Shows
FutureWork PlaybookFast Co. “Most Innovative Companies” Amogy: Navigating Legal Waters in Clean Energy: Insights from the Head of LegalDaniel Landesberg had a passion for clean energy but little background in the industry when he applied to Amogy. Hired as the head of legal, he feels the excitement among engineers and, indeed, the whole company. It’s contagious.With host Natalie Pierce, Daniel describes the startup’s revolutionary work to unlock the potential of ammonia as a source of clean energy. He also discusses the role his team plays in navigating a new frontier of regulations and tax credits and educating the market about Amogy’s novel technology. “When it comes to regulations and whether those regulati...2025-01-1627 min
FutureWork PlaybookFast Co. “Most Innovative Companies” Justo: Inside Its Approach to Fulfillment, Supply Chain, and Customer LoyaltyWhen a Jüsto shopper fills their digital basket via the platform’s app, the teams behind the scene are getting to know the customer. Using AI, they create a personalized experience to meet the customer’s evolving needs. Paulo Neto, Jüsto’s Chief People and Performance Officer, visits host Natalie Pierce for a conversation about the teams and technology that are driving Latin America's fastest-growing online grocery platform. Tune in as Paulo pulls back the curtain on Jüsto’s strategies for building high-performance teams and processes that ensure its fulfillment centers deliver results 24/7. Every person, rega...2025-01-0233 min
FutureWork PlaybookFast Co. “Most Innovative Companies” Slang.ai: A Non-Traditional Route to Becoming a Technical FounderGabe Duncan combined his unique experience – including stints as a musician, data engineer, and data science manager – with his entrepreneurial spirit to co-found Slang.ai five years ago. In Slang.ai, he envisions a “utopian vision.” If you dine at restaurants, you’ve probably called to book a reservation, only to be put on hold by a harried host. If you’re a host, you’ve probably had to navigate buzzing phone calls when other duties called. Slang.ai leverages voice AI to power its digital phone concierge platform. “In the utopian vision, we are helping restaurants level-up their ho...2024-12-1942 min
FutureWork PlaybookFast Co. “Most Innovative Companies” Arkose Labs: Building Startup Growth Teams in the Age of AIHost Natalie Pierce invites Justin Schiefner, vice president of global people operations and culture at Arkose Labs, for a conversation about how Arkose Labs – on Fast Company’s prestigious list of “Most Innovative Companies” – builds on an alchemy of technology and people to create a successful global platform. Arkose Labs emphasizes a holistic approach to talent acquisition and prioritizes skills like emotional intelligence and communication over traditional degrees. Initiatives like R&D demo hours, newsletters, and hackathons foster employee engagement and idea-sharing. “Justin's insights remind us that, even as technology advances, success in the modern workplace still comes down to...2024-12-0342 min
FutureWork PlaybookFast Co. “Most Innovative Companies” Vanta: The CLO/CPO Journey w/ Ari ShahdadiVanta, a company that helps customers get compliant and build security programs, uses an AI tool to answer security questionnaires. Where humans had once spent hours on the task, the tool completes it quickly and accurately. Vanta’s customers love it.That’s not to raise the specter of automation stealing human jobs, explains Vanta’s chief legal officer and chief people officer, Ari Shahdadi. “We certainly don’t see this as a thing that’s threatening to anybody or going to replace anybody so much as drive future efficiency and accuracy and how people do their jobs,” he sa...2024-11-1437 min
Women Who BuildWomen Who Build: Natalie Pierce, Partner, Gunderson Dettmer, on How Founders Can Work w/ Law Firms.
Be it a startup or a large company, the most important element of any company is its team.
In the increasingly productive, multicultural, and rapidly evolving world, it is important to have robust agreements in place, follow regulations of different countries, integrate the workforce effectively during mergers and acquisitions, have protocols for employee communication, and so much more! However, founders or company executives are not trained on the legal granularities surrounding them. And honestly, they do not even need to!
