Ventures: Recent Episodes
Will Little
Hosted by Will Little (wclittle.com), Ventures is an audio/video podcast devoted to exploring entrepreneurial stories, market landscapes, and problem spaces to inspire the next generation of venture builders and investors.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Audrey Baedke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-baedke-93724290/) and I discuss Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST - https://iwantrest.com). We talk about the origins of the nonprofit, the impact they have had, the dynamics of the sex trade in general, how humans are enslaved, and how REST provides tangible pathways to freedom, safety, and hope. As a board member and donor myself, I would ask that you please consider joining us with a year-end gift.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-159 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:58 - Introduction to the episode. Will’s board involvement. What is REST?
3:00 - How Audrey got involved with REST
4:15 - Describing the problem of sex trafficking in the USA
7:43 - Responding to the common idea that selling sex is just among consenting adults and harmless
10:17 - Understanding market dynamics here - buyers, sellers, brokers
11:17 - Supply and demand dynamics, how “products” are treated
12:24 - Modern-day slavery
12:39 - How is REST addressing the problem?
14:25 - For those considering year-end donations - what amount of money would have a real impact?
16:16 - How many years does it take to help someone leave “the life” within REST’s services?
17:37 - REST’s quantitative impact - 4400+ individuals served, Work with more than 600 every year, 300 that enroll in services.
18:12 - An example story of a survivor
21:05 - Hearing the stories like this board meeting after board meeting
21:39 - REST’s expansion plans beyond the greater Seattle area
22:59 - If someone wants to give, where can they go to do this? https://iwantrest.com // Also how to contact Audrey directly.
See also a previous episode on this show about REST: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3
For more information about sex trafficking in America, see: https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking/
Be aware of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Languages: English, Spanish) – 888-373-7888
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through a number of updates with my for-profit and nonprofit venture work. I talk about Prota Ventures, our second fund, how we get operationally involved in our portfolio companies, and who we serve. As an example, I discuss my involvement with AI Layer, which is a new company providing AI inference computing services that leverages an upcoming Web3 protocol that will be decentralized and widely available next year. Finally, I talk about updates - and my volunteering involvement - with Impact Stream and Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-158 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:30 - quick overview of Will’s bio and current activities - check out https://www.protaventures.com
1:15 - More about how Prota Ventures services Founders, Investors, and Talent.
2:00 - Investing multiple forms of capital (not just financial capital)
2:40 - More about AI Layer - decentralized compute for AI inference
3:45 - West Africa work - Impact Stream updates http://impact.stream - local people solving local problems
4:35 - Beyond the standard development work, more about the well-drilling business
5:15 - More specifically about Impact Stream’s vision of connecting digital communities to IRL impact. Quadratic Voting mechanism. Local projects and funding pool on-chain.
6:36 - More about Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST) see more from Episode 2 → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Hans Mulders (https://obertal.com/leavenworth-wa-hotel-owner/) and I recorded a conversation while we were on-site at a demonstration farm in Togo, West Africa. We had just helped dozens of local Togolese people onboard into a progressive web application that we are building with Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), a new NGO helping to decentralize poverty alleviation via trust networks and blockchain technology. In our conversation we cover how Hans got involved in Impact Stream and how to smartly use technology and aid to sustainably help lift people out of poverty.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-157 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Intro to the episode
1:35 - On-site intro - application we are onboarding Togolese into with Impact Stream
1:57 - Who is Hans? Why is he here with Will and the Impact Stream team in Togo? Origin story how Hans and Will met.
3:20 - “Can I come”? (Hans asking to come to Togo with us). Productive and effective aid in Africa.
3:53 - What kinds of projects does Hans hope to see funded in Togo?
4:45 - The need for basic infrastructure
5:07 - How do we inject financial aid into projects in Togo that help the local economy? How do we ensure the projects are regenerative and sustainable?
6:24 - Impact Stream manages the flow of money. More info about blockchain technology that Impact Stream will be using.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the current progress of a new NGO called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream). I and fellow team members were able to travel to Togo, West Africa this month to help onboard dozens of local people into a progressive web app we are building to facilitate proposals, on-chain voting, and funding via cryptocurrency. Importantly, these proposals are submitted by local people to be built by local vendors/workers and prioritized by their own community (and not outside influencers). In this episode I share plenty of footage from our trip, so be sure to watch the video via the link below if you happen to be on your podcast player.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-156 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Episode setup, more information about Impact Stream, where to do audio and video, etc..
0:34 - Overview of Impact Stream - transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities.
1:12 - Promise of Web3 - Banking the unbanked, financial equity, etc..
1:33 - The Impact Stream team and partners
2:16 - Local people proposing public goods / infrastructure, with funding from around the world.
3:07 - Visiting both the rural area and Lomé (capital city of Togo)
3:55 - Walking through the offramp plan into the local CFA currency
5:09 - Overview of first proof of concept round this year
5:50 - Jump into our Discord server to get involved → https://discord.gg/we344V4QP7
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through how to buy crypto on a centralized exchange, move it to your own crypto wallet, and participate in an NFT mint. I use the upcoming Founders Collection mint for Alphi (https://mint.alphi.xyz/, June 29th, 2023) as a practical example. Most NFT communities require some kind of process to be added to their allowlist, so I walk through how to do this, step-by-step, with Alphi.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-155 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, background/scope, helping onboard you into Web3, buy ETH, and participate in Alphi’s mint.
0:43 - About the allowlist, and the 333 mint – Mint page → https://mint.alphi.xyz
1:27 - Disclaimers and disclosures
1:49 - Sign up for Twitter first if you don’t have one. Also go to Metamask’s site and get a crypto wallet.
2:50 - Alphi founder NFT
3:00 - How to obtain ETH and export it to your Metamask account
4:00 - How to participate in Alphi’s mint. https://alphi.xyz // https://mint.alphi.xyz
5:10 - What is Alphi?
6:03 - How to reach out to Will if you are having any trouble getting setup.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss early stage startup pitch decks and what VCs/angels really want to hear when founders ask for equity financing. I talk about how the culture around the traditional deck has not been as helpful as it could be to clarify why traction (and forecasts of traction) are - in my opinion - the most important aspect of the initial pitch process that warrants deeper diligence.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-154 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, screencast, motivation
0:45 - Background of the pre-seed vs. seed pitch deck article → https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/investor-pitch-deck-and-communication-strategies-pre-seed-and-seed
2:08 - What investors really want to hear (traction, forecasts, and that you are the right team to do it)
3:30 - A better way to train entrepreneurs
4:14 - What is traction, really? Example from Uber’s pre-seed pitch
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss the recent lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase brought by the SEC. There is no lack of FUD on crypto right now, and it seems like everyone is moving over to AI. Still, both AI and Blockchains are important tools to make a better Internet for us all, and this is the goal of Web3.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-153 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Episode tee-up, where to view/watch, FUD in Crypto
0:43 - More information about the lawsuits and commentary on the space. See also https://www.vox.com/23752826/binance-coinbase-sec-crypto-investors // https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/binance-coinbase-head-to-court-and-the-sec-labels-67-crypto-securities-hodlers-digest-june-4-10/ // https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-magazine/2023/06/13/the-industry-doesnt-want-the-answers-josh-klayman-on-coinbase-and-binance/
4:10 - Are people just switching from Crypto to AI? How do these tools benefit humanity?
6:05 - More about Impact Stream – creating transparent streams of impact between digital and IRL communities. Check it out → https://impact.stream
7:10 - Donate to impact stream at impactstream.eth
7:30 - Do I think crypto is dead? No. Just like relational databases aren’t dead. Regulatory clarity will be good.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk briefly through Marc Andreessen’s recent article “Why AI Will Save the World” (https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/) and discuss why I tend to agree the time to build aggressively with AI is now, at the very least in order to compete on the global landscape for the common good. I also talk about the upcoming GenAI summit I’m hosting in Seattle on June 9th, and why the immediate future with AI is ripe for “co-pilots” across multiple markets and disciplines.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-152 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Episode Tee-up - where to listen and watch.
0:45 - Walking through the outline of Marc’s article → https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/
2:46 - The future belongs to AI-powered co-pilots
3:10 - More information about June 9th GenAI summit Will is hosting in Seattle on June 9th → https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wclittle_generative-ai-startup-ideationincubation-activity-7060642934529929218-RZLb
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) introduce a new non-profit called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), which is all about creating transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. Our first project - in partnership with Gitcoin, Supermodular, Prota Ventures, International Literacy and Development, and Primordia - will create a software application to onboard 100 Togolese (West Africa) into Web3 and allow them to create, submit, and vote on proposals to fund public goods in their community with a global matching pool.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-151 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, audio/video options.
0:29 - Introduction to Impact Stream - creating transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. https://impact.stream
1:45 - Local solutions to local problems -- with strategic injection of help from the global community
2:18 - Starting in Q3 we will onboard 100 Togolese into Web3 and allow them to submit proposals, vote on them, and get them funded by the global community.
3:11 - Quadratic voting as our mechanism for prioritizing projects
3:40 - Future vision about creating fractions of validator rewards to stream into IRL impact
4:15 - Give (impactstream.eth) and join our community on Discord --> https://discord.gg/we344V4QP7
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) reflect on my initial experiences with Airchat (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/airchat-talk/id1469462351), a new social media app that leverages AI/audio/video to mimic “rooms” at a dinner party by stitching together moderated clips (which they call “chits”). I walk through my impressions, hopes, and reflections on 20+ years of social media…discussing where we may be heading in the overall conversational metaverse landscape.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-150 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, why AirChat (https://www.getairchat.com/) – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/airchat-talk/id1469462351
1:12 - Walking through the screenshots, background, comparing to other social media platforms as they come along.
3:19 - Getting rid of the group call - going async in Airchat “rooms”
3:54 - Naval’s original tweet helping to announce it: https://twitter.com/naval/status/1660405285943668736
4:20 - Naval’s page https://www.getairchat.com/naval
5:00 - Reflections after investing in (and building) technology companies - the latest WooWoo → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnJucRfS_ig
6:50 - Follow me at https://www.getairchat.com/will.impact
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) compare ChatGPT, Bard, HuggingChat, and BingChat regarding their recommendations for startup books and front-end code for a standard startup landing page. I compare the user experience of each LLM, the limitations of each for these use cases, and show how ChatGPT and Bard seem to be current leaders in these examples.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-149 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, talking about the 4 LLMs I’ll be comparing, and where to find the audio/video of this episode.
1:14 - Talking about startup books, starting with ChatGPT’s list:
"The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries
"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
"The Startup Owner's Manual" by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
"Founders at Work" by Jessica Livingston
"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz
"Venture Deals" by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
"Disciplined Entrepreneurship" by Bill Aule
"Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore
2:47 - Talking about Google Bard’s list:
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
The Startup Owner's Manual by Steve Blank
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
The Art of Startup Fundraising by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
3:25 - HuggingChat’s “list” - which was just The Lean Startup
4:12 - Bing Chat’s list:
Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin, The Startup Checklist by David S. Rose, and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries1. Other books recommended for startup founders include The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman, Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor, and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters1. According to Benzinga, the best startup books for beginners are “Zero to One,” “Creativity Inc.” and “The Lean Startup”1. “The Startup Owner’s Manual” by Steve Blank is also recommended as one of the best startup books2. Other books that are recommended for business startup include “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris, and “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin1.
6:06 - Diving into front-end code with the 4 LLMs, including asking it for the CSS for the recommended HTML code that Bard and ChatGPT put out (HuggingChat and Bing weren’t able to generate code for me).
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the 2.0 software startup framework within Startup Rocket (https://startuprocket.com) using Generative AI, specifically Bing Chat (which is currently free). I discuss how to ideate a startup, conduct surveys/interviews, create prototypes, and launch private and public MVPs with AI assistance.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-148 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode - walking through frameworks of https://startuprocket.com
1:31 - Walking through the Startup Rocket Framework 2.0 - a circular process that constantly refines the idea as you go from surveys/interviews to a public MVP.
3:28 - Walking through the details of each section of the framework
4:21 - Using your favorite LLM/GPT tool to ask questions along the way through frameworks. Ideate/validate/create/grow/fund.
6:04 - Asking the LLM how to test demand for your startup idea
6:40 - Drilling in more to the factors in the ideation section of the startup with a 24/7 tutor / mentor with GPT. – Bing GPT → https://www.bing.com/search?q=Bing+AI
In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/JesseBryan), Mike Anderson (https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson) and I discuss updates about their startup, Alphi (https://alphi.xyz). We talk about why digital asset ownership is important, how/why Alphi is helping to organize information in the metaverse, how/why to contribute, and how/why to participate in their Leadership Academy to level up your skills in the Web3 space.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-147 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:10 - Why is digital asset ownership important? (Jesse’s commentary on this)
5:08 - Mike’s commentary on digital asset ownership
6:35 - 10% of global GDP tied up in digital assets.
6:59 - Jesse’s dad’s story working at a car dealership - importance of “owning” the real estate.
8:42 - What is Jesse/Mike’s response to the crypto/NFT skeptics?
13:07 - More about Alph.xyz - (previous episode was https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-113) - Why does Alphi exist?
19:27 - How can someone contribute to Alphi if they know information (new or old) about a collection?
22:58 - What is the incentive mechanism for contributors?
26:30 - Impact, Human Flourishing, and Alphi’s new Leadership Academy. Follow along on Twitter (@alphixyz) to get access to the academy if you are interested.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss cases for and against the skill/productivity gap widening in light of Generative AI such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. On the “for” side, I discuss a YouTube video showing how to go from MidJourney to Figma to Code, and I show how this - and tools like GitHub CoPilot - enhances the work of already-skilled programmers. On the “against” side, I show a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that demonstrated GenAI most greatly enhancing the productivity of novice and low-skilled workers.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-146 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, where to find the audio and/or video for this screencast, talking about the skill gap and GenAI
0:39 - Case for the skill gap being widened: Examples from a YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A_Jpr9HkGA&ab_channel=CJGammon) and GitHub Copilot (https://github.com/features/copilot)
3:14 - Case for the skill gap narrowing: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31161/w31161.pdf // Study showing that the skill gap is narrowing. 14% increase in productivity for all workers, and even more for novice and low-skilled workers.
4:36 - Link to McKinsey’s article: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-generative-ai
4:48 - Access GPT-4 for free with Bing. Example using Bing Chat to ask about Satchel.Works
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss options for startup founders at the earliest stages of their journey using Builder.io, Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), ContenBot.ai, and Mixo.io. I discuss how rapidly advancements in this field are happening that are disrupting the “old-guard” of Wordpress and more recently Webflow. With Mixo, you can prompt an AI with a single sentence and within 30s it will generate a complete landing page for you, including standard subscriber management tools. From there, you can modify as needed and publish.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-145 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, low-code/no-code for quickly building landing pages for your startup idea
0:53 - Generative AI and Builder IO for more sophisticated projects. Headless CMS. Visual CMS. // https://www.builder.io/
2:53 - Looking at Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) → https://www.wix.com/blog/2016/06/wix-artificial-design-intelligence/
3:48 - Content Bot → https://contentbot.ai/features/landing-pages
4:10 - Mixo → https://mixo.io?via=william-little (referral link, as I talk about in the episode)
On this episode of Ventures, my guests Greg Gallimore (Digital Experience Design (DXD) Leader for Gensler’s Northwest region), Joel Fariss (Gensler Strategy Director), and Mike Anderson (CoFounder of Alphi.xyz), and I sat down for a conversation exploring how Web3 will transform the built environment. Physical places are now inextricable from the Internet. Our buildings have become “smart,” collecting, sharing, and applying intelligence to the “user experience” of the built environment. The metaverse has opened the door to entirely immersive virtual experiences of a place. With internet mediated communication, physical proximity is no longer a precondition for access to community and knowledge. What does all this mean for the future of human experience, collaboration, and community? We discuss multiple aspects of this at length in this episode.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-144 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
For a fuller write-up of the notes and transcript, see: https://www.gensler.com/blog/how-web3-will-transform-the-built-environment
- Will, start by defining what Web3 is, and how we should understand it?
- Greg, what have you been seeing in terms of how these technologies are beginning to shape the environment?
- Mike, what are you seeing on the horizon, in terms of what’s next and what clues are these use-cases giving us regarding what might be farther down the road?
- What’s the difference between a building intelligence model (BIM) and a digital twin?
- Will Little: Talk about digital twin.
- Joel, where do you see the digital environment, the digital and physical coming together?
- Do you see digital experiences and tools as improving the workplace and face-to-face time at the office? If so, what kinds of experiences are at the forefront and have the least friction to adopt?
- Call to action is to think about entrepreneurship in terms of social impact. What can we do to help lift each other up? The more of us who are thinking that way and applying all these technologies, the better.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through asking ChatGPT how to help me start building a startup called “Text to Startup”. I share my screen and show the live chat session where it not only tells me generally how to build the startup, but - when I prompt it to give me specifics - I’m able to all the way to having it print out Ruby on Rails code and HTML/CSS for a landing page. Along the way, it also gives me specific examples about how to do user testing and it gives me taglines and a 1-paragraph description for the startup, which I used to generate a logo with tailorbrands.com.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-143 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Continuing the product and code series. Setting up the episode. Training ChatGPT to help me build an example startup called “Text to Startup”
1:10 - Using the free version of ChatGPT, walking through all the prompts I gave it to help me get the idea started.
2:43 - “ChatGPT can be programmed” - what does this mean?
3:22 - Can ChatGPT help me pump out the Ruby on Rails code?
4:14 - This could involve conducting market research. I asked it which service it would recommend. Learn more at: https://www.usertesting.com/
5:36 - Can ChatGPT design me a logo? I asked it to give me the prompt. Taglines.
7:00 - tailorbrands.com // Asked for a description - so I asked ChatGPT to give me a 1-paragraph description (it did!)
8:17 - Asking ChatGPT me the code step-by-step to build the code in Rails.
9:00 - What to do when ChatGPT stops in the middle of a response (example of having it give me the remaining CSS).
9:45 - Walking through the Ruby on Rails files for this example.
10:25 - Wrap up, this will be a significant value-add as Generative AI gets more advanced.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) introduce for Web2 & Web3 product managers the company https://magic.link and why you should consider using their products to onboard customers in Web2&3. I also introduce GitHub Copilot (https://github.com/features/copilot) as a must-use tool when both learning to code and writing code professionally.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-142 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, where to listen/watch, motivation and background. Continuing the product and code series: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series
1:00 - Magic Link - https://magic.link // Walking through their different product offerings and why it’s a big deal.
3:27 - GitHub CoPilot – https://github.com/features/copilot // Why if you aren’t using it then you are already behind.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) walk through why BTC is getting more attention, Balaji’s tweets about our banking system, the current Discount Window, MidJourney prompts, and what this means for the world of venture-building and investing. I also have a call to action - a friendly challenge - for website landing page generation via AI and translating these into HTML/CSS/JavaScript using LLMs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-141 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03- Intro to the episode, what we’ll be covering (Bank situation + Balaji material + MidJourney prompts)
1:02 - BTC up 50% in the past 6mo - why? What’s going on? SVB tanking.
2:12 - No lack of attention being given to the current Discount Window (banks allowed to borrow)
2:42 - Balajis’ bet that 1 BTC will be worth more than 1m USD. This may be the time to understand more about Web3 narratives.
5:41 - Texas new BTC-friendly policy
5:46 - @FollowMarcos’ MidJourney prompts → https://twitter.com/followmarcos/status/1637901784143347713 // Call to action. I’d like to see more prompts for landing pages AND these turned into CSS/HTML/JavaScript.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) walk through today’s GPT-4 announcement (https://openai.com/product/gpt-4) with a couple of important examples from Twitter (i.e. image-to-HTML/CSS and describing an image). I also introduce a 10-part series that I've written comparing React with Ruby on Rails’ Turbo.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-140 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Intro to the episode and diving right into the GPT4 announcement: https://openai.com/product/gpt-4 // https://openai.com/research/gpt-4 // And why this is important for Product Managers, or really anyone building a web product. Twitter links: https://twitter.com/bentossell/status/1635737961747677189 // https://twitter.com/goodside/status/1635711013566795776
3:22 - 10-part series comparing / contrasting React vs. Turbo :: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/full-stack-hello-world-tutorials-part-1
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) walk through recent updates about the Ceramic Network, specifically the launch of their ComposeDB product (https://ceramic.network/composedb) and why Web3 product managers should know about it. Ceramic is a great example - especially for learning purposes - of the type of Web3 organization that offers tools for entrepreneurs and builders to create valuable products for the world. At the end of this episode I also introduce JavaScript into our code series and where to learn more about it.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-139 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Introduction to the episode (Ceramic and JavaScript), and you can follow along here https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series
1:15 - About Ceramic https://twitter.com/ceramicnetwork/status/1630569383130189827 // https://ceramic.network/ // and the stack, Lit Protocol (https://litprotocol.com/) // https://ceramic.network/composedb
4:24 - Gitcoin passport → https://passport.gitcoin.co/
4:39 - Orbis as a social protocol → https://useorbis.com/
5:18 - Learn JavaScript. Check out https://www.codecademy.com/learn/introduction-to-javascript // https://www.w3schools.com/js/ and https://learnjavascript.online/
In this episode of Ventures, I introduce https://www.usegalileo.ai/ as a hint of what is coming on the “text to UI design” front (within Generative AI), which will be a game-changer for product designers. On the code front - as we continue our Web2&3 Product & Code Series (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series) - I introduce CSS and how to begin learning how to style your own HTML.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-138 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, Galileo AI, Web 2&3 Product and Code Series
0:41 - Demo and discussion about Galileo AI (https://www.usegalileo.ai/)
2:33 - CSS demo, adding code to the codebase that we’ve been working with in this series. Check out https://www.w3schools.com/css/
Follow along w/ the Product and Code series here → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through a screencast of how to begin learning how to train your own LLMs (like ChatGPT) to be applicable for your own products and customers. On the coding side of things, I also walk through how to begin adding HTML elements to your welcome page in the Rails app that we spun up together in previous episodes of this series (follow along here: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-137 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:05 - Tee-up for the episode, continuing the Web 2&3 Product & Code series (which you can follow along with here: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-and-code-series)
0:50 - Product: Walking through https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/fine-tuning and how to begin training your own LLM
3:38 - Code: adding HTML to your Rails app welcome view, learning and borrowing from https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_basic.asp
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Joel Fariss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelfariss/), Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/) and I discuss the topics of our upcoming webinar on the Internet of Places (register here for free → https://www2.gensler.com/se-internet-of-places, it will take place March 7th, 2023 4-5pm PST). We talk about how the Future of Work, cities, real estate, and architectural design will interact with and espouse Web3, NFTs, XR, and other emerging technologies and use-cases to help humans flourish.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-136 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:20 - Tee-up for the episode, talking about the upcoming Internet of Places webinar // https://www2.gensler.com/se-internet-of-places
2:38 - Joel explaining the background and motivation for the conversation
6:00 - Mike’s thoughts, exploring the possibilities of the future where the digital and physical are merging
8:00 - Will’s thoughts, Tron/Snowcrash/Inception/Snowcrash/Matrix/ReadyPlayerOne - what is “real” and why does it matter? How does this help humans flourish? How do blockchains help?
10:43 - Joels’ thoughts about how Web3/Internet of Places can help humanity. Design and Real Estate.
15:02 - Mike’s perspective - based on starting/scaling multiple companies - about this unique moment of history. ChatGPT, city changes, new landscapes, new technologies.
17:52 - Details - March 7th, 4-5pm PST - register here to get the calendar invite: https://www2.gensler.com/se-internet-of-places
18:33 - Summarize: people who are curious about what should tune into this webinar (Future of Work, real estate, cities, technology will continue to transform our future, Web3 and emerging use-cases)
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) continue our Product and Code series to talk about Web3 protocol design and Ruby on Rails model/migration construction. I bring up the protocols Farcaster and Lens as examples for product managers to be aware of and learn from when approaching how to build value for the modern web. I also detail how to create a User model in Ruby on Rails, its associated “migration” file, and examples from the Rails Console how to create a user to store in the database.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-135 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Intro, Product and Code series tee-up, see the curriculum here → https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit#
1:09 - Product: Learning from https://www.farcaster.xyz/ and https://www.lens.xyz/
3:30 - Code: walking through how to build a User model and associated “migration” in Ruby on Rails.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) continue my Product and Code series to discuss first - on the product side - why and how blockchains can be used to create digital products. I also show - on the code side - how to instantiate a variable in a Ruby on Rails controller to display it in an associated view file. In the product section I discuss Yuga Labs’ https://mdvmm.xyz/ and explain why you - as a Web3 product manager - should be following Yuga’s strategies carefully to learn how to apply similar principles for your own products.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-134 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, product and code things, curriculum doc → https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit#
0:27 - Product: What product managers need to know about Web3 - why build on a blockchain? Difference between Yuga Labs and an airline (e.g. NFTs vs. airline miles)
3:11 - Code: Ruby on Rails controllers, setting a variable in a method, adding it in a index.html.erb view to change our “Hello World” to “Hello, World”
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) continue the Product and Code series that I started in Episode 128 to talk about how to best collect feedback on your initial idea and what the application.html.erb file is in a Ruby on Rails app. I walk through the head tag, briefly discuss the Content Security Policy (CSP) and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) tags, and then showcase different parts of how the application layout file constructs the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to be sent to a requesting browser.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-133 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:00 - Recap the series that started back with Episode 128 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/learn-web2-web3-product-management-and-software/id1523559862?i=1000590794177)
0:40 - Product tip - get feedback from friends of friends that fit your target customer
2:20 - Walk through the application.html.erb file in a Ruby on Rails app. Talking through Content Security Policy (https://www.stackhawk.com/blog/rails-content-security-policy-guide-what-it-is-and-how-to-enable-it/) and Cross-Site Request Forgery (https://samuelmullen.com/articles/csrf-protection-and-ruby-on-rails)
5:12 - Walking through the “View Source” that the application.html.erb file outputs to the browser.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.reddit.com/user/wclittle) walk through - as a screencast - the concept of creating an “Overview Story” for your digital product and I also dive into creating a simple “Hello World” with Ruby on Rails. In this “Product and Code” series this year - in each episode - I’ll be introducing a simple product thing and code thing and then pointing people to our curriculum doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit# ) for further reading and study. Join us within BanyanDAO’s Discord server to follow along: https://discord.gg/95JRuPaTP8.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-132 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:05 - Intro, Product and Code Series, going to be touching on both product and code things for each episode. Jump into Discord to join us: https://discord.gg/95JRuPaTP8
Outline of the curriculum doc → https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit#
2:22 - Product: Overview Story // https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/how-to-create-grow-and-fund-a-tech-startup-an-operational-framework // https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/building-a-new-web-product-how-to-best-setup-engineers-and-creatives-for-a-win
6:08 - Code: Walking through a Ruby on Rails “App” folder and doing a quick “Hello World” by creating a controller, a view, and a route.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) walk through the initial curriculum doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit# ) for the free Product and Code cohort I’m leading this quarter. I talk about how the cohort is setup, what we’ll be covering in terms of building Web2/2.5/3 products, writing code to bring things to life, how to get involved (https://discord.gg/95JRuPaTP8), and what to expect moving forward.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-131 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:05 - Introduction to the Product and Code cohort for Q1 here. Jump into Discord to join us: https://discord.gg/95JRuPaTP8
0:50 - Outline of the curriculum doc → https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRGdU5JCOl96ywR6sSvAiae7W8sDxFhkih5mdqrGitM/edit#
1:15 - Web1/2/3 from a product perspective
2:19 - Article series on starting digital startups https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/how-to-create-grow-and-fund-a-tech-startup-an-operational-framework
3:07 - Product things
4:45 - Code things, starting with the GoRails page
6:35 - Office hours, peer learning
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.reddit.com/user/wclittle) discuss both a Reddit conversation I posted recently about Low-Code/No-Code vs. ChatGPT-assisted code-from-scratch, and an overview of the curriculum we’re planning to walk through in our Product and Code cohort (learn more and apply here: https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29). I talk about Rails vs. Bubble, learning with LLMs, and a wide range of web developer topics - from installing necessary software on your computer to caching strategies - that anyone needs to know in order to become a proficient engineer for the modern web.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-130 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:06 - Tee-up for the conversation, teaching product and code (Learn more and apply here → https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29)
0:20 - Low-code/no-code vs. build from scratch w/ ChatGPT – https://www.reddit.com/r/rails/comments/zv2xdx/reflections_since_my_rails_journey_began_in_2005/ // Episode w/ Josh from Bubble → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-63
2:50 - Product and Code cohort → https://www.reddit.com/r/rails/comments/zyjiq0/what_is_the_best_way_to_teach_ruby_on_rails/ // Apply: https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29
4:36 - Curriculum overview walk-through
- Know your computer/OS well enough to install and run Ruby/Rails/Postgres/Redis/etc... locally (e.g. w/ Homebrew for MacOS)
- Shell / command line
- IDE (VSC, Rubymine, etc..)
- Git / Github (PR & code review etiquette and such)
- Linting / Prettier
- CI / CD
- Basic DevOps w/ a cloud provider (like AWS + Relay or Heroku)
- Monitoring (Sentry/Scout/etc..)
- Ruby
- Core HTML / CSS / JavaScript things of course
- Core Rails things (routing, controllers, models, views, etc...)
- Testing w/ Rspec
- Stimulus
- ViewComponent
- Turbo
- A go-to CSS framework (I'm suggesting new devs quickly learn enough CSS to jump into Tailwind vs. Bootstrap these days, but ideally both and knowledge of BEM/SMACSS/OSS/ACSS)
- Docker
- Caching
- How to best look up things w/ Google and ChatGPT (and others?) when you are stuck
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.reddit.com/user/wclittle) continue from last week’s screencast to discuss WebSockets, DNS, and Profile Picture AI. I talk about how you can get involved with the Q1 product and code cohort I’m leading (apply here: https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29), how rare it is to actually be good at “product”, Prota Ventures slack group for investors and entrepreneurs, a deeper dive into how web requests are packed on the server side with Ruby on Rails, and the future of Rails vs. Low-Code/No-Code.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-129 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:08 - Tee-up for the episode (a followup from last week’s episode). To train people in Product and Code. If you’d like to apply, read this and fill out the form: https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29
0:24 - Rarity of being actually good at “product”
0:43 - Teaching product and code - learning in parallel
1:07 - Profile Picture AI → Referral link: https://profilepicture.ai/?ref=mttd2YgdG7X4XIdrOGrAFQkEl1j2
1:54 - Hit up will to join the Prota Ventures slack group if you are an entrepreneur or an investor (will@wclittle.com or will@protaventures.com)
2:20 - More about DNS / (including ChatGPT’s definition of it)
3:48 - What happens when a web request hits the web server.
4:40 - Multiple ways to transfer HTML/CSS/JS to the server. More here about Web Sockets. See: https://hotwired.dev/
6:12 - Thesis: it’s better to learn Rails w/ ChatGPT vs. Low-Code/No-Code
7:22 - Hit Will up at will@wclittle.com or apply for the cohort here → https://forms.gle/dtVA1bQ9xATRrPW29
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) record a short screencast walking through initial thoughts about how to teach both Web2 and Web3 software development and product management and design. I talk about how I’ll be pointing students to resources along the way rather than building tutorials myself, and instead act as a curator and opinionated guide for how to best learn product/software development in today’s rapidly evolving environment. I’d encourage you to join us at BanyanDAO to follow along → https://www.banyandao.xyz/. Feel free to join our Discord server → https://discord.gg/95JRuPaTP8
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-128 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:06 - Intro
1:20 - Outline of what we’ll cover this coming year
3:20 - Example tutorial of the basics of computer science
3:45 - Programs/languages
4:00 - The difference between a compiled and interpreted programming language
5:32 - Ruby / Database / Redis / Puma
5:56 - Ruby on Rails walk-through
Feel free to email me at will@wclittle.com or find me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/wclittle) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/).
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Scott Kveton (https://twitter.com/kveton, co-founder of https://jump.co) and I discuss how to bring real-world assets into the NFT space. We talk about Art Basel, why it's good that people are calling crypto "dead", the Jump.co features available today for customers/partners and their audiences, a comparison between NFTs and the early mobile market, NFTs for restaurant owners, and how ChatGPT/GPT-4 will revolutionize the industry.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-127 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:13 - Tee-up for the episode, investing in Web3 since 2017, topics of interest each year.
1:47 - How Scott got into Web3
3:58 - About Art Basel and what happened this year, crypto as "bolted on" to the side of the event
6:18 - Why saying "crypto is dead" means we have a lot more to teach the world
6:47 - NFTs w/ IRL assets, typical things that people think about.
7:04 - Scott teaching us about how to think about NFT/physical asset bridging. More about what Jump.co offers.
9:51 - Who are the partners / customers for Jump.co -- to start, for those who have millions of dollars of assets that want to get into the NFT space with their assets.
11:34 - Urban airship / push notifications - how Scott got laughed out of partner meetings (when people didn't believe in mobile) -- analogies to NFTs now.
12:20 - What might partnerships with big car brands look like? This is more applicable for people who have vintage cars (e.g. for people who may want to go in together and buy a car like this)
13:00 - NFT drop for a restaurant, number of tables multiplied by available time. New revenue stream for restaurants.
14:02 - NFT marketplaces for time/place - e.g. the example of concerts
14:46 - Artist/athelete - first sale can go to charity, secondary sales royalty to fun the artist.
