Venture with Grace

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck. Berkeley SkyDeck is UC Berkeley's startup accelerator and incubator. Through the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, they invest $200,000 in each of their cohort startups, and provide the powerful resources and network of UC Berkeley to help cohort companies grow. The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund shares one-half of all fund profits with UC Berkeley. Formed as a partnership between the Haas School of Business, the College of Engineering, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, SkyDeck combines top tier programming and support with the vast resources of the powerful UC Berkeley community and network. This robust platform is coupled with SkyDeck's intensive mentorship program to create a powerful environment for startups. Their SkyAdvisors, Partners, and large network of accredited investors connect their startups to the expertise and capital they need to launch and grow. SkyDeck has over 700 mentors and access to the powerful UC Berkeley network, students and faculty, as well as laboratory access and startup support through their campus partners. Their six-month acceleration program is rated Gold Tier by the Seed Rankings Project, and they have over 140 startups in residence. SkyDeck is located on the Penthouse and the Third Floor of Berkeley's tallest building with 360-degree views from the campus to San Francisco. Their twice-yearly Demo Days are must-attend events for qualified investors. Topics: - Challenges and opportunities in running a university-based accelerator - Insights on the current state of VC funding for early-stage startups - The process of selecting startups for the accelerator program #BerkeleySkyDeck #StartupAccelerator #VCFunding #UCBerkeley #TechInnovation 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com  and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