Natalie Pierce helps with exactly this! Natalie is the Partner / Chair of, the Employment & Labor Group at Gunderson Dettmer...2024-09-2737 min
FutureWork PlaybookGenerative AI Killer Use Cases with Dazza Greenwood and Dr. Eliot“Those that are equipped with and know how to ably use AI are going to be outdoing those lawyers and law firms that do not.”The FutureWork podcast episode 6 features Dr. Lance Eliot, a regular Forbes contributor and AI Fellow at Stanford University and Dazza Greenwood, a renowned Fortune 100 legal tech advisor and the Executive Director of Law.MIT.edu. Both guests have industry-leading research and publications, and they routinely counsel attorneys, CEOs, educators, and business leaders. Lance and Dazza are also on the cutting edge of GenAI trends–developing roadmaps for legal teams, engineers and executives to tra...2023-10-1953 min
FutureWork PlaybookDeveloping Your Generative AI Strategy, a Conversation With Charlene LiThe FutureWork podcast episode 5 features Charlene Li, an expert in transformative technologies that disrupt the business landscape. Charlene is a keynote speaker, Fortune 100 advisor and author. Her upcoming book "Mega Transformations" is set to release in early 2024. Charlene Li's expertise in generative AI provides valuable insights into the future of work and the potential of AI to drive innovation and transform industries. Companies can benefit from embracing generative AI and leveraging its power to analyze data, enhance collaboration, and create new customer experiences. Natalie Pierce and Charlene discuss what companies can do to start their generative AI j...2023-09-2848 min
FutureWork PlaybookHelping Legal Teams Leverage Generative AI: A Conversation with IronClad Co-Founder, Cai GoGwiltWho said the legal industry is slow to adopt novel technology? Generative AI has made it possible to shift even the most reluctant of industries to create a new paradigm for reading, writing and reasoning. And beyond that, the era of generative AI is helping develop a new mindset about how these tools can augment human intelligence and strategic planning.In this episode, Natalie dives into the world of AI-powered business contracts and how the legal industry may be leading the way, with special guest, Cai GoGwilt. Cai, the co-founder and chief architect of Ironclad, discusses the...2023-09-0837 min
FutureWork PlaybookDeep Fakes, Social Engineering and Sam Altman, Oh My! - A Discussion With a Head of Data Privacy“Right now, we have this great opportunity to create a balanced and reasonable law that works for an industry that also protects individuals.”In this episode, Natalie welcomes Anna Westfelt, the Head of Gunderson Dettmer’s Data Privacy Practice, to discuss the growth of AI technology, the possible negative and positive effects, and how individuals can prepare themselves for this changing landscape.Gunderson boasts an emerging company and venture capital (EC/VC) firm focused on, as Natalie puts it, “building the firm of the future.” For example, generative AI can potentially turn data into a gold mine...2023-08-2433 min
FutureWork PlaybookGenerative AI is Here: How To Prepare Your TeamsWhen it comes to integrating AI technology in the workplace, uncertainty and fear can blind business from innovation and advancement. In this episode, host Natalie Pierce, dives back into the discussion of generative AI. The episode kicks off with a discussion of the recent Generative AI webinar series presented by guests and colleagues Katie Gardner and Aaron Rubin, two partners in Gunderson Dettmer’s Strategic Transactions & Licensing Practice.Katie and Aaron report the wild success of their informational webinar series about AI technology, but both guests also caution against the uncertainties of this rapidly developing field. With Gun...2023-08-1041 min
FutureWork PlaybookShaping a Legal Innovation Practice with Generative AIWe're back for Season 5 and we're diving into the fascinating world of generative AI! This season, we'll explore the technology underpinnings, the exciting advancements made so far, the ethical and legal considerations it brings to the forefront, and the possibilities it opens up for the future. Tune into this first episode as host Natalie Pierce speaks with two colleagues from Gunderson's practice innovation group, Chief Innovation Officer Joe Green and Legal Engineering & Data Strategy Manager John Scrudato.💡 Meet Your Host 💡Name: Natalie PierceOrganization: Gunderson DettmerConnect: LinkedIn💡 Fe...2023-07-2037 min
FutureWork PlaybookReshaping ESG: A Conversation on the Business Case for Mental Health InitiativesThe ESG standards have seen much attention from the SEC in the last several years. Now, the debate of including an “H” stands in line to extend the framework and consider the well-being of individuals with a more concentrated pillar. In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Dr. Bonny Forrest, a Principal at FirmLeader. Bonny is a renowned psychologist and former big law litigator and in-house counsel who now serves as a Board Consultant and Advisor. Bonny advises company boards on how to evaluate and implement ESG practices and provides coaching to board members on crea...2023-06-2226 min
FutureWork PlaybookMetrics Matter: A Look at Novata’s ESG Platform to Inform Governance“The term ESG, it's a term that gets applied to a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we're really just talking about looking at the risks and opportunities of investing in a company. And we're making it good data.”In this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with Lorraine Wilson, the Chief Sustainability Officer of Novata, to discuss the importance of ESG metrics and how Novata helps companies incorporate them.Novata's goal is to empower private markets to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable form of capitalism. They make it easy f...2023-06-0138 min
FutureWork PlaybookInvesting in People and Performance: How To Put The “S” in ESGIn this episode, Sarah Milby, the founder and CEO of Valor Performance, joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss the importance of coaching and upskilling in the modern workforce. Valor Performance combines human coaching with technology to provide a personalized coaching experience for leaders while offering data-driven insights to organizations to help make decisions around leading their workforce. We also hear of examples of how Valor's coaching programs have helped brands increase sales, retain top talent, and enhance work engagement, showing the positive impact of investing in human performance. 🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode...2023-05-1841 min
