Village Global Podcast

Erik and his co-host for this episode, Abie Katz of August Capital, interview Amitt Mahajan (@amittm) of Presence Capital. He talks about the future of both VR and AR, what kinds of companies he’s been investing in and the many novel applications of VR in the enterprise setting. He tells us whether he thinks AR or VR will have a bigger impact on the world and tells us about some of the more interesting advances in the technology as well as what might be coming in the future. He also discusses the possible social implications of VR and AR.Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Erik (@eriktorenberg) sits down with Donnie Dinch (@donnie), Michael Galpert (@msg) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to discuss the state of consumer social today. They talk about why people call them crazy to try to build something in this sector today and why it’s like “walking up a downward escalator.” They dissect the uneasy relationship between the big players and the smaller companies in the space and why you need to “build with one eye over your shoulder.” They also discuss the emerging trends in consumer social, particularly as they relate to young people.Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

This episode is all about the state of biotech, with Dylan Morris of Charles River Ventures and Cain McClary of KdT Ventures. They discuss the difference in incentives when investing in biotech compared to more traditional venture capital investments and why the timelines for investments in biotech are so different compared to when most venture capitalists expect a return. They explain their respective investing theses and talk about what kinds of opportunities there are for startups in the space. Plus, they speculate on what the future might hold based on what’s happening in biotech today.

Erik talks with Malay Gandhi and Christine Lemke about the state of innovation in healthcare today, why it’s so difficult to build a company in the space, the blind spots that entrepreneurs and investors from outside the sector have, how to truly change behavior and what opportunities in healthcare Malay and Christine see. Malay Gandhi is an active angel investor in early stage, health-focused startups and advises a number of leading health tech companies. He serves as an EIR at Greylock Partners and is partner with Christine at Ensemble Labs.Christine Lemke is co-founder and President at Evidation Health, a company that helps individuals and healthcare companies understand and influence the behaviors that create better health outcomes using data. She is also partner with Malay at Ensemble Labs.

This episode is all about the future of music. Erik sat down with Parker Thompson, Aston Motes and Ed Aten to discuss how music has been regulated in the past and how that might change in the future, the argument for why copyright is a good thing for music, how blockchain might change the industry, why streaming music is a terrible business and what the music industry might look like ten years from now. Ed is CEO of Merchbar, Parker is partner at AngelList and 500 Startups and Aston was the first employee at Dropbox and is now part of UnitedMasters, Steve Stoute’s new company.

Balaji Srinivasan, CEO of Earn.com and Board Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, dives deep into how cryptocurrencies could reshape our world. He discusses the transformative power of digital currency on industries, particularly finance and education. Balaji highlights the challenge of digital identity and the balance between anonymity and verification. He also addresses the potential job displacement from AI, urging a rethinking of societal structures. The conversation navigates the future of finance and the implications of decentralization, all while balancing innovation with caution.

Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt, and David Spinks, CEO of CMX Media, dive deep into community building. They explore the differences between online and offline communities, discussing pitfalls and successes. Intriguingly, they highlight the paradox of connectivity in the digital age leading to loneliness. Strategies for creating authentic online spaces that stand out against giants like Reddit are emphasized, including the need for community market fit and mutual support. Their insights on redefining startup success through community-focused models are both timely and thought-provoking.