Shows
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley PodcastLee Edwards of Root VC: "Let's get Technical!" -- An Engineer Becomes a VCLee Edwards is a General Partner at Root VC, a San Francisco-based deep tech seed fund. They recently raised their 4th fund of $190 million. But before he became a venture capitalist, Lee was an engineer. He was most recently CTO at Teespring. Previously, Lee was a mechanical engineer at iRobot, a software engineer at Pivotal Labs, Lead Engineer at SideTour (acquired by Groupon in 2013), and engineering manager for GrouponLive. He graduated from Olin College of Engineering with a degree in Systems Engineering. So not the type of person you'd expect to become a venture capitalist. In...
2025-11-121h 00Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast1517 Fund: The Maverick VC Betting on Teens to Outbuild Ivy LeaguersIn this episode of the Something Ventured podcast, I spend time with Danielle Strachman and Michael Gibson, the people behind 1517 Fund. 1517 is a venture capital firm that defies Silicon Valley's fixation on elite credentials from Stanford, Harvard and the like. Their paths to venture capital are anything but typical. Danielle shares how her 20 years in alternative education, from founding a tutoring company to launching a San Diego charter school rooted in homeschooling principles, shaped her belief in lifelong learning for all. Michael, a former philosophy PhD 'dropout', recounts how he joined Peter Thiel's orbit through t...
2025-10-1356 min
Entrepreneurial Excellence PodcastThis Tech Investor Knows Why 90% of Startups Fail - Kent LindstromWhy do some companies excel while others flounder? How can that X factor be identified that sets winners apart? We dissect the intricate mechanics of the venture capital world, demystifying the complex relationship between money and success.
We delve into the world of tech investments with the visionary founder of 8-bit Capital, Kent Lindstrom. Together, we explore the alchemy of turning startups into gold, unearthing secrets from the investment realm. With a keen eye for high-growth founders and a vast portfolio of early-stage software startups in AI, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Enterprise, Fintech, and Social, Kent shares the recipe...
2024-02-211h 18
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast145 William Davidow: "Civilization is Going Through Its Third Phase Change"William Davidow is a Silicon Valley pioneer, former Intel VP, and renowned venture capitalist. He is author of the new book, with tech journalist Michael Malone, THE AUTONOMOUS REVOLUTION: Reclaiming the Future We've Sold to Machines (Berrett-Koehler, February 18, 2020). It's a provocative look at how to safeguard humanity from our autonomous future and how to harness its benefits. According to Davidow and Malone, for the third time in the history of humanity civilization is undergoing phase change. The first was the Agricultural Revolution, the second the Industrial Revolution, and we are now in the midst of the Autonomous...
2020-09-1133 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast144 Rob Chesnut: Airbnb's Former Chief Ethics Officer on Intentional IntegrityRob Chesnut is an advisor to Airbnb, where he was previously Chief Ethics Officer and general counsel. His recently released book is Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead An Ethical Revolution. Rob started his career as a federal prosecutor, but decided he could do more good in the world by working for companies like eBay and Chegg. Eventually joining Airbnb, he helped Brian Chesky navigate issues such as racial discrimination by Airbnb hosts. He also helped Airbnb create a culture of "Intentional Integrity". In this episode we discuss Rob's journey to and th...
2020-09-0441 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast143 Deena Shakir of Lux Capital on her Amazing Journey, The Post-COVID FutureDeena Shakir is a partner at Lux Capital, a venture capital firm that manages more than $2 billion. She is particularly interested in entrepreneurs building breakthrough companies enabling human and environmental health, access, and productivity. While her immediate background before joining Lux sounds familiar – she was a partner at GV (previously "Google Ventures") – her path before that is a bit more unusual. As a journalist, Deena once hosted the pilot episode of a bilingual Arabic-English TV news series modeled after 60 Minutes. Deena was also a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of State under Secreta...
2020-08-2648 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast142 Wag's CEO Garrett Smallwood on Pets in the Time of COVID-19Garrett Smallwood was recently promoted to CEO of Wag Labs, the popular on-demand dog-walking service backed by venture firms from Freestyle Capital to Softbank. New York Times said of the company ""Most dog owners should consider installing Wag on their phones just to have as a backup option. It is the best-designed and most efficient app for summoning a dog walker with some or no advance notice." Garrett previously founded Finrise, a startup that Wag acquired. In this episode, find out what happened to the market for walking dogs and checking in on...
2020-08-1836 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast141 Domm Holland: The Fast CEO on Guiding a Rocket Ship Through a PandemicFast.co has raised over $20 million from firms like Kleiner, Index and Stripe. It bills itself as the world's fastest checkout – one click, no passwords. A fascinating but typical story, such as it is, in Silicon Valley. But then there's this: Domm didn't go to Stanford. He isn't even from the US. He's from Australia, where his first business was…a towing company. A more than $50 million business. His co-founder is a woman. He met her on Twitter. So in this episode – find out how Domm made his way from Australia to Silicon Valley, and...
2020-08-1129 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast140 Brad Feld: Thoughts on Startup Communities in a Post-COVID-19 WorldWhat makes communities of startups thrive, and how have they been impacted by the recession, COVID-19, and the remote work trend? Brad Feld addresses these questions in this episode and in his new book "THE STARTUP COMMUNITY WAY: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem" and the second edition of his book "STARTUP COMMUNITIES: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City." You may know Brad as the legendary investor who co-founded the Foundry Group, and who has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. Brad previously co-founded Techstars, and was an early investor in Harmonix, Zynga, MakerBot...
2020-08-0635 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast139 Parker Conrad: Rippling's CEO on His Entrepreneurial JourneyParker Conrad lists himself as "customer support" at Rippling, but he is its co-founder and CEO. He previously founded Zenefits. In this episode he traces his journey from a journalist at Harvard, to founder and CEO of a company that has raised over $50 million. Episode Highlights: The specific thing he likes about sales "I really liked sales. I enjoyed it. But I liked it in a very specific way: I enjoyed selling something that I had built. I didn't want anyone else explaining why it was great or what was so awesome about it, becaus...
