Village Global Podcast

Jesse Walden (@jessewldn), formerly of a16z and founder of Variant Fund, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How he got into crypto.- What has changed in the space since Bitcoin came out.- What it means to be an “innovation maximalist.”- Why he’s excited about co-ops.- How crypto impacts ISAs and the possibilities for equity to be used where debt currently is.- What he means when he talks about “crypto-adjacent startups” and their impacts.- How crypto might change VC.The final application deadline for our Network Catalyst accelerator is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Chris Hutchins (@hutchins) of Wealthfront joins Erik to talk about:- How he became a “huge personal finance nerd.” He tells the story of ordering Domino’s in college and selling it by the slice to earn extra money.- The history of creating Grove and why Wealthfront was a great fit for them.- How software is democratizing access to wealth management.- Passive versus active investing in the time of COVID-19.- His requests for startups in fintech and where he’s excited in the space.- What personal finance will look like when their vision of “self-driving money” is achieved.The final deadline for applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Mike Maples (@m2jr), co-founder and partner at Floodgate, joins Erik to talk about:- Insight hacking as a scientific way to generate insights, including specific steps to take and how to “backcast.”- The types of inflections that create potentially huge companies.- How to systematically find those inflections.- Lessons from founders who have successfully created companies built on inflections.- Frameworks for thinking through whether a worthwhile company can emerge from a chosen inflection.- How to lead effectively in the earliest stages through the growth phase.- Why he says “you don’t want to be the best, you want to be the only.”- His advice on pitching.The final deadline for applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Tech entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan discusses career transitions, leaving/joining a company, generating/validating ideas, finding a co-founder, and the impact of COVID-19 on different markets.

Dan McMurtrie (@SuperMugatu) of Tyro Partners joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- His writing on the crisis, how he has analyzed it, and why his view has changed from bearish to bullish.- The “bottom-up” recovery that’s taking place and all the ways that it might falter.- What specifically he’s watching for that might change his opinion on the market.- The impact on politics and society and why he says “it gets weird from here.”- What Schrodinger’s put means and the implications for the stock market.- Why he says this reveals the existential problems with the US economy and why he’s bearish on the US over the next twenty years.The final deadline for applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Lee Edwards (@terronk) of Root Ventures joins Erik on this episode. They discuss:- The story of how he became interested in the topic.- His requests for startups in the space.- The ISA model.- Which companies he’s interested in in the space.- Debt financing and possible alternatives.- Whether it’s possible to build a practical and portfolio-based education in liberal arts.- Why people remain cost insensitive when it comes to college.- Whether government should direct more money to education and how that should break down between incumbents and upstarts.The final deadline for applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Fred Destin (@fdestin), founder of Stride.VC, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What the ideal fund size is in Fred's opinion.- His thoughts on diversification in venture.- What his prediction for a possible bounce-back is and why he thinks this is more like '01-'03 than '08-'09.- Why founders need to reset their mindset in the COVID-19 era.- Whether there are too many entrepreneurs and if not, how to add more.- His message for entrepreneurs in this time.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Byrne Hobart (@ByrneHobart), creator of The Diff (diff.substack.com), joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How have the past few months changed our understanding of institutions and our trust in them- Is the current environment a win for modern monetary theorists?- Is the current environment a win or loss for bitcoin maximalists that see the Fed as a huge liability?- What should the Fed and Congress have done differently?- Is the government running on autopilot?- How do we make sense of what’s happening in the stock market?- Is the stock market dominated by institutional or retail investor sentiment? How should we think about bailouts and stock buybacks?- Future of Journalism and thoughts on Citizen Journalism- How will China’s brand evolve over time?- Byrne’s thoughts on “It’s Time to Build”- What’s happening with pensions and how do we make sense of it?- Has COVID accelerated the decline of traditional universities?- How do we think about the oil markets right now, especially during the asme time as COVID?- What are the second order effects of COVID?- Is the stock market pricing in a recession?Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Arnold Kling (@klingblog), economist and author, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What experts disagree on with respect to COVID-19.- How Arnold would deal with the pandemic if he was in charge.- What he would do about lockdowns.- Where he agrees and disagrees with the government’s fiscal and monetary response to the crisis.- The difficulty with models predicting cases.- The effects of the pandemic on globalization, libertarianism, and progressivism.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Scott Sumner, research associate on monetary policy at the Mercatus Center, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What the US has done well and what it has not done well when it comes to fiscal and monetary policy.- Why there has been a reversal of thinking on inflation between now and decades ago, and his thinking about dealing with inflation.- Other tools that are available to influence the economy beyond interest rates.- His thinking on modern monetary theory.- The future of the economy with social distancing and high unemployment.- The current debates within the Fed on monetary policy.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform. Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.