15:43 - Real Estate / Property -- implications w/ Jump.co -- expanding beyond Real Estate to date.
17:50 - How flexible is Jump.co in terms of its white-label solution. What is the functionality of the product right now?
20:15 - Importance of value-creation in NFTs and web3 things. Where does Scott see value-creation in the near future for NFTs in particular?
21:30 - Macro crypto issues / regulatory clarity
22:30 - ChatGPT / GPT-4 / AI-overloads interacting. How does Scott see AI interacting with NFTs/Web3?
24:22 - Where can people find out more about Jump? Check out https://jump.co // @Kveton on Twitter
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Alex Shalash (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-shalash/, co-founder of https://www.metaengine.gg/) and I discuss metaverse infrastructure and interoperability. We talk about how MetaEngine started, the technical aspects of how their platform works, who should build on it, how GPT4/ChatGPT will change the game, and the future of online experiences.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-126 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:17 - Tee up for the episode, Alex’s background, how he got into Web3
3:53 - Limitations of the Metaverse according to Matthew Ball https://www.matthewball.vc/metaversebook - How does Alex answer the question - “when will we have the Ready Player One metaverse?”
6:51 - Where is MetaEngine in the stack for building metaverses? Who should be partnering with them when building? Chat about https://www.improbable.io/
9:01 - Is MetaEngine using Polygon? (Indeed, they were a seed investor)
9:53 - Ideal customer profile for MetaEngine
11:05 - Technical details Unity & Unreal vs. ME’s C++ / HeroScript
11:44 - GPT4 / GPTChat - implications for the Metaverse.
14:12 - Talking to an AI and asking it questions - asking its opinion. Kids of the future.
16:18 - Discussion about metaverse interoperability and financial incentives for centralized companies building games/metaverses.
20:15 - Consumers will optimistically expect to bring their gear to the best metaverses, and there should be incentives that allow this? (Yes and No)
23:33 - What is Alex most excited about for the future of the Metaverse space?
26:51 - More on the ideal customer profile. Ideal is that multiple projects will be using MetaEngine’s technology.
27:51 - Where can people learn more about MetaEngine and get a hold of Alex? https://www.metaengine.gg/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-shalash/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Phillip Tran (https://mobile.twitter.com/ptran, CMO at https://madworld.io/) and I discuss Web3 strategies for IRL and specific market verticals. We talk about how MADWorld is partnering with key brands, plans in LA and Miami this week, advice for new Web3 entrepreneurs, commentary on the current market, and recommendations for how those new to Web3 can get up to speed.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-125 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:27 - Tee-up for the episode, never a dull moment in web3, background and introduction
3:49 - The story of starting MADworld → https://madworld.io/
4:58 - What MADworld does / value proposition for the world. (Originally Web3 strategy, now key brand partnerships in a handful of verticals)
6:06 - Plans this week in LA and Miami - what should folks expect in these cities this week (Nov 28, 2022 week)
7:10 - Web3 strategies, the landscape/market has changed, what is Phillip’s commentary on the market and how it has changed Web3 strategies.
10:40 - More about the four verticals that MADworld is approaching and partnering with brands (story from Ghost in the Shell).
13:51 - Where does Phillip think the Web3 space is heading? What themes is he seeing?
16:04 - More information about the products & product roadmaps that MADworld is working on. “Bringing global culture to Web3” – Also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e
18:05 - What advice does Phillip have for new Web3 entrepreneurs?
20:17 - What different areas / projects is Madworld working on? Beyond anime and sports, moving into music and streetwear.
23:30 - Music and Web3 / Music NFTs
27:14 - For the person who is new to Web3, what resources / approaches would Phillip recommend to help them get up to speed and learn?
30:22 - Where can people learn more and engage with Phillip / Madword? → https://madworld.io/ – https://mobile.twitter.com/ptran // PhilTran.eth
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Nick Wilger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-wilger/) and I discuss all-things low-code/no-code from the perspective of an aspiring tech entrepreneur. We talk about Nick’s background getting into the space, what founders need to know about tools like Bubble, how to think about “product” setups and roles, working with Figma, and more about Nick’s accelerator (https://effycientaccelerator.com) for training low-code/no-code developers.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-124 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:33 - Intro/setup for the show, Nick’s background getting into low-code/no-code
3:37 - Previous show w/ Josh Hass (co-CEO of Bubble) → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-63 // What was Nick’s story as a non-software engineer coming in to low-code/no-code?
7:40 - From an education standpoint, describing the various parts of the tech stack when building a Web app
9:00 - Webflow for front-end
11:16 - Thoughts from Will about whether founders want to build the app themselves or outsource it (or find a CTO).
13:33 - Wireframes/Mockups and product skills needed to get it ready for Bubble
17:23 - Instead of finding an “engineer” co-founder, now in the modern era it’s all about finding a product/UX co-founder to tee up the Bubble engineering (which is 10x lower cost than traditional software engineers)
19:30 - Nick’s thoughts about Figma, working with visual designers as part of the MVP build process
21:50 - “Product things” create inefficiency. More info about an Overview Story and a UI Spec (and a flow chart) and why that’s important for communication between the visionary and the product person.
23:40 - UX flow charts and project plans
24:40 - Analogy of building a house from pictures that you take of a house.
25:26 - More information about https://effycient.com/ and https://effycientaccelerator.com // Contact Nick at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-wilger/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Billy Schautz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bschautz/, https://mythicalgames.com/) and I discuss Mythical Games’ new NFT drop and upcoming game, NFL Rivals (https://nfl.rivals.game/). We discuss Billy’s background in gaming, NFT market conditions, Mythical’s tech stack and NFT dynamics, and the future of Web3 gaming.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-123 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:36 - More about Billy’s background and how he got into Web3/games.
2:34 - Why would Billy leave Amazon/Twitch and go to Mythical games?
4:17 - What's the background/story of Mythical?
5:12 - More details about the NFT drop for NFL Rivals → https://nfl.rivals.game/
7:40 - Thoughts about the bear market for launching an NFT collection.
9:37 - Is this an official partnership with the NFL? Nuances between EA/Mythical licenses. (Simulation vs. Blockchain arcade football)
12:17 - Features of the NFL rivals game
13:38 - More about the tech stack and how these NFTs work on Mythical’s internal blockchain w/ bridging capabilities to Ethereum mainnet.
16:34 - More about the in-game marketplace for the game
18:07 - Matthew Ball’s book about The Metaverse - thoughts on interoperability between games
20:54 - Instagram/Reddit/Starbucks w/ Polygon NFTs
21:13 - How is Billy/Mythical thinking about the value-add for the NFT community and the partnership with the NFL.
24:53 - Where does Billy see the Web3 Gaming industry heading? (incl. Mythical’s roadmap)
27:35 - People can take action → https://nfl.rivals.game/ (find social media links there)
29:30 - Check out https://alphi.xyz // What is the NFT drop mechanisms // https://RarityLeague.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Beau Button (https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaubutton/) - President and CTO of https://atlasreality.com - and I discuss play-to-earn, Web3, and the Atlas Realty story. We dive into Beau’s background as a technologist and entrepreneur, about Atlas Realty’s two successful games, their upcoming game next year with a Web3 component to it, gamer experiences, metaverses, Polygon, and the future of the Web3 gaming industry.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-122 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Also, check out Bird Buddy → https://mybirdbuddy.com (AI-powered Bird Feeder; A portfolio company of Prota Ventures) // See this episode w/ the CEO → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-23
1:37 - Beau’s background and story, software, entrepreneurship, eCommerce, content management, and ultimately in the video game industry
2:06 - Is there a Web3 component of what Atlas Reality is working on?
2:42 - What is Beau’s crypto story? How did he get involved in it?
5:24 - More information about the two games…who is the audience?
7:10 - What is Beau’s story as a founder / startup exec?
9:22 - What technology stacks are they using to build these games?
10:14 - Is Beau more management or hands on keyboard?
12:01 - What are the principles of Web3 that Beau is excited about / thinking about?
15:19 - Commentary of Matthew Ball’s book on The Metaverse (https://www.amazon.com/Metaverse-How-Will-Revolutionize-Everything/dp/1324092033) … commentary on interoperability.
17:09 - Deciding on interoperability protocols - how game makers would/could/should be approaching it.
18:30 - Focusing on the gamer…are we seeing sparks/interest in NFTs?
20:42 - Polygon getting a ton of attention (Reddit, Instagram, Starbucks) // https://polygon.technology/ // Commentary on blockchains/gaming.
22:22 - What are the things Beau sees coming in the future of the industry? Negative and positive.
26:10 - More information about Atlas Reality and their roadmap. (Atlas Empires / Atlas Earth)
27:23 - Learn more at AtlasReality.com – and check out LinkedIn for Metaverse Mondays → https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaubutton/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Gordon Meyer (https://twitter.com/gordonmeyerjr) and I talk about marketing, community building, and the effect that emerging technologies like Web3 will have on the future of growing startups. We talk about the aspects of Web3 that Gordon is most excited about, power shifts and disintermediation, the attention economy, and advice for entrepreneurs starting from the ground up.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-120 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Also, check out SUPLMNT → https://suplmnt.com/ (A portfolio company of Prota Ventures) // Hydration meets culture; amazing water bottles for holiday gifts and more. See this episode w/ the CEO → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-120
1:50 - What is exciting about emerging technology? (Also background/introduction to Gordon)
4:47 - More about the Web3 revolution
11:15 - Power shifts - power to the people - different types of artists.
12:10 - Attention economy - how does Gordon process the attention economy and value creation (from the perspective of entrepreneurs).
18:04 - What’s Gordon’s advice for someone to build a following if they don’t have a network? (Build a community or find a community)
22:16 - How does Web3 change the game from a marketing and community building perspective?
25:20 - What is Gordon excited about in the near-term future here?
31:00 - Where can people find Gordon and Mamoru online? // https://twitter.com/gordonmeyerjr // https://twitter.com/MamoruDigital // https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonmeyer/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Robbie Heeger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rheeger/) - President and CEO at https://endaoment.org/ - and I talk about how Endaoment allows crypto holders to create Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). We talk about how Endaoment works from both the donor side and the nonprofit side, the (very reasonable) fee structure, new token models in Web3 philanthropy, and the general practice of donating to DAFs in order to no rush the process of subsequently donating to nonprofits/NGOs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-120 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:20 - Tee-up for the episode. Why does Web3 matter? Why does venture building/investing matter?
1:44 - Robbie’s self introduction and intro to https://endaoment.org/
4:35 - How does Endaoment work (from the perspective of the donor)?
9:55 - Not all DAFs are created equal. How are Endaoment DAFs different? What types of organizations can be given to via Endaoment?
14:29 - How will Endaoment add additional coins/tokens to support internal DAF investing?
18:23 - What is the fee structure for Endaoment?
21:20 - Dollars sitting in DAFs - Over $200B ($160B in 2020) → https://www.wealthmanagement.com/philanthropy/wealthy-use-loophole-reap-tax-breaks-and-delay-giving-away-money
23:30 - Does Endaoment allow impact investing?
26:30 - Whole new set of toys/tools to work with in Web3 regarding giving/philanthropy. New token models, etc…
29:19 - Corgi in the video :)
34:10 - REST (https://iwantrest.com/) and ILAD (https://ilad.ngo) – as examples – what do nonprofits need to know to accept crypto via Endaoment?
39:39 - How does Endaoment KYC their nonprofits to ensure money is going to the right place?
40:57 - Where can people find more? It’s giving season → https://endaoment.org/ // https://discord.gg/endaoment // https://twitter.com/endaomentdotorg
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jonathan Hung (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhung/) and I discuss all-things venture building/investing, his work as a venture capitalist, and the story of his startup, Kitchen Data Systems (https://kitchdata.com/). We talk about advice for emerging fund managers, how founders and startup investors should be thinking about the current state of the market, the potential for Web3, interesting startup markets for investing, and general advice for entrepreneurs today.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-119 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:56 - Tee-up for the episode, venture building/investing
1:19 - Jonathan’s background and story, taking over the family business, investing, then becoming a founder (Kitchen Data Systems)
4:03 - What sparked Jonathan’s interest in getting into the startup game himself?
7:40 - For emerging fund managers listening in - first time fund managers - what advice does Jonathan have for them?
10:35 - What’s Jonathan’s take on the current state of the market? How should we (founders/investors) be thinking about it?
12:24 - How does Web3 change the game regarding community and customer acquisition?
14:19 - How disruptive does Jonathan think that blockchains will be to change the game?
15:47 - Is Jonathan thinking about a Web3 angle for his B2B kitchen business? See: https://www.harmony.one/
17:22 - Are merchants allowed to extract customer data from credit cards?
19:03 - What areas/markets are Jonathan interested in from an investor perspective?
21:23 - Where should people go to learn more about Jonathan and Kitchen Data Systems. https://jonathanhung.com/ // https://kitchdata.com/
21:53 - What advice does Jonathan have for entrepreneurs starting out their journey?
24:14 - Best way to get a hold of Jonathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhung/
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) share a short monologue about Web3, product management, and leadership in Web3 startups, especially in Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). I talk briefly about the history of Web1/2/3, Balaji Srinivasan’s book The Network State, a call-to-action for Web3 product managers and leaders, and how to distribute key CEO-like responsibilities in DAOs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-118 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Setup for the episode, a call to action
0:39 - What is/was Web1?
1:05 - What is/was Web2?
1:42 - What is Web3? “Read/write/own” reference → https://eshita.mirror.xyz/H5bNIXATsWUv_QbbEz6lckYcgAa2rhXEPDRkecOlCOI
3:00 - Network State → https://thenetworkstate.com/
3:18 - Product management/leadership from Web2 to Web3
4:17 - A call-to-action about Web3 product management from about a year ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lru1_vZmXQ) // BanyanDAO → https://banyandao.xyz // Incubator → https://www.protaventures.com/labs
5:03 - Highly interested in helping to train Web3 product managers. A monologue about leadership as a combination of storytelling and management
6:03 - The three main things that any CEO has to do. In a DAO, this has to be shared.
6:56 - A call to action to join DAOs. Email will at will@wclittle.com // Twitter https://twitter.com/wclittle // Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/) and I discuss all-things startup ideation in the modern era. In light of this being the topic of Week 1 of Prota’s new incubator (https://www.protaventures.com/labs), we dive into what makes a good idea, what makes a bad idea, how and why to integrate your idea with your own skills and knowledge of a market, how to reverse-engineer ideas based on what investors and consumers want, why finding startup ideas has changed over the years, and the importance of maintaining vision and grit through challenging seasons of startup life.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-117 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:24 - Tee-up for the episode, start of the new incubator program
1:39 - Is it too late for people who are just hearing about this incubator to apply?
2:13 - Where can people to go sign-up? https://www.protaventures.com/labs
2:30 - Startup Ideation. What is a good startup idea? How has that changed?
3:00 - Question for Mike: What makes a good startup idea?
4:05 - Will’s talking point about founder-market fit and solving market needs. Don’t solve other people’s theoretical problems.
6:14 - VCs will publish their request for startups / areas they are looking to invest in. See, for example, https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs
6:48 - How has the startup game changed in light of evolving technology? What hasn’t changed?
8:21 - “Why now” changes in light of Web3 and various decentralization technologies and approaches.
9:15 - If you can “theoretically” need it vs. “I need it right now and would pay for it”
10:34 - When thinking about ideas, you can’t reduce it to its component parts.
11:10 - What are the ideas that are more compelling to Mike when he gets pitched ideas? (see the wave coming)
12:52 - New technology (like a blockchain) allows new ways to disrupt common Web2 companies like Uber/Amazon/etc…
13:50 - “Your margin is my opportunity”
14:10 - Your idea never stops
15:08 - It’s important to “go” and “ship” and provide value for your customers. Speed of shipping is highly correlated with success.
16:50 - The importance of making the startup building process “fun”
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Joe De Pinto (Co-Founder of https://www.HasteArcade.com) and I discuss his entrepreneurial journey from being a professional baseball player to starting a Web3 company. We talk about his choice to build on BSV, what that experience has been like, the types of games that are available in the arcade, the marketing strategies his team has used, entrepreneurial lessons learned, Web3 features deployed, and overall thoughts about the promise of Web3.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-116 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:08 - Tee-up for the episode
1:19 - Joe’s background and how he got into Web3 (not the typical journey), starting BarPay,
6:27 - BTC forking into BCH and BSV
8:50 - Launching Haste Arcade
9:34 - What is Haste Arcade? What is its value proposition?
11:42 - What kind of games are in Haste Arcade?
13:22 - What has it been like building on BSV?
15:53 - What has the marketing strategy for Haste Arcade been? How is it going? // Play to earn strategies.
19:20 - How is Mike thinking about Web3 in general? What is he most excited about? (a discussion about micropayments)
23:13 - Entrepreneurial lessons learned. What advice does Mike have for fellow entrepreneurs out there?
25:49 - How can people play in the HasteArcade? Go to HasteArcade.com
26:18 - How can people get a hold of Mike to continue the conversation? @HasteArcade on Twitter and on Discord
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Sorgenfrei (https://www.linkedin.com/in/msorgenfrei/) and I discuss his web3 startup, Encore (https://encore.fans). We talk about its origin story, where Encore fits in the marketing software stack for an athlete/influencer, self-sovereign identity for fans, how Verified Credentials are being used, how to build a profile of a fan by allowing them to opt-in their data directly, and the entrepreneurial journey that Mike and his team have taken to get a web3 startup off the ground.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-115 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:19 - Setup for the episode, enjoying hearing web3 entrepreneurial stories and learning about practical applications and startups in the space.
1:37 - Mike’s background and story into Web3 and starting Encore
4:16 - The Encore origin story and more details.
7:19 - What is a Verified Credential? For homework, see: https://tykn.tech/verifiable-credentials/
8:30 - Verified Credential as matching centralized data to web3 data
9:08 - How is Encore using Verified Credentials?
10:40 - If I’m on Katy Perry’s staff (hypothetically speaking), how am I using Encore? Where is the data? How is it used?
13:29 - Where does Encore fit in the software stack of someone working with an influencer? With a fan?
16:25 - Will Encore be an app on a fan’s phone? Or integrated into an influencer / athlete’s app?
17:00 - Right out of the gate, what apps would I have on my phone that would have Encore? What is Encore’s go-to-market strategy?
17:57 - If an influencer doesn’t have their own website or app, they can use their own page on Encore.
18:27 - What does the Encore roadmap look like over the next year?
20:33 - As a superfan of some athlete, what are examples of the kinds of perks I would be receiving by engaging with Encore?
23:35 - How have college athletes connected with their fans before Encore?
26:03 - Extending Encore to podcasters and other influencers over time
28:16 - What are Mike's reflections and commentary on the Web3 space in general?
31:38 - Learn more about Encore at https://encore.fans and @encore_fans on all the socials.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://twitter.com/MikeyAnderson) and I discuss in much greater detail the syllabus, ideal candidates, and time commitment of the new ideation incubator (https://www.protaventures.com/labs) that we introduced in episode 112 (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-112). We talk in depth about the range of founders who should apply (from “pre-idea” to “pre-seed” teams), the outcomes of the incubator, info sessions on Fridays leading up to Oct 4th start, the minimal time commitment required, and a short synopsis of each of the 16 sessions of the program in October, November, and December of 2022. As a quick reminder, this incubator is free and 100% remote; we are happy to serve and welcome founders at the idea stage from all over the world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-114 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:08 - Quick recap of episode 112 (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-112). What we’re doing, what the incubator is, who is it for, etc..
2:46 - Also applicable for people who want to be a CEO of an existing idea being incubated, good resume building experience, etc…
3:30 - What are the outcomes of the ideation incubator?
4:25 - You’ll have a clickable prototype in figma, market validation (or not, requiring a pivot), and you’ll have a community of people.
5:12 - Overview of the next part of this podcast: info sessions, time exceptions, who should apply, and course syllabus information.
6:06 - More information about the info sessions.
8:15 - More details about who should apply? What stage should they be at with their idea?
9:41 - If you have done a lot of ideation work already with your startup idea.
11:24 - There will be some exciting guest speakers that we’ll be revealing soon.
11:34 - Time requirements details for people considering applying to the program. (screen sharing). Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12pm Pacific US Time will be the sessions. Plus office hours available in the mornings those days.
14:37 - Walking through the program syllabus
15:10 - Session 1 - The Idea
16:49 - Session 2 - The Market
18:03 - Session 3 - The Team (more than just your co-founders)
18:42 - Session 4 - Surveys
19:36 - Session 5 - Interviews
21:30 - Session 6 - Vision (https://www.amazon.com/BE-2-0-Beyond-Entrepreneurship-Business/dp/0399564233)
22:49 - Session 7 - Branding
23:20 - Session 9-10 - Writing/Designing/Creating a Landing Page
25:07 - Session 11 - Marketing
26:03 - Session 12 - Designing the Prototype
26:25 - Session 13 - Internal showcase
27:00 - Session 14-15 - Pitch Deck (even at idea stage)
28:26 - Session 16 - Demo day
29:00 - Schedule of sessions in Oct / Nov / Dec of 2022
29:57 - Final thoughts from Mike about why this incubator / startup society matters.
30:49 - To learn more - go to https://www.protaventures.com/labs and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ProtaVentures) - and follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeyAnderson)
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/jessebryan) and I discuss his new project, Alphi (https://twitter.com/alphixyz). Alphi’s vision is to be a source of trusted and transparent information in the NFT community to help collectors “do their own research” effectively. We talk about the background and motivation for the project, why trusted information is so hard to find, analogies to information being shared from public companies, and more details about Alphi’s product roadmap and timeline.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-113 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:31 - Episode tee-up from Will, commentary on the NFT space, people who are actually building are shipping new projects daily….it’s hard to keep up.
2:06 - Background of the idea where Alphi came from, information silos, unfair access to information, etc..
3:07 - “Do your own research” // How do you do that? // How did Jesse do this with some of his own research on projects
5:02 - Functional community journalists in projects
5:51 - Building a wikipedia / glassdoor / IMDB style platform for the NFT community
6:30 - Watching out for rug pulls / creating transparency
8:15 - The second piece of Alphi - a daily ticker / feed of more information
8:30 - Why does the NFT space matter? Why does paying attention to it matter?
12:35 - Alphi helps protect non-Web3 native people… it’s a source of trust.
13:31 - Commentary about the amount of alpha buried within Twitter Spaces, discords, etc.. very small number, not falling into the same traps of Web 2
15:00 - “The more you give, the more you have” // Helping people who are working a normal job swinging a hammer
16:54 - Analogy to information being presented at a stockholder meeting for a public company; in the NFT space, that happens in a random Twitter Space and doesn’t even get dropped on an official channel until later (if ever).
19:25 - Generous people who help onboard people into NFT communities. Alphi can help save time since information can be centralized.
20:26 - Alphi product timeline, features to expect. Looking to find community journalists from the different projects. Looking for people to join the Alphi team.
22:26 - Alphi lore / artwork / mechanical hints
23:39 - Is Alphi doing its own NFT drop? More information about the Alphi Genesis drop.
24:53 - Final thoughts - need for Alphi - vision and call-to-action. https://twitter.com/alphixyz
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/) and I discuss the launch of a new startup incubator program hosted by Prota Ventures (learn more and apply here → https://www.protaventures.com/labs). We talk about the program’s background, motivation, vision, details, mentorship and investor opportunities, cohort model, and more. Prota has an enormously successful track record of incubating and investing in startups at their earliest stages. This new incubator is for those who either want to work as a startup CEO on an existing idea, bring their own idea to the table, and/or propose a general market area for us to incubate a new startup idea together within.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-112 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:29 - Setup for the new incubator, in light of the internet era and Web3
2:02 - Mike intro, background, DAOs, and tee-up for the new cohort coming Oct 4th
3:10 - More information about the new incubator with the labs division of Prota Ventures: https://www.protaventures.com/labs
5:05 - Clarity about the definition of what an “incubator” is, the types of founders that should apply to Prota’s new incubator...
7:00 - Web2, to Web2.5, to Web3…and the various types of companies can leverage the changing internet.
7:30 - Mike’s story of back in high school he thought that all the good startup ideas were already taken…but new technology brings new innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities.
8:30 - How would Will advise entrepreneurs to think about starting and validating their new venture idea: link to apply: https://www.protaventures.com/labs // How to determine if people actually want your new product.
10:45 - You can also apply to this incubator if you want to work on an existing idea.
11:26 - More information about the “Plate” idea that you could be CEO of.
12:31 - More about the structure of the incubator in Q4
14:30 - The Figment story and Will’s background in Web3, different segments in Web3, the power of DAOs.
16:34 - Mike’s commentary on why he’s sending his friends to Prota’s incubator. // “Best path I can imagine for starting a company”
17:33 - More information about the “Startup Rocket” idea that needs a CEO. https://www.startuprocket.com/
19:41 - More information about “Satchel” that needs a CEO → https://satchel.works/
20:40 - Info about “Connect Hero”, its need for a CEO, and its promise for the future.
22:35 - Info about “Research and Me” and its need for a CEO → https://www.researchandme.com/
23:35 - Info about 80 West Labs / CEO need → https://www.getvessi.com/
24:49 - Info about the “Workstreams” app / CEO need.
26:28 - Summarizing the community based support and cohort model for the incubator that begins Oct 4th. Mike is hosting welcome meetings between now and when the cohort starts. First meeting is this coming Thursday at 11am PDT.
27:27 - Concluding thoughts from Will, also summarizing what the incubator is and how to apply. Go to → https://www.protaventures.com/labs
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Drew Glover (https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewbailerglover/) and I discuss all-things FinTech, growth, venture capital, and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). We cover his background co-founding Fiat Growth (https://www.fiatgrowth.com/), raising a $15m fund w/ Fiat Ventures (https://www.fiat.vc/), the overall FinTech landscape, advice for founders leveling up their growth strategies, and the future of finance technology for entrepreneurs and the rest of the world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-111 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:23 - Tee up for the episode, background of the show, entrepreneurial stories, etc..
1:49 - Drew intro and background
5:11 - Define for the audience: What is FinTech? What isn’t FinTech?
7:39 - FinTech definition recap. Would DeFi be under FinTech? How does Drew think about Decentralized Finance?
11:23 - What was it like to raise a $15m Fund for Drew? What advice would he have for first-fund VCs?
14:07 - Did they finish raising their fund before the market started tanking?
15:06 - What is Drew’s take on the FinTech landscape? What is his thesis on the space? Where should entrepreneurs be looking at for opportunities?
18:16 - Given Drew’s background in growth and FinTech - how should an entrepreneur who is building a FinTech company be thinking about acquiring customers in such a noisey landscape?
22:17 - Book: How to Lie With Statistics (https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728) // Commentary on vanity metrics
23:04 - What is Drew’s advice for a founder who doesn’t have much of a budget to hire a growth team?
25:26 - What is Drew excited about regarding the future of FinTech? Learn more about Copper: https://www.getcopper.com/
27:57 - Drew’s firm led Copper’s Series A. // Where can people find Drew online? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewbailerglover/ // https://twitter.com/drewbailer
In this episode of Ventures, my guest James Bayly (https://twitter.com/jamesabayly) and I discuss SubQuery (https://subquery.network), including information that Web3 developers need to know about how to practically access data from blockchains to engineer decentralized applications. We talk about the various APIs available, where SubQuery fits in the Web3 data availability landscape, the difference between indexers and RPC nodes, SubQuery’s financial model, and what excites James about the Web3 space in general.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-110 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:37 - Tee-up for the episode, why Web3 matters, what we talk about on this show
1:43 - How did James get into Web3?
3:33 - AI and blockchain as different worlds. How people start their journeys into these spaces. More information about Subquery and where it sits in the ecosystem.
7:35 - What kind of APIs are available for developers with Subquery? (GraphQL, flexible)
9:16 - What kind of blockchains does Subquery support?
11:06 - Understanding the landscape. How is Subquery different from Infura and The Graph?
12:59 - What advice does James have for developers / entrepreneurs when choosing indexers and finding data sources for your dApp?
19:30 - Is Subquery just a read-only service?
21:16 - What is the “write” process for developers?
22:24 - What is the difference between RPC nodes, validators, and indexers?
24:27 - How is an RPC node different from the indexers that Subquery provides?
25:49 - How does Subquery make money?
28:35 - Securities laws concerns and considerations when generating a token.
32:36 - How to evaluate projects with anons as founders.
34:56 - What excites James about Web3 in general for impacting the world for positive good?
37:40 - Where can people find James and Subquery online? https://twitter.com/jamesabayly // https://subquery.network
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Prof. Yanto Chandra (https://twitter.com/yanefted) and I talk about the implications of Web3 for global entrepreneurship. We discuss his background PhD work in rapidly growing international businesses, his professorship in Hong Kong teaching entrepreneurship, his thoughts about how NFTs and DAOs are changing the venture-building game around the world, and why smart and thoughtful regulation is vitally important for the future of the space.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-109 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:36 - Tee-up for the episode, emphasis on this show for Web3 and why it matters for the world.
2:06 - Yanto intro, professor in Hong Kong, PhD background, how he got into Web3
5:55 - Yanto’s background and passion for entrepreneurship
9:52 - Where are the intersections of Web3 and entrepreneurship that are so exciting for Yanto?
15:40 - Yantos take on DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) - as a professor of entrepreneurship.
17:50 - Story of the brewery that used NFTs and went global, other impact stories from other projects, bounty hunters, etc..
21:20 - New ways that Web3 enables and changes entrepreneurship (including nefarious “entrepreneurship”)
26:22 - How does Yanto view NFTs as it relates to how founders/entrepreneurs should think about them? (all goods will have an NFT associated with them….good story of a how NFTs can be associated with bicycles to prevent stealing the IRL bike, since they wouldn’t be able to be resold without the NFT)
32:39 - Final thoughts / projects / ideas from Yanto – thoughts on regulation and the importance of making the Web3 space legitimate.
37:40 - Best way to follow up w/ Yanto and read his work? → https://twitter.com/yanefted // https://sites.google.com/view/yantochandra/home
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Andy Chatham (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-chatham-a5a45825/) and I talk about Digital Infrastructure for Moving Objects (DIMO, https://dimo.zone/). We discuss the background and story of the project, why giving people an open platform for mobility data matters, the journey of creating and shipping a hardware product, parallels to the Helium network, keeping OEMs accountable, and the future vision of DIMO to create a positive impact on our world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-108 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:35 - Tee-up for the episode; why web3 matters, amazing story with DIMO to dive into.
2:14 - Andy background and story of starting DIMO
7:16 - Port on a car that can send/reveal data. More information about the device that DIMO has built.
10:35 - The future is we’re pumping out all this data, all the time. Web3 helps envision a future where we (the people) can own and monetize our data. A more tangible use-case to keep OEMs accountable.
13:50 - Describe the little black device that people can buy → https://shop.dimo.zone/
15:13 - Screenshare of the web/mobile user interfaces, and more description of the product.
18:23 - Incentives for consumers and incentives for developers
22:14 - Token models: How is DIMO thinking about the different types and models?
25:15 - How can DIMO prove the uniqueness of a vehicle?
28:33 - Value of getting data back in the hands of the people. What is the vision of DIMO? What is DIMO enabling for humanity?
32:46 - Safety, accountability, economic incentives, mobility data in general, a justice issue… other things that Andy would add to why this is valuable.
36:10 - Call to action. How can people get involved and follow up? https://dimo.zone/ // https://twitter.com/DIMO_Network
In this episode of Ventures, I introduce and play an important clip from episode 97 with Daniel Wilson, PhD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/) regarding the importance of Web3 to help humans flourish around the world. We talk about how while incentives for traditional organizations (e.g. banks) are often not compelling enough to provide the same services that developed nations enjoy, Web3 - especially Decentralized Finance (DeFi) - allows unprecedented access to quality financial services. We also talk about how a multidisciplinary approach to Web3 in the developing world is critical, and we discuss the work that Daniel is doing right now to help more language communities participate on the Internet.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-107 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:39 - tee-up for the clip, in light of Daniel’s background in human language technology, how does he see Web3 - at its core - helping humans flourish globally? Core pieces of infrastructure are being put in place to give people unprecedented opportunities for development without the same ol’ paths to corruption.
3:25 - The amount that people save in life - all of a sudden, via a decision from one corrupt person, can devalue the currency and wipe out that value.
4:03 - Institutions (like banks) don’t have the kind of incentives that they do in developed nations. It is too risky for them. Web3 changes this.
5:07 - Terms DeFi, DAOs, blockchains, metaverse - combined with all the disciplines - is why Web3 is such an important and exciting area right now. Human challenges vs. technology challenges.
6:47 - What Daniel is doing right now in Web3 to help move things forward. (compassionate innovation…advancements in human language technology.) “If you don’t speak a language that is on the Internet, then you are still left out”
Best way to get a hold of Brandon online to continue the conversation. Twitter: @danwils (academic) @geoframeai (web3 & smart stream) // Also: @_smartstream_ // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/ // email: daniel@smartstream.app
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/jessebryan) and I talk about our experience on the first voyage within The Otherside (https://otherside.xyz/) and the resulting implications for brands and people IRL. During this episode, we overlay video of our experience, talk about addressing skeptics, the Otherside litepaper, what can be built on plots of land, how brands should be thinking about The Otherside, and how specifically entrepreneurs can - and should - be thinking about impacting the world with metaverses in general.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-106 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video (including scenes from Will’s first voyage within The Otherside) here.
