and design clinical studies that could account for a diverse population.

What we discussed:

Scott explains the clinical integrated environment and why he and his team at Faro Health created this kind of software to help streamline the clinical trials process
The importance of collecting data in a patient-centric way, the positive impact that has, and how Faro Health is eliminating archaic ways of data collection and management
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and changed the landscape of health sciences
How to meet the existing challenge of being more intentionally inclusive in the design of clinic trials, including practical tips for doing so
The process for gathering feedback from patients to ensure their voice is represented early and continuously throughout the trial
Faro Health’s vision to make the clinical trials process broader and more diverse so it is a more accurate representation of data
Faro Health’s focus for 2022 and beyond, including continuing to improve the patient journey and increased integrations with partnerships
Scott’s predictions for the future state of the industry

Helpful Links:

Faro Health Website

Scott Chetham LinkedIn

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Replicate Bioscience are designing and delivering RNA-based treatments that revolutionize the practice of medicine In this episode, Natalie talks with immunologist Nathaniel Wang, CEO of Replicate Biosciences.

You may have heard a lot about RNA vaccines over the past year so Natalie take this opportunity to ask Nathaniel to explain the science behind the technology and how it has become a breakthrough in providing critical care to many.

What we discussed:

The history of Replicate Bioscience, how they were founded, and the work they were doing on RNA research prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
Nathaniel explains what RNA is and why it’s so important, especially as it relates to COVID-19
RNA isn’t a new technology, but the challenge was scaling it
How the development and implementation of this technology has impacted accessibility to medical care
How drugs are currently made and why RNA is such a gamechanger
The existing concerns around synthetic technology and why some people may get sick after getting the COVID-19 vaccine
Nathaniel talks about the clinical trial process, regulatory hurdles, and the importance of having varying experts across many fields on their team
An overview of some of the new products that Replicate Bioscience is excited about
How Nathaniel got series A funding from ATP and why they’re excited to partner with Replicate Bioscience
The future of Replicate Bioscience

Helpful Links:

Replicate Science Website

Nathanial Wang LinkedIn

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Biomilq is empowering parents with a new option for supplemental feeding—one that’s as close to breastmilk as possible and cultivated under safe conditions using their first-of-its-kind technology. Frame Fertility is a digital fertility advisor that enables the early detection of underlying fertility conditions.

In this episode, Natalie talks with the two founders of these companies, Michelle Egger from Biomilq and Jessica Bell van der Wal from Frame Fertility. Michelle and Jessica discuss the motivation behind forming their companies and the challenges faced as they bring their companies to market.

What we discussed:

Michelle and Jessica identify the biggest challenges for women as it relates to fertility and breastfeeding and how their companies are tackling these challenges.
Jessica shares her journey to motherhood and how difficult it was for her to conceive.
Michelle talks about what Biomilq is doing and why it took so long for existing technology to be used to solve the problem.
Michelle shares how, when raising capital for Biomilq, they were able to be selective with who they partnered with, what criteria they used, and why they chose to do so.
Michelle describes her experience raising a finance round on a woman’s health issue, and the challenges that she’s encountered along the way.
Jessica shares some of the challenges she faced bringing Frame Fertility to market and why early fertility analysis is so important.
Michelle discusses the science behind cultured breast milk and how it could be a game changer for mothers all around the world.
Michelle shares her rationale behind being open and honest with her investors and why it’s so important to building strong relationships.
Jessica and Michelle talk about some of the challenges around scaling their companies.
What the future looks like for both Biomilq & Frame Fertility.
Jessica and Michelle share some tips around starting out as a founder.

Helpful Links:

Biomilq Website: www.biomilq.com

Frame Fertility Website: www.framefertility.com

Michelle Egger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleegger/

Jessica Bell van der Wal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbellvanderwal/

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Verily Life Sciences is at the convergence of healthcare, tech, and science, combining disciplines to modernize healthcare for patients, providers, and payers. They use leading technology, including AI and data science, to personalize care and improve chronic condition management.

