Clock Speed with Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan chats with Courtney Reum, co-founder of M13. They discuss Courtney's journey from Goldman Sachs to entrepreneurship, the role of investment banking in business success, and the unique dynamics of founding a business with a family member. They delve into the concept of 'doing the impossible' in business, the transition to venture capital, and the future of the VC industry. The conversation wraps up with Courtney's advice for budding entrepreneurs and her predictions for Shamus's future. Today we are joined by the one and only Courtney Reum. After helping take Under Armour and VitaminWater public 15+ years ago while working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, he and his brother Carter founded their first business, the popular spirits brand VEEV, which grew from zero to one of the best-selling independent liquor brands in the US. After the sale of VEEV in 2016, they founded the early-stage consumer tech investment firm M13 ($900M+ assets under management). M13 has invested in 130+ companies, including Bird, Daily Harvest, Matterport, Ring, Thrive Market, Tonal, and more. The VC is also known for its high-profile investors, such as Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, and Arianna Huffington. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Courtney Reum): @Courtney_Reum Learn more about M13 here. (0:00) Introduction and guest, Courtney Reum (0:23) Journey to founding M13 and its high-profile investors (1:32) Courtney's interest and transition from Goldman Sachs to entrepreneurship (4:19) Role of investment banking in entrepreneurial success (6:39) Advantages and challenges of co-founding with a family member (11:19) Concept of 'doing the impossible' in entrepreneurship and business analogies (14:53) Transition to venture capital with M13 and the role of venture capitalists (20:07) Future of venture capital industry and impact of AI on businesses (24:26) Advice for next generation of entrepreneurs and the importance of grit (26:31) Closing remarks and Courtney Reum's future predictions for Shamus Madan

In this episode, Shamus Madan talks to Mike Salguero about his entrepreneurial journey, from his early ventures to the birth and growth of ButcherBox. They discuss the impacts of venture capital, hiring strategies, and the future of meat consumption, concluding with advice for young adults. Let’s talk about entrepreneurship. Over the last few decades, it has gone from being looked at as “taboo” to being idolized. And since the creation of the internet and social media, it looks like everyone is becoming one. We are sitting down on our couch, consuming the stories of people successfully building their companies and thinking, “Oh, I could have done that!” With there being over 582 million entrepreneurs in the world, the competition is next level. That begs the question…how do you do it? And what if you can’t raise any VC money for my business idea? Can you still have a business? The answer is yes, and today as a guest, Mike Salguero will share his story of building a $600 Million business from no venture funding. And he will share why, after his last company has not taken a dollar from VC, and maybe why you shouldn’t either. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Mike Salguero): @mikesalguero To get $30 off your first box use the code MIKESENTME at https://www.butcherbox.com/ (0:00) Introduction to the episode and guest, Mike Salguero (6:19) Mike's life experiences and how they shaped his entrepreneurial journey (10:00) Lifestyle design in entrepreneurship and Mike's first venture (13:13) The inception, growth, and eventual closure of Custom Made (18:21) Reflections on hard work, product market fit, and challenges of scaling a company (24:49) Venture capital: The pressure, impact on business growth, and potential drawbacks (27:31) The birth of ButcherBox: From a personal health journey to a business idea (31:21) The barbell strategy for hiring and maintaining company culture (36:50) ButcherBox's environmental impact and the future of meat consumption (42:01) Career and financial advice for young adults (47:20) Learning more about ButcherBox and wrapping up the episode

Wes Kao, Co-Founder of Maven, is a pioneer in cohort-based courses, having previously helped brands like Morning Brew and founded altMBA. In their chat, she shares insights on the shift to online learning post-COVID and the rising demand for cohort-based education. Wes emphasizes solopreneurship's flexibility and the evolving role of certifications. She offers invaluable career advice for graduates, stressing personal interests and engagement in learning, painting an inspiring picture of the future of education.

