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

A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead.With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally: even in our world of venture and business.Special thanks to Cortado Ventures for setting this up in the beautiful First National Center in Oklahoma City: https://cortado.ventures/FOLLOW DAVID:Get his book, Range: https://amzn.to/3Nrht3cTwitter: https://twitter.com/DavidEpsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-epstein-5a37ba25/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidepstein/https://davidepstein.com/David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times best seller The Sports Gene, both of which have been translated in more than 30 languages. (To his surprise, the latter was purchased not only by his sister but also by President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.)He was previously the host of Slate‘s popular “How To!” podcast, and a science and investigative reporter at ProPublica. Prior to that, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he co-authored the story that revealed Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had used steroids. His writing has been honored by an array of organizations, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, to the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Center on Disability and Journalism, and has been included in the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. His story “Following the Trail of Broken Hearts,” on sudden cardiac death in athletes, was chosen as one of the top 100 stories of the last 100 years by Columbia Journalism alumni.FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top GLOBAL funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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...Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobalJoin the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol...

This week I am so pumped to be speaking with Momei Qu, Managing Director of PSP Growth, where she leads PSP’s venture capital and growth equity initiative, working closely with the esteemed Penny Pritzker, former United States Sec of Commerce and American billionaire businesswoman with family investments in the Hyatt Hotels and Marmon Group. From Momei’s leadership lessons working with a trailblazer to building a robust venture and growth practice to the future of B2B SAAS despite valuation slashes we’ve seen, we cover it all.ABOUT MOMEI:Momei Qu is a Managing Director at PSP Growth, and leads PSP’s venture capital and growth equity initiatives. She is responsible for strategy development, new deal sourcing, and portfolio company oversight.Prior to joining PSP Growth in 2018, she was a Vice President at Baird Capital where she invested in healthcare and technology companies. Prior to joining Baird, she was at Independence Equity (IE), a technology focused venture capital firm. Before IE, she worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co. Qu earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the Board of The Goldie Initiative, an organization dedicated to elevating the careers of high potential women in real estate, and on the Board of CRETI (Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation).In her spare time, Momei enjoys traveling with her husband and 2 kids, running by the lake, and finding deals at wine auctions.FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. 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/billiondollarmoves

This week's Billion Dollar Bite features the big question:Who am I beyond the company I built? This has become a theme that has emerged in so many of my conversations with both founders and funders at the helm of their businesses — an inspired this week’s Billion Dollar Bite about finding identity and decoupling your identity from your business. Tune in to what Rana el-Kaliouby who sold her emotional AI startup, Affectiva to publicly listed Smart Eye for $73.5 Million has to say:Full episode:(Season 2 Episode 1; 11/03/22) Rana el-Kaliouby: https://tinyurl.com/2p94hmyyAbout Rana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliouby/)FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

Our next guest is tackling the food waste problem by applying what he and his team have learned from nature. They created a plant-based protective coating that can make fruits and vegetables last longer. When the average household wastes over 30% of their food and throws $1,500 of the food they buy into the trash, you can see how it’s crucial to work to reduce this impact on our planet and our pocketbooks. Apeel is commercially available for avocados, organic apples, cucumbers and citrus fruits (lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit)- so they can stay fresher longer in the supply chain and in our homes. I chatted with my friend, James Rogers, Founder & CEO of Apeel when we were together in Oklahoma City about his journey over the last decade, and how he’s finally getting closer to his “why” in the first place.ABOUT JAMES:Dr. James Rogers is Founder and CEO of Apeel, a company that’s fighting the global food waste crisis by using materials found in nature to help food last longer — a sustainable approach to enable a more abundant future for the entire supply chain. Apeel’s mission has enabled Dr. Rogers to learn from and collaborate with thought leaders from all segments of the global food system. Founded in 2012, Apeel works with a global network of suppliers to serve retail customers across the globe with longer-lasting organic and conventionally grown produce, ensuring a fresher experience for customers at home. Apeel also invests its expertise in biological and data science toward helping retailers solve their fresh challenges and securing new opportunities for growth.www.apeel.comFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

What’s the secret to becoming more likable and influential as a leader? How do we actually build and scale by appealing to our consumers in a sustainable way?Why are we more likely to eat an imperfect cookie? This week’s episode will have you taking copious notes from Phill Agnew, a behavioral science expert and my podcast brother in the network, where he hosts one of the top Marketing podcasts, Nudge and shares tips of the trade you can start applying to win business and yes influence people today.TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:42 - Why sharing your imperfection is key to being likeable11:04 - Does this apply to gender stereotypes?15:36 - Why is Tony the Tiger on Frosties, Ronald McDonald?19:56 - Because you're worth it? Language matters23:33 - Articulating value to your stakeholders30:23 - Are marketers responsible for our culture? Will AI disrupt marketing?35:27 - Showcasing labor to influence othersSHOW NOTES Aronson’s pratfall effect study is: Aronson, E., Willerman, B., & Floyd, J. (1966). The effect of a pratfall on increasing interpersonal appeal. Psychonomic Science (link) J Sylvester study: Unfair Discrimination in the Selection Interview: An Attributional Account (link) Christoph Bartneck icat study https://youtu.be/7Kf9coMuVuI April Dunfords book obviously awesome: https://www.aprildunford.com/books FOLLOW PHILLLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/NUDGE Podcast: The consumer psychology podcast - listen to the researchers, authors, and pioneers in behavioral science and learn small nudges you can use to improve your work. NudgePodcast.comFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm. And with it, a whole conversation surrounding AI, it’s opportunities and yes perils. Well, to go deeper in this, I’m excited to speak with someone who has been working in this space of AI, VR and XR, immersive and extended reality long before it was the hype it is today. Martina Welkhoff, Managing Partner of WXR fund, an early stage fund that invests in two of the greatest opportunities of our time: the next wave of computing + female entrepreneurs; with companies like Obsess AI, BODs and Embodied labs in her portfolio.Before that, Martina first founded her first startup over a decade ago in mobile gaming and after exiting that, she went on to found a VR production studio called ConveneVR. In this convo, Martina shares how she sees this cycle and the market shakeout, the danger of humanizing AI to the business opportunity of XR, we'll cover it all. Buckle up!About Martina Welkhoff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwelkhoff/FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

