The Ownership Economy

Can you build wealth without owning a home? Dr. Michael Barnes, founder of Viva Benefits, believes you can. In this episode, we trace Michael's journey from teaching in under-resourced communities to starting a tech company that's tackling the housing crisis head-on. Discover how Viva Benefits is providing renters with access to financial tools, benefits, and even cash back on rent, all while improving the economics of multifamily properties. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in social impact, entrepreneurship, and the future of housing. Mike will be joining us as a speaker at this year's Ownership Economy Summit as well - grab your ticket below, use the code EXCLUSIVE20 to get 20% off, just for podcast subscribers: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-ownership-economy-summit-registration-920820347447

In this episode, we sit down with Adam Silver, CEO and co-founder of Plural, a company that's revolutionizing the way we invest in renewable energy. Adam explains how Plural is using blockchain technology to make these investments more accessible and efficient, allowing anyone to own a piece of the clean energy future. We explore the benefits and challenges of this innovative approach, and Adam gives us a sneak peek at an exciting project involving Bitcoin mining and solar energy. Plus, we get a preview of what he'll be discussing at the upcoming Ownership Economy Summit. Join us as we explore the future of renewable energy finance with Adam Silver.

In this episode of the Ownership Economy, we're joined by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, who dives into crypto regulation in the EU vs. the US, how she is thinking about regulation for entrepreneurs building in crypto, and what 2024 might bring. Note: This episode was recorded in January 2024.

Venture capitalist David Pakman discusses non-consensus investing in crypto, NFTs, regulatory challenges, tokenizing real-world assets, decentralized AI training, and data value in web3 investments.

Eiman Soliman, co-founder of Crowdmuse, explores innovative intersections of technology and fashion. Together with Maryam Mazraei ('Maz'), they discuss how their web3 protocol redefines the fashion industry by integrating ethics into business models. Listeners will learn about sustainable practices against the backdrop of fast fashion's environmental toll. They delve into the power of blockchain for transparency and community engagement, and reflect on their serendipitous collaboration that ignited their journey in reshaping creator economies.

Over the last 120 hours, a governance crisis the likes of which we may never see repeated happened at world-leading artificial intelligence company OpenAI, culminating in the firing (and rehiring!) of Sam Altman, with a tectonic shift in their governance in the space of a few days. In this episode we explore what led to this situation, how it could have been simulated ahead of time, and what you should do with your governance design if you’re thinking of starting a world-changing technology company, to ensure maximal flexibility and make governance an asset and not a liability. Joining us for this episode are Dr. Michael Zargham, board member and PI at the Metagovernance Project, and Amber Case, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Superset, DAODAO, and other ventures. Both guests are principal investigators at the Metagovernance Project, a nonprofit foundation focused on building open-source tooling and protocols for a governance layer around the internet.

In episode 069, Jahed sits down with Dr. Astrid Scholz, ecological economist and social entrepreneur, to discuss how her career arc has cut across governance and ownership, and the resulting innovations she and her teams have delivered. Along the way, we cover ecological economics and how it values ecosystems and people in addition to profits, why the current org structures were not a fit for her and how she and her co-founders innovated on the Zebras Unite Co-op, and the innovation they’ve spurred to deliver more capital to social enterprises at every level, from idea to seed to Series A and beyond. It’s a valuable episode for any entrepreneur considering how to start a new venture outside of the traditional VC model.

In this episode, Martin and Jahed chat with Sarah Drinkwater, Founder and General Partner at Common Magic. Common Magic invests in European and US start-ups at the pre-seed and seed stage. In the conversation, Sarah walks us through her experience working with early stage founders who are using community engagement and incentive design as a core pillar of their growth. She makes a strong case for aligning returns with community health and growth. It’s a fascinating look at a fund manager building an edge across multiple sectors including open source software, developer tools, fintech, and more by focusing exclusively on the digital community. Please rate and review the episode if you enjoyed it.

In this episode of the Ownership Economy, Martin and Jahed sit down with Dr. Ellen Frank-Miller, the Founder and CEO of WORC. A social scientist by training, Dr. Frank-Miller details her research on how investing in people as assets is proven to build more profitable, competitive companies. This episode will be of particular interest to private equity investors, managers, and anyone who is trying to find a meaningful place to work. We hope you enjoy the episode.

In this episode of the Ownership Economy, Martin and Jahed connect with Anthony Cimino Head of Policy at Carta. The conversation discusses challenges and opportunities in the US policy arena to advance broad-based ownership. Anthony walks us through the history of current rules on the books at the SEC and IRS, why they need updating for the world today, and how his past as an operator in Washington, D.C. informs his current work and approach. Investors, start-up founders, and policy workers will all enjoy this episode.