In this episode, Shamus Madan interviews venture capitalist Maryanna Saenko. They discuss her journey from science and engineering to venture capital, the formation of Future Ventures, and their investment strategy in future tech companies. The conversation also explores the concept of winner-take-all markets, Saenko's interest in sustainable solutions, and lessons from her career in venture capital. Maryanna Saenko is an early-stage venture capitalist and co-founder of Future Ventures. She started her career as a research engineer at Cabot Corporation and later moved on to venture capital working at firms such as DFJ and Khosla Ventures. Maryanna invests in frontier technologies that make the world a better place, including nuclear fusion, sustainable agricultural and land management, bee immunology, and women’s reproductive longevity. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast (0:00) Introduction and guest background: Marianne Asanko (2:03) Democratizing access to basic resources and Marianne's venture capital journey (6:19) Transition into venture capital and first role (9:33) Leaving science and engineering for venture capital, formation of Future Ventures (14:11) Investment strategy in future tech companies and importance of incentive structures (16:33) Technology-first companies, concept of winner-take-all markets, and upcoming tech startups (19:29) Interest in climate change solutions, sustainable food production, and AI innovation (22:46) Lessons from venture capital and the importance of pattern-matching (25:33) Key takeaways for aspiring investors and startup founders (27:36) Conclusion and farewell to Maryanna Saenko

In this episode, Shamus Madan interviews Indus Khaitan, discussing his journey to Oracle, the challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs, and the importance of networking. They delve into Khaitan's role at Quollum, the customer acquisition process, and valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Indus Khaitan is the CEO of Quolum. He has over two decades of experience in the technology industry and has previously held leadership positions at companies such as Oracle and McAfee. Indus grew up in a mining town where 2-3 homicides daily were a norm and eventually escaped the Indian Coal Mafia that plagued his life and left for America. He made the most out of this move and became a founder, a father, and a pilot. He now aims to help others make the same growth in their business and life. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Indus Khaitan): @1ndus Learn more about Quolum here: https://quolum.com/ (0:00) Introduction and guest Indus Madan's background (1:53) Journey to Oracle and experience in the tech industry (3:19) Experience as an immigrant and challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs (6:18) Overcoming challenges in starting a business (7:40) Importance of networking and building deep relationships (9:21) Introduction to Quollum and its problem-solving approach (10:49) Process of customer acquisition at Quollum (12:11) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs (13:13) Wrap up and closing remarks

In this episode, Shamus Madan converses with Noam Bardin about his tech journey and the creation of Post. They delve into comparisons between Post and TikTok, Post's business model, and its moderation policies. They discuss user engagement, verification processes, misinformation, and the community's role. The impact of social media on mental health and user behavior, strategic growth in startups, and misconceptions about IPOs are also explored. The episode concludes with a look into Post's future and the magic of social media. Noam Bardin is the former CEO of Waze. During his time as the CEO of Waze, he launched Waze Ads, drove Monthly Active Users up from 2,000 to 140 million, built up the Waze Global community, and much more. Now he is the CEO of Post which aims to develop a platform where publishers can generate revenue from micropayments where users pay as little as five cents to read individual articles. This would enable users to read the articles of their liking without having to pay subscriptions to each publishing company. The platform also combines a social component enabling anyone to create, share, and engage with the posts. Sign up for Post here: https://post.news Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Noam Bardin): @noam (0:00) Introduction and Overview: Noam Bardin's journey in tech industry and creation of Post (1:15) Post Vs TikTok: A comparative analysis and the future of news industry (5:20) Business and Moderation: An exploration of Post's business model and moderation policies (9:16) User Engagement and Verification: Maintaining quality and engagement at scale, verification process and its impact (13:08) Misinformation and Community Role: Addressing misinformation and the role of community in content regulation (19:35) Social Media and Mental Health: The impact of social media on mental health and user behavior (22:14) Strategic Growth: The pitfalls of overfunding and the importance of strategic growth in startups (24:00) IPO Misconception: A discussion on IPOs and the misconception of it as an exit strategy (26:05) Future of Post: A glimpse into the future vision for Post and user-centric content consumption (27:13) The Magic of Social Media: Noam Bardin on recapturing the magic of social media and the role of authenticity in media (27:30) Conclusion: Final thoughts and thanks to Noam Bardin

In this episode, Shamus Madan talks with Oscar Muñoz about his journey from his grandmother's lessons to becoming the first Hispanic CEO of a major airline. They discuss Oscar's transition into the beverage industry, the role of mentors, strategies for turning around struggling companies, and the impact of personal health crises on his business decisions. They also reflect on the cost of success, memorable leadership moments, and Oscar's personal legacy. The episode ends with the announcement of Oscar's new book. Oscar Muñoz, the former CEO of United Airlines, joins to discuss his career from growing up in Mexico to becoming the first Hispanic CEO of a major airline. Prior to United, Oscar held several leadership positions at PepsiCo, CocaCola, AT&T, and CSX. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Pre-Order Turnaround Time here: https://amzn.to/43GMHJR (0:00) Introduction and welcoming Oscar Munoz (4:41) Lessons from Oscar's grandmother and influences on his career (9:10) Oscar's transition into the beverage industry and first moral dilemma (13:10) The importance of mentors and self-awareness in decision making (21:15) Oscar's experience as the first Hispanic CEO of a major airline (26:25) Strategies for turning around a struggling company and building trust (29:49) Impact of personal health crises on Oscar's life and business (34:16) Contemplating the cost of success and dealing with regrets (40:45) Oscar's memorable leadership moments and reflection on personal legacy (42:13) Conclusion, announcement of Oscar's new book, and closing remarks

