Silicon Street

Dr. John Behrens is the Director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program as well as the Idzik Computing and Digital Technologies Program at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Dr. Behrens spent 20 years in industry where he held several executive positions at large tech firms like Cisco and Pearson, where he was most recently the Vice President of AI Product Development. Before working at these firms, John was a tenured professor at Arizona State where he taught educational data science. Dr. Behren now focuses on preparing current and future leaders to successfully transition through the technology, AI, and data revolutions. In this podcast, we discuss the ethical implications of the AI revolution and anticipated impacts of AI on society, as well as some suggestions for prompt engineering.

Henry Kittle is the COO and Co-Founder of Tiger Tracks, a digital advertising agency focused on helping companies build effective and tailored marketing strategies centered around the top ad platforms. Prior to founding Tiger Tracks, Henry spent over 8 years at Google as a shopping lead, helping companies strategize and deploy their digital marketing budgets. In this episode, we discuss Henry’s career path and some of the lessons he has learned along the way, specifically focusing on how to make the most of opportunities that present themselves to you. Next, we dive into the digital advertising industry and Henry’s motivation for starting his own agency. Finally, Henry offers insights into the role of an entrepreneur and designing the proper organizational structure for a firm.

Michelle Seitz is the Founder and CEO of MeydenVest Partners, an investment and strategic advisory firm that partners with businesses within the technology, healthcare, and financial services sectors who are aiming to solve important problems. Prior to founding MeydenVest, Michelle was the Chair and CEO of Russell Investments and CEO of William Blair Investment Management. First, we explore the mission and strategy of MeydenVest by looking at how Michelle aims to create value and impact in her investments. Next, we dive deeper into the role that investment firms should play in providing a social impact through their investments. After this, Michelle shares some of the advice that she gives to CEOs as a CEO mentor and explains some of the skills and qualities that make not only a good investor but also a good leader and manager. Finally, Michelle provides guidance to young professionals on balancing career success with making an impact through your work and prioritizing personal values, such as family and community involvement.

Mike Mauzé is a Founder and Partner at VMG Partners, a leading investment firm that backs visionary consumer products and technologies. First, we discuss some of the most important considerations before starting your own private equity fund and explore the sacrifices and benefits involved. Next, Mike elaborates on the art and science of consumer investing, offering insights for aspiring investors to master both aspects. Following this, he outlines the consumer trends VMG is monitoring and how the firm aims to capitalize on these opportunities. Lastly, Mike shares his perspective on the qualities of an ideal private equity professional and offers advice to students and young professionals embarking on a career in this field.

Mary Miller is the Head of Business Development within Growth Equity Investing at Norwest Venture Partners. Prior to joining Norwest in 2023, Mary was a Director at SoftBank’s Vision Fund and has held a number of other positions focused on investments in consumer technology companies. First, we explore some of the administrative and investing roles that Mary has worked in as she explains how she ended up in her current role. Next, we talk about some of the advantages and opportunities that working for SoftBank’s Vision Fund gave Mary as well as some of the lessons learned while working at such a large fund during the downturn of the market in 2022. After that, Mary explains a case study of the company Fanatics and explains the tremendous growth and evolution of the company over the past few years, focusing on her role in creating value for the company. Then, Mary breaks down what consumer technology is and how the industry has evolved over the recent past. Finally, we open the floor to members of the Notre Dame Venture Capital club (students who are actively trying to or already have broken into venture capital careers) to ask their insightful questions.

Professor Raymond Mooney is the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Having written his first paper on AI as a 17 year-old and spending his entire academic and professional career as an AI researcher, Prof. Mooney has become one of the most respected and distinguished thought leaders in the world on artificial intelligence and natural language processing. First, we talk about what the blanket term “artificial intelligence” really encompasses and dig into some of the groundbreaking research that Prof. Mooney has conducted in the recent past. Next, we take a look into how AI has evolved over the past 70 years and point out some important historical landmarks for the technology. We then take a look into how AI differs in academia and enterprise and end off the episode with a discussion of some of the potential negative ethical implications that AI can bring about as well as some of the tremendous upsides that the technology can have in the near future.

Sara McLay is a Director at UTA Ventures, the growth arm of the United Talent Agency. First, Sara talks about her career journey through the entertainment industry and delves deeper into what UTA is, specifically highlighting the unique role she has on the Ventures team. Next, Sara explains what the Creator Economy is and how celebrities like Mr. Beast have been able to leverage their talent and platforms in this new economy to create business empires. Afterward, Sara discusses how UTA aims to capture value in this type of economy by investing in and partnering with celebrities who have followings that aspire to consume like and emulate their celebrity icons. Finally, Sara explains how to break into the entertainment and venture industries, and she also provides examples of notable brands and celebrities she collaborates with through UTA.

Konrad Billetz has built and led several startup companies over the past decade, including his current company Outliant, and has received many distinctions for his entrepreneurial work, including an appearance on Shark Tank, being listed on Forbes 30 under 30 list, and being featured in numerous media outlets including Forbes and Entrepreneur. First, we talk about Konrad’s unique career journey and what a typical day in the life of a busy startup founder like Konrad looks like. Next, we break down the different stages of a typical business life cycle: from formulating an idea, to creating a business model, to looking for funding and scaling, to finally finding an exit opportunity. Finally, Konrad shares his unique perspective on failure and how it is necessary to succeed when starting a company, and he also provides fun insight into what it is like to pitch on the reality TV show Shark Tank.

Cody Kittle is a Portfolio Manager at Elliot Management. Prior to joining Elliot, he worked as a private equity associate at Wind Point Partners and an Investment Banking Analyst at JP Morgan. First, we talk about the typical finance career path and the discernment process of finding the right role within the industry. Next, we discuss interview and networking tips for progressing through careers in finance. Specifically, Cody gives advice on how to craft your story and stand out in an interview. Finally, Cody speaks about what makes a good investment and how an activist investor can serve as a catalyst to drive an increase in value for an investment.

Keith Melaragno was a long time manager at Pepsi Beverages Company and spent time in various high-level roles throughout the company including the VP of Marketing, VP of Foodservice, and VP of Retail in the Midwest. First, Keith talks about his career journey through the food and beverage industry, how the broad exposure he got by rotating through various divisions of Pepsi benefited him later in his career, and the benefits that can come from working at a large corporation like Pepsi. Next, we dive into the various strategies that Pepsi uses to create a competitive advantage beyond price to combat their biggest competitor and the most well-recognized brand in the world: Coca-Cola. We also talk about some of the bizarre and extreme initiatives that Pepsi has used in the past to try to gain market share in the food and beverage industry and some exciting trends that will affect this industry in the near future. Finally, we end our conversation by looking at how Pepsi’s marketing and expansion strategies have changed over time, and some of the genius acquisitions that Pepsi has made to aid them in becoming one of the world’s most prominent food and beverage conglomerates.

Jeff Bocan is a partner at Okapi Venture Capital, which is a venture capital firm based in Ladera Ranch, California that invests during the seed stage in technology and software driven companies. First, we talk about the factors that led Jeff to pursue a career in venture capital and some of the unique insights he gained from interesting experiences that he had early on in his career. We also talk about his current role at Okapi, and we analyze Okapi’s unique investment strategy and how they work to create value for their portfolio companies. Next, we do a deep dive into what it means to be a board member of a VC funded company, how board members are chosen, and what specific ways board members can provide value to the companies they oversee. Finally, we talk about Jeff’s time on the management team of the successful startup Mophie, as well as how Jeff almost became the “Burrito King of London.”

