Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

Private Equity has a tremendous role to play in the real economy: with about $10Trillion assets under management, robust returns relative to public market measures, a reach that touches the lives of many (some say 1/3, 2/3 of global GDP by 2030) and with maximizing impact across the risk/return continuum becoming a fast-growing trend within the investing industry.I chat with veterans of the industry:Suyi Kim, Global Head of Private Equity CPP InvestmentsAmir Hamzah Azizan, CEO, EPF Malaysia,Vindi Banga, Partner, Clayton Dubilier & Rice,Rob Lucas, Partner, CVC Capital Partnerswith combined almost $1Tn in AUM on what it means to:(1) drive returns through diversity(2) how enterprises built through generations have the opportunity to uplift the standards of governance & sustainability of the communities they touch(3) and how values alignment driven by stakeholders is core: beyond a reactionary approach is also an opportunity to create changePODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Quiet quitting, a recession looming, a polycrisis declared at Davos 2023 — how can leaders navigate this uncertainty?Silvia Wiesner, former Managing Director at Unilever who was with me in Davos joins me to weigh in on the 53rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SILVIA:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-wiesner/IMAGINE Oxford Experience Silvia is Building: https://imagine.one/oxford-experience/FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

The 'non-political' company leader.In 2020/2021, we saw feathers ruffled when leaders like those from Google, Coinbase declared certain "political activism" was a distraction.Employees walked out since of course, in many ways, we're in a generation that have been told to bring "our full selves to work", including our belief systems.But how do we as leaders, manage what feels like a double bind?I ask global leaders,Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group,Stanley Bergman, Chair of Henry Schein,Joseph Ucuzoglu, Global CEO Deloitte to weigh in at #Davos2023 World Economic Forum.Here's what they said, do you agree?--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Social media platforms and creator-focused startups haven’t looked too hot coming into 2023, with companies like Meta, Snapchat waging of layoffs along with the rest of the tech industry. BUT the creator and influencer economy are more than just buzzwords losing interest among venture capitalists. Despite challenges on a platform level, blogger turned entrepreneur Vivy Yusof is a case study of just how retained attention is a currency that will continue to be important in 2023 and beyond.FashionValet.com, an online marketplace that once stocked over 400 brands across Southeast Asia, became a major regional player in the fashion industry but, by 2022, she had wound the venture down, shifting her focus to her own in-house modest fashion brands, dUCK and Lilit. The silver lining? By 2022, Yusof had built a network of 14 physical stores across Malaysia and Singapore and sold more than 3 million scarves from just one of her brands. Today, we unpack Vivy’s journey, the cost of building a brand around herself, her regret on not acting on her gut and her BILLION DOLLAR AMBITIONS for her next decade in the modest fashion industry.Watch this on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3mPihUI--Find out more about VivyAnd get her book now on Amazon--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Data shows that building with diversity in mind just makes business sense.Yet, we’ve not moved the dial nearly enough: bringing it to our investment world, as of Sep 2021 according to Knight Research only 1.4% of US AUM are managed by diverse firms, and at a startup level, we all know the abysmal numbers: women get less than 3% of funding, and Black founders hovering at about 1.2 - 1.3%. What can we do, and how do we tactically address this issue?Today, I take this opportunity to not just celebrate with you the power of diversity; which many of you know my work centers around BUT HOW we can tactically make #BillionDollarMoves by building inclusion and diversity as our lever of growth.To do so I’m calling in an expert, my friend Sonia Thompson, who has worked with brands from Johnson&Johnson to GSK who weighs in on what it takes to actually build a productive diverse team, how messaging to a broader stakeholder base helps you win and grow and why you shouldn’t be tasking that one diverse team member with your diversity goals.--Find out more about Sonia ThompsonThe Inclusion Marketing Podcast--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Phil Knight, the founder of Nike famously said “Nike is a marketing company, and our product is our most important marketing tool.” But what does it take to build a world-class brand, and rise above the noise?I dive deep with Eric Toda, former Global Digital Brand Marketing Director at Nike, now Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta and Founder of Meta Prosper who has worked with little upstarts like Facebook, Snapchat and AirBNB in building their brand messaging long before they became the goliaths they are today.Our conversation ranges from what he thinks founders get wrong to how he is choosing to stand out and use his megaphone in his career to uplift the Asian American community. You don’t want to miss this.--About EricEric Toda is the current Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta and the Founder/Head of Meta Prosper, a community support program from Meta serving the Asian and Pacific Islander community of small businesses, creators, and non-profits. He has held previous brand and digital marketing leadership roles at Stitch Fix, Gap Inc, Airbnb, Snapchat, and Nike and his work has been awarded by Cannes Lions, Webbys, Clios, amongst others for combining purpose, creativity, and business results. As an Investor at Hyphen Capital and an independent advisor, Eric has helped build disruptive brands like Yumi, Wardrobe, Upaway, Fyllo, amongst many others. He sits on he Board of Directors for Reimagine and LAAUNCH (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change), the advisory council for TAAF (The Asian American Foundation), the advisory board of directors for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and most recently has been using his voice and platform for the #StopAsianHate movement, with a viral piece in Adweek “My People Are Dying In Silence — And I’m Here With A Megaphone”.More about Eric here--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

