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DeSci Ep. #1: Using Web3 Tech to Reward Good Science—with Chris Hill & Philipp Koellinger of DeSci Labs Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

The system for publishing scientific research is broken.

Academic success is measured by citations rather than scientific quality. And publishing companies have a monopoly on the knowledge scientists produce.

Can we use blockchain technology to promote the verifiability of scientific findings? And make science accessible to everyone?

Dr. Christopher Hill is an interdisciplinary scientist with a background in neuroeconomics and machine learning. Phillip Koellinger is Professor of Social Science Genetics in the Department of Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Together, Chris and Philipp are Cofounders of DeSci Labs, an initiative that aims to make science more replicable, accessible, transparent and fair by way of Web3 technologies.

On this episode of Boost VC, Chris and Philipp join us to explain what inspired their interest in decentralized science and explore what differentiates success for science versus individual scientists.

They walk us through the goals of the open science movement and weigh in on how DeSci tech provides new ways of funding research and makes scientific knowledge available to everyone.

Listen in for insight around the grassroots movement known as metascience and learn how DeSci is working to improve the quality of the scientific record and reward scientists for the value they create.

Topics Covered

What inspired Chris & Philipp’s interest in decentralized science

Bureaucracy and broken publishing system in academia
Passionate about open science, reproducibility
Improve durability and quality of scientific record
Uplift material conditions of early-career scientists

The goals of the open science movement

Make research more transparent, accessible to everyone
Better markers of scientific quality than impact factor
Improve and promote verifiability and reproducibility

What differentiates success for science vs. success for scientists

Scientific success = verifiable new knowledge
Success for scientist = prestige

How Chris & Philipp define decentralized science

Tech stack for true open access to research
Makes science more transparent and reproducible
Allows scientists to recapture value they create

The problem with measuring value by impact factor (IF)

Metric derived exclusively from citation rates
Publishers have monopoly on scientific knowledge

How DeSci technologies can benefit scientific research

Accelerate pace of knowledge progress and accessibility
Provide new ways of funding research
Business models that reward scientists for contributions
Potential for rapid experimentation at scale
Create accountability in peer review process

The interdisciplinary grassroots movement of metascience

Check work of other scientists through replications
Conduct basic hygiene of scientific ecosystem

The transition from scientific manuscripts to research objects

Store artifacts of journey, including peer review feedback
Permanent knowledge graphs to secure scientific record

Connect with Chris Hill & Philipp Koellinger

DeSci Labs https://www.desci.com/

DeSci Labs on Twitter https://twitter.com/descilabs

DeSci Foundation https://descifoundation.org/

DeSci Foundation on Twitter https://twitter.com/DeSciFoundation

Resources

David Deutsch https://www.daviddeutsch.org.uk/

‘Raise Standards for Pre-Clinical Cancer Research’ in Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/483531a

‘Why Most Published Research Findings Are False’ in PLOS Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182327/

Gitcoin https://gitcoin.co/

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

The DotCom Boom And Bust with guests Marc Andreessen and Tim Draper Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

The media is filled with experts comparing today’s market with the dot-com crash of 2000. But few, if any, of these experts actually lived and worked through the dot-com boom and bust.

Marc Andreessen is Founder and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and Tim Draper is Founder and Managing Director at Draper VC. And both Marc and Tim were either running or investing in tech startups at the time.

So, what was it like to experience the dot-com crash? What did Marc and Tim learn that might give us clarity around how to navigate an uncertain economic future?

On this episode of Boost VC, Marc and Tim join us to explore the likelihood that we’re headed into a recession and explain what they’re encouraging founders to do right now.

Marc and Tim discuss the mistakes they made in the early 2000s and describe why a downturn can be good for the best companies.

Listen in for insight on retaining employees in a remote or hybrid setting and get Marc and Tim’s advice on contingency planning to survive an economic crisis—without losing your business.

