Skin in the Game VC Podcast

In this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with Bam Azizi, founder and CEO of Mesh and the first unicorn founder in the FLF portfolio. Bam's story is one of grit, resilience, and relentless execution. They talk about his journey from growing up in Iran to immigrating to the U.S., earning a PhD, launching and selling his first company, NoPassword, and eventually building Mesh into on...

In this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with Marshall Sandman, Managing Partner of Animal Capital, for a conversation that covers everything from venture capital and founder relationships to content creation and the future of innovation. Marshall shares his journey from investment banking and WarnerMedia to launching Animal Capital, a venture firm that has backed companies like W...

In this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with entrepreneur Chad Bronstein to discuss the journey that took him from selling Beanie Babies as a kid to building one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in America. Chad shares how an early obsession with sales and entrepreneurship shaped his career, leading him through the adtech world, multiple successful ventures, and eventually t...

In this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with Steven Walchek, Founder & CEO of Liminal, to unpack one of the most unique founder journeys in tech. Steven shares how he went from launching his first company in college—faxing loan documents by hand to building and exiting a venture-backed fintech business alongside his father. But what makes his story different is what came next...

In this episode of Skin in the Game, hosts Saxon Baum and Tom Wallace sit down with Eric Ries, the founder and author of the Lean Startup Methodology, one of the most influential business frameworks in modern entrepreneurship. Eric shares his journey from coding in his parents' basement, to dropping out of Yale for a failed startup, to eventually developing the principles that would change how the...

What does it actually feel like to be inside a company growing faster than anything the world had ever seen? Abe Smith knows. As one of the key leaders at Zoom during the pandemic, he watched the company go from $600M to $4.1B in revenue in just 24 months and 10 million to 300 million active users in four months. Yeah. Four months. In this episode of the FLF Skin in the Game Podcast, Saxon sits do...

In this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with Brian Hollins, co-founder of Collide Capital, for a wide ranging conversation on venture capital, institutional fundraising, and the mindset required to build a differentiated early-stage firm. Brian’s story begins just outside Washington, D.C., where he grew up as the oldest of three brothers in a disciplined and competitive household...

The founder behind Orlando's first unicorn, Stax, and now, Worth AI, join sus on a new episode of Skin in the Game. Suneera Madhani shares her scrappy story of turning a dream into a billion-dollar fintech business with her brother, exiting their first company together, and how they landed on the idea for their latest venture, an AI-based onboarding & underwriting workflow automation platform,...

This episode of Skin in the Game features a deep, candid conversation with Felix Hartmann, founder of Hartmann Capital on what it really means to build and invest at the frontier of technology. Felix’s story starts long before hedge funds and venture capital. He moved to the U.S. from Germany during the 2008 financial crisis, initially planning to stay for just a year. That plan changed quickly. E...

In this episode, we sit down with Mike Collins, Founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures, to explore how venture capital is evolving and why network-driven investing is becoming increasingly powerful. Mike shares the origin story of Alumni Ventures and how it grew from a small alumni-based experiment into one of the most active venture platforms in the world, backing hundreds of companies across stages,...

We sat down with Andrew Wright, founder of Franklin Street, for a fascinating conversation about market dynamics, building resilient businesses, and the future of the Tampa Bay region. Andrew shared how he launched Franklin Street at 26 and grew it into a full ecosystem of real estate services from capital markets and leasing to insurance and property management. He talks about why diversified rev...

What started as one grandson helping his Papa has grown into one of the most innovative companies in healthcare today. In our latest podcast episode, we sit down with Andrew Parker, the founder and CEO of Papa, to explore how a deeply personal family moment sparked a nationwide mission to combat loneliness, support caregivers, and redefine what it means to care for aging adults. Andrew’s story beg...

In this episode of the Skin in the Game podcast, Saxon Baum sits down with Eric Bahn, co-founder of Hustle Fund, to explore the art and science of investing in pre-seed startups. Eric shares his personal journey from growing up as the son of Korean immigrants in Detroit, Michigan, to becoming a media founder and early-stage investor in Silicon Valley. His story highlights the value of persistence,...

