

Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital
Sarah Chen-Spellings
Lead, build, and invest better.Join us as we hit the streets globally to uncover billion dollar ventures of unicorn founders & funders.In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies.From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond.Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder.Billion Dollar Moves is proud to be part of the Hubspot Podcast Network with 10 million downloads a month as a group.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 16, 2021 • 23min
BONUS: The Golden Era of Southeast Asia Startups
Dive into our post-show Clubhouse discussion Apr 16th 2021 with fellow VCs in the region, where we went deep on the rise of startups in Southeast Asia, fresh of Grab's announcement that week valuing it at close to $40Bn, Bukalapak netting $234M and more!Special cameo by:Rajive Keshup, Investments Director, Cathay InnovationGail Wong, Managing Partner, Her CapitalCarlo Delantar, Head of Circular Economy, Gobi PartnersVenture capitalist, Michael Lints of Singapore-based Golden Gate Ventures shares some #BillionDollarMoves we all will want in on.👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- How Southeast Asia's startup scene came to be- How venture capitalists are viewing Southeast Asia right now- The unique challenges of building & investing in Southeast Asia- The impact post-pandemic on markets, and how startups are innovating- How the racial reckoning is affecting others around the globeMore on Michael:Michael Lints has over 20 years of experience helping innovative businesses obtain the resources, insights, and expertise they need in order to be successful. Michael has been a startup operator, investor, and mentor, and is currently a Partner at the Singapore-based venture capital firm Golden Gate Ventures. He joined the firm in 2013 and is currently leading growth venture efforts, which include LP fundraising and portfolio management for Golden Gate Venture's investments at Series B and beyond.Outside of work, sport is an essential part of Michael’s life. He is a former member of the Dutch karate team and the former ambassador for Treknology (Trek bikes distributor in Singapore). Michael actively participates in Ironman 70.3 races and marathons. He is also passionate about social justice and uses sport as a vehicle to raise awareness for important issues such as civil rights, economic opportunity, and education. Besides sport, Michael is an active writer and writes articles regarding life, balance, and venture capital on michaellints.com.--PODCAST INFO:Podcast websiteWatch on YoutubeJoin the communityFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Jul 9, 2021 • 27min
Future of Work: How To Lead in 2021 with Brian Elliott, Slack
This week, we went deep on the new reality that is remote work with none other than Brian Elliiott, former GM of Platform at Slack, and now Head of Future Forum — reimagining work.From building for inclusivity to sending the right message from the top - he shares some #BillionDollarMoves we all will want in on. 👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- Why 83% of knowledge workers DO NOT WANT to return to the office- How executive leaders can lead effectively remotely in 2021 and beyond- The unique challenges of work from home for different groups and what leaders can do- The impact post-pandemic for the future of work- How to rethink productivity metrics to bring out the best in your distributed teams⏳ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:36 - Brian's career mantra04:26 - The Lift & Shift - 83% of knowledge workers do not want to return to the office08:00 - Social isolation affecting different groups differently11:42 - Leaders rethinking culture, tackling different challenges including systemic racism14:12 - Global work and distributed teams16:50 - The future of work21:36 - Power dynamics, trust and empathy in the C-suite--PODCAST INFO:Podcast websiteWatch on YoutubeJoin the communityFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Jul 2, 2021 • 1h 3min
The Rise of Superapps & The Fear of a Meaningless Life with Muneeb Maayr, Bykea
“Even if you’re drowning, give it one last shot”Ride-hailing giant Gojek and marketplace Tokopedia, Indonesia’s two largest startups, said a couple of days ago that they’ve merged their businesses to form GoTo Group, on track for a $35-$40B IPO end year. This sets more fuel to the fire of SuperApps rising in Southeast Asia: a trend that is actually moving from East to West. But is it all that it's cut out to be?Muneeb Maayr, Founder of Bykea joins us this week on #BillionDollarMoves to unpack the news & share his game plan for Bykea, Pakistan's hyper-local marketplace powered by a network of Motorcycles (p.s, there are 17 million in Pakistan!)From the rise of SuperApps to the unique challenges of the two-wheeler opportunity in a country like Pakistan, to the fear of a meaningless life, Muneeb Maayr and I cover it all!-- 👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- Will everything eventually be a Superapp & why?- What a hyper-local strategy actually means- The immense competition of global brands & how that impacts a local startup- The payments revolution - cash on delivery in the East?- How Bykea is thinking about the future of digitization and building trustMore on Bykea: https://www.bykea.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

