Steve Vassallo, a general partner at Foundation Capital, has been known to invest at the intersection of design, technology, and business, but at a very early stage. He said much of it has to do with hearing the lessons of his "helicopter mom," the late Helen Guillette Vassallo, a well-known business professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Sand Hill Road Host Scott McGrew spoke with Vassallo, a former project lead engineer at IDEO, to learn more about why he invests early on in startups, his cryptocurrency philosophy, and how his upbringing helped shape his investment ideology. Sand Hill Road is hosted by Scott McGrew and produced and edited by Andrew Mendez. Sara Bueno manages NBC Bay Area's digital platforms. Stephanie Adrouny is the station's news director. If you'd like to get in touch, email us at sandhillroad@nbcuni.com or on any social media platform at @nbcbayarea.

Exploding Kittens, a kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, has become a household staple. The company launched on Kickstarter and has never lost its edge. However, despite much success, the company's founding team decided to accept a $40 million investment, which it has yet to use.  Sand Hill Road Host Scott McGrew spoke with Elan Lee, the creator of one of the most successful card games in history, to learn more about the company's history and  success.  Sand Hill Road is hosted by Scott McGrew and produced and edited by Andrew Mendez. Sara Bueno manages NBC Bay Area's digital platforms. Stephanie Adrouny is the station's news director. If you'd like to get in touch, email us at sandhillroad@nbcuni.com or on any social media platform at @nbcbayarea.

The state of venture capital appears to be rocky at the moment.  A report from PitchBook Data and the National Venture Capital Association highlights potential weakness ahead in the venture industry. The Pitchbook/NVCA Venture Monitor First Look report showed fewer active investors and high deal counts but repeat investing.  What does that mean for the Bay Area?  Sand Hill Road Host Scott McGrew spoke with Kyle Stanford, the Lead venture capital Analyst at PitchBook, to learn more about the report and its local impacts.Sand Hill Road is hosted by Scott McGrew and produced and edited by Andrew Mendez. Sara Bueno manages NBC Bay Area's digital platforms. Stephanie Adrouny is the station's news director. If you'd like to get in touch, email us at sandhillroad@nbcuni.com or on any social media platform at @nbcbayarea.

Analysis by SignalFire shows the Bay Area still has more tech than 10 other cities combined.

The Gigascale founder has big ideas on clean power and clean air.

Patron Fund's co-founder invests in video games.

Marks discusses global supply chains, manufacturing and his stint as interim CEO at Tesla in 2007.This episode was first released on Nov. 22, 2023.

Smith talks about AI company misconceptions and his journey from startup fixer to venture capitalist investor.

The Floodgate co-founder considers how some startups change the future.

The co-founder of Obvious Ventures gets deep into the science.