The Silicon Valley Podcast

Reaction is a global community and fund invested in solving the toughest global problems.   We are a global team who shares a vision for a world where thought leadership and innovation can change more lives in less time.   Why now?  Because more innovations will be created in more countries and industries over the next decade than in the previous 50 years.  Many that offer the potential to solve pressing global issues will fail to reach the markets that need them the most.   Reaction was founded by a diverse team of global leaders who united to solve this problem.     Dan Matthies Dan is a proven builder and operator of global businesses, a Stanford Changemaker, awarded innovator, and Top 100 Entrepreneur.   He has been leading Reaction since its inception.   Prior to Reaction, for 15 years Dan built and operated global tech businesses, including an awarded investment platform used by leading institutions to manage trillions of assets.  As a corporate entrepreneur, he was responsible for all aspects of strategy, product, growth and P&L, creating over $3 Billion in enterprise value.   Dan is an alum of Stanford University (Stanford Executive Program and The Corporate Entrepreneur),  The Wharton School of Business (MBA), and The College of New Jersey (Finance and International Business).   Dan has also completed his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmatthies/     Michael Dorsey I have a successful 20-year record in Impact Investing, having co-founded and managed the innovative Bay Area Equity Fund (now DBL Investors), which achieved a 24% IRR, 4x cash-on-cash return, and created more than 15,000 jobs. My current fund, the Bay Area Growth Fund, seeks to repeat this success. I also managed two funds for the Westly Group, focused primarily on clean tech.  Prior to my venture capital career, I spent 20 years in investment banking, primarily focused on technology and other emerging growth companies. I served as Head of Technology Company investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Cowen & Co. I am committed to improving the world through for-profit investing. In addition to investing, I am also committed to supporting the companies and entrepreneurs we invest in. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dorsey-372a6710/     Julieta Romero   Julieta has broad experience across venture capital, FoodTech, government and banking.   She began her career at JP Morgan where she led a team of analysts performing macroeconomic and industry research on opportunities in Power and Utilities, Oil and Gas, Retail and Hospitality.     She then went on to advise the Secretary of Financial Services and the Commissioner in the Argentinean Government Executive Branch on public policy initiatives across the mortgage, insurance and capital markets.   Most recently, she invested in climate and social solutions at an impact investment fund based in Mexico, and worked on strategy and partnerships for one of the largest alternative meat companies.      Julieta is an alum of Stanford University (MBA) and Universidad de 'San Andrés' (Masters in Finance, Corporate Finance and Bachelors in International Relations). https://www.linkedin.com/in/julietaromero/   We talk about Lessons learned while working 20 plus years at Bloomberg. The origin story of Reaction? Stories of being an Investment Banker through the history of Silicon Valley. Investing in the double bottom line. The value of a global network And more   Website https://www.reaction.global/

Drue Freeman is an Independent Board Director at Ideal Power (NASDAQ:IPWR) and is currently serving on the Board of Directors at Sand Hill Angels.   The former CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth, Silicon Valley (ACGSV) and a 30-year semiconductor veteran, Drue advises and consults for early-stage startups, multi-billion dollar corporations, and for financial institutions studying the implications of technological disruptions on the automotive industry. Drue is on the Advisory Boards of several public and private companies as well as Silicon Catalyst. His Venture Capital and Angel Investments focus primarily on the automotive sector.   Previously, Drue served as Sr Vice President Global Automotive Sales & Marketing at NXP (2009 - 2015), gaining significant automotive semiconductor TAM share. In his career with NXP (formerly Philips Semiconductors), Drue spent 3 years in Shanghai establishing a #1 position in the China automotive market while launching and serving as Board Member for the first Chinese automotive semiconductor company, Datang-NXP Semiconductors. Prior to China, he worked 7 years at NXP’s Automotive HQ in Germany, including 4 years as VP of Automotive Quality. He has also been based in Tokyo, with Philips and VLSI Technology and held positions in key account management, applications engineering, and development engineering for various companies in California.   We talk about Who are the most active angel groups in Silicon Valley? What types of due diligence does one do on a company before investing? What role do syndicate members play after making an investment? What are the negatives or benefits of investing as an individual or a syndicate? How does one find boards to be on? What technologies do you see really helping in West Africa? And much more Connect with Drue https://www.linkedin.com/in/drue-freeman-b67a12/ drue@betterbigpicture.com

Jon Li, with over 20 years of entrepreneurial and product/UX design experience, discusses the benefits of augmented reality for individuals and organizations. He also explores the future potential of AR/VR glasses and the factors to consider when purchasing AR glasses. Additionally, they discuss the concept of organizing and distributing information in AR/VR environments and the significance of context in accessing relevant information.