We've heard a lot about scaling tactics for businesses, but have we paused to think about what it takes to scale ourselves as leaders at the helm? In this episode, Kim Yao, shares with us about how each chapter of her companies demanded different versions of her as a leader, and the future of 'virtual' or 'ghost' kitchens, i.e. delivery-only restaurants that proliferated during the pandemic and is set to be a $1 trillion industry by 2030.About KimKim is building the leading tech-powered food service ecosystem in Southeast Asia through digitally native restaurant brands and proprietary smart kitchen technology. By revolutionizing a massive yet traditional food service industry, her mission at CloudEats is to create the largest cloud restaurant group in the region, challenging brick and mortar heavyweights in F&B. With almost $14m in funding for CloudEats to date, Kim is known to have raised the largest amount of venture capital for a female Filipina led startup. She hopes to inspire female, underrepresented founders to keep dreaming big and work together to pave the way for more women entrepreneurs. Find out more about Kim here, and CloudEats here.--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

In this episode, Paul Ark shares how "when you take that big leap of faith, what's waiting for you on the other side is not necessarily a bad thing".From investment banker with global banks Deutsche Bank and Citigroup in Asia and New York, to facilitating Apple and Microsoft's Retail’s market entry into Asian markets, rolling out a US$100 million global corporate venture capital fund, producing one of the top performing fintech CVC funds globally for its vintage and advising pan-Asian venture capital firm, Gobi Partners as Head of ESG, Paul has certainly had his different career chapters you'd want to hear about!4 things you'll learn:(1) The power of going with the flow of your career(2) The nascent VC ecosystem in Southeast Asia, and the opportunities that presents(3) Failures & successes in building a $100M CVC for Siam Commercial Bank, what strategically hiring means(4) ESG and shifting mindsetsAbout Paul:Find more about Paul here.--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the next generation global leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast websiteWatch on YoutubeJoin the communityFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

What if at the edge of your deepest fear lays your greatest potential?Exiled from the only place she knew to be home, Iranian singer, Gola (Golazin) shares her story on how her first hand experiences of life under the oppressive Iranian Regime shaped her as a fearless, international women’s rights advocate.Fighting everyday to have her voice heard since female solo singers are not allowed to release songs or perform publicly in Iran, Gola shows us what pushing boundaries and true bravery means; and how at the edge of your deepest fear is your greatest potential.View the full video on https://youtu.be/I0hGCtLqbS8--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--About GolaGolazin, known internationally as Gola, is an exiled Iranian singer and women's rights activist. Her first hand experiences of life under the oppressive Iranian Regime have effectively shaped her as a fearless, international women’s rights advocate while living in exile from her home country; female solo singers are not allowed to record and release songs or perform publicly in Iran. Known by Iranian citizens as the Lioness of Iran, she irrefutably lives up to her reputation as she delivers a divine manifestation of bravery, advocacy, and justice with her historic album ‘CHANGE.’ Gola pushes to usher in an era of peace, gender equality, and reparations for those that have suffered at the hands of the Iranian Regime. Gola and her work have caught the attention of major media outlets such as The Times and The Sunday Times UK, i-D Magazine, C-Heads, and Hunger Magazine, while she continues releasing projects that amplify her mission to spread empowerment, peace, and love. She is among the first Iranian women to professionally sing in Farsi and English, as well as one of the most influential Iranian women to have been born and raised in Iran, and have a pop English track in the UK Club chart. Beyond this, Gola's record label, ZAN Recordings, is dedicated to serving as a vessel of empowerment for other young female creatives. Zan Recordings is currently in search of the perfect collaborator to partner with and sponsor the label's growth and impact. Through Gola's personal artist project and her work with Zan Recordings, the songstress is determined to create an accessible safe space encouraging more women and girls to feel empowered to express themselves through music.Find Gola on: @gola_officialTo support her record label, please reach out to Gola/Sarah below.EPISODE LINKS:Gola's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gola_official/Gola's label: https://zanrecordings.com/--PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodesWatch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmovesFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Despite Lu Zhang’s accelerated path from researcher to founder to investor — by age 30 —she still reveals how she feels like a failure everyday! This episode is one you'd want to tune into. Full episode here.About Lu Zhang:Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, is a renowned Silicon Valley based investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a Stanford Engineering alumna. Lu is a World Economic Forum (Davos) Young Global Leader and was recently selected as a Best 25 Female Investor by Business Insider. She has also garnered other accolades including the Featured Honoree in VC of Forbes 30 Under 30, Silicon Valley Women of Influence, and Town & Country 50 Modern Swans – Entrepreneurship Influencer. Lu is also on the Jury Board of Cartier Young Leader Award.Prior to starting Fusion Fund, she was the Founder and CEO of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes (acq. 2013).Lu is a frequent speaker at tech events and conferences such as Davos Economic Forum, Future Investment Initiative (FII), Forbes, Web Summit, SuperReturn, etc. and also serves as a mentor and advisor to several tech innovation programs in Silicon Valley. Lu is the board member of the Youth Council of Future Forum and Future Science Award. She received her M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.https://www.fusionfund.com/--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast websiteWatch on YoutubeJoin the communityFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal