Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

As the year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the lessons learned, the challenges faced, and the habits that have shaped our journey. This week, we are revisiting an episode that dives deep into these themes with Suneel Gupta. Once labeled the "face of failure" in *The New York Times,* Suneel turned his setbacks into powerful lessons, going on to become the founding CEO of RISE...

This week we’re diving into the journey of Martin Karafilis, CEO of Fishburners, Australia's largest and longest-standing startup community. Since 2011, Fishburners has supported over 45,000 entrepreneurs and facilitated more than $2 billion in capital raised.  In our conversation, Martin shares his insights on Australia's evolving venture landscape, the importance of community in startup success,...

Today’s episode of #BillionDollarMoves is truly special—the first-ever brother-sister co-hosted episode on this how!  Sarah and Brian sit down with Shruti Shibulal, the visionary CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences. From her roots in the Infosys legacy to building a trailblazing hospitality brand, Shruti shares her insights on scaling a purpose-driven business, leading with impact, and redefining su...

From Breaking Into Y Combinator to Reshaping A $58Bn Furniture Resale Industry w/ Reham Fagiri, AptDeco In this episode, we’re joined by Reham Fagiri, co-founder and CEO of AptDeco, the trailblazing furniture resale platform that’s transforming a $58 billion industry. What started as Reham’s frustration with selling furniture on Craigslist has grown into a powerhouse business with over $100 millio...

In this replay episode, we’re thrilled to spotlight Jyri Engeström, a serial entrepreneur whose early ventures led to successful exits to Google and Groupon. Now a General Partner at Yes VC, the fund he co-founded with Caterina Fake of Flickr, Jyri continues to shape the future of startups. He's also investing in bold new ventures alongside Petteri Koponen at Lifeline Ventures, one of Finland’s le...

In this episode, we're diving into an engaging, power-packed conversation with Jack Selby, an investment leader of "PayPal Mafia" fame. Joining us from Beyond The Billion family office event in Singapore earlier this year, Jack brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective on venture capital and film production alike. Join us as we discuss everything from strategic investing to the inters...

Get ready for a story that redefines resilience. This week, we're sitting down with Mary Seats, aka Mz Skittlez, the unstoppable entrepreneur who transformed a $300 hustle into the multimillion-dollar fashion brand, Cupcake Mafia. Mary's story defies the conventional startup path, and that’s exactly what makes it worth hearing. From building a multimillion-dollar brand to being fired from her own...

In this episode, we’re thrilled to bring you an inspiring panel discussion from The Billion Dollar Series by Beyond The Billion, in partnership with Dell Technologies. On this global tour to fuel women-led innovation, we dive into Australia’s rapidly evolving venture landscape with some of the country’s top industry leaders. Featuring Carol Schwartz, Director of Trawalla Group; Alex Schuman, CEO o...

This CEO leads the world’s largest ticketing platform, powering millions of events globally and driving substantial revenue—$326.1 million in 2023 alone. Julia Hartz, as the co-founder and CEO of Eventbrite, she took Eventbrite public, only to face a near-collapse when the pandemic brought in-person events to a sudden halt. Despite the unforeseen challenge, Julia steered Eventbrite through turbule...

Last month at INBOUND 2024 in Boston, we took the main stage with Glenda McNeal, Chief Partner Officer at American Express, to explore how partnerships are transforming innovation and driving sustained business growth. In this episode, we dive into how American Express builds and leverages its global strategic partnerships to enhance customer value and stay competitive. Tune in to discover key ins...

In this episode, we sit down with Tom Henriksson, General Partner at OpenOcean, to dive into the world of venture capital and scaling groundbreaking software companies. From his pivotal role in growing MySQL into a billion-dollar exit to leading Nokia’s mobile ad business, Tom shares invaluable insights on what it takes to navigate the competitive VC landscape and drive success for data-driven sof...

In today’s episode, we are amplifying the story of a resilient and visionary entrepreneur, Julie Wainwright. Known for her dramatic turnaround from overseeing the epic failure of Pets.com during the dot-com bust to creating the billion-dollar luxury consignment powerhouse, The RealReal, Julie’s journey is an inspiring tale of innovation, resilience, and strategic brilliance. And while we'll also t...

This week, we’re bringing you an exclusive panel discussion from the Arctic15 LP Summit 2024. Moderated by Sarah Chen-Spellings, this conversation dives deep into the evolving venture capital landscape, driven by the influx of private wealth. Joining Sarah are Tor-Oskar Karlberg, Investment Director at Stephen Industries; Ville Solja, Owner & Investor at Kiilto Ventures; and Nydia Zhang, Investmen...

This week, our host Sarah Chen-Spellings, venture capitalist, strategist, and co-founder of Beyond the Billion, takes the hot seat on the iDigress podcast, hosted by Troy Sandige! Sarah shares her insights on what it truly takes to build billion-dollar unicorns—from mastering the pitch to overcoming rejection and navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Tune in to learn how she’s helping...

This week, we are resurfacing our conversation with Johanna Småros, co-founder of RELEX Solutions, one of Finland's leading unicorns. In our conversation, we delve into the unique path of RELEX Solutions, which was bootstrapped for more than 10 years and built “The Finnish Way” - practical and transparent. From bootstrapping for over a decade to transforming the company into a global leader, her s...

This week’s episode features Nick Washburn, Senior Managing Director at Intel Capital. If you're an investor—or aspire to be—this conversation is a masterclass you won't want to miss. For those who might not be familiar, Intel Capital is the venture capital arm of Intel Corporation, and it's long been considered the gold standard in the industry. They've backed legendary companies like Red Hat, VM...

Muslims are projected to constitute more than 25% of the world's total population this year. To many in the industry, this isn't just a statistic; it represents a vast array of opportunities for the markets. This week, we are revisiting our conversation with Fara Abdullah, CEO of Bitsmedia, the brains behind the immensely popular Muslim lifestyle app, Muslim Pro.  With a fresh injection of $20 mil...

We’re thrilled to feature Jyri Engeström, a serial entrepreneur who found early success with exits to Google and Groupon. Now an investor, Jyri continues to shape the startup landscape as a General Partner at Yes VC, the fund he co-founded with his partner, Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr. At the same time, Jyri makes significant strides in building and investing in startups alongside Petteri...

This week's episode is proudly brought to you by Tatler Gen. T. On July 12th, we celebrated the groundbreaking launch of Draco Evolution Corp’s AI-driven ETF, now trading on the NYSE. We had the privilege to speak with the visionary co-founders, Jack Fu and Steve Chen, about their innovative ideas and the future of finance. This week, we dive deeper into Steve Chen’s journey co-founding and leavin...

This week, we're diving into the remarkable journey of Adi Tatarko, Co-Founder and CEO of Houzz, a story that epitomizes resilience, innovation, and the strength of community.  Adi and her husband, Alon Cohen, turned their personal frustration into a global leader in the home renovation and design industry. What began as a side project evolved into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, now serving ov...

This week's episode is proudly presented by Tatler Gen. T. Join us for an exclusive conversation recorded live at the New York Stock Exchange with Jack and Steve, the visionary co-founders of Draco Evolution Corp.  On July 12th, We were on site to celebrate the groundbreaking launch of their AI-driven ETF, now trading on the NYSE. From the electrifying atmosphere of the closing bell ceremony to th...

"Secondaries are just deals with a discount?" Think again. In this episode, we explore how the secondary market has surged to a staggering $100 billion in transaction volume, driven by the pressing need for liquidity. Featuring Martin Fleischer, Principal of Coller Capital, and Ku Kay-Mok, Senior Partner at Gobi Partners, we talked about the explosive growth of continuation vehicles and the challe...

This week, we have the pleasure of speaking with Johanna Småros, co-founder of RELEX Solutions, one of Finland's leading unicorns. In our conversation, we delve into the unique path of RELEX Solutions, which was bootstrapped for more than 10 years and built “The Finnish Way” - practical and transparent. Tune in to today’s episode to learn more about the intricacies of global supply chain solutions...

This week’s episode comes to you from the Wharton Women in Investing Conference 2024. On January 26, Wharton Women in Investing held its third annual conference at Convene in New York City. The conference theme was growth and good governance as investors. “The Wharton Women in Investing Conference epitomizes our dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion within the investment community. Our g...

Dr. Raj Shah's journey comprises numerous transformative endeavors, spanning his roles at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, to his current position as President of the Rockefeller Foundation.  In his publication, "Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens," he illuminates the power of the big bet mindset—a belief that addressing problems boldly, rather than settling for increment...