Village Global Podcast

Latest Episodes:

What Venkat Rao Thinks About Basically Everything Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

Remember: applications for the winter vintage of our network catalyst accelerator are due September 20 — make sure to apply before then. Check out more info below.
Venkat Rao (@vgr), joins Erik on this episode. He writes at Ribbonfarm, Breaking Smart, and The Art of Gig.
They talk about:
- Why the ambient humour level fluctuates in a society and the “seriousness bubble” in Silicon Valley before 2016.
- Mediocrity and its merits.
- Hannah Arendt, humans as social creatures, and why “to be whole is to be a part.”
- What he thinks libertarians get wrong, and why they “are wrong in an interesting way.”
- How Silicon Valley has been evolving and how it can change to broaden the base of prosperity.
- Why he stays away from utopian thinking.
- The idea of shared reality tunnels and how they are similar to the evolution of television over the years.
- Where humans will derive meaning in the future.
- Why climate change will be the next big cultural battlefield.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.
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Village Global’s Network Catalyst accelerator is a personalized program that features masterclasses from some of the best in Silicon Valley and a dedicated network leader focused on making the introductions you need to turbocharge your company. You can participate in-person in San Francisco or virtually from anywhere around the world.
Find out more and apply before September 20 at villageglobal.vc/networkcatalyst.

A Deep Dive on René Girard with David Gornoski Aug 25, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined by David Gornoski on this episode. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, and writer.
They talk about:
- How David came to be interested in René Girard’s work.
- The explanation for why human desires are usually borrowed from each other.
- Mimesis and society’s role models.
- How Christianity has influenced society.
- The human fascination with conflict and drama.
- What religion can teach us.
- How Girardian philosophy applies to criminal justice, foreign policy, and government.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The Most Well-Read Person in the World on The Future of Reading with Robert Cottrell Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

Robert Cottrell (@robertcottrell), editor of The Browser, joins Erik on this episode.
They talk about:
- The two main errors that publications made in the shift to online after the advent of the web.
- Why paywalls are not an effective model.
- The bond that readers have with individual writers rather than publications, and how business models could change to accommodate that.
- Why long form writing is the most under-appreciated form of art today.
- Lessons to learn from his prolific reading habits.
- The potential for curation by algorithm and what he’s working on in this area.
- How to combat fake news.
- The promise that effective machine translation holds for non-English publications.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The Future of Consumer, Dating Apps, and ISAs with Jeff Morris Jr. Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

Jeff Morris Jr. (@jmj), Director of Product, Revenue at Tinder, and investor at Chapter One, joins Erik on this episode.
We sincerely apologize for the audio quality of this episode. We had technical difficulties with the recording.
They discuss:
- Using tech to bridge online and offline experiences.
- The idea of wellness as a status symbol.
- What $10B companies may have emerged ten years from now.
- The future of dating apps.
- Why he’s excited about ISAs.
- Why tech talent might need agents.
- What he’s learned from the best product and monetization people.
- Whether there’s a “Silicon Valley exodus” going on.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The Promise of DAOs and Venture Capital in the Age of Crypto with PJ Kershaw Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined on this episode by PJ Kershaw (@pjkershawnz), early stage investor and crypto thinker.
They discuss:
- Why PJ says that the current model of companies with shareholders has “reached its zenith.”
- How DAOs will change the world.
- How public goods can be better delivered using new models.
- Lessons from Singapore.
- The future of venture capital in the age of crypto.
- How VC fund structure will change.
- Who the LPs will be in new forms of funds.
- The difference between investing in Asia and the US.
- His investing thesis.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

How Crypto Changes Corporations, Capitalism and Identity with Lawson Baker Aug 16, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined on this episode by Lawson Baker (@lwsnbaker), head of special projects at TokenSoft. He’s also working on a new company.
They talk about:
* Bitcoin as the future not just of finance, but also of work.
* What the internet and the future of work looks like ten years out.
* The “de-evolution of the firm” and how corporations will become less important in business.
* Where Lawson would be investing if he was running a venture fund.
* Why prediction markets are so exciting to Lawson.
* How identity will change over time.
* The future of capitalism.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. The show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Systematizing Social Capital with Brad Glisson Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined on this episode by Brad Glisson (@GlissonBrad), co-founder and CEO of Quilt, formerly Thoughtblox.
They discuss:
- What social capital is, why it is important, and how it is distinctive from other forms of capital.
- The studies around social capital and some of their insights.
- How social capital impacts and intersects with reputation.
- Whether a codified reputation system, like a “Yelp for people” would ever be feasible (or desirable).
- What makes a great community.
- What Brad is working on in this space.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Anne Wojcicki on Direct-To-Consumer Healthcare and The Future of Digital Health Aug 11, 2019

Show notes

We are honored to have Anne Wojcicki (@annewoj23), co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, among our small group of luminary LPs whose financial capital and engagement power the next wave of Village Global founders.
She joined us in Mountain View for an intimate fireside chat with the first Chief Data Scientist for the United States Office of Science and Technology Policy, DJ Patil (@dpatil).
They discussed:
- Why the US healthcare system is broken.
- The state of direct-to-consumer healthcare.
- Tailored medicine and the future of digital health.
- 23andMe’s drug discovery efforts and how continuous data monitoring can change how drugs are developed.
- The problem with clinical trials and how to fix them.
- How Anne would change the US healthcare system if she could wave a magic wand.
- The founding of 23andMe and the company’s philosophy.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The State and Future of Robotics, Machine Learning, and Digital Celebrities with Michael Dempsey Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

Michael Dempsey (@mhdempsey), partner at Compound, joins Erik on this episode to talk through a wide array of sectors that he has delved into.
(We apologize for the audio quality of this episode. We had technical difficulties during recording).
They talk about:
- The model and approach at Compound, including how writing definitive blog posts about a particular industry fits into their investing strategy.
- The state of robotics today, including why he’s not as bullish on robots in warehouses as he once was, and how robots can potentially transform food and retail.
- Machine learning, its applications, and why it’s so difficult to reproduce the findings seen in research papers in the space.
- Different approaches to making self-driving cars work, and his predictions for the future of the industry.
- The state of the investment landscape for other applications of ML, including radiology, voice and phone calls, image recognition, and animation.
- Digital celebrities, identity, and how self-expression on the internet will change in the future.
- His deep dive into women’s health, family planning and reproductive health, and what kinds of opportunities exist in the space.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.

Government, Technology, and The New Social Safety Net with Nicolas Colin Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined on this episode by Nicolas Colin, co-founder and director of The Family, and author of Hedge: A Greater Safety Net For The Entrepreneurial Age.
They discuss:
- Why in the future we can expect more social change from tech companies than from government.
- The key functions of version 1.0 of the social safety net.
- How to solve the problem that most jobs are located in cities, but cities are also mostly unaffordable.
- Why the 21st century will be more like the 19th century than the 20th.
- Why this is the entrepreneurial age, and what that means for workers.
- The story of the Rothschilds and how they prevented potential wars.
- The problems with universal basic income.
- How China is innovating on the social contract.
- The fact that nation-states are a recent invention and are not necessarily the only way to organize in the future.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

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