Silicon Valley Impact

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E23 with Rajat Suri, Nick Larson, and Delya Jansen

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we talk with one of Silicon Valley’s legendary disruptors, Rajat Suri, co-founder of Lyft and serial entrepreneur. Also in the house are Nick Larson, creator and host of Silicon Zombies, and Delya Jansen, co-founder and CEO of Partner Utopia.
Rajat, or 'Raj,' is a long-time serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Lyft and Presto, both of which went public. He is now the co-founder of Lima, a premium concierge service for immigrants to the United States, and Tribe, a re-imagined group chat app. He lives near Stanford University with his wife and two young kids. He also co-hosts the Founders in Arms podcast. Listen in as we walk through Raj’s experience and unpack his wisdom and insights for running multiple companies at a high level.
Nick is a Bay Area native with a passion for people, technology, and surfing. As a serial founder, Nick has started and scaled mission-driven companies like Willow (an AI social media platform; investors include Google and Green Park Ventures; now worth $200M+), and OnePiece Work (co-working/accelerator, scaled to 12 locations; invested in by UpHonest Capital). He was named one of the 25 most influential people in communications technology by PRWeek in 2021. Nick is the host of Silicon Zombies, a live show and ecosystem that demystifies emerging technology and highlights the best minds (reaching 50+ countries, top 5% of podcasts on Spotify, with 100k+ views/month). His angel investments include Skunklock, SidePocket, Agrisonix, Palmia, and others. Nick was awarded LinkedIn’s “Top Voice” distinction (given to 300 people per year).
Delya is a visionary partnership strategist and the CEO and co-founder of Partner Utopia. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, Delya has made a name for herself by transforming companies with zero partnership strategy into revenue powerhouses, consistently driving 25%+ of revenue from partners in record time. Her expertise spans software, hardware, cloud, and SaaS, having built partnerships from scratch for industry giants like SanDisk, Snowflake, and NetApp. Recognizing a critical gap in the partnerships platform space, Delya pioneered the world's first SaaS product focused on partnership strategy. Her mission is to revolutionize how companies make partnering decisions, empowering partnership managers with a game-changing platform that simplifies the complex world of tech partnerships. Her unique approach and dedication to improving the partnership landscape have positioned her as a thought leader and innovator in the field.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!!

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E22 with Dan Cohen, Ziyad Alshehir, and Emad Daghreri

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Dan Cohen, Partner at NextLeap Ventures, and former VP of Corporate Strategy at Adobe Systems; and former Head of Strategic Planning at Intel Corporation. Also on the show are two startups from Saudi Arabia scaling internationally. You will meet Ziyad Alshehri, co-founder and CTO of COGNNA; you will meet and Emad Daghreri, co-founder and CEO of autobia.
Dan is Partner at NextLeap Ventures, which uses a unique "wisdom of the intelligent crowds" approach to identify promising Israeli startups for accredited investors. He has also held leadership roles in strategy, products, and branding for multiple $1 billion+ businesses.
As Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Adobe Systems, he successfully advocated for Adobe's shift to a recurring revenue model and accelerated growth in its Digital Marketing SaaS business—moves that have helped achieve a 20-fold increase in the stock price. HBR ranked Adobe’s transformation as the 2nd biggest of any company in the last decade.
His views on moving quickly in the face of industry disruption have been published in the MIT Sloan Management Review and the McKinsey Quarterly, and he has guest lectured at Berkeley's Haas School of Business.Earlier in his career, Dan held senior roles at Intel Corporation. As Head of Product Management and Product Marketing for the notebook computer business, he helped move wireless networking into the mainstream with the launch of the Centrino product line and quadrupled revenue by simultaneously gaining market share and raising ASPs.
Ziyad is the co-founder and CTO at COGNNA, a cybersecurity software company that helps organizations protect their servers and customer data from cyber threats.
Emad is the co-founder and CEO of Autobai. Autobai is transforming the automotive supply chain in Saudi Arabia and MENA by digitizing the entire ecosystem. They provide an end-to-end digital platform that connects automotive parts suppliers with retailers, workshops, and service centers, enabling seamless transactions and efficient supply chain management.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact.