Sponsor Spotlight:🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Sokwoo Rhee is Corporate Executive Vice President for Innovation at LG Electronics and Head of LG NOVA, LG Electronics' Silicon Valley-based innovation center. He leads LG Electronics’ global innovation projects, new business creation, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem development. Prior to joining LG, Sokwoo served as Associate Director for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Innovation at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, covering innovation programs for Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities. He managed the Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC), a U.S. federal government program to develop a global ecosystem of major business and technology stakeholders to create replicable and scalable IoT/smart city projects. Sokwoo previously served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow on CPS, a program by the White House. During his tenure, he co-led the SmartAmerica Challenge, which brought together IoT technologies and organizations across the nation to demonstrate how they can collaborate to create technology-based projects with a focus on socio-economic benefits. Prior to joining the U.S, government, Sokwoo was a co-founder and CTO of Millennial Net, Inc., one of the first organizations to successfully commercialize low-power wireless mesh/sensor networks and IoT technologies from academia. He also worked on wireless medical sensors as a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His work and achievements have been widely recognized and he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the MIT Technology Review’s “Top Innovators under 35.” Dr. Rhee received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Topics: • Transforming Smart Life and Mobility • Measuring innovation impact • AI and the future of work #InnoFest2024 #LGNova #AIFuture #SmartCities #FrontlineInnovation ____________- 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 David Cohen is the Founder and CEO of Techstars, a pre-seed investor that provides access to capital, programming and connections to early-stage entrepreneurs. David is a lifelong entrepreneur, and has founded three companies, two of which had successful exits. Since founding Techstars in 2006, the company has invested in more than 4,400 startups through its 40+ accelerator programs worldwide. The company has invested in over 20 unicorns including Alloy, Chainalysis, Classpass, DataRobot, Digital Ocean, Outreach, Pillpack, Remitly, SalesLoft, SendGrid and Zipline. Topics: - Building a Unicorn Portfolio - Evolution of Early-Stage VC Trends - Key Learnings from Portfolio Companies #VentureCapital #StartupSuccess #Techstars #EarlyStageInvesting #Entrepreneurship 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com  and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Yuri Lee is a partner at IVP who leads investments across Consumer Internet, Health, and Application Layer AI. She works closely with companies like Abridge, Clipboard Health (Board), Discord, LegalZoom, Papaya Global, and Accompany Health in the portfolio. Yuri was previously an indie game developer and globally ranked competitive gamer. She spent a few years working with enterprise software companies like Slack, SentinelOne, and Affirm at Morgan Stanley. Yuri graduated from Princeton with a degree in Economics. Topics: * AI's impact on the gaming industry * AI's role in transforming sales and revenue technology * AI's impact on healthcare #GamingFuture #AIInnovation #VentureCapital #HealthTech #SalesTech --- 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com  and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean is Vice President of Communications at DoorDash. Prior to that, she oversaw Airbnb's global public affairs and corporate communications teams. Elizabeth has managed strategic communications at pioneering companies including Tesla Motors, healthcare technology startup Nuna, and data science firm Civis Analytics. She helped shape and drive research, rapid response and messaging for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and his White House, and held leadership positions at CNBC and political research consultancy IMS, Inc. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Topics: - The evolution of communications strategies in tech startups - The importance of storytelling in building brand narratives - The impact of social media on corporate communications #TechComms #StartupPR #CorporateMessaging #GigEconomy #DataDrivenComms 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com  and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Neil Sequeira is the Founder & Managing Director at Defy (defy.vc). Prior to Defy, he was a Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners for 12 years, where he joined in 2004, a couple of years after the firm’s founding. Some of the companies Neil worked with include: The Honest Company, Entropic Communications, Nautilus Biotech, Everyday Health, Virtue (Oracle), Elemental (Amazon AWS), HotPotato (Facebook), ThisTech (Comcast), Cozy (Costar), Boxee (Samsung), and Securly (GG Capital) among others. Topics: - Identifying and supporting promising startups - Key learnings from major acquisitions - The Future of AI in Consumer Products #VentureCapital #Startups #AI #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #TechTrends 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today at innofest.lgnova.com  and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Christopher Gavigan is one of the co-founders of The Honest Company (NASDAQ: HNST). In January 2012, Chris, along with his business partners Jessica Alba and Brian Lee, co-founded The Honest Company. The Honest Company is a mission-driven, digitally-native brand focused on leading the clean lifestyle movement, creating a community for conscious consumers, and seeking to disrupt multiple consumer product categories. He is also the founder and CEO of the wellness brand PRIMA. Topics: - The journey from startup to publicly traded company - Insights on creating and marketing products for conscious consumers - Vision for the future of wellness and sustainable consumer products #CleanLiving #HonestCompany #Entrepreneurship #SustainableBrands This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Chris Bach is Chief Strategy and Creative Officer and co-founder of Netlify, launched in 2015 and today is one of the most popular web development platforms. Chris is on the Board of the MACH Alliance, is an avid investor in the modern web ecosystem, and sits on a number of advisory boards. Before Netlify he spent 14 years in the agency world as a founder, CEO and Chief Digital Officer. He started Denmark’s first hybrid production agency and won 20+ awards including Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, Eurobest and other competitions. At Netlify he also stands behind jamstack.org and is one of the originators of the Jamstack term. Topics: - Trends and innovations in web development - Attracting and retaining developers and businesses - How AI might reshape developer communities and collaboration #AI #AngelInvesting #WebDevelopment #Jamstack #TechInnovation #StartupEcosystem Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Eric Anderson is a Partner at Scale Venture Partners, where he focuses on investments in cloud infrastructure and security. He is a Board member at Scale portfolio companies Datastax, Permin.io, and Upsolver, and a Board observer at AppOmni, BigID, Expel, Honeycomb, and Matillion. Before Scale, Eric led early Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services product teams. At Google, he was a Product Manager in the Data Analytics and Machine Learning group. He led the team that launched Cloud Dataprep and key components of Cloud Dataflow. Previously, Eric built aircraft engines in General Electric’s Operation Management Leadership Program. He’s a contributor to open source projects including Alluxio, where he is on the Project Management Committee, and Apache Beam. Eric holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Utah and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is the creator and host of Contributor, an interview series detailing the origin stories of open source projects. Topics: - The evolution of cloud infrastructure: Past trends and future predictions - Data analytics and machine learning: Latest trends and future outlook - Emerging technologies reshaping enterprise software and cloud security #CloudInfrastructure #VentureCapital #DataAnalytics #MachineLearning ______________ 🚀 This episode is brought to you by LG NOVA. 🚀 Get ready to ignite your passion for innovation at the 4th Annual InnoFest, happening at the iconic Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on September 25th and 26th! This two-day event, brought to you by LG NOVA, is your chance to dive into the future with industry leaders and cutting-edge startups shaping HealthTech, AI, CleanTech, Life Sciences, Smart Life, Mobility, and more. And here's something extra special—I'll be hosting a panel at InnoFest, guiding a dynamic discussion on the future of AI and the workforce. Join me, along with other thought leaders, as we explore the trends and technologies driving innovation and positive change. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of the conversation and help create a brighter, more innovative tomorrow. Register today and be part of the movement at InnoFest 2024!

Sonam is Partner at Convivialité Ventures India, based out of Mumbai. Sonam started her career in finance as an investment banker at Nomura. She spent 5 years advising clients in 2 geographies – Hong Kong and India. She helped execute M&A and capital market transactions in multiple sectors such as oil & gas, pharma, real-estate and financial services. After Nomura, Sonam joined RoundGlass Partners, a US-based health and wellbeing-focused corporate. As part of the founding team, she helped build the corporate VC arm in India, by investing in early stage startups in the health tech space. Often investing the first institutional cheque, she worked closely with founders by helping them with strategy and fund raising. Notable investments include Curofy, BabyChakra, Parvata Foods and Obino. Her investment banking background coupled with extensive experience with new economy startups, gives her a unique perspective of investing in and supporting startups. At Convivialite Ventures, she partners with trailblazing and high-growth Indian companies to help build high impact businesses. Topics: - The evolution of India's startup ecosystem - The rise of gifting-focused e-commerce in India - The potential of live social entertainment platforms in India #VCInsights #IndianStartups #TechInvestment #WomenInVC #India