FutureWork PlaybookESG Now! Preparing for Exit at InceptionIn this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce speaks with attorneys Alexa Belonick and Andy Thorpe from Gunderson Dettmer's Public Companies and Capital Markets practice. The three discuss the increasing focus on ESG factors in the venture capital landscape and by public companies. 🗝️ Key Points 🗝️Top takeaways from this episode★ The Rising Importance of ESG Initiatives: ESG initiatives have gained significance in recent years. There’s an increased focus from regulators, institutional investors, and the public on the ESG goals and policies of companies. This shift has been driven by high-profile events, the rise of mission-alig...2023-05-0442 min
FutureWork PlaybookESG in Venture Capital: Insights from Alberto Yépez, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Forgepoint CapitalIn this week’s episode, host Natalie Pierce interviews Alberto Yépez, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Forgepoint Capital, a leading cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm, about incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives into all they do, including the firm’s investing principles.Our first episode of the year highlights the growing importance of ESG considerations in the venture capital industry and the steps that firms like Forgepoint Capital are taking to integrate these principles and initiatives into their investment strategies and operations. Forgepoint also provides examples in its portfolio like CyberCube, which is taking actionable steps towar...2023-04-2030 min
FutureWork PlaybookLife After IPO with Digital Commerce Giant VTEXLast year, VTEX went public on the New York Stock Exchange and became the first Latin American company in its niche to do so. On a mission to show other Latin American companies that it’s possible, they accomplished their goal — but not without adequate preparation. Going public is not as easy as setting a date and expecting it to happen. The team at VTEX was preparing years in advance. For co-founder Alex Soncini and General Counsel Juliana Lopes, going public came with its share of challenges and changes in their respective fields. In this season...2022-08-3133 min
FutureWork PlaybookLatin American SMB's Go Digital with TreintaIn just two short years, Treinta and its co-founders raised over $60M in funding and is bringing its already 5 million small business customers to the digital age. On this episode of the FutureWork Playbook, Lluís Canadell, founder and CEO of Treinta, joins host Natalie Pierce to discuss the opportunity to build impact with small businesses in Latin America by creating a digital platform for a more connected global market. Lluis brings his insights on finding a great co-founder, someone he trusted and with skills that complement his own, getting into Y Combinator, and overcoming one...2022-08-1832 min
FutureWork PlaybookNeoway’s R$1.8B Exit to the Brazilian Stock ExchangeGrowing a company is a marathon, not a sprint. Every task from leading a company and developing your team to scaling your culture and building partnerships take time. And for one CEO, Kadu Monguilhott, the marathon led to one great acquisition.Working with Neoway for nearly 10 years, Kadu saw the ups and downs of building a business. Working his way up from the sales team to executive roles, Kadu became close with the customers and employees, and he understood the vision of the company. Now, as the CEO, Kadu is taking Neoway to even greater h...2022-08-1022 min
FutureWork PlaybookWhy Not? The Race for Alternative ProteinsWith fearless energy, a little luck, and great connections, Matias Muchnick was able to pitch to top-tier investors and take his business to new heights. However, Matias says that there’s more to building a sustainable business than your investors and revenue.Getting in front of high-level investors and achieving unicorn status are great accomplishments, but they shouldn’t be your end goal. Your business should always be looking for ways to change the world.That’s exactly what Matias is doing with his company, NotCo. Although he’s achieved unicorn status and has been backed b...2022-07-2730 min
FutureWork PlaybookLatin America’s First Billion Dollar Social Impact UnicornInspired and supported by various people throughout his life, Eduardo della Maggiora made it his mission to help people do better, live better, and be better. Now, his company, Betterfly, has taken off to massive heights, becoming Latin America’s first billion-dollar social impact unicorn. Eduardo was just 15 when his father suffered a heart attack that left him nearly immobile and in very poor health. His father died three years later when Eduardo was 18 years old. Like many Latin American families, Eduardo endured the struggles of losing a loved one without life insurance coverage. This was the fir...2022-07-2038 min
ABA Innovation NetworkPractice Automation featuring Natalie Pierce and Stephanie Goutos of Gunderson DettmerGunderson Dettmer partner and chair of the firm's labor & employment practice, Natalie Pierce believes that life is a working towards a constant state of improvement. Stephanie Goutos, Gunderson Dettmer's practice innovation attorney, agrees and shares her expertise on how automated processes can foster those improvements. After a year the results have been clear. According to Pitchbook, Gunderson Dettmer has had a record breaking year in 2020 and continues to experience unprecedented growth.Today we talk with two brilliant innovators about the incredible growth they have seen in the last year and how that growth will be sustainable into t...2021-10-1329 min
FutureWork PlaybookSimulation Training with Augmented Reality with Red6 CEO Dan Robinson [001]Welcome to the inaugural episode of the FutureWork Playbook podcast! Thank you for listening. In this first season, we will be exploring how Americans are “Returning to the Workplace,” as the global economy comes out of an unparalleled time in history. In our first episode, host Natalie Pierce is joined by Dan Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Red6, a revolutionary air combat training system that employs augmented reality. Natalie and Dan explore how the military and businesses alike can prepare to move ahead with new training protocols and training modules using Augmented Reality technology. We’re als...2021-05-1132 min