Topics Covered

Where Marc and Tim go for their media

Timeless source of info = books prior to 1960
Direct conversations with founders
Science fiction to predict future

What Marc was doing in the early 2000s

Launch Netscape in 1999 at high point in market
Lifting weights to burn off stress

What Tim was doing in the early 2000s

Just raised $1.4B to bring VC to world
Hosted party ‘2001 Cyberspace Odyssey’

What it takes to be a successful entrepreneur

Smart, open to new ideas and determined
Social skills to build team, raise money, etc.
Disagreeable (think against the grain)

The likelihood that we’re headed into a recession

Good people laid off start own businesses
Economy too complex to predict future

What a16z is encouraging founders to do right now

Think in terms of scenarios and contingencies
Consider specific circumstances of your company
Cut deep enough that only do layoffs once

Tim's experience as an investor in the dot-com crash

Reactive approach, scrambled to raise money
Lost 4 businesses with $100M in revenues

The difference between the dot-com crash and 2008

2000 was equity-driven, credit crisis in 2008
Tech companies don’t run on debt

What Marc did right and wrong in the dot-com crash

Underestimated how bad things could get
IPO saved company from bankruptcy

Why a downturn can be good for the best companies

Eliminates competition
Easier to recruit, gain market share

How to retain employees in a hybrid/remote setting

Create intense social bonding experiences
Management training, employee development

How tech innovation is flowing out of the Bay Area

COVID as catalyst, other cities rise in importance
Texas and Florida are attracting entrepreneurs

How governments are in competition for entrepreneurs

Regulations push businesses out
US can remain #1 if allow startups to innovate

Marc and Tim’s greatest qualities + accomplishments

Tim fearless in engaging with boldest ideas
Marc transformed the VC business

Connect with Marc

Andreessen Horowitz https://a16z.com/

Andreessen Horowitz on Twitter https://twitter.com/a16z

Marc on Twitter https://twitter.com/pmarca

Connect with Tim

Draper Associates https://www.draper.vc/

Tim on Twitter https://twitter.com/TimDraper

Draper University https://www.draperuniversity.com/

Meet the Drapers https://www.meetthedrapers.com/

Resources

Tom Swift Books https://tomswift.net

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205

My Years with General Motors by Alfred Sloan https://www.amazon.com/Years-General-Motors-Alfred-Sloan/dp/0385042353

The a16z Podcast https://future.com/a16z-podcast/

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/sarbanes-oxley_act

Draper Innovation Index https://index.draperhero.org/

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep.111 Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask an Astronaut—with Dr. Edward Lu of B612 Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Edward Lu is an astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut who logged 200-plus days in space between 1995 and 2007. Today, he serves as the Cofounder and Executive Director of the Asteroid Institute at the B612 Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Earth from asteroid impacts. On this episode of Boost VC, Ed joins us to discuss what makes space fun, describing what daily life is like in zero gravity and why he thinks we’ll colonize space within the next few decades.

Ed shares his experience training for a rescue mission to the International Space Station, weighing in on how spacecraft tech has (and has not) evolved and why we can’t stay in space for longer than six months at a time. Listen in for Ed’s insight on the likelihood that aliens exist and learn about the most recent advancements in asteroid tracking—and why it’s crucial to predict where they’re headed decades in advance.

Topics Covered

What makes being in space fun for Ed

Dream to fly, incredible ship made by people
Amazing view (new continent every 15 minutes)

Ed’s experience on a rescue mission to the space station

Supplies/transport cut off after Columbia crash
Trained to command Soyuz in just 9 weeks

What inspired Ed to become an astronaut

Worked as astrophysicist, became pilot for fun
Friend at work mentioned NASA application

Ed’s take on what it takes to be an astronaut

Ability to operate ALL systems of spacecraft
Pilot, scientist and submarine crew combined

How daily habits are different in zero gravity

Can’t put items down on table
No arc when passing objects

Why we can’t stay in space for long periods

6-month lifetime of spacecraft
Fuel decays, one-time use batteries for reentry

How spacecraft tech has evolved since the 1960’s

Style of rocket similar (dictated by physics)
Systems inside spacecraft ALL different

Ed’s work with the B612 Foundation

Protect Earth from asteroid impacts
Find and track path with telescopes

The greatest advancement in asteroid tracking

LSST opening in 2023 at Rubin Observatory
Collect more data than all telescopes combined

Why it’s crucial to track asteroids

Identify 1 to 2 near-Earth asteroids per week
Gives decades of notice to plan and deflect

The biggest change in space tech over the years

Reduction of cost in both launch and electronics
Allows for more small startups to innovate

Why Ed thinks we’ll colonize space in a few decades

Reduction in cost = cheap infrastructure
Recent compound growth in space sector

How Ed thinks about the likelihood that aliens exist

Hundreds of millions of planets in our galaxy
Shocked if there isn’t life somewhere

