The Puck: Venture Capital and Beyond

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Ash Beckham, a self-described Accidental Advocate and author of Step Up: How to Live with Courage and Become an Everyday Leader. After Ash gave a 2014 TEDx Talk focused on “coming out of your individual closet” and opening up, she became a sought-after speaker and authority on initiating difficult conversations. She talks Jim through her background, polar...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Professor William Egginton, author of The Rigor of Angels – Borges, Heisenberg, Kant, and the Ultimate Nature of Reality. Their conversation covers the similarities underpinning both New Atheism and Religious Fundamentalism, accepting the reality of discomfort between different mindsets, philosophical paradox, the benefits of reason and evidence-based-arg...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Peter Berg, Managing Partner of M12, Microsoft’s venture arm. Their conversation covers M12’s history, the relationship between M12 and Microsoft as a whole, and the current state of investing and AI. You don’t want to miss it!

The word “trauma” seems to be everywhere. As part of our three-part series on mental health, we wanted to dive into the concept. George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College and internationally recognized for his pioneering research on human resilience in the face of loss and potential trauma. On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Professor Bo...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Dr. Joshua Coleman. Dr. Coleman is an author and psychologist who specializes in contemporary families, particularly on the topic of estrangement. Their conversation covers Dr. Coleman’s research history, his most recent book, Rules of Estrangement, and how to heal intergenerational divides. You don’t want to miss it!

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with author and columnist for the Washington Post, Henry Olsen. Henry specializes in global politics with a particular focus on America and populism. Their wide-ranging conversation covers the roots of the modern populist movement, when Henry first noticed this shift, and where we are now. Henry’s insight allows us to use the lessons of the past to tell us mor...

This week, Jim has Professor Christopher Miller on the show to talk about something we all interact with but very rarely think about: microchips. Chris’ new book is called Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology. Their conversation covers the history of microprocessors, the current geopolitical implications of chip technology, and most importantly, what’s next.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Neil Howe, author, historian, and one half of the team, along with Bill Strauss, behind the Strauss-Howe generational theory initially explored in their books Generations and The Fourth Turning. As the title of his new book suggests, The Fourth Turning is Here. We thought, what better time to have Neil on the show? The subtitle of his new book is “What th...

Earlier this summer, Jim sat down with Demetri Kofinas, media entrepreneur, financial analyst and the Co-Editor and host of Hidden Forces. Hidden Forces is a multimedia educational platform exploring the underlying forces that drive the most powerful changes we see in the world. Jim and Demetri discuss the current state of the economy and political discourse, as well as how Demetri shaped and cont...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Martin Gurri, author – visiting research fellow at George Mason University and former CIA analyst who specializes in the relationship between politics and media. Their conversation touches on many topics, including Martin’s most recent book, The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium. A fascinating conversation you don’t wa...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with author, educator, and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tysonto discuss one of Jim’s favorite books of last year, Starry Messenger. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on Tyson’s personal journey to astrophysics, the current state of the American education system, and, of course, as someone who studies the stars, what compelled him to write a book about th...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Curtis Chang, author of the book The Anxiety Opportunity, and host of the Good Faith podcast. Their wide-ranging conversation covers the nature and roots of anxiety, aspects of spiritual practice, and the role of religion in modern society.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with life coach and Somatic Experiencing practitioner Sarah Baldwin to talk about the relationship between our nervous system and past experiences. They cover trauma, mental health, breath work, and attachment theory, while also diving into how – physically – our childhood experiences impact our lives today.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Meera Clark of Redpoint Ventures, a firm focused on investments in seed, early, and growth-stage companies. They discuss Meera’s background, the current work Redpoint is doing, and Meera’s Substack called The Conscious Consumer.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with John Andrew Entwistle, founder and CEO of Wander, a young but rapidly growing proptech startup looking to challenge Airbnb. Over the course of their conversation, they talk about work-life balance, building community, how he got into the property business in the first place, and the current state of venture funding.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Shomik Dutta, former member of the Obama White House and managing partner of Overture VC, a firm focused on sustainable energy and climate tech. Shomik discusses the current state of innovation in sustainable energy through the VC lens, the improvements in material science, and the relationship between government and the private sector.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Mark Sherman, managing partner at Telstra Ventures, a venture firm focused on the emerging technology space. While the episode was recorded before the collapse of SVB, their conversation does touch on AI, lighthouse leaders, and the potential for downturns in the economic cycle. A prescient conversation that you don’t want to miss.

On this week’s episode, we have Professor Brad De Long of the University of California, Berkeley. Professor DeLong is an economic historian, as well as a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury during the Clinton Administration. In light of the recent financial upheaval, we at The Puck felt that a certain amount of historical perspective could benefit our listeners....

On this week’s episode, we sit down with Joe Dormani, founding principal investor at TR Ventures, the investment arm of Thomson Reuters. In light of the recent advances in AI and the collapses of SVB and Signature, we thought it would be very prescient to revisit this conversation. A really interesting discussion considering the current financial landscape.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Rana Foroohar, author, business columnist, associate editor at the Financial Times, and global economic analyst with CNN to discuss her most recent book, Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post-Global World. Their conversation covers the current financial situation, crypto, the era of globalization and a growing movement toward economic localization....

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Vanessa Bennett – author, holistic psychotherapist, facilitator, and podcast host – as the two discuss mental health in the digital age. Bennett and her partner John Kim recently published the book It’s Not Me, It’s You, about breaking the blame cycle and strengthening relationships, and have also released an accompanying podcast series. Vanessa and Jim t...

On this week’s special episode, Puck host Jim Baer is now the guest. Interviewed by former producer, Caitlin Lalezari, Jim answers any and all questions you may have about the current state of the economy – we cover inflation, Quantitative Easing, and the potential of a coming recession. A fascinating conversation about what Jim is seeing as a boots-on-the-ground financial professional.

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Mike Green, financial strategist and portfolio manager at Simplify Asset Management and lifelong student of the market and market structure. In addition to his traditional finance background, Mike is a public speaker and financial media voice who looks at societal factors and their potential to impact our collective economic futures. They touch on the cur...

On this week’s episode of The Puck, Jim sits own with Andrea Lamari Walne, partner at Manhattan Venture Partners, a venture firm focused on redefining liquidity options in the private market. MVP works with some of the largest private start-ups in the world to provide a secondary marketplace for employees to extract money from their business before they had traditionally been able to do so. She an...

On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, author, clinical psychologist, and professor at the City University of New York. They discuss her newest book, Future Tense Why Anxiety Is Good for You Even Though It Feels Bad, and the current mental health crisis facing young Americans today. A fascinating conversation you don’t want to miss!