Venture with Grace

Prasad Kawthekar is the CEO & Co-founder of Dashworks. Dashworks is the personalized, all-in-one, and secure AI solution for organizations. Dashworks learns from existing knowledge scattered across siloed cloud applications to help employees find instant answers to all their questions at work. The company has raised funds from investors including Y Combinator, Point72 Ventures, and OVO Fund. Prasad was also featured on Forbes' 30 under 30 Enterprise Technology sector in 2024. - The Role of AI in the Future of Work - Customer Acquisition and User Adoption - Scaling AI Solutions #AIStartup #FutureOfWork #TechInnovation #AIinBusiness #StartupJourney #VentureCapital

Evan J. Zimmerman is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer. He is the co-founder and CEO of Edge, a patent assistant startup backed by Y Combinator, for which he was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 2023. He invests through Jovono, his personal venture capital firm, and was Chairman of the Clinton Health Access Initiative technology council, which advises the technology of global public health in dozens of partner countries. Evan was inducted as the youngest member of the MAK Museum in Vienna's Biennale Circle, which planned the 2017 Vienna Biennale on the “Future Of Work” and is a member of the strategy board for Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine at USC. He also speaks and writes on technology, with popular pieces and academic publications in places like Techcrunch, the Berkeley Technology Law Journal, and the South China Morning Post. He was previously a cofounder of Mighty Ventures, which licensed patents in consumer products that have sold millions of units in dozens of countries, including affiliate Mighty Mug. Evan has a law degree from Berkeley Law School, where he was a Dean’s Scholar with certificates in technology law and business law and won a Prosser award. He graduated from the University of Chicago, where he was a University Scholar, with general and departmental honors in economics and conducted his thesis work on the economics of embargoes as a visiting undergraduate at Harvard University. Topics: - Trends in Legal Tech and Patent Technology - The Role of Automation in Legal Tech - The future landscape of IP management and its implications for businesses #LegalTech #PatentTech #VCInvesting #Innovation #AIinLaw #TechInvestments

Hyphen Capital was founded and led by Dave Lu. Dave is a Silicon Valley veteran and started his career in tech at Yahoo! in the late 90s. He sat around the corner from Jerry Yang, an entrepreneurial inspiration for many Asian Americans including himself. He went on to work at other iconic technology companies including Apple, eBay and Cisco before starting his first company Fanpop. After growing the company to 40 million users, he went on to start his second company Expo, backed by True Ventures, Uncork Capital and CRV. Dave has always been passionate about Asian American issues. Most recently, he led the effort to take a stand against the rise in Asian hate crimes by publishing an open letter in the Wall Street Journal and rallying thousands of leaders to sign in support including President George Bush, Andre Iguodala, and CEOs of Google, LinkedIn, Foot Locker and hundreds of others. This movement led to founding Stand with Asian Americans, a non-profit focused on fighting discrimination for Asians in the workplace and communities. He also produced the Emmy-winning HBO documentary "38 at the Garden" and sits on the advisory board for the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center. Dave sensed a lack of community for founders of East and Southeast Asian descent and started Asian American Founders Circle in 2011. Inspired by his fellow founders, he wanted to do more for the next generation and pay it forward by investing in them. Thus Hyphen Capital was born. Topics: - Balancing Financial Returns with Social Impact - Building a Diverse Investment Portfolio - Building a Great Network #VentureCapital #Investing #StartupSuccess #AsianAmericanFounders #Networking

Samit Kalra is a Partner at 1984 Ventures, a San Francisco-based seed fund that backs technical founders using software to solve pressing market needs. The fund is currently investing out of its $75M Fund II. Samit joined the team in 2021, following a two-and-a-half-year tenure at Bain Capital Ventures, a prominent multi-stage fund that has backed iconic companies such as Docusign and LinkedIn. Before his time at Bain, he worked at AngelList, a startup dedicated to building tools for other startups. Samit credits AngelList for developing his passion for company building and investing. During his time there, he assisted over 150 founders in closing funding rounds. He fell in love with the industry because it satisfied his constant desire for learning while simultaneously helping brilliant people invent the future. Since then, he has dedicated himself to mastering the craft of investing and supporting founders in achieving success. Samit specializes in helping seed-stage companies craft narratives that resonate with investors, aiding them in raising subsequent capital, and boasts a 100% success rate in this endeavor. He believes his skillset is complementary and additive to that of his partners Ramy, Aaron, and Farzad, who are all former founders. Topics: - B2B Seed Investment Framework - Application of AI to unsexy service industries - Key elements that contribute to a startup’s success at the seed stage #SeedStageInvesting #VentureCapital #StartupSuccess #TechInnovation #FoundersJourney

