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

While many professionals have in the past belittled the creator economy, according to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy was worth about 250 billion in 2023 and is set to nearly double by 2027.  And that is just one of the myriad reasons why you should tune in to our conversation today with Scott Clary, who is living this very trend. An entrepreneur, investor, author and podcaster today with a com...

In light of the nostalgic festive period, this week, we are diving back into one of our favorite episodes this year with the one and only Vivy Yusof. Social media platforms and creator-focused startups haven’t looked too hot coming into 2023, with companies like Meta, Snapchat waging layoffs along with the rest of the tech industry. BUT the creator and influencer economy are more than just buzzwor...

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 recent 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 in...

Rejection has been a recurring theme on this show, serving as a powerful catalyst for success. This week's Billion Dollar Bite features Kendra Scott's appearance in Austin, hosted by Beyond The Billion and Brown Advisory. From her initial setbacks in business to the journey of building a billion-dollar jewelry empire and the challenging decisions made along the way, we invite you to catch a glimps...

At Billion Dollar Moves, our ultimate goal has always been showcasing the often untold stories of what it really takes to achieve that coveted ‘unicorn status’ beyond what’s often humble-bragged about; to challenge today’s status quo of what ‘patterns of success’ looks like, that often does not look like you or me. Join us in our latest recap episode as we dive deep into the meaningful conversatio...

In keeping with the theme of my material from Helsinki, Finland just as one of the biggest events in Finland happens: Slush, today’s episode is with my friend, Taneli Tikka, truly one of the OGs of the Finnish startup ecosystem, who also actually started the Foundation that owns Slush! Taneli founded his first startup Taika Technologies at the tender age of 21. Before going bankrupt, Taika akin to...

What is our 'true dharma' and how can we build without burnout? -- Once seen as the face of failure on the New York Times, Suneel Gupta understands the road to success is not always smooth and requires more than unrelenting grit. Things of course turned around for him, where as CEO of RISE Suneel helped thousands of people in their physical and mental health journey. The company was named “App of...

Lisa Edgar has been a trailblazer in the venture industry, a veteran with over two decades in the business backing many of the brand name venture firms we know today from Accel to Benchmark.  We chat about: Her journey in building Top Tier Capital Partners — a leading fund of funds and direct investing platform What it takes to build an enduring firm Current venture markets, challenges and opportu...

Named one of Forbes’ Most Powerful Women, Melinda French Gates needs no introduction. Over the last twenty years through her work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one thing has become clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you must invest in women. In comes our next guest, Erin Harkless Moore, Senior Director of Investment for Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company create...

True to the saying 'nice guys finish last'; so many of us have accepted that as in the case of Steve Jobs, 'abrasiveness' was part of his genius. But what if there was another way? What if leaders could be kind; and that there is a tangible value to kindness in business? Now all of us probably know the term “goodwill” from an accounting context:  In this capitalistic world in many ways; this value...

What are some key factors that contribute to a successful exit for a company? How can investors and founders align valuations with realistic outcomes? How have market conditions affected the fundraising landscape for companies? What opportunities exist for quality companies with strong fundamentals? What is the service mindset founders need to be really zooming in on? How does this differentiate s...

On Billion Dollar Moves we don't shy away from difficult conversations. A heads up, in today's conversation we will be talking about mental health, including suicide. Know that if you are struggling with your own mental health you are not alone, please reach out to a local mental health provider for support. For a list of free support lines available around the world, we recommend: https://bekind....

Today’s guest speaking to the African continent is none other than Eunice Ajim, Cameroonian-American tech entrepreneur and investor who's changing the game. With her fund, Ajim Capital, she seeks to invest in Africa’s best startups at the pre-seed and seed level; leveraging her experience as a former repeat founder herself, including leading a $10M+ tech startup. But what many may not know is her...

From $50 million in circulation annually in venture capital to about $500 million; this 10x growth in a short amount of time in Oklahoma caught my attention. So when Nathaniel Harding of Cortado Ventures invited me out to Oklahoma City for the MidContinent VC Summit earlier this year—my answer was yes! Today’s conversation is with a leader unlike any other I’ve had on the show— a former Air Force...

In 2005, three Singaporean teenagers set up a secondhand clothes blog. They didn't realize it at the time, but it laid the framework for this multi-million dollar empire, one of the largest omnichannel womenswear brands in Southeast Asia, that has gone global, delivering to 18 countries with its most recent pop up store in SoHo New York. This week we dive into the story of Love, Bonito, in the bus...

I realized for many of you, I’ve yet to formally introduce myself, why I do the work I do, and why, Billion Dollar Moves exists to serve you today.  Fact: I was often in rooms I felt I didn’t deserve to be in. I was too young, too unqualified, and heck, looked and sounded different from everyone else. I knew I had two choices: to crumble into myself or to step up and honor my potential. The tables...

Our guest today is none other than Jeff Maggioncalda, a visionary leader whose journey spans not just one but two groundbreaking fields. For 18 years, Jeff worked side by side with Nobel Prize winner and economist Bill Sharpe, as the founding CEO of Financial Engines, one of the earliest pioneers in the world of robo-advisors and algorithm-driven investment strategies that became the largest indep...

I’m so excited about this week’s guest! If you’ve been following our work at Beyond The Billion; there’s no better snapshot of why we do the work we do than this episode; where Elodie Dupuy represents the kind of fund manager we are so bullish on. Starting as a receptionist at Insight Venture Partners, she is today betting on herself. Elodie founded Full In Partners, a software-focused $200M growt...

"But how can women actually be good operators?" This is a special episode from my work archives—in reflecting on my work this summer, I realized that this conversation in particular needed more air for the important angles raised by some real heavyweights in our industry. Featuring GV Ravishankar, MD at Sequoia India or now known as Peak XV; Sunitha from LetsVenture, India’s largest tech platform...

“Give them some purpose, unlimited vacation time, free food, and beanbags.” 🙄 Yet why are workers still unhappy and disengaged? 😳 40% of workers say they're likely to leave their current job in the next 3-6 months In this Billion Dollar Bite I explore a question I get asked often: "What exactly does the next generation workforce want from me?" EPISODES REFERENCED: Silvia Wiesner, former MD at Un...

I’ve been enjoying the Women's FIFA World Cup, and I’m so thrilled to see the conversation on gender equity that has arisen alongside the excitement of the sport. As we continue to be in awe of the performance of so many of the teams, I was inspired to bring this week’s Billion Dollar Bite to a candid conversation with Coach Jen Welter who tackled her football career with tenacity and an unprecede...

From building emerging tech in IBM to working with Jeff Bezos and Andy Jessy, being a part of scaling Amazon from a $12 Billion to $80 Billion company; tech pioneer and trailblazer, CNN’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech Sandy Carter is now betting big on Web3: as COO of Unstoppable Domains, a platform for user-owned digital identity that hit the unicorn status last year led with a round led by...

Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. ELSA, an AI-powered learning app, provides users with an interactive and personalized approach to improving English pronunciation, 50 million users later, over $27 million doll...

While the IPO window feels closed for many; what we’re still seeing are interesting mergers, acquisitions and strategic exits: many of which create the scenario of leaders at the helm of new teams. And so, for this week’s Billion Dollar Bite; I’m bringing a question I’m off late being asked a lot: how do leaders make maximum impact in the first 90 days? A concept; from one of my fav book of all ti...

Ollen Douglass is a name that many have come to recognize in the venture industry, in particular for building the first venture fund for the Motley Fool; a popular news and media platform providing investing insights and financial advice to millions of people for over 25 years. But his story takes an unexpected twist as he walks away from a $250 million outfit he helped start. His abrupt departure...