2020-07-2853 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast126 Brianne Kimmel: A Venture Capitalist Makes Work More HumanBrianne Kimmel is a newly minted venture capitalist. She didn't join a venture fund: She started her own. Her fund — Work Life Ventures — invests in new technologies and services for your work life. Work today has a whole new meaning: it's social w/ Slack, flexible w/ Zoom and approachable through low-code and no-code tools for anyone with an idea to build something. Brianne's recent investments range from enterprise software (i.e. developer productivity tools) to creator tools that help anyone launch their own course, jewelry line or creative business. Brianne has been an angel investor on evenings and wee...
2020-03-0455 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#119 Joe Garofoli: San Francisco Chronicle Senior Political Writer Takes Us Inside PoliticsJoe Garofoli is the Senior Political Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is also host of the San Francisco Chronicle podcast "It's All Political". Guests on "It's All Political" recently have included California Governor Gavin Newsom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a "Who's Who" of Democratic presidential hopefuls. Very few people have Joe Garofoli's unique perch – here in San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley – to view California and National politics through the lens of Silicon Valley. In this podcast he takes us "behind the scenes" of the current state of California and National US politics...
2019-11-2646 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#117 Josh Felser: A Freestylin' Conversation with JoshJosh Felser co-founded and sold two companies -- Spinner and Grouper – for a combined value of nearly $400 million. Then, he and his partner, Dave Samuel, started one of Silicon Valley's most successful seed venture funds – Freestyle. Freestyle has backed companies like Airtable, Intercom, BetterUp, Patreon and Wag. In this wide-ranging discussion, Josh talks about building Spinner and the nail-biting moment an acquirer asked him "what's your number". We also cover Josh's rebuttal to Kent's previous episode on Burning Man, and how Josh first met California's governor, Gavin Newsom. Other topics include mental health in Silicon Valley, and how to sup...
2019-11-121h 03
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#106 Chris Michel's Extraordinary Path and Wise Life AdviceAfter attending the University of Illinois, Chris Michel began his career as a Naval Flight Officer, flying aboard P-3 Orion "sub-hunters". Today, he is a photographer, chronicling Silicon Valley and the World. His photography has taken him from the edge of space, to the North and South Poles and everything in between. Chris's path from the Navy to photographer was not a straight line, and in this podcast you'll hear his story. In this wide-ranging discussion we talk about how Chris made it from the Navy to Harvard business school, where he met his business partn...
2019-07-221h 07
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#103: Michael Tchong on 8 Ubertrends Crashing into our Future Michael Tchong has been called "the most influential trend-spotter in America". He is a top-rated innovation speaker, adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, trend forecaster and author of "Ubertrends — How Trends And Innovation Are Transforming Our Future." He heads up incubator Ubercool Innovation and is the founder of four disruptive startups, including MacWEEK, Atelier Systems, CyberAtlas and ICONOCAST, all riding early market waves. In this podcast we discuss "Ubertrends" — his proprietary framework of massive waves that are reshaping global human behavior. In this podcast, Michael and Kent discuss the trends that are...
2019-06-1942 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#102: Scott Kupor: Secrets of Sand Hill RoadScott Kupor is the managing partner of famed venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capital firm with more than $7 billion of assets under management that sits at the beating heart of Sand Hill Road. Sand Hill road is, of course, the physical center of the venture capital industry – the greatest wealth-generating machine in the world. So...Scott is at the center, of the center of the global venture capital industry. In his new book -- Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It -- Scott covers a range of topics critical to any fo...
2019-06-0431 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#100: Pete Alcorn -- Democratizing PublishingWelcome to Episode 100! Yep, we've made it to 100. And for this one…Pete Alcorn stops by the podcast as he bucket-lists his way around the world. He has run, among other things – ebooks at Amazon (just before they cared about it) and podcasting at Apple. Also at Apple, he oversaw iBooks in Europe and education content discovery everywhere. Pete was also Kent's first partner in the startup world, building a company (that still exists today) called "NetRead". Oh, and we also went to high school together in La Jolla California. In this wide-ranging episode we cover...
2019-05-2056 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#99 Eric Lagier: The Nordic Unicorn FactoryEric Lagier co-founded and is a general partner of ByFounders, a 100 million Euro venture firm focused on Nordic and Baltic startups. As you grab your map to find where the Nordics and Baltics actually are, think about this: Since 2013, 41 startups built in Europe are now worth more than a billion dollars. (These are known as "Unicorns", a term coined by Ailene Lee of Cowboy Ventures). Even more extraordinary is the fact that 10 of those 41 are from the Nordics. So an area comprising of 4% of Europe's population has generated 25% of Europe's Unicorns. This includes companies like Unity, Spotify, Just Eat...
2019-05-1440 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#97 Po Bronson -- The Future According to PoBest selling author Po Bronson has written deeply, often hilariously, about Silicon Valley and its effects on the world. After founding San Francisco's Writers Grotto, he wrote such books as The Nudist on the Late Shift, Bombardiers, and What Should I Do With My life?. Today, he's a venture capitalist at IndieBio – the Life Sciences accelerator. In this episode, Po discusses why 2019 feels like 1994, and what happens when daytime and nighttime conversations converge in Silicon Valley. We also cover income inequality – the idea of 'Basic Universal Equity", and the futures of sports, medicine and…libraries. But that's just the be...
2019-04-3048 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#96 Monique Woodard, Venture CapitalistMonique Woodard fell into venture capital. Or...wait. Actually, no. Monique grew up in rural Florida. Starting with an Atari game system and moving to a Commodore computer, she learned to write computer code This, in a place where coding was far from the norm, and computer class required a drive into town. She eventually became a venture capitalist, investing in such companies as: Blavity, Court Buddy, Silvernest, and Mented Cosmetics. In this podcast we discuss Monique's journey from the farms of rural Northern Florida to Miami's music scene, to Silicon Valley. We discuss how she established hersel...
2019-04-2347 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#95 Alan Eagle on Bill Campbell, "Trillion Dollar Coach"Alan Eagle is Director of Executive Communications at Google. He is the coauthor of Trillion Dollar Coach, a book he co-wrote with Google's former CEO Eric Schmidt and Google's former SVP Jonathan Rosenberg. Trillion Dollar Coach tells the story of Bill Campbell – a football coach who became an executive at Apple, and then one of the most beloved coaches to a "who's who" of Silicon Valley. Among those coached by Bill Campbell are Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, Sundar Pichai at Google; Steve Jobs at Apple; Brad Smith at Intuit; John Donahoe at eBay; and Marissa May...
