The Dart Board with Daniel Dart

Meet Samara Hernandez, founder of Chingona Ventures. From growing up under the poverty line to breaking into Goldman Sachs and launching a fund named after the Spanish word for “badass woman,” her journey is nothing short of inspiring.In this episode, she shares why resilience—what she calls the Chingona Factor—matters more than pedigree, and how underestimated founders often build the most transformative companies.We explore her path from engineering to venture, the lessons she’s learned raising funds as a solo GP in the Midwest, and why betting on grit, creativity, and values-alignment is the future of venture capital.

Meet Nitish Maini, chief strategy officer at WorldQuant. From a small town in India to rising through the ranks of finance to help steer one of the world's most significant quantitative hedge funds, his journey is nothing short of amazing. In this episode, he shares why the worst advice he ever got was "don't take the risk," and why he believes the wildest leaps often turn out to be the safest. We explore WorldQuant's global footprint and how their initiatives, like WorldQuant BRAIN and the International Quant Championship, are democratizing opportunity by tapping into talent in every corner of the world. It's a conversation about creativity and adaptability, and what it really takes to build at scale, told through the lens of someone who's lived it.

In this engaging conversation, Brad Feld, co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars, shares his journey from founder to prolific author and marathon runner. He dives into the resilience required in both entrepreneurship and running, emphasizing the power of perseverance. Brad discusses his passion for long arc narratives in fiction, showcasing character development and diverse representation. Additionally, he reflects on the challenges of managing personal healthcare data and the evolution of the startup landscape towards meaningful success.

Finn Meeks, a partner at South Park Commons, transforms the way we think about startup support by focusing on technologists in the 'minus one' stage. He shares insights from his journey as a competitive rower, highlighting the importance of community and collaboration in helping founders succeed. Finn emphasizes the balance between resilience and the willingness to pivot, showcasing how empathy plays a crucial role in entrepreneurship. His experiences reveal that the right environment and relationships can redefine personal and professional identities.

Founder of Drive Capital, Chris Olsen, left a dream job as a partner at Sequoia to prove that billion-dollar companies could be built outside Silicon Valley. In this candid conversation, he unpacks the founding of Drive Capital, why geography no longer limits great ideas, and how authentic leadership, disciplined fundraising, and building powerful local ecosystems can drive long-term success.We also get personal, talking about failure, family, gym routines, and why comparing yourself to yesterday is the real competition.A must-listen for founders, funders, and anyone who cares about building for the long game.

Meet Dan O'Connell, CEO of Front. From joining Google when it had just 300 employees, to leading AI strategy at Dialpad, to now running one of the most innovative customer support platforms in the world at Front, Dan understands tech and Silicon Valley in ways few others do. We dive into the future of AI, what it's like to be recruited as a CEO, how to empower teams at scale, and why disruption isn’t just inevitable, it’s a responsibility.We finish by digging into why you must move fast in everything you do, both in business and life, as well as why some people, for better or worse, will never change.

Meet Mike Miller, co-founder of Liquid 2 Ventures. In this episode, we explore his journey from being a nuclear physicist to a successful entrepreneur and investor. We dig into why so much VC dogma isn't rooted in fact, and how Liquid 2 has forged it's own path - one that many new funds are copying. He shares how sometimes the worst things you go through can end up being the best thing, and how founders are often given poor advice when thinking about how to get later funding, and how there's many ways to win in venture.

Meet John Mannes, Partner at Basis Set, one of the original AI-native venture funds. In this episode, he shares what he learned growing up in DC and how it applies to Silicon Valley, the importance of understanding founder psychology, and the impact of how growing up can shape the entrepreneurial mindset.He shares how he stays ahead of the technology curve and how, rather than being sector-focused as an investor, he is more focused on how big the opportunity can be, regardless of the sector. Lastly, he shares advice from his father that shapes his day-to-day outlook, and how those who learn early what hard work looks like can have a significant impact on how they approach things later in life.

Meet Mario Schlosser, co-founder and CTO of the publicly traded health insurance company, Oscar Health (OSCR:NYSE). In this conversation, Mario shares the personal story that led to the founding of Oscar Health, discussing the challenges and triumphs of navigating the healthcare industry, and the imminent impact of technology and AI on all aspects of health and treatment. From his transition from gaming to healthcare, his experiences in leadership, and the importance of prioritizing mental health, we cover the best and worst advice he's ever received and how sometimes what we think are pivotal moments are just part of growing up.

Meet Greg Lippmann. In this episode, we dig into his journey from public schools, working at summer camps, to his first day on a trading floor, and when he knew the 'Big Short' was actually going to break his way. From a challenging start in finance to becoming a prominent figure in the industry, to launching his firm LibreMax, which now manages north of $12 billion. He discusses his time as an emerging manager, the strategy of getting started, the lessons learned from the financial crisis, and why working hard is beneficial for more than just career growth.