Tank Talks By Ripple Ventures

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our two guests Nate Williams & Chris Kim Co-Founders and Managing Partners at UNION Labs to discuss, “Deep Tech Investing at the Early-Stage”Nate & Chris both have an incredible experience in building and scaling deep-tech startups given their mutual background at August Home where they both met back in 2015 and helped grow the company to over $75mm in sales before being acquired.Nate's career originally started at Intel in the Digital Home Group and eventually went on to lead BD at 4Home and Motorola before it was acquired by Google in 2011. Nate eventually became the Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Partnerships at August Home where he led deals with AirBnB, Walmart and Amazon.Chris started his career as a Product Manager at Bank of America and then moved on to eBay and then CSAA and eventually joined August Home as VP of Product when it launched in 2012. Chris became CTO of August and led the product development team of new smart locks for homes and offices.On today's talk, we ask Nate & Chris why they decided to launch a hard-tech fund that both backs and builds early-stage startups vs just creating a venture studio or traditional VC fund. We dig into the areas of deep-tech they are most excited about today and what areas of consumer deep tech they are already invested in and where they see the industry going.Nate’s Book Recommendations:High Output ManagementThe Score Takes Care of ItselfChris’ Book Recommendations:The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop TalkingNate’s words of inspiration - “Be authentic, life is too short to be something you are not and invest in yourself first!”Chris’ words of inspiration - “Startups are hard but they can be a huge amount of fun! Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Uri Pomerantz, Venture Partner at Jackson Square Ventures to discuss, “The Truth About Anti-Hype Investing”Uri has an incredible background as a former Mckinsey consultant, Startup Founder and Venture investor.As a founder, Uri built a startup that was acquired by a Fortune 500 company (John Hancock), and went on to launch a fintech savings app within John Hancock called Twine which was awarded the best overall Fintech mobile app in 2019. Uri went on to lead strategic partnerships and new ventures at John Hancock, to invest in, partner with, and incubate new fintech startups globally.Prior to founding his first company, Uri also founded Jozoor Microfinance, as a non-profit microfinancing company focused on providing loans to help unemployed Palestinian and Israeli youth create new businesses in their communities in his early days.On today's talk, we ask Uri how Jackson Square Ventures defines “Anti-Hype Venture Investing” and why it is such a focus for the firm which has backed amazing companies like DocuSign, Strava and UpWork? We discuss how Uri sees the future of Venture Capital changing as more first time founders are rethinking moving to the Bay area and his views on emerging markets as it relates to venture capital.Uri’s Book Recommendations:- Man's Search For Meaning- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less- Nonviolent Communication (A Language of Life)- The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond YourselfUri’s words of inspiration - “Get to the best place you can personally and internally before you go out to do great work with others .”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Saurabh Sharma, General Partner at Jump Capital to discuss, “The Democratization of Data Analytics & Machine Learning”Saurabh has a diverse background in investing, operations & product management and leads Jump's efforts in Enterprise Software and IT Infrastructure.Prior to joining Jump, Saurabh led various roles at Groupon in product, marketing & operations. Previously, he was an early stage investor at Lightbank, an Investment Banker with Barclays Capital, an algo trader with Lehman Brothers, and was a founding team member of Benchprep (a venture-backed digital learning platform).On today's talk, we ask Saraubh his views on the Democratization of Machine Learning and Data Analytics. We discuss his investment thesis on Cloud & Data Infrastructure, CyberSecurity, and the industries he believes have been most affected by COVID and where AI and ML are needed most to uplift humanity.Saurabh’s Book RecommendationsMindset The New Psychology Of SuccessThe World Is FlatSaurabh’s words of inspiration - “There is no one shape or form that entrepreneurs come in. It's up to you to look inside yourself and determine what drives you and what's your passion and drive towards making that happen.”