In this episode Natalie talks with the President and head of health platforms for Verily Life Sciences, Dr. Vivian Lee, and her colleague, Global Employment Counsel for Verily, Christine Kurek, about their projects. These include helping employers and employees return to work after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the future of AI in healthcare and human capital.

What we Discussed:

Dr. Lee talks about Project Baseline, which provides testing for COVID-19 research
Dr. Lee’s thoughts on the White House vaccine mandate
Christine talks about how to keep businesses safe as they return to work post COVID-19, and Healthy@Work
New technology around remote telemedical care for people with diabetes and high blood pressure
Verily’s acquisition of SignalPath, and what that means for the future of portfolio transactions
The future of healthcare, and how life sciences will play a role, such as the need for a Spanish language platform
How smartphones could be used to help identify depression
Business lessons they have learned along the way
Dr. Lee discusses her latest book, “The Long Fix"

Helpful Links:

Verily Life Sciences Website: www.verily.com

Dr. Vivian Lee's Website: www.vivianleemd.com

Dr. Vivian Lee on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vivianleemd

Dr. Vivian Lee on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-s-lee

The Long Fix by Dr. Vivian Lee: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Fix-Americas-Strategies-Everyone-ebook/dp/B07ZTSBH7V

Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gunderson-dettmer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GundersonLaw

Gunderson Dettmer Website: www.gunder.com

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

The Long Fix: Solving America's Health Care Crisis with Strategies that Work for Everyone

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The pain of repetitive operational tasks can be optional! As robotic technology continues to evolve from industrial factory arms to robots with human-like capabilities, more and more companies are embracing this technology in the workplace to streamline logistics, increase automation, and ease the strain of repetition.

On this episode, we’re taking a closer look at how robots can be used to support and power human capabilities with Dr. Samir Menon, Founder and CEO of Dexterity, a company engineering intelligent robots with human-like dexterous manipulation skills.

Dexterity is a developer of robotic systems designed to serve the logistics and supply chain companies. The company's robotic system helps customers to unlock the maximum value of their workforce by automating repetitive pick-pack tasks, and deliver full-stack, end-to-end systems for kitting, picking, packing, counting, sorting, palletizing, and order fulfillment, and also excel at handling packaged foods, consumer packaged goods, industrial and automotive parts, parcels, and boxes, enabling clients to unleash human potential by delegating repetition to robots

What We Discussed in This Episode:

How packaged bread helped Dexterity and Samir gain early experience
How humans and robots vary in the way they approach tasks and challenges
How the pandemic enabled Dexterity to accelerate its growth, especially given the importance of the assistance of robots in industries with supply chain challenges
Dexterity’s company values that set it apart from the competition
Why Samir chose to operate his startup in stealth mode for two years and the benefits of his decision
What changes Samir hopes to see in the robotics space going forward
One key to establishing and growing a successful startup
Samir’s best advice for startup founders

Contact Information:

Dexterity website

Samir’s LinkedIn profile

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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According to a recent study, Hour by Hour: Attracting and Retaining Hourly Employees and Their Managers, 59% of employees cited scheduling issues as reasons they would quit a job, while 39% would leave their current jobs for poor communication with their employers.

On this episode, we’re talking about how to use AI and machine learning to be more efficient in scheduling employees, control costs, and make employees happier!

Many employers are finding it challenging to find workers during the pandemic. As the traditional employer-employee model goes through what many believe to be a long overdue transformation, employers are left wondering what they need to do to attract and retain hourly employees. On this episode, we’re taking a look at a company that provides a platform with gig-like flexibility to help employers attract and retain employees by optimizing labor efficiency while simultaneously offering an enhanced employee experience.

Joining the podcast is Sanish Mondkar – Founder and CEO of Legion Technologies, an AI-powered workforce management company redefining how enterprise companies optimize their labor costs and empower frontline workers and their managers.

Sanish has more than 20 years of strategic experience in products, technology, and cloud ops. He was Chief Product Officer at SAP and Ariba. In his role at SAP, he was responsible for all Procurement and Business Network products and technology, which represented over $1B of annual revenue. Sanish holds a Bachelors of Computer Engineering from Pune University and a Masters of Computer Science from Cornell University.

