Shows
Driving AlphaHow Owl ventures is driving the future of EdTech: global insights with Amit PatelAmit Patel and Brian Smiga discuss the origin story of Owl Ventures, founded in 2014 in response to major shifts in education technology infrastructure and consumer behavior. They cover key trends that enabled the rise of edtech, including the expansion of broadband in U.S. schools and the availability of affordable devices like Chromebooks. Amit shares his unique career journey, starting in film and theatre before pivoting to a career in venture capital. In this episode of Driving Alpha, host Brian Smiga interviews Amit Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures, the world's largest venture capital firm focused on...2024-12-0331 minDriving AlphaThe Dynamics of Venture Capital – A Conversation with Raju RishiIn the latest episode of the Driving Alpha podcast, Brian Smiga sits down with Raju Rishi, General Partner at RRE Ventures. Raju brings decades of experience in entrepreneurship and venture capital, sharing his deep knowledge of the tech landscape and investment strategies. At RRE Ventures, he specializes in sectors such as Enterprise Software, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics, and has built a strong track record in scaling successful startups. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 00:35 Raju Rishi's Early Career and Background 04:00 Transition to Venture Capital 04:42 RRE's Inves...2024-10-2934 minDriving AlphaOutperforming in Real Estate Tech and the Power of Domain ExpertiseIn this episode of the Driving Alpha podcast, Brian Smiga sits down with Jeffrey Berman, a partner at Camber Creek, to discuss the intricacies of investing in real estate tech. Jeffrey brings his unique background as a venture capitalist and former real estate professional to the table, sharing insights into what sets top-performing VC firms apart, how to identify venture-scale opportunities, and the importance of domain expertise in the built world. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 00:00 Introduction to Driving Alpha Podcast 00:44 Jeffrey Berman's Unique Investment Philosophy 01:48 The Secret Sauce of Camber Creek 04:00 Inve...2024-10-2225 minDriving AlphaDriving Alpha: Recycling Relationships With Matthew GreenfieldMatthew Greenfield is a Managing Partner at Rethink Education, a venture capital firm dedicated to innovative educational technology. He holds multiple board seats, including at SNHU and BrightBytes, and has co-founded several successful technology companies, such as near-unicorn Rethink First. An accomplished educator and thought leader with a BA, MA, and PhD from Yale, he is former professor at Bowdoin College and the City University of New York. Episode Chapters (00:00) Introduction (01:57) How familial influences shaped Matthew Greenfield's passion and direction in venture capital (02:30) The impact of female venture partners i...2024-09-1025 min
Think. Build. Launch. with MARL Startup StudioFrom Serial Entrerpeneur to Marketing Mastery with Brian SmigaBrian Smiga is a Partner at Alpha and advises Pritzker Group Venture Capital. He founded Preclick, licensed by major retailers, and was CEO of both 3Path and 1ClickCharge. In the 1990s, he founded Portfolio Software and Actioneer, licensing software to tech giants. He began his career at Booz & Co and holds degrees from Swarthmore College and Trinity College, Dublin. Brian founded TEDxAsburyPark and serves on the Roothbert Fund board.2023-10-3127 min
Today's Market Explained with Brian Kasal#159 Small Investors' Guide to Evaluating Venture Capital Funds w/ Brian Smiga, Co-founder and Partner at Alpha PartnersDownload the “65 Investment Terms You MUST Know to Reach Your Financial Goals” for FREE by going to https://TodaysMarketExplained.com/
Brian Smiga (https://alphapartners.com/), a serial entrepreneur and seasoned marketer, is a Partner at Alpha. Brian also advises Pritzker Group Venture Capital on deal origination and relationships.
In this episode, Brian and Brian Smiga discussed:
Private Asset Prices and the Venture Capital Bubble
Tech Has Outperformed in Creating Value
Why Mid-Stage Investment is a Safe Bet For Your Money
The Ultimate Guide to Finding Local Venture Capital Funds
Why You Should Participate in the...2023-04-1523 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVC4 Reason Immigrant Founders Outperform with Nitan Pachisia, of Unshackled VenturesNitin Pachisia @immigreating, co-founder and GP of Unshackled Ventures @UnshackledVC, talks about the underrated synergy of immigrant founder teams and why frugality generates ingenuity.
