Village Global Podcast

Samir Kaji (@SamirKaji), managing director at First Republic Bank, joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The state of the financial world before COVID and the cracks that Samir saw in the system last year. - Why this shock is like a “train going 150 miles per hour hitting a brick wall.” - What venture funds should do in this environment.- Whether there’s hope for a recovery in the near future, or not — and why this is different than any other previous recession.- How the behavior of LPs will change and what they will require of fund managers.- Why he’s been bullish on smaller funds.- The future of venture and whether there are truly disruptive alternatives to today’s system.- Why he thinks that the financial world might come out of this in a better place than before.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Jesse Genet (@jessegenet) and Stephan Ango (@kepano), co-founders of Lumi, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- How Lumi works, and how the company changes how a DTC brand does business.- How community influences the success of DTC brands.- Which areas within DTC are VC-fundable.- Where they would be investing if they were running a fund focused on the space.- What will happen with some of the more obscure consumer products that are sold, and whether they will be sold DTC eventually.- Who the losers might be among entrenched players.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Andreas Klinger (@andreasklinger), head of remote at AngelList and creator of Remote First Capital, joins Erik on this episode. This was recorded as part of an OnDeck session.They discuss:- The impact of COVID-19 on remote work and why he says it’s really a “double-edged sword” when it comes to the spread of remote working in the future.- Whether remote can work for early-stage companies.- Which types of companies are most suited to remote work.- What he learned from hiring engineers for Product Hunt five years ago, and what has changed since then.- Why he says that “most productivity problems have more to do with you than with your team.”- How to think about comp for remote workers.- How to be a good interviewer for remote jobs.- His requests for startups.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) of Better Tomorrow and Jayni Shah (@shahjayni) of Accomplice join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The state of fintech pre-COVID and the high level of activity in the space over the last several years.- Their thoughts on challenger banks and why they will have a hard time in this environment.- Which consumer habits will change permanently after the pandemic is over and which companies are best poised to capitalize on those shifts.- The impact of COVID on SMBs and the startups working with them.- The trends in fundraising that they’ve seen since the start of the pandemic and the advice they’re giving to founders.- The impacts on lending, roboadvisors, life insurance, real estate, and more.- The unique dynamics of fintech in India.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Kristin Baker Spohn (@kbakes) of CRV and Deena Shakir (@deenashakir) of Lux Capital join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What Kristin has noticed about the space after moving from operator to investor.- How COVID has rapidly accelerated digital health adoption.- Which spaces and companies they’re more interested in in a post-COVID world.- Advice for founders trying to sell to large organizations and employers.- The difference between companies focused on prevention versus treatment.- The status of data in healthcare and whether it can be a differentiator.- Other spaces in healthcare that they’re interested in.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Ali Hamed (@AliBHamed), investor at CoVenture, and Brent Beshore (@BrentBeshore), founder and CEO of Permanent Equity, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- Their advice for venture firms and companies trying to fundraise in this environment.- How LPs will change their capital allocations in a post-COVID world.- Whether it’s a good time to be investing right now or not.- How this time is different from the 2008 financial crisis.- How they’re spending their time.- What will go back to normal in time, and what might not.- Which spaces will change or accelerate, and where they’re looking at investing.- The government programs available for startups, and whether startups should be taking advantage of them.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Nir Eyal (@nireyal), bestselling author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable", joins Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The psychology behind distraction and discomfort- The role of willpower and forethought in productivity- Is willpower a limited resource?- Why to-do lists backfire- Becoming indistractable- Raising indistractable children and forging indistractable relationships- How you can use technology to prevent technology distraction- Why do children overuse technology?- Have smart phones caused increases In teen suicides?- Nir’s investments in the space- What is the root of the tech backlash?Check out Nir's new book "Indistractable"at http://nirandfar.com/IndistractableApplications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Village Global co-founder Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) chatted with Jo Varshney (@jo_getter), founder and CEO of VeriSIM Life and Kiran Bellubbi (@smalldozes), founder of Keyo, about their experience with the Village Network Catalyst program.Jo and Kiran explain what it was like to be a founder in Network Catalyst, including how the team at Village Global helped them with their business model, leveraged Village Global’s unique structure as a network to their advantage, and guided them through the fundraising process.This is a rebroadcast of a live episode that was recorded at Village Global HQ in San Francisco on June 14 2018. The event was put on in partnership with Xoogler, a network of former Googlers who have come together to help each other with their startup ambitions.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. Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.

Matt Clifford (@matthewclifford) and Alice Bentinck (@alicebentinck), co-founders of Entrepreneur First, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- What EF is all about and why Matt says that being an entrepreneur is one of the highest-leverage ways to change the world.- How to do ideation well, and how they think about it differently from traditional VC firms.- What they’ve learned about good founding teams and what makes a good co-founder match.- The challenges around changing the culture around entrepreneurship.- How they think about expansion and what their future will look like.- How to encourage more people to become founders.Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.

Karan Talati (@ktal90), Co-founder and CEO of First Resonance, and Keenan Johnson (@keenanjohnson), aerospace engineer, join Erik on this episode.They discuss:- The role of software versus processes in manufacturing innovation- Why has manufacturing been so slow to innovate and why is now the right time to disrupt it?- How platform shifts in hardware are changing the way we manufacture products- The future of manufacturing- Request for startups in the space- The role of the public sector in manufacturing- Are hardware startups compatible with venture funding?Applications for the summer vintage of our Network Catalyst accelerator are now open! The early decision deadline is May 15th and final deadline is June 5th. Learn more and apply today at www.villageglobal.vc/network-catalyst.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.