Sean Davis is the founder of and a managing director at Merton Capital Partners, which is a US-based investment firm that specializes in creating efficient vehicles to deploy large-scale philanthropy. First, we chat about how Sean’s experiences living abroad opened his eyes to the need for philanthropy giving and take a look at the major issues that Sean addresses in his book “Solving the Giving Pledge Bottleneck.” Next, we take a deep dive into the structure of Merton’s investment philosophy and compare it to typical structures of venture capital and private equity firms. We also analyze some of the projects that Merton is currently working on and how they are making tangible impacts in the communities that they invest in. Finally, we end our conversation by hearing Sean’s opinions on some of the biggest social issues plaguing the world today.

Ryan Welsh is the co-founder and CEO of Kyndi, a natural language technology platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to assist enterprises. First, we discuss how the processing, storing, and transfer of information has advanced via technology while the ability of humans to read and consume information has not. This pivots into a discussion of how AI, specifically Kyndi, will allow us to bridge this gap. Next, we discuss some nuances within the AI industry, including barriers to widespread adoption and some possible solutions. We conclude by looking into some of the realities of running a business and the direction Ryan hopes to take Kyndi in the future.

Russell Steenberg is a 40-year veteran in the private equity industry and is transitioning from his role as a managing director and the global head of the BlackRock’s Private Equity Partners business to serve as Chairman for the business. First, we discuss the challenges Russell faced and the lessons he learned throughout the process of building and leading BlackRock’s PEP into its current form. Next, we take a look at some of the important qualitative traits and quantitative metrics that Russell considers when making investments. We also talk about current trends in private equity and how investors can take advantage of these trends. Finally, we wrap up our conversation by talking about how current macroeconomic conditions are affecting private equity and how investment professionals that have experienced market cycles will have to step up to weather the impending economic storm.

Steve Tullman has founded and led 12 pharmaceutical startup companies during his impressive career and currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Nexstone Immunology, a clinical stage drug development company. First, we discuss Steve’s experiences at pharmaceutical giant GSK, where he spent 15 years gaining exposure to several different business sectors and spending time abroad, until he eventually worked his way into senior leadership roles. Next, we hear some assorted stories from Steve’s experiences while investing in, founding, and leading pharmaceutical startup companies. Finally, Alex Tullman, former co-host and founder of Silicon Street, comes back on the podcast to highlight some of the most memorable stories from his dad’s career that were most impactful on Alex growing up.

Richard Dresdale is a senior managing director at Jefferson River Capital, which is a small family office private equity firm that invests across a number of industries including in industrial and healthcare businesses. First, we talk about Richard’s long and distinguished career in private equity, including his involvement in starting a middle-market private equity firm called Fenway Partners and his current role at Jefferson River Capital. Next, we dive into Richard’s perspective on the value and benefits that having operational experience can have when it comes to private investing. Richard also breaks down the structure and typical roles that make up a private equity firm and provides advice and insights that he has gained from his many years in private investing. Finally, we finish off our conversation by discussing the recent popularity of private equity investing for individual family offices.

Sara Gilson is a principal at Freeman Spogli & Co., a middle-market PE fund based in Los Angeles with an industry focus in the consumer and distribution sectors. During our conversation, we first take a look at the lessons Sara learned during her experiences in investment banking as well as the benefits she gained by attending Harvard Business School. Next, we dive into the unique investment approach and board structure utilized at Freeman Spogli. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion of work-life balance and the challenging but rewarding experience of being a mother in finance.

Dennis Thankachan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lightyear, a telecom company that allows businesses to buy and manage all telecom services through a single platform. Additionally, he is an angel investor in numerous tech start-ups. First, we take a look at the lessons Dennis learned through his career in banking and at a hedge fund. Next, we dive into the telecom space, where Dennis elaborates on some of the issues he is working to solve. We also look into how Dennis came up with the idea for Lightyear and how he has successfully taken his product to market. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion about being a founder, including some of the perks and challenges involved.

Tom Daly is an analyst at Great Point Partners, a healthcare private equity fund based in Greenwich, CT that invests across all sectors of the healthcare industry. Tom is a recent graduate of Notre Dame, where he started a gamified learning platform called “TD3 Innovative Gaming” and also worked in M&A at Evercore in the Investment Banking division during his junior year summer. As private equity firms have become more open to recruiting straight out of college, we talk to Tom about the journey he took to secure a private equity job directly after graduating and his advice on what college students and young professionals can be doing now to break into private equity. Tom also provides insight into the healthcare private equity industry as a whole and some of his favorite players within the industry.

With Conor, Alex, and Chris recently graduated from college and currently focused on starting their professional careers, Silicon Street is excited to announce Michael Cutler and James Barham will be taking over as co-hosts. Michael and James, both sophomores at the University of Notre Dame, are extremely passionate about the mission of Silicon Street and look forward to adding new energy to the podcast. On this episode, Conor, Alex, and Chris reflect on their journey creating Silicon Street into the successful educational platform that it is today. Additionally, Michael and James introduce themselves and outline their goals and aspirations for Silicon Street over the coming years.

Thomas Hagerty is a managing director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm investing in the Financial Technology & Services, Healthcare, and Technology & Business Solutions sectors. We chat about Thomas’s 30+ years at THL and the evolution of private equity from when he started in the industry in 1988 until today. For instance, we discuss increased competition, the globalization of PE, and the rise of sector specific funds. Thomas also gives us astute insights into the current market contraction and how businesses should navigate these turbulent times. We wrap up with some life advice on making it in the business world.

Luiz Ribeiro is a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Brazil Office for General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm. First, we discuss the impact of Luiz’s early career experiences at buyout firm Advent International on his investment philosophy and the lessons he learned from serving as the CFO of one of his portfolio companies. We then dive into the importance of investing in digital first companies and flexible management teams in volatile markets as well as the rise of copycat companies in Latin America. We wrap up with a conversation on price discipline in the face of increased deal competition, differences between investing in the U.S. and Latin America, and the ways in which General Atlantic leverages its global platform to help entrepreneurs.

Chris Smith is a Director at GTCR, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago focused on investing in growth companies. In this conversation, we discuss the firm’s investment philosophy and the Leaders Strategy in which GTCR finds and partners with management teams in core domains to identify, acquire, and build market leading companies. We then do a deep dive on the rise of value based care in the healthcare industry and the opportunities to invest in this revolutionary trend. Chris also walks us through the impact of healthcare regulation on deal dynamics as well as his personal decision to forgo business school after his first two years in private equity.

Gurmaan Bhatia is a Vice President at FTV Capital focusing on the Vertical Software and Payment verticals. In this episode, we dive into the advantages of raising a $2.3 Billion fund - over 2x FTV’s previous fund size. We discuss the opportunities that come with larger check sizes, more follow-on offerings, and even special situations investments. Gurmaan lays out FTV’s thematic focused approach to investing combined with their unique style of engaging with entrepreneurs pre and post investment. Gurmaan also gives his thoughts on what makes a strong value-add partner to entrepreneurs and management teams at large as well as what students interested in the field should begin to think about to succeed in the people-driven industry of growth equity.

Travis Kassay is an Executive Vice President in the Sales Center of Excellence at Insight Partners, a leading global private equity and venture firm with over $90 billion in assets under management. Travis explains the role of the Insight Onsite Team to help guide portfolio companies in product & tech, marketing, sales, talent, business development, and more. Specifically, we discuss the key ways in which Travis helps Insight’s portfolio companies in the areas of sales and customer success. Travis breaks down some of the best tactics to scale a sales organization at a growing software company and maintain alignment between different divisions of an organization. We also dive into the Travis’ role in sales due diligence on investment deals and what characteristics Insight Partners looks for when making an investment.

Thomas Franco is a veteran of the private equity industry and currently leads fundraising at Clayton, Dubilier, & Rice (CD&R), one of the largest and oldest private equity firms in the world. Tom provides incredible insight on his journey into the private equity world, the rise of CD&R in the early days of the industry, and lessons learned from leading fundraising for over 15 years. We also discuss CD&R’s investment strategy and focus on operational value-add, alongside the rise of specialization within the private equity space. We conclude with a conversation on the role his liberal arts education had on his successful career and advice for those interested in finance.

RJ Gentile is a Vice President at Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), a growth equity firm that has raised over $10 billion in capital and partners with middle-market software and tech-enabled service companies. We dive into RJ’s transition from private equity to growth equity and discuss his time at Summit Partners, one of the earliest entrants into the growth equity space. RJ then discusses PSG’s approach to sourcing and making investments compared to other middle market growth equity firms and talks about the end markets he focuses on. We wrap up with a conversation on career advice for progressing as a young professional in the investment industry.

Mike LaSalle is a Partner of Shamrock Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles based investment firm with a rich history of investing in the media, entertainment and communications sectors. He has a wealth of experience in the industry and has served on the board of companies like FanDuel, Harlem Globetrotters International, and Excel Sports Management. On this episode, we discuss the key investment strategies of the firm and how investing in the entertainment and media space differs from other spaces like industrials or consumer. Mike provides amazing perspective from his time on the board of directors at FanDuel, including how they predicted growth in the market given regulation dynamics and what Mike sees as the biggest opportunities in sports going forward. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion on Shamrock Capital’s content fund, the rise of streaming, and music as an alternative asset class.

Gary Chan is a Managing Director at JP Morgan with a long history in the financial services industry. We cover his experience in fixed income and his perspective on the role of the blockchain in driving innovation in the space. We also dive into how DeFi is disrupting the entire world of traditional finance, discuss the talent wars between Wall Street and Silicon Valley, and the importance of crypto regulation.

Matthew Nash is a Senior Associate at Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm with $2.0 billion of capital under management. During our conversation with Matt, we discuss his path from investment banking to growth equity and his transition from a largely prescriptive role to a more entrepreneurial one. We walk through a day in the life of a young professional at a growth equity firm, including sourcing and speaking with founders of transformational technology businesses. Matt also describes what he looks for in a potential investment, his interest in SaaS & Information services, and his thoughts on the strategies deployed by new entrants into the growth equity space.

Matt Roesch is a Vice President at HGGC, a leading middle market private equity firm. HGGC is based in the Bay Area, has $5.6 billion in cumulative capital commitments, and has completed over 300 portfolio investments. During our conversation, Matt discusses his motivation to pursue a career in private equity and perspective on his decision to forgo business school after his completing his associate stint. We also walk through the types of investments HGGC focuses on and the primary strategies the firm deploys to help its portfolio companies succeed. Finally, we do a deep dive on the private equity deal process, including sourcing, due diligence, investment proposals, offer letters, and post transaction dynamics.

On this episode Alex and Conor chat with Ayden Syal and Brandon Wimbush, the co-founders of MOGL. MOGL is a two-sided marketplace connecting college athletes and businesses to help the athletes monetize their name, image, and likeness. Ayden and Brandon both graduated from the University of Notre Dame and Brandon was the starting quarterback at Notre Dame as well. These two amazing entrepreneurs discuss the strategy behind the creation of the business, and how they have gone about building out the marketplace. 

Brian D’Arcy is a Partner at Sixth Street, a global investment firm managing over $60 billion in assets. He joins the show to discuss his journey in the world of finance and Sixth Street’s unique investment philosophy. We cover how Sixth Street capitalizes on the flexibility of its mandate, explore the process of sourcing deals aligned with investment themes, and dive into the firm’s investments in the San Antonio Spurs and avocado farms. Brian also provides an overview of his role in leading the Capital Formation & Strategy Group and what he finds fulfilling about his career. We wrap up with a conversation on time management, leadership styles, and culture-building within a firm.

Alex, Conor, and Chris, chat with Elias Dokas, a Managing Director within Midocean Partner’s private equity investing arm. Elias Dokas began his career working with Morgan Stanley in their LBO group and transitioned to work for Blackstone before moving to his current role. Elias gives insight into how Midocean Partners differs in its operations from a mega PE firm like Blackstone and his ultimate motivation behind transitioning from a mega PE fund to a middle market fund. Additionally, Elias provides perspective on the conflicts that may exist between portfolio companies and private equity investors and how investors can enhance the operations and risk preparation of portfolio companies given Midocean’s experience working through COVID-19.

Jason Boehmig, CEO of Ironclad, joins the podcast to discuss his journey launching a revolutionary software company disrupting the legal industry. Jason and his team have raised capital from some of the best VCs in the world, including Accel and Sequoia, and we dive into the process of successfully fundraising in Silicon Valley. Jason also talks about the insights he learned from his time on Wall Street, how he went about early product development, and the importance of avoiding feature creep as a software company scales. Other topics include the evolving role of the CEO, goal setting and change management, strategies for hiring, and relationship building.

We are joined by Mike Murray, Head of Product at Shef, which is a homemade meal delivery marketplace bringing the sharing economy to your table. Prior to Shef, Mike was an early employee and Product & Design Lead at Snapchat, where he helped grow daily active users and introduce new features to the app, including Stories, Chat, and Discover. During our conversation, we talk about some of the early design decisions made at Snap, how to make ‘what to build’ decisions as a product manager, and the importance of iteration in product development. In the context of his work at Shef, we also dive into the cold start problem and the development and scaling of marketplaces.

Alex and Conor chat with Mike Sayles, Founder and CEO of Fresh Street. Fresh Street is seeking to create a revolutionary and innovative grocery experience by creating grocery stores that exclusively offer pick-up groceries. In our discussion about his business, Mike discusses his career path and strategies for career discernment, the importance of operating experience for CEOs and how to best build and maintain a professional network. We also discuss the importance of hiring high quality employees in the early days of a startup. Mike concludes by offering his insights into work-life balance, specifically his experience being a founder and a father.

(If you’re a Notre Dame Football fan, stick around to hear our thoughts on Brian Kelly leaving and Marcus Freeman’s future!)

Alex Huang, Director of Strategy & Business Development at LiveRamp, joins the show to discuss what it means to work in corporate strategy and business development. We discuss the M&A process from the perspective of a strategic acquirer, including due diligence, the mechanics of getting a deal done, and post acquisition integration plans. We also dive into his operational role as Chief of Staff and advice for young professionals seeking a career in corporate development.

We are joined by Vinny Prajka, Partner in the Operational Excellence Group, at the software growth equity firm JMI Equity. In our conversation, Vinny gives his take on what makes software attractive from an investment perspective, the role of a member of a private equity operating team, and the main ways in which he helps portfolio companies. We also dive into the major challenges software companies often face and the key metrics SaaS businesses should track to measure their success.

On this episode: Amy Flanagan, an International Strategy and Operations Lead at Coinbase, discusses her experiences working within the crypto economy. Coming from her background in consulting at Bain & Co., Amy was not extraordinarily familiar with cryptocurrencies prior to joining Coinbase. She discusses how she found herself working in crypto, how crypto coins work, why they have value in society, and how she came to trust them. Amy also speaks to what it means to be an “International Strategy and Operations Lead” at Coinbase and the evolution of crypto adoption in different regions of the world.

TCV is one of the largest growth equity firms in the world and has invested over $16B in public and private technology companies. We had the pleasure of speaking with David Zhang, a Principal at TCV, to discuss his career in technology investing. David has over a decade of experience in the global tech industry and he focuses on investments in fintech, digital media, and e-commerce, including investments in Airbnb, Brex, and Klarna. During our conversation, we cover the rationale for TCV’s crossover investing approach as well as the power of investing at pivotal moments and inflection points in a company’s journey. We also dive into why David made the jump into growth equity, what he looks for when making an investment, and advice for young professionals pursuing a career in technology investing.

Conor and Alex chat with Cristina Riojas, co-founder of Sila, a tea brand focused on mindfulness and connection. We discuss starting a company as a college student, Cristina’s passion for tea, and the importance of making the most of a few key decisions in one’s life. Cristina also describes how she has learned to deal with failure during her entrepreneurial journey and her goals for Sila over the coming years.

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Dunwoodie, a Partner in Pantheon’s Global Secondaries Investment Team. We discuss what the private equity secondaries market is, the value proposition for buyers and sellers, and the key drivers of returns for a secondaries fund. We also dive into the way in which secondaries markets have reacted to recent financial crises and the evolution of GP-led secondary transactions.

In this episode, we are joined by Jason Schoettler, co-founder and managing partner of Calibrate Ventures. Jason and his investing partner have funded companies like Dollar Shave Club (acquired by Unilever), Soft Robotics, Ring, SolarCity, and Chegg. In our conversation, we discuss his decision to start his own venture firm, synthetic data, the challenges robotics companies face over SaaS businesses, and what startups need to achieve to secure a Series A investment after seed capital.

In this episode we speak with Peter Bell. Peter is the Chairman at Amity Ventures, a VC and PE firm investing in "category defining" technology companies, and the CEO of Epiphany Technology Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC targeting technology companies. Peter's career began in entrepreneurship and has led him to private investing. Peter has a unique view on making private investments and his firm invests across various stages from early stage VC to late stage SPAC investments and buyouts. We discuss Peter's decision-making process, fund strategy and investment strategy, and SPAC deal structure and management. Listen to learn from his stories.

On this episode: We chat with Jeff Moss, Founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, an education technology marketplace focused on connecting students to micro-internships with reputable companies. We discuss the value of micro-internships, how Jeff transitioned from being a director at Susquehanna Growth Equity, and how Parker Dewey overcame the challenges of building out a two-sided marketplace. Jeff has amazing wisdom on how to develop your career, don't miss this one! 

On this episode: Conor and Alex chat with Joel Neidig, CEO and co-founder of Simba Chain, a blockchain-as-a-service platform that makes it easy to deploy this exciting new technology across multiple blockchains and data platforms. This conversation defines the blockchain, evaluates potential use cases, and breaks down where Simba Chain fits into the current ecosystem. We specifically dive into smart contracts and NFTs as well as how to selling a product and educate customers in a new industry.

On this episode: Jere Doyle is a Boston College professor and proven entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and angel investor across many different companies and funds over the course of his illustrious career. In our conversation, Jere gives his take on the role of innate ability and learning in becoming a successful entrepreneur and describes how entrepreneurship is “the pursuit of opportunity with total disregard for current resources." Drawing from Jere’s company-building experience, we discuss when the best time is to take the leap into entrepreneurship and the challenging evolution of the CEO role as a company scales. We wrap up the episode with a dive into his top investment themes, including marketplaces, SaaS, Big Data, and AI.

On this episode: We are joined by Scott Malpass who served as the Chief Investment Officer for Notre Dame’s endowment, growing it from $400 million to over $12 billion. We discuss the strategies and practices that allowed Notre Dame’s investment office to achieve amazing long-term returns on its endowed capital. Specifically, Scott gave his thoughts on asset managers and how to find good ones, the University’s role in private investing, and acting as a co-investor for world-class private equity firms. Scott’s wisdom on long-term investing is unparalleled, don’t miss this episode.

We are joined by Brian Plamondon, a member of the Healthcare Corporate Venture Relationships team at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). With over 50% of venture-backed life sciences and tech companies in the US banking with them, SVB is engrained within the Silicon Valley ecosystem. During our conversation with Brian, we cover how SVB helped its clients during the pandemic and COVID’s impact on the venture and M&A space. Additionally, we discuss growing verticals within the healthcare industry, increased capital allocation to megafunds and solo GPs, and the state of the venture capital industry abroad.