2:28 - What happened on the first voyage of Otherside? What is the backstory here? What was Jesse’s experience?
5:07 - Will’s skepticism about what was going to draw people into Otherside vs. the 20+ other metaverses out there. (Shares his experience of the first Voyage)
6:20 - Jesse’s commentary on why every brand is going to need land and experiences within the Otherside.
7:05 - When you login, you are your personality. NFT as identity. Extensibility. Why it’s important for Brands.
8:52 - The audience for Otherside is going to be huge.
9:50 - The promise of how this impacts the world IRL. Impact Ape/Island/Mountain/Land. https://twitter.com/impact_ape
11:30 - Otherside litepaper https://otherside.xyz/litepaper
12:28 - Commentary on the litepaper
14:32 - All the things coming together at once. Technology and Web3 and branding and marketing and gaming. What you need IRL for land management and building, you’ll also need in the Otherside. “Metaverse Architects”
16:37 - “Island” vs. Plots of land. Numbers. What’s coming. (overlaying some video)
19:08 - We don’t know a ton about Otherside yet. The roadmap is still not super clear (but enough to keep folks interested).
19:42 - We thought this was a couple years away.
20:01 - Interview with Nicole (Yuga CEO). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehw2iM0A5H4 // Otherside as more inclusive…trying to get the price point down.
26:25 - Experiential marketing IRL and, of course, in metaverses
27:28 - General market coverage of the Otherside?
28:27 - How can metaverses help people IRL? Impact Ape helping the world.
28:50 - Jesse setting up the concept of Impact Ape / Impact Island
30:19 - How big will these land sizes be?
31:25 - Think about your land like Disneyland, jumping between lands.
33:22 - Source of Will’s skepticism… Insular Yuga community? Or bigger than that?
34:38 - How do new things start? (Analogy from the Roadster)
37:50 - Amazement in how far Yuga has come in about a year.
39:38 - Contact to learn/discuss: https://twitter.com/jessebryan - https://twitter.com/wclittle - https://twitter.com/impact_ape
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) and I discuss the history of DAOHaus (https://daohaus.club/) and the upcoming release of the third version of the platform. We talk about how Spencer has been working full-time in DAOs for a couple years, how he began working with DAOHaus, the details of the new component-based platform and features, how people can contribute, why DAOs in general “matter”, and thoughts about ImpactDAOs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-105 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:32 - Tee-up for the introduction, how Spencer has been helpful to Will as he’s been getting into the DAO space.
2:19 - Spencer background, journey into working full-time with DAOs
3:34 - What is DAOHaus? https://daohaus.club/
5:14 - History of how Spencer got into working with DAOHaus. (including history working with https://www.raidguild.org/ )
6:24 - History of DAOHaus
10:15 - Merits of DAOHaus v2…and more information about v3 and how it is significantly different structurally (and beneficial for all).
17:27 - Will the components that are being built be only available for EVM chains? FYI - for those not familiar with what the EVM is, see → https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm
19:01 - Are the UI elements that will be available in V3 part of a low-code/no-code builder that DAOHaus is making? Or are they more like React components? (more the latter).
19:52 - Will there still be an app available in the V3 era that is similar to what https://daohaus.club/ is today?
21:10 - New features in V3 - including transferable governance tokens as a DAO grows.
25:32 - If people are interested in helping with DAOHaus, V3, supporting in some way, etc… how can they best do that?
27:24 - Can someone create their own website and use DAOHaus underlying components right now?
28:14 - Why do DAOs matter? How are they helping the world?
31:50 - Commentary on “ImpactDAOs” and that movement/language.
33:55 - Final words / thoughts from Spencer. His deep care for DAOHaus and what they are building. You can contact Spencer at https://twitter.com/spengrah and DAOHaus at https://twitter.com/nowdaoit
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Eric Chen (https://twitter.com/EricInjective) - co-founder of Injective (https://injective.com/) - and I talk about all-things Web3 and DeFi. Injective is an open interoperable smart contracts platform optimized for DeFi applications. We talk about Eric’s academic background in the cryptography space, the story behind Injective, design decisions for primitives that Injective is advancing, the CosmosSDK, the future of stablecoins in Web3, and the vision for Injective long-term.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-104 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:22 - Tee-up and background for the episode
1:54 - How Eric got into Web3
2:55 - What were the cryptography tricks that got Eric so excited about Web3? (Verifiable delay functions – see: https://eprint.iacr.org/2018/601.pdf)
6:06 - Where did Eric’s journey take him into DeFi and Injective?
8:44 - Injective 101: what is it? Why is it different? Who should use it? https://injective.com/
10:20 - MEV 101 - Miner Extractible Value - why does it matter? How is this accommodated for w/ Injective? See also: https://medium.com/citadel-one/injective-overview-a00ea7796f7b
12:32 - Transaction fees, clogging ETH mainnet; demand for blockspace. Free market vs. usability.
14:54 - Design decisions w/ Injective for the developers and users.
19:16 - Differences between AAM and an orderbook DEXes - primitives that Injective are building.
22:19 - Impressive underlying architecture of the CosmosSDK - recapping what we learned from collapses like Terra.
29:19 - The future of stablecoins
33:22 - The type of applications on Injective
37:24 - The types of developers that should build on Injective
38:41 - Best place to get a hold of Eric @EricInjective on Twitter (https://twitter.com/EricInjective) and https://injective.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Gary Raju (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-raju-a014865/) and I discuss how venture builders and investors should be thinking about the upcoming economic downturn. We talk about the role of a CFO in a growing company, an overall assessment of the market conditions globally and in the US, how new and existing entrepreneurs should prepare, how Web3/Crypto will play a role, and market areas that Gary is most excited about in the future.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-103 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:44 - Tee-up for the episode
2:05 - Gary introduction and background
2:35 - What is a CFO? How does the role change as a company grows?
3:21 - At what point does the CFO become an appropriate role in a growing startup?
4:30 - As a company scales, what are the day-to-day and quarter-to-quarter roles of a CFO?
5:47 - Overall assessment of the US and global economy…what is going on?
11:10 - How should established entrepreneurs think about the current and near-term future, given the economic climate?
15:32 - What should new entrepreneurs think about this upcoming recession?
19:55 - What does Gary think about Crypto/Web3?
23:15 - What does Gary think about DeFi (Decentralized Finance)?
26:00 - What are the spaces/markets that Gary is most interested in from an investor perspective?
29:13 - Final words / summary for the venture-builders/investors out there. 1. Don’t be overly concerned. 2. You can do it. 3. Prota Ventures is here to help.
30:28 - Where can people find Gary and continue the conversation? gary.ragu@protaventures.com // https://www.protaventures.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-raju-a014865/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Tela Andrews (https://www.linkedin.com/in/telaandrews/) and I discuss all-things crypto taxes, bridge-building with regulators around the world, and his company Fyn (formerly https://bear.tax). We talk about how an efficient tax system in Web3 is good for everyone, what regulators need to know, what retail investors should be thinking about regarding their tax strategies, and how operators of businesses - especially CFOs - can efficiently run their books with crypto.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-102 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:36 - tee-up for the episode / why we’re having the conversation
1:53 - Tela’s Web3 story; how he got into it.
3:01 - Focused on two things - 1) why/how is web3 good for the world? 2) What are the projects that are willing to play ball with regulators out there?
3:58 - Origin story of Fyn
6:05 - What prompted the name change from Bear Tax to Fyn?
7:23 - What do consumer/retail investors need to know about Crypto taxes? (the basics – for both people operating businesses and people investing in crypto)
11:05 - What do the average people out there need to stay to their accountants who may not be up to speed?
12:32 - Should people be talking to their accountants right now to take losses? (not financial advice)
14:13 - No wash sale rules in crypto?
15:33 - Could be some advantages for some people to take some losses right now.
16:05 - USA regulators - if all of congress were listening to this episode…what do they need to know?
19:02 - Lots of money lost in tax inefficiency (https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-case-for-a-robust-attack-on-the-tax-gap – $6B annually)
20:58 - What is the medium to long-term vision for Fyn?
24:26 - For the businesses / nonprofits out there - - what advice does Tela have for CFOs out there accepting and working in crypto?
26:27 - What inspires Tela about Web3? What kind of world does he want to see? (a more efficient economy)
29:40 - Importance of the problem that Fyn is tackling
30:08 - Building bridges vs. burning them.
30:57 - Final thoughts. An opportunity to create an entirely new way to cooperate with governments.
32:11 - A note for Web3 product managers – take note how the Fyn team has done what they’ve done.
32:45 - Where is a good place for people to follow up with Tela? https://www.linkedin.com/in/telaandrews/ // https://twitter.com/tela
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Michelle Schubert (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-schubert-92b259158/) and I discuss a “Web3 101” from her perspective as a relative newcomer to the space, and we talk about her work with International Literacy and Development (ILAD, https://ilad.ngo/). We learn about her story leading into development work, how her team’s upcoming “Stop the Extinction” NFT campaign is aiming to preserve languages all around the world, advice for those writing about and teaching Web3, and reflections from her attendance of Consensus 2022 in Austin, TX last week.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-101 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:28 - Michelle’s introduction and how/why she got involved with ILAD
4:34 - The four core competencies of ILAD: Agricultural development, educational development, business development, and human language technology.
6:24 - Human Flourishing - starting new businesses - why there are synergies between Prota Ventures and ILAD.
7:13 - How does ILAD use the academic literature to define Human Flourishing and measure impact? ILAD’s literature review link: https://ilad.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ILAD-Literature-Review-Teammate.pdf?x64096 // ILAD’s logic model: https://ilad.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ILAD-Organization-wide-Logic-Model-Top-Red-1.pdf?x64096
8:24 - ILAD’s tagline: “Local solutions to local problems” - a real-life story about this regarding ILAD’s work.
12:30 - The people doing the training are locals as well. A unique and inspiring model.
13:01 - Michelle’s Web3 journey, entrance into running NFT campaigns.
15:00 - Story from Consensus 2022 in Austin, TX.
17:10 - Web3 101 session - what is Web3?
19:46 - A problem that so much Web3 literature out there is too advanced / jargony.
20:58 - So many creators in the Web3 space - where are the users coming from?
21:35 - Web3 101 shotgun round: What are blockchains / DAOs / NFTs?
28:14 - Decentralized Finance
29:35 - What are the NFT campaigns that Michelle has planned for ILAD?
32:32 - Where will the money go? (into a DAO that works to preserve languages)
33:28 - What has Michelle’s entrepreneurial journey been like? Where is she on that journey?
34:52 - How is Michelle thinking about the marketing strategy for this campaign? Eric Ries - “don’t launch” // http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/2009/03/dont-launch.html
36:00 - When will there be a website? Where can people go right now to become more aware of it? Get connected to Michelle and ILAD → https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-schubert-92b259158/ // https://www.instagram.com/the_exploracious/ // https://ilad.ngo/
37:06 - What advice does Michelle have for those building, teaching, and writing about Web3?
38:40 - What does the future of ILAD look like? If a ton of money is raised for this NFT campaign, what is ILAD going to be doing with it over time moving forward?
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Veronica Satastume (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicalsagastume/) from Episode 81 graciously offered to interview me (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) to reflect on the initial 99 episodes. She asked me about the origin story of the show, what surprised me along the way, themes that were/are compelling (e.g. Web3) along the way, advice for others considering starting a podcast, and expanding the definition of entrepreneurship.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-100 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:04 - Quick tee-up from Will on this unique episode (not our typical intro) :)
0:35 - Veronica introduction to the episode. Turning the tables to interview Will about his experience starting and maintaining the show.
1:53 - Quick overview of Veronica’s firm (https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/)
2:26 - Origin story of the Ventures podcast? Why did you start a podcast? Quick background about Will, Prota Ventures, and the start of the show.
8:12 - Almost like becoming a bit of a matchmaker in the startup world….helping founders in every way possible.
8:53 - What has surprised you the most about starting a podcast?
11:30 - You probably had an idea originally about what the podcast would be – how did the result change? How did the first 99 episodes morph and change?
12:44 - Investing in Web3
13:14 - Providing educational services for listeners, helping folks not get left behind. Where does Will see the podcast going in the next 6-12 months?
15:20 - Will’s bachelor’s degree - went through interdisciplinary engineering - and leading into social impact via venture building/investing.
16:15 - For those thinking about starting a podcast, what advice does Will have for them?
18:28 - Watching the podcast on video also helps, builds a relationship with the speaker.
19:14 - One of Will’s first businesses was in long-tail SEO – parallels between getting the content out there and getting podcasts out there.
20:18 - Closing words for the audience. Opening up and evolving the definition of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs.
23:15 - Looking at the entrepreneurial world. Impact that COVID had to drive new forms of entrepreneurship. Follow Will on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/wclittle) // Also check out Veronica’s company if you are in need of financial services for your funded startup: https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Chase Merlin (https://twitter.com/ChaseMerlin) and I discuss product management in Web3, specifically how he is approaching his projects within InfoTokenDAO (https://twitter.com/infotokendao) and BanyanDAO (https://twitter.com/BanyanDAO). We talk about how Chase got into Web3, how product managers need to think about Web3 differently than Web2, how NFTs are used in InfoToken, how dynamic NFTs will be used within BanyanDAO to signal progress, how to get involved and help, and why Web3 matters in general for humanity.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-99 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:35 - Tee-up for the episode, i.e. this is part of an informal mini-series within this show on why Web3 matters
1:59 - Chase background: Web2 to Web3 product management, startups, growth teams, front-end flows, DeFi summer 2020, InfoToken, and BanyanDAO
3:07 - Product management: what is it in the Web2 world? What have Chase’s roles been like?
4:37 - Product management in Web3. Background on BanyanDAO (leveling-up Web2 product managers into Web3).
6:07 - More information about InfoToken (https://informationtoken.io/) https://twitter.com/infotokendao
8:10 - Is InfoToken capped at 100 people? (info about their scouts program)
9:00 - How were/are NFTs a part of InfoToken?
9:40 - InfoTokens were originally dropped for free. Who got access to them originally?
10:46 - Fascinating model using NFTs as a gated community, where the NFTs are originally dropped for free.
11:13 - More information about the type of work happening within InfoToken DAO.
12:25 - AMM on Optimism (explanation) → Product launch: https://twitter.com/VelodromeFi
15:30 - NFT project within BanyanDAO that Chase is leading. (Dynamic NFTs)
17:46 - Will these be Soul-Bound / Non-Transferable NFTs?
18:42 - What chain will these be issued on?
19:11 - How is Chase leading the DAO team to go through “the product management process” when working on this project?
21:57 - Will these NFTs be profile pics?
22:44 - For people in BanyanDAO - or not yet in - how can people help with this project? (If you aren’t a part of BanayanDAO yet, check out https://banyandao.xyz/)
24:00 - Call to action - jump into BanyanDAO’s discord server
24:38 - How is InfoToken operated as a DAO? What tooling is used?
25:17 - How are people compensated within InfoTokenDAO?
26:35 - Why does all this matter? Why does Web3 matter in Chase’s opinion?
28:42 - Where can people learn more about Chase, BanyanDAO, and VelodromeFi? https://twitter.com/ChaseMerlin // https://banyandao.xyz/ // https://twitter.com/VelodromeFi
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Josh Vitulli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-vitulli-71926415/) returns to the show to not only reflect on the last six months of the metaverse space, but how DAOs and NFTs can help humans flourish IRL (in real life). We talk about his recent article “Beyond Beeple and Bored Apes” (https://longtalestudios.substack.com/p/beyond-beeple-and-bored-apes), soul-bound NFTs, his leadership of Project Starling within BanyanDAO, a number of practical use cases for NFTs beyond what is normal today, and how all these technologies can (and should) be designed to tangibly make the world a better place.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-98 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:40 - Tee-up for the episode, with an eye toward how all the Web3 things can (and should) promote human flourishing globally.
2:25 - Introduction to Josh’s article of Beyond Beeple and Bored Apes → https://longtalestudios.substack.com/p/beyond-beeple-and-bored-apes // Different expressions of NFTs.
3:42 - Soul-bound NFTs (see also https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4105763 )
4:15 - The past of NFTs - clearly driven by greed and financial gain - but there are hints of something more.
5:10 - Bored Apes transitioned into a community play (token, metaverse, etc..) – and ape conservation efforts → https://redapes.org/bored-in-borneo/
7:00 - BanyanDAO https://www.banyandao.xyz - more details, April 29th training day, how to get access, more details about Josh’s project within BanyanDAO → “Starling”
10:36 - What has the process been like to seed the Starling idea in BanyanDAO and organize a group of people around the world through the DAO across multiple time zones.
15:20 - Previous episode (Ep74) Josh was on around Metaverses (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-74) // What has changed since then in the space?
17:54 - Gaming community is pushing the first wave of the metaverses.
21:59 - Walmart training their workers via VR → https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/virtual-reality-revolutionizes-walmart-training.aspx
22:27 - Coming back to Project Starling, how does Josh see the project helping people URL?
25:50 - Example of the algos pairing up teams to determine the best possible way/approach to accomplish something awesome IRL.
26:48 - How is Josh thinking about the authenticity of the trust network needed for Project Starling?
28:30 - How trust and trustlessness - trust in humans and trust in math - can affect positive change IRL.
32:29 - Final words from Josh on the overall theme of this episode. Hopes and aspirations of this technology.
34:02 - Where can people get a hold of Josh to continue the conversation? Best place → https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-vitulli-71926415/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Daniel Wilson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35) and I continue our conversation from last episode to dive into how Web3 can (and should) be used to help promote human flourishing. We talk about the basics of Web3, how creators can receive direct compensation for their work easily from anywhere in the world, the implications of programmable money for developing communities, the story behind Daniel’s startup (https://smartstream.app/), and how NFTs can be used to start all kinds of businesses and NGOs globally.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-97 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:49 - Quick recap of Part 1 of this conversation (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-96)
3:27 - Daniel’s Web3 story; how he got into it. His “ah ha” moment. Learning about DeSo, DAOs, and NFTs from the perspective of the developing world.
9:30 - Daniel receives a $50 USD tip for a simple post, in the country of Georgia.
11:47 - Quick Web3 101: What are blockchains? What are NFTs?
13:28 - What is a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)? // Daniel’s on-the-spot definition: “Cooperation by Code for a Common Cause”
14:35 - How does Daniel see Web3 as a mechanism to help humans flourish globally.
18:03 - All the different terms in Web3 should be talked about in a multi-disciplinary way. The mosaic of the disciplines is what makes Web3 so compelling.
19:50 - What is Daniel doing right now in the Web3 space? (Compassionate Innovation, human language technology).
21:14 - Daniel’s ideas in the Web3 payments space, based on programmable money. For example, payment for devices based on use (like a vending machine, but for many more types of devices).
23:40 - How does money flow happen right now to lower resourced communities around the world right now? Stories from Fintech. Story of ~57k retail shops in Bangladesh that can convert SMS money into fiat money.
25:49 - What are the cool things that can be done with programmable money to promote human flourishing? (Payment staking, improving remittances (remittances to earn), loyalty tokens, launching businesses with NFTs)
28:30 - Yuga labs bringing the Ethereum blockchain to a halt / imagine if launching your business was like this. Solving the cold start problem. Users can just sell their NFT when they are done with your product.
31:15 - The Internet of Things, when connected to streaming payments, can also incentivize behavior such as building better products to last.
33:01 - Helping the developing world if pay-to-use models allow better appliances and things to be built
35:55 - More about Daniel’s startup: SmartStream.
38:35 - (https://smartstream.app/) – can put in your email and check out the white paper
39:10 - Summarizing our Part 1 and Part 2 conversations here
40:25 - What really excites Daniel about the future of Web3 - more innovation that is compassionate. Whatever backs your currency is what you want to see more of in the world.
44:55 - Best way to get a hold of Brandon online to continue the conversation. Twitter: @danwils (academic) @geoframeai (web3 & smart stream) // Also: @_smartstream_ // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/ // email: daniel@smartstream.app
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Daniel Wilson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35) and I discuss his work with International Literacy and Development (ILAD, https://ilad.ngo/), specifically in the area of human language technology. We talk about the landscape of low-resourced languages that are unfortunately going extinct, why it’s important to preserve these language communities, and how technology can be used to develop languages and promote literacy. We also tee-up how Web3 will be able to accelerate literacy and development work worldwide, which talk about in more depth in Part 2 (which will be released next week).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-96 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:59 - Tee up for this episode, why “solving problems” has a lot more weight and importance for venture builders and investors in the developing world.
2:40 - Daniel’s background in compassionate innovation, human language technology, and ILAD.
3:43 - What is ILAD? (International Literacy and Development, more details)
4:42 - More about Daniel’s background and why he got into linguistics.
6:18 - Quick introduction to linguistics. Different types, approaches, etc…
8:14 - How do linguistics define what a language is vs. a dialect?
9:20 - Many languages are spoken by a small number of people and are going extinct. Where in the world are these languages? What kind of numbers are we talking about? What’s the life situation of these people? (Correction here from Daniel, the minority of languages are spoken-only, just over 3k of them: he incorrectly said “majority” in the show)
13:25 - Richness of preserving languages around the world. The importance of helping with language development and literacy.
15:03 - How many people around the world are in low-resourced language communities? Example from Arabic speakers / dialects.
17:11 - Human language technology (HLT) - what is Daniel working on to help humans flourish via HLT?
22:34 - What is the difference between a low-resource and a medium-resource language? How are these defined?
23:26 - Goal will be to get low-resourced languages to have 500k+ parallel sentences with other languages, then they can be used to train a model.
23:52 - How many high-resource languages are out there? (Correction: the actual number is around 20, Daniel said “less than 200”, so he was shooting high on that one off the top of his head)
25:03 - From a market understanding lens, what is the future of HLT?
26:54 - How many of the lower-resourced communities have access to power/electricity?
29:00 - Anything else that Daniel would add from a foundational perspective on this topic? Automated payments w/ cryptocurrencies - we’ll dive into this a ton more next week in Part 2).
32:08 - Where can people find Daneil and ILAD online? Twitter: @danwils (academic) @geoframeai (web3 & smart stream) // Also: @_smartstream_ // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/ // email: daniel@smartstream.app
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson) and I discuss the latest updates with BanyanDAO (https://www.BanyanDAO.xyz), scaling DAOs, and NFT strategies for product managers. We also talk about management and operations nuances in DAOs vs. traditional organizations, the Yuga Labs Otherdeeds drop last weekend, the phenomenon of dynamic NFTs that change based on interactions, and the steps you can take (and should take!) to get more involved with BanyanDAO.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-95 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:35 - Tee-up for the episode, continuing the conversation from Ep93 (https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-93).
1:57 - Quick background on Mike, and more about BanyanDAO (background, goals, mission, vision, and current status). West Africa twitter spaces for BanyanDAO → https://twitter.com/BanyanDao/status/1521615179976372226
3:09 - What is a DAO?
4:29 - Elections on the blockchain; types of uses for blockchains
5:09 - BanyanDAO pre-season and Season 1 commentary / description / projects
7:54 - More about the NFT project within BanyanDAO
8:17 - Internal teams to help scale DAOs; architecture discussion & approach
10:35 - Commentary about Saturday night’s Yuga Labs’ Otherside.xyz mint.
13:45 - Parallels between the NFT project in BanyanDAO with the Otherside / Otherdeed mint. Discussion about dynamic NFTs.
16:01 - NFTs as “apps” // Pondering exponential growth
17:37 - What is Mike looking forward to personally? What will he be working on within BanyanDAO? (and outside BanyanDAO?)
20:16 - Steps to take to get involved with BanyanDAO? https://banyandao.xyz/ // Discord: https://discord.gg/T7s7zGNan9
21:27 - Follow Mike at https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson and BanyanDAO https://twitter.com/BanyanDAO
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/JesseBryan) and I continue our conversation from episode 89 to discuss multiple aspects of NFTs and NFT clubs. We talk about the history of NFTs, the differences between Moonbirds, Crypto Punks and Bored Ape Yacht Club, the important nuances of intellectual property ownership and licensing, airdrops, community, “staking” of NFTs, cybersecurity, and thoroughly evaluating a team and their roadmap before deciding where to spend your time and money.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-94 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:54 - Tee up for the episode, recap of Part 1 (Ep 89), storytelling in organizations, introduction to the world of NFTs.
2:40 - Quick background on Jesse and his introduction take on NFTs // He believes the next billion dollar brands are going to come out of the NFT space.
3:45 - Background on Ethereum, ICOs originally, but NFTs started in 2017…Punks, Kitties, and then Apes didn’t launch until April 2021.
5:19 - History of NFTs from Jesse’s brand-building perspective
9:53 - What the Bored Apes did that the Crypto Punks didn’t (e.g. IP ownership)
12:00 - Tweet, minting a bored ape 1 year ago turned into the best investment of all time. https://twitter.com/JulianKlymochko/status/1516920342400450562
13:56 - NFTs are investing in a brand. You can essentially buy a brand name, like buying Radio Shack. “The most valuable real estate is the corner of someone’s mind” (John Hegarty quote)
16:30 - Status games / signaling w/ NFTs
18:22 - Summarizing the facets and layers of NFTs for entrepreneurs to be aware of. Networking benefits, status benefits, financial benefits, claims to airdrops, IP ownership, cooperation with other brands, and deal flow. None of this is new.
20:45 - Moonbirds. What are they? What just happened?
23:49 - NFT mint analogy to kickstarter; better when you already have an audience.
25:14 - Subgroups within NFT clubs, and subgroups of subgroups
25:35 - Jesse believes Quirkies is the strongest community in the NFT space. Examples of people helping each other out.
27:00 - Importance of understanding basic cybersecurity when diving into the NFT space.
27:10 - Recap of Moonbirds, why it seemed like a good investment (analysis from a VC perspective). Nesting. Problem of diluting the term “staking” https://cobie.substack.com/p/apecoin-and-the-death-of-staking
29:20 - How to teach entrepreneurs to use NFT clubs to help humans flourish
32:53 - Two pieces of advice that Will got early in his startup investing career:
36:20 - Typical investment model, comparing NFTs to traditional investments…e.g. is the team “known”? Is there real traction or just “fake” traction? What’s the roadmap?
39:20 - 5 Part Matrix when evaluating an investment. Team, Product, Market, Traction, Financial Model, https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-62
40:10 - Don’t silo your understanding in Web3. The multidisciplinary nature of DAOs, DeFi, Metaverses, NFTs, etc…
41:35 - APE Coin
43:14 - Where can people get a hold of Jesse to continue the conversation? https://twitter.com/JesseBryan
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson) and I talk about all-things BanyanDAO (https://www.BanyanDAO.xyz) and its upcoming April 29th Training Day event to teach Web3 product architecture, design, and management (https://www.banyandao.xyz/web3-product-manager-training-event). In this conversation we cover the history of BanyanDAO, how Mike has been helping to coordinate teams in a decentralized fashion within the organization, the difference between “Pre-season” and “Season 1”, the details of the upcoming event, and what outcomes/topics are most compelling to Mike as someone who is leveling up in Web3.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-93 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:29 - Intro and setup for the episode. Quick background and history of BanyanDAO from Will’s perspective.
4:24 - Background and history of BanyanDAO (and Web3 in general), from Mike’s perspective.
6:20 - Q4 2021 background and research that Will did on Web3 product management and DAOs (including many episodes here → https://satchel.works/@wclitlte/daos) // Difference between permissioned and permissionless DAOs. // See: DAOHaus.club // see also https://satchel.works/@wclittle/product-management
9:24 - How is Mike helping to coordinate 100+ smart people to get things done within BanyanDAO.
12:07 - More about BanyanDAO, vision/mission, naming design, etc…
12:39 - April 29, 2022 Training Day event details for learning Web3 product management (speakers, topics, etc.)
15:17 - Go to BanyanDAO.xyz to learn more about the DAO and the event, including different ways to pay for the event (including scholarships available) → https://www.banyandao.xyz/web3-product-manager-training-event
17:01 - What outcomes are expected for those attending the Training Day event?
18:25 - For people who are just learning about BanyanDAO for the first time, how do you get involved?
19:25 - Difference between “Pre-season” and “Season 1” in BanyanDAO
21:16 - How can DAOs best coordinate people who have limited time per week to participate?
23:49 - Small/simple mechanisms to participate in BanyanDAO, and how compensation happens via https://coordinape.com/
25:08 - Nobody can keep their own GIVE tokens, they have to give to receive.
26:29 - Other DAOs that BanyanDAO is working with / partnering with
27:49 - How can someone submit a proposal for a new project within BanyanDAO for Season 1?
29:50 - Of all the topics in the upcoming Training Day event, which ones are Mike most excited about?
31:25 - Where can people learn more about BanyanDAO & Mike (and find them on Twitter)? https://twitter.com/@BanyanDAO & https://twitter.com/@mikeyanderson
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Arvin Khamseh (https://twitter.com/arvinknft) and I discuss the NFT landscape in terms of current best practices for how to build and market to a community of buyers and evangelists. We talk about the wide variety of NFT use-cases, the importance of a compelling team and roadmap in an NFT project, and a number of extremely practical tips for how to market an NFT collection successfully based on Arvin’s impressive track record in the space.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-92 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:58 - Tee-up and background about NFTs and marketing them.
2:19 - Arvin background, history, and story getting into Web3.
3:51 - What was it about NFTs that captured Arvin? What was his “ah ha” moment?
6:32 - What are the various NFT use-cases that captured (and continue to capture) Arvin’s attention?
10:52 - What has captivated Will in the NFT space.
12:54 - What is Arvin’s advice for how folks can properly get the word out in this space?
19:21 - Clarity in NFT roadmaps and communication to buyers
24:00 - For those new to the NFT space, what is the history of “whitelisting” ? What is the marketing tactic here?
27:15 - Tracker bot that will measure levels in your discord server. See https://top.gg/tag/leveling
29:05 - What has Arvin seen out there regarding the best NFT projects out there?
34:14 - For people who want to continue the conversation with Arvin, what is the best way to get a hold of him? https://twitter.com/arvinknft // https://soldoutnfts.io/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Will Rush (https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-rush/) and I discuss his new startup, Stack (https://www.trystack.io/). Stack is all about promoting financial literacy and practical Web3/Crypto knowledge for investors under 18 years old. We talk about Stack’s five-point strategy of encouraging teens to consider long-term holding, diversification, periodic saving, engagement, and continual learning about the areas they are investing in. We also talk about NFTs, fixed-income products in DeFi, and general advice for teens looking for side hustles and entrepreneurial success.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-91 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:09 - Intro/background for Will and his journey thus far
4:34 - What’s the origin story for Stack?
6:09 - What is Stack?
10:38 - The five approaches: (1) Long term holding, (2) diversification, (3) periodic saving, (4) engagement, and (5) learning
11:14 - For the quizzes / engagement, how is Stack approaching this? What is the revenue model for Stack?
12:15 - Foundations from various networks/L1s have money to invest into (or grant money to) companies like Stack. Also, the importance of basic financial literacy.
14:20 - Importance of the product to be non-cost-prohibitive. For the price of a cup of coffee per month this service can be used.
15:08 - Pulling in content from Web3 and other places. 20% about financial basics and 80% about Web3/Crypto.
16:07 - What does engagement UX look like on Stack?
18:22 - Are NFTs part of this?
19:33 - How are users receiving rewards on Stack?
20:40 - By playing video games (many types), kids are learning a ton of applicable life skills. Blowback against NFTs from the gaming community. (more commentary about NFTs)
22:26 - Forward-thinking NFT groups. How Stack can think about NFTs moving forward. Yuga labs commentary.
24:00 - Long-term/periodic savings. Fractional node providers for the upcoming Beacon chain. Staking as a fixed-income product. Liquidity pools. Superfluid staking.
27:42 - Importance of learning about the top 20 chains. Rollups/sidechains. Potential for a panel discussion on this w/ Stack.
28:52 - Diversification. Limited number of coins to start on Stack, but this will grow.
30:21 - Different types of coins. Will stablecoins be on there?
30:59 - Long-term holding on the Stack platform
31:50 - Overall value proposition of Stack. What does Stack mean about “side hustle”?
33:41 - What is it about Web3 that is so compelling to Will?
35:31 - Audience as entrepreneurs, often younger / on Reddit, etc…. Final words for entrepreneurs. Importance of being a great listener and having the courage/resilience to get past the hard times.
38:51 - Go to trystack.io and get on the waiting list. App comes out in April. iOS is the start. 90% of the Stack audience has an iPhone.
39:45 - Thoughts/reflections as a parent of teens.
40:22 - Ambassador program that Stack is going to provide…helping teens get experience to be able to get their first internship. https://www.trystack.io/ambassadors
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Dr. Alexandra Sims (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sims-833a8123/) and I talk about various academic and practical operational nuances of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). Alex wrote her PhD thesis last year on DAOs (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3971228), and in this episode we talk about the various types of DAOs, jurisdiction issues, voting and governance mechanisms, and advice for new on-chain organizations forming today to learn lessons from previous DAOs and traditional decentralized organizations that existed long before blockchains.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-90 for MUCH more detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:12 - Intro to the episode / general setup and motivation
3:02 - Alex intro / background in law, academia, Crypto/Web3, and DAOs in particular.
9:14 - Differences between a proto-DAO, pseudo-DAO, and actual DAO
12:16 - What are the things to look out for to recognize when DAOs aren’t quite decentralized yet. What is a healthy path to true decentralization for a DAO?