Links:
HBR: “Why Immigrants Are More Likely to Become Entrepreneurs”, “Why Diverse Teams are Smarter”
Axios: “Venture capital slowly seeps outside of Silicon Valley”
Pine Park Health
Unshackled team: Manan Mehta, Samala, Alexis Maciel, E’mani Davis
Unshackled Pitch link / Nitin’s calendar
Unshackled: The most common reasons we pass on companies
SHACK15 + SHACK15 CONVERSATIONS podcast
Transcript...2023-02-0715 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCDemocratizing Growth with Irwin Loud, of Muller and MunroeIrwin Loud, co-founder of Chicago-based Muller and Munroe, fund of private equity funds, talks about the recent progress of directing capital to minority and women general partners.
Links:
NAIC Examining the Results
Cambridge Associates: Sector Specialists Outperform by nearly 5%
Cambridge Associates: Sector Specialists Outperformance
Cambridge Associates: Diverse Manager Investing
Irwin's LinkedIn
Transcript available here.
To be in touch with Brian, DM @bsmiga.
Learn more about Alpha Partners growth capital.
2023-02-0115 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCInvesting in Community with Sonia Nagar, of The Community FundSonia Nagar @ssahney, of The Community Fund @theCommunityVC, talks about why community-driven companies can be bigger, faster, and more cost efficient to grow.
Links:
Pritzker Group Venture Capital @PritzkerVC
Dame @dameproducts / Alexandra Fine @afinehuman / Dame Labs
Flybridge @flybridge / Jesse Middleton @srcasm
Ganas Ventures / Lolita Taub @lolitataub
Listen Ventures @listendotco
Sonia's Linked In
Transcript available here.
To be in touch with Brian, DM @bsmiga.
Learn more about Alpha Partners growth capital.2023-02-0108 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCBuilding Inclusive Companies with Alan Patricof, of Primetime PartnersAlan Patricof, co-founder of Primetime Partners (and Greycroft Partners, Apax Partners), talks about the benefits of building companies for people over 50, by people over 50.
Links:
Thrive Global / Abby Levy
MIT: “Successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged, not young.”
The number of Americans ages 65 and older will more than double over the next 40 years
The Caregiving Crisis
Alan's LinkedIn
Transcript available here.
To be in touch with Brian, DM @bsmiga.
Learn more about Alpha Partners growth capital.2023-02-0108 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCDemocratizing VC Leadership with Marlon Nichols, of MaC Venture CapitalMarlon Nichols @MarlonCNichols, founding managing partner of MaC Venture Capital @MaCVentureCap, talks about how more diverse private investment leadership can bring us closer to equity in our near future. Let's make the 2020s the Inclusive Decade.
Links:
NVCA: VC Human Capital Survey, 2021
BLCK VC , #BLCKVC
Kauffman Fellows Program
@PaulJudge / @TopeAwotona / @RubenHarris / @DaveSalant / @SongeLaRon
Transcript available here.
To be in touch with Brian, DM @bsmiga.
Learn more about Alpha Partners growth capital.
2023-02-0108 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCBuilding Inclusive Companies with Alan Patricof, of Primetime PartnersAlan Patricof, co-founder of Primetime Partners (and Greycroft Partners, Apax Partners), talks about the benefits of building companies for people over 50, by people over 50.Links:Thrive Global / Abby LevyMIT: “Successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged, not young.” The number of Americans ages 65 and older will more than double over the next 40 yearsThe Caregiving Crisis Transcript available here.To be in touch with Brian, DM @bsmiga.2022-09-0108 min
A Few Things with Jim Barrood#17 Investor Chat: Jay Bhatti + Brian Smiga - A Few Things - 51 MinWe discussed: 1. How the local and national startup ecosystem is faring during this crisis 2. Investment outlook in short and medium term 3. Advice for entrepreneurs in these unprecedented and challenging times 4. Vroom IPO Jay Bhatti is a founding venture partner with BrandProject Capital. Jay is also an active angel investor in New Jersey start-ups. Due to Jay’s work in the startup community in New Jersey, Jay was nominated for Venture Capitalist of the Year in New Jersey in 2017 by the New Jersey Tech Council. Jay has given a TEDxAsburyPark talk on...2021-02-1852 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCThe New York Angel: Brian CohenOur host sits down with Brian Cohen from the New York Angels to discuss Pinterest, one of his category leading companies.2018-11-0722 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCMath Ventures: Mark AchlerOur host sits down with Mark Achler at Math Ventures to talk about his category leading company, Aprevita.2018-08-2115 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCScout Ventures: Brad HarrisonOur Host sits down with Brad Harrison at Scout Ventures to talk about his category leading company, Bespoke Post2018-07-1726 min
Blackbelt VC by SpeedyVCRubicon Venture Capital: Joshua SiegelOur Host sits down with Joshua Siegel from Rubicon Venture Capital2017-11-1920 min