2019-04-1526 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#94: James Currier -- The Soul of Silicon ValleyJames Currier is a partner at NFX a venture firm he co-founded with partners Gigi Levy-Weiss and Pete Flint, and advisor Stan Chudnovsky. As an investor, he has funded companies before or alongside firms like Sequoia, Greylock, CRV, A16z, First Round, Mayfield, Shasta, and GGV. He's also a four-time serial entrepreneur with unique expertise in network effects businesses (his firm has identified 13 different network effects models https://www.nfx.com/post/network-effects-manual ) James is also deeply understands the ebbs and flows of Silicon Valley: Its technology, its trends, its tribes. In this episode James a...
2019-04-1147 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#93 Miyoko Schinner's Entrepreneurial JourneyMiyoko Schinner is the founder and CEO of Miyoko's – a vegan creamery that is leading the way to a dairy-free future. She an award-winning celebrity chef, restauranteur, cookbook author, and TV host. She brought all these experiences to bear as she founded and built Miyoko's from a small storefront to over 100 employees distributing vegan cheese around the country. Miyoko's has raised venture capital from firms like Obvious (Ev William's venture firm) and Stray Dog capital. In this conversation Miyoko and Kent discuss her entrepreneurial journey from delivering bread in a backpack in Tokyo, to founding and...
2019-02-2732 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#92 Carter Cohen -- Gen Z Up CloseWhether you call it "Gen Z" or "Post Millenial" -- Carter Cohen is one of them, embedded and here to tell you about the world as he sees it. Carter is the kind of guy who makes you feel bad about what you were doing in college. He's a biochemistry major at Georgetown, speaks 3 languages, studies electrochemistry and...well he's a member of Gen Z, also called "post millennial". In this wide-ranging conversation, Kent and Carter discuss the myths and realities about how Gen Z uses technology, what they expect from the future of work...
2019-02-0757 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#91 Ryan Bethencourt -- Wild Earth Founder on Meatless Dog Food and MoreRyan Bethencourt is the CEO of Wild Earth, a biotech startup developing meatless dog food. Its investors include Peter Thiel, Founders Fund, and Felicis Ventures. He is a Partner at Babel Ventures and Investor/Advisor to over 80 biotech startups. He also co-founded the Biotech accelerator Indiebio. We discuss why meatless pet food isn't as crazy as it sounds, the idea that animal-free meat is coming way faster than you think, and the decision between being a VC or an entrepreneur. We also discuss the path from legalizing marijuana to legalizing psychedelics. -- In the Som...
2018-11-2754 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#89 -- Silicon Valley Goes to Burning ManIn this replay episode, Kent Lindstrom and Michael White have a bit of fun at the expense of Burning Man. Burning Man is the the, um, art fest in the desert to which half of Silicon Valley decamps each year. We discuss the history of Burning Man, what might make people go to Burning Man, and the myriad benefits of hanging out in San Francisco while everyone else is away. --- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom goes behind the scenes as he sits down with the pe...
2018-08-2242 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#88 Rick Marini of Protocol Ventures 2 of 2Rick Marini is the founder of Protocol Ventures -- a cryptocurrency fund-of-funds, which is rapidly becoming a dominant force in the emerging cryptocurrency space. Previously, Rick has been an entrepreneur building and selling multiple companies, including early social network Tickle and professional networking site Branchout. Along the way, he has been a prolific angel investor, investing early in companies like Snapchat. For these efforts, Rick was recently named one of the Top 50 Angel Investors by Forbes. In our wide ranging conversation, we cover various trends in Silicon Valley, and dig in on cryptocurrency. We discuss the value of a...
2018-08-1428 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#87 Rick Marini of Protocol Ventures 1 of 2Rick Marini is the founder of Protocol Ventures -- a cryptocurrency fund-of-funds, which is rapidly becoming a dominant force in the emerging cryptocurrency space. Previously, Rick has been an entrepreneur building and selling multiple companies, including early social network Tickle and professional networking site Branchout. Along the way, he has been a prolific angel investor, investing early in companies like Snapchat. For these efforts, Rick was recently named one of the Top 50 Angel Investors by Forbes. In our wide ranging conversation, we cover various trends in Silicon Valley, and dig in on cryptocurrency. We discuss the value of a...
2018-08-0728 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#86 The Future of Transport with Nick HeymanNick Heyman was an early (like, #8) employee at Facebook. He is now a founder and Managing Partner of DynoVC, a venture firm focused on the transportation industry. Nick believes the transportation market is undergoing the most radical change since inception. In this podcast we discuss a range of topics from self-driving cards, autonomous vehicles, the future of trucks, scooters and more! -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom goes behind the scenes in Silicon Valley as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we...
2018-07-171h 00
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#85 SF Chronicle's Joe GarofoliJoe Garofoli is the Senior Political Writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and host of their "It's All Political" podcast. Joe gives us his take on all things, um, political in Silicon Valley, California and beyond. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom takes a look behind the scenes as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online....and beyond.
2018-06-261h 01
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#84 Jim Scheinman of Maven FULL EpisodeJim Scheinman, founder of Maven Ventures, has built Maven and achieved successful exits and investments such as Chariot, Cruise and Zoom.us. Immediately prior to founding Maven Ventures, Jim was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Charles River Ventures (CRV), a leading venture firm where he helped source, vet, and advise their consumer portfolio companies. Jim had an early seat at the emergence of social networking, first as an executive at Friendster, and then as an executive at Bebo (which was founded by Michael and Xochi Birch). -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon V...
2018-06-0547 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#83 Jim Scheinman of Maven 2 of 2The second part of my conversation with Jim Scheinman --- Jim has been an entrepreneur and startup executive. He is also the founder of Maven Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's seed investment firms, which counts among its investments Cruise (acquired by GM for over $1 billion), Chariot (acquired by Ford) and Zoom (which has raised over $100 million from firms including Sequoia Capital). Jim discusses a variety of topics, including the state of entrepreneurship, the nearly billion dollar exit of Bebo to AOL, and the implications of self-driving technology (both as an investment and for society). ...