16:30 - How would Alex update her overall recommendation for legal/corporate setup for DAOs - and how they work - since her PhD thesis was published in May 2021.
18:11 - Brief introduction to Prota Ventures; why they are curious about when to recommend founders go the DAO vs. traditional route. Will - as a Managing Director of Prota Ventures - was compelled to practice it himself with BanyanDAO. (Background, motivation, and operations for BanyanDAO).
23:55 - How would Alex comment on the formation and incentive structure for BanyanDAO? (Recognition that the process has been indeed different and admirable…the importance of harnessing the power of community).
26:12 - For those interested in the power of DAOs outside of pump-and-dump schemes, “how are we going to get things done”? Is it possible to harness the power of a community to do something great with DAO mechanics?
31:04 - Importance of having practical experience about how to lead/manage a group of people.
31:38 - Voting mechanisms - Quadratic voting - explanation of the various types of voting, including conviction voting.
38:49 - Recap of voting types, plus a conversation about governance tokens.
40:00 - If Alex were to start a DAO that, say, was trying to build a product - how would she do it? How would she architect it?
43:10 - Who gets to decide who gets to be on teams in DAOs? How would Alex guide new DAOs to setup these teams? (An analysis of existing civil structures)
46:25 - Balance between self-assessment and community approval. Elections. And removals. What are principles to guide people building DAOs?
52:04 - Final words / final thoughts about this space from Alex. It’s not all about the online world; people are using it to coordinate - for example - natural resources. “Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and modern technology” // Best way to get a hold of Alex. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sims-833a8123/ // https://twitter.com/alexsims101
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jesse Bryan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessebryan/) and I discuss the power of storytelling when leading an organization of people. This conversation dives into not only how a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) can reinforce vision and mission with story, but also how traditional corporations can (and should) conduct themselves when interacting with customers. We talk about how a Commodity + Story = Product, how to keep the main thing the main thing, how stories + status are the two pedals of moving an organization forward cohesively, and how/why to tell stories in conversational language as a business.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-89 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:51 - Jesse quick intro / background
2:43 - Why is it so hard for companies to tell the truth (about what they believe) and prove it with their marketing?
4:55 - An underlying optimism that companies have a magic (that they may or may not be aware of). How would Jesse summarize his learnings the past decade working with CEOs to help them communicate their brand and messaging?
8:54 - Promise of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) to unlock corporate energy and passion. Ikigai - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai - Future of work. Fairness & transparency.
10:47 - What can DAOs learn from storytelling in cohesion (the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing)? Lessons from how organizations fail.
14:14 - How does a DAO keep the main thing the main thing? (lesson from Johnson and Johnson)
18:34 - Advice for entrepreneurs that start out with one vision, then a pivot happens, then lots of opportunity happens….how do you navigate storytelling/leadership/messaging here? (How you do something matters as much as what you do)
25:20 - Commodity + Story = Product
27:50 - Harai’s thesis in Sapiens (book) - AND, people tell stories to move data around. Stories make the world move.
30:39 - The two pedals aren’t product and marketing, It’s story and maintenance w/ status. People use fancy words to overcomplicate things they don’t understand. Ways to maintain tribes and societies (gossip to status).
33:10 - How can this “status and story” play out in “sense and respond” DAOs? First act sets up a good ending. The story needs to be reinforced / recommunicated every 90 days.
37:13 - DAOs have an opportunity to look at history - extract the best from history and tell stories to reinforce the narrative.
40:08 - The power of story doesn’t need to be reinforced via command and control. It can be done via sense and response. “People like us, do things like this”. Learning from how you “normally talk to people” and then building your storytelling around that.
43:03 - Short-term vs. long-term thinking when building brands.
47:27 - How can people continue the conversation w/ Jesse? Twitter is best: https://twitter.com/JesseBryan
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jameeleh Shelo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameelehshelo/) and I discuss NFTs from the perspective of the traditional art community. In short, NFTs are shaking things up and freaking everyone out, even though the market has recently cooled off (relatively speaking). We talk about what NFTs are, why they have been so trendy the last year, how regulators should think about them, and how new markets and metaverses are going to open up many more opportunities for entrepreneurs - and use cases - than we can possibly imagine today
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-88 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:48 - Tee-up and motivation for the episode
2:20 - Jameeleh intro, background, and experience in the mainstream art community
3:09 - What is an NFT?
4:20 - Why did NFTs become so popular?
8:26 - Different types of “Tastemakers” in different industries. Is it a good thing that “Tastemakers” are being challenged?
11:52 - Why are people spending 7-8 figures “buying JPEGs” ?
13:55 - A need for the “GeoCities for NFTs”, things to watch out for in NFT land, (“Line goes up” video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g)
15:33 - The good, bad, and the ugly of NFTs
18:28 - Always assume you are getting scammed. Buyer beware.
20:59 - Increasing or decreasing value as people copy/paste these around (and get NFTs up in, say, Times Square)
22:30 - Three things that caught Will’s eye/attention around NFTs: (1) Artists to sell their own art, (2) to pump social causes, (3) to pump business.
24:42 - Music and photography NFTs
28:55 - Call-to-action, make a multi-chain NFT gallery, build the protocols.
31:12 - NFTs as collective middle-fingers to the traditional art establishment
31:39 - NFT analogy to what the Suicide Girls were up to back in the day.
32:35 - New markets being created everywhere in the metaverse, games, etc…
33:44 - White house executive order addressing digital currencies https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/09/executive-order-on-ensuring-responsible-development-of-digital-assets/
34:20 - Value of cryptocurrencies for increasing income around the world, and how regulators should think about it.
36:39 - Final words from Jameeleh. 1. Be careful, 2. If you are creating anything right now, turn it into an NFT. :)
37:40 - Best way to get a hold of Jameeleh? Email: Jameeleh [at] protalabs.com.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Chase Thompson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasejthompson/) and I talk about the Play-to-Earn space, how to build in Web3 as a product manager and entrepreneur, and his story building https://arena.gl. We dive into topics such as Web3 gaming, token models, DAOs, NFTs, the types of games that can be played on Arena, the next waves in Web3 that are coming for entrepreneurs to take advantage of, and how to practically dive into Web3 to learn more and start building.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-87 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:30 - Tee-up and background/motivation for the conversation
1:59 - Chase’s background, story into Web3 and Arena.
5:28 - Introduction to the “X-to-earn” landscape
8:30 - More about Axie Infinity as the major Play-to-Earn player
10:30 - What is the origin story of Arena.gl?
13:04 - Will’s small background in gaming
15:20 - Web3 controversy in gaming - some folks don’t want crypto in their games
18:45 - Who is the target audience for Arena.gl?
19:42 - What problem is Arena solving for the community managers?
21:37 - What’s the pitch from the community managers to the gamers in their communities? What do the token models look like?
24:28 - More about BanyanDAO - training Web2 managers to become Web3 product managers. Lessons learned from Arena.gl.
30:00 - Taking a step back - for those outside the gaming community, what does Arena.gl do? Play to earn for any game.
31:45 - What types of games are applicable?
32:37 - Chess as an example – a sub-battle on Arena.
33:40 - What is the most complex gaming faceoff that Arena has handled?
35:25 - Does it work with card games? Casino gaming? Hold ‘em?
37:18 - What else is in the future for Arena? What’s on the roadmap that Chase is excited about?
39:22 - What does Chase think are the next waves in Web3 where the community could use entrepreneurs to build new products/services?
42:28 - Come check out https://arena.gl/ // https://twitter.com/ArenaGL // Contribute to a DAO (e.g. https://www.banyandao.xyz/) // Learn Solidity from https://austingriffith.com/ // https://learn.figment.io/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Angela Angelovska-Wilson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-angelovska-wilson-38600a1/), Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/), and I discuss three major issues with DAOs: (1) operational governance structures, (2) legal and jurisdiction issues, and (3) various types of incentives for founders and participants in DAOs. For informational purposes only, we talk specifically about our experience launching BanyanDAO (https://www.banyandao.xyz/), how Angela advises DAOs from a legal perspective given her background and extensive professional experience in the space, and how DAOs design incentive models. More than just financial incentives (which are, of course, important), DAOs should clearly communicate with their communities about the unique opportunity of learning/building together as a scaled and decentralized team from the start.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-86 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
3:29 - More info about the episode setup: Operational governance, various legal structures, and different types of incentives.
4:37 - Mike shares more background of what we’ve done with BanyanDAO thus far.
6:08 - Angela shares more background about how she’s approaching the DAO space with her legal background.
8:40 - What excites Will (and others) about DAOs is that it unlocks passion in a community setting to build together.
10:08 - Operational Governance from Mike’s perspective. Front-row seat into BanyanDAO. What’s that been like?
12:04 - Operational Governance in DAOs from Angela’s perspective.
14:13 - Crawl/walk/run when launching a DAO. Discord, then Coordinape (for giving each other tokens), then DAOHaus (to manage proposals and treasury).
16:00 - How do we help encourage appropriate self-assessment, management, DE&I, and performance?
20:42 - Call-to-action for experienced leaders to step up and help with BanyanDAO, and for new leaders to learn how to lead from experienced leaders.
21:58 - DAO legal considerations.
26:33 - What should DAOs be thinking about when hiring legal counsel?
29:36 - Alexandra Sims’ PhD Thesis: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3971228 // And Will’s notes on it: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/phd-thesis-on-daos-summary-and-reflections
30:00 - All kinds of new legal structures being built for DAOs - how should DAO founders talk with their attorneys about the various entity types?
33:44 - Incentives. Financial and non-financial. How should DAO founders/participants think about these? BanyanDAO is all about Human Flourishing.
37:07 - Maybe at some point in the future the value of treasury tokens and governance tokens could go up, but that is TBD.
39:15 - How has Mike been thinking about the various types of incentives? (Thinking about it like a video game)
40:31 - Nuts and bolts of what BanyanDAO is doing with Coordinape and DAOHaus.
42:10 - How is Mike thinking about future incentive structures with BanyanDAO?
43:28 - Vision for BanyanDAO, training Web3 product people. Different things that BanyanDAO can do in the future. Join BanyanDAO on Discord → https://discord.gg/T7s7zGNan9
In this episode of Ventures, my guests David Harding (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveh003/), Solomon Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/) and I discuss all-things identity and data sovereignty leading up to - and within - the present Web3 era. We tee-up a framework to think about identity verification and data warehousing, cryptocurrencies vs. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), Identity Assurance Levels (IALs), Presentation Attack Detection (PAD), and how to think about building Web3 applications with a realistic hybrid of both centralized and decentralized identity verification and control services.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-85 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
5:16 - Sol introduction of self-sovereign identity and sovereign control of data
8:19 - David introduction of identity and technology… “Identity 101” based on David’s extensive background in the space.
11:49 - Username/password problem that birthed a whole industry of “password management”
12:32 - What does this conversation matter for humanity?
14:46 - SSI (self-sovereign identity opens up new opportunities for people
15:41 - Will’s business accounts getting closed, likely because of his involvement in Web3
18:24 - Where are we going? Are Solomon and David feeling optimistic or pessimistic? Why?
25:02 - How is a CBDC different than traditional ways that Central Banks print currency? Coming back to trust, where data sits, and decentralization.
27:42 - Difference between “connect to wallet” in Web3 and showing up to, say, an airport.
28:36 - What is the state of the tech today for the TSAs of the world to prove that “you are you”.
33:30 - For the TSA, the physical driver’s license or passport doesn’t - in theory - matter. What matters is the “thing” (QR code or whatnot) that can pull up a database.
35:30 - Is it a good thing to build a decentralized database of identity? When would you build on top of centralized vs. decentralized databases?
38:42 - Reality is a hybrid. Decentralized data on blockchains we trust AND data sitting in centralized datacenters we trust.
40:08 - Social media companies as “identity management companies” that provide social media services. They will sell it to anyone willing to pay.
43:30 - Multiple levels of identity verification (IAL levels) → https://ldapwiki.com/wiki/Identity%20Assurance%20Level
46:15 - Is the common IAL level 2 mechanisms legit? Why is this important for venture building?
51:30 - Signing up for exchanges with a photo of my face and the date. A brief discussion about liveness technology. PAD Levels https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/presentation_attack_detection
54:00 - Pay to x models. What can/should be used when building today to verify one account = one human?
1:00:31 - Create a one-account-per-human experience, and don’t create it yourself. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel of cryptography.
1:01:43 - Creation and verification and continual authentication of data, depending on use case and security requirements.
1:03:23 - What are Solomon/David working on now? Where can people follow up? https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveh003/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Linda Olson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-olson-cpc-cfa-55885858/), Laura Yunger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurayunger/), and I discuss the often-overlooked value of people and communication alignment when when building and investing in businesses. This is an episode I wish I had 20+ years ago when starting out my entrepreneurial career. Based on their extensive experience coaching and investing in entrepreneurs, Laura and Linda also talk frankly about how to avoid burnout and stay maximally healthy with your team.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-84 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:46 - Tee-up for the motivation for this episode
2:36 - Linda introduction and background
4:55 - Laura introduction and background
7:59 - For the audience (entrepreneurs and investors), a lot of the questions are around “How do I form, communicate with, and rally a team”?
12:43 - Fundamentally it’s about: 1. Set a vision/mission, and 2. From the start, invite a wide range of diversity onto the team. Question: what do you do if good communication and diversity isn’t in place in an existing business?
18:55 - What are the questions/topics/problems that Laura and Linda are thinking about these days as it relates to venture building/investing. (Human connection & flourishing…”what do you want your legacy to be”...”what is success to you?”)
23:14 - Importance of getting “the people stuff” right, hard to hear when younger in your career, but so incredibly important.
25:30 - For the 20yr-old listening in, what are we trying to drive home for their generation in terms of the value of relationships and communication?
28:25 - More about GEEK values at Prota (Generosity, Empathy, Excellence, and Kindness). Jim Collins → BE 2.0: https://www.amazon.com/BE-2-0-Beyond-Entrepreneurship-Business/dp/0399564233 // and Good to Great: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996
31:22 - How to avoid burnout
37:17 - Final thoughts - importance of the founder team / dynamics / etc.. value of compassion.
40:44 - Where can people find Linda and Laura online? https://www.mandladvisors.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-olson-cpc-cfa-55885858/ // https://www.protaventures.com // https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurayunger/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Priya Baveja (https://www.linkedin.com/in/priya-baveja/), Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/), Jake Varghese (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-varghese-498335/) and I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) talk about Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) structure, governance, incentives, and participation. We are a subset of founders currently launching BanyanDAO (https://banyandao.xyz/), which is growing a community of Web3 entrepreneurial leaders to promote human flourishing. Our first training event - to level up Web2 product managers into Web3 - will be in April 2022 (exact dates TBA). For more details and to participate, join us in our Discord server (https://discord.gg/bYnxySgw34) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/BanyanDAO).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-83 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:56 - Tee-up and background/motivation for the episode & BanyanDAO
5:28 - What is a DAO?
7:58 - Why DAOs are not simple to define. Institution vs. Organization
11:12 - the DAO/Web3 spirit of coming together to build something as a collective to make the world a better place
11:56 - How are we thinking about incentives in BayanDAO?
15:44 - Brief history of BayanDAO from Will’s perspective. How and why it came together.
18:16 - Mike/Priya/Jake’s story/motivation for forming and being in the DAO
21:22 - Invitation to join BanyanDAO. Help bring clarity. Discord can be confusing. Modes of communication / learning best practices for DAO communication. A community of DAO of DAOs.
22:30 - Meaning for web3 beyond [adjective] [animal] NFT clubs.
24:00 - Initial compensation model and token nuances for BanyanDAO. Using https://coordinape.com/ - GIVE token dynamics.
27:10 - Building a DAO in a repeatable way. A great opportunity to learn how to build a DAO
27:52 - Origin of the name BanyanDAO
29:00 - What projects are Mike/Jake/Priya working on? // First project: event upcoming in April to train Web 3 product managers.
30:37 - Is there a date set yet for this?
31:06 - An invitation to everyone to join us for this upcoming event.
31:21 - Mike’s project: working on how to collaborate as a team.
32:25 - The balance between idealism of DAOs (“it will magically work”) and burning out / tragedy of the commons.
34:14 - The four modules of our upcoming event in April.
36:20 - What is the vision for the capstone (module 4).
37:39 - The training event will be on a weekend (saturday and sunday)
37:55 - Intent for the capstone
39:16 - Avoiding tragedy of the commons.
41:00 - Bringing order to chaos, seeing outcomes happen will make things clearer.
43:31 - Final thoughts.
45:02 - Coming back to the purpose: human flourishing.
45:25 - Where can people find Mike/Priya/Jake/Will online to continue the conversation? https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson, https://twitter.com/PBaveja, https://twitter.com/jakevarghese, https://twitter.com/wclittle
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Lindsey T. H. Jackson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-t-h-jackson/) and I discuss the journey of anti-racism and anti-oppression work in ourselves, in venture capital, and in startup ecosystems. We discuss the nuances of dismal representation numbers in venture; how to approach Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) conversations in the workplace and beyond; how to develop a regular practice to self-reflect, define your community, and “fail fast” on your own anti-racism journey; and how to encourage others to consider embarking on the journey themselves.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-82 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
3:18 - Lindsey’s introduction, background, brief story, about LTHJ Global (https://lthjglobal.com/)
10:30 - What got Lindsey into DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) consulting work?
13:30 - DEI & anti-racism work as intriguing to all entrepreneurs (it’s about collecting and responding to data, to work safer and smarter)
14:34 - Will’s journey coming from graduate work in a bioengineering lab, gathering and responding to data, influence from Dr. Viola Vogel as he got into venture building & investing.
17:13 - Common references to The Matrix in DEI work, why people ignore data, and listening to the market.
20:20 - Companies that make great products are made up of people. Importance of unlocking greatness in people.
20:56 - More diverse companies perform better. (Check out: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-numbers-dont-lie-diverse-workforces-make-companies-more-money-2020-07-30)
21:56 - Unlearning racism; reflections from Will’s personal journey
23:54 - How does Lindsey start the conversation without triggering people who think differently?
28:30 - “Calling in” (instead of calling out)
29:19 - Shockingly bad statistics regarding diversity in venture (see: https://www.wired.com/story/vc-pledged-better-diversity-its-barely-changed)
30:24 - “Do a count in a given day: How many people do you engage with that are outside of your intersectional identity”
30:57 - Identity as “Black”
32:52 - Dismal numbers in terms of percent of VC dollars going to businesses owned by black women.
36:04 - Cognitive diversity
36:29 - Recommended next steps to begin an anti-racism journey
47:32 - For people on their anti-racism/anti-oppression journey, what is Lindsey’s recommended way to talk about this with others and/or publicly?
51:15 - By the age of 5, black and brown children experience racism 5x/day, which increases in frequency as they get older.
51:11 - “How do I know I’m moving forward?”
54:00 - Consider the venture of anti-racism. Consider unlearning racism as joyful and freeing.
56:05 - By nature, anyone who considers themselves an entrepreneur is well poised to unlearn racism.
56:46 - Lindsey’s work: https://lthjglobal.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-t-h-jackson/ // Reach out and book her for a speaking gig // Subscribe to learn more about her upcoming book “Unlearning Racism” → http://eepurl.com/htLZyv
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Veronica Sagastume (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicalsagastume/) and I talk about all-things startup finance and accounting. From the perspective of what founders need to know, this episode ended up being a crash course in the various high-level aspects of bookkeeping, accounting, controller work, fractional CFO work, tax prep, legal considerations, and finance operating suggestions. Veronica’s firm (https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/) works with funded, early stage startups and she makes a compelling pitch for why you should seriously consider hiring a firm rather than individuals in the early stages of your funded business.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-81 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:47 - Veronica introduction and background, story, and what she does now.
5:46 - What’s the “Finance 101” for startups and when should founders hire help?
11:48 - Last ~5min of conversation is worth re-listening to, but - first question - what is GAAP accounting? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gaap.asp
13:45 - Will Xero or Quickbooks online help entrepreneurs with the basics of GAAP accounting?
16:14 - Suggested order of hires – Veronica suggests hiring a firm and growing into them.
19:14 - Analogy of someone doing a large remodel or construction project.
20:09 - Traction and having the cash is key so you can hire a proper finance and accounting firm.
22:38 - Lessons after 15+ years in the startup space. If you can hire a firm, do it.
23:12 - Importance of having a regular monthly meeting to go over your books. Quick lesson on the P&L (income statement), balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
28:00 - Amazing to have a group that can get you finished books quickly after the beginning of the month.
31:50 - Coming back to the overall framework: bookkeeping, controller, accounting, “CFO stuff” - does Veronica’s firm do all this? Even tax prep?
33:52 - The role of controller. What does it look like working with Veronica’s firm from the role of the controller.
37:14 - Prepping a company for an exit strategy / data room
41:37 - Data rooms
42:40 - How Veronica’s firm builds data rooms from scratch as they go.
43:20 - How should founders think about finance best practices to be properly compliant.
46:50 - “CFO stuff”
53:03 - Tax prep strategies // what should founders be looking for to ensure their firm is doing the right things?
44:33 - Early November tax strategy meeting / how to work with the tax prep folks?
59:00 - What are the types of things that Veronica will bring in the expert accounting / legal folks?
1:00:41 - Stock options vs. RSUs? https://smartasset.com/investing/stock-options-vs-rsu
1:01:37 - Where can people find Veronica’s firm online? https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/
1:03:28 - Smart use of Loom videos (https://www.loom.com/).
1:04:50 - About Will (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) and Prota Ventures (https://www.protaventures.com). Special focus on idea to pre-seed.
1:09:00 - When is the right time to talk to Fortified Accounting?
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Alex Zub (https://twitter.com/theAlexZub), Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah), and I talk about the details of day-to-day “DAO life” on DAOHaus (https://daohaus.club/). We talk specifically about how Raid Guild (https://www.raidguild.org/) - a services DAO - manages proposals, escrow, billing, and bridges to the traditional finance system. We also talk about short-term and long-term financial incentives for DAO founders/participants, how DAOs can quickly raise funds and manage risk/assurance/trust, and how newcomers to DAOs can/should think about how to participate to create maximum value for themselves and their communities.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-80 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:38 - Background and tee-up for the conversation; Alex has a bunch of questions about Raid Guild and we figured we’d record it for everyone’s benefit.
3:20 - Alex intro / background (full-stack engineer, turned management)
5:50 - Spencer’s description: “What is a DAO?” (From “group chat w/ a bank account” to more) - plus, information about how Raid Guild splits their revenue (90% to team, 10% to treasury)
11:08 - Is there a founder of Raid Guild? How did the letting go of control happen? How did Raid Guild Start?
13:04 - Showing the dashboard of the Raid Guild DAO on DAOHaus
14:49 - When someone new joins, does that create new shares?
16:30 - Seeing the list of members in Raid Guild
17:30 - Is there such a thing as a partial rage quit? (i.e. sell part of his shares).
18:14 - What are all the types of proposals that people can propose in DAOHaus DAOs?
20:50 - Smart escrow https://smartescrow.raidguild.org/
22:25 - How does a proposal outcome get enforced / QA control?
23:02 - Guild kick (booting someone out)
23:40 - Assurance for client and service provider via escrow-type services on-chain
24:12 - Smart invoice https://smartinvoice.xyz/
26:39 - Court on-chain (LexDAO, Kleros Court, etc..)
29:20 - How to deliver a project w/ scope in tranches using Smart Invoice
31:34 - Advantage of a service DAO, Raid Guild in particular.
33:35 - Long-term economic incentives for moloch-type DAO participants.
36:55 - What are loot shares?
37:29 - If a DAO decides to allow their shares to be transferable - the peg to a specific value would go away.
40:20 - Besides pegging a token to governance, what other types of tokens are there? https://satchel.works/@wclittle/a-primer-on-blockchains-protocols-and-token-sales (Utility token, work token, etc…)
42:45 - Yeeting (easy way to raise funds for a DAO) → https://twitter.com/nowdaoit/status/1483463413464502277
44:20 - Off-chain to on-chain bridging - web3 to traditional - does Raid Guild work w/ “off-chain” customers?
46:11 - Off-chain operations for raid guild via a standard reimbursement policy
47:00 - Where can people find Alex and Spencer to continue the conversation? https://twitter.com/theAlexZub & https://twitter.com/spengrah
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Liz Sweigart (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizsweigart/, PhD in Organizational Leadership) and I discuss the differences between a DAO and a traditional startup in terms of starting, organizing, and leading. We talk about trust vs. relating, identity considerations in DAO communities, positive vs. exploitative transactions of value, and qualitative vs. quantitative measurement of success. If you would like to join us as we explore starting a DAO together, check out https://www.redpilldao.xyz/ and our Discord server (https://discord.gg/PvtMZf6yws).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-79 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:38 - Liz intro and background/motivation for this conversation; general commentary on risk/reward and value creation.
3:56 - Differences between starting and leading a traditionals startup vs. starting a DAO.
9:17 - What advice does Liz have for founders of DAOs, specifically for their first steps? (a question of identity; who are “we”, core values, purpose, qualitative vs. quantitative meaning, etc..)
12:47 - Identity and purpose paradigms in DAOs vs. traditional startups.
15:12 - How should founders of DAOs think about establishing trust (“transactional” doesn’t need to be negative; inspired vs. compelled; positive or exploitative; relating vs. trusting).
19:57 - How can people follow up w/ Liz? https://lizsweigart.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizsweigart/ // https://www.redpilldao.xyz/
For additional podcasts on DAOs on this show (and articles/writing from Will), see: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/web3
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/ | wclittle.eth) recorded a monologue about my perspectives on “why” Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) matter. I also talk practically about how you can create NFTs on https://opensea.io/ and other NFT marketplaces, and how to participate in DAOs. In fact, I helped launch Red Pill DAO (https://redpilldao.xyz/) over the holiday break with the express purpose to help each other learn Web 3, practice "on-chain" governance, and create/join other DAOs to build a better Internet together. Feel free to join our discord here → https://discord.gg/PvtMZf6yws
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-78 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Additional links/notes:
- Why Web3 Matters for Human Flourishing: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/why-web3-matters-for-human-flourishing
- PhD Thesis by Alexandra Sims on DAOs: "Decentralised Autonomous Organisations: Governance, Dispute Resolution and Regulation" https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3971228
- Crypto Theses for 2022: https://messari.io/pdf/messari-report-crypto-theses-for-2022.pdf
- https://rarible.com/
- https://www.larvalabs.com/cryptopunks
- https://nbatopshot.com/
- https://satchel.works/@wclittle/web3
- https://metamask.io/
- https://solanart.io/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Natalie Grummer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegrummer/), Perry Azevedo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryazevedo/), and I talk about the launch of https://www.EnneagramNFTs.com // We talk about the background, motivation, vision, and artistic/technical details of the project, including the setup of https://www.EnneagramDAO.com, a new Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) dedicated to teaching people about the Enneagram - and supporting Enneagram coaches & artists - to promote human flourishing.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-77 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:17 - Natalie intro
2:39 - Perry intro
2:54 - Background: what is EnneagramNFTs? What are NFT clubs?
6:01 - Natalie reflections on the initial phone call about the project
6:47 - Perry reflections on the technical side of spinning up the NFT collection (ht: https://github.com/HashLips/hashlips_art_engine)
8:48 - What is Web 3? What are NFTs?
10:40 - What is the Enneagram? See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality and https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/
11:49 - What are the 9 Enneagram types?
14:35 - Associated Enneagram animal types
17:15 - The vision of EnneagramDAO and supporting artists + Enneagram coaches.
19:44 - What has Natalie been doing the last week to help build EnneagramNFTs?
20:50 - Perry shares screen - seeing the outline of the Enneagram background. Brief description of how each type leans toward other numbers in health and stress.
22:30 - Perry walking through the layers of the otter (7s)
24:16 - One of the visions for the DAO, i.e. additional collections from artists will be used to fuel the DAO and support the artist.
26:00 - Look for EnneagramNFTs at https://www.EnneagramNFTs.com, https://twitter.com
Find previous episodes and descriptions of Web3 at https://satchel.works/@wclittle/web3
Previous episode w/ Natalie: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-5
Previous episode w/ Perry: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-35
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) recorded a ~10min monologue about my own reflections on recent tweets from Jack Dorsey (https://twitter.com/jack/status/1473139010197508098) and Elon Musk (https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1473165434518224896, which Jack then responded to). The basic criticism is that “Web 3.0” is essentially owned and pumped by venture capitalists (VCs) and that no real noticeable value has yet been created for humanity. I begin my reflections by talking about self-sovereign identity and decentralized finance, and then talk about the promise of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). A future where individuals can own, govern, and have autonomy over their own value-creation, DAOs that promote social causes, and DAOs that fuel a new generation of venture building….this is a future that I can get behind and support. Yes, VCs will make money, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the vision they are helping to create is a bad thing.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-76 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Notes from the monologue:
-
My previous articles/podcasts/newsletters on Web 3: https://satchel.works/@wclittle
-
Follow the conversation threads from the twitter links above to learn how others in Web 3 are responding to the criticism.
-
It’s important to understand that Jack himself is supporting Web 3 via https://blueskyweb.org/ // “Our mission is to develop and drive the adoption of technologies for open and decentralized public conversation.” – He, obviously, may not use the term “Web 3”, but the future he is building fits at least my definition of Web 3.
-
Mega article on NFTs: https://medium.com/coinmonks/nfts-101-why-nfts-are-a-generational-innovation-4626ae803e3b
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Crystal Berger (https://www.expertbookingsonline.com/) and I talk about how her new company Expert Bookings Online (EBO) is working to create a simple marketplace solution for content producers and a wide diversity of subject-matter experts. In addition to making it fast and efficient for content producers to book experts, EBO will also help surface and train experts from all over the world - who would otherwise be overlooked - to be ready to be guests on shows to share their opinions and perspectives.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-75 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:14 - Crystal’s introduction, background, and story of starting EBO.
3:50 - Was Crystal always an entrepreneur as a kid? Or did she adapt into an entrepreneur later in life?
6:41 - Working in a newsroom for a decade, how was Crystal able to use her entrepreneurial skills to add value in her job?
10:39 - Getting more personal, why is it so important to Crystal to bring diverse perspectives to media?
13:50 - What is the story of EBO? What is the origin story?
16:15 - Love, Safety, and Freedom.
17:00 - What are the nuts and bolts of EBO?
19:00 - How is EBO going to maintain quality and trust for the content producers?
22:11 - How do booking producers maintain quality right now? How will that change (or not change) with EBO?
24:11 - How will search and profile scanning / trust signaling look like in EBO?
25:43 - Why it’s so important for EBO to do the PR/publicist training on how to be ready to go onto media.
26:39 - From Crystal’s background, where has she seen civil conversation? Does that exist anymore?
28:43 - Who is the audience / customer on the B2B side for EBO?
31:06 - Where can experts and content producers find crystal / EBO online? https://www.expertbookingsonline.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Josh Vitulli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-vitulli-71926415/) and I dive deep into metaverses, specifically the Web 3 metaverse Decentraland (https://decentraland.org/). We talk about how Josh’s design and urban planning background led him into the metaverse space, how he does training courses on Decentraland via his project Metaversal Education, practical considerations for how to get involved, other metaverses, NFTs, avoiding high gas fees on Ethereum, and the future of entrepreneurship in Web 3.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-74 for more detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:32 - General tee-up about the conversation and what we’ll be talking about, why it matters, and why it’s fun.
1:56 - Josh introduction, background, and journey thus far.
5:08 - What is design? How does Josh define it? Why does the question matter or not matter?
8:23 - Web 3 is turning the internet upside down (esp re: identity and data control).
9:31 - How can Web 3 builders design Web 3 applications to encourage good behavior? Is this possible?
14:32 - What is the metaverse? What is Decentraland? What’s up with the Facebook announcement? What is Josh excited about re: metaverses. // OG Metaverse in Snow Crash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash
17:44 - Who are the main players in Web 3 metaverses? Are they interoperable? // (https://decentraland.org/ // https://www.sandbox.game/ // https://somniumspace.com/ // https://www.cryptovoxels.com/ // related: https://enjin.io/ // (all not interoperable -- yet)
19:49 - The story of Josh’s current project on Decentraland // Currency Metaversal Education on Eventbrite → https://www.eventbrite.com/e/metaversal-education-tickets-208829152617?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch
24:58 - How does someone get into Decentraland and interact? Go to https://play.decentraland.org and jump in.
26:24 - MANA as an ERC-20 (fungible) token. How much does it cost to buy an NFT like shoes in Decentraland? How does it work to convert between Ethereum / Polygon?
30:00 - Decentraland community accepting other currency besides MANA as ERC-20 on Ethereum.
31:23 - What is Polygon? Why is it cheaper than Ethereum? https://polygon.technology/ // Difference between sidechain vs. rollup.
35:56 - Did Polygon fix the gas fees problem? What can you do with Polygon?
38:50 - Decentralized servers in Decentraland, accessibility and technical details.
39:33 - Voice and UX details when introducing people into Decentraland, and their roadmap into mobile.
44:33 - Maybe even urban planners are needed to help organize Decentraland
45:23 - What’s the vision / future of Josh’s project? Where are they heading toward?
48:37 - For the future Web 3 product managers listening in, besides what we’ve already talked about, what do PMs need to know about Web 3 metaverses and Decentraland in particular?