What We Discussed in this Episode:

How Legion was able to have explosive growth during the middle of a global pandemic.
How Sanish transitioned from his role as an Executive at SAP to launching his own successful tech company.
How hopeful entrepreneurs can identify challenges and opportunities in any given market.
How Legion was able to handle scalability and changes in demands brought about by the pandemic.
How the job market and flexibility for employees has changed over the past couple of years and the impact this has had on businesses.
The types of scheduling and operational issues that exist in labor intensive businesses and how they can be overcome with technology.
How automation and algorithms can integrate into business operations to provide a more efficient and improved employee experience.
Three things employers can do to empower their employees and maintain high retention rates.
Foundational lessons Sanish learned while growing Legion over the past 5 years.
Why empathy is a characteristic every entrepreneur should cultivate.
Internal challenges that leaders may expect to face, no matter the size of the company and how to overcome them.
How to decrease stress for your hourly workers by having proper communication tools.
Additional attractive benefits that employers can offer their hourly employees to increase retention.

Contact Information:

Legion’s website

Sanish’s LinkedIn profile

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player.

If you enjoyed this episode, please help us get the word out about this podcast. Share this podcast on your favorite podcast player, including on:

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Google Podcasts

or Spotify

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Twitter

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Companies are becoming increasingly aware of the need to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Research shows that companies who prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion have better retention, more satisfied employees, more innovation, and better financial returns. This episode is an excellent opportunity for company leaders to learn how organizations can optimize their DE&I efforts upon return to the workplace.

Joining the podcast is Mandy Price, Co-Founder and CEO of Kanarys. Mandy Price has beat the odds to become one of the less than 1 percent of Black women founders receiving VC funds. She is extremely passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, which led to the creation of Kanarys – a technology platform that is transforming diversity, equity, and inclusion work by providing the tools organizations need to create long-term systemic change around DEI challenges.

What We Discussed in This Episode:

What inspired Mandy to co-found Kanarys?
How can we be more intentional with our DEI efforts?
How did Mandy’s background of practicing law help her successfully co-found Kanarys?
Post pandemic, will businesses be more likely to invest in DE&I initiatives?
What impact did the pandemic have on DE&I initiatives?
The rise of the Chief Diversity Officer – the fastest growing C-suite title in 2020
In recent surveys, 83% of Zen G are saying companies’ DEI commitment is one of the most important aspects to choosing an employer. What type of DEI initiatives help to attract these job seekers?
Only 1% of funding goes to Black founders. What systemic changes can be made to improve ratio and funding gaps in the venture capital ecosystem? How did Mandy overcome this significant challenge?
What specific biases or inequities did Mandy discover while going through the VC process? How did Mandy address this?
What new initiative helped Mandy make her own company more inclusive?
How can company leaders embrace artificial intelligence and use technology advantageously?
How will DE&I initiatives continue to evolve in the future?

Contact Information:

Kanarys - https://www.kanarys.com/

Mandy’s LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandysprice/

Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player.

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This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matter, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.

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Is there a better way to create and execute contracts? Would answering one simple question – “Can I sign this?” - help businesses run faster and more efficiently, especially as many remain remote and distributed? In this episode, we’re exploring one company’s mission to revolutionize the legal world through innovative contract technology.

Joining the podcast is the CEO and Co-Founder of LawGeex, Noory Bechor. LawGeex is the first Artificial Intelligence company to receive a license to practice law. They use artificial intelligence to transform legal operations by helping businesses automate the review and approval of contracts.

What We Discussed in This Episode:

How LawGeex became the first AI company to receive a license to practice law
What does the process to obtain a license to practice law as a company entail?
Are people more open to adopting technology in a post-pandemic workplace?
Why making space for peace and quiet is fundamental for the development of company founders
Advice for overcoming personal challenges while growing a company
Why investing in and nurturing a relationship with valuable clients pays off in the long run even if you “lose money” in the short term
How to determine the best route for growth for your company
How to prepare for the long sales cycles often found in the legal industry

Contact Information:

Noory Bechor’s LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/noory-bechor/?originalSubdomain=il

LawGeex - https://www.lawgeex.com/