2018-05-2424 minSomething Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#82 Jim Scheinman of Maven Ventures 1 of 2Jim Scheinman has been an entrepreneur and startup executive. He is also the founder of Maven Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's seed investment firms, which counts among its investments Cruise (acquired by GM for over $1 billion), Chariot (acquired by Ford) and Zoom (which has raised over $100 million from firms including Sequoia Capital). Jim discusses a variety of topics, including the state of entrepreneurship, the nearly billion dollar exit of Bebo to AOL, and the implications of self-driving technology (both as an investment and for society). --- In the Something Ventured podcast, Si...
2018-05-1523 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#81 Sexual Harassment In Silicon Valley -- 2017 Lookback2017 was quite a year when it came to the consequences of sexual harassment in Silicon Valley. For the first time in memory, jobs were lost, careers were ended, and venture firms ceased to exist after women came forward and told their experiences of harassment. In this episode, Kent takes a look back to memorialize 8 stories in 2017 where the consequences of sexual harassment reverberated. We start with the earlier story of Ellen Pao and her lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins, and Susan Fowler's blog post about harassment at Uber. The groundwork laid by these two may have co...
2018-04-2440 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#80 Neil Cohen talks Tech Bubbles 2 of 2Marketing guru and teacher Neil Cohen sits down with Kent to reflect -- in this age of cryptocurrency -- on the meaning of tech bubbles. A fun, lighthearted look at 20 years of craziness in Silicon Valley. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online...and beyond.
2018-03-2040 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley PodcastNeil Cohen -- Tech Bubbles 1 of 2Marketing guru and university professor Neil Cohen sits down with Kent for a lighthearted ramble through a series of Tech Bubbles. From early commerce (Pets.com!) to Segway all the way up to Cryptocurrency, we have fun reviewing some of the most interesting internet phenomena of the past couple decades. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2018-02-1047 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#78 Mike Stutz Hacking the Media/Useful Idiots P. 2Producer, Director, Writer and all-around Hollywood guy Mike Stutz has figured out how to hack the media. His protest group -- The Useful Idiots -- has figured out a way to get their message across, as only a group of creative types could. The Useful Idiots include TV, film, theater dance and other creative people. This episode is part 2 of Kent's conversation with Mike Stutz i which we learn how Mike and his colleagues get the cameras' attention, and get their message out to the masses.
2017-07-2524 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#74 Startup Mexico's Marcus DantusMarcus Dantus is CEO of Startup Mexico. Startups, entrepreneurs, venture capital -- it's all happening and growing in Mexico. Marcus discusses the unique opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs and investors in Mexico. He also provides the point of view of Mexicans on the election of Donald Trump, and Mexico's path forward. -- In the Something Venture podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2017-05-1039 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#73 Sharon Goldstein -- Women in Silicon ValleySharon Goldstein is Executive-in-Resience at XSeed Capital (xseedcap.com), and recently CMO of Shiphawk and Pixlee. She also sits on the board of Hebrew Free Loan of San Francisco, which she discusses. She walks us through her path from Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech through Northwestern University to becoming a Silicon Valley EIR. We also spend time discussing women in Silicon Valley, which of course takes us to...Uber. Don't worry, we get past it! -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headli...
2017-04-1153 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#72 Victor Echevarria: From Sharing Economy To HealthcareVictor Echevarria (OK, YOU try pronouncing it) made the bold leap from Harvard Business School to Silicon Valley. As founder of Frenting and team member at TaskRabbit, he was early to the sharing economy. Victor explains the differences in the success factors behind sharing economy companies that disappeared and those that are now successful like AirBnB, Uber and Lyft. Victor transitioned into healthcare, founding Remedy Labs. Healthcare represents a huge portion of the US economy and affects everyone, but is rarely at the top of the list when Silicon Valley entrepreneurs look for businesses to transform. Victor explains why and muc...
2017-03-2844 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#71 Carter Cohen: Generation ZCarter Cohen is the future. In 1991 Douglas Copeland published the book "Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture", and we've worked our way down the alphabet ever since. In this podcast, Kent discusses technology -- and the future -- from the perspective of a 17-year old on his way to college. Is Snapchat the future? Or Facebook messenger? Listen to learn this, and more. Oh, and you'll probably feel better about the future too! -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley h...
2017-03-0739 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#70 Neil Cohen 2017 Marketing Trends 2 of 2In this second part of Kent's conversation with Neil Cohen, the discussion continues about which marketing trends everyone should keep an eye on for 2017. Personalization, video, Snapchatting and more. Neil Cohen is a sales strategy and marketing consultant, Lecturer at San Francisco State University, advisor to Startup Chile and Parallel18. And -- San Francisco Giants Fan. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2017-02-2130 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#69 Canadian VC and Startups w/Lylan MastermanIn honor of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to the US, we talk to Lylan Masterman about Canada Venture Capital and Startups. Lylan is an investor with White Star Capital which invests across the Atlantic. Canadian tech -- turns out it's a much bigger topic than one might imagine. After a botched podcast opening (he did work at aQuantive and went to Kellogg, not so much Merrill Lynch). The VC ecosystem in Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal etc. are discussed. Trends in VC and startups there, successful Canadian companies, and more. Also discussed are the impacts of changing immigration dynamics on tech...
2017-02-1550 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#68 Neil Cohen on 2017 Marketing TrendsNeil Cohen is one of our most engaging energetic guests. Here is his take on marketing trends for 2017 across several categories, his take on branding masters like Red Bull and more. Neil is a marketing veteran, professor at San Francisco State. And a San Francisco Giants fan. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond?
2017-02-0731 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#67 Antonio Garcia Martinez 2 of 2Antonio Garcia Martinez, best-selling author of Chaos Monkeys (his New York times bestselling Facebook tell-all). If you haven't heard Antonio yet, enjoy his take on Silicon Valley, politics, Libertarianism -- and more. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2017-01-3130 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#66 Antonio Garcia Martinez talks Silicon Valley Politics 1 of 2Best selling author (Chaos Monkeys) Antonio Garcia Martinez is back. If you haven't had the pleasure yet, you are in for something special. After discussing his book the first time around, we realized he is one of the most thoughtful, original and provocative thinkers on the topic of politics. In particular, his take on the relationship of Silicon Valley, and it's wealth, to politics -- is fascinating. Part 1 of 2, enjoy. Follow Antonio on Facebook or Twitter @antoniogm. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines...