In this episode of Ventures, a group of members from our Web 3 Product Manager Training DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) asked Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) a series of questions about how and why to form a DAO. We talk about practical decision-making, governance, money transfers from a central treasury to pay for services, management and accountability for DAOs operators and contractors, “on-chain” vs. “off-chain” considerations, and legal/tax/regulatory concerns.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-73 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:04 - tee-up, definitions, and motivation for this conversation on how/why to start a DAO in general, and this Web3 PM training DAO in particular.
4:25 - Spencer’s quick introduction and experience working in the DAO space. (Raid Guild and DAOHaus)
5:11 - Setting the stage for where this DAO is at, and where we should go next. Asking ourselves the question: “Is this the appropriate time to form an on-chain DAO?” // Starting with “why” and “what”
7:00 - The reason to form a DAO is to take collective action with common resources.
9:12 - What’s stopping us from just doing this internally? Vote on discord, etc… What is the warrant to move this on-chain?
11:30 - Will has been a founder in many companies and been the person to lead the charge, open the bank account, etc... and is interested in doing this training organization a different week.
12:14 - What is the currency that would be in our treasury if we formed a DAO w/ DAOHaus?
12:32 - We vote on things on-chain, proposals pass, etc… how do funds get transferred? How do we have accountability that passed proposals translate to actual funds?
15:08 - Question: in a traditional org there is a power dynamic where the founders control everything….how is this different in a DAO? What is fundamentally different w/ DAOs and Smart Contracts?
18:37 - Off-chain vs. on-chain visual metaphor comparing DAO proposals/voting to writing and pushing code -- i.e. commits vs. pushing those commits to a central repository.
21:04 - “If I’m a teacher in the DAO, I’m going to need to trust that my payment is coming to me….am I going to get nervous about it” // There are other ways to setup compensation. What is a best-practice way to pay someone who is contributing value to a DAO? “Streaming” funds to people (Super Fluid), or setting aside funds to pay someone.
22:56 - Considerations about how to practically keep performance accountability and payment movement...to keep operations moving within a DAO. Limit a smart contract so that funds either go back to DAO or to a specific address via a smart contract. Approve a few
24:39 - Regulatory, legal, & tax concerns…. questions for local government jurisdictions. Talking about employment collectives. E.g. Opolis (https://opolis.co/) ← simplifies tax issues and limits liability.
26:30 - Nuts and bolts about the legal and tax issues. (referring back to Opolis)
28:00 - Priya introduction and question about practical voting, voting fatigue, etc… what kind of use-case would be applicable for a DAO vs. traditional organization.
31:00 - Examples of cases when DAOs are not appropriate.
32:24 - Round-table, quick takeaways from this episode / conversation. Treasury management, regulatory, and storytelling.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Aryeh Sheinbein (https://www.instagram.com/aryehthebusinessman) and I discuss a unique approach to financial management for entrepreneurs in light of a rapidly changing tech landscape. While we talk often about venture building and investing on this show, we haven’t yet - until this episode - helped guide entrepreneurs about what to do personally once money is being made. There are a ton of wealth managers out there who bombard entrepreneurs with inbound requests to meet - especially once signs of success start happening - so we talk about how to prepare for that event and plan to navigate the attention. Overall, entrepreneurs today have many new avenues for generating income, and my conversation with Aryeh - who approaches wealth management differently as an entrepreneur/investor himself - is a refreshing perspective on how to approach the topic and mindset.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-72 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:14 - Tee-up for why this episode’s discussion is important and relevant for Ventures.
2:41 - Aryeh’s introduction and background (investment banking, VC, entrepreneur, wealth advisor)
5:50 - People are finding creative ways in Web3 today. In what kinds of markets did Aryeh see entrepreneurs making money the last couple of decades?
8:40 - Now a “decacorn” is the new target ($10B valuation company)
9:33 - A bit of Will’s story, learning to code, building web1 and web2 ventures. On the topic of side business, new tricks to generate wealth, etc… what should entrepreneurs think about as their ventures start becoming successful financially?
16:20 - Will’s story of his son asking him “Hey Dad, what should I invest in?” // How would Aryeh answer this question for today’s youth?
24:55 - “The thing to do is to just do the thing”
25:30 - Discussion about how to think about investing in ourselves as entrepreneurs? “At what point do I quit the day job?”
33:47 - Educating the audience on what they are going to hit up with regarding wealth managers talking to seemingly successful entrepreneurs.
40:29 - The pitch for solutionadvisory.com, and finding Aryeh online https://www.instagram.com/aryehthebusinessman
41:30 - Parting words of wisdom :) If you have time on your side, you can make mistakes. You should also understand your big picture. In a perfect world, where would you want to be and what would you want to be doing? You can then develop a plan to get there.
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) take about ~10min to talk about my perspective on why Web 3 (i.e. decentralized ownership, blockchains, Metaverse, and the Semantic Web) will dramatically change the landscape for entrepreneurship in the future. Based on feedback from the first year of this podcast, I share a bit about my story; i.e. how building and owning my own Web 2.0 ventures in the 2000s is analogous to what many entrepreneurs are doing right now in Web 3 communities. New communities and networks are being created rapidly, and the markets that our children will participate in the future are almost impossible for us to conceive of today.
FYI, you can watch this episode via video here. For more background on my writings and podcasts on Web 3, see https://satchel.works/@wclittle/blockchains
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) and I discuss all-things DAOs. We talk about the history of DAOs, specific case studies and types, a compelling no-code platform (https://DAOHaus.club), when and why to use DAOs, and the promising future of these organizations in the overall technology and innovation space.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-70 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:25 - Tee-up for why we are going to be talking about DAOs on this episode
2:18 - Spencer's introduction and journey into the DAO space.
5:56 - History lesson of DAOs. From “The DAO” to Spencer’s involvement in https://www.raidguild.org/
12:35 - Is Raid Guild a Moloch DAO? How is this different from an ERC-20-based DAO?
15:10 - Where did the name “Moloch DAO” come from? https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/
15:58 - Case Study: What does Raid Guild do? How do they operate as a DAO?
18:04 - What happens if there are competing forces in how to operate the DAO?
20:43 - Tell us about https://DAOHaus.club, how to get involved, etc...
23:00 - As a product manager thinking about how to build in Web3 paradigms, how and when would someone think about using a DAO and use DAOHaus?
28:33 - If a new founder team is building a HRtech platform, for example, should they organize as a DAO?
31:47 - Composability of leveraging DAOs for a vision/mission for a company. How extensible is DAO engineering on DAOHaus? See: https://daohaus.club/docs/users/minion/
33:03 - What is xDAI? Is DAOHaus on xDAI? // https://www.xdaichain.com/
34:40 - What is the difference between a rollup and side chain? Optimistic-rollup or zk-rollup?
36:39 - What is the future of DAOHaus and DAOs in general?
39:52 - For a Web 3 PM, when should they start a Moloch DAO vs. a traditional company?
42:41 - Where can people find DAOHaus and Spencer online? https://DAOHaus.club // https://twitter.com/spengrah
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jairus Morris (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jairus-morris-41a85355/) and I discuss his entrepreneurial journey starting and growing SUPLMNT (https://suplmnt.com/, ← if you are looking for a beautifully designed water bottle, check these out). We discuss his background, early validation experiments, team recruitment strategy, fundraising tactics, vision for his company, and advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-69 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:27 - Jairus intro, background, motivation for starting SUPLMNT
6:53 - Showing the basic bottle (check it out on video)
8:24 - How did Jairus initially start the journey into his product/growth strategy.
10:08 - How many different types of bottles are available to buy?
11:52 - What is the broader vision of the SUPLMNT brand?
13:49 - What is Jairus’ personal strategy for staying healthy?
14:58 - Custom SUPLMNT bottles for Warby Parker
17:22 - Given the vision (wellness), where is SUPLMNT heading? What can Jairus tell us about the next things on the horizon for the business.
18:37 - What has the process been like for Jairus to navigate the "impossible job" of an early stage entrepreneur, juggling all the balls / wearing all the hats?
22:32 - D2C Brands like SUPLMNT are a marketing game...what is SUPLMNT's marketing strategy?
26:40 - How has Jairus experienced bias in his entrepreneurial journey?
29:58 - What's Jairus’ advice for the VC/Angel community to be more empathetic to under-represented people groups?
32:10 - Not all VCs have gone through the entrepreneurial journey.
33:01 - What are the next steps - in Jairus’ opinion - for scaling SUPLMNT?
35:00 - Final words to the founders/investors listening in. (Keep going!)
36:01 - Where can people follow Jairus/SUPLMNT online? https://www.instagram.com/suplmnt // https://www.linkedin.com/in/jairus-morris-41a85355/ // https://www.instagram.com/jairusmorris/ // https://suplmnt.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Ken Lundin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kglundin/) and I discuss a wide variety of strategies and tactics for improving sales traction and business development processes in a growing startup. We talk about Ken's journey into sales, how founders should reach out to (and land) early customers, how tangible goods companies should think about retail sales strategies, and how to run experiments and make sales decisions with data.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-68 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:29 - Tee-up for the episode and motivation to talk about sales growth
2:00 - Ken general intro
3:01 - What got Ken into the world of sales?
4:50 - What is Ken's advice for the new entrepreneur (selling into enterprises) building a company from the ground up?
8:23 - How, as a founder, do you figure out what your client's strategic priorities are in order to sell most effectively. Survey strategy and "I'm going to give you the results" as a way of learning about your industry.
10:40 - If you are talking to the ideal customer profile (ICP) after a survey result conversation - then it becomes easy to give them the value proposition
11:28 - What is the process of identifying ideal decision-makers?
12:55 - Effective sales decision makers write checks all year long - not just in Q3.
14:26 - Why is $20k the magic number that differentiates small/quick deals vs. larger deals?
16:46 - What are the most common mistakes founders make when they are building their sales game?
19:00 - Helping early stage founders get traction to attract great talent.
19:45 - Driving sales through data
20:01 - Assuming coachable founders, how do they scale after a bit of traction? (Test everything)
22:04 - Consumer businesses / B2B sales principles
24:15 - D2C brands that need to sell into retailers (tips/recommendations)
26:42 - Does Ken's group assist with sales or just help them set up the processes?
28:05 - How has the pandemic changed the sales game? What have we collectively learned?
32:56 - Sensitivity & empathy to what the world has gone through in the pandemic
33:50 - How does Ken advise founders who may be running toward burnout?
36:56 - What is Ken's ICP? When should a founder reach out to Ken?
38:50 - Final thoughts. How Ken can help drive sales for your company / your portfolio companies. Massive respect for the entrepreneurs out there.
40:39 - KenLendin.com // RevHeat.com // Ken on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kglundin/)
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) recorded a short monologue that describes why my partners and I at Prota Ventures are gathering a cohort of Web 3 product-managers-in-training to rapidly get up to speed on Web 3 patterns, tools, technologies, and networks. For more information and background listening/reading about the vision and mission of the training, visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/blockchains.
To apply, please feel free to contact me directly at will@wclittle.com. Thanks!
You can also visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-67 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode of Ventures, I introduce a clip w/ Dave Feldman (https://twitter.com/daveketo/) from Episode 11 where we discuss lipoproteins, fasting, cholesterol, low-carb/high-fat diets, and exercise. With heart disease being the lead cause of death for humans globally, it’s important to understand the basic science behind various aspects of how the disease progresses. Plus, as entrepreneurs we talk a lot about “solving problems'', and it's hard to come up with a more pressing problem than this.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-66 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Dave, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-11
In this episode of Ventures, I sit down with Yannick Folla (https://twitter.com/y_folla) to discuss an introduction to Web 3 for product managers looking to get quickly up to speed to add value to the Web 3 ecosystem. We discuss practical aspects of how to build with DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, decentralized patterns, specific networks, layer 1 vs. layer 2 technologies, and more. We also take specific product development examples within Figment.io’s business and use those as teaching opportunities for a broad audience.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-65 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:20 - Yannick’s background and story into the Web 3 world, joining Figment, and building products.
11:08 - Starting with Figment’s staking service, with the products of the staking dashboard and Hubble (https://hubble.figment.io/ ), how did Yannick and team approach building the products for the audiences they serve?
13:24 - Product evolution/iteration nuances of Hubble
14:40 - DataHub (https://figment.io/datahub/) - similar to Heroku for Web 3 - how to educate a Web 3 PM in the context of how Yannick and team have built DataHub
18:39 - User experience needs/opportunities that drove the development of DataHub
20:22 - Figment Learn (https://learn.figment.io/) - how is this available to help train Web 3 PMs and the developers that would be on teams to build dApps?
22:50 - What are folks going to first learn when going through Figment Learn (APIs, Balances, querying, creating a wallet, and posting a transaction)
25:04 - Running through an example of doing a decentralized version of Twitter, how would a Web 3 PM need to restructure their thinking to build such an application?
28:30 - Homework for primitives for Web 3. DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, https://a16z.com/2018/02/10/crypto-readings-resources/ // https://www.matthewball.vc/the-metaverse-primer // Web 3 is coming up to it’s “iPhone moment” and Yannick believes it’s going to be intricately related to the metaverse
31:03 - Aspects/definitions of Web 3 (metaverse, semantic web, blockchains/decentralization). Might be a 4th, a new generation of Internet where the value creators are the owners and capture the value.
32:09 - For a history lesson, why did the original wave of people attempting to decentralize existing Web 2 platforms fail?
34:03 - Decentralized governance - What do Web 3 PM need to know about decentralization/DAOs from a philosophical and practical approach? Multiple different types of DAOs and use cases. Thinking of subreddits as DAOs.
36:34 - What are the DAOs built on? How can someone start a DAO?
37:59 - is this the same Aragon from 3-4 years ago?
40:28 - Let’s talk about DeFi and NFTs. What are the best tools? Where can people learn more? Look at Uniswap (https://uniswap.org/), Aave (https://aave.com/), and YFI
44:17 - How hard is it to spin up an NFT club?
46:00 - NFT types (ERC 721 & 1151)
46:39 - Anything else for Yannick to add to the conversation? Keep learning. Be active on Twitter (big source of knowledge).
47:43 - Where can people find Yannick online to continue the conversation? https://twitter.com/y_folla
In this episode of Ventures, we pull a clip from Episode 18 with Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) and Tony Little (https://twitter.com/DrTonyLittle) where we talk about Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), and “scaling trust” in the Web 3.0 era. What is urgently needed in the Web 3 community is product managers; i.e. people who can understand how to build great experiences using the applicable Web 3 tools/capabilities/paradigms. These product managers can then build companies of their own, join new companies as co-founders, or consult for existing companies to help usher in a compelling decentralized future for us all.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-64 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Spencer and Tony, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-18
In this episode of The Ventures Podcast, Josh Haas (co-CEO and founder of Bubble.io -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshhaas/) discuss the implications of no-code/low-code in general - and Bubble.io in particular - for founders building new web apps this decade and beyond. After raising a recent $100m round, Josh and the Bubble team have a vision to replace traditional custom web development with their no-code/low-code solution, essentially as a new “language” that promises (and has proven) to save orders of magnitude of time and money for founders building web apps.
This is obviously a big and bold vision, so we spend a fair amount of time in this episode diving into the details.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-63 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
For more information on Bubble, check out https://bubble.io. To dive right into learning materials and get started, check out https://bubble.io/academy
To check out the learn-to-code series that Will mentioned at the end of this episode, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/learn-to-code-as-an-entrepreneur
In this episode of Ventures, I took the liberty to record a short monologue that outlines how I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle/) and my partners at Prota Ventures (https://www.protaventures.com) evaluate early stage venture deals and teach new investors how to conduct basic diligence. I briefly discuss what aspects of your founder team, product experience, market dynamics, traction nuances, and believability of your financial model commonly stand out to investors - for better or worse - when making allocation decisions.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-62 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
If you haven’t yet built a financial model for your business, check out this article series - https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/startup-financial-modeling-part-1-what-is-a-financial-model - written by me ( Troy Henikoff (https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyhenikoff/) and I wrote.
You can also listen to podcasts that Troy and I have done here → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-14 and here → https://satchel.works/@ProtaVentures/the-prota-podcast-ep7
In this episode of Ventures, we pull a clip from Episode 37 with Kelly Jo Horton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyjohorton/) and Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/) to discuss marketing operations in a growing startup. Early founder teams often leave the design, implementation, and maintenance of marketing stacks as an afterthought, which ends up costing the new company a massive amount of time and money. In this episode, Kelly Jo and Sol help us understand why bringing in an expert - or at least someone dedicated to learning from experts and driving the integrated flow of marketing data - is essential to any B2C or B2B company’s growth.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-61 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Kelly Jo and Sol, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-37
In this episode of Ventures, we pull a clip from Episode 33 with Bill Murphy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwmurphy/) and Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/) to discuss how entrepreneurs should be aware of their rose-colored glasses when approaching a market. It’s not easy to face the brutal facts about what customers need and will pay money for, but the process of asking the right questions and making decisions with an appropriate amount of data is critical.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-60 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Bill and Sol, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-33
In this episode of Ventures, we pull a clip from Episode 24 with Joel Fariss (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelfariss/) to discuss how technology - especially the shift from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 - can be designed in such a way to promote and sustain human kindness and flourishing. Joel posits that a shift away from Dataism and toward what he calls “Dream Thinking” will be an essential part of this mission.
See: https://joelfariss.substack.com/p/dream-thinking-and-functional-fiction
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-59 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Joel, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-24
In this episode of Ventures, I comment briefly on my evolving definition of “Brand” and pull in a clip from Episode 51 with Moshe Engelberg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosheengelberg/) on loving customers (and whether they love you back). The best product leaders I know not only understand a market deeply and the value-add a product is bringing, but also think about “uplifting and connecting” people (Moshe’s definition of Love) in and around a product to create delightful experiences for customers.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-58 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Moshe, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-51
In this episode of Ventures, I start with a quick summer 2021 reflection and then dive into a short clip from Episode 48 with Andrew Cronk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcronk/). Web 3.0 entrepreneurs and decentralization application (dApp) developers will need to approach software engineering concerns such as user identity and data storage/querying in different ways than the Web 2.0 era. Andrew’s initial insights into this transition are enormously helpful.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-57 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Andrew, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-48
In this episode of Ventures, we pull a popular clip from Episode 12 with Patrick Lowndes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklowndes/) and Brian Geihsler (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangeihsler/). The clip focuses on how they validated their Business-to-Business Software-as-a-Service (B2B SaaS) startup, VendorHawk, which sold to ServiceNow in 2018 (https://www.geekwire.com/2018/servicenow-snaps-vendorhawk-help-customers-manage-saas-spending/). We cover how to sell contracts with wireframes, how to reach decision-makers, how to test pricing, and how to set up an “alpha group” as a cohort of initial customers to help your new startup succeed.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-56 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
To view/listen to the full original podcast with Patrick and Brian, visit: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-12
In this episode of Ventures, we pull clips from Episodes 38, 35, 41, and 46 to dive deep into all-things Product Management. Most startup founders are overwhelmed and too busy to grasp the nuances of how world-class product managers think about growth and technical operations. These clips provide an overview and a primer to how some of the best in the industry think about their trade at different stages of company size and growth.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-55 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we hear from the following people:
1:36 - Jenna Langer
34:11 - David Pierce
49:24 - Perry Azevedo
1:00:23 - Kiel Sanders and Patrick Lowdnes
In this episode of Ventures, we pull clips from Ep43 (Dave Parker), Ep14 (Troy Henikoff), and Ep47 (Alex Giannikoulis) to dive into the specific topics surrounding ideation, validation, creation, and early growth of a new business. We talk about market-first vs. team-first, finding a co-founder, financial modeling, and practical advice from the perspective of investors and entrepreneurs on how to build a company from the ground up.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-54 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:16 - Dave Parker (from Ep43) on market-first analysis when picking a good idea
9:47 - Troy Henikoff (from Ep14) on ideation, validation, finding a co-founder, fundraising, and financial modeling.
47:20 - Alex Giannikoulis (from Ep47) on how he built a startup differently after taking a season as an angel investor and venture capitalist.
In this episode of Ventures, we’ve pulled together clips from Episodes 2, 18, 31, and 48 to describe specifically the definition of Web 3.0...what it is, why it’s important, and what the vision is for its future. Along the way we talk about the history of Web 1 & 2, blockchains, scaling trust, and the Web 3.0 stack from the perspective of a Web 3.0 product manager and entrepreneur.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-52 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:10 - Tony Sager and Sol Cates (from Ep31). History of Web 1.0 and thoughts on Web 2 and 3.
11:44 - Lorien Gabel, Andrew Cronk, and Tony Little (from Ep2). What is a blockchain?
17:16 - Andrew Cronk on defining Web 3.0 (from Ep48).
18:45 - Spencer Graham and Tony Little on Scaling Trust and the Web 3.0 Stack (from Ep18)
See also https://satchel.works/@wclittle/a-primer-on-blockchains-protocols-and-token-sales
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/) and I continue our conversion from episode 49 and focus this time on supply chain issues in agriculture and consumer packaged goods companies (CPG, like Joni’s startup, https://snacktivistfoods.com/). We talk about how a Web 3.0 future would make her life easier, help growers, cut out needless people and systems in the middle, and help buyers find more reliable products and sellers around the world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-52 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:43 - Joni recap about her background, her startup, and our previous episode (Ep 49).
3:30 - Intro: how is Joni thinking about Web 3.0 in relation to her world in regenerative agriculture?
5:12 - Will’s general take on the general definition of Web 3.0.
6:44 - More about Joni’s world. Medical background. Food & life sciences. Agriculture.
10:21 - How does Joni see Web 3.0 helping, practically, the world of Agriculture and her business?
12:56 - Setting context on how purchasers of ingredients (Like Joni) pull it off today and navigate privacy issues (“Bourbon and Rolodex”)
16:02 - Moving from “Bourbon and Rolodex” to more of a Web 3.0 paradigm, but without losing the relationship aspects. How do we get from Point A to Point B.
17:04 - Understanding the problem. What is frustrating/problematic about the way Ag supply chain works today?
20:35 - Putting on our Web 3.0 product hats. How do we design a decentralized platform to solve these problems?
22:50 - Zero-knowledge proofs
23:30 - Proof-of-Work vs. Proof-of-Stake (plus, Layer 1 & Layer 2)
25:24 - Do farmers care about privacy? Or is it the value-added players in the intermediary? Can blockchains get rid of the middlemen?
27:24 - The meta theme of “scaling trust”.
28:31 - Why are blockchains needed here to solve this supply chain reliability problem? Can this just be centralized?
31:08 - Trusting Web 2.0 founders with data and centralization; the same problem exists with any supply chains.
32:10 - Imagine: take the big Web 2.0 services and bring them on-chain and decentralized. Transparency into trust networks.
33:48 - Supply chain in its basic form. Joni needs certain certified goods, with specific carbon data, etc… to verify authenticity.
35:40 - Defining “greenwashing”
38:09 - Vision for the future; if we had an amazing Web 3.0 system that works; how does a CPG founder’s life get easier?
41:00 - How does the broader consumer community benefit if this magical Web 3.0 system existed?
42:58 - Amount of money, time, and expertise going into these decentralized protocols are significant. Blockchains are fascinatingly multidisciplinary.
45:01 - Proof of Stake is of course great, but there’s a nuanced argument...
48:25 - What is the “deck” that Joni has put together (in 2016!) for a potential platform...
52:13 - The time when these kinds of Web 3.0 ventures can flourish is coming soon.
54:05 - The call-to-action for Web 3.0 product professionals and entrepreneurs to work with Joni and others in this space.
55:34 - https://snacktivistfoods.com/ and final thoughts from Joni on global food security and saving the world through food.
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Moshe Engelberg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosheengelberg/) and I discuss his book The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work. From an entrepreneurial lens, we cover topics including loving customers, helping customers love your business, example case studies from a new founder perspective, and the existential purpose of every for-profit and nonprofit organization on the planet.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-51 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:59 - Background and tee-up. New type of cultural revolution and unconscious bias.
3:01 - Moshe’s background and story, his career, and leading into the story of writing his book (The Aware Wave).
8:29 - Dichotomies and holding things in tension. Some information about Prota Ventures.
9:49 - What did Moshe choose the structure of the book the way he did?
16:42 - For founders building new businesses, how should they read this book? What are principles worth highlighting for new startups?
21:26 - The importance of talking about the heart, mental health, and the “why” behind starting a business. The existential purpose of every business is something “social”.
23:22 - Business as foremost a social enterprise, then an economic enterprise.
24:09 - What do you do if you are in a business that hates their customers and uses war-like imagery everywhere?
25:45 - Love defined as “energy that uplifts and connects”. Do you love your customers? Do they love you back?
28:31 - What kinds of ways can companies track and encourage customers to love them? (Trader Joe's example)
32:06 - Paradoxical example: Amazon. They want to be customer-centric, but have trouble loving their employees.
33:47 - Why did Moshe decide on the definition of love as “energy that uplifts and connects”?
36:41 - Is there a time for war? How does Moshe address those times when taking up arms, literally or figuratively, is needed.
42:20 - Hypothetical case study. Example business that sells child education software to parents. (MVP vs. “maximum value product”)
46:05 - Authenticity, Belonging, and Collaboration - the ABC of the Amare Wave
48:28 - Community Management. Part of the Amare Wave. If you are hired as a community manager in a neutral company, how do you create an Amare Wave there?
53:00 - The difficult nature of doing “all the things” in startups, and praise for Moshe’s advice in this podcast.
54:13 - What ideas/projects is Moshe working on next?
59:01 - Where can people find and buy the book? How can people continue the conversations with moshe? https://www.amazon.com/Amare-Wave-Uplifting-Business-Putting-ebook/dp/B0873ZFK2P // moshe@mosheengelberg.com
In this episode of Ventures, my father (Larry Little, https://www.kitsapsun.com/opinion/columnists/) and I discuss entrepreneurship through the historical lens of the past 100 years. We talk about the arc of history for him personally and his family, and for the global political and economic situation at large. We cover how to find a great startup lawyer, advice for entrepreneurs, thoughts about navigating political polarization, and hope in entrepreneurs - in general - to help bring about a better world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-50 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:17 - Background. USA in 1929, Larry’s grandfather, family history, parents, journey through high school, college, marriage, law school, family, army, work as an attorney, business ventures, traveling with kids, and soccer coaching.
24:55 - What’s Larry’s overall reflections on economics, geopolitics, and the arc of history between 1929 and now. // Book: Candles for the Boardroom (which is the antidote to Art of the Deal). Integrity. Pay attention to regulators. Parallels between 1920s and 2020s. Watch out for China. Plus, an important F. Scott Fitzgerald quote: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise.”
35:20 - Coming back to the parallels between the 1920s and 2020s, what’s similar? What’s different?
40:30 - What advice does Larry have for the entrepreneurs listening in? (Friends and community first is key)
46:06 - Founders: be careful with deferred payment deals with legal teams.
48:00 - What are tips for founders looking to find an attorney for their business?
52:37 - Potential conflict of interest when having lawyers own part of your company.
54:30 - Thoughts and reflections about a polarized country. Is there hope for the USA?
1:00:25 - What is Larry working on now? What is he thinking about and paying attention to?
1:04:13 - What should entrepreneurs and the tech community be thinking about regarding China?
1:10:52 - Any final thoughts or reflections to the audience? Entrepreneurs should be congratulated. They are the new elite of the country….the effective citizens that are going to be the core of the future.
1:13:33 - Where can people follow Larry’s work? Check out Larry’s column pieces at https://www.kitsapsun.com/opinion/columnists/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/) and I discuss the science behind grains, soils, and microbiomes. We also talk about the story of her startup (https://snacktivistfoods.com/) and how her team is helping to regenerate healthy soils and grains to improve human health.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-49 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:33 - Will’s general tee-up for the conversation and introduction of Joni.
2:15 - Joni self-introduction, background, career story in the hard sciences, nursing, and founding a startup.
3:59 - What was Joni working on and researching early in her career?
7:24 - What was the origin story of starting Snacktivist?
10:03 - What is it about processed grains that causes bad reactions in people?
11:30 - What is celiac disease? What is gluten?
13:30 - How did Joni start building her business practically?
16:20 - What was the journey of dealing with initial customers? What did early traction look like?
18:21 - A discussion on sugars. What is the difference between all these different types of common sugars out there?
19:50 - What are the “things” that are around honey and such that make them absorb at different rates than sugar?
21:33 - Where has Snacktivist gone from the early days to today?
26:37 - Why can some people not eat pasta, for example, in the USA but can in Europe?
29:52 - What is the microbiome for humans and in soil science?
34:05 - What are hydroponics? Is this a good thing?
37:30 - Is there hope for Americans to have our soil regenerated?
43:44 - What is monocropping?
46:05 - Wisdom is often where there is uncertainty and nuances (and a willingness to embrace this).
48:45 - More explanation about Joni’s work with Washington State University. How is the team creating economic incentives for farmers to rejuvenate their soil?
52:11 - What is the vision with Snacktivist? What can we buy right now?
54:54 - What are sourdough starters? How does this relate to our conversation? What is the underlying science? How is this different from traditional breads?
58:50 - Where can people find Joni and Snacktivist online? https://snacktivistfoods.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Andrew Cronk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcronk/, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at https://figment.io/) and I discuss Web 3 and blockchains beyond price hysteria, energy-usage debates, and influencer shenanigans. While everyone has been distracted by current events, the Web 3 builders continue to push the technology forward in a way that is genuinely compelling for our future. We talk about Proof-of-Stake, building a Web 3 developer community, technologies that exist today for decentralized apps, NFTs, Helium Network, what the rest of this year looks like for Figment, and much, much more.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-48 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:55 - Will’s tee-up for the conversation and why he enjoys having Andy on the show, why coin price and market dynamics aren’t as interesting as what blockchains are going to enable for humanity.
2:33 - Andy intro, background of https://figment.io, their bet on Proof-of-Stake, and the products/services they’ve developed for the community (Hubble, DataHub, Figment Learn, etc…)
5:44 - Why proof-of-stake? Why did Figment double-down there? (seems like 99% of new blockchains are launching with proof-of-stake, so not a bad bet)
8:51 - Defining Web 3. Semantic Web. Looping in AI/XR. How does Andy think about and define Web 3?
10:40 - What can we - the collective developer community - do right now? What tech is available? Is it possible to build a fully functional Web 3 decentralized app?
15:42 - What can a group of 300-400 people use on Web 3 right now to organize and communicate?
19:58 - Logging in with identity in a Web 3 way, high interest in building Web 3 dApps, https://ceramic.network/
20:50 - Possible to store chat data on-chain? Or in a Layer 2-3?
23:30 - Are there chains right now to put data on publicly? FileCoin/IPFS, Arweave, Sia.Tech’s SkyNet.
24:25 - dApp developers are going to need to query a database (e.g. a relational database, SQL databases), what’s available around this in Web 3?
26:06 - The nuance: where your application logic runs. Much more like a serverless paradigm.
27:10 - Figment’s new fund: https://figment.io/resources/figment-capital-16m-fund-to-grow-web-3/
29:28 - Supporting companies in different ways as part of the investment thesis (similar to https://www.protaventures.com)
30:25 - Similar to Bezos asking about what can be done with the Internet to scale selling books, what are ways that blockchains are enabling new tech?
33:00 - A lot more happening around mutualization (insurance). Nexus Mutual. Unslashed Finance.
34:20 - A discussion about the Helium Network. The future of 5G penetration into cities/towns with Helium, the raw source of their bandwidth, StarLink, etc...
37:50 - What’s next for Figment? They are hiring! → https://figment.io/jobs/
40:37 - Anything else that listeners should know about or questions that Andy has in this space?
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Alex Giannikoulis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannikoulis/) and I discuss his journey from startup land, to angel investing, to venture capital, to founding a new company again. His current startup (https://goivee.com/) builds enhanced in-vehicle experiences. We dive into not only the story of IVEE, but how Alex’s experience as an angel investor and VC has informed his leadership style and practical advice for founders, especially regarding fundraising.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-47 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:46 - Brief introduction and tee-up for Alex, when Will and Alex met, and why Will is excited for this conversation.
2:20 - Alex self-introduction, story, journey into startup land, angel investing, VC, and now Founder/CEO of https://goivee.com/
5:41 - Learning from Alex’s past in investing, how did he approach being a CEO of his new venture differently based on his experience as an angel and VC?
8:08 - Advice for targeting investors; commentary on the numbers game when raising capital. Can your company be a billion dollar company? If not, classic VC may not be the right path for you.
12:47 - What did early validation experiences and endeavours look like for Alex? How did he know to keep investing his own time and money into IVEE?
15:52 - What does the current status of IVEE look like in terms of product? What does this summer and fall look like for the company?
18:16 - Coming close to 100k rides for IVEE, where/how did those rides happen? Does IVEE own the vehicles?
20:19 - Comparison to the taxis with TVs in them. Why Alex isn’t a fan of that product/experience.
21:50 - What is the experience of people riding in an IVEE now? Does a user just randomly get selected into an IVEE experience when ride hailing? Is there a way to reserve an IVEE specifically?
25:07 - Are there partnerships that IVEE has in place now that help inform / guide the content and experience for passengers?
26:12 - How has Alex evolved his own leadership practice and style?
28:27 - What’s the frank advice for founders to help them navigate raising money from institutional VC? What are the pitfalls to watch out for?
31:46 - More advice for those perhaps newer to the fundraising process (on both sides of the table), especially re: setting terms for things like dilution.
