In Episode #98, we explore investing where others aren't looking in early-stage technology. We’re joined by Alex Rubalcava, founder and managing partner at Stage Venture Partners. We cover finding emerging technologies and applications to invest in, investment opportunities in space, and founder mafias.“To me, the three questions that matter when evaluating a management team are, can you ship? Can you sell? And can you hire?” – Alex RubalcavaEPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/stage-venture-partners-investing-where-others-arent-looking-alex-rubalcava-spotlight-show-notes FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPThttps://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/stage-venture-partners-investing-where-others-arent-looking-alex-rubalcava-spotlight-transcript CHAPTERSThis episode is our definitive guide to investing where others aren’t looking in early-stage tech. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:02:04) – Alex’s career in investing (00:06:41) – Investing in technology (00:13:32) – Stage Venture Partners’ investment thesis (00:23:30) – Investing in manufacturing and industrial applications (00:34:41) – Finding emerging technologies and applications to invest in (00:39:04) – Investment opportunities in space (00:49:48) – On founder mafias (00:52:42) – Attending annual Berkshire Hathaway meetings (00:56:51) – Patience and long-term ownership in investing ABOUT STAGE VENTURE PARTNERSStage VP invests hyper early, typically preseed and seed into deep technology companies across four core verticals, which includes space technology, industrial applications, healthcare and life sciences and e-commerce tools. What fascinated me about Alex and Stage VP is the incredibly unique approach of investing super early into hyper difficult technological problems with the ability to help shepherd these companies from seed to series A and beyond. So I wanted to sit down with Alex to dive into each of his focus verticals, talk through his early investments in GrayMatter, VeriSIM Life and Epsilon3, and understand his approach to investing in deeply technical companies.💌 FREE NEWSLETTERhttps://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter🎙 LISTEN ONiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMYLearn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.Website: https://www.outlieracademy.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademyABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNEROutlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.Website: https://www.danielscrivner.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the trailer for our next Investor Spotlight episode featuring Stage Venture Partners with Alex Rubalcava. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode #97, we deconstruct Ben Boyer's peak performance playbook—from his favorite book to the tiny habit that's had the biggest impact on his life. Ben Boyer is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of R-Zero and Managing Director at Tenaya Capital. We cover investing through market cycles and how to be a great board member.“I don't think you can over-network. I think it is very much a club, and that's good and bad, but there's a lot of flow of information that happens amongst friends. And so to the extent you can build a network of people to share information, I think you're at an advantage to others.” – Ben BoyerEPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/ben-boyer-r-zero-playbook-show-notes FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPThttps://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/r-zero-ben-boyer-playbook-transcript CHAPTERSIn this episode, we deconstruct Ben Boyer’s peak performance playbook—from their favorite book to the tiny habit that's had the biggest impact on their life. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:01:37) – Ben’s start in venture capital (00:08:04) – Transitioning from the public market to venture capital (00:16:53) – Working with Chinese companies (00:21:25) – Advice for new venture capitalists (00:22:40) – Recommended books (00:24:58) – Defining success ABOUT BEN BOYERBen Boyer is Co-Founder and CEO of R-Zero, maker of the world's first continuous autonomous disinfection system, and Managing Director at the early to growth stage VC firm Tenaya Capital. In this episode, we cover the lessons that Ben has learned as a VC over the last 20 years, first at Lehman Brothers, and then building Tenaya Capital. Ben's experience investing in the first wave of Chinese tech companies, and the lessons he learned from some of the best Chinese CEOs. How he approached building R-Zero using his experience as a venture capitalist, Ben's favorite recent re-healthy buildings, and why he thinks we're on the cusp of a revolution in building technology, and Ben's advice for new founders and investors.💌 FREE NEWSLETTERhttps://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter🎙 LISTEN ONiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMYLearn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.Website: https://www.outlieracademy.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademyABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNEROutlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.Website: https://www.danielscrivner.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a trailer for our next Playbook episode featuring Ben Boyer of R-Zero. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode #96, we explore worm theory, the worm algorithm, and investing in disruptive technology. We’re joined by Eric Markowitz, Head of Research at Worm Capital. We cover being an optimistic and open-minded investor, time horizons and thinking in decades, and constructing a survivable portfolio.“I think we're just optimists. I think that we believe that technology and the culture that we live in will actually improve over time, that there will be more efficiencies across the market, that our lives will improve, that there can be some really great opportunities for wealth creation.” – Eric MarkowitzEPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/worm-capital-investing-in-technology-and-disruption-eric-markowitz-spotlight-show-notes FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPThttps://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/worm-capital-investing-in-technology-and-disruption-eric-markowitz-spotlight-transcript CHAPTERSThis episode is our definitive guide to Worm Theory and investing in disruptive technology. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:03:30) – Worm Capital’s focus on technology, innovation, and disruption (00:07:43) – Investing in the customer value proposition as it stands (00:16:19) – The Worm algorithm for investing (00:21:22) – Being an optimistic and open-minded investor (00:26:01) – Time horizons and thinking in decades (00:32:50) – Conviction and concentration (00:42:39) – Constructing a survivable portfolio (00:52:22) – Worm theory (01:02:00) – Investing in Tesla ABOUT WORM CAPITALWorm Capital runs a concentrated long only strategy and invests in technology, innovation and disruption. They hold a concentrated portfolio of between five and 10 positions that today includes Shopify, Spotify, Tesla, Airbnb, Amazon, and NextEra Energy. Since inception, Worm has compounded their investors capital at over 31% per year, while the S&P 500 has delivered just over 15% over the same period. Worm Capital has a unique approach to investing, which they call the Worm Algorithm and Worm Theory to understand how they've generated such incredible returns over the last decade.