Village Global Podcast

Ann-Miura Ko (@annimaniac), joins Erik on this episode. It was recorded as part of an On Deck Fellowship event.They discuss:- Her perspectives on what it was like to start a company in the last several downturns and why this one is different from the others.- Why they are telling their portfolio companies that they need to be “outlasting, not outspending” their competitors.- What a “minimal viable company” means and how to avoid “fake growth.”- What will continue to be different when the pandemic is over.- Which spaces she’s excited about.- Her theory on the new social contract emerging between workers and employers.- How startups should think about competition.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.

John Danner (@jwdanner) of Dunce Capital and Michael Staton (@mpstaton) of Learn Capital join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How EdTech has evolved and the ways that perspectives have changed on the space.- Their theses about the future of the space and the key challenges that it faces.- Why the pandemic might be the catalyst for an increase in homeschooling. - The problems with the current ways that education is delivered and how certain companies are well-positioned to change things for the better.- Whether there will be an expansion of ISAs to different, more regulated, verticals.- The challenges that for-profit companies face in education.- Whether there will be such a thing as a “Walmart University” or “Amazon University.”- Their requests for startups in the space.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.

Austen Allred (@austen), CEO of Lambda School, and Rishi Mandal (@rmandal), founder of Future, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How Austen took education that typically happened in person and transformed it into digital form at Lambda School.- How Rishi is taking fitness training that happened in person and transforming it into digital form with Future.- What Austen calls the “skeuomorphic” way of translating experiences into digital form and why it doesn’t work.- How they ensure motivation and accountability on each of their platforms.- Why relationships with a coach or a teacher are so special and how they can be cultivated digitally.- How to think about community-building in a digital-only world.- Why Austen says that it’s important to “compensate for weaknesses by doubling down on strengths.”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.

Gabe Bassin (@gabebassin) and Taylor Pearson (@TaylorPearsonMe) join Erik on this episode. They discuss:- The ins and outs of what each of the fed and treasury are doing at this time.- The impacts of the pandemic on credit markets and pension systems.- The disruptions to the demand side and the effects of possible supply-side disruptions.- How the pandemic exacerbates inequality.- The impact on Bitcoin and what this says about Austrian economics.- Whether there’s a bubble in passive investing and the S&P 500 as a savings account.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.

Conor White-Sullivan (@Conaw), founder of Roam Research, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What they're working on at Roam and what will be different about the world if they achieves their dreams with the company.- The different ways of representing the structure of thought and how tools impact thoughts themselves.- How Roam relates to and is different from Twitter, GitHub, Notion, Quora, and others.- What it means when he says he wants the product to have a “low floor and a high ceiling” like Excel.- Some of the current debates in knowledge management and his thoughts on them.- His requests for tools in the space.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.

Samir Kaji (@SamirKaji), managing director at First Republic Bank, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The state of the financial world before COVID and the cracks that Samir saw in the system last year. - Why this shock is like a “train going 150 miles per hour hitting a brick wall.” - What venture funds should do in this environment.- Whether there’s hope for a recovery in the near future, or not — and why this is different than any other previous recession.- How the behavior of LPs will change and what they will require of fund managers.- Why he’s been bullish on smaller funds.- The future of venture and whether there are truly disruptive alternatives to today’s system.- Why he thinks that the financial world might come out of this in a better place than before.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.

Jesse Genet (@jessegenet) and Stephan Ango (@kepano), co-founders of Lumi, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How Lumi works, and how the company changes how a DTC brand does business.- How community influences the success of DTC brands.- Which areas within DTC are VC-fundable.- Where they would be investing if they were running a fund focused on the space.- What will happen with some of the more obscure consumer products that are sold, and whether they will be sold DTC eventually.- Who the losers might be among entrenched players.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.

Andreas Klinger (@andreasklinger), head of remote at AngelList and creator of Remote First Capital, joins Erik on this episode. This was recorded as part of an OnDeck session.They discuss:- The impact of COVID-19 on remote work and why he says it’s really a “double-edged sword” when it comes to the spread of remote working in the future.- Whether remote can work for early-stage companies.- Which types of companies are most suited to remote work.- What he learned from hiring engineers for Product Hunt five years ago, and what has changed since then.- Why he says that “most productivity problems have more to do with you than with your team.”- How to think about comp for remote workers.- How to be a good interviewer for remote jobs.- His requests for startups.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.

Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) of Better Tomorrow and Jayni Shah (@shahjayni) of Accomplice join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The state of fintech pre-COVID and the high level of activity in the space over the last several years.- Their thoughts on challenger banks and why they will have a hard time in this environment.- Which consumer habits will change permanently after the pandemic is over and which companies are best poised to capitalize on those shifts.- The impact of COVID on SMBs and the startups working with them.- The trends in fundraising that they’ve seen since the start of the pandemic and the advice they’re giving to founders.- The impacts on lending, roboadvisors, life insurance, real estate, and more.- The unique dynamics of fintech in India.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.

Kristin Baker Spohn (@kbakes) of CRV and Deena Shakir (@deenashakir) of Lux Capital join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What Kristin has noticed about the space after moving from operator to investor.- How COVID has rapidly accelerated digital health adoption.- Which spaces and companies they’re more interested in in a post-COVID world.- Advice for founders trying to sell to large organizations and employers.- The difference between companies focused on prevention versus treatment.- The status of data in healthcare and whether it can be a differentiator.- Other spaces in healthcare that they’re interested in.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.