Smart Venture Podcast

#011 David Siegel is the CEO of Meetup. He helped the company grow to more than 44 million members and more than 330,000 groups. Meetup events have been in more than 190 countries in the world. Prior to Meetup, he was the CEO of Investopedia, where he helped the company grow to 4x value, to about 36 million in revenue and 30 million of user base. Earlier, he worked as the CEO of Double Click, President of Seeking Alpha, SVP of 1-800 Flowers. He also teaches Entrepreneurship at Columbia University.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

#010 David Siegel is the CEO of Meetup. He helped the company grow to more than 44 million members and more than 330,000 groups. Meetup events have been in more than 190 countries in the world. Prior to Meetup, he was the CEO of Investopedia, where he helped the company grow to 4x value, to about 36 million in revenue and 30 million of user base. Earlier, he worked as the CEO of Double Click, President of Seeking Alpha, SVP of 1-800 Flowers. He also teaches Entrepreneurship at Columbia University.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

#009 Scott Roberts is the VP and Global Head of Business Development at LinkedIn. During his tenure, the size of the LinkedIn network has grown from 13 to over 690 million members, and its revenue has grown from $30 million annually to $7.9 billion. Throughout his time at LinkedIn, he has driven strategic initiatives and partnerships that have supported user growth and engagement, and he has been involved in the formation and growth of LinkedIn’s hiring, learning, marketing and selling businesses. https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

#008 Scott Roberts is the VP and Global Head of Business Development at LinkedIn. During his tenure, the size of the LinkedIn network has grown from 13 to over 690 million members, and its revenue has grown from $30 million annually to $7.9 billion. Throughout his time at LinkedIn, he has driven strategic initiatives and partnerships that have supported user growth and engagement, and he has been involved in the formation and growth of LinkedIn’s hiring, learning, marketing and selling businesses. https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

#007 Jaleh Bisharat is the Co-founder and CEO of NakedPoppy, a clean beauty e-tailer that uses AI to pinpoint the perfect-for-you clean makeup and skincare products. Prior to founding NakedPoppy, she served as VP of Marketing/ CMO at Amazon, OpenTable, Upwork and Eventbrite.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.  

#006 Promod Haque - Senior Managing Partner @ Norwest Venture Partners. Promod’s investments at NVP include Apigee (acquired by Google, Nasdaq: APIC); FireEye (Nasdaq: FEYE); Skybox Imaging (acquired by Google for $500 million); Cyan (acquired by Ciena); Cerent (acquired by Cisco for $7.2 billion); Extreme Networks (Nasdaq: EXTR); Shape Security (acquired by F5 Networks) and Health Catalyst (Nasdaq: HCAT). Promod Haque has invested in more than 70 companies during his career as managing partner at Norwest Venture Partners. To date, his investments are worth more than $40 billion in aggregate exit value. Twenty-five of his portfolio companies have gone public and 37 have been acquired (or have gone public and then been acquired). He has appeared on the Forbes Midas List 13 times. He was ranked #1 on the list in 2004 for his performance over the previous decade. In 2014 and 2016, Forbes recognized Promod as a “Hall of Fame” investor. He has been honored with several industry awards, including the 2006 NASSCOM Global Leadership Award, the 2011 Silicon Valley Forum Visionary Award and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from Venture Capital Journal. https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

#005 Billy Blau - Former VP of Business Development and Partnerships at Dropbox. During his tenure, Dropbox built and launched the partner programs with Google Cloud, Microsoft, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, and Adobe. He helped grow Dropbox's revenue over 4x to 1.6 Billion and more than doubled its user growth to 600 Million.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.  

Paul Madera, co-founder of Meritech Capital Partners, transitions from an F-16 fighter pilot to a leading venture capitalist. He dives into his investment journey with industry giants like Facebook and Salesforce, discussing essential factors for startup evaluation. Madera also explores the ongoing evolution of technology in aviation and its influence on investment strategies. He balances tech insights with the importance of personal relationships in venture capital, offering a unique perspective on navigating this dynamic landscape.

#003 Fabrice Grinda - Investor @ FJ Labs. Fabrice is named by Forbes as the No.1 angel investor in the world. He has 150 exists out of 500 angel investments. He invested in some of the top marketplace platforms in the world. His portfolio includes Alibaba, Flexport and Delivery Hero. Fabrice is currently running the startup studio and venture fund FJ labs, which he co-founded with business partner Jose Marin. https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.  

#002 Ethan Evans - VP of Amazon. In the past 20 years Ethan led teams in across all games, apps, video, and music to deliver revolutionary new products, including starting both Amazon Video and Twitch Prime. Under his leadership multiple teams have grown beyond $500 Million in annual revenue. Ethan is passionate about mentoring and development. https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, super star founders, as well as well known tech executives in the silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.