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E21 with Mercedes Bankston, Nouf Alhazmi, and Paul Kleen

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we talk with top venture capital voice and venture capital advisor Mercedes Bankston of the Founder Institute. In the studio with us are Nouf Alhazmi, CEO and founder of Plastus, and Paul Kleen, CEO at Pitchit—two phenomenal founders in the process of launching startups with tremendous traction.
Mercedes is a seasoned executive leader with two decades of experience in sustainability, venture acceleration, and partnership development. A globally recognized leader, she has worked across multiple countries, earning accolades like LinkedIn's “Top Entrepreneurship Development Voice” and the Global Start-up Leadership Award. Mercedes excels in launching startups, mentoring thousands of pitches annually, and driving growth in sectors such as healthcare, education, and fintech. Her work as a venture partner and capital advisor showcases her ability to turn innovative ideas into successful ventures.
Nouf is the CEO and founder of Plastus, an innovative biotech startup based in Berkeley, California, specializing in polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for biodegradable bioplastics. Nouf's recent TEDx talk highlighted Plastove, a novel bioreactor design to create bioplastics from organic carbon waste, aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing fossil fuel dependency in developing countries. Dedicated to impact and sustainability, Nouf strives to inspire the next generation of bioengineers and entrepreneurs. Plastus has secured VC funding from IMB Ventures and Kristin Taylor and will compete in the global Hult Prize finals in London in September 2024, aiming to close its seed round.
Paul started in tech as a data scientist at Framed Data (YC-W14, acquired by Square), then became the head of growth at Paperspace (YC-W15, acquired by Digital Ocean), and recently started Pitchit, which just closed its Series Seed funding round led by Silicon Road Ventures with participation from Gray Ventures, Plug and Play, and Alchemist Accelerator.
Join us as we discuss insights into the startup world and how to accelerate your fundability in a competitive market.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E20 With NBA Mental Performance Coach Graham Betchart; and CEO Behrouz Hariri

On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with the inspiring Graham Betchart, mental performance coach for top business minds and professional athletes. Listen in as he gives us insight into how top performing NBA stars, and high performing startup founders gain the edge in a competitive landscape. Also joining us is Behrouz Hariri, CEO, Director, and Co-Founder of Smart Nora, a startup solving a very common sleep problem and saving marriages. 
Graham has spent the last 20 years as a leading mental skills coach, shaping the minds of professional athletes, including serving roles with two NBA teams and personally coaching over a dozen NBA All-Stars. Notably, he has been the mental coach behind the success of top NBA draft picks like Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, and Aaron Gordon. Recognized as one of the NBA's premier resources, Graham’s expertise in helping athletes master the mental side of the game is unparalleled.In 2023, while coaching with the Sacramento Kings, Graham was invited to speak at a Sequoia Capital event, which led him to a new challenge—coaching growth-stage CEOs. Just like elite athletes, these high-impact leaders operate in high-pressure environments where mental clarity is crucial. Today, Graham continues to work with a select group of NBA clients while leading quarterly cohorts of five CEOs through a personalized program at Capitola Coaching.With a deep understanding of thriving under pressure, Graham empowers both athletes and business leaders to reach their highest potential.
Behrouz Hariri is the CEO, Director, and Co-Founder of Smart Nora, a company on a mission to help 2 billion adults worldwide sleep and breathe better. With over 15 years of experience in product design and strategy, Behrouz has successfully launched products and programs across sectors in seven countries, improving the quality of life, digital health services, and financial mobility globally.Before founding Smart Nora, Behrouz honed his expertise in Toronto at JetCooper (acquired by Shopify) and in San Francisco at IDEO.org, where he led projects that tackled poverty through design. His work at IDEO.org included developing a sustainable franchise model to deliver essential services in D.R. Congo, reproductive health services in Zambia, and an inclusive financial product in the Philippines.Under Behrouz’s leadership, Smart Nora’s products have already transformed millions of lives by enabling better nights of sleep. His vision is to impact global health, happiness, and longevity by ensuring restorative, healthy sleep for half of the adult population worldwide.
This and much more on Silicon Valley!

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E19 Special Edition at Plug and Play, and Founders and Funders Event in Los Gatos

This week on Silicon Valley Impact, we have a special 3-part edition!
First, Brian Bernasconi and I briefly discuss the mission of Silicon Valley Impact—providing the startup ecosystem with access to valuable insights and innovation from those deeply immersed in Silicon Valley.
Next, tune in as we revisit last month’s live panel discussion on AI Innovation and Insights for Startups at Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. Our esteemed panelists included Bill Reichert, Jenni Wu, Mona Salvi, and Venkat Thiruvengadam. With over 150 AI founders and more than 250 guests in attendance, it was a remarkable event. We were honored to moderate, record, and share this exclusive conversation for our show.
Finally, on this episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’ll air an interview from the Founders and Funders Series, held at Hapa’s Brewery in Los Gatos. This series of events takes place across the Bay Area, with the Los Gatos edition happening every second Tuesday at Hapa’s Brewery in partnership with IgniteGTM. Join us tonight (August 13th) in Los Gatos

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E19 with Peter Walker & Lindsey Mignano