Connect with Ed

B612 Foundation https://b612foundation.org/

B612 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/b612foundation/

B612 on Twitter https://twitter.com/b612foundation

Ed on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-lu-3a997833/

Resources

James Randi https://web.randi.org/about-james-randi.html

Tunguska Event https://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-tunguska-explosion/

Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://www.lsst.org/

LeoLabs https://www.leolabs.space/

Chess.com https://www.chess.com/

Kepler Space Telescope https://www.space.com/24903-kepler-space-telescope.html

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 110: Solving the $800M Problem of Apparel Returns—with Vadim Rogovskiy of 3DLOOK Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

A total of $2T in apparel is sold online each year. But 30% to 40% of that apparel is returned. So, what if consumers could snap a couple of photos with their smartphone camera and get clothes that are the right fit for their body?

Vadim Rogovskiy is the Cofounder and CEO of 3DLOOK, a deep tech startup solving the problem of apparel returns for retail. Vadim is an experienced entrepreneur, building and selling two companies in the adtech space before creating 3DLOOK. He also serves as an angel investor and mentor for the VC firm 500 Startups.

On this episode of Boost VC, Vadim joins us to explain how 3DLOOK helps consumers choose the right size for apparel and share the process he used to find the right market for his team’s software. He discusses his mission to build a startup hub in the Ukraine, describing the developer ecosystem that exists there and the challenge of getting talented entrepreneurs to stay. Listen in for Vadim’s insight on deciding when to shift markets and learn about the fundraising process for a retail application like 3DLOOK.

Topics Covered

What problem Vadim is solving with 3DLOOK

Limit number of eCommerce apparel returns
Consumer snaps 2 photos to get right size

What inspired Vadim to become an entrepreneur

Work in variety of companies (business management)
Always thinking about how to make things better

Vadim’s shift from adtech to deep tech

Fascinated by apps powered by smartphone camera
More challenging to raise money with slides alone

The market for the service provided by 3DLOOK

30% to 40% of apparel sold online is returned
$2T apparel sold online/year

How Vadim’s digital body passport evolved into 3DLOOK

Start with avatar to dress up but no way to monetize
Shift to health and fitness, track body changes

Vadim’s process for deciding when to shift strategy

Interviews with 20 companies from each segment
Apparel needs tech to survive vs. nice-to-have

Why Vadim had to look for investors beyond Silicon Valley

3DLOOK tech too specific for Silicon Valley VCs
Boston, New York invest in retail and eCommerce

Vadim’s mission to build a startup hub in the Ukraine

Entrepreneurship not popular and few success stories
Create accelerator, leverage developer ecosystem

Vadim’s experience with fundraising for 3DLOOK

$6.5M raise with 3 VCs, including Almaz Capital
Scramble to get paperwork to all 24 SAFE holders

Connect with Vadim

3DLOOK https://3dlook.me/

3DLOOK on Twitter https://twitter.com/3dlook_me

3DLOOK on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/3DLOOK.me/

3DLOOK on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/3dlook_me/

3DLOOK on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPQIzvlU_Ht0b1g1oV7s3gQ

3DLOOK on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/3dlook/

Vadim on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/vadim-rogovskiy/

Resources

Dixit https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/39856/dixit

Imaginarium https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/218804/imaginarium

L’Oreal Virtual Makeup https://www.lorealparisusa.com/virtual-try-on/makeup.aspx

Almaz Capital https://almazcapital.com/

Marc Benioff at Salesforce https://www.salesforce.com/company/leadership/bios/bio-benioff/

Life and Learning After One Hundred Years: Trust is the Coin of the Realm by George P. Shultz https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/shultz_finalfile_web-ready.pdf

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 109: Translating Complex Tech Through Design—with Daniel Scrivner of Flow Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

Design is about much more than just making things look good. Design is valuable because it translates the complexities of technology to us mere mortals. It serves as a way to educate the market and make tech easy for everyday people to use. But what is the design process that gets us to that end?

Daniel Scrivner is the CEO & Chief Design Officer at Flow, the project management software used by teams at Apple, Shopify and TED. A leader in the fields of design and investing, he has been invited to speak at some of the world’s most innovative organizations, including Andreesen Horowitz and Designer Fund. Daniel has 15 years of design experience, serving as Head of Design at both Digit and Square and working on teams at Apple, Nike and Disney.