💌 FREE NEWSLETTERhttps://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter🎙 LISTEN ONiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMYLearn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.Website: https://www.outlieracademy.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademyABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNEROutlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.Website: https://www.danielscrivner.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a trailer for our next Spotlight episode featuring Worm Capital with Eric Markowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode #95, we deconstruct Brian Scudamore's peak performance playbook—from his favorite book to the tiny habit that's had the biggest impact on his life. Brian Scudamore is the Founder and CEO of O2E Brands. We cover the power of branding and systematic approaches to business.“My advice, or challenge, to someone who's looking for their integrator, their second in command, their partner, whatever it is—is to get really, really clear on what your gaps are that you need filled by someone else.” – Brian ScudamoreEPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/brian-scudamore-800-got-junk-wtf-playbook-show-notes FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPThttps://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/brian-scudamore-800-got-junk-wtf-playbook-transcript CHAPTERSIn Episode #95, we deconstruct Brian Scudamore's peak performance playbook—from his favorite book to the tiny habit that's had the biggest impact on his life. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:01:43) – Learning and growing with ADD (00:06:14) – On parenting with an open mind (00:08:30) – Superpowers and struggles (00:10:50) – The power of a brand (00:18:56) – Systematic approaches in business (00:28:29) – Recommended books ABOUT BRIAN SCUDAMOREBrian Scudamore is the Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, which today does more than 700 million in annual revenue. What's more, he bootstrapped the business and has grown it for over 33 years now, which is an incredible track record. Brian's also the author of New York Times bestselling book WTF, which stands for Willing to Fail and is about how failure can be your key to success.And he has a new book coming out later this year called BYOB. Build Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss. In this episode, we cover Brian's struggle with ADD and how he found his learning and management style over the years, how he counterbalances his desire to move quickly and fire before he's aimed with being smart and sensible. How he's used the power of brand to build 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, as well as his newest businesses SHACK SHINE and WOW 1 DAY PAINTING. And we also talk about one of Brian's favorite books, the E-Myth, and how it helped him learn the power of systems.💌 FREE NEWSLETTERhttps://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter🎙 LISTEN ONiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMYLearn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.Website: https://www.outlieracademy.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademyABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNEROutlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.Website: https://www.danielscrivner.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a trailer for our next Playbook episode featuring Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode #94, we explore UVC, disinfecting physical spaces, and pioneering a 100+ year old technology. We’re joined by Ben Boyer, co-founder and executive chairman of R-Zero. We cover the challenges of selling in healthcare vs. schools, hardware and software development at R-Zero, and utilizing the Internet of Things.“Every single one of our products has a very clear aesthetic that we care about. Our goal is to build things that people want to be around.” – Ben BoyerEPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/r-zero-pioneering-with-100-year-old-technology-ben-boyer-spotlight-show-notes FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPThttps://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/r-zero-pioneering-with-100-year-old-technology-ben-boyer-spotlight-transcript CHAPTERSThis episode is our definitive guide to building a company based on UVC and disinfecting spaces. In it we cover: (00:00:00) – Introduction (00:02:24) – Why R-Zero was created (00:13:36) – The perfect time for UVC technology (00:16:13) – The challenges of selling in healthcare vs. schools (00:18:37) – Lab data vs. clinical data (00:21:13) – The R-Zero product line (00:26:38) – Hardware and software development at R-Zero (00:29:42) – Competitive advantages in the industry (00:36:00) – Utilizing the Internet of Things (00:39:47) – The investor role vs. the operator role (00:45:22) – Important milestones for R-Zero ABOUT R-ZEROR-Zero combines powerful UV-C hardware devices, which they call nodes and are capable of removing pathogens, germs, and bacteria from both the air, as well as surfaces with powerful software that connects all these devices and monitors their performance in real time. R-Zero has modernized and is scaling a very old technology which is UV-C. UV-C is a form of ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 200 to 280 nanometers which effectively destroys and inactivates both bacteria and viruses, killing them and preventing them from reproducing. In 1903, the Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to Niels Ryberg Finsen for his work using concentrated light to treat lupus vulgaris. Since then, UV-C technology has been used extensively for disinfecting water, air and surfaces to destroy a whole host of harmful microorganisms. R-Zero has taken UV-C and modernized it so it can be deployed in almost any setting to sanitize the air and surfaces. 💌 FREE NEWSLETTERhttps://www.outlieracademy.com/newsletter🎙 LISTEN ONiTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outlier-academy/id1523851182Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58edVNgqaPNaCSGSxM6pef?si=88f37a5d20434775Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1523851182ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMYLearn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.Website: https://www.outlieracademy.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademyABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNEROutlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.Website: https://www.danielscrivner.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to a trailer for our next Spotlight episode featuring R-Zero with Ben Boyer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices