The Sachin and Adam Show

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.

This week we talked to Sam Refshauge who has had an incredibly interesting career spanning roles in the for-purpose and not-for-profit sector. We talked to Sam about his journey from working for the Indonesian Rugby team, to being a general manager at AIME mentoring to becoming CEO of Batyr, the mental health organisation, in his late 20s.  1:00 Living in Jakarta working as Indonesia’s rugby coach 9:00 Working as general manager of AIME mentoring 13:10 The journey to becoming CEO of Batyr 18:00 Biggest leadership lessons from Batyr 20:24 Challenges of being a CEO at a young age 22:50 Going on the path less travelled 27:00 Batyrs impact 30:55 Advice for graduates going into a difficult job market 33:15 Sam’s move from Sydney to Byron Bay 36:48 Impacts to the ego from shifting to a CEO in a capital city to moving to a lifestyle oriented life 40:16 Sam’s perspective on his career move

This week we sat down with the extremely talented Elisa Lillicrap. At the age of 21 she has interned for a Y Combinator company, won the Hult Prize in the Asia region, completed the ASES course at Stanford and co-founded a startup Logieq. We spoke up her experiences in Silicon Valley, asked her what businesses the world needs now and discussed if innovation can sometimes go too far.

This week we interview Peter Stevens who is the founder of financial newsletter 'Insufficient Capital'. Peter is a keen investor who writes about his different trades and investing beliefs on a regular basis. He also studies Commerce/Engineering. Insufficient Capital Website: https://insufficientcapital.com/Insufficient Capital Twitter: https://twitter.com/insufficientcap 2:16 Why Peter is interested in financial markets10:46 Principles for investing14:03 The rise of the retail investors24:25 ASX market overvalued or not?38:28 Brokerage firms in Australia45:00 The macroeconomy53:53 Quantitative easing and inflation60:01 Where Peter see’s himself in the future

We chatted with Michael Batko, CEO of Startmate and former corporate executive turned startup leader. The podcast covers his journey from finance to startups, CEO's productivity systems, strategies for deep work, tips for focus in VC industry, and balancing work life. Highly recommended for startup enthusiasts and university students.