34:23 - Advice for founders: When do you leave the day job? What advice does Alex have for people considering diving into startup land?
36:57 - Advice for potential venture capitalists. What insight does Alex have for people considering raising a VC fund?
38:48 - Final words for investors and entrepreneurs listening in and watching.
39:52 - Where can people find Alex/IVEE online? https://goivee.com/ // https://twitter.com/rideivee // alex@goivee.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Kiel Sanders (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kielsanders), Patrick Lowndes (https://patricklowndes.com/), and I discuss many details surrounding growing product management teams and operating efficiently at scale. We discuss the various roles that newer founders may not be aware of that exist at larger companies, the skill sets needed to recruit and manage effectively, setting up a product advisory board, what to do when customers are unhappy, and lessons learned when scaling products both at a new startup and within a larger organization.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-46 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:11 - Will’s tee-up and high-level introduction
2:46 - Patrick introduction, background, and tee-up for Kiel
5:02 - Kiel’s background, role in (and information about) Service Now (https://www.servicenow.com/), employee experience, and growing products internally.
6:06 - The dance of product and growth.
13:10 - Customers, sales, and implementations. Making sure that sales understands the messaging.
14:10 - Founders may not understand, at scale, how to effectively manage a product team. What roles are in place at a larger organization to run an efficient product team?
16:16 - As CEO, “Your goal is slowly but surely fire yourself”
20:01 - The need for the customer success side. Working with the early adopters is key.
21:19 - For the very early stage startup (e.g. a two-person startup), how do you handle the people? How do you think about your people management?
26:00 - At what point does the multi-skillsets-needed role change to hiring people who are more niche experienced?
30:04 - How can product management effectively help and empower the marketing team to do their job better?
35:22 - If you set up a product advisory board, how/who do you select? How do you communicate with them?
40:11 - A common problem at a growing startup - and especially a larger organization - is “people motivation.” How do you keep hungry and driven people? How do you keep a fire in the bellies of your co-workers?
46:33 - As a product manager, what do you do when the product is unhappy? What do you do when churn is high and the numbers are tending bad directions?
51:37 - What would Patrick have done differently at VendorHawk from a people/product/company perspective? What has he learned in a large organization that has informed this? (He would have had someone working more closely with customers earlier).
53:52 - For Kiel, for leading teams as an intrapreneur, how has his management style evolved?
55:46 - What resources would Kiel and Patrick recommend based on the topics we’ve covered in this episode? (https://www.juliezhuo.com/book/manager.html // https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898 // https://svpg.com/inspired-how-to-create-products-customers-love/ )
57:54 - Where can people find Patrick and Kiel online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/kielsanders/ // https://patricklowndes.com/
In this special episode of Ventures, Kathryn Little (my amazing mother) and I discuss finding oneself, discovering purpose, transitioning out of idealism, saying yes and no to the right things, processing grief, marriage, parenting, and being who you are as an entrepreneur and human being. Indeed, when thinking about the best possible guest for this episode, I asked my mother and she graciously agreed to share her story and insights.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-45 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
3:12 - Tee-up and introduction of Kathryn
4:21 - Kathryn’s story, growing up in New Jersey, schooling, endeavors, family, helping build community, caring for people, and lessons along the way.
19:53 - Memories of Kathryn having all the energy, creating a vibrant and joyful home, caring for the neighborhood and schools, how did she do it?
23;20 - Tips for marriage and parenting
27:18 - How did Kathryn keep discovering who she was, live out of that, and not do too many things?
32:12 - Commonality of people’s journeys around transition from community, cultural norms, and idealism.
38:05 - The parenting journey, guiding children even when you know they are heading down unhealthy paths.
43:12 - Idealism and safety, parallels in technology, and transitioning out of it.
45:12 - For those who did have parents pouring into them and supporting them, what is Kathryn’s advice for them?
50:31 - The meta-theme of a season of fundamentalism, learning a lot of practical things, safety, practical life skills, taking the good from it and moving on.
53:18 - Big question: how does someone discover who they are? (Thoughts on discernment. Parker Palmer’s work: http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/)
57:10 - What questions, problems, and/or projects is Kathryn focusing on in the next stage of her own journey.
1:01:17 - Where can people find Kathryn online or contact her? Email: kathylynnelittle@gmail.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Weston Woodward (https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonwoodward/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/), and I discuss community building from a personal, startup, and local city perspective. We talk about how to listen and ask questions, effectively connect people to help raise the tide for everyone, advice for startup founders, and thoughts about social media and the future of communication in the Web 3.0 era.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-44 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:15 - Sol introduction of Weston
2:37 - Weston’s background and story - personal mission: “connect people to make the world a better place”
4:28 - Was Weston a super connect / outgoing person as a kid?
5:34 - Sol background and story, was he always a super connector?
9:51 - Because Weston moved around so much growing up, he “became a chameleon”.
10:12 - What changed during the pandemic for Weston for his work?
12:51 - Sol’s thoughts on the above question for him.
13:45 - Weston’s thoughts on “What makes a good founder?” (Thoughts on being Abundant minded)
15:07 - Sol’s thoughts on what makes a good founder.
15:51 - Temptations to pack the zoom meeting calendar during the pandemic, which is problematic. What life lessons have been learned during this season?
18:56 - What is Weston “producing”? (Super connector as producer)
19:42 - Connecting as a game. Putting players together who have win/win scenarios to solve a problem.
22:53 - Looking for ideas for SaaS companies where people are creating spreadsheets, thinking about building SaaS in a Web 3.0 fashion.
23:55 - What are Weston’s and Sol’s thoughts on the Web 3.0 world?
25:30 - The story of Austin, TX.
28:18 - What are the elements of a healthy and unhealthy startup community?
32:24 - Thoughts on upwards of 50% of people in the US who don’t have friends they can call.
33:52 - The good, bad, and the ugly about Web 2.0 social media.
35:05 - What’s Weston’s general take on social media?
36:08 - Sol’s comments on how the counterterrorism community looks for people who may be high-risk.
37:04 - Listening and connecting people on Social Media. How does Weston use it? (“I’ll scroll through...and see if people need anything”)
38:39 - The impossible job of a founder. Some thoughts and advice for founders.
40:55 - How does Weston make a living?
42:47 - What are Sol’s thoughts and advice for founders to stay focused.
44:52 - Advice for founders (and anyone) to be better connectors?
48:08 - What projects/questions are Weston and Sol working on?
51:13 - An uptick in the “good guys” starting to win...i.e. those who are abundant minded.
51:48 - Prota Ventures’ true north of Human Flourishing
53:04 - Advice for founders building community around their product/service?
57:41 - Advice for government officials and people working in local areas to build a startup ecosystem.
59:50 - Where can people find Weston and Sol online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonwoodward/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Dave Parker (https://www.dkparker.com/) and I discuss his new book, Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product-Market Fit. We talk about Dave’s background, his journey into startups, how he approaches common questions from founders, why he is fascinated with teaching founders about revenue models, information asymmetry in the venture capital industry, and where Dave is heading next.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-43 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:56 - Dave’s background & entrepreneurial story thus far
3:13 - When did Dave’s entrepreneurial bug start in his life?
4:43 - Dave’s journey with Startup Weekend
6:53 - For Dave personally, why startups? Why did he get into them?
11:20 - Diving into the book, background around revenue models, etc.. why write this book?
17:22 - “What is a good idea?”
21:12 - Optimizing for local maxima or not. How do you think about the dance of product vision and pivoting based on data?
26:12 - Pick the side of the island that you are going to surf in (analogy of picking a market). When on a wave, how do founders use data to know whether to turn right or left?
29:39 - Example of a founder with a small team, has a product, has a go-to-market strategy, etc.. how should they approach the venture capital industry? (Stage-appropriate capital)
35:05 - No-code movement. How does Dave think about the no-code/low-code movement and the startup validation game?
47:46 - Writing a product spec
38:20 - Three types of debt in a startup. Operations debt, technical debt, growth debt. How does Dave advise founders around paying off this type of “debt”?
41:42 - What was it about the business/revenue models that attracted Dave to dive in deep into researching them and writing about them?
45:10 - Pricing strategies
49:25 - Exit price based on top-line revenue numbers and revenue models
52:53 - Asymmetry in data and information when talking with investors.
56:50 - Bigger VCs have the budgets to crank out the marketing to get meetings with founders, but founders who don’t understand the language will likely have an unsuccessful meeting.
57:48 - Where is the best place to buy and learn more about Dave’s book? https://www.dkparker.com/ // https://www.amazon.com/dp/195329507X
58:21 - What are the next things on Dave’s horizon? (Supporting founders who don’t look like him…. Dave’s filter question when taking meetings: “Tell me who you are mentoring right now that doesn’t look like you?” // So, as a final exhortation, mentor someone who doesn’t look like you)
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Jim Reavis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimreavis/), Kurt Seifried (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtseifried/), and I discuss the philosophies and principles behind the Web 1, Web 2, and Web 3 transitions from a cybersecurity perspective. We talk about the implications of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), user experiences in a Web 3 world, and an exciting new project that Kurt and Jim are working on in the blockchain and education space.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-42 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:30 - Jim background and story, early days of the Internet & cybersecurity
5:07 - Kurt background and story, also early days of the Internet & writing cybersecurity documentation.
9:07 - In previous episodes we’ve talked about data security tips for founders and individuals, but in this episode we’ll get more philosophical. What was the original utopian vision for the Internet (Web 1.0)? (starting with Jim’s thoughts)
12:43 - Kurt’s thoughts on the above question.
16:37 - Regarding the Web 1 to Web 2 transition, why did the downsides of what we see in Web 2 happen? (thoughts on economic incentives and ability for many people to have access to the tools)
19:08 - Back in the 2000s, the big tech players gave us (web developers) all the data. Will remembers thinking “if I had nefarious intentions, I could be getting away with a lot”. How do we think about government regulation and keeping people safe?
26:37 - Jim’s thoughts on opportunities for sharing cybersecurity best practices and making security more relevant to the things we care about.
28:21 - Is the transition from Web 2 to Web 3 already happening? Where do we think we’re at with this transition? “The future is already here, it just isn’t evenly distributed yet” (William Gibson) (Kurt’s thoughts initially)
31:26 - Jim’s thoughts on the above question. (Overabundance of options)
34:10 - Question about Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). Is SSI going to be real? Is a good thing from a cybersecurity perspective? Is this still way far off? (Jim’s thoughts first)
36:54 - Kurt’s thoughts on the above question. (esp. re: ease of proving things)
39:05 - Authentication as a significant challenge.
40:13 - The future that we’re heading toward is one where we can prove authenticity quickly and efficiently. This is going to speed up the future (crush latency in many daily operations).
41:47 - What is the next Social Network in a Web 3 era with SSI? (Jim’s thoughts first)
45:20 - Kurt’s thoughts on the above question (e.g. on mashups...a new type of IT that we won’t recognize as such).
47:20 - What are the questions/projects that Jim/Kurt are thinking about right now? Where can people find Jim/Kurt online? (Using blockchain to issue a pseudo-cryptocurrency to prove education/knowledge) https://cloudsecurityalliance.org/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimreavis/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtseifried/
In this episode of Ventures, my guest David Pierce (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddpierce/) and I dive deep into the technical side of product management through his personal story. In a growing startup, not only is “product” relatively misunderstood, but embracing the nuances between the growth and technical sides of product management is often completely missed. In our conversation, we talk at length about how founders and enterprise managers alike can best elevate their technical product operations to achieve business success.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-41 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:00 - David intro, background, extended professional journey, jumping into engineering, program management, and ultimately technical product management at Moz to help solve business problems and drive desired outcomes.
26:44 - Questions about team responsibilities and composing the players of a growing startup. "Discoverers, stabilizers, and scalers" as general values among engineers you'd find at a growing organization. He early formation of these ideas he writes about here: https://www.thedahv.com/blog/thinking-about-your-next-job/
27:57 - What David did as a kid, his international journey, his education (https://raikes.unl.edu), and his preparation for getting into the tech world.
39:06 - The need for “product” professionals in a growing startup. Why are “technical” product managers necessary? outcomes vs capabilities. See more at: https://www.thedahv.com/blog/product-compositional-atoms/
48:55 - Is it overly simplistic to say that the more “technical” a product is...then the more the need for a technical product manager is?
54:17 - The story of helping to build out https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/ with Walter Thorn and collaborations with WA Dept. of Health, Microsoft, Starbucks, and other enterprise partners.
1:01:47 - Shout out to Walter Thorn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterthorn/), and a question for David: What are helpful and not-helpful things that David sees with people he reports to? (the value of RACI into stakeholder management, David has also written about a tool he developed to use in conversations with his manager here: https://www.thedahv.com/blog/maintaining-product-manager-project-portfolio/ )
1:06:14 - How is David thinking about the future? What questions is he pursuing these days? Note from David: “Aforementioned post about career planning with "values triangle" https://www.thedahv.com/blog/thinking-about-your-next-job/
1:10:03 - What roles/responsibilities does a CTO have that are less exciting to David personally (and why does he prefer the technical product manager role)?
1:13:04 - Where can people find David online? https://www.thedahv.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddpierce/ (also @thedahv on most of the socials)
In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Malcolm Harkins (https://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolmharkins/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), and I discuss all-things cybersecurity. After hearing about Malcolm’s background and career path, we examine the history and principles of cybersecurity for startup founders, individuals, and anyone helping to usher in the Web 3.0 era.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-40 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:58 - Sol tee-up, background, and welcome of Malcolm
4:06 - Malcolm introduction / background / career journey.
5:30 - Stumbling into the security industry.
6:11 - Cybersecurity pros make their wages by fixing symptoms, are they not actually working to make their jobs go away? Conflict of interest? (Threat, Vulnerability, Impact)
9:00 - What happened that made the cybersecurity industry so messed up? (History lesson)
15:16 - There is a reinforcement mechanism into the system that keeps cybersecurity pros in their jobs. Some organizations are underfunded, but that’s not the primary problem. We don’t need a bigger factory. We need to prove we are getting value out of our investments.
16:48 - Three things to talk about the rest of this episode: (1) What are cybersecurity best practices for a new growing startup? (2) How should the general public be thinking about cybersecurity? (3) How does/should cybersecurity play a role in the utopian Web 3 vision?
(Starting here with question #1)
21:43 - Sol’s thoughts on question #1 / cybersecurity best practices for startups
24:13 - One other thing to realize, you can’t eliminate risk, but if you are focused right you can reduce it substantially.
24:47 - Example of a few founders spinning up a database, SaaS platforms, etc… What are the principles of cybersecurity for them?
28:17 - Risk to myself. Risk to my customer. Risk to society. Need to get blog/article up.
29:16 - The need for a new way to collaborate across industries and community stakeholders
29:58 - Thoughts on Question #2 - how should the general public be thinking about cybersecurity?
38:29 - What are the principles of cybersecurity for individuals? (Discussion on password managers, for example…..and not answering your security questions honestly...and spoofing tactics)
44:50 - Final thoughts on the principles for startups and individuals regarding hacking strategies the bad guys use.
46:40 - Malcolm’s thoughts on the system and things inherent into the system, the macro/micro and systems engineering.
47:55 - Final question (#3) on Web 3, what can go wrong re: cybersecurity as we attempt to build the utopian vision?
51:02 - Wrapping all three questions into one narrative. Looking at data like it’s a toxic element. Combinations of data creating the equivalent of dirty bomb or enriched
52:50 - Where can people find Sol and Malcolm online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolmharkins/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Kim Porter (https://hatchone.com), Eric Sullivan (https://thumos.io/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/) and I go “meta” and ask questions about questions. We discuss creatively in career paths, finding purpose, doing good, helping humans flourish, proving middle-schoolers with mentorship and encouragement, pursuing interesting professional questions, and connecting people.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-39 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:27 - Sol tee-up and introduction of Kim and Eric
2:54 - Kim introduction
4:52 - Eric introduction
8:24 - Sol introduction
10:53 - Creativity of the career path. What is your advice for college students today or those who are reinventing themselves right now? (Kim first)
16:38 - Eric’s thoughts on the above question.
23:30 - Recap on advice for life, Dharma, calling, purpose, what wakes you up… Sol’s thoughts on the above question.
29:40 - Purpose of life is to find your purpose. For Kim, where is she in this journey and what questions are coming to mind that she is pursuing?
32:40 - Clarity on doing good. Eric’s thoughts on the above question.
37:32 - Building on the foundation of purpose and personal questions, what professional questions are driving you? (Starting with Kim’s thoughts)
38:51 - Sol’s thoughts on the above question.
42:30 - Eric’s thoughts on the above question (“Am I asking the right questions” // “Do I have the right exposure I need in order to correlate the right data points in order to ask the right questions”?)
46:15 - The way to “tool up” getting exposure to the right things to ask the right questions.
49:32 - Origin of the “flywheel”. For Kim, she had someone who noticed her earlier in life. Human Flourishing. Question: how do we solve the problem of helping more people get noticed and have mentorship from other humans? (Sol’s thoughts re: an app)
54:14 - Kim’s thoughts on the above question.
56:52 - Eric’s thoughts on the above question.
58:35 - Creating the room to bring the right team around a person to notice them. “You can create leaders”.
1:00:13 - Sol’s special superpower to bring people together. He’s a super-connector. One of the most valuable superpowers in the history of the world.
1:01:10 - Final thoughts from the group. Reflections and questions for the future. (Kim’s thoughts regarding gratitude)
1:02:37 - Eric’s thoughts on the above. Optimism that human flourishing is possible. Advice for a young person: you can create your own reality. Don’t settle for what the world tells you to do.
1:03:55 - Sol’s advice: pay it forward. Be a good samaritan. Find a way to help others.
1:04:57 - Where can people find Kim (https://hatchone.com) // Eric (https://thumos.io/) // Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/)
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Jenna Langer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/langerjenna/) and I discuss the nuances of product and growth from the perspective of an early stage startup (Livefyre) all the way through acquisition by Adobe. We talk about Jenna’s entrepreneurial story, wearing many hats, team composition strategies, the skill stack of a product manager, professional life in an enterprise, and lessons for startup founders.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-38 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:10 - Jenna intro, journey from preparing for work with startups, through building a startup, through being acquired by Adobe, to now working again with startups.
5:59 - What was Jenna up to personally and professionally that prepared her for startups?
12:08 - Intuition around “why Livefyre” ?.. Why did Jenna choose to invest her time into the new startup?
15:40 - Wearing many hats. What was Jenna’s story of the hats she wore to help the company grow in the early stages?
18:51 - From an education standpoint, how does Jenna think about “product” vs. “design” vs. “product management”?
22:00 - re: Startup Rocket (appreciate the shout-out). The importance of learning from others. Team composition design and nuances. Where does Jenna see common holes in early stage startup teams?
26:44 - What did the support structure around the core team of Jenna’s startup look like? (investors, advisors, supportive customers, etc…)
28:36 - Thinking you are good at product and then realizing you aren’t. How do you “teach product”?
33:10 - The skill stack for a product manager. Worth re-listening to the previous section. How does Jenna think about the “growth” part of the product/growth dance?
38:09 - The concept of a “local maxima” - what if we are climbing the wrong hill? How does Jenna think about the dangers of climbing the wrong hill regarding product vision?
42:37 - The desire to “pause” and identity and solve problems. The pitfalls of running too fast that break things.
45:05 - Discussion about Jenna’s work in Adobe. What was attractive to Adobe about Livefyre?
47:56 - Was the transition into enterprise life like for Jenna after the acquisition?
51:21 - Holistically, from the frame of going from startups to enterprises, what are the things to learn? What can startups learn after going into enterprises after an acquisition?
55:27 - Learning from Jenna’s holistic story. What’s next for Jenna?
59:53 - Where can people find Jenna online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/langerjenna/ // http://www.jennalanger.com/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Kelly Jo Horton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyjohorton/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/) and I discuss marketing operations from a startup and enterprise perspective. We dive into Kelly Jo’s story entering the space, the need for a marketing operations expert as early as possible in a startup, how to avoid technical debt with your MarTech stack, why to setup a centralized command center, and how/why to retool a broken MarTech data infrastructure.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-37 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:47 - Sol tee-up and introduction of Kelly Jo
2:58 - Kelly Jo personal intro, background, brief career story, tech history, and overview of marketing operations.
8:04 - What was the career path that Kelly Jo thought she was going on in the early days and how/why it pivoted.
14:47 - Where did in Kelly Jo’s career did she turn toward data and marketing operations?
17:48 - In the hypothetical example of a 3-person team (technical, business, and creative), how should they think about setting themselves up for success to learn from their data.
20:32 - Until the archetypal founder team has the money to hire a senior marketing operations expert, what should be the foundational work that the team should do in order to not rack up too much technical debt with their data.
23:01 - Does Kelly Jo have a recommended MarTech stack for early stage founders?
26:44 - Valuing a marketing operations expert. More discussion about an ideal stack from an enterprise angle for B2B work.
35:15 - Comments about the quantity of strong female leaders in marketing operations.
35:43 - From an enterprise angle, what are the common problems that Sol sees on the marketing operations side of things?
37:40 - The importance of having a centralized command center, at least the admin functions.
41:02 - Identifying yet another hole in startup capabilities (tech/marketing).
42:55 - Customers buy business outcomes
43:38 - Resetting the marketing operations team/stack, what is Kelly Jo’s experience of retooling a marketing operations team and associated software tooling?
46:02 - Yet another “type of CMO to hire” in startup land.
46:33 - Where can people find Kelly Jo and Sol online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyjohorton/, https://www.mopspros.com/mopstalks, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Steve Crepeau (https://www.truesalesresults.com/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), and I discuss the nuances of sales, including characteristics, values, tactics, and techniques for helping people progress along the buyer’s journey. Our discussion expands from complex B2B sales to how the “inflection point” concept can be applied to other areas of startups and enterprise sales, including “selling” your team and investors on your idea as a startup founder.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-36 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:01 - Sol tee-up and introduction of Steve
2:40 - Steve introduction, background, and story of True Sales Results.
5:23 - Sol’s reflections of meeting Steve and learning about sales leadership.
6:35 - Did Steve always have the personality of a salesperson even in his childhood?
9:10 - Backing up, what is sales? What kind of characteristics do you need to be good at sales?
15:27 - Business to Business (B2B) buyers are interested primarily in purchasing business outcomes. (Sol talking about his past as a Sales Engineer).
17:36 - Deep dive discovery and discernment process as part of True Sales Results services, including talking to customers of customers.
21:30 - For a growing startup, from an education perspective, how do you build and scale a sales team?
27:17 - Not as simple as having someone in your network shadow you...it requires building story narratives and the types of things that True Sales Results provides for their clients. (hint: not “rolodex selling”)
32:55 - Sol reflecting on early bootcamps with Steve, learning functional sales techniques, including understanding “the inflection point” during the buyer’s journey.
35:42 - Steve reflecting on Sol’s video testimonial in a busy conference hall
36:24 - During the discovery process with Steve’s customer’s customers, Steve uncovers the emotion during the decision making process. The emotional impact. Sales people are good at making people feel very uncomfortable. Example question to ask: “What is the cost of doing nothing” ?
38:00 - More discussion around “the inflection point”.
40:40 - Making a buyer “troubled” to get to the inflection point. Examples from cybersecurity.
42:37 - Sol recalling a story that Steve shared in the past around buying a car...about a customer coming to the inflection point.
45:40 - Other examples outside of Cybersecurity. (e.g. AI/Medtech). The inflection point is literally life or death for some buyers (such as hospitals).
55:02 - Remapping sales stages. Thinking you know why your customers buy your stuff (and being wrong).
57:01 - What can founders learn from the insights from this episode regarding “selling” their team, investors, partners, etc… (including themselves).
59:31 - Avoid random acts of selling. Focus. Lessons learned. Sol recommends focusing on the problem, understanding it from multiple angles...and then, understanding if it’s valuable to make the problem go away…..then innovate.
1:01:29 - The best way to convince a team and investors to join you is to focus on the business outcomes of your customers.
1:02:08 - Where can we find Steve and Sol online? www.truesalesresults.com & https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/
In this episode of Ventures, designer/developer Perry Azevedo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryazevedo/) and I discuss the importance of a co-founder team having product and design capabilities, the important nuances between “product” and “design”, examples from products that Perry and I have built together, and the future of UX design in the era of low-code/no-code applications.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-35 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:43 - Perry introduction. From “Webmaster” to designer/developer over the last few decades.
10:31 - Going back to when Perry was first in his government job, from an education standpoint, what was “design” and “tooling” for the web back then in the late 90s?
14:30 - How did Perry’s understanding and development of the design/development craft from Perry’s experience in formal education?
18:56 - In startup land, there is typically a business person, a technical person, and ideally a product/design person -- i.e. a Hustler, Hacker, and Hipster. What is Perry’s advice for Business/Technical founders looking for Product/Design help?
24:04 - What should the business and technical person be aware of when picking a co-founder - and if they had to lean one way or another, which way should they lean?
26:53 - A word of caution to business/technical people out there (hint: you probably aren’t very good product people).
30:40 - Walking through product examples and the Design/Product: VendorHawk https://www.geekwire.com/2018/servicenow-snaps-vendorhawk-help-customers-manage-saas-spending/
35:35 - Another example of a product that Perry and Will built: https://www.startuprocket.com/
39:50 - The story behind the hexagon logo for Startup Rocket - and the story behind logos in general.
41:22 - More about the history and founding story of Startup Rocket
41:56 - What is the next stage of learning for Perry as a world-class designer? (No-code/low-code; we may not need to write code anymore soon)
45:41 - Going from design to coding up a product - are there any downsides to this personally for Perry?
48:51 - The “T” analogy for people; how founders should identify people to fill out their team.
49:50 - Where can people find Perry online? @perryazevedo on the socials, or go directly to https://www.protaventures.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Susie Kataoka (https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiekataoka/), Norris Liu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenorrisliu/), and I discuss the origin story of Zebra Health, the work they are doing to bring transparency to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) global market, starting a joint venture between their startups, distributing rapid antigen and antibody tests for COVID-19, and aspiring toward blockchain/Web 3.0 opportunities for any marketplace that involves brokering trust.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-34 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:45 - Susie introduction and background, Transpara to Zebra Health
3:00 - Norris introduction and background, EHLP to Zebra Health, describing the origin of the name “Zebra Health”
7:43 - for Susie and Norris, was being entrepreneurial something they did as kids or was it something they picked up later in life?
10:00 - What was the process like of starting a formal Joint Venture? At what point did Susie and Norris know that was a good idea?
13:59 - Regarding trust, communication, and transparency (or lack thereof); what is going on in the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) marketplace globally? (A discussion about the fraud and scams going on in the industry)
18:35 - More discussion about the “good” and “bad” side of the global PPE market.
27:13 - What products and services does Zebra Health offer?
29:30 - What is the vision/mission of Zebra Health today?
31:03 - What is the difference between a COVID-19 antigen test and antibody test? (FYI, Zebra Health is a distributor of these tests - visit https://zebra.health to learn more)
39:04 - Does having COVID-19 make someone immune from getting it in the future?
41:23 - Who is Zebra Health for? (Geared toward health care professionals, health care organizations, and governments)
41:59 - Would manufacturers of PPE/tests and distributors be partners with Zebra Health?
43:27 - What needs to change in the USA and the global system regarding PPE distribution? (Setting standards, transparency, and open markets)
46:57 - Web 3.0 / Blockchain considerations for brokering trust / supply chain management, even outside the PPE world (e.g. in commodities trading).
55:26 - Call to action for Web 3.0 developers to help build a decentralized application for brokering trust.
55:39 - How can people best find Susie/Norris and learn more about Zebra Health? Go to https://zebra.health and feel free to contact susie@zebra.health and norris@zebra.health
56:25 - Zebra Health is more than just PPE. They are distributing test kits (antibody and antigen) and equipment such as air filtration systems and sanitation stickers).
57:39 - Results from testing internally. We tested 13 members of our team, check out https://zebra.health/blogs/news/thirteen-members-of-our-team-were-given-covid-19-rapid-antibody-tests-here-s-what-we-learned
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Bill Murphy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwmurphy/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), and I discuss the worlds of private equity and investment banking, how founders should think about engaging strategic investors, the different stages of technology leadership as a company grows, and the services that Cresting Wave (https://www.crestingwave.com/) offers to help tech companies mature operations and execute go-to-market strategies.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-33 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:35 - Sol tee up and intro of Bill
3:03 - Bill introduction, initial stories from being part of the founding teaming of CapitalIQ, CTO of Blackstone, and Managing Partner at Cresting Wave.
10:15 - From an education standpoint, what is investment banking? Why should people care about it?
12:04 - What is private equity (PE)? At what point should founders think about having meetings with PE folks?
16:11 - Interacting with PEs/VCs that can bring real value-add, i.e. those that want to go on that journey with you.
19:14 - Getting the early company engine started - first customer and first loss.
20:30 - The balance of having a “north star” versus pivoting.
21:22 - Brief background of Sol and how his journey interacts with these topics.
25:30 - Customer segments/targets: broad vs. specialized.
30:12 - Stages of technology leadership: beginning phase to that first transition into management/delegation?
33:51 - Where can Cresting Wave help as technology founders grow their companies? (the go-to-market side).
36:47 - Creating a good culture when company building
37:35 - Personality diversity / personality tests
40:15 - The next horizon in the growth of a technology leader, after the delegation mode has been in place for a while.
42:18 - Communication and processes, openness and transparency.
44:00 - Commentary on waterfall design vs. agile.
45:13 - More about Cresting Wave. Who is the ideal customer? (Free services and ideas to tech leaders curious about optimizing their game, and go-to-market services for technology companies...helping the first handful of conversations with potential clients)
48:48 - Where can people follow up and learn more? https://www.crestingwave.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/
In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Tony Rutkowski (http://www.circleid.com/members/6809/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), Tony Sager (https://www.cisecurity.org/) and I extend last week’s conversation about cybersecurity and web 3.0. We dive into topics related to international data controls, entrepreneurship in a global landscape, 5G, SSL certificates, and the evolving definition of trust.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-32 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:31 - Sol briefly recapping last week’s episode
2:17 - Tony S. introduction of Tony R.
3:33 - Tony R.’s introduction, 50+ year history in cyber and cybersecurity, from a radio amatuer to launching Saturn 5s, to federal service, to his work in telecommunications and security, to 5G.
20:43 - Recap of the questions from last week regarding lessons for Web 3.0
21:32 - Longer recap from Sol through Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 conversations from last week.
22:42 - Tony S: “This is not the first round of utopian thinking”. The struggle of moving to cloud and the body of enforcement. He grew up in a world where trust was a binary decision. Today’s world of trust is a much more nuanced “negotiating” decision.
28:47 - Tony R’s commentary on FCC attempts to implement international reporting mechanisms of problems. (Also commentary on antitrust efforts and 5G)
34:59 - Creating trust and encouraging anti-corruption in cyber
35:46 - Cloud computing, fog computing, and edge computing: implications of 5G
38:25 - Question for TonyR - what should bright-eyes entrepreneurs be aware of in terms of problems/potholes with international cybersecurity.
40:41 - Advice for entrepreneurs: everybody has an idea, but not everyone understands the context they are selling into.
42:15 - Commentary on Alibaba, Google, Elon Musk, and AWS. Matching users/funders with people who know how to code.
44:28 - Commentary and education on extraterritoriality
49:43 - Sovereignty and Data
51:20 - CA/Browser forum
53:48 - Let’s encrypt - what happened there and why is it problematic? Rational decisions individually versus systemic risk (e.g. Solar Winds).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20200209_truth_in_web_digital_identity/
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20190124_creating_tls_the_pioneering_role_of_ruth_nelson/
1:02:28 - Are SSL certificates as simple as ensuring the data from point A to point B is encrypted? (No, they also should signal trust and verification of the provider)
1:06:43 - The slight of hand and scaling of trust
1:07:30 - The importance of an international perspective, especially amongst USA-based entrepreneurs.
1:08:40 - Where can we find Sol, Tony S, and Tony T online. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/, https://www.cisecurity.org/, http://www.circleid.com/members/6809/
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Tony Sager (https://www.cisecurity.org/), Sol Cates (https://twitter.com/solcates), and I discuss Tony’s journey through the National Security Agency during the cold war and dawn of the Internet. We talk about how Sol and Tony crossed paths, and how cybersecurity has evolved over the past 50 years, and how the Web 3.0 generation can (and should) learn from the Web 1.0 generation.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-31 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:07 - Sol introduction of Tony
2:41 - Tony intro, & background, including a history lesson of the Internet and his work with the NSA.
8:53 - Sol background and intro for him and how his story intersects with Tony’s.
13:22 - A different mindset; “offense” and “defense” in cybersecurity.
15:13 - Independence Day vs. Groundhog Day in cyber defense. (it’s more like Groundhog Day)
16:50 - Reformed Government Monopolist
19:00 - Public service in the DNA of the decision makers in the NSA
21:17 - Tony’s story where his boss was the mainstay of the math program. “When we put this stuff out there…. Suppose somebody finds a mistake in it? What are we going to do?”
25:09 - Parallel in the outside world where entrepreneurs want to “do go” as well. “Crypto vs. OG Crypto”. More here about Will’s story.
30:19 - Education on cyber and security on the Internet. Why is cybersecurity 101 more like “Groundhog Day” vs. “Independence Day”?
34:47 - Common Command and Control: Never go to war without your friends, you never know who your friends are until right before war, and many of your friends can’t stand each other.