On this episode of Boost VC, Daniel joins us to share his take on what makes design valuable, explaining how the design process gets you to an end product the average person can use. He offers insight on what makes most crypto design hostile to everyday people, discussing what we can do to improve the user experience and give crypto mass appeal. Listen in to understand Daniel’s agnostic approach to investing and find out how he applies concepts learned in one discipline to other areas in his skill stack.

Topics Covered

What Daniel has built that he’s most proud of

Redesign of Flow over last two years
Growing investment portfolio

Daniel’s agnostic approach to investing

Qualitative vs. quantitative (early-stage companies)
Broad interest in investing in entrepreneurs at all stages

What inspired Daniel to start his own podcast

Conversations with people in top 1% across industries
Decode what they’ve mastered, what propelled to top

How Daniel thinks about optimizing his learning

Learn things and apply in other areas
Lean into growth curve in all areas

Daniel’s take on what makes design valuable

Interface between complexity of tech and humans
Fastest way to educate given market

Daniel’s insight around the design of crypto

Hostile to average people
Incompatible with being ‘future of money’

How to improve the crypto user experience

Simple explanation of terms
Get input from everyday people

What inspired Daniel to invest in Bitcoin

Bet on things probable to play out
Invest in multiple ways to win

What’s behind the rise of the operator-investor

Herding creatures
Lowering barriers to entry in all areas

Daniel’s definition of success

Work in service of others
Grow into best version of self

Connect with Daniel

Flow https://www.getflow.com/

Flow on Twitter https://twitter.com/flowapp

Flow on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/FlowApp

Daniel on Twitter https://twitter.com/danielscrivner

Outliers with Daniel Scrivner https://link.chtbl.com/_Ygn_FIY

Resources

Good Egg https://www.goodegg.io/

Stripe https://stripe.com/

Gusto https://gusto.com/

Superhuman https://superhuman.com/

Notion https://www.notion.so/

Bison Trails https://bisontrails.co/

Filecoin https://filecoin.io/

Verlyn Klinkenborg on Outliers https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/verlyn-klinkenborg-outliers-show-notes

Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg

Scott Adams https://twitter.com/ScottAdamsSays

Scott Adams on Talent Stacking https://www.scottadamssays.com/2016/12/27/the-kristina-talent-stack/

Listen Notes https://www.listennotes.com/

Kevin Kelly https://kk.org/

Kevin Kelly on Outliers https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/kevin-kelly-outliers-transcript

Casa https://keys.casa/

Coinbase https://www.coinbase.com/

CoinList https://coinlist.co/

TrustToken https://www.trusttoken.com/

TruFi https://truefi.io/

Robinhood https://robinhood.com/us/en/

Oculus https://www.oculus.com/

AngelList https://angellist.com/

EquityZen https://equityzen.com/

Fortnite https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home

Roblox https://www.roblox.com/

Unreal Tournament https://www.epicgames.com/unrealtournament/en-US/

Endel https://endel.io/

Tony Anderson https://www.tonyandersonmusic.com/

Focus on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/genre/focus-page

Richard Feynman http://www.feynman.com/

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by It’s Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard P. Feynman https://www.amazon.com/Six-Easy-Pieces-Essentials-Explained/dp/0465025277

Henry Ford’s Rouge https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/history-and-timeline/fords-rouge/

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr-ebook/dp/B000XUDGHG

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 108: Designing the Test Flight of VR—with Orla Harris of SideQuest Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

Orla Harris is the Cofounder and COO of SideQuest VR, an early-access testing platform for virtual reality with headquarters in Northern Ireland. Orla and her team provide tools that enable developers to grow a community around their app and solicit feedback from users in the early stages of development. Prior to SideQuest, Orla spent eight years working as a project manager in the construction industry and dabbling in virtual reality as a hobby.

On this episode of Boost VC, Orla joins us to share the origin story of SideQuest VR, explaining how it evolved from side project to startup and when she finally realized it was a business. She describes what it’s like to found a tech company in Ireland, discussing how SideQuest built a network of VCs beyond the borders of her home country and why she’s optimistic about the startup’s continued growth. Listen in for insight on the openness unique to the virtual reality developer community and get Orla’s perspective on what is special about the industry at this particular moment in time!