Shownotes for Karen Traversi Kovaleski,   Bio: I have over 20 very successful and rewarding years leading start-up and growth-stage companies in digital and tech industries. My experience spans sales, marketing, human resources, operations, and all aspects of the customer journey. Holding roles ranging from VP GM to VP of Operations to CEO, I have driven the integration and stabilization of organizations experiencing mergers & acquisitions, hyper-growth, or other disruptive processes. I have successfully helped companies ranging in size from start-up to >$100 million as well as those looking to monetize assets such as TMP/Monster.com, Ticketmaster, and Revolution Health Group. CHALLENGE Companies often struggle to connect the dots between corporate mission, sales, product delivery, and customers' goals. Mergers & acquisitions, rapid growth, or other disruptive processes typically amplify misalignment. When not addressed, this leads to missed opportunities for revenue growth, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction. Organizations tout a customer-focused approach in the hopes that this rallying cry will create alignment of people, product, and process. It doesn’t, and therefore, Brand equity suffers, engagement declines, and customers look elsewhere. REPUTATION I am known for getting things done with high proficiency and integrity, as a cross-functional leader, collaborator, and strategic thinker. I have earned the reputation of a business integrator with expertise in customer growth, operational execution, and broad-based business management. I connect the company and the client through brand clarity, effective solutions delivery, and highly engaged teams. STYLE I bring a goal-driven and collaborative style to business operations and executive leadership. I am passionate about using honesty, kindness & respect in the treatment of all people while discovering innovative ways to approach business challenges and new markets. Leveraging empathy, business acumen, and consultative approaches I drive effective operations, sales and customer growth. I am comfortable addressing complex problems and often difficult situations, handling them with ease and candor ensuring actionable goals & objectives drive success. Key Skills: Start-up * Sales and Service Delivery * People Leadership * Business Development * Customer Success Driver * Decisive and Focused Executive * Integration Before, During and After M&A * Team Builder * Product Development * Profitable Business Manager * Change Management   We talk about When starting to work with a company, where are there usually skeletons? What is life after being a CEO like? Mergers & Acquisitions… pre and post closing. What are some integration best practices? Is there a disconnect between the Silicon Valley “elite” and the rest of Silicon Valley… and the rest of the world? Connect with Karen   Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/karentraversikovaleski/ Email karen.traversi.kovaleski@gmail.com

Show notes Ron Gutman Ron Gutman is an inventor, an investor, a serial technology and healthcare entrepreneur and a Stanford University adjunct Professor. Ron has built and invested in technology and healthcare companies that have served hundreds of millions of people and saved tens of thousands of lives worldwide. He's an inventor holding a series of patents in healthcare technology and Artificial Intelligence and won the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer award. Ron's articles have been published in respected media such as The Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fortune Magazine, CNN, and TechCrunch. He also wrote a best-selling TED Book SMILE: The Astonishing Power of a Simple Act, and gave a popular TED talk about smiling that was translated to 51 languages and viewed by millions everywhere. Ron has also presented in leading technology and healthcare conferences, including The World Economic Forum, TED, and Fortune Brainstorm Tech. Ron's mission is to help everyone live happier, healthier, longer lives.   We talk about: How did you come up with the topic for your ted talk “The Hidden Power of Smiling?” Do you live by the motto of “Smiling” today? What factors do you consider when determining the structure and design of a supply chain? How is it different scaling-up a company that has a massive funding event verse growing a company without any-external funding? What is the antidote to Blitzscaling? In the current environment, does Blitzcaling make sense? What are the best ways that entrepreneurs and start-ups can achieve hyper-growth today without making huge structural, financial, and in some cases, ethical mistakes in the process? And much more…. Connect with Ron   Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rongutman/ Twitter @ronsmilegutman Email RonSmileGutman@gmail.com