2017-01-2430 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#65 Mike Stutz (un)Reality TV 2 of 2Welcome back -- to fan favorite Mike Stutz part 2. Mike Stutz is a Television Producer, movie director (Don't Change the Subject) just to name a few talents Here is part 2 of his insightful take on the interaction of television, fake news, and TV's changing role in politics. Also mentioned are US presidents named Jackson. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online...and beyond.
2017-01-1738 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#64 Mike Stutz talks Reality TV and PoliticsMike Stutz is a reality TV show producer. Credits include "Shinesty" on MTV; "Loaded" on CNBC, and "Santa Sent me to the ER" on TLC. He is also producer, writer and director of the feature film "Don't Change the Subject". In this episode, Mike returns to talk about reality TV, politics....and Andrew Jackson/Johnson. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online...and beyond.
2017-01-1036 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#61 Sarah Marie of Spec Network (1 of 2) -- The Entrepreneur's JourneySarah Marie is co-founder and CEO of the fast-growing podcast network Spec Network (Spec.fm). Sarah's entrepreneurial journey brought her to Silicon Valley from Minnesota, and involved an early stint at a bakery. This is not your "Stanford/Facebook/XYZ VC" -- it's far more interesting. Spec Network has become a leading design and developer podcast network, with podcasts such as "Design Details", "Immutable" and "Runtime", among others. Also discussed are the sometime challenges of navigating the streets of San Francisco -- and PC Games. -- In the Something Venture...
2016-11-0129 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#59 Chaos Monkeys Author Antonio Garcia-Martinez 1/2Antonio Garcia-Martinez' "Chaos Monkeys" (Harper) was an instant New York Times bestseller. Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times said "Incisive -- the most fun business book I've read this year. Clearly there will be people who hate this book -- which is probably one of the things that make it such a great read". In this episode, Antonio covers a range of Silicon Valley topics - including some heroics from Y-combinator's Sam Altman. Sam has since been in the news for supporting Donald Trump supporter and Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel. --...
2016-10-1825 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#58 -- Sexism in Silicon Valley with Rachel FairbanksWe pre-empt podcasts planned with Antonio Garcia Martinez and Sarah Marie of Spec Network, because Donald Trump made us. (don't worry -- we'll get to Antonio and Sarah Marie shortly) Without repeating the things Mr. Trump said about sexual assault and sexual harassment -- we're reminded that sexism, in all of its forms, is wrong. In this previously aired, but always timely podcast, Rachel Fairbanks covers a theme that has come up many times on Something Ventured: harassment and assault in Silicon Valley are more prevalent than many think. Hey, this ain't Harry Stebbings 20 Minute VC! -- I...
2016-10-1347 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#57 Microsoft Bought his Company!Donald Trump would hate this podcast. The story of an immigrant from China. Ben Cheung built an AI company (pay attention, Westworld fans). He discussed it in a previous podcast, when we talked about the struggle of the entrepreneur. Just a few months after that, Microsoft came calling and bought his company. Ben discusses the process of being approached and negotiating with Microsoft after Microsoft exec Qui Lu took an interest in Genee. He also talks about what it's like working at Microsoft and -- for a Silicon Valley podcast -- has positive things to say about Microsoft! (Take that, TW...
2016-10-0434 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#56 Microsoft Acquires AI tool GeneeIn this replay, we revisit our interview with Benjamin Cheung, the entrepreneur behind Genee. This provides a glimpse of the entrepreneur at work -- a fascinating exploration now that we know the outcome: He eventually sells his company to Microsoft! -- In the Something Ventured Podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2016-09-0639 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#55 Burning Man with Michael White ReplayEvery year Silicon Valley marches off to the desert for several days of....well, probably NSFW activity. For those who remain -- Silicon Valley becomes a place where parking is easy, and there is a seat at the bar. In this podcast, Kent and Michael White discuss the history of Burning Man. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley Headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyo...
2016-08-3143 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#54 Peter Berger 2 of 2Part 2 of Kent's conversation with Peter Berger -- CEO of Contact IQ and former Director of Strategic Development at Tagged. Peter is also the organizer of the Silicon Valley Semantic Technology Group. -- In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2016-05-1730 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#53 -- Peter Berger Part 1 of 2 -- The Entrepreneur's JourneyPeter Berger is the CEO of Contact IQ. He's an
entrepreneur who was formerly the Director of Strategic Development
at Tagged. He is the Organizer of the Silicon Valley Semantic
Technology Group, which has over 1000 members. His path to
being CEO of Contact IQ -- well, it probably wasn't what you
imagine, and it's certainly more interesting. In this
discussion we cover a range of issues in Silicon Valley, and
Peter's path to his current success.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent
Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valle...
2016-04-2631 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#52 Racism, Jackie Robinson and the Number 42After explaining April 15th and #42 to enough people, I decided to make it into a quick podcast. Racism being a frequent topic of this podcast, Michael White joins us to explain the significance of April 15th and the #42. On April 14, 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American player (since the 1880s) to play professional baseball in the "Major" leagues. Also discussed are the Negro leagues, and the 5 best baseball movies of all time.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he s...
2016-04-1235 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#51 Jonathan Abrams Part 2 of 2In part 2, Kent Lindstrom continues his talk with Jonathan Abrams -- founder of Friendster, Nuzzel, Founders Den (with a few others), as well as Socializr and Hotlinks. He is on the board of Girls in Tech. In this continued conversation, some of the evils of VC firms are discussed. Also discussed are sexism in Silicon Valley (a serious topic) and TV shows, and Sci Fi books (not a serious topic).
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the peop...
2016-04-0537 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#50 Jonathan Abrams talks Silicon ValleyJonathan Abrams founded Friendster -- the first social network, whose patent on social networking is now owned by Facebook. He also founded Hotlinks, Socializr, and Founders Den. He is currently CEO of social news site Nuzzel, which he also founded.
