Smart Venture Podcast

071 [Fundraising Special Series] Kendrick Nguyen is the founder of Republic, an investing platform that allows everyone to invest in private companies, including startups, real estate, video games and crypto. Prior to Republic, he was the general counsel at AngelList.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

Vinay Hiremath, the Co-founder and CTO of Loom, discusses the genesis of Loom and their journey from an idea to a successful startup. They also talk about building a product in the early stages, Loom's competitive advantage in the video technology space, and attracting high-profile customers and investors.

069 Ekta Chopra is the Chief Digital Officer at E.L.F. BEAUTY, where she leverages cutting-edge technology to help the company maximize growth. In 2019 E.L.F. Beauty closed down all the physical stores and focused on online sales. Now E.L.F. is one of the top Gen Z favorite brands. Prior to E.L.F., she was the director of technology at The James Irvine Foundation and she led technology in companies in multiple different sectors such as retail and aerospace.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

068 Chris Slowe is the CTO and founding engineer at Reddit. He helped build Reddit, sold it, and has recently come back with the other co-founders to rebuild the platform. He is currently leading the engineering division and the architectures at Reddit. Prior to Reddit, he holds a PhD in Physics from Harvard University.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

067 Sanchan S Saxena is the VP of Product at Coinbase. Prior to Coinbase, he was the General Manager at Airbnb where he led a cross-functional team managing product management, engineering, design and other functions for Airbnb Plus. Prior to Airbnb, he spent time at Facebook and Instagram, where he founded and led the Instagram Shopping product, amongst other product areas.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

066 Vanessa Liu is a VP at SAP leading the SAP.iO Foundries North America team to invest in women and diverse-led B2B intelligent enterprise start-ups, including AI, Blockchain, data analytics, machine learning, and many others. Prior to that, Vanessa was the COO of Trigger Media Group, a venture studio based in New York City. She holds a JD from Harvard Law School and worked at McKinsey & Company for over 10 years.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

065 Matt Cooper is the CEO of Skillshare, where he leads a community-driven platform for online learning and professional development. Prior to that he was the CEO of Visually, a company he turned around and led to a successful acquisition. Before that, he was the VP of Enterprise Services at Upwork.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

064 Jeff Clavier is the Founder and Managing Partner of Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC), one of the original seed VC firms in the Silicon Valley, and has closed 200+ investments since 2004. His portfolio includes Postmates, Poshmark, Fitbit, SendGrid, Mint and many others. He was also a board member of the National Venture Capital Association and was featured on the Forbes Midas List among top venture capitalists in the world.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

063 Robin Daniels is the CMO at Matterport, a leading 3D technology company that enables professionals to edit and share 3D models of physical spaces. Prior to that he served as the CMO at WeWork and worked as a marketing executive at multiple tech companies like LinkedIn, Box, and Salesforce. He is also the founding member, advisor and investor at byFounders where he advises and invests in early stage tech companies.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.

062 Craig Newmark is the founder of Craigslist. Beyond founding Craigslist he also founded Craig Newmark Foundation where he funded and promoted investment in organizations to effectively serve the communities.  His philanthropy work focuses on helping build trustworthy journalism. He is a founding funder and executive committee member of the News Integrity Initiative, administered by the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. He serves on the board of directors of a range of nonprofits including Girls Who Code, Blue Star Families, Center for Public Integrity, and many others. He also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Journalism Review.  https://www.SmartVenturePod.com IG/Twitter/FB @GraceGongGG LinkedIn:@GraceGong YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube 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.