Show notes for Gunja Gargeshwari Gunja Gargeshwari works as a Chief Revenue Officer at Bright Data, which is a Data Collection & Internet Portals company with an estimated 450 employees; and founded in 2014. They are part of the Sales Executive team within the C-Suite Department and their management level is C-Level. Gunja graduated from Wayne State University in 1996 and is currently based in United States. They used to work at Amazon.com and Théâtre de Paris a Previous Work Experience Gunja Gargeshwari's career began 27 years ago. Prior to joining Bright Data, Gunja worked at 4 companies. 2018 - 2022Zendesk Platform, Zd Sunshine Conversations & Zd Sell Vice President, Worldwide Sales 2015 - 2018Amazon.com Isv Accounts Sales Leader 2015 - 2018Théâtre de Paris Mid Market Isv Accounts Sales Leader 1996 - 2015Oracle Senior Director, Oracle Consulting Sales, Retail & Financial Services   We talk about How is Artificial Intelligence impacting data? Are companies really utilizing internal data? What are some good causes for use of public data? What does a Chief Revenue Officer, CRO do? The story of the first 1 billion dollar deal for Amazon? And more Connect with Gunja  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunja-gargeshwari-5bb37/

Zamir Shukho is the Founder and General Partner of the Vibranium.VC venture fund. With 20 years of professional experience, he has a background as a serial entrepreneur having created 10 companies and organizations. He is also an expert in venture capital, management, and corporate innovation. In addition to this, he is a startup mentor and a certified coach of the Stanford I2M program. We talk about How does the selection process change depending on the stage of the company? What are some of the metrics a company should know at the seed stage of its life cycle? What takes place during Financial due diligence? What happens in an Investment Committee meeting?   Connect with Zamir VC and Podari.life charity program - https://www.podari.life/vibranium VC Softlanding Program - https://vibranium.vc/softlanding VC website - https://vibranium.vc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibraniumvc Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vibranium_VC

Show Notes for Drew Sechrist  Drew Sechrist the Co-Founder and CEO, of Connect The Dots. Drew was part of the team that grew Salesforce from $0 to over $1B in revenue. During that time, he was both the #1 sales manager (globally), and the #1 account executive (globally). ‍ He helped define best practices for both high volume sales and large enterprise transactions. A huge part of Drew’s success was leveraging the relationships in his network and mastering the art of the warm introduction.   We talk about   What was the ride like being at Salesforce from $0 to over $1billion in revenue? Where do most startups mess up with sales training? How should a startup think about their sales processes? How should young companies think about their sales compensation packages? How important is timing, how important is luck when building a company?     Connect with Drew drew.sechrist@gmail.com https://twitter.com/drewsechrist   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewsechrist/ Website https://www.ctd.ai/

Shawn Flynn is a seasoned mid-market investment banker and distinguished Podcast Host. With a rich background as a successful business owner in Beijing, China, Shawn returned to Silicon Valley, where he immersed himself in the dynamic startup ecosystem. He has held diverse roles, from Head of Incubation for an AI and blockchain-focused incubator to President of the second oldest Angel group in the Valley. Leveraging his extensive experience across various business stages and sectors, Shawn currently serves as Principal at a premier middle market investment bank, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, growth capital raising, and secondaries. Shawn holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD, and his global perspective is enriched by his proficiency in Mandarin and Spanish, acquired during almost 8 years of living abroad. As the host of the acclaimed "The Silicon Valley Podcast," Shawn shares valuable insights and conversations with thought leaders and industry pioneers. Feel free to connect with Shawn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnpflynn/Explore his podcast here: https://link.chtbl.com/TheSiliconValleyPodcast

Show notes for Elliot Holland   Errors made in buying a business can be very costly. My clients avoid these mistakes. We provide a better Quality of Earnings for #SMB, #SelfFundedSearcher & #ETA buyers which includes help with tough negotiations during their deal alongside pieces of commercial and operational diligence. How are we different & better?: Alongside each Quality of Earnings, we advise our clients on how to execute better deals leveraging our 20+ years acquiring small and medium sized businesses. We are deal guys who manage accountants who help entrepreneurs buy better businesses. Want to know if a CPA firm or a full-service diligence firm like Guardian is the right choice for you? Take our 5 question assessment here: guardianduediligence(dot)com/assessment Call or email me at (404) 441-2637 or eholland@guardianduediligence.com.   We talk about What is the difference between a “Quality of Earnings” and a “Quality of Earnings lite”? What are some key factors that can impact the quality of earnings? What is the relationship between earnings quality and a company's valuation? How do one-time events or special circumstances impact the quality of earnings? How does the quality of earnings differ for private versus public companies?   Connect with Elliot    https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliottholland/ elliott.e.holland@gmail.com Guardianduediligence.com/services (8) King of QoE (@ElliottEHolland) / Twitter