In this episode, Shamus Madan engages with Matt MacInnis, discussing his journey from founding Inkling to his transition to Rippling. They delve into the concept of Rippling as a compound startup, misconceptions about such startups, and how to manage growth in economic tightening. They also touch on ethical layoff management and insights for future founders. Matt MacInnis began his career at Apple, spending seven years in the education and business development sector. After his time at Apple, he embarked on a new mission to build his own company, Inkling, a digital publishing platform for educational materials that raised over $102 million in funding and partnered with leading textbook publishers. Now Matt is the Chief Operating Officer at Rippling, an all-in-one HR and IT platform that eliminates a lot of the administrative burden required to run a company. He joined when there were just 70 employees, and today they are ranked as one of LinkedIn’s top startups with over 1800 employees and valued at $11.25 Billion. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Matt MacInnis): @stanine (0:00) Introduction and Matt MacInnis's career journey (4:25) Founding of Inkling - motivation, challenges, and success (7:50) Lessons from Inkling and transition to Rippling (14:30) Trust and shared experience in leadership (17:01) The unique strategy and concept of Rippling as a compound startup (22:21) Misconceptions and realities of compound startups (24:00) Growth and efficiency amidst economic tightening (27:32) Ethical layoff management and final thoughts for next-generation founders (29:35) Encouragement and insights on starting a company (31:57) Wrap up and closing remarks

In this episode, Shamus Madan converses with ChatGPT-4 about the challenges in the current secondary education system. They delve into the role of AI in revolutionizing education, balancing automation with learning, and personalizing education using AI. They also discuss fostering critical and creative thinking and the need to prepare educators for future changes. The episode wraps up with a preview of the next episode. I just finished an interview with ChatGPT-4, the latest AI sensation that's been making waves in the tech world. This interview is unlike anything you've ever seen before. A primary concern among educators is the potential for students to exploit the advanced software to expedite their homework assignments, bypassing the learning process. I aimed to delve deeper into this issue and explore the implications and even how AI can drive AI might have on our education system. If you found this interview fascinating, share it with a friend, I greatly appreciate the support. :) Synthesia AI was used to voice ChatGPT's text answers. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (ChatGPT): @OpenAI (0:00) Introduction and overview (0:36) Interview with ChatGPT-4 begins (1:29) Problems in the current secondary education system (2:22) Role of AI in transforming education (4:01) Balancing automation and learning (5:28) Personalized education with AI (7:03) Encouraging critical and creative thinking (8:26) Preparing educators for future changes (10:09) Conclusion and preview of the next episode

In this episode, Shamus Madan interviews Adam Pritzker, discussing his unique business approach influenced by anthropology, the transition of General Assembly from a co-working space to an educational institution, and the role of culture, service, and values in business success. They also dive into the mission of Assemble Brands in the retail fashion industry, the importance of unit economics, and final takeaways for aspiring founders. Adam Pritzker co-founded General Assembly back in 2010; an education company focused on providing professional development and teaching the most in-demand technology, business, and design skills. Since its launch in 2011, General Assembly has trained over one million students at campuses across four continents. Now, at his new venture, Assembled Brands Group, Adam partners with emerging direct-to-consumer companies to provide working capital, business insights, and a professional network to help scale their businesses. Listen to his full story here, and discover the most valuable lessons he has learned throughout his journey as an entrepreneur. Twitter of Host (Shamus Madan): @mbitpodcast Twitter of Guest (Adam Pritzker): @adampritzker Learn more about Assembled Brands here: https://assembledbrands.com/ (0:00) Introduction and background of guest Adam Pritzker (1:38) The influence of Adam's academic background in anthropology on his business approach (3:29) The importance of team building and partnerships in entrepreneurship (10:09) Transitioning General Assembly from a co-working space to an educational institution (13:37) The role of culture, service, and values in business success (16:46) Introduction to Assemble Brands and its mission in the shifting retail fashion industry (20:08) The importance of focusing on unit economics in retail from day one (23:03) Final takeaways for next-generation founders: focusing on values and process (24:00) Sponsor: Assemble Brands