Ventures

In this episode of Ventures , we pull a clip from Episode 24 with Joel Fariss ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelfariss/ ) to discuss how technology - especially the shift from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 - can be designed in such a way to promote and sustain human kindness and flourishing. Joel posits that a shift away from Dataism and toward what he calls “Dream Thinking” will be an essential part of this...

In this episode of Ventures , I comment briefly on my evolving definition of “Brand” and pull in a clip from Episode 51 with Moshe Engelberg ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosheengelberg/ ) on loving customers (and whether they love you back). The best product leaders I know not only understand a market deeply and the value-add a product is bringing, but also think about “uplifting and connecting”...

In this episode of Ventures , I start with a quick summer 2021 reflection and then dive into a short clip from Episode 48 with Andrew Cronk ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcronk/ ). Web 3.0 entrepreneurs and decentralization application (dApp) developers will need to approach software engineering concerns such as user identity and data storage/querying in different ways than the Web 2.0 era. A...

In this episode of Ventures , we pull a popular clip from Episode 12 with Patrick Lowndes ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklowndes/ ) and Brian Geihsler ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangeihsler/ ). The clip focuses on how they validated their Business-to-Business Software-as-a-Service (B2B SaaS) startup, VendorHawk, which sold to ServiceNow in 2018 ( https://www.geekwire.com/2018/servicenow...

In this episode of Ventures , we pull clips from Episodes 38, 35, 41, and 46 to dive deep into all-things Product Management. Most startup founders are overwhelmed and too busy to grasp the nuances of how world-class product managers think about growth and technical operations. These clips provide an overview and a primer to how some of the best in the industry think about their trade at different...

In this episode of Ventures , we pull clips from Ep43 (Dave Parker), Ep14 (Troy Henikoff), and Ep47 (Alex Giannikoulis) to dive into the specific topics surrounding ideation, validation, creation, and early growth of a new business. We talk about market-first vs. team-first, finding a co-founder, financial modeling, and practical advice from the perspective of investors and entrepreneurs on how to...

In this episode of Ventures , we’ve pulled together clips from Episodes 2, 18, 31, and 48 to describe specifically the definition of Web 3.0...what it is, why it’s important, and what the vision is for its future. Along the way we talk about the history of Web 1 & 2, blockchains, scaling trust, and the Web 3.0 stack from the perspective of a Web 3.0 product manager and entrepreneur. Visit http...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/ ) and I continue our conversion from episode 49 and focus this time on supply chain issues in agriculture and consumer packaged goods companies (CPG, like Joni’s startup, https://snacktivistfoods.com/ ). We talk about how a Web 3.0 future would make her life easier, help grower...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Moshe Engelberg ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosheengelberg/ ) and I discuss his book The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work . From an entrepreneurial lens, we cover topics including loving customers, helping customers love your business, example case studies from a new founder perspective, and the existential purpose of every for-profit...

In this episode of Ventures , my father (Larry Little, https://www.kitsapsun.com/opinion/columnists/ ) and I discuss entrepreneurship through the historical lens of the past 100 years. We talk about the arc of history for him personally and his family, and for the global political and economic situation at large. We cover how to find a great startup lawyer, advice for entrepreneurs, thoughts about...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Joni Kindwall-Moore ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/joni-kindwall-moore-rn-57a81014/ ) and I discuss the science behind grains, soils, and microbiomes. We also talk about the story of her startup ( https://snacktivistfoods.com/ ) and how her team is helping to regenerate healthy soils and grains to improve human health. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ven...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Andrew Cronk ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcronk/ , Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at https://figment.io/ ) and I discuss Web 3 and blockchains beyond price hysteria, energy-usage debates, and influencer shenanigans. While everyone has been distracted by current events, the Web 3 builders continue to push the technology forward in a way that is ge...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Alex Giannikoulis ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannikoulis/ ) and I discuss his journey from startup land, to angel investing, to venture capital, to founding a new company again. His current startup ( https://goivee.com/ ) builds enhanced in-vehicle experiences. We dive into not only the story of IVEE, but how Alex’s experience as an angel investor and VC...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Kiel Sanders ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kielsanders ), Patrick Lowndes ( https://patricklowndes.com/ ), and I discuss many details surrounding growing product management teams and operating efficiently at scale. We discuss the various roles that newer founders may not be aware of that exist at larger companies, the skill sets needed to recruit and manage...

In this special episode of Ventures , Kathryn Little (my amazing mother) and I discuss finding oneself, discovering purpose, transitioning out of idealism, saying yes and no to the right things, processing grief, marriage, parenting, and being who you are as an entrepreneur and human being. Indeed, when thinking about the best possible guest for this episode, I asked my mother and she graciously a...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Weston Woodward ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonwoodward/ ), Sol Cates ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/ ), and I discuss community building from a personal, startup, and local city perspective. We talk about how to listen and ask questions, effectively connect people to help raise the tide for everyone, advice for startup founders, and thoughts ab...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Dave Parker ( https://www.dkparker.com/ ) and I discuss his new book, Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product-Market Fit . We talk about Dave’s background, his journey into startups, how he approaches common questions from founders, why he is fascinated with teaching founders about revenue models, information asymmetry in the venture capital industry, and w...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Jim Reavis ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimreavis/ ), Kurt Seifried ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtseifried/ ), and I discuss the philosophies and principles behind the Web 1, Web 2, and Web 3 transitions from a cybersecurity perspective. We talk about the implications of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), user experiences in a Web 3 world, and an exciting n...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest David Pierce ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/daviddpierce/ ) and I dive deep into the technical side of product management through his personal story. In a growing startup, not only is “product” relatively misunderstood, but embracing the nuances between the growth and technical sides of product management is often completely missed. In our conversation, we tal...

In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Malcolm Harkins ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/malcolmharkins/ ), Sol Cates ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/ ), and I discuss all-things cybersecurity. After hearing about Malcolm’s background and career path, we examine the history and principles of cybersecurity for startup founders, individuals, and anyone helping to usher in the Web 3...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Kim Porter ( https://hatchone.com ), Eric Sullivan ( https://thumos.io/ ), Sol Cates ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/ ) and I go “meta” and ask questions about questions. We discuss creatively in career paths, finding purpose, doing good, helping humans flourish, proving middle-schoolers with mentorship and encouragement, pursuing interesting...

In this episode of Ventures , my guest Jenna Langer ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/langerjenna/ ) and I discuss the nuances of product and growth from the perspective of an early stage startup (Livefyre) all the way through acquisition by Adobe. We talk about Jenna’s entrepreneurial story, wearing many hats, team composition strategies, the skill stack of a product manager, professional life in an...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Kelly Jo Horton ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyjohorton/ ), Sol Cates ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/ ) and I discuss marketing operations from a startup and enterprise perspective. We dive into Kelly Jo’s story entering the space, the need for a marketing operations expert as early as possible in a startup, how to avoid technical debt wi...

In this episode of Ventures , my guests Steve Crepeau ( https://www.truesalesresults.com/ ), Sol Cates ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/ ), and I discuss the nuances of sales, including characteristics, values, tactics, and techniques for helping people progress along the buyer’s journey. Our discussion expands from complex B2B sales to how the “inflection point” concept can be appli...

In this episode of Ventures , designer/developer Perry Azevedo ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryazevedo/ ) and I discuss the importance of a co-founder team having product and design capabilities, the important nuances between “product” and “design”, examples from products that Perry and I have built together, and the future of UX design in the era of low-code/no-code applications.  Visit https:...