The Sachin and Adam Show

This week we sat down with the incredible Michael O’Leary to talk about his career and all things impact investing. We discussed the current downfalls in capitalism before considering what the average citizen can do to make a difference. Michael has studied at both Harvard and Stanford and was one of the founding members of Bain Double Impact (the firms social impact arm). Michael has also written the book ‘Accountable-The Rise of Citizen Capitalism’ which was one of our favourite reads of the year. Enjoy this thought provoking conversation! Accountable: The Rise of Citizen Capitalism: https://www.amazon.com.au/Accountable-Citizen-Capitalism-Michael-OLeary/dp/0062976516

Adam Milgrom, partner at Giant Leap Fund, discusses impact investing, sustainable living, and investing in startups. They explore the challenges of measuring impact, the distinction between impact investing and entrepreneurship, and the future of socially responsible investing. They also delve into a day in the life of a venture capitalist and discuss future trends in technology and influential recommendations in the investing space.

Philip Chan has had a phenomenal career spread across human rights law, academia, being a policy advisor and working in the corporate sector. He is currently the Academic Dean of Wesley College and a lecturer of human rights law at Western Sydney University. Previously he worked as an advisor at the UN, was a senior consultant in human rights consulting at KPMG, worked in human rights law for one of the worlds top pro bono law firms, has provided legal advice on the frontline of the refugee crisis and served in public diplomacy at the Australian Embassy. We talked with him about his passion for human rights, what working for the UN was like, global issues and what is necessary for human rights leadership.

This week we got to chat with the incredible Evan Wong, founder of Checkbox. At just 25 Evan has started two successful companies and was recently enacted as a Forbes Top 30 under 30 in the Enterprise Technology section. In this episode we dived deep into how Evan suggests anyone finds their purpose, his plans to turn Checkbox into a $1B company and the pressures of entering a 'prestigious' career at university. This was one of our favourite episodes yet!Checkbox: https://checkbox.ai/ Follow Evan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theevanwong?originalSubdomain=au

This week we talked to David Lu who is a partner at 256 Capital Partners and Virgil Capital, which are both investment firms which specialise in cryptocurrency assets. David became partner at those firms just a few years after finishing his Bachelor of Law/Commerce degree at UNSW. At university he co-founded a venture capital firm called Textbook Ventures and also worked at a number of other VC's such as Golden Gate Ventures in Singapore. We talked to David about his career journey, the experience of being a partner at an investment firm at such a young age and trends in the world of technology, with an emphasis on cryptocurrency. David's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daluie/?originalSubdomain=au

This week we dived into the world of Angel Investing and Venture Capital with local legend Les Szekely. Les is the son of refugees and believes that he had business in his blood from a young age, selling clothes at Paddy's Market. Fast forward a few years and Les was a partner at Deloitte and began angel investing, investing in HotelClub and SiteMinder, the later which is now worth over $1B. Les is also the co-founder of the VC Equity Venture Partners and is an active part of the Australian startup community. We dived into Les’s views on career, his transition from corporates into angel investing and the future technology trends he predicts. You are in for an amazing episode.

This episode features John Treadgold who is a communications and strategy consultant who works with major companies and governments to pursue greater sustainability in their investments. In his career he has worked with the UN, The World Bank and many fund managers. John also has a podcast called 'Good Future' where he interviews business leaders in sustainability, impact investing and social enterprise who are re-defining economics and building companies as a force for good.Much of our focus on this weeks episode was on impact investing, how to combat the issues of capitalism and sustainability.  2:18: What does re-capitalism mean for John? 6:48: What are the problems with capitalism right now? 11:18: The role of ESG policies in shifting business behaviour 17:48: Reframing impact investment from a risk perspective 24:30: Impact in private equity vs public investing 28:08: Are there enough public companies that can be sustainable? 34:42: Is the trend of impact investing here to stay? 39:52: Other examples of public market activism and private impact investment 45:43: Is the future of public companies CSR? 48:04: What does impact mean? 55:55: Advice for university students

Lily Wu, founder of Austern international and the Head of Programs at NewCampus, shares her journey of accidentally starting two 6+ figure businesses by the age of 22. Topics include: starting a successful shoe business, the importance of traveling and immersing oneself in different cultures, challenges with exchange rates and shipping in 2010, organizing internships in China, utilizing anchor speakers in marketing, and building relationships and leveraging credibility when starting a business.

Former corporate lawyer turned CEO of Grameen Australia and social venture capitalist, Kat Dunn, discusses her diverse career journey from law to impact investing. Topics include networking tips, future of microfinance, and transitioning between industries. Learn about her experiences at top law firms, starting a startup, and entering the world of venture capital with Cataliize.

“Marc was the most capable networker I have ever met, he could parachute into any developing country and within 24h arrange a meeting with the president” - Bill Browder, Red NoticeAt 20 years old Marc was the youngest person to run a statewide political campaign in the US, when he headed Ronald Reagan’s Pennsylvania campaign for his 1980 presidential election. He founded one of the first investment banks in Russia following the privatisation of the market. Following that he became president of the University of Denver from 2003-2005 and is now the chairman of a number of banks in Kazakhstan and Rwanda.