Topics Covered

The idea behind SideQuest VR

Enables developers to test product with consumers
Third-party app store for Quest, other VR devices

The origin story of SideQuest VR

Developed app, declined by Oculus (no reason given)
Create place for users to sideload and give feedback

Orla’s take on the VR developer community

Unique in willingness to help each other out
Openness feels different from other experiences

What’s driving the success of SideQuest VR

Still in honeymoon phase (growing every day)
Positive results, can’t help but be optimistic

How Orla thinks about where VR is as an industry

2020 = transformative year
Informed by release of Quest 2 and pandemic

What it’s like to build a tech startup in Ireland

Daunting to look for investors beyond home country
Part of accelerator in Ireland that propelled to Boost

Orla’s advice for founders on networking with VCs

Find person with connections, ask for introductions
One connection can change everything

When Orla realized SideQuest was an actual business

Cofounder proposed quitting jobs
Decision based on site analytics, talking to VCs

What is special about VR right now

Small developer pool but large user pool
Users starved for content

Orla’s insight on the growth of SideQuest VR

Apps submitted to platform every day
Android mobile developers pivoting to VR

Orla’s definition of success

Wake up every morning feeling content
Clarity of mind, no stress or worry

Connect with Orla

SideQuest VR https://sidequestvr.com/

SideQuest on Twitter https://twitter.com/SideQuestVR

SideQuest on Discord https://discord.com/invite/r38T5rR

SideQuest on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/sidequest

SideQuest on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/SideQuestVR

SideQuest on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/sidequestvr/

Orla on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/orlaharris/

Resources

Oculus Quest https://www.oculus.com/quest/

Oculus Quest 2 https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/

Facebook’s Developer Revenue Update https://uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-revenue-update/

Steam https://store.steampowered.com/vr/

Doodle Jump https://doodlejumpgame.com/

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Topics Covered

The idea behind SideQuest VR

Enables developers to test product with consumers
Third-party app store for Quest, other VR devices

The origin story of SideQuest VR

Developed app, declined by Oculus (no reason given)
Create place for users to sideload and give feedback

Orla’s take on the VR developer community

Unique in willingness to help each other out
Openness feels different from other experiences

What’s driving the success of SideQuest VR

Still in honeymoon phase (growing every day)
Positive results, can’t help but be optimistic

How Orla thinks about where VR is as an industry

2020 = transformative year
Informed by release of Quest 2 and pandemic

What it’s like to build a tech startup in Ireland

Daunting to look for investors beyond home country
Part of accelerator in Ireland that propelled to Boost

Orla’s advice for founders on networking with VCs

Find person with connections, ask for introductions
One connection can change everything

When Orla realized SideQuest was an actual business

Cofounder proposed quitting jobs
Decision based on site analytics, talking to VCs

What is special about VR right now

Small developer pool but large user pool
Users starved for content

Orla’s insight on the growth of SideQuest VR

Apps submitted to platform every day
Android mobile developers pivoting to VR

Orla’s definition of success

Wake up every morning feeling content
Clarity of mind, no stress or worry

Ep. 107: The Future of Fundraising—with Joris Delanoue & Thibauld Favre of Fairmint Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

When serial entrepreneurs Thibauld Favre and Joris Delanoue joined forces to build the future of fundraising, the Frenchmen chose San Francisco as their home base in large part because of its investor mindset. So, how do Silicon Valley VCs think differently from other investors around the globe?

Thibauld and Joris are the Cofounders of Fairmint, a continuous financing instrument that allows startups to raise money WHILE they build—rather than taking time away from business to pitch investors. The Fairmint model is built around community alignment, putting equity in the hands of a company’s employees, customers, partners and fans. Both Thibauld and Joris have ten-plus years of experience building successful tech companies, and they are on a mission to transition the world to stakeholder capitalism.

On this episode of Boost VC, Thibauld and Joris join us to explain what differentiates the Fairmint system from traditional fundraising and how the platform makes everyone their own exchange. They introduce us to the idea of a CrypTech company, describing the role the blockchain plays in Fairmint’s infrastructure and sharing their own personal evolution as Bitcoin enthusiasts. Listen in for insight around the Silicon Valley investor mindset and find out why Thibauld and Joris moved to California, where VCs will take a risk on ‘rational people doing irrational things.’