Jun 25, 2021 • 39min
The End of Impact Washing & Stakeholder Capitalism with Regional President, BNY Mellon, Karen Wawrzaszek
Over a decade ago, JPMorgan and the Rockefeller Foundation, published a report claiming that impact investment was an emerging asset class that would reach between $400 billion and $1 trillion in assets under management by 2020. Many thought this was an ambitious prediction but fast forward, we now see how those doubts were misplaced with markets hitting $715 billion in assets under management in 2020. Against the backdrop of the reckoning of 2020, our lens on impact dollars has become tremendously important. But is there far too much sensationalization of impact? How do we stay grounded on metrics that really matter? We talked with Karen Wawrzaszek to unpack this, in March 2021 on our very first episode recorded!From growing up in poverty to advising some of the wealthiest families, endowments & foundations; having held roles including MD of Rockefeller Capital Management to now Chair of the Meyer Foundation and BNY Mellon Regional President- we learn from her #BillionDollarMoves and challenge how impact investing has gone wrong — and what more needs to be done.In this episode, you will learn:- What it means to have lived in poverty, and how you can channel personal scars into purpose- Impact washing and this moment in time- The triple threat of inequality- How do we DESIGN & measure impact – is doing no harm, good enough?- Key investment trends arising from the rise of millennials and environmental, social, governance (ESG)—Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; 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

Jun 18, 2021 • 35min
BONUS: Building a $780M Startup with Jack Smith —offline discussion with the audience
“Never build a startup without a technical founder”“Never go to a VC without a well thought out pitch deck”“Never hire people from Craigslist”From breaking all these rules and more, this week's guest, serial entrepreneur and now investor, Jack Smith, somehow turned a terrible idea into a $780M+ exit. This snippet reveals Jack in his rare raw form being brutally honest with the audience on Clubhouse. @_jacksmith has co-founded multiple startups: Vungle, Coin, Shyp and advised many others. We talk everything from his startup outgrowing him to his lack of focus getting him to the right place & right time.—Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; 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

Jun 18, 2021 • 40min
Sold My Startup for $780M: the Good, Bad, Ugly with Jack Smith, Vungle
This week we went deep on the growing pains of a startup, from PR nightmares to co-founder breakups, the challenge of shifting from a scarcity to growth mindset, and so much more with Jack Smith, serial entrepreneur & investor. @_jacksmith has co-founded multiple startups: Vungle, Coin, Shyp and advised many others. We talk everything from his startup outgrowing him to his lack of focus getting him to the right place & right time.--👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- How Jack's curiosity from a tender age carried him through as an entrepreneur- The value of an incubator - should you join one?- What it takes to get to product-market fit, and then scale- What it means to outgrow your startup, and what you can do- The harsh reality of a startup's PR nightmare⏳ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:29 - Jack's early start in entrepreneurship05:03 - Mediaroots evolution into Vungle08:36 - Hacking screen record & how that led to San Francisco10:49 - Should I join an incubator? Jack's learning from AngelPad16:31 - The crappy engineer, launching to the next few stages21:33 - What metrics mattered, that affirmed the Vungle vision?24:42 - Jack's reflection on how the startup outgrew him28:06 - Micromanaging to enabling others30:50 - Handling a PR nightmare, and standing by his co-founder32:40 - Jack's reflection on "making it" with the BIG exit—Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; 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