On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we talk with the legendary Peter Walker, Head of Insights of Carta; and returning guest, Lindsey Mignano Co-Founder & Shareholder at SSM. 
Peter runs the Insights team at Carta, focused on discovering key data and narratives across the private capital ecosystem. He is a master at weaving data into brand storytelling for the next generation of company owners. In a former life, he was a marketing executive for a media analytics startup and led the data visualization team at the Covid Tracking Project.
Lindsey counsels national and international startups regarding business formation and expansion into US markets, commercial contracts, venture financing, and M&A. Prior to founding her women-owned law firm in 2016, Lindsey practiced at an international law firm. Originally from Hawaii, she graduated from Iolani School (H.S.D., 2003) before heading to California to attend Stanford University (B.A., 2007), and University of California, San Francisco, fka Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2010).
Listen in as we talk about the state of venture capital in Q3 2024; and how, after two years of being told to do more with less, venture-funded companies are coming back to the market for their next round and facing an ever increasing competitive landscape where venture firms are deploying more, but only to the select few after lengthy negotiations and heightened due diligence. 

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E17 With Luke Hohmann, Albert Lam, and Daniel Lo

On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we take a look at sustainable profit streams with Luke Hohmann, Chief Innovation Officer of Applied Frameworks. Also in the studio is Albert Lam, Co-Founder & CEO of Novelte Robotic Solutions; and Daniel Lo, CEO and Founder of GoGoChart.
Luke Holmann is a four time author, three time founder, SAFe® Fellow, keynote speaker and internationally recognized expert in Agile Software Development. His passion is sustainably profitable businesses, because it is only through sustainable profits that a business can thrive. 
As Chief Innovation Officer of Applied Frameworks Luke works with executives to fulfill the mission of helping clients create sustainably profitable businesses. His most recent book, Software Profit Solutions, is co-authored with Jason Tanner and shares key insights to help transform businesses through profitable, sustainable software solutions.
Also joining us is Albert Lam, the driving force behind a thriving robotics company out of Hong Kong seeking to disrupt how robots see the world. Albert believes robotics, and the use of AI will bring our world to a new era, resolving the increasing cost of using man-power among repetitive work. With the rise of Ai and computing power, he is devoted to create feasible camera only autonomy solution for indoor mobility including robots and transporter.
Finally, we will meet Daniel Lo, Founder & CEO of GoGoChart. GoGoChart is an award winning company that has helped over 2,000 brands in more than 60 countries optimize and promote their apps. GoGoChart has evolved into an all-rounded digital marketing service provider after winning trust from thousands of brands, and was awarded the 2019 Hong Kong Technology Fast and Rising Star Program organized by Deloitte, the Best Use of Mobile Online Campaign (inaugural season) by Interactive Advertising Bureau Hong Kong (iAB HK) in 2021, and became one of the most awarded agencies in Hong Kong. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong and has additional regional teams situated in the Philippines and mainland China.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact, KPCR 92.9FM in Los Gatos; and 101.9FM in Santa Cruz Tuesdays at 3pm!
Not in the South Bay or Santa Cruz you can listen online at: https://kpcr.org/
Or, follow us on Spotify and listen to all our episodes at: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J
Special Thanks to Jeanette Blacy for your support of the show

Silicon Valley Impact: S1 E16 WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP SERIES with Mariane Bekker, Aury Cifuentes, Fannie Wang, and Shoba Viswanath

Today, we continue our WOMAN IN LEADERSHIP series with Mariane Bekker, on Silicon Valley Impact. Listen in as Mariane makes a BIG announcement, and 3 amazing woman investors open up on how to make an impact in the startup ecosystem.
Aury Cifuentes is an early-stage investor at How Women Invest. Prior to joining How Women Invest Aury was an investor at Plug & Play. She leverages her knowledge as a former fintech operator and manager to evaluate startups impacting people, tech, and large enterprises. Before joining the venture capital industry, she was a manager at Bloomberg in New York City. Aury has always been active across several groups supporting young women in their careers, such as her school's Women in Business chapter, Women in VC, and the San Francisco Girls' School. Today, she is actively investing in women-led companies from Seed to Series B across the areas of healthcare, sustainability, and the future of work.
Also in the studio is Fannie Wang, an early-stage Investor at UpHonest Capital, a silicon valley based venture capital with 350 portfolios under management. The earliest backer of Hims & Hers (NYSE: HIMS), Vicarious Surgical (NYSE: RBOT), Knightscope (NASDAQ:KSCP), Instacart, Grubmarket, Lime, and Checkr.
Finally, we have Shoba Viswanath, an active angel investor who has invested through numerous syndicates She has a life science, and technology agnostic background Shoba has worked in a range of SAAS for healthcare and biopharma products, to technology for transportation and fin-tech. Through affiliations with leading accelerators like Plug & Play, Alchemist, Viswanath Consulting, LLC, and Appleton & Greene, she provides advisory services on raising money and growing companies. She immersed herself in everything from product development, operations, and dev to strategy and raising venture capital to scale these companies.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact on KPCR 92.9FM in Los Gatos and beyond!
Not in the South Bay (Los Gatos, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Fremont, etc.) you can listen online at: https://kpcr.org/
Special Thanks to Jeanette Blacy for your support of the show.

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E15 with Kevin Jurovich, Rick Spencer, and Christian Masegian (S1E15)

BUCKLE-UP STARTUP AND SPORTS FANS 🏈 🚀On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we have Kevin Jurovich, Ex-NFL player turned startup founder; Rick Spencer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at the Growth Factory; and Christian Masegian, Co-Founder & CEO at Modern Football TechnologyKevin is the Co-Founder & CEO of Circles, where they are passionate about transforming how people discover places they love through live video. Circles combines the functionality of TikTok meets Yelp, while offering real-time capacity updates. We’ll discuss how Kevin’s journey into startups began in 2013 while serving as a Private Wealth Manager at Wells Fargo Advisors, where he focused on tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Since then, he’s immersed himself in the startup world, both as a founder and mentor to other entrepreneurs. And, oh ya!, before his transition to finance and tech, he played wide receiver in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Bears. So we might talk a little about that.Rick Spencer is the Managing Partner of Growth Factory Ventures, est. in 2021. Prior to Co-Founding Growth Factory, Rick was a Founder and startup executive with multiple organizations, with an exit of one company (Briotix) to publicly traded, and Houston based, USPh. As the Managing Partner of Growth Factory, Rick has led the fund team to build an investment portfolio of 50 companies across verticals in the Future of Food, Health, Medicine, Government and Work. Additionally, Rick is a Board Member for Idea Village’s newly launched fund (Momentum). Then, Christian Masegian talks about his background in technology development and management consulting, where he has helped F100 companies design and implement their data strategies. In 2017, he developed a close relationship with the University of Texas football to advise on a program-wide technology strategy to enable coaches, players, and staff to rationalize technology investments, visualize analytics, and identify opportunities to improve player evaluation, performance, and recovery/health.This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact, KPCR 92.9FM with Lisa Helfrick, Brian Bernasconi, and myself!Not in the South Bay (Los Gatos, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Fremont, etc.) you can listen online at: https://kpcr.org/Follow us on Spotify and listen to all our episodes at: https://lnkd.in/gAi9hz-USpecial Thanks to Jeanette Blacy for your support of the show.

Silicon Valley Impact S1 E14 with Naveen Khugputh, Shelley Kuipers, and Mercedes Korngut

On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we have Naveen Khugputh, Co-Founder & COO at Werqwise, and Private Equity; Shelley Kuipers, CEO and General Partner at The51; and Mercedes Korngut, Co-Founder and CEO of Small Bits of Happiness (oh, and did I mention, she’s only 16 years old?).
Naveen has over 15 years in business development, private equity, and angel investing. As the co-founder and COO of Werqwise, a pioneering flexible workspace provider. Naveen is as an active angel investor with a wealth of experience in high-growth global operations across emerging and developed markets. Naveen has facilitated over 30 private equity transactions, totaling over $3 billion USD. His expertise in navigating the intricacies of entrepreneurship and investment makes him a valuable asset to any discussion on business development and innovation.
Also joining us is Shelley, co-founder of The51, and serial entrepreneur. She's the Co-founder of @Chaordix; Co-Founder of Stormworks; and Co-founder of IOVIA, based in London, UK. Shelley has been an early-stage investing for more than 20 years. Her investment experience focuses on the tech sector with an emphasis on innovation-driven companies across many sectors. To date their family office has made +30 early-stage investments. Shelley’s most notable investment was Solium, which was acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2019 for $1.1B. Shelley supports many founders, and ventures as an advisor, board observer and director, including Bobbie Racette Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus.
Meet 16 year old Mercedes Korngut, Co-Founder and CEO of Small Bits of Happiness, a company on mission to help individuals of all ages, especially teenagers, find more happiness daily. She is also the co-host of Hack Your Happiness, a podcast where Mercedes and her younger sister, Anastasia, interview Oscar-winners, Olympic Athletes, and top authors on what brings them happiness, and their life hacks. Mercedes's written work has been featured in publications such as Impact Magazine and Washington Parent magazine, and she has been a guest on national TV news and media.
This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact, KPCR 92.9FM with Lisa Helfrick, Brian Bernasconi, and myself!
Not in the South Bay (Los Gatos, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Fremont, etc.) you can listen online at: https://kpcr.org/
Follow us on Spotify and listen to all our episodes at: https://lnkd.in/gAi9hz-U
Special Thanks to Jeanette Blacy for your support of the show.