Jonathan has also invested in many seed stage startups, and sits on the board of Girls in Tech.
Jonathan has a unique perspective on Silicon Valley -- and in this podcast, he shares it.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the S...
2016-03-2935 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#49 Michael White -- Why Silicon Valley will rule Sports 2 of 2Part 2 of 2 of Kent's conversation with Michael White, wherein he discusses his thesis of why Silicon Valley's unique economics and culture will lead to the Bay Area dominating professional sports.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2016-03-2237 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#47 Shaun Tai of Oakland Digital -- Full EpisodeNote: This is the full episode of Kent's conversation with Shaun: "Shaun Tai is the Founder and Executive director of Oakland Digital, a non-profit that connects design students to local businesses. Shaun comes to Oakland Digital by way of hip hop, and the film industry. Not everyone in Silicon Valley works in a tech company.
Kent and Shaun discuss a wide range of topics, including how to connect lower income people to the tech industry, why Oakland hasn't overtaken San Francisco as the most desirable place to live...yet. And a lot more. This is the first of a 2 p...
2015-12-151h 06
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#46 Shaun Tai of Oakland Digital part 2 of 2"Black people and Asian people SHOULD work together in Oakland". So this one begins.. Shaun Tai is the Founder and Executive director of Oakland Digital, a non-profit that connects design students to local businesses. Shaun comes to Oakland Digital by way of hip hop, and the film industry. Not everyone in Silicon Valley works in a tech company.
Kent and Shaun discuss a wide range of topics, including how to connect lower income people to the tech industry, why Oakland hasn't overtaken San Francisco as the most desirable place to live...yet. And a lot more. This is the...
2015-12-0835 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#45 Oakland Digital -- Shaun TaiWe turn to Oakland. Shaun Tai is the Founder and Executive director of Oakland Digital, a non-profit that connects design students to local businesses. Shaun comes to Oakland Digital by way of hip hop, and the film industry. Not everyone in Silicon Valley works in a tech company.
Kent and Shaun discuss a wide range of topics, including how to connect lower income people to the tech industry, why Oakland hasn't overtaken San Francisco as the most desirable place to live...yet. And a lot more. This is the first of a 2 part conversation
Find Shaun...
2015-12-0132 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#43 2/2 Transgender Kids in Silicon ValleyIn part 2 of this conversation with Allison White, Silicon Valley school principal -- we continue the discussion about transgender kids in Silicon Valley. Some of the referenced elements can be found by: Search for NBC Nightly news, the Atlantic and John Oliver stories on transgender issues. Rolling Stone -- search for "Coy Mathis".
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2015-11-1027 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#42 Allison White - Transgender Kids in Silicon Valley 1 of 2Kent sits down with Silicon Valley school principal Allison White to discuss transgender kids. Many in Silicon Valley are only slowly beginning to understand transgender issues in the Valley and how to be supportive. In this discussion the issues faced by transgender kids and families in Silicon Valley are discussed.
Show Notes -- referenced in this podcast:
TED Talkhttps://www.ted.com/talks/norman_spack_how_i_help_transgender_teens_become_who_they_want_to_be
John Oliverhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmoAX9f6MOc
NBC Nig...
2015-10-2729 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#41 Ian McFarland Part 2 of 2Part 2 with Ian McFarland -- technologist, author. Currently of Pear Therapeutics, also founder of Neo Innovation. We continue our wide-ranging discussion of everything from bitcoin to the "Series A crunch".
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online -- and beyond.
2015-09-0834 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#40 Ian McFarland 1 of 2Ian McFarland literally wrote the book -- on the Tomcat server. He is one of Silicon Valley's great technologists -- from Hotwired, through being an executive and Principal at Pivotal Labs, to his current role as Chairman of Neo Innovation. We roam widely through topics including (what else?) housing in Silicon Valley, whether Bitcoin matters, and his first computer.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we viiew the wor...
2015-08-1132 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#39 Ben Cheung -- The Entrepreneur's JourneyEntrepreneur Ben Cheung, founder of Genee, details his journey from Southern China to the US, and eventually to Intel and VMware.
Ben discusses the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur, as he describes his path to making Genee a success.
Genee is a virtual assistant that coordinates meetings for individuls or groups. But his story will be a familiar one to most entrepreneurs.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are...
2015-07-1537 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#38 "2015 Pridecast"In the 2015 "Pridecast", Kent discusses 2 transgender people from the world of technology who you sould know: Lana Wachowski and Martine Rothblatt.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online.... and beyond.
2015-07-0707 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#37 Daniel Carucci -- "Global Health"Dan Carucci, M.D., Ph. D. has served in the US Navy -- as head of its malaria program. He has served as director of science for the Foundation for the National Institutes for Health. He has also spent time with the Gates Foundation, and escorting billionaires around Africa to study various health initiatives. As wealth is created in Silicon Valley, many turn to funding large scale global health projects (perhaps most notably, Bill Gates). In this podcast we discuss the effectiveness -- and pitfalls -- of global health programs, and their billionaire funders.
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2015-05-1240 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#36 Neil Cohen - "Get a Job" Part 2 of 2Neil Cohen -- CMO and lecturer and San Francisco State University continues the conversation about how -- and how not -- to optimize a career in Silicon Valley.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley Insider Kent Lindstrom goes behind the scenes in Silicon Valley as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online -- and beyond.
2015-05-0535 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#35 Neil Cohen -- "Get a Job"Neil Cohen -- Silicon Valley CMO and San Francisco State lecturer talks about the etiquette of job searching and of hiring candidates in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley's hot job market doesn't keep candidates from making wealth minimizing mistakes -- so Kent and Neil discuss how to get it right.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom goes behind the scenes in Silicon Valley with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2015-04-2834 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#34 Charlie Recksieck 2 of 2-- Tech and MusicIn this part 2 of 2, Charlie Recksieck continues the conversation on music. We begin by explaining Mark Zuckerberg and his foray into Wirehog, before Facebook. Also discussed are how the music business works today -- how new technologies impact how artists get paid, and the implications for promoting and monetizing band tours. Charlie's band is The Bigfellas, whose music was featured in the 2012 documentary "Don't Change the Subject".