Magnus Grimeland is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Antler, a global early-stage VC enabling and investing in the world's most exceptional people. He leads a global team across 6 continents, 30+ locations with the mission to fundamentally improve the world by supporting founders, who are building the defining companies of tomorrow. Antler has invested in, and helped build 1100+ portfolio companies worldwide and established the world’s largest early-stage investment platform, with an unparalleled global network of entrepreneurial leaders and advisors. As Co-Founder and Regional Managing Director of Zalora, Magnus was responsible for the ZALORA Group markets in Southeast Asia (SEA). He later became Chief Operating Officer of Global Fashion Group (GFG) and was responsible for strategic market initiatives, improving the business and rolling out GFG's Marketplace across 26 countries in SEA, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania. Magnus is an alumni of Harvard University and McKinsey & Company in which he worked for 6 years. His last role was as a Junior Partner, working across North America, Europe and Asia in the global Telco, Media and High-Tech industries. Prior to his studies, Magnus served within the Royal Norwegian Navy Special Operations - Marinejegerkommandoen (Navy Seals). Very passionate about the start-up landscape, Magnus is also an active angel/seed investor in Asia, Europe and the US. Topics: - Building a Global VC Firm - Key Trends in Early-Stage Investment - Future of Venture Capital #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #EarlyStageInvesting #GlobalVC

Alex Freberg is the Founder & CEO of Analyst Builder and Alex Analytics LLC. He is also the creator of a highly popular YouTube channel, "Alex The Analyst," which has amassed over 780,000 subscribers. Alex's channel provides comprehensive content on everything you need to know to become a data analyst, making him a prominent figure in the data analytics community. Through his educational videos and expert insights, Alex has empowered countless individuals to pursue careers in data analytics, bridging the gap between knowledge and practical application. Topics: - The Future of Data Analytics - Educational Content and Impact - Building a Successful YouTube Channel #DataAnalytics #AlexTheAnalyst #DataScience #TechTalk #AnalyticsCommunity

Marshall Sandman is the Managing Partner of Animal Capital. Animal Capital is the first venture firm with access to 150M+ engaged consumers across the world. Animal Capital drives growth by leveraging proprietary marketing channels and increasing awareness around brands. Animal Capital provides all the services of a traditional venture fund combined with an unrivaled ability to influence a new generation of consumers. * Evolving Role of Social Media in VC Space * Impact of Emerging Trends on Consumer Engagement and Venture Capital * Effective Strategies to Engage Younger Consumers #VentureCapital #VC #Investing #StartupFunding #InfluencerMarketing

Renee Shah is a Partner at Amplify Partners. Amplify Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund. She is focused on security, infrastructure and dev tools. Prior to Amplify Partners, Renee worked at BCG (The Boston Consulting Group) focused on strategy for healthcare and private equity clients; Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. where she invested in new technology to improve healthcare in East Africa, and Emerging Products & Solutions / Waymo LiDAR team at Google. Renee holds an MBA from Stanford GSB and Harvard Bachelor degree. Topics: * Innovations in security, infrastructure, and dev tools * Advancements in AI and ML and their impact on developer tools and infrastructure * The future of developer tools and infrastructure #VentureCapital #Startups #TechInnovation #AI #MachineLearning #DeveloperTools

Jesse Draper is a mother of 3 boys, founding partner of Halogen Ventures and focused on early stage investing in consumer technology companies led by female and co-ed teams. Draper is a Kauffman Fellow and 4th generation venture capitalist. She is a fierce advocate for investing in women and the opportunity for using technology and innovation to solve some of the biggest issues facing women and families today. Among her 70+ portfolio companies, are the Skimm, ThirdLove, HopSkipDrive, The Flex Company, Squad (acquired by Twitter), Eloquii (sold to Walmart) and This is L (sold to P&G). She and her team also created the ‘Halogen Fellowship in Venture Capital’ to increase diversity and inclusion in the venture industry. Selected as one of the top 10 early stage female investors by Business Insider, Draper was also listed by Marie Claire magazine as one of the ‘50 Most Connected Women in America’. Draper has been a contributor to Marie Claire, Forbes, and is a regular investor and tech personality showcased on networks such as Cheddar, CNBC & CNN. Following Jesse’s viral Medium piece, Investing in Women Isn’t a Fucking Charity, she’s become a leading voice of women in technology. She proudly sits on the board of directors of Trust & Will, Flex, Mirza, Preemadonna (creator of the Nailbot) and nonprofit advisory boards of PledgeLA an organization created in collaboration with the Mayor's office to increase DEI in Los Angeles Venture Capital, Bizworld and Project Glimmer. Draper is also involved with growing UCLA’s female entrepreneurship community. - The impact of investing in female and co-ed teams on the venture ecosystem - Insights and lessons learned from being a fourth-generation venture capitalist - Emerging trends in consumer technology and female-led startups #WomenInVC #FemaleFounders #TechInnovation #DiversityInTech #VentureCapital

Stephanie Zufle Retcho has served as the Chief Marketing Officer for both KAYAK and Hungryroot. She has also held leadership positions at renowned agencies like McCann Erickson and TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, managing blue-chip accounts like Verizon Wireless and Sprint-Nextel. Throughout her career, Stephanie has driven growth through strategic marketing, resulting in increased revenue, profit, and market share. As a key member of executive leadership teams, she has built high-performing teams and led diverse functions including brand marketing, performance and traditional media, analytics, content and social media, customer care, and research and behavioral insights. Her extensive experience spans various sectors including e-commerce, SaaS, subscription services, travel, food and beverage, wireless, automotive, and insurance. Topics: - Marketing Strategies for Startups vs. Established Companies - Building High-Performing Teams - Leveraging Data and Analytics in Marketing #MarketingLeadership #CMOInsights #StartupMarketing #GrowthHacking #BrandStrategy