Topics Covered

What Joris & Thibauld do at Fairmint

Get equity into hands of stakeholders
Provide continuous financing instrument

How Fairmint differs from traditional fundraising

Raise money WHILE you build
Continuous Agreement of Future Equity (CAFE)

Joris & Thibauld’s shared vision for Fairmint

Democratize access to wealth
‘Everyone is their own exchange’

What makes Fairmint a CrypTech company

New financial instrument = FinTech
Benefit to using blockchain in stack

Why Joris & Thibauld ended up in Silicon Valley

Provides worldwide market
Affords company credibility

The potential digitization of Silicon Valley

Important for founders to spend time there
Team doesn’t have to be there (distributed execution)

The Silicon Valley investor mindset

Willing to take risks to find deal first
Accept rational people doing irrational things

Joris & Thibauld’s definition of success

Impact society by changing economy
Do work kids can be proud of

Connect with Joris & Thibauld

Fairmint https://fairmint.co/

Fairmint on Twitter https://twitter.com/fairmintCO

Fairmint on GitHub https://github.com/fairmint/

Fairmint on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/fairmint/

Thibauld on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibauld/

Joris on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/delanoue/

Resources

Singularity University https://su.org/

Allmyapps https://www.linkedin.com/company/allmyapps/

Bitcoin Whitepaper https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

Nexteem https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexteem/

IDEO https://www.ideo.com/

Adam’s Post on Delaware C-Corps https://twitter.com/AdamDraper/status/1334702452684156934

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 106: A Migration Path from USD to Crypto—with Andy Bromberg of Eco Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

More and more people understand that crypto is going to be big. But they don’t really know why. And they don’t want to be forced to turn all of their money into cryptocurrency right off the bat. So, what if there was a way to demonstrate the benefits of the technology with US dollars and then migrate users to digital currency over time?

Andy Bromberg is the new CEO of Eco, a wallet designed to simplify everyday finances and maximize earning power. Andy began his career in startups as the CEO of political media platform Sidewire before cofounding CoinList in 2017, where he served as CEO for the last three years. Andy was also a member of the legendary Stanford Bitcoin Group from 2012 to 2014.

On this episode of Boost VC, Andy joins us to discuss his introduction to crypto at Stanford and explain his decision to transition from CoinList to Eco. He weighs in the challenges of onboarding remotely and describes the skill set he brings to the Eco team. Listen in for Andy’s insight around the benefits of the Eco app and learn how his team provides users with a migration path from USD to crypto.

Topics Covered

What got Andy into the crypto ecosystem

Part of Stanford Bitcoin Group
Cofounded CoinList in 2017

The challenges of onboarding remotely

Connect with team in Zoom setting
Encourage natural interaction

How Eco makes your money work for you

Put money in, earn up to 5% APY
5% cashback on purchases

Eco’s approach to broad crypto adoption

App based around US dollars
Educate on tech over time

What inspired Andy’s transition to Eco

Token design makes sense
Migration path (USD to crypto)

The skill set Andy brings to the Eco team

Build community/attention
Launch project successfully
Ability to scale organization

Andy’s definition of success

Things feel natural, peaceful
In flow state most of time

Connect with Andy

Eco https://eco.com/

Eco on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/eco-pay/

Eco on Twitter https://twitter.com/eco

Andy on Twitter https://twitter.com/andy_bromberg

Resources

CoinList https://coinlist.co/

Coinbase https://www.coinbase.com/

Earn https://www.coinbase.com/earn

Andreessen Horowitz https://a16z.com/

Balaji Srinivasan https://balajis.com/

Bolt https://www.bolt.com/

Cognito https://cognitohq.com/

AngelList https://angel.co/

Protocol Labs https://protocol.ai/

MyCrypto https://mycrypto.com/account

Fidelity Digital Assets https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/overview

BlackRock https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro https://www.amazon.com/Power-Broker-Robert-Moses-Fall/dp/0394720245

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan https://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-Days-Surfing-William-Finnegan/dp/0143109391

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 105: Get Uncle Sam to Invest in Your Startup—with Sedale Turbovsky of OpenGrants Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

Most founders avoid dealing with Uncle Sam unless absolutely necessary. But what if you could engage the government as an investor in your startup?