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the peole who ar...
2015-03-1831 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#33 Charlie Recksieck -- Music and Tech 1 of 2Charlie Recksieck is an entrepreneur, engineer and musician. His band is "Leaders in the Clubhouse".
Discussed in this episode are the (many) impacts technology has had on music. From 8-track tapes to Napster. The episode begins with a brief explanation of Napster and Mark Zuckerberg's brief foray into peer-peer music, before....Facebook.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley Insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online...and beyond.
2015-03-1033 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#32 Preet Anand -- The Entrepreneur's Battle 2 of 2In episode 2 of 2 with Preet Anand, we discuss Blue Light, the startup focused on public safety, of which Preet is CEO and Founder. Topics include -- the process (and game) of fundraising. Also discussed is the uniqueness of a startup in the public safety space, as well as the ups and downs of being an entrepreeur in Silicon Valley.
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In the Something Ventured podcast Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the worl...
2015-02-1726 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#31 Preet Anand -- The Entrepreneur's BattleBluelight founder and CEO Preet Anand discusses the ups and downs of his startup in this first of 2 episodes. In "Something Ventured" fashion the first episode covers -- yes -- housing in Silicon Valley. Also discussed are Preet's experiences at Zynga, and observations of life in the Bay Area.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley Veteran Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online...and beyond.
2015-02-1029 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#30 Neil Cohen talks Marketing in Silicon ValleyInternet exec and San Francisco State professor Neil Cohen talks marketing. Often misunderstood in Silicon Valley, the marketing role is a key one for almost any successful company of any size. Also in this episode -- Neil and Kent poke fun at some Silicon Valley marketing fails -- and those billboards on the 101.
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In the Something Ventured podcast Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online....and beyond.
2015-01-1435 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#29 Neil Cohen Talks Mexico EntrepreneurshipNeil Cohen is a marketing executive and advisor with experience ranging from Sega and Hilton to numerous successful startups. He is a board member of SF State UCORP and a Mentor to StartupMexico. In this podcast, Neil and Kent discuss the booming entrepreneurial scene in Mexico City, and contrast it to Silicon Valley
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In the Something Ventured podcast Silicon Valley veteran Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2015-01-0627 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#28 Holiday Replay Vincent Robinson on Being Gay in Silicon ValleyOn October 30, 2014, Tim Cook -- Apple's CEO -- came out as gay. He never denied it, but now said " I haven't acknowledged it publicly, until now".
Tim Cook and other gay Silicon Valley executives were discussed in an earlier podcast with executive Vincent Robinson. Here, we replay that episode.
Happy holidays. Kent Lindstrom.... @kentlind
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people changing the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-12-3053 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#27 Peter Shanley Talks Lean Startups in the EnterprisePeter Shanley is an executive at Neo Innovation, and previously worked at Yahoo, Hewlett Packard and Betable. He discusses "Learn Startup" concepts for big companies. Part 2 of 2.
In the Something Ventued podcast, Silicon Valley Insider Kent Lindstrom explores the relaity behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-12-1635 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#26 Jim Egbert 25th Epi-versary Part 2Jim Egbert, the Silicon Valley executive for a major financial firm, returns to talk to Kent about the first 25 episodes of Something Ventured. Silicon Valley topics covered range from Burning Man to the structure of the internet. Part 2 of 2.
In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-12-0932 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#25 Jim Egbert 25th Epi-versaryJim Egbert talks to Kent about the first 25 episodes of "Something Ventured". Issues in Silicon Valley discussed included -- being a gay CEO, sexism, librarians (yep, librarians), racism, hipsters and more.
In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-12-0231 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#24 Peter Shanley 1 of 2 -- Housing and Social Issues in San FranciscoPeter Shanley has worked at large technology companies like Yahoo and Hewlett Packard -- but started in San Francisco running a housing project in San Francisco's most economically challened neighborhood -- the Tenderloin. In the first part of our conversation with Peter, he talks aobut what drives the housing crunch in San Francisco, and various issues around San Francisos's difficult social problems.
In the Something Ventured podcast Slicon Vallen insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the wo...
2014-10-0825 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#21 Michael White -- Silicon Valley goes to Burning ManEvery summer, Silicon Valley heads to Burning Man. In a lighthearted look at Burning Man, Kent and Michael White discuss burning man. The history of burning man is covered (including the 'anarchy' year). Also discussed is just how rich the attendees are, and the irony of even richer people showing up.
Also covered is Burning Man's "K Street". Or "Billionaires Row" -- the new Burning Man camp for rich people, that is rich with irony.
The documentary "Spark -- A Burning Man Story" provides source material for the podcast.
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In Some...
2014-09-0941 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#20 Tim Rosenblatt -- The Internet is a Series of TubesKent Lindstrom sits down with Tim Rosenblatt -- who has been coding for 20 years, on the web since 1996. They discuss various tech issues, including the physical structure of the Internet, and why Silicon Valley is the "Capital City". Also discussed are the Commodore 64, why Netscape failed, and the concept of "code debt".
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Kent Lindstrom (@kentlind) explores the reality behidn the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-08-1951 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#19 Linda Kelly -- Grateful Dead and Astrology.comLinda Kelly is Editor-in-Chief of the website Astrology.com. She is also the author of the book "Deadheads: Stories from Fellow Arists, Friends and Followers of the Grateful Dead". She came to that book project, after meeting Jerry Garcia while working for Spin magazine.
Her journey to becoming an author is discussed, as well as the relationship the Grateful Dead have to the Bay area.
Also discussed -- the popularity of Astrology.com, and how they've carried one of newspapers' most popular features onto the Internet.
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The Something Ventu...
2014-08-1236 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#18: Mike Stutz Part 2/2 Reality of Reality TVMike Stutz is a Hollywood director, writer, filmmaker, producer ("showrunner"). In this "Hollywood edition" of Something Ventured, Mike sits down with Kent to discuss how reality TV has evolved. Also discussed are what is real in reality TV, and what is not. Comparisons are made to Silicon Valley content companies, and Kent and Mike discuss how society's behavior is impacted by reality TV, consumer websites, video games and...even porn websites.
