Village Global Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode #10: The Future of Access with Omni's Tom McLeod and Ryan Delk Jan 11, 2018

Show notes

Erik talks to Tom McLeod (@tmcleod3) and Ryan Delk (@delk) of Omni about the future of access. Omni provides physical storage but is also a marketplace, allowing you to rent what you need on-demand or make extra money renting out the things you’re not using. Tom and Ryan recount their entrepreneurial journey so far and what their plans are for the company in the future. They talk about the changing patterns of consumption by millennials and how those may change consumer goods in the future. Tom explains his theory of the three types of entrepreneurs and why he says in the world of work and entrepreneurship, “everything is like selling t-shirts.”
Disclosure: Erik is an investor in Omni.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #9: The State of Consumer Social with Josh Elman Jan 09, 2018

Show notes

Erik and his co-host for this episode, Abie Katz of August Capital, interview Josh Elman (@joshelman), partner at Greylock Partners. Josh recounts the twists and turns of his career and how they led to him becoming a venture capitalist. He talks about the unique approach he takes when working with founders and how that has impacted the outcome of his investments. He tells us why you so infrequently find truly visionary founders and how Greylock thinks about their seed stage Discovery Fund. Josh also explains the candid candid career advice he would give to his younger self.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #8: Investing in Machine Learning Startups with Ash Fontana Jan 03, 2018

Show notes

Erik interviews Ash Fontana (@ashfontana) of Zetta Venture Partners with his co-host for this episode, Abie Katz of August Capital. They talk about how Ash got his fund started and how and why he structured it the way he did. They discuss how to manage growth in a venture fund and the relative importance of being a recognizable brand in the space. They ask Ash what he looks for in a machine learning startup and Ash explains why sometimes it’s better to stay small. He also talks about how and why to be intellectually honest about your investing decisions.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #7: The Future of VR and AR and How To Invest In It with Amitt Mahajan and Abie Katz Dec 27, 2017

Show notes

Erik and his co-host for this episode, Abie Katz of August Capital, interview Amitt Mahajan (@amittm) of Presence Capital. He talks about the future of both VR and AR, what kinds of companies he’s been investing in and the many novel applications of VR in the enterprise setting. He tells us whether he thinks AR or VR will have a bigger impact on the world and tells us about some of the more interesting advances in the technology as well as what might be coming in the future. He also discusses the possible social implications of VR and AR.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #6: Consumer Social with Donnie Dinch, Michael Galpert and Greg Isenberg Dec 21, 2017

Show notes

Erik (@eriktorenberg) sits down with Donnie Dinch (@donnie), Michael Galpert (@msg) and Greg Isenberg (@gregisenberg) to discuss the state of consumer social today. They talk about why people call them crazy to try to build something in this sector today and why it’s like “walking up a downward escalator.” They dissect the uneasy relationship between the big players and the smaller companies in the space and why you need to “build with one eye over your shoulder.” They also discuss the emerging trends in consumer social, particularly as they relate to young people.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #5: The State of Biotech with Dylan Morris and Cain McClary Dec 19, 2017

Show notes

This episode is all about the state of biotech, with Dylan Morris of Charles River Ventures and Cain McClary of KdT Ventures. They discuss the difference in incentives when investing in biotech compared to more traditional venture capital investments and why the timelines for investments in biotech are so different compared to when most venture capitalists expect a return. They explain their respective investing theses and talk about what kinds of opportunities there are for startups in the space. Plus, they speculate on what the future might hold based on what’s happening in biotech today.

Episode #4 - How To Build A Digital Health Company with Malay Gandhi and Christine Lemke Dec 14, 2017

Show notes

Erik talks with Malay Gandhi and Christine Lemke about the state of innovation in healthcare today, why it’s so difficult to build a company in the space, the blind spots that entrepreneurs and investors from outside the sector have, how to truly change behavior and what opportunities in healthcare Malay and Christine see.
Malay Gandhi is an active angel investor in early stage, health-focused startups and advises a number of leading health tech companies. He serves as an EIR at Greylock Partners and is partner with Christine at Ensemble Labs.
Christine Lemke is co-founder and President at Evidation Health, a company that helps individuals and healthcare companies understand and influence the behaviors that create better health outcomes using data. She is also partner with Malay at Ensemble Labs.

Episode #3: The Future of the Music Industry with Aston Motes, Parker Thompson and Ed Aten Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

This episode is all about the future of music. Erik sat down with Parker Thompson, Aston Motes and Ed Aten to discuss how music has been regulated in the past and how that might change in the future, the argument for why copyright is a good thing for music, how blockchain might change the industry, why streaming music is a terrible business and what the music industry might look like ten years from now. Ed is CEO of Merchbar, Parker is partner at AngelList and 500 Startups and Aston was the first employee at Dropbox and is now part of UnitedMasters, Steve Stoute’s new company.

Episode #2: How Digital Currency Will Transform The World with Balaji Srinivasan Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, Erik interviews Balaji Srinivasan (@balajis) on cryptocurrencies, the web, building a company, identity, government, and the future in general. They explore the implications of cryptocurrencies on a variety of industries and talk about how society and the world of work might be transformed.
Balaji Srinivasan is CEO and co-founder of Earn.com and Board Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He has two Master's degrees and a PhD from Stanford, where he occasionally teaches.
Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc/podcast.

Episode #1: Ryan Hoover and David Spinks on Communities Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

Ryan Hoover, CEO and founder of Product Hunt and David Spinks, CEO and founder of CMX Media talk all things community with Village co-founder and partner, host Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg). They talk about creating a business around a community, the differences between communities online and in real life, the pitfalls that have befallen some online communities and how to keep a company focused on its community as it expands.
Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) is founder of Product Hunt (sold to AngelList) and investor at Weekend Fund. He was formerly an EIR at Tradecraft and has also written over 150 essays, many of which have been featured in TechCrunch, Forbes, Pando, Fast Company and The Next Web.
David Spinks (@davidspinks) is founder and CEO of CMX Media and above all else, seeks to help and empower community builders. He's been studying and building online communities since he was 13 years old. Before CMX, David co-founded an online cooking school called Feast (part of 500 Startups) and BlogDash, a platform to help businesses with blogger outreach.

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