On this episode of Skin in the Game, Saxon Baum sits down with longtime friends and powerhouse entrepreneurs Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, the co-founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and Trash Butler. From detention in high school to becoming nationally recognized leaders, Nick and Omar share the raw story behind building two iconic brands from scratch. They talk about what it rea...

A-lign founder and CEO Scott Price joins Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum to unpack the “all gas, no brakes” journey behind building a category leader in cybersecurity compliance. Scott traces his roots from Arthur Andersen and the Enron fallout to bootstrapping through 2009, landing the first clients, and evolving from SOC 2 mainstay to a broader, tech-enabled platform. He shares candid lessons from a...

What separates the top 1% of venture capitalists from the rest? For Roger Ehrenberg, Managing Partner at Eberg Capital, it’s the ability — and the appetite — to invest before the crowd, before the product is built, and before there’s even proof of concept. In a recent episode of the  Skin in the Game VC  podcast, Roger joined Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum to share how he turned a late-career pivot in...

On the latest episode of Skin in the Game VC, Saxon and Tom sit down with Rohan Shah, co-founder of Extend, for a conversation that blends grit, humor, and sharp insight into building in tech. Rohan shares his journey from growing up in the Bay Area with entrepreneurial parents to launching his first startup out of Stanford, and eventually co-founding Extend—a platform modernizing the extended war...

In this episode of the  Skin in the Game  podcast, we sit down with Stu Sjouwerman, founder and CEO of KnowBe4, to discuss how he built one of the world’s most successful cybersecurity startups from the ground up. KnowBe4, headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, is a cybersecurity training company focused on mitigating human risk through simulated phishing, user training, and real-time alerts. Today...

In the latest episode of Skin in the Game VC, hosts Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum sit down with Jenny Friedman, the solo General Partner of Four Acres Capital, to discuss her path into venture capital, investment strategy, and what’s happening in today’s fast-moving startup world. From Goldman Sachs to Running Her Own VC Fund, Jenny’s journey into venture capital wasn’t linear. After growing up in Ne...

What if we could map the Earth—and even the moon—with pinpoint accuracy from space? In the latest episode of  Skin in the Game VC , Saxon Baum sits down with Clint Graumann, CEO of NUVIEW, to talk about how his company is making it possible. Clint’s journey into space tech started with a winding road through optical satellites and Earth observation, ultimately leading to NUVIEW and a game-changing...

In the latest episode of Skin in the Game VC, Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum welcomed Brent Saunders, Chairman and CEO of Bausch & Lomb, to share his journey and insights into leadership, healthcare innovation, and the power of investing in groundbreaking ideas. From his early days as student body president at the University of Pittsburgh to overseeing multi-billion-dollar deals in the healthcare...

The latest episode of Skin in the Game VC Podcast featured an inspiring conversation with Tom Wallace, Saxon Baum, and the dynamic sister duo, Amy and Shannon Wu. As founders backed by Florida Funders, Amy and Shannon shared their unique entrepreneurial journeys, highlighting the resilience and innovation shaping their paths in the tech world. Their story is a testament to the power of collaborati...

In our latest episode of the  Skin in the Game VC Podcast , we explored the multifaceted journey of Ann Berry, Founder and Managing Partner of Threadneedle. From Wall Street to private equity, venture capital, and operating, Ann’s career path is a testament to adaptability and innovation. Ann’s professional journey began at Goldman Sachs, where she specialized in leveraged buyouts. Her transition...

Joe Hogue started his career as a traditional equity analyst and venture capitalist but left the corporate world in 2013 to gain more autonomy. By 2017, he had transitioned into content creation, launching his YouTube channel, Let’s Talk Money, which now has over 650,000 followers. Joe’s mission is to make investing accessible, blending entertainment with education to empower retail investors. Bey...

Dave Sachse is the founder of Family VC and a leader in the world of family office investing, where he helps family offices navigate venture capital by building networks, sharing resources, and creating opportunities for collaboration. With a background in managing his own family's single-family office in Wisconsin, Dave has a deep understanding of the unique challenges family offices face when in...