37:45 - Why the internet was originally designed. Remembering the cold ware. Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Are the Web 3.0 folks on to something real?
44:43 - Self-sovereign identity and security. How do we weed out the negative part of the system?
51:01 - Analogy of teeth getting pulled by barbers back in the day when there weren't dentists. It takes awhile to codify the knowledge and build the mechanisms around particular areas (like the Internet).
52:53 - Where can people find Tony and Sol online? Cisecurity.org & sagercyber.org // and @solcates on Twitter.
Special thanks to our sponsor: https://www.startuprocket.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Cheryl Kemp (founder of https://indifit.co/) and I discuss her journey of starting a company at the beginning of the pandemic, finding co-founders, leveraging no-code technology to validate her idea, pivoting into a completely different business model, providing software for fitness instructors, experimenting with growth strategies, and raising money in 2021.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-30 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:45 - Cheryl quick intro, background, and high-level description of Indifit.
3:16 - Did Cheryl have the entrepreneurial drive as a kid or did it come later in life?
5:31 - Will’s story of selling pictures of aircraft carriers as a kid.
6:06 - What kind of work did Cheryl do earlier in her career?
8:03 - Appreciation for entrepreneurs that start restaurants & cafes.
9:02 - Where did the idea of Indifit come from? (Cheryl mentioned this program: https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/28/cleo-capitals-sarah-kunst-launches-a-fellowship-for-laid-off-workers/)
16:22 - Was the program ongoing or a one-time thing?
16:50 - How did Cheryl go through the process of building and validating the idea?
19:14 - Discussion about the Indifit business model
22:00 - A discussion about the no-code/low-code movement. e.g. https://www.sharetribe.com/
24:08 - How is indifit going? How are Cheryl and her team doing?
28:20 - How are Cheryl and her team building trust/culture remotely?
31:57 - Was there an “aha” moment with regard to Indifit’s pivot to sell software for instructors rather than be a marketplace?
36:19 - Did Indifit’s no-code approach help with their pivot? How did she surface the data to know when to pivot?
38:29 - How is Cheryl thinking about their growth strategy from here?
43:05 - Fundraising conversation. What has the process been like to court investors?
47:54 - Commentary about the VC industry in general and strategically finding the right investors.
57:22 - What is the best way to follow Cheryl and Indifit online? (Go to https://cheryl-kemp.com and https://indifit.co/ )
Special thanks to our sponsor: https://www.startuprocket.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Alice Crisci (https://www.instagram.com/fertilityanswers_/) and I discuss her journey as a cancer survivor and entrepreneur in the medical/fertility space. While many people turn to “Dr. Google” when trying to find answers to their medical questions, Alice and her team have created a more sophisticated and personalized approach for finding answers to fertility-related questions. In addition to talking about MedAnswers and their first vertical, FertilityAnswers, Alice and I also talk about mental health for founders, how to validate an initial entrepreneurial idea, and how to think about smart resource allocations for effective go-to-market strategies.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-29 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:40 - Alice intro, background, cancer survivor, entrepreneur.
7:15 - The earlier years of Alice’s life. Where did the kernel of entrepreneurship come from and what were her early learnings?
10:37 - What did Alice teach those 75 journalism students in her high school years about how to be excellent at sales.
13:16 - How was sales part of Alice’s career in her 20s?
15:53 - Coming through cancer, doing advocacy work, and starting MedAnswers.
18:42 - What was the original pitch that landed Alice’s first $50k investor check?
19:42 - What is MedAnswers? What is the problem? What is the solution?
21:52 - When answering questions online, the more context the better. MedAnswers helps with this. What is an example of the kind of information that MedAnswers provides to experts (anonymously) to give the best possible answers?
23:57 - Education session. How does Alice typically guide someone who is new to the fertility care process?
28:16 - What is PCOS?
29:40 - What is a metabolic disorder?
32:10 - Nuances between Alice’s liberties as a “patient advocate” vs. a medical provider.
37:09 - Advice for entrepreneurs about how to get started and know their idea is validated?
40:43 - How did Alice initial market her product/service?
43:32 - What is epigenetics? Should people stop smoking pot when trying to get pregnant?
46:33 - What advice would Alice have for entrepreneurs starting now with regard to their go-to-market strategy.
48:55 - Resource allocation strategies during go-to-market operations.
50:44 - Self care. In the dance between raising money, building a product, making customers happy, etc.. How does Alice maintain mental health and sanity? https://www.unplug.com/ https://journey.live/
57:30 - For MedAnswers, what is the vision in the coming years? Where is Alice and her team heading next? Healthy babies for healthy families.
1:00:04 - Where can people best find Alice and MedAnswers online? https://fertility.medanswers.com/ https://www.instagram.com/fertilityanswers_/
Special thanks to our sponsor: https://www.startuprocket.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Valerie Groth (https://www.ryanbanksacademy.org/) and I discuss the Ryan Banks Academy story, her background in social work and in Chicago Public Schools, resiliency when starting a school and nonprofit, and life for students in a pandemic. With social entrepreneurship gaining increasing attention globally, in this conversation we dive into a number of topics to help founders think about relevant issues to address with new ventures.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-28 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:47 - Val intro, background, and journey into starting Ryan Banks Academy.
6:11 - What is social work? What career paths are available?
8:22 - What do social workers learn in school? What tracks are common?
12:08 - What is the work that Val was doing day in and day out during her time working with Chicago public schools?
16:40 - What started the kernel of the idea for Ryan Banks Academy?
20:43 - Comment about entrepreneurs who can’t stop thinking about an idea :)
21:18 - What steps did Val start taking initially to make RBA a reality?
23:33 - Comment about Madeleine Albright and what she’s had to go through in her career.
23:51 - How and when Val left her day job to start her new venture.
25:45 - What is Ryan Banks Academy? What stage is the school at in its growth?
28:09 - Fundraising, rallying a team, and establishing a board for a nonprofit.
32:29 - What has life been like during the pandemic for RBA?
35:38 - What kind of lessons is Val learning about entrepreneurship in general in this season?
37:09 - From Val’s perspective of inner city dynamics, what social problems can (and should) entrepreneurs be thinking about? What would be her call to action to fellow founders?
40:29 - What is Val learning about the conversation around race and racism? How does she think about the conversation?
44:18 - What are the ways in which people can help out with Ryan Banks Academy?
46:43 - What is Val’s vision for RBA in the next 5/10/15 years?
48:05 - Final words for the entrepreneurs, investors, and other listeners curious about RBA.
Special thanks to our sponsors: https://mybirdbuddy.com, https://www.startuprocket.com, and https://satchel.works
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Foxy Davison and I discuss her journey as a community advocate and venture-builder in Seattle’s Central District and beyond. Foxy has a remarkable ability to listen and serve, and we - as fellow entrepreneurs - have many things to learn from her about how to pay attention to our communities. In addition to hearing about her entrepreneurial pursuits, we also discuss how to focus and step back from opportunities that might otherwise seem important, and how to effectively identify an internal compass in order to say yes and no to the appropriate things.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-27 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:27 - Quick intro and background.
3:18 - Where did Foxy first begin to realize that she had entrepreneurial drive and passion?
8:02 - In terms of “paying attention to your community”, where did she first begin the process of spinning up new ventures and helping others with theirs?
10:58 - Raising awareness and support for those afflicted with Sickle Cell Anemia.
13:55 - What lessons did Foxy learn about her community while working as a 4th grade teacher at T.T. Minor?
16;30 - What was Foxy up to in St. Louis when she moved there?
18:14 - When she moved back to Seattle (late 2000s), what types of entrepreneurial ventures was she up to?
20:45 - What is/was Clean Greens up to? What is their mission? (Bring fresh food to the Central District, and provide jobs for the local community)
22:09 - What aspects of the change of the Central District over the past couple of decades were good and not-so-good?
24:22 - The Cortona Cafe story
27:48 - Lessons for entrepreneurs: listening to our community. Where does Foxy’s story take her after Cortona?
36:26 - What is Work Release? What kind of effort was/is Foxy doing in that world?
40:03 - Knowing when to say “no” and when to step away. What advice does Foxy have?
43:33 - Brainstorming ideas for different programs in the work release world? How did she and her team come up with the idea and test/validate it?
46:42 - Lessons to be mined from raising kids.
47:22 - What kinds of ventures is Foxy passionate about in her short to medium future?
54:56 - Final words for the entrepreneurs/investors listening in about how to better listen to their markets and communities.
56:29 - FYI - the best way to reach Foxy is via direct email: foxyandjason@q.com
Special thanks to our sponsors: https://mybirdbuddy.com, https://www.startuprocket.com, and https://satchel.works
In this episode of Ventures, my guest (Jed Collins: https://www.tiktok.com/@fullbackoffinance) and I discuss the basics of financial literacy and Jed’s journey into the NFL and entrepreneurial venture thereafter. Of particular interest is not only Jed’s story and important content he is teaching young people, but also how he has been using TikTok as a marketing engine to grow his business.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-26 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:50 - Jed intro and background; his journey into the NFL and into now teaching financial literacy.
9:02 - Jed was a receiving tight end at Washington State University. He had 53 catches his senior year (which is amazing). Question: What’s the story from there to getting into the NFL?
16:14 - What is Jed up to these days?
21:29 - What is the basic motivation, structure, and content of Jed’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Vehicle-Driving-Financial-ebook/dp/B08596991L
27:18 - This curriculum needs to be in every school across America. How are things going with Jed’s entrepreneurial journey?
32:16 - Regarding founders with their day job, what financial lens should they be thinking about regarding when to leave their day job.
35:30 - Word of caution to hold on to the day job as long as you can.
37:20 - Once you fully understand that you have something - and it’s validated - then it’s best to build the day job.
38:00 - “When is my idea validated?”
38:35 - In what ways has Jed approached marketing his book and course?
40:00 - TikTok marketing; how to find an audience there.
43:33 - What is the difference in the audience and mechanisms on TikTok?
45:40 - What is Jed’s big picture vision? What is his hope for humanity? 1m people to U.S.E (Understand, Strategic, and be Efficient) money and open a ROTH account.
49:22 - How can people find Jed online? https://yourmoneyvehicle.com and FullbackofFinance on the socials. https://twitter.com/fullbackfinance // https://www.tiktok.com/@fullbackoffinance
In this episode of Ventures, Sol Cates (https://twitter.com/solcates, cloud and cybersecurity expert at Thales) and I discuss advice for founders regarding technical infrastructure security. We also have a bit of a Random Show at the end of the year here as we discuss ways to combat COVID-19, provide technical founder training, practice self-discovery with the Enneagram, and think about New Year’s Resolutions.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-25 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
3:10 - Sol intro, cloud and cybersecurity expert at Thales.
8:40 - What advice does Sol have for startup founders with regard to cyber security and security by design? Follow a good framework such as Cloud Native.
14:10 - Rapid Antigen Tests. See: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/a-primer-on-viruses-antigens-antibodies-contagiousness-vaccines-and-covid-19-testing Also see: Michael Mina, MD, PhD (Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Immunology, Harvard) that if we were all equipped with rapid antigen tests, we could defeat COVID-19 within a month. Check out this article he wrote in Time and this podcast he did recently with Lex Fridman.
18:11 - Technical founder training & learning to code. Motivation / background. See: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/learn-to-code-as-an-entrepreneur & https://www.codefellows.org/ & https://hotwire.dev/
25:33 - The Enneagram. Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality and Google search around to follow the rabbit trails.
41:29 - New Year's Resolutions. How to develop models that work. Diet, exercise, sleep, time management, money, etc.. For doing your homework on health science, for example, check out: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/health-science.
46:58 - Last word of advice from Sol; never let a crisis go to waste, build a team of experts around you.
47:38 - Find and follow Sol at https://twitter.com/solcates
Sponsors: https://satchel.works, https://www.startuprocket.com, https://mybirdbuddy.com
In this episode of Ventures, Joel Fariss (https://joelfariss.com; a design research and strategic futures associate at Gensler) and I continue our conversation from Episode 21 and explore the implications of self-defined virtual identities and data stores as it relates to innovation, human progress, Dream Thinking, and Web 3.0.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-24 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:56 - Recap of Episode 21, the epistemology of design, the future of work, and opportunities for humanity to make lemonade out of this lemon of a year.
2:30 - Discussing the tee-up of virtual identities, Kanye’s recent hologram gift to Kim, and identity in the Web 3 era.
9:31 - Problems with confirming identities, including virtual identities that are tied to the same human. What types of problems/crises will be associated with this?
14:35 - Pent up anger / frustration in society right now across politics and sociology. In the early days of the Internet, where our inner thoughts began being published online, that became problematic. What dangers (and promising signs) do we need to watch out for in the 2020s?
29:58 - If we were to design a utopian future where virtual identities are playing a key role, what would that look like? In fact, how do we define flourishing as humans? United Nations: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
28:03 - The importance of improving childhood experiences to bring about a better world; a lot of work is needed here. The human brain is constantly thinking about terrible things and beautiful wonderful things. How do we design a future to tease out the beautiful things?
35:14 - The Web 3 era will allow people to own their own identities and data. Is there a future where new markets are created for subsets of people’s virtual identities? How is Joel thinking about this in the Web 3 world? (A discussion on virtual influencers)
43:15 - Reinventing roads / basic public infrastructure.
43:26 - New economies are going emerge, which will require new value creation, and technology innovation will be the driver of this.
45:30 - In Joel’s work at Gensler as a design researcher, what does he see the coming year looking like in terms of the corporate world and work design?
51:44 - Final thoughts around the concept of virtual identities and human flourishing in the web 3 era. Dream Thinking. How are we going to encourage people to be “good” ? We have a grand call to action for entrepreneurs.
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Franci Zidar (https://mybirdbuddy.com) and Kyle Buzzard (https://protaventures.com) discuss the Bird Buddy story from an idea to a successful Kickstarter campaign. Bird Buddy is a smart bird feeder that notifies users of visiting birds with a live stream and AI-assisted photo capturing features. We discuss many aspects of the story to date, including early validation work, design interactions, and the incorporation of feedback from interested customers. We also dive into practical advice for aspiring hardware/IoT entrepreneurs considering a Kickstarter campaign as part of their marketing strategy.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-23 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:40 - Franci intro, path as a technical entrepreneur leading up to him co-founding Bird Buddy
2:32 - Kyle’s intro, path as an industrial designer, Bay Area to Chicago, to being a partner at Prota Ventures working with the Bird Buddy team.
3:27 - Introduction to Bird Buddy. Where did the idea come from?
7:23 - At what point did the team get serious about testing the validity of Bird Buddy as a business? What did those tests look like?
11:24 - Kyle’s advice for founders building hardware/IoT startups; how to best validate an idea in the early stages, using Bird Buddy as an example.
13:24 - Where did the Bird Buddy and Prota Ventures stories converge? (Shout out to Danny and Daniel from https://ioterra.com/ for the intro)
17:09 - For hardware entrepreneurs trying to figure out next steps - once they are serious about taking their business to the next level - what advice does Kyle have?
18:55 - Comments on “Hardware is Hard” in the VC/Angel community.
21:31 - What information was Franci looking for when he was Googling around and found Ioterra and Prota?
23:55 - What is the history of the design of Bird Buddy?
27:16 - Product details of Bird Buddy. What was the rationale for the features?
31:26 - Product materials and industrial design in light of the brand strategy; i.e. the balance between fun/playful and tech-focused.
35:02 - How is the Bird Buddy powered?
36:17 - What is the vision for the software, data, and AI features moving forward?
41:27 - What questions are bird experts/scientists/conservationists (ornithologists) asking?
45:25 - Kickstarter strategy advice for hardware entrepreneurs, building community, and the evolving purpose of Kickstarter from “incubator to accelerator.”
50:33 - How has the Bird Buddy team been communicating with their audience? Check out: https://www.facebook.com/mybirdbuddy
55:30 - Community development: groups on social media/slack vs. direct email and facebook pages. “Bird of the Day” and steady blog content.
58:10 - How did/does the Bird Buddy team think about Public Relations leading up to (and through) the Kickstarter campaign?
1:02:00 - Final words of encouragement and advice for entrepreneurs.
1:04:50 - How can people follow up with Franci and Kyle? https://www.linkedin.com/in/franci-zidar/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-buzzard/
In this episode of ventures, my guests Joe Clarke (TaskBill.io) and David Parrott (ProtaVentures.com) and I dive deep into the world of web development. We discuss its history over the past few decades, languages and frameworks, tools for entrepreneurs, tips for those learning to code, and thoughts about the upcoming “New Magic” from the Rails and Basecamp communities.
FYI: If you are learning to code, check out my new series: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/learn-to-code-as-an-entrepreneur
For this podcast episode, visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-22 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:58 - Joe intro, journey as an entrepreneur, TaskBill.io and Hosting Playground
5:02 - David intro, journey from video games to over a decade at Amazon Web Services
8:22 - Code and the teenage years. What Joe and David did when they were that age, and their advice for teenagers today.
15:06 - Will’s journey from elementary school, middle school, and high school learning to code a little bit here and there.
17:19 - What were Joe and David doing and learning during the 2000s and 2010s? What programming languages were they working with and what kind of applications were they building?
24:29 - Big shifts in the late 2000s and 2010s, jQuery, Single-Page Applications, how were Joe and David thinking about modern web applications during this time?
29:24 - From a pure education standpoint, describing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and frameworks on top of JavaScript.
30:30 - What stack did/does Joe build his companies on? How did/does he think about JavaScript frameworks?
33:34 - Will’s experience with Angular 1 & 2, Ember, Backbone.js, React, Redux, and how he advised founders to think about their software stack for their startup.
33:05 - A brief journey through David’s experience with AWS. What did he learn during that season and how he thinks about progressive web apps, StimulusReflex, and Rails.
41:03 - Does Rails scale? How do Joe and David think about this question?
46:55 - What are Service-oriented architectures?
50:17 - What are “Serverless” architectures?
53:08 - What is Joe learning now in the Stimulus/StimulusReflex as he’s building Taskbill.io? What is TaskBill?
57:58 - What do Joe and David think about the upcoming “New Magic” that the basecamp team is releasing? What do they think it will be? What potential pitfalls might there be?
1:04:05 - For the developers considering using Stimulus/StimulusReflex and/or New Magic, what are considerations to keep in mind when choosing your software stack?
1:09:58 - Discussing how developers have a choice to determine where RAM and CPU computation take place (i.e. on client machines or on back-end servers).
1:11:54 - Final words from Joe and David. Advice for entrepreneurs choosing their stack, and advice for investors doing diligence on technical teams.
1:17:12 - People can find Joe @jclarke on Twitter, and at TaskBill.io, and get a hold of David at https://protaventures.com.
In this episode, Joel Fariss - a design research and strategic futures associate at Gensler (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelfariss/) - and I discuss the nuances of the word “design” in light of 2020 and the future of work and innovation. Based on his experience at Gensler and in the nonprofit world, we dive into the connection between design and value for humanity, the need for time and space for humans to innovate, and the role of grief to create a more equitable work environment.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-21 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:40 - Joel intro, design and his journey into Gensler. Design “as a mental model for perceiving the world”.
6:18 - How does Joel think about and define “Design” more broadly? In thinking about the trajectory of human civilization, check out The Ascent of Humanity by Charles Eisenstein.
11:53 - Thoughts about design as a software engineer.
19:30 - Why we do what we do. The importance of the heuristic of “how am I contributing to humanity”? In thinking about the trajectory of human civilization, check out The Ascent of Humanity by Charles Eisenstein.
21:43 - Will as a grad student, thinking about time efficiency, practicality, contributions to society, and designing experiments.
23:18 - Standing on the shoulder of giants. Where good ideas come from. The adjacent possible.
25:28 - Thoughts around the future of work and humanity in light of the pandemic.
36:48 - Where does humanity need to go? What needs to be introduced into the Future of Work conversation to benefit humanity? Some great reads regarding work: Brave New Work, Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work, Bullshit Jobs, Can't Even, Dying for a Paycheck, Humanocracy, and Reinventing Organizations. On data, value creation, and future economics check out Who Owns the Future, Radical Markets, Neo Feudalism, Debt, and The Post American World.
43:04 - Doing what we can as society to give people more time, which can lead to adjacent possibilities. At the heart of innovation, what has Joel seen “not work” and what has he seen that is promising?
49:06 - From a DE&I perspective, what has Joel seen in light of the pandemic and changing landscape of work and design? We talk about the role of grief as an important part of the work environment. To learn more about what grief is and why it is so important, read The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller.
55:01 - Where can people find more about Joel online? http://joelfariss.com // https://twitter.com/joelfariss // https://instagram.com/joel.fariss/
In today’s episode of Ventures I had the honor of interviewing Omari Salisbury (https://twitter.com/Omarisal) about his journey as an entrepreneur in the international media space, his company Converge Media (https://www.whereweconverge.com/), their unique spotlight in Seattle, and their new campaign NoExcusesJobs (https://NoExcusesJobs.com) in collaboration with Prota Ventures (https://www.protaventures.com).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-20 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:41 - Omari intro / background / what he’s up to at Converge Media.
4:49 - When did Omari know that entrepreneurship was in his DNA?
9:40 - What kind of work did Omari do while he was a teenager into his early 20s?
17:14 - How did Omari end up doing radio and media in the Middle East and Africa?
23:12 - Importance of life experience that facilitates people from all over the world to be successful entrepreneurs in the USA, and more about Omari’s experiences abroad and locally in Seattle.
29:40 - What motivates Omari to be genuinely interested in people and the truth? Where did this drive of curiosity come from?
37:25 - A discussion about biases and prejudices. How does Omari listen and learn? How should we collectively listen and learn?
45:58 - From Omari’s perspective, what’s his general thoughts on DE&I efforts globally and overcoming biases?
52:07 - What is the vision and mission of Converge Media? How are Omari and his team executing toward that vision/mission?
57:56 - A discussion about https://NoExcusesJobs.com // Why Omari is launching a campaign to help people of color land living-wage jobs.
1:02:39 - Final words from Omari to entrepreneurs and investors.
1:11:52 - How can people practically help out Omari and Converge? https://www.whereweconverge.com/donate
1:14:15 - Is Converge currently taking on sponsors? (Yes, and Omari talks about what that relationship can look like),
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Andrew Cronk (Co-Founder, Figment.io) and I discuss practical ways to engage with the Web 3.0 stack, how to keep up with information in the blockchain space, how to learn and teach others about crypto technologies, and where everyone is going to be storing and sharing baby photos in the future.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-19 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:30 - A quick discussion about what’s been happening in the blockchain world since summer 2020, i.e. the DeFi “boom.”
4:09 - What has Figment.io been up to? Servicing two personas with three products. Coin holders and Web 3 developers, with validator nodes/staking, Hubble, and Data Hub.
7:00 - Figment Learn - new product for developers to learn how to build on blockchains.
7:50 - Why do we need all these extra blockchains? Why do we need more than Ethereum?
11:23 - Regarding the question “Where do you upload your baby photos?” // What is it now within the Figment team and what will it hopefully be in the near future?
13:16 - What technology shifts are happening that are warranting the creation of these new blockchains? Trusted Execution Environments and Intel SGX, Oasis, Secret.Network. Users owning their own data. Example of the project looking at people sharing xrays/CT scans to train a model.
16:03 - Would people training these models need to be compensated with a token?
16:50 - Where are/would people’s images be stored in the Web 3 stack in this example?
17:58 - What areas in the blockchain space is Andy most excited about? Where does it get his news about blockchains? Check out Messari. Privacy of data. Personal digital locker of data.
20:10 - Commentary/questions about the multidisciplinary nature of blockchains - where does Andy like to spend his time? What things are working? Speculation, DeFi like Automated Market Makers (Uniswap), and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). OpenSea marketplace.
25:10 - Example of a “receipt” that could be given to consumers who buy something.
25:50 - More about Figment’s new Learn product. How does it work? Who is it for? (Peer to Peer learning system)
27:45 - Would people in Learn get paid in the token of the chain that is promoting content? Or what incentive mechanisms are in place?
29:48 - As a developer today, what sorts of things can I do with DataHub?
30:34 - What are some examples of things I can build with NEAR?
31:55 - Will DataHub have the APIs necessary to interact with NEAR?
32:30 - Final thoughts from Andy to the Web 2 to Web 3 engineers and investors out there. Let’s take back the internet.
In this episode of Ventures, I discuss with my guests Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) and Tony Little (https://twitter.com/DrTonyLittle) the past, present, and future of blockchain technologies and Web 3.0.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-18 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:59 - Tony intro, including his new job at https://www.prescryptive.com/
2:38 - Spencer intro, Web 3.0 product manager.
3:50 - Tee-up about exploring the narratives of blockchain, starting first with explaining what blockchain is.
11:00 - How would Tony talk about the story of blockchain from its origin to today?
17:00 - A quick caveat from Spencer about the problem of narratives.
17:56 - How would Spencer talk about the story of blockchain from its origin to today?
22:17 - What’s up with DeFi (Decentralized Finance? Why has it been all the rage the last couple of years?
25:00 - Blockchain ecosystem today similar to the “primordial soup” in biology that gave birth to life. The “experiments” happening today are like that early environment, and time will tell what comes out of it and evolves.
26:36 - Transition from the infrastructure narrative into products. What prevents someone from borrowing money in the DeFi space and running away with it?
29:52 - Why would someone borrow ~$1k by putting up something like $1.5k in collateral? What is the engine that makes DeFi go right now?
31:55 - What other products in the DeFi space are catching Spencer’s interest? (discussing risk management products)
34:59 - What’s up with yield farming and COMP’s governance protocol? (see also https://www.coindesk.com/defi-yield-farming-comp-token-explained)
39:44 - Recapping yield farming and the ability to potentially make more money from owning these tokens in the future.
42:06 - How active is yield farming now in DeFi? Is it a zero-sum game?
43:39 - What “net new” types of products can blockchain enable? (discussion around identity, shared governance, company ownership, and the future of work)
50:30 - Perhaps blockchains simply enable existing products/protocols to be scaled? (Will’s example of chaining internet through neighbors in mountain/valley environments, and a reminder that technology reduces cost and/or increases convenience)
53:50 - Blockchains as “scaling trust”.
55:38 - What is “trustless” then? Do we really mean “scaling trust” ? An extreme minimization of trust? What are we trusting in with regard to the blockchain tech and ecosystem?
57:33 - What is Web 3.0? (A discussion of Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and the sharing of costs, ownership, and outcomes of ventures at the infrastructure and application level in Web 3.0. “Putting communities back in control”)
1:00:51 - Discussion of Filecoin / IPFS - and The Graph - as examples of new Web 3.0 stack components.
1:02:55 - Discussion of identity, “directory”, and consent.
1:04:30 - Discussion of Web 1/2/3 transitions as an expansion of protocols and interfaces with those protocols.
1:05:08 - How do Tony and Spencer think about the future of blockchain? What excites them?
In this episode, Alexandra Skillman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexskillman/) shares her extensive knowledge in the world of PR for an entrepreneurial audience. We discuss at length PR considerations for startup founders regarding go-to-market strategies, overall marketing plans, working with journalists, reaching out to influencers, and avoiding common mistakes.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-17 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:02 - Alex intro, background, and journey into public relations
7:32 - More details about Alex’s time at the Walt Disney Company and working with Aaron Sorkin, Sean Connery, and others.
15:13 - Alex’s time in the Bay Area working in both entertainment and startups
23:16 - Leaving Electronic Arts and working for a global PR firm
27:07 - The story of Alex launching her own PR business
29:52 - How Alex started acquiring clients
34:23 - At what point in a founder’s journey should they consider hiring a PR firm / publicist?
41:10 - What is a Butter Twist and what are Stix golf clubs? https://www.bttrkitchen.com/ // http://stix.golf/
43:48 - More about the details about how a PR person can get products featured by journalists and influencers.
47:33 - What business models make sense for PR? How would B2B SaaS companies, for example, make use of PR?
49:38 - What should founders expect from an ongoing relationship with a PR firm/person, on a month-to-month and year-to-year basis? (e.g. “Newsjacking”)
53:40 - How should teams use a press release (or not) ?
56:30 - Information about embargos and the timing of press releases across media outlets.
1:01:40 - What advice does Alex have for founders considering hiring a PR person/firm.
1:07:30 - “PR isn’t dead” // Advice for founders who may think that PR isn’t effective.
1:14:23 - PR can be an important part of startup validation, since journalists and influencers have a unique perspective. (PR can also lead to important pivots).
1:16:02 - Where can people find Alex online? https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexskillman/ // https://twitter.com/typeamarketing
In this episode of Ventures I had the honor of interviewing executive coach Shandel Sutherland (https://www.shandelgroup.com/) about topics including organizational effectiveness, personal/team wiring and communication, the “why” behind a company, and setup work that is necessary for teams to be maximally efficient. Establishing clarity is one of the hardest jobs as an entrepreneur and business leader, and in this episode we get a front-row seat into how a 20-yr coaching veteran helps founders and their teams be amazing.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-16 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:16 - Shandel intro, background into how and why she got into coaching
4:00 - How she started her coaching business (founding story).
5:22 - Landing her first handful of customers, how did she position herself to customers? What was the value proposition?
8:07 - Fighting against the hustle/fake-it-until-you-make it culture that founders often think they need to espouse at the expense of their personal life and mental health.
11:23 - At what point did Shandel’s business scale from serving individuals to serving teams?
14:45 - Will’s experience of - and Shandel’s commentary on - how interpersonal relationship conflict and miscommunication can lead to operational inefficiency in a company. (And how trust between people is either growing or shrinking but never staying the same; it takes work).
16:34 - About Shandel Group and the origin story of the name.
18:55 - What are the assessments that her group does at the beginning of an engagement? Can founders/executives do those on their own?
23:44 - When you are in a situation where you aren’t self aware, what do you do? How do you become aware?
27:44 - Coaching frameworks, a bit of Will’s story being coached, and what does the coaching framework typically look like for an executive?
30:24 - Personal retreats (when/how) and truth-telling from coach to client.
37:14 - Talking through the five dysfunctions of a team (Lencinoi).
44:32 - Mental health for founders, and what founders listening in need to hear as they are feeling convicted from this conversation.
48:38 - Why does miscommunication happen amongst teams?
53:33 - Talking through purpose, values, vision, mission, and why all the pre-work before you get to the particulars is necessary (and can create low-drama, high-functioning teams). For details, see: https://www.shandelgroup.com/thrive
1:07:44 - What should founders look for when choosing a coach to hire? What are the things to watch out for?
1:09:54 - Will’s high-level takeaways from this episode (given that Shandel always ends her coaching calls with takeaways). :)
My guest this week (John Biggs, https://twitter.com/johnbiggs, https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndbiggs/) is an entrepreneur, writer, and technologist. He was the east coast editor at TechCrunch for fifteen years, was an editor at Coindesk, and is currently the Editor in Chief at Gizmodo. In this conversation we dive into a wide range of topics including 5G, the future of work, blockchains, recommended books, John’s entrepreneurial ventures, his new book (Get Funded), previous books (https://johnbiggsbooks.com/), and practical advice for entrepreneurs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-15 to watch via video, for detailed notes, and for links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:55 - John intro, technologist, entrepreneur, and writer.
2:17 - About John’s time at TechCrunch
3:00 - Advice that John has for people who have an idea for a startup
5:19 - John’s own personal journey entering the world of being a writer
6:55 - His journey diving intro entrepreneurship himself (a cryptocurrency-based remittance system).
9:16 - John’s overall take on the crypto world and it’s future
11:11 - More entrepreneurial stories from John’s career, learnings for entrepreneurs, and details about his more current projects.
13:22 - What technology stack does John recommend for founders who want to build their own software startups.
14:49 - About John’s new book Get Funded.
17:24 - Thoughts on crowdfunding, the overall landscape, and practical advice for founders considering it.
20:47 - Advice for writers starting their career
23:08 - Thoughts on tech trends and topics that are interesting to John, especially AI in journalism and graphene.
24:55 - Thoughts on 5G, is it real or overhyped (or both?)
26:16 - Future of Work: Is the work-from-home shift in light of the pandemic a good or bad thing for society in general?
27:37 - History and entrepreneurial journey of each of John’s books. (https://johnbiggsbooks.com/)
29:40 - What are serverless architectures and why are they getting so much attention today?
31:40 - What books does John recommend for founders? (Negotiating books: Getting to Yes, Pitch Anything, Never Split the Difference, -- And History books to understand how major decisions have been made in war and politics. Also, Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson)
33:42 - Advice for people interested in lots of different things who are being told to focus.
36:39 - What questions is John thinking about and most curious about right now?
38:42 - Is there a glimmer of hope regarding meaningful content out there that people are paying for?
40:00 - Where can people learn more about John and find him online? https://twitter.com/johnbiggs // https://johnbiggsbooks.com/
This week I’m excited to share an in-depth conversation with Troy Henikoff (https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyhenikoff/, https://www.mathventurepartners.com/ ) about his entrepreneurial story and path into startup investing. Troy is one of the most amazing and inspiring people I know. I first met him when I moved to Chicago in the mid-2010s, and his generosity, enthusiasm, and support for founders has been consistently admirable and contagious. After an extended introduction where he shares his story, we walk through practical validation, execution, and funding advice for early stage founders.