This week I’m chatting with a Billion Dollar Mover who absolutely captivated me when I first met her, but for a change, from the world of politics.Phumzile Van Damme is a former Member of Parliament of South Africa, winning multiple awards for her work counter-electoral disinformation, digital rights and platform accountability focusing on Africa.Phumzile’s first foray in the fight against disinformation centered on the rise and fall of the controversial global PR firm Bell Pottinger, who ran a race based campaign to ignite the differences between the people of South Africa, digging into its painful history of apartheid.She presented the case on behalf of South Africa, and 2 weeks later, they shut shop, basically toppling one of the most powerful PR firms in the world.What does it take to be a young Black Woman in politics, to build influence and lead with your principles still intact? Her Billion Dollar Moves is one I needed to deconstruct, that I thought all of us leaders could learn from. You don't want to miss it.FOLLOW PHUMZILE:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phumzile-van-damme/Twitter: https://twitter.com/zilevandammeFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

Welcome to Billion Dollar Bite!Between the SVB collapse (and now First Republic Bank on the edge, with stock now down 95% for the year to date!), ChatGPT taking over and the "SAAS-cre", where valuations of Software-As-A-Service companies have taken a dive, for some, as high as 60%; it’s been a lot.A question that I get asked in this environment is: how will we find outliers?My answer: surface the unexpected leaders. The ones who have been underestimated, who may not come from a “cookie-cutter”, but are not afraid to be the first & only in many rooms, who know that rejection is part of the process and remain grounded to their vision, even if others don’t see it yet.But don't only take it from me! Tune in to what unicorn funder, Cathy Gao, Partner at Sapphire Ventures and unicorn founder, Jack Smith, who sold Vungle for about $780M have to say.Full episodes:Jack Smith "SOLD MY STARTUP FOR $780M: Good, bad, ugly": https://spoti.fi/420sqgLCathy Gao "ENTERPRISE EATING THE WORLD: https://spoti.fi/3NeWcu9

Founder turned Funder, from Head of Digital Ventures of the BBC to Managing Director of Techstars, to now Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures with 250 portfolio companies and counting, Jenny Fielding is the ultimate community builder and investor. Together with Scott Hartley, Jenny is today pursuing a global strategy, as U.S. venture capitalists have taken a step back from deals abroad; launching a new $25M fund, to be the first-check in for startups building in the future of money, health and work.What does investing as a community mean, what do we think about the upset we’re hearing about Y Combinator’s new terms, how do you manage 500 Limited Partner investors in your fund and what is Jenny’s deepest insecurity? We cover it all and more.About Jenny Fielding:Pre-seed investor and mentor to hundreds of founders around the world. 2x entrepreneur and knows how challenging it is to build great products, inspire a team and keep the lights on. So she spends her time working to surround founders with the resources they need to thrive.First check into 200+ startups including: Chainalysis, Alloy, Latch, Tempo Automation, Headway, Supergreat, Contra, Particle Health, Pair Eyewear, Solo Funds, Halp, Minded, Rupa Health, Morty, Wagmo, Smarthop, Solid, PathSpot, Remesh, Cube, OnePipe, Season, Parsley Health and so many more: https://angel.co/jenny-fieldingWhen not investing in companies... she's teaching (but really learning from) the next generation of future founders as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech.Twitter @jefieldingFOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct 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/billiondollarmoves

For the Billion Dollar Mover that you are, this is not new news:Silicon Valley Bank; what was said to be the epicenter of Silicon Valley tech and small businesses collapsed on March 10th after a run on the deposits doomed the banks plans to raise fresh capital.At first, there was major concern that this crash will take the VC and startup ecosystem with it, but the gov swooped in and provided a backstop, and scraps of SVB was purchased by First Citizens Bank.Catastrophe averted? Not quite.Today’s episode is by no means a full breakdown of what happened, but answers this one question :“Was this truly a Black Swan event? as Nassim Taleb explains it or really, a Gray Rhino, as Best-Selling Author, my friend Michele Wucker writes?And today we have her on the show exactly to speak to this - How should you be thinking about risk and what next?About Michele:Strategic advisor and best-selling author Michele Wucker coined the term “gray rhino” as a call to take a fresh look at how we respond to obvious, probable, impactful risks. She founded the Chicago-based advisory firm Gray Rhino & Company and is a former media and think tank executive. Her four influential books include the influential global bestseller THE GRAY RHINO: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore and the recently released sequel, YOU ARE WHAT YOU RISK: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World.Digital links:Twitter @wuckerwebsite thegrayrhino.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wucker/FOLLOW SARAH:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobalInstagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobalTwitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal--Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. 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/billiondollarmoves