Part 2 of 2
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Something Ventured is released every Tuesday at 9am PST
In Something Ventured, Silicon Valley insider Kent Li...
2014-08-0541 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#17 Mike Stutz -- Part 1/2: Reality of Reality TVMike Stutz is a Hollywood director, writer, filmmaker, producer ("showrunner"). In this "Hollywood edition" of Something Ventured, Mike sits down with Kent to discuss how reality TV has evolved. Also discussed are what is real in reality TV, and what is not. Comparisons are made to Silicon Valley content companies, and Kent and Mike discuss how society's behavior is impacted by reality TV, consumer websites, video games and...even porn websites.
Part 1 of 2
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Something Ventured is released every Tuesday at 9am PST
In Something Ventured, Silicon Valley insider Kent...
2014-07-2937 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#16 Gay Issues in Silicon ValleyCEO Vincent Robinson discusses issues around being gay in Silcon Valley. Discussed are the contrasts of San Francisco in the 1980s and today, the evolution of the Castro Disctrict and San Francisco's Gay Pride parade. Also discussed: Is there a "Gay Mafia" in Silicon Valley? Why are there so few (none) openly gay Fortune 500 executives? What forms of discrimination do gay people face in Silicon Valley? Proposition 8, Mozilla and Twitter are also discussed.
In the "Something Ventured" Podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with th...
2014-07-2252 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#15 Sexism in Silicon Valley, Part 2The second of two parts, Rachel Fairbanks discusses sexism issues women face in Silicon Valley. Discussed are the recent issues involving Github, Sendgrid, Tinder, and several other companies. The themes of the movie Frozen are explained for people who don't have young daughters. Finally, advice on how to help reduce sexism is given
In the "Something Ventured" podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the world online....and beyond.
2014-07-1544 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#14 Sexism in Silicon Valley, Part 1Rachel Fairbanks, software executive, talks about sexism in Silicon Valley. This is part one of two parts. This first episode is a bit rough -- detailing some of the things women experience as they navigate Silicon Valley. The #yesallwomen hashtag is explained and discussed, as well as recent incidents involving Github, Tinder, Snapchat, Sendgrid and more.
Stick with this one. In part 2 #itgetsbetter.
In Something Ventured, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the people who are shaping the way we view the w...
2014-07-0845 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#13 Libraries in the Age of GoogleCindy Aden was Amazon's first librarian, head of the Washington Library Assocation, and is an executive at the world's largest library co-op.
Discussed are -- historical aspects of libraries, the library at Alexandria -- and libraries before the age of the internet. Also discussed are how libraries have evolved alongside the internet, what drives people to become librarians and why librarians and libraries still matter even in the age of Google and Amazon.
In the Something Ventured podcast, Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the...
2014-07-0150 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#12 Rachel Fairbanks -- Software Exec Talks Culture and Hipsters in SFRachel Fairbanks talks with Kent and it does not end well for hipsters. Rachel is a software executive in Silicon Valley, who lives near hipster ground zero. Silicon Valley is discussed, with a quick foray into culture. Rachel briefly talks about being an American woman living in Asia. When the discussion turns to hipsters -- things get nasty.
Note: No actual hipsters were harmed in the production of this podcast.
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In "Something Ventured", Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the...
2014-06-2445 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#10 MeIn this "Freaky Friday" episode, regular host Kent Lindstrom is interviewed by guest Eric Hall. Obviously, the subject matter is fascinating. Discussed are how Kent ended up in Silicon Valley, and why the "Something Ventured" podcast.
In the "Something Ventured" podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the seasoned veterans and up-and-comers who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-06-1048 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#9 Vincent Robinson talks about African-Americans in Silicon ValleyVincent Robinson shares his journey from Erie Pennsylvania, through Goldman Sachs and Stanford to Silicon Valley, where he now runs his own company. Topics include how some African-Americans view startup risk, the power of Goldman Sachs, and the similarities between Silicon Valley and Washington DC. Also discussed are changes in San Francisco since the 1990s, and why New York continues to obsess about San Francisco. Also whether Oakland is the next Brooklyn or the next Portland.
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In the Something Ventured podcast, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the headlines, as he sit...
2014-06-0344 min
Something Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#8 Eric Hall of Dolby discusses Corporate Life in The ValleyDolby's Eric Hall sits down with Kent to discuss the joys of working at a big tech company. The IPO of Dolby and why big companies can be as satisfying as the small ones. Also covered are SF protestors, the oversupply of product managers in Silicon Valley. New York's ongoing obsessionw ith San Francisco is also discussed.
In Something Ventured, Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the headlines, as he sits down with the seasoned veterans, and the up-and-comers who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-05-2746 minSomething Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#7 Michael White and Kent Talk TV -- The HBO Show Silicon ValleyMichael White and Kent discuss the TV show Silicon Valley on HBO. Also, briefly discussed, is the role of technology in baseball.
Someting Ventured Podcast -- Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines, as he sits down with the established veterans and up-and-comers who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
New episodes are posted at noon each Tuesday.
2014-05-2054 minSomething Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#6 Nick Heyman -- Facebook's First Ops GuyNick Heyman - Facebook's first ops director -- talks about the early days at Facebook. Also discussed are what wealth did to Facebook employees, and what Facebook's latest strategic moves are all about.
The Something Ventured Podcast is released every Tuesday at noon. Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the established veterans and up and comers who are shaping the way we view the world online and beyond.
2014-05-1337 minSomething Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#5 Michael White and Kent Talk Sexism in Silicon ValleyKent Lindstrom and Michael White -- very carefully -- discuss sexism in Silicon Valley. An aricle about Silicon Valley (from the New York based press) covers issues around an inappropriate mobile app, the reactions to it and the implications. The first in a series of discussions with different people about gender in Silcon Valley.
In "Something Ventured" startup insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with established veterans and up-and-comerrs who are chanign the way we view the world onine and beyond.
2014-05-0645 minSomething Ventured -- Silicon Valley Podcast#1 WhyIn the first episode, Kent Lindstrom talks about the inspiration behind Something Ventured, and welcomes listeners to explore the people and ideas of Silicon Valley.
2014-04-1219 min