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Dr. Haley Perlus, PhD, Peak Performance Coach to discuss “How CEOs Can Handle Adversity Like a High-Performance Athlete”Since the age of 12, Dr. Perlus aspired toward a career in Sport and Exercise Psychology after competing nationally in downhill ski racing. Within one year of earning her PhD. at the age of 28, she became a professor, public speaker, and consultant to the US national team. Dr Perlus has written four books on peak performance and how athletes can continue to achieve their highest potential long into the future.Sport Psychology has been coined the Science of Success because it studies how successful people optimize their psychological and emotional states for maximum results.On today's talk, you will get to hear Dr. Perlus’ thoughts on how CEOs can cope with their fear of failure and how to use stress to enhance peak performance. She shares her best tricks on how to get motivated to exercise after a long day of work, and how to avoid burnout as a young entrepreneur.Haley’s Book Recommendations:Way of The Peaceful Warrior by Dan MillmanThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark MasonLove is Letting Go of Fear by Gerald JampolskyStillness is the Key by Ryan HolidayHaley’s words of inspiration - “As we are proceeding through life, give yourself some grace for where you are at and accept who you are while you’re striving to be better.”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Samir Kaji, Senior Managing Director @ First Republic Bank, to discuss “Breaking Through the Crowd as an Emerging Manager”Samir is a well known voice in the venture capital ecosystem having started his career at Silicon Valley Bank at the beginning of the tech boom in 1999. Samir started out as an Analyst and eventually made his way up to Managing Director of the Menlo office where he completed over $5 billion in debt transactions with over 500 companies.Samir later joined First Republic Bank in 2012 to lead their VC and tech banking efforts with a particular focus on early-stage venture capital startups and emerging managers focused at the Seed & Series A stage.On today's talk you will get to hear Samir's thoughts on how emerging managers can differentiate themselves when pitching institutional investors in a crowded fundraising environment. In addition, Samir shares his tips on building the perfect pitch deck and his thoughts on the issues with LP pattern recognition. Finally, Samir discusses the importance of mission statements for emerging venture funds and why he decided to launch his own venture podcast after such a successful venture blog series.Samir’s Book RecommendationsThe Success EquationBlink - The Power of Thinking Without ThinkingThe Advantage - Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In BusinessEleven Rings - The Soul of SuccessSamir’s words of inspiration - “If you want to do something, go do it right now cause there's no better time than the present”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Fabrice Grinda, Founding Partner of @ FJ Labs to discuss “Investing in Marketplaces Before It’s A Marketplace”Before starting FJ Labs, Fabrice was an incredibly successful entrepreneur having launched several startups before and after the dot-com bust in early 2000. His first startup Aucland was started by Fabrice at age 23 which grew into one of the largest auction sites in Europe. Next, Fabrice started Zingy in 2001 and grew it to $200 million in sales in four years. After selling Zingy, Fabrice launched OLX or the Online-Exchange as the Craigslist alternative for the world outside the US and grew it to over 300 million monthly unique visitors.On the investing side, Fabrice has over $300 million in exits across 150 companies and has made over 500 angel investments in total, with an impressive track record as an early investor in Alibaba, Lending Club, Delivery Hero and Brightroll among many others.Today you will get to hear Fabrice's tips and tricks on how marketplace startups should tackle challenges. You will hear his thoughts on supply/demand dynamics, SaaS tools in a marketplace, Payment infrastructure and the importance of frequency in building a marketplace.Fabrice’s Book RecommendationsLoonshots - Safi BahcallWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker, PhDLifespan - Why We Age and Why We Don't Have - David A. Sinclair, PhDFabrice’s words of inspiration - “Whatever you think you can, begin it, boldness is magic and genius to it.”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Elaine Zelby, Principal & Director of Growth @ SignalFire to discuss Product Led Growth Strategies for Startups.Before joining SignalFire, Elaine spent the early part of her career at Capriza, an enterprise software startup backed by a16z, and Charles River Ventures as one of the first employees building out many of the go-to-market strategies where she learned how to incentivize internal teams as well as external partners.Elaine later joined slack to lead the enterprise product marketing team but quickly realized she had a passion for blockchain technology and eventually moved over to Consensys, a blockchain-focused venture studio. While there, she built the Product Marketing and Growth teams working across the 50+ incubation companies and learnt the art of storytelling as a startup.Today you will get to hear Elaine's tips and tricks on how and when startups should think about product-led growth strategies and her own passion for podcasting and conversational AI.Elaine’s Book RecommendationsAwareness - Anthony De MelloNever Split the DifferenceHow to Win Friends & Influence PeopleElaine’s words of inspiration - “Happiness is an underrated commodity”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks on Twitter here! Or check us out on LinkedIn & Instagram! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Ade Ajao, Managing Partner @ Base10 Partners to discuss Investing in Automation & AI tools for the real economy.Before starting Base10, Ade is best known for being the Co-Founder and CEO of the startup Tuenti, also known as the ‘Spanish Facebook” which he stared back in 2005 in college with some friends. The company eventually went on to be acquired by Telefonica for $100mm 5 years later.In his next act, Ade moved on to Co-Found Identified, a data and analytics company which started his obsession with machine learning and AI solutions. After 3 years of building Identified, the company was acquired by Workday. Ade joined Workday and helped launch workday ventures, the first Applied AI-focused fund. That is where Ade met his current Base10 partner TJ and after two years at Workday, TJ and Ade left to launch Base 10 Partners with over $400mm in assets across two funds.Today you will get to hear how Ade thinks about investing in Automation and AI Startups for the Real Economy and how his investments in Docsend, DollarShave Club, and Instacart among countless others as an angel investor started his passion for investing.Ade’s Book Recommendations:What is Life? - SchrodingerThe Ethics - Baruch SpinozaThe Power Broker - Robert A. CaroAde’s words of inspiration - “Anything is possible but not everything is possible. That is the definition of focus.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Ryan Freeman, Head of Enterprise Partnerships @ DoorDash to discuss Managing Enterprise Partnerships as a Startup.On today's Talk, we ask Ryan about his operator journey starting out in Consulting at Accenture where he worked his way into a global group focused on international expansion. Ryan explains how his experience at Accenture helped shape his views on how startups can deal with ambiguity and strong competencies around specific markets and technologies when working with enterprises.We get Ryan to dig into his transition to the startup world as a VP of Partnerships at Turnstyle where he had to learn the hard way on how to get a seat at the table when he had no brand name behind him. After spending time at Yelp in San Francisco, Ryan explains why he took on the role at DoorDash to head up their Canadian offices last year. We learn what startups should do to avoid being taken advantage of during partnership conversations and key items to look out for when starting partnerships negotiations.Ryan’s Book RecommendationsHow the Mind Works - Steven PinkerGuns, Germs and Steel - Jared DiamondExpecting Better - Emily OsterRyans’ words of inspiration - “Don't think about the next step in your career journey as a linear set of steps that try to fit a mould. Try to solve for the most interesting next set of experiences to set you up for future success.”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

On today’s Tank Talk! We welcome our guest Wes Tang-Wymer, Co-Founder & General Partner @ Rucker Park Capital.On today's Talk, we ask Wes about his investor journey starting out in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and his unconventional path towards Wall St. Next, we ask Wes about his transition to the hedge fund world where he landed a role as a long/short equities analyst at Steve Cohen's family office, Point 72 Asset Mgmt, focusing on technology investments. We dig into the extremely fast- paced and high-pressure environment of working at such a notable firm like Point72. Wes explains the lessons he learned about risk management and portfolio construction.Moving on, we dig into Wes’ transition to venture capital as a founding member of the global investment team at Softbank in 2015 where he invested in some of the biggest unicorns of the last decade including Uber, Lemonade, Kabbage, SoFi, DiDi and countless others. We ask Wes about some of the mistakes he’s seen later-stage companies make after raising massive funding rounds that existing early-stage founders should try to avoid.Next get into Wes’ current role as co-founder of Rucker Park Capital w/ his former Softbank colleague Marrisa Campise and the firm's focus on early-stage investments. We ask Wes what he takes from his experience at SoftBank leading mega deals and the characteristics he looks for in founders he backs today.This Tank Talk really makes you appreciate the role luck, randomness and persistence plays in people's lives and how investing in yourself is the first step into taking you to where you eventually want to be in life.Wes’ Book Recommendations:Churchill: Walking with Destiny (Andrew Roberts)Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond)The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. (Evan Ratliff)Wes’ words of inspiration - “Embrace the role of luck and randomness while maintaining openness towards opportunities”Follow Matt Cohen and Tank Talks here! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com