Sedale Turbovsky is the Cofounder and CEO of OpenGrants, the most powerful grant search tool in the US. The OpenGrants team is on a mission to unlock billions of dollars in grant funding for the best startups in the world, providing entrepreneurs with a single platform where they can find, apply for and manage grants. Sedale is a three-time founder with a background in helping companies navigate the public funding space.

On this episode of Boost VC, Sedale joins us to explain how startups benefit from federal funding and who qualifies to receive grant money from the government. He weighs in on the culture of incumbency in the space, describing his vision to connect a diverse ecosystem of real innovators with the funding opportunities available. Listen in for insight around the government’s capacity to invest in breakthrough innovation and learn how OpenGrants can help you access the funding to get your startup on its feet!

Topics Covered

What the OpenGrants platform does

Connect companies to grant money (simplify process)
Enable startups to engage government as ally

The friction points OpenGrants solves for

Opportunities spread out over internet, poor UX
Direct matches for companies that set up profile

How startups benefit from federal funding

De-risk and develop tech for company
Don’t have to pay back (cheapest $ in market)

Who qualifies to receive federal grant funding

Innovators in science and technology
Programs that solve for social good

What inspired Sedale’s interest in the space

Government can invest in technically risky projects
Get more diverse ideas to government

How Sedale bridges the gap between government + startups

Bureaucracy has created ‘culture of incumbency’
Bring government to diverse ecosystem of innovators
Create tools for government to realize its policies

How Sedale’s background informs his work at OpenGrants

Operationalizing difficult-to-get data sets
Backward experience w/ grant funding at carbonBLU

Who Sedale’s team works with at OpenGrants

Early-stage science-based startups, nonprofits
Series A/B startups doing additional R&D

The culture of incumbency around federal funding

Can’t act on good intentions due to infrastructure
98% of 2018 NIH grants went to ‘old, white guys’

Sedale’s definition of success

Structure life around what makes you happy

Connect with Sedale

OpenGrants https://www.opengrants.io/

OpenGrants on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/opengrantsio/

OpenGrants on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/opengrants.io

OpenGrants on Twitter https://twitter.com/opengrants_io

Sedale on Twitter https://twitter.com/STurbovsky

Resources

Grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/

beta.SAM.gov https://beta.sam.gov/

SBIR.gov https://www.sbir.gov/

California Grants Portal https://www.grants.ca.gov/

carbonBLU http://www.carbonblu.com/

FINRA https://www.finra.org/

SEC https://www.sec.gov/

Momentum https://buildmomentum.io/

NIH Grants https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/funding_program.htm

Samuel Pierpont Langley https://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/langley/intro.htm

HHS’s VC Fund for MedTech https://medcitynews.com/2018/06/funding-healthcare-accelerators-an-hhs-unit-is-taking-a-vc-approach-to-innovation/

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Patrick-Rothfuss/dp/0756404746

Connect with Boost VC

Boost VC Website https://www.boost.vc/

Boost VC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boostvc/

Boost VC on Twitter https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Boost VC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/boost_vc/

Ep. 104: Building Your Team & Product in Tandem—with Sam Cole & Sameer Baroova of FitXR Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Here at Boost VC, we define a startup as an organism in which the founders work to attract the smartest, most dynamic people to solve the problem they believe is most important. Yes, their ultimate goal is to build a product. But more importantly, they are building a talented team that will actualize that product together.

CEO Sam Cole and CPO Sameer Baroova are the Cofounders of FitXR, a startup that is putting the fun back into fitness by way of award-winning virtual reality fitness experiences. In FitXR’s virtual gym, users have access to 20-plus hours of boxing and dance workouts choreographed by professional fitness instructors. Sam draws on his background in consulting and private equity to lead the FitXR team and Sameer’s experience in the gaming industry informs his work around product creation.

On this episode of Boost VC, Sam and Sameer join us to describe their dynamic as cofounders, discussing what they do to navigate disagreements and how brutal conversations early on served to strengthen their relationship. They explore their inherent drive to be entrepreneurs and share the lessons learned from their struggle to raise money for FitXR. Listen in to understand why fitness is the killer app of VR and learn how Sam and Sameer are building a dynamic team that makes progress—with or without their meddling!

Topics Covered

Why Sam & Sameer think fitness is the killer app of VR