Tod Francis is the founder of the world-renowned investment firm Shasta Ventures. He has made early investments in companies like Canva, Tonal, ClassDojo, LiquidSpace, Task Rabbit, Mint and more. About 15 years ago Tod started on a journey to understand why and how great memories and connections are formed between kids and their parents. He surveyed over one thousand young adults, analyzed that data, and developed a framework for memory making and building meaningful connections. He has presented his findings to standing-room-only conferences, parents groups, and more! We talk about his findings on today's episode and what you can do right away to build lasting memories with your kids. Tod is a husband and the father of two adult children. In today's conversation we discussed: 

* Growing up without a father

* How losing a child motivated him to focus on every moment

* The research behind building meaningful connections

* The Pyramid of Connection and its different stages

* Tear-jerking stories from Tod's research

* What parents can do right now to change their thinking on memory making and connection

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Overcast and YouTube.

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Where to find Tod Francis

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todfrancis/

- Shasta Ventures: https://www.shasta.vc/bio/tod-francis/

Where to find Adam Fishman

- Startup Dad Newsletter: startupdadpod.substack.com

- FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/

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In this episode, we cover

[1:49] Welcome

[2:28] Tod's childhood

[3:52] Growing up without a Dad

[4:47] What is life like now?

[6:28] Did child loss change your priorities as a dad?

[8:49] Why did memory making matter to you as a dad?

[12:24] The research behind connection

[18:51] The Pyramid of Connection

[33:56] How do parents get out of the bottom layer?

[39:44] Making memories with adult kids

[42:36] Parting thoughts

[44:12] How are his sons involved in this project?

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Show references:

Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/

Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/

Mint: https://mint.intuit.com/

Shasta Ventures: https://www.shasta.vc/

Canva: https://www.canva.com/

Tonal: https://www.tonal.com/

Class Dojo: https://www.classdojo.com/

Liquid Space: https://liquidspace.com/

Task Rabbit: https://www.taskrabbit.com/

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For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.

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Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at

http://www.armaziproductions.com/