Be sure to visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-14 for detailed more notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc…) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:12 - Extended Troy intro: his journey as an entrepreneur, starting and selling multiple companies, working for his acquirers, angel investing in new companies, starting a fund (Firestarter Fund) and accelerator (Excelerate Labs), teaming up with Techstars, and ultimately starting MATH Venture Partners.
26:20 - What fuels Troy’s “Give First” ethic? Many who have worked with him over the years have noticed his exceptional and inspiring generosity, where did that come from? What’s behind that?
30:21 - Going back to Troy’s early companies, once he noticed a semblance of Product-Market Fit, how did Troy navigate the dance between managing growth and product?
40:20 - What advice does Troy have for someone who has a day job and has an idea for a startup? (Check out the Jobs to Be Done and Clayton Christensen Milkshake, specifically this short video)
45:25 - In the startup landscape, is “Business to Business” (B2B), “Consumer” (B2C), and “Marketplaces” roughly the broad categories out there, and how do entrepreneurs know whether their startup in each model is “validated”? (It’s an art form, and “it depends”, but a key thing to look for is engagement)
51:03 - How should entrepreneurs with a validated idea - or idea they think is validated - go about the process of practically building the product?
55:54 - What advice does Troy have for founders looking for a technical co-founder?
1:00:40 - When a founder finds a potential technical co-founder, how should they practically engage? What are the first steps? How do they set up clear communication and expectations?
1:08:22 - How should founders think about fundraising? Who are the players and what are the stages?
1:13:25 - A word on financial modeling and the importance for founders to build one (Troy and I co-wrote an article series here on Financial modeling, including a practical example).
1:17:53 - Where can people find out more about Troy, MATH Venture Partners, and the videos he’s put together? https://www.mathventurepartners.com/
In this episode of Ventures we examine the origin story of Lead Honestly, a web-based software platform designed to help managers have better one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. My guests Shay Howe (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shayhowe/) and Darby Frey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/darbyfrey/) have a frank and open conversation about starting a side business, balancing family life and their day jobs, transitioning from builder to manager, validating their startup idea, holding to values when setting pricing, and advice for entrepreneurs.
Importantly, Shay and Darby are two of the people I respect most in the world when it comes to being “product people”; i.e. those with smart and relentless focus on the customer and the ability to translate that focus into a world-class (and lean-startup friendly) product and consumer experience.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-13 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
3:54 - What does Darby do, day-to-day, in his day job?
6:04 - What does Shay do, day-to-day, in this day job?
9:31 - When did Darby start writing code?
11:08 - Shay’s shout-out to Darby on being an entrepreneurially minded engineer, i.e. shipping value to customers.
12:24 - Will’s story of watching a master's thesis from someone very excited about optimizing an algorithm (and why these kinds of people are important/needed, but they are often different than an engineer wired to be customer-minded).
13:02 - How did Darby transition from writing code to becoming a manager?
15:09 - What advice would Darby have for an early stage startup CTO looking to hire their first engineer?
17:20 - What is the origin story of Lead Honestly?
22:52 - How did Shay/Darby go about testing/validating the idea to decide to give it a go?
27:00 - Once initially validated, how did Shay/Darby go about growing the company and juggling the day jobs, family life, etc…
30:38 - Darby highlights the importance of using their own product
32:00 - Shay highlights that the origin story was born out of a real problem that both Shay and Darby experienced themselves.
37:35 - Darby emphasizes their holistic approach to focusing on the customer problem and building/iterating features from that perspective.
38:20 - What should an “idea person” do who isn’t technical or a “product person” go about building a company from scratch?
45:08 - The importance of Product-Market Fit, Founder-Product Fit, and Channel-Product Fit.
46:17 - Tips for validating an idea that overcomes (understandable) biases. (Check out the book: The Mom Test)
52:43 - How did Shay and Darby balance their product vision and feedback from early customers that might point in a different direction?
56:10 - Once you know you “have something” - how do you go about actually building the product? What are the nuts and bolts of the build process?
1:02:22 - What is the vision for the short-to-medium future of Lead Honestly?
1:05:55 - Where does Lead Honestly fit in the spectrum of Business to Business (B2B), Business to Consumer (B2C), and marketplaces for software startups?
1:11:50 - Final words to entrepreneurs and early stage investors listening in, especially founders trying to juggle a day job and a side business.
In this episode we cover the full spectrum of an amazing startup story: Patrick’s original idea, recruiting a team, landing his first customers, getting into an accelerator (Techstars), raising a $1.2 million seed round, and being acquired by ServiceNow.
Overall, the purpose of this show (Ventures) is to educate and inspire a new generation of venture builders and investors. In this episode, we dive deep into a variety of strategies and tactics that are important for founders to consider.
My guests today are Patrick Lowndes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklowndes/) and Brian Geihsler (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangeihsler/), co-founders of VendorHawk (acquired by ServiceNow in 2018)
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-12 for full notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following (this is an abbreviated list):
3:55 - The origin story of VendorHawk
8:22 - Work with the early Prota Ventures crew and support for Patrick to focus on selling the idea to potential customers with wireframes/mockups.
10:25 - Intentionality on writing down and testing hypotheses with wireframes/mockups, and eventually quick MVP demos of the business concept.
12:06 - How exactly did Patrick successfully sell contracts with wireframes? What strategies/tactics did he use?
16:04 - Key hypothesis: is this enough of a pain point that customers would pay money for it?
16:26 - What was the problem that Patrick/Brian were solving? What was the value proposition that the first handful of customers were sold on?
18:25 - How did Patrick navigate his way into an organization in order to meet a decision-maker?
20:21 - What was Brian thinking about during the time when Patrick was landing the initial customers?
26:50 - Importance of worldview and value alignment, especially amongst co-founders, and why investors should look for it in early stage companies.
28:44 - The story of scaling the company even more, getting into Techstars, and raising seed money.
30:30 - Help from the Seattle community, mentors, and other founders. Closing their seed round 70 days after demo day.
32:00 - The story of hiring software engineers, an early sales team, and scaling a business while navigating family life as founders, having a new baby, etc…
33:12 - At what point did Patrick quit his day job?
34:37 - At what point did Brian quit his day job?
35:12 - What aspects of an accelerator - and Techstars in particular - make it most helpful for founders?
36:40 - What did Patrick/Brian and their team do after being seed funded? How did they scale? How did they architect their product roadmap and company operations?
41:40 - How did they build a B2B software sales team?
50:32 - What was Brian learning during the scaling process? How did he think about building the best possible engineering team and operations processes?
52:14 - How to successfully sell customers when you can’t build all the features they need right away?
54:47 - Where did those conversations with Corp Dev end up? What is the story behind selling VendorHawk to ServiceNow?
1:00:06 - How did Brian/Patrick navigate telling their team about the company sale? How did they set expectations with their acquirer about what the team merging in would look like?
1:03:06 - What did things look like after the acquisition? What did the team do? How did it go?
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Dave Feldman (@DaveKeto) and I discuss a variety of topics related to lipids, immunology, ketogenic diets, and the future of health tech. I first came across Dave’s work when I noticed my cholesterol levels (specifically LDL-C) raised significantly when fasting and/or low-carb dieting, and I found that there is a large community of people who have noticed the same phenomenon. Dave has helped pioneer efforts to formulate hypotheses around why this might be the case, and why LDL levels in our blood may be considerably more complex than we’ve been led to believe.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-11 for more detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover a wide variety of topics, including:
8:02 - Introduction to basic lipidology
12:50 - Introduction to the basic lipid panel
17:06 - What are the likely purposes of having LDL particles stick around the bloodstream in humans for a few days?
22:06 - Description of the study where lipopolysaccharide killed mice with low LDL.
23:12 - Description of why LDL undergoes endocytosis to deliver cargo to tissues around the body.
24:50 - Why are the antioxidant features of LDL important?
29:47 - Further discussion on immunology and free radicals.
32:14 - What is the purpose of oxidative stress and inflammation?
35:37 - A conversation about statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, and drug studies in general targeted at lowering LDL-C.
42:08 - How do statins work to lower cholesterol? What is the mechanism?
48:00 - Why does LDL-C shoot up when fasting?
50:35 - How could LDL be related to fighting COVID-19?
52:43 - Coming back to Dave’s story, what is Dave up to now? What is his most recent N=1 experiment?
59:29 - What are Dave’s hypotheses for the expected data for this most recent experiment?
1:00:42 - How should low-carb dieters be thinking, generally, about inflammation and LDL? How should we think about data from people who lack LDL receptors?
1:08:05 - How should people think about the size/impact of LDL particles and their ability to “shoot holes” like beebees in vascular cell walls.
1:16:00 - Why do we care about how/why LDL particles get on the inside vascular cell walls? What does Dave think is going on when this happens?
1:20:35 - What is Dave’s overall advice for people, at the end of the day, that are concerned about their elevated LDL-C when going on low-carb, high-fat diets?
1:25:33 - Why are triglyceride levels typically low in people on low-carb, high-fat diets?
1:33:50 - What would Dave study right now if he had a full lab to run an experiment?
1:35:10 - What’s causing the inflammation damage on vascular cell walls in heart disease?
1:40:23 - What’s up with high susceptibility to electrolyte imbalances on low-carb diets? What are the mechanisms involved here?
1:47:25 - What opportunities exist for startups considering tackling the problem of heart disease and obesity?
1:52:49 - Where can people learn more about Dave and his work? https://cholesterolcode.com/ and https://twitter.com/daveketo and https://www.facebook.com/groups/CholesterolCode/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeanMassHyperResponder/
In this episode my guest Rachael Kim (Founder & CEO, Project Untaboo) and I discuss period equity, period health/care/education, Project Untaboo, and advice for entrepreneurs and investors considering the space of femtech and healthcare in general.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-10 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Throughout this conversation we cover the following:
1:45 - Rachael intro, background as a young entrepreneur and data privacy expert
5:07 - Principles learned from Rachael’s first business as a violin teacher
10:18 - Experience in London working in data privacy when GDPR legislation passed
16:54 - Rachael’s experiences traveling around the world and lessons learned.
22:26 - More background on the threads that came together for Rachael to start Project Untaboo; origin story.
24:05 - What was the original vision for Project Untaboo before COVID-19 hit and how did things change when the pandemic was widespread?
27:29 - What are the global social justice / social impact issues surrounding period care and the need for period education?
30:17 - What options/education/innovation is happening globally?
34:15 - What stories and resources does Project Untaboo (https://www.projectuntaboo.com) have available today for people to check out?
36:21 - What is “femtech” ?
37:52 - What is the outlook for femtech and what is Rachael hopeful for in this industry in the future?
42:30 - What apps/services are available for period care/tracking? What does Rachael recommend?
44:11 - What research is happening in period care/science/equity? What is Racheal currenting learning/investigating?
49:17 - Where is Project Untaboo heading in the future?
52:04 - Who is Project Untaboo’s customer?
53:35 - Will it be a subscription service for consumers?
53:58 - What will the Business-to-Business (B2B) side look like?
54:40 - What advice does Racheal have for a younger audience listening in that may not have a great support system to talk about period care?
56:40 - What opportunities exist for entrepreneurs interested in innovating in femtech/period care? What new products/services would be excited for Rachael to see in this space?
59:05 - What is Period Equality / Period Equity? (Note: for a more general conversation about the difference between “equity” and “equality”, see: https://www.premiertalentpartners.com/how-equality-and-equity-are-different/ )
1:01:25 - What final words does Rachael have for investors/founders/innovators listening and watching in?
1:03:33 - How can people help Rachael and Project Untaboo? (Learn more and sign up for their newsletter at https://www.projectuntaboo.com/ )
In this episode of Ventures we look at the response to COVID-19 by teams involved with emergency preparedness and innovation at University of Washington (UW) Medicine in Seattle. We also discuss the need and options available for startups to collaborate with UW Medicine to help - not only with COVID-19 relief - but with general medtech and telehealth innovation to provide better care for patients in a post-COVID-19 world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-9 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Danica Little (Director of Preparedness at UW Medicine, https://www.linkedin.com/in/danica-little-mha-6b998a2b/), Dmitry Levin (see below for is current three roles: https://cardiology.uw.edu/research/center-cardiovascular-innovation-ccvi), and Dr. Robert Sweet (Urology professor and doctor, Executive Director of WISH - WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare - https://www.washington.edu/urology/people/robert-sweet/)
6:29 - How did Danica and UW Medicine first respond/act upon the news that COVID-19 was going to be a serious threat in the US?
15:50 - What was information flow like to Danica and her team in the early days? How reliable was it?
18:29 - What was the story of Rob getting involved with the innovation response at UW?
24:08 - How was Rob and his team able to organize themselves so quickly to rapidly prototype new innovations at the beginning of the pandemic?
27:50 - What was Dimitri’s story of getting involved in the innovation group?
31:47 - Rob explains on how they focused the group on rapid prototyping and small-scale manufacturing
32:50 - How was the innovation team identifying the problems to address and what products to focus their work on?
38:48 - How did collaboration across campus and UW medicine in particular work?
43:20 - Rob commenting about their collaboration with Cornell in NYC.
44:26 - Danica commenting about the burn rate at the height (in April) of going through 3000 gowns per day.
50:17 - Danica commenting on the relationship with Microsoft to build reporting systems.
53:38 - What sort of things are Danica and her team focusing on moving into the fall and winter?
55:47 - Rob & Danica commenting on the future of telehealth, the needs today, and reimbursement details.
1:00:50 - Dimitri commenting on pre-procedural models in XR, which is another layer to the telehealth space.
1:01:57 - What telehealth platforms are clinicians at UW medicine using? How do external companies become approved? How is UW responding to new innovation in the overall market?
1:03:30 - How can Medical Assistants, Physician Assistants, interns, and new equipment/devices be a part of the future of telehealth?
1:05:10 - Brief comments regarding the science of the virus as it relates to urology and cardiology.
1:08:35 - Rob plugging the need and opportunity for external teams to partner with the simulation training center and innovation groups at the University of Washington.
1:09:37 - What types of simulation opportunities and scenarios are available?
1:11:55 - Dimitri commenting on device development and putting them in tissue models with realistic disease patterns for testing.
1:13:58 - Rob commenting on a grant they won recently regarding direct 3D-print soft materials with electronic sensors embe
In this episode of Ventures we explore the world of impact investing & social entrepreneurship to help the poorest of the poor around the globe. We hear and discuss the founding story of Global Brigades, the world’s largest student-led movement for global health (approximately one in five medical students today have gone on a Brigade). We also hear the launch announcement of Eskala, a for-profit company with an ambitious (and believable) 20-year plan to help end poverty for 18 million people.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-8 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Steve Atamian (Co-Founder of Global Brigades :: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenatamian/) and seasoned impact investor/advisor/attorney Brian Howe (Managing Director of Wyttmab & Venture Partner at Prota Ventures :: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankhowe/), and we cover the following:
1:55 - Brian’s intro and journey from law school into the social impact space, starting a community hub, and advising social impact founders reaching people globally.
8:30 - Steve’s story from school, to Deloitte, to starting and scaling Global Brigades.
20:00 - Talking about the different sides of the supply/demand with Global Brigades and the “bridge” they form between students and local communities in the countries they serve.
25:58 - How does Brian advise someone who is considering social impact entrepreneurship in terms of thinking about for-profit vs. non-profit, company structure, etc..
31:27 - Using “relationships first” as a heuristic for deciding how to structure things later, what were the early relationships that mattered for Global Brigades as they were starting and deciding how to structure themselves?
34:10 - How does donor money flow and support happen? Where does the money go?
41:34 - What was the process of scaling Global Brigades like?
48:42 - The importance of listening to understand needs.
50:12 - What are the common stories like for the pre-med students that go on Brigades? What do they do?
58:04 - Example of a new social enterprise being formed when a new water system is created, like a public utility.
58:55 - How does Brian advise, structurally, nonprofits who are considering forming for-profits?
1:04:00 - The story of the new for-profit Global Brigades is spinning out.
1:11:55 - What does the regulatory landscape look like in the countries that Global Brigades serve regarding banks?
1:14:28 - What advice does Steve have for budding social entrepreneurs / investors considering new ways to innovate and help out globally?
1:17:08 - What advice does Brian have for budding social entrepreneurs / investors considering new ways to innovate and help out globally?
1:21:16 - The need for innovation for things like more affordable latrines.
1:22:00 - Side story of Fledge investing in a founder that launched The Obama Stove in Africa, and how that enterprise was/is an important model for social entrepreneurs leveraging local talent and resources.
1:26:20 - Where can people find out more about Brian and Steve online and contact them? https://www.globalbrigades.org/ // steve@globalbrigades.org // https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenatamian/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankhowe/
One of the most common questions in the startup space is how to find a technical co-founder to design and build your product. In this episode of Ventures, we discuss in depth both how to become a great startup CTO and to find one in your network. We also talk about the founding story of Stix (https://stix.golf/), a new golf brand focused on middle-market, stylish clubs for the casual golfer.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-7 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guest this week is Gabe Coyne (Co-Founder & CEO of Stix and General Partner at Prota Ventures) and we cover the following:
2:00 - Gabe intro, his journey of becoming a designer/developer/entrepreneur, co-founding a technology startup, and starting a new golf brand.
14:30 - What advice does Gabe have for young creative people - e.g. out of high school - considering how to educate themselves in design and software development?
23:00 - What was the journey like co-founding Influence Mobile? What were the different stages like of being a CTO of a growing startup?
31:20 - How can a non-technical founder find a technical founder? What is the best way to find and screen for a CTO of a brand new startup?
34:26 - How should a non-technical founder think about the spectrum of finding a hero “unicorn” developer (like Gabe) to hiring a shop to build it all?
37:20 - Why startups fail (i.e. founder/team conflict)
38:09 - How do you get into a position where you can become an “angel developer” and work for equity in a bunch of different startups?
41:45 - The Stix founding story, early validation, market positioning, etc..
46:55 - Where can people find out more about Gabe & Stix? https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabecoyne/ and https://stix.golf/
In this episode of Ventures we look at the founding story of Kickstarter and discuss how to support and advise founders that are bringing new companies to life. We discuss specifically the challenges facing founders selling tangible goods in the COVID-19 era and how online resources and communities can be leveraged to optimize success in this difficult market landscape.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-6 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Charles Adler (Kickstarter/Lost Arts) and Wilson Fong (Prota Ventures) and we cover the following:
2:25 - Charles intro, beginning part of his life/entrepreneurial journey.
6:25 - Wilson intro, a few highlights of his entrepreneurial journey
12:10 - Was Charles always entrepreneurial (e.g. growing up) or did the arch toward that career path come later in life?
18:30 - Similar question for Wilson. He shares about his influences and bent toward entrepreneurship along the way and honing of the craft/practice.
21:50 - Charles follows up regarding side-projects that fuel entrepreneurship, creative empowerment, and/or turn into more significant ventures (sharing the story after leaving Kickstarter to now)
25:30 - The Kickstarter story - how it got started
32:25 - The technology/code behind Kickstarter - how did three co-founders go about getting their application built and live?
37:00 - Importance of business, creative, and technology roles in early tech startups.
39:30 - How did the Kickstarter co-founders go about compensating software engineers in the early days to get the product built?
44:30 - Throughout his career, how has Wilson seen the interplay of the different roles needed to get startups off the ground? What works and what doesn’t work?
48:20 - How is Charles thinking about founder/entrepreneurial empowerment now?
56:10 - Obviously there are challenging times ahead in light of the pandemic, but it potentially impacts founders building art/tangible goods more than others. What advice do you have of these founders? How is the landscape changing?
1:03:15 - How is Wilson thinking about proceeding in this pandemic area with regard to his entrepreneurialism pursuits? What changes?
1:07:05 - Lost Arts’ recent pivot
1:09:40 - What advice does Charles have for founders building art/tangible goods in an entrepreneurial fashion in this season?
1:12:00 - The importance of doing more node connection in our networks, especially in light of this pandemic season. And coming prepared - with your homework done - as you ask questions of your network.
1:12:40 - How is Wilson thinking about the rest of 2020, the landscape, work/life balance, etc...
1:14:50 - What lenses/approaches are Charles using to approach the rest of this year, given the pandemic?
1:18:10 - Where can people find Charles/Wilson online to follow up? https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilsonfong/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesadler/
Most founders don’t pay enough attention to foundational branding processes, which often results in customer confusion, off-putting names/visuals, and/or an untimely death for new startups. In this episode, we dive into many aspects of branding a startup, from naming and competitive positioning to visual design and personas/values, including specific recommendations for designing a logo, mockups, and prototypes.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-5 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are brand strategist Elisabeth Hass and visual designer Natalie Grummer, and we cover the following topics:
5:45 - Exploring Natalie’s early creative pursuits
7:20 - Story of Natalie’s photography business, ideation, branding/design, customer acquisition techniques, evolving of the brand, etc…
13:40 - Synchrony between communications strategy, visuals, and business aspects such as the financial model, anchored in values/vision/mission.
14:20 - What is a Digital Nomad? Why did Elisabeth decide to become one?
15:44 - How long does Elisabeth typically stay in an area as she travels around?
16:45 - Elisabeth talks about her new venture, Chariot.
19:20 - How did Elisabeth decide on the name, brand strategy, and visuals for “Chariot”
21:30 - Using Tarot Cards and Archetypes as tools to help with brand formation.
25:10 - How does Natalie come up with such amazing visuals for a brand?
29:40 - What is the process of coming up with a brand strategy, name, logo, visuals, etc…? How do Elisabeth and Natalie advise founders who have an idea and are curious how to translate that into a brand?
33:55 - What are the dangers/pitfalls for founders that neglect thoughtful brand strategy?
37:25 - Recap of the process of brand strategy, naming, etc… and more discussion on competitive landscape analysis.
39:20 - How does Elisabeth help tee up brand foundations/strategy so visual designers such as Natalie can bring visual elements to life?
41:15 - Question for Natalie: What kinds of brand tee-ups/guides are helpful when beginning to work on the visuals? What’s not helpful?
43:00 - Elisabeth highlights the importance of thoughtful research for brand strategy, else it can be too easy to produce generic/pithy guidelines that aren’t helpful for
43:40 - What is the process of producing visuals given thoughtful brand guidelines? What kind of training is needed?
48:20 - What advice does Elisabeth have for teenagers considering a career in entrepreneurial creative arts / brand strategy?
50:55 - Where in the brand formation process does “naming” come in most efficiently? What is that process like?
55:30 - Is coming up with a name needed before it’s possible to create visuals?
58:00 - Describing the process using specific examples of this podcast, Ventures, and a new newsletter/publishing platform called Satchel.
59:45 - What was the brand strategy process for Satchel?
1:01:40 - How did Natalie then take the name/brand strategy for Satchel and turn it into visuals?
1:05:15 - On a personal level, what is fun and/or meaningful for Elisabeth and Natalie about the work that they do?
1:07:10 - Where can people find out more about Elisabeth and Natalie and their work? https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegrummer/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabeth-hass/
Especially in light of the pandemic, many parents are wondering how to supplement or replace traditional schooling for their children this fall. In this episode of Ventures, we explore the landscape of home education and practical opportunities for both parents and startups to approach the space.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are experienced home educators Abby Wahl and Sarah Little, and we cover the following topics:
2:10 - Sarah intro, journey into homeschooling three children, teaching overseas, co-founding an elementary school, etc..
9:55 - Abby intro and her path into homeschooling five children, exploring approaches/curricula, navigating four cases of dyslexia, and discovering the setup that works for her family.
22:20 - How did Sarah approach the different homeschooling approaches/curricula when she first began?
26:20 - How have children been educated throughout history? What changed in the 19th and early 20th century?
33:25 - Noting the unfortunate differences and inequality between how wealthy people educate their children differently than the rest of humanity.
35:50 - How did Abby approach the different homeschooling approaches/curricula when she first began? What does it look like today?
41:50 - Noting the book Range by David Epstein.
43:45 - Why/how did Abby incorporate Charlotte Mason approaches into her homeschooling practices? What did/does that look like?
47:20 - What Sarah’s journey into Charlotte Mason philosophies looked like.
57:10 - Will’s mental model of education (1) base subjects (reading, writing, athematic, logic, and computer science), (2) subject studies (from history, geography, botany, algebra, etc..), and (3) reading tons of biographies, historical accounts, non-fiction, fiction, etc… to explore the stories and glue everything together.
59:00 - the “read, digest/meditate, then create” approach
1:00:00 - commentary on the neo-classical philosophy of scoping grammar school years to primarily teaching facts/memorization/etc…
1:01:56 - commentary on the challenges of (and need for) logic as a part of education today
1:04:45 - What should people considering homeschooling for the fall in light of the pandemic be thinking about? What resources do Sarah/Abby recommend? What are some gotchas to watch out for? What sorts of things do they recommend specifically for grade school, middle school, and high school?
1:21:30 - How do you ensure homeschooled kids are socially well-adjusted, have high emotional intelligence, etc… ?
1:25:30 - The “elephant in the room” regarding the anti-social (and mentally unhealthy) nature of most teenagers these days being addicted to their phones and social media.
1:25:50 - How do deal with screen time, and whether to worry about kids not being up to speed on all the various cultural references.
1:26:40 - What tech startups out there are noteworthy from Abby’s perspective in the homeschooling space? What tech startup(s) should be built? (see below links)
1:31:05 - Encouragement for parents considering jumping into homeschooling either temporarily or more for the long haul.
1:34:11 - Find out more about classical homeschooling education by checking out a podcast that Abby is a co-host of called Scholé Sisters
For links to the full list of resources, visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-4
In this episode of Ventures we dive into the horrors of human trafficking within the sex trade, specifically in and around the greater Seattle area. We look at one group’s efforts (REST - Real Escape from the Sex Trade) to combat the problem by providing a suite of services, working closely with law enforcement, and ensuring all people being trafficked understand they are worthy of love.
We also dive deep into how REST got started, and how the relationship between the executive director and board chair is an important story to learn from for any for-profit or nonprofit founder team.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests are Amanda Hightower (REST Executive Director) and Brent Turner (REST Board Chair).
Full show notes can be found here; a few highlights are detailed below:
3:56 - Amanda background, journey before and intro REST
6:58 - Late night outreach? What is it? Who was Amanda doing it with?
9:29 - What is the interaction experience like with women and men Amanda was reaching out to on the street?
21:15 - How did Brent’s journey intersect with Amanda’s? What compelled Brent to get into the work of fighting human trafficking?
27:33 - Amanda describing how she wasn’t sure she had what it took to be a non-profit executive director, but Brent’s encouragement was a game-changer.
29:25 - After the meeting at the pizza restaurant, where did the story go from there? Amanda continues, describing the formation of the heart and vision/mission behind REST.
36:21 - What was the landscape of the space and services in the Seattle area in the late 2000s? How many people were being bought/sold for sex regularly?
37:59 - Has the problem in the Seattle area grown, decreased, or stayed the same in the last ten years?
39:15 - How has REST worked with law enforcement during the last ten years?
43:55 - Law enforcement working with REST to have a place to take victims rather than to the jails, which helps convict traffickers because their victims can be found to testify.
49:35 - Where is REST today? What services are available?
57:15 - What kind of impact is REST seeing? What kind of numbers does REST track?
1:00:47 - Almost 200 people leaving the life for more than 1yr via REST services is amazing (!), what do the numbers look like for people leaving for shorter stints / coming in and out of the life? Is it possible to track that effectively?
1:04:35 - How is REST planning to scale and/or help other organizations spin up to help fight against sex trafficking?
1:07:18 - What would you say to people watching/listening who are thinking about spinning up an organization to fight sex trafficking?
1:09:10 - What advice does Brent have to those in positions to help support future executive directors of nonprofits in this space?
1:17:13 - What advice does Brent have for people considering whether to form a nonprofit or for-profit to get after social impact?
1:20:03 - Amanda, what has been helpful about Brent’s involvement with REST? What do the actions of a good board chair look like?
1:31:32 - What kinds of things has Brent done - or do board chairs do - that is not helpful?
1:33:42 - Brent comments about his experience growing into the role as a board chair of REST and seeking advice from a mentor.
1:37:20 - What are the future plans for REST?
In this episode of Ventures we dive into all-things blockchains, the state of the crypto ecosystem, the evolution of the industry (especially since 2017), the nuances between Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-State, and the suite of services that Figment Networks provides. Guests: Lorien Gabel, Andrew Cronk, and Tony Little.
You can watch the video of this episode here.
This episode is both an introduction to the blockchain space (for those new), and a deep-dive into nuanced blockchain topics if you are an industry expert.
Below is a condensed overview of the topics covered, visit the episode page for the full notes.
8:47 - Question: Tell us more about Figment Networks. What is the story and what is the company up to?
11:20 - Backing up and getting more high-level, what is a blockchain?
16:20 - Lorien’s comment regarding blockchains as creating digital scarcity, and Tony’s followup comment regarding blockchains providing a source of truth, and who to “reward”.
17:06 - Will’s recollection of Tony’s Harry-Potter-esque description of blockchains replicating information across nodes.
18:14 - What is Proof-of-Work? Proof-of-Stake? Why do these matter in the blockchain ecosystem?
22:02 - The three layers of blockchains: networking, consensus, and changing application state.
22:49 - Blockchains can track other state changes besides payment transactions
21:20 - Tony’s comment regarding Proof-of-Work really being Proof-of-Stake indirectly within Proof-of-Work
25:40 - Is “decentralization” destined to simply recreate a different form of centralization again? How important is decentralization?
28:01 - What are the different components/players within the blockchain ecosystem today?
32:48 - Where does Figment Networks specifically contribute within the overall blockchain ecosystem?
36:19 - When starting up a new blockchain network, at what point should founders talk to Figment about helping out? How should founders think about the steps of building their networks?
37:40 - Staking Hub, a group for the validator community, and a place for network founders to recruit validators
38:22 - Figment has been up close and personal with 15+ network launches, what are best practices for launching a network?
40:35 - Problems with so many new networks coming out of academia and theory/research backgrounds.
41:18 - What has Tony seen on this topic with regard to enterprises bringing blockchains to market (built on technology like Hyperledger)?
45:05 - Enterprise consortiums vs. projects like Libra. How do they compare? How do token economics come into play, if at all?
46:59 - What are the big problems in the blockchain space?
49:59 - Why is governance participation so hard to encourage? Is there maybe not enough economic or social incentive at play in most networks?
54:38 - What problems exist currently in the blockchain ecosystem for decentralized application (dApp) developers?
58:04 - What is the Ethereum 1 to Ethereum 2 transition, and why is that important for the blockchain community?
1:11:20 - Where do you see the blockchain ecosystem heading? What sorts of things should we be looking out for in the future? How do you see Figment Networks playing a role?
1:17:40 - Livepeer as an example of how to create a utility at a lower cost using blockchains
Welcome to Ventures, a new show devoted to exploring stories of entrepreneurship, market landscapes, and problem spaces to inspire the next generation of venture builders and investors. You can watch the video of this episode at wclittle.com.
In this first episode, we discuss with Dr. Jeffrey Roh, Susie Kataoka, and Dr. Tony Little the following:
2:45 - Jeff introduction, CEO of IntuitiveX
5:20 - Susie introduction, CEO of Transpara Health
6:50 - Tony intro, Optum, Lead Architect for Patient Experience
8:18 - Jeff personal journey, as an entrepreneur / surgeon, involved in multiple startups in the life sciences.
13:50 - Question: does Jeff see many surgeons spinning out and getting involved with companies, or is that relatively rare?
15:33 - Four pillars of input in life sciences ventures - Clinical, IP, Scientific, and Business.
16:35 - Did Jeff have to work with tech transfer in a university? (Jeff tells the story of protecting his own IP, but at the cost of not being able to leverage the resources of a large organization - there are advantages and disadvantages of each approach)
19:10 - Susie’s personal journey in life sciences and entrepreneurship, family history in medicine, overseas experiences, starting and selling a retail business, and starting Transpara Health.
27:00 - Tony’s personal journey through working at a health store, med school at Bastyr, then working in technology and software development to create better patient and provider experiences in the ER (and also building internal company tools), getting involved in Will’s startup in the late 2000s, advising startups (especially in the life sciences).
37:51 - Question about IntuitiveX: for entrepreneurs working to overcome barriers to building life sciences companies, how do I work with IntuitiveX? (IX now works with both founders and with larger companies, first consulting services and then can go deeper in partnership)
40:51 - Importance of medical cost transparency. How Susie and Transpara are incubating out of IntuitiveX and why now is an important time for Transpara to exist.
43:20 - Susie, talking about the vision/mission of Transpara health and how the company is responding to the present pandemic to bring price clarity to PPE and help organizations such as nursing home facilities operate smartly and effectively moving forward.
53:05 - Question, how did the medical community in the US get to the place where pricing is so cryptic and confusing? (Tony discusses the background and nuances here)
56:59 - Question, regarding the mandate from the White House for hospitals to publish both list prices and prices negotiated with payers, is this even feasible? Are hospitals going to comply? (Tony responded saying it comes down to interpretation and enforcement, and Susie said that most didn’t comply with the Jan 2020 order to post list prices, and it would be unlikely that many would comply with the negotiated prices for Jan 2021. Tony brought up questions around )
1:01:50 - Question, what advice would you give to founders aiming to spin up new products/services in the health science industry? (Tony answered first, Susie responded at 1:03:45, and Jeff responded at 1:05:24)
1:08:49 - Question, how can viewers/listeners find Jeff/Susie/Tony online? See LinkedIn Profiles (Jeff, Susie, and Tony), and visit intuitive-x.com and transpara.health.