Jun 11, 2021 • 51min
{EXTENDED} Big Tech & The Global Entrepreneurial Revolution with Renowned American Investor, Chris Schroeder
[BONUS] Includes the post-show discussion on Clubhouse this week where we went deep on the Global Entrepreneurial Revolution shaping our future with renowned American investor & entrepreneur, Christopher Schroeder. From the dominance of big tech, to the digital divide to startups rising in the Middle East - we cover it all.Chris is the co-founder of Next Billion Ventures, a venture capital (VC) fund focused on the next billion digital consumers across global emerging markets and is also a Network Partner for Village Global, an early VC fund backed by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sara Blakely, Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman et al. Chris started in politics with the George W Bush (Senior) presidential campaign before becoming the CEO of the Washington Post/ Newsweek interactive. He then co-founded Health Central which was backed by the likes of Sequoia, Polaris Ventures and the Carlyle Group and was acquired by Remedy Health in 2012. In 2013, Chris published the first book on the Middle East & North Africa’s entrepreneurship scene called: Startup Rising — The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East — with a forward by renowned investor Marc Andreessen.--👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- What it takes to shift from being an intrapreneur to entrepreneur- How entrepreneurship has become a global lingua franca- Startups thriving across the world and yet a growing digital divide- The challenge of big tech and increasing monopoly, can markets self-correct?- Landscape of innovation in different regions: the rise of superapps--⏳ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:49 - Chris' personal chapters as founder to funder & actualizing multiple visions04:49 - Are entrepreneurs born or made?06:16 - Shifting from intrapreneur to entrepreneur12:06 - The lens of a venture capitalist and the lingua franca of entrepreneurship17:06 - The Venn diagram between impact and profit closing in on each other18:39 - The role of government and entrepreneurship, big tech25:33 - Copycat models or real innovation?27:50 - Chris' interest in Middle East and the startup revolution in the region31:33 - Chris' advice for founders34:34 - Post show discussion with VCs+wider audience—Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; 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

Jun 11, 2021 • 36min
Big Tech & The Global Entrepreneurial Revolution with Chris Schroeder
This week, we went deep on the Global Entrepreneurial Revolution shaping our future with renowned American investor & entrepreneur, Christopher Schroeder.From the dominance of big tech, to the digital divide to startups rising in the Middle East - we cover it all with Chris.Chris is the co-founder of Next Billion Ventures, a venture capital (VC) fund focused on the next billion digital consumers across global emerging markets and is also a Network Partner for Village Global, an early VC fund backed by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sara Blakely, Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman et al. Chris started in politics with the George W Bush (Senior) presidential campaign before becoming the CEO of the Washington Post/ Newsweek interactive. He then co-founded Health Central which was backed by the likes of Sequoia, Polaris Ventures and the Carlyle Group and was acquired by Remedy Health in 2012. In 2013, Chris published the first book on the Middle East & North Africa’s entrepreneurship scene called: Startup Rising — The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle East — with a forward by renowned investor Marc Andreessen.--👊🏻 5 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN:- What it takes to shift from being an intrapreneur to entrepreneur- How entrepreneurship has become a global lingua franca- Startups thriving across the world and yet a growing digital divide- The challenge of big tech and increasing monopoly, can markets self-correct?- Landscape of innovation in different regions: the rise of superapps⏳ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:49 - Chris' personal chapters as founder to funder & actualizing multiple visions04:49 - Are entrepreneurs born or made?06:16 - Shifting from intrapreneur to entrepreneur12:06 - The lens of a venture capitalist and the lingua franca of entrepreneurship17:06 - The Venn diagram between impact and profit closing in on each other18:39 - The role of government and entrepreneurship, big tech25:33 - Copycat models or real innovation?27:50 - Chris' interest in Middle East and the startup revolution in the region31:33 - Chris' advice for founders—Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; 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

Jun 1, 2021 • 2min
TRAILER: Billion Dollar Moves: Get from underestimated to iconic.
Get smarter, get inspired.From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, to building empires in new markets; all of these efforts require vision from the leaders at the helm. Join venture capitalist & strategist, Sarah Chen-Spellings as she asks the hard questions, and learn through the triumphs, failures and hard lessons of 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...Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol...