Skip to main content
Origin Ventures Podcast

Origin Ventures Podcast

By Origin Ventures

The Origin Ventures podcast discusses all things tech, startup, and venture capital with startup founders and executives, experts in our network, and other investors. Origin Ventures is a Seed and Series A venture capital firm investing across the United States and Canada. Visit originventures.com for more details about us, to sign up for our newsletters, and other content!
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Castbox Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Overcast Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

SaaS Marketing, Scaling, and Remote Teams: Interview with Stella Garber of Trello (Devon Leichtman)

Origin Ventures PodcastJul 31, 2018

00:00
26:54
The Circular Economy’s operating system w/ Hammoq's co-founders Sid Lunawat & Ty Blunt

The Circular Economy’s operating system w/ Hammoq's co-founders Sid Lunawat & Ty Blunt

[Startup Series] Prashant sits down with the co-founders of Hammoq, Sid Lunawat and Ty Blunt, to discuss their backgrounds, their journey to starting Hammoq, and the big vision they have for the company. The founders give some perspective on how large and meaningful the reselling industry is, and why now is the time to build a software platform catering to this customer base. They also share the generational and social factors that are providing tailwinds for the circular economy, what keeps them up at night, and some crazy stories about reselling and resellers.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Jan 06, 202230:31
Lindsay Knight: Partner at Chicago Ventures on her Path to Partner, the Growth of VC Platform, Chicago:Blend, and more

Lindsay Knight: Partner at Chicago Ventures on her Path to Partner, the Growth of VC Platform, Chicago:Blend, and more

On this episode, Devon talks with Lindsay Knight, partner at Chicago Ventures. The two friends and collaborators chat about their experience in "VC Platform" (post-investment support for portfolio companies), the growth of platform across the industry, as well as Lindsay's path to partner and what it means for platform across the industry. The pair also discuss their shared experience and mission in founding nonprofit Chicago:Blend, the organization committed to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Chicago VC ecosystem.

Jul 19, 202142:24
Chicago Capital: Prashant on Chicago's Investment Ecosystem, Cameo's Growth, Local Restaurants, and More

Chicago Capital: Prashant on Chicago's Investment Ecosystem, Cameo's Growth, Local Restaurants, and More

In a cross-post of the Chicago Capital podcast, Prashant joins host Matt Castellini in a wide-ranging conversation. The pair touch on how the Chicago VC ecosystem and economy at large compare to other cities, adding value as investors, the pandemic's affect on early-stage investors and operators, local restaurant recommendations, a bit of NBA talk, and more.

Watch a video of the conversation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kzXiEtKxvs and subscribe to the Chicago Capital podcast at https://www.chicagocapitalpodcast.com/

Jul 07, 202149:53
Democratizing music education with Trala CEO Sam Walder, and his advice for founders and venture capitalists

Democratizing music education with Trala CEO Sam Walder, and his advice for founders and venture capitalists

[Startup Series] Trala co-founder and CEO Sam Walder sits down with Prashant to chat about the mission and vision of Trala, his journey from college to Techstars to venture-backed startup, and the challenges he's faced along the way. He offers founders advice on how to evaluate accelerators, hire and build a team, and raise venture capital. Sam also offers his thinking on why VCs should be investing in coaching and mental health resources for their portfolio companies.


Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Oct 20, 202036:59
DoorDash for Companies Director Anjarae Hamilton on dealing with COVID-19, the future of food logistics, and DEI initiatives

DoorDash for Companies Director Anjarae Hamilton on dealing with COVID-19, the future of food logistics, and DEI initiatives

[Network Series] Anjarae Hamilton (Director, Caviar for Companies at DoorDash) and Prashant chat about DoorDash and the food logistics market, Anjarae's journey from consulting to being a tech operator, what future technology excites her, and tech's role in battling climate change. As a black female leader in technology, Anjarae shares her important perspective on how companies should think about DEI efforts as a business priority and avoid one-size-fits-all approaches.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Jul 29, 202036:00
Foundersuite CEO & "How I Raised It" Host Nathan Beckord on COVID-19 Economic Impact and Outlook

Foundersuite CEO & "How I Raised It" Host Nathan Beckord on COVID-19 Economic Impact and Outlook

In this episode, Devon and Prashant welcome Nathan Beckord to discuss his background in helping startups raise money through times of economic downturn, and his viewpoint on the current COVID-19 pandemic. The three also discuss how Origin's portfolio companies are responding, and their outlook for the months ahead.

Apr 09, 202037:15
Guest Spot on Float or Founder: Toronto Startups and Origin Strategy
Jan 21, 202051:06
Why Cyber Insurance Is Broken & How We Can Fix It with Bonsai Analytics CEO Jack Vines

Why Cyber Insurance Is Broken & How We Can Fix It with Bonsai Analytics CEO Jack Vines

[Startup Series] Jack Vines, Co-Founder and CEO of Bonsai Analytics, wants to disrupt the cyber insurance industry. Prashant and Jack chat about cyber under-insurance, risk mismeasurement, how regulation will affect the sector, and why Jack chose to build his solution in Utah. We also discuss how Jack's background in the CIA helps him today, his days as a sportswriter, and what he looks for in investors.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Sep 17, 201923:11
A Perspective on Online Content Moderation, Technology's Use in Policing, & Government Regulation of Platforms and "Big Tech" from Brennan Center for Justice Counsel Angel Diaz

A Perspective on Online Content Moderation, Technology's Use in Policing, & Government Regulation of Platforms and "Big Tech" from Brennan Center for Justice Counsel Angel Diaz

[Network Series] Angel Diaz, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Prashant chat about what the right amount of moderation is on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, how technology can be (mis)applied in policing, the government's role in moderating online speech, and regulating "big tech". Angel also shares some advice to entrepreneurs and investors on mitigating the "automating of inequality" and/or bias reinforcement in algorithms and product design. 

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

May 11, 201931:33
Origin Ventures Co-founders Steve Miller and Bruce Barron on 20 Years in Venture Capital

Origin Ventures Co-founders Steve Miller and Bruce Barron on 20 Years in Venture Capital

[Investor Series] 20 for 20 – Episode 2. In 2019, we celebrate our firm’s 20-year anniversary with 20 short stories and lessons learned by investing over $150M in more than 70 companies and the entrepreneurs behind their origin. These are their stories.


When Steve Miller and Bruce Barron founded Origin Ventures in 1999, the venture capital industry was in a different place than it is today. In this interview, the two Origin Partners discuss how and why they founded the firm, what they've learned over two decades as general partners, their experiences with GrubHub, predictions for the future of Origin Ventures, and much more from 20 years working together.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

May 02, 201932:00
Dote CEO Lauren Farleigh on her social-powered mobile "dream mall for Gen Z"

Dote CEO Lauren Farleigh on her social-powered mobile "dream mall for Gen Z"

[Startup Series] Lauren Farleigh, co-founder and CEO of Dote, joins Prashant to chat about her three-sided marketplace startup (a mobile-first, social-powered "dream mall for Gen Z"), raising money from venture capitalists as a woman, working with her investors at Lightspeed and Harrison Metal, hiring, diversity in the technology ecosystem, and her well-honed obsession with metrics from her days at PocketGems.


Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Jan 09, 201931:05
BacklotCars CEO Justin Davis on Disrupting the Auto Dealer Auction Industry

BacklotCars CEO Justin Davis on Disrupting the Auto Dealer Auction Industry

[Startup Series] Justin Davis founded BacklotCars to disrupt a traditional marketplace: wholesale auto dealership auctions. Auto dealers buy and sell cars from each other often, but until Davis built his platform, they mostly did so at physical auctions – an inefficient and expensive process ripe for disruption. BacklotCars also offers financing, inspection, and transportation to make auto dealers' lives easier. Justin and Devon talk about Justin's background, how he's managed to disrupt a traditional industry, and what's next for BacklotCars.


Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Dec 18, 201821:58
Creating Great Content and Monetizing a B2C Audience – Lisa Weinstein, Curiosity.com CEO

Creating Great Content and Monetizing a B2C Audience – Lisa Weinstein, Curiosity.com CEO

[Startup Series] Curiosity.com CEO and media veteran Lisa Weinstein joined Devon to discuss Curiosity's mission to create "educational positivity" on the internet, how Curiosity is monetizing its audience in a sometimes-daunting ad market, and what may come next for the company as it expands its audience across platforms. 


Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc.

Nov 19, 201828:15
Cameo CEO Steven Galanis on Building a Celebrity Shoutout Marketplace

Cameo CEO Steven Galanis on Building a Celebrity Shoutout Marketplace

[Startup Series] Steven Galanis, CEO of Cameo, addressed Origin Ventures' investors at our 2018 annual investor meeting in a candid fireside chat with partner Brent Hill. Galanis discussed the growth of his business, a marketplace for personalized video shoutouts from celebrities. He touches on his company's promising growth, how he's built Cameo with very little marketing, and what's next for the company.


Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Nov 07, 201814:33
Maximizing the performance and happiness of frontline employees w/ Jordan Ekers, CCO @ Nudge Rewards

Maximizing the performance and happiness of frontline employees w/ Jordan Ekers, CCO @ Nudge Rewards

[Startup Series] Jordan Ekers, the Chief Customer Officer at Nudge Rewards, and Prashant talk about how Nudge Rewards is improving the performance, engagement, and job satisfaction of frontline employees, the future of retail and hospitality, the challenges involved in building a company, and the growing technology ecosystem in Toronto. 

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

Oct 26, 201827:19
A Tech General Counsel on H.R., Law, Education, Culture, Diversity, & His Blog on Pulitzer Winners

A Tech General Counsel on H.R., Law, Education, Culture, Diversity, & His Blog on Pulitzer Winners

[Network Series] John Orta, General Counsel at Nextdoor, and Prashant chat about the challenges John faces as a General Counsel, how he has woven together his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees, how he thinks about culture and diversity in tech, being an "in-house" lawyer vs. working at a law firm, and discuss a blog he runs on Pulitzer-prize winning fiction novels.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Oct 12, 201838:16
Technology's Impact on Healthcare w/ Stanford M.D. Vivek Y.

Technology's Impact on Healthcare w/ Stanford M.D. Vivek Y.

[Network Series] Vivek Yedavalli, a Clinical Neuroradiology Fellow at Stanford, and Prashant chat about the impact of A.I. and technology on his field of radiology as well as other specialties, how and where Vivek thinks technology can best improve healthcare outcomes, and how to design systems and government involvement to properly harness technology.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Sep 21, 201833:60
Solving the Dinner Problem with Tovala CEO David Rabie (Devon)

Solving the Dinner Problem with Tovala CEO David Rabie (Devon)

[Startup Series] Tovala co-founder and CEO David Rabie and Devon discuss how David created and built his "dinner solution," the Tovala oven and meal kit service. They also touch on the experience David gained at yCombinator, funding his product via Kickstarter, building a strong team, relationships with investors, and much more.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Sep 14, 201833:52
Breaking into a VC Career, Exciting SaaS Categories, & Buy or Sell w/ Oren Yunger, GGVC (Prashant)

Breaking into a VC Career, Exciting SaaS Categories, & Buy or Sell w/ Oren Yunger, GGVC (Prashant)

[Investor Series] Venture Investor Oren Yunger and Prashant Shukla discuss Oren's personal journey into venture capital, his advice on how others should think about a career in VC, exciting categories in SaaS, and play a little Buy or Sell with Slack, SurveyMonkey, Lyft, and Uber.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Sep 06, 201823:54
Growth of esports & the Socialization of Gaming with Jim Drewry, Gamer Sensei CEO (Devon Leichtman)

Growth of esports & the Socialization of Gaming with Jim Drewry, Gamer Sensei CEO (Devon Leichtman)

[Startup Series] Portfolio company Gamer Sensei CEO Jim Drewry and Devon discuss how his passion for gaming led him to lead Gamer Sensei, the growth of the esports industry, and how games like Fortnite swing the pendulum back towards gaming being a social activity.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Aug 30, 201826:27
The Future of Mobility & Related Policy w/ Justin Erlich of Voyage (formerly Uber) (Prashant Shukla)

The Future of Mobility & Related Policy w/ Justin Erlich of Voyage (formerly Uber) (Prashant Shukla)

[Network Series] Justin, Voyage's Head of Strategy & Policy and the former Head of Policy at Uber, and Prashant talk about Justin's career journey, what he's focused on at Voyage, autonomous vehicle safety, how he sees the urban mobility story unfolding, electric scooters and governments, and ways in which policy can help create a better transportation future. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc
Aug 23, 201830:11
Design Philosophy, Impact, Hiring, Management, & Careers w/ Matt Stein, Metromile (Prashant Shukla)

Design Philosophy, Impact, Hiring, Management, & Careers w/ Matt Stein, Metromile (Prashant Shukla)

[Network Series] Matt, the VP of Product Design at Metromile, and Prashant talk about design philosophy, effective design impact, breaking into a design career, hiring and managing a design org, and Matt's personal victories and challenges.
Aug 10, 201832:24
SaaS Marketing, Scaling, and Remote Teams: Interview with Stella Garber of Trello (Devon Leichtman)

SaaS Marketing, Scaling, and Remote Teams: Interview with Stella Garber of Trello (Devon Leichtman)

[Network Series] In this conversation, Stella and I talk about how she built Trello's product and messaging as the sole marketing person, scaled its team, and managed a remote team. Read main takeaways from the interview, coming soon to Origin's blog.
Jul 31, 201826:54