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Movers & Shakers S2E2: The Modern Method of Targeted Digital Advertising, a Crypto Bear Perspective and More with Zach Coelius, Co-Founder of Triggit and Coelius Capital
19 april 2022 · 40 min
Season 2 of “Movers and Shakers” continues with a legend in the digital marketing ad space, Zach Coelius, Co-Founder of Triggit and Managing Partner at Coelius Capital. Zach and his sister, Susan, played an instrumental role in modernizing the way advertisers use targeted digital ads. Lees meer
Zach deep dives into “retargeting,” a form of online advertising where the ads are targeted to consumers based on their previous internet behavior. The conversation progresses with the constantly changing legislation on privacy from large companies like Google and Apple. Plus, we further discuss Zach’s take on cryptocurrency, which is very different from the mainstream opinion.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
4:03 - Where did Zach grow up and how did this shape his view of the world?
4:37 - Did Zach always think he was going to be an entrepreneur?
5:37 - Why did Zach attend five Olympic Games?
8:52 - What is Triggit and how did Zach get started founding it?
11:34 - What is the core product of Triggit and what was the competitive landscape like in the ad tech space?
14:44 - How does Zach feel about the new privacy changes that Google and Apple are implementing?
16:35 - Now in 2022, would Zach recommend entering the digital marketing ad space?
18:05 - What are Zach’s thoughts on working within digital marketing on the paying side?
19:41 - How is Coelius Capital structured?
22:31 - How would Zach describe his fund?
26:14 - Why is Zach not bullish on Crypto? Has his opinion changed in the last six months? See his mentioned User Manual here.
30:28 - What are some sectors that Zach is bullish on?
31:36 - What advice does Zach have for founders looking for funding?
36:12 - What’s next for Zach?
37:25 - Who is a woman in Zach’s life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
WX Productions
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Movers & Shakers S2E1: Optimizing SaaS and Cloud Software Companies with Mary D’Onofrio of the Bessemer Venture Partners
12 april 2022 · 33 min
We are kicking off our second entitlement of “Movers and Shakers” with a bang! Lees meer
In The Room with Mary D’Onofrio, partner and co-founder of the growth investment practice at Bessemer Venture Partners.
Topics this week include the very active investing climate of 2022 and how to be proactive when searching for businesses to partner with, how to find, obtain, and retain skilled, specialized new hires, and the difference between growth-stage and early-stage investing.
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3:34 - Where did Mary grow up and how did this shape her view of the world?
5:05 - Did Mary always think her career would be in Venture?
7:28 - What lessons in “deal-making” did Mary learn during her time at Morgan Stanley?
8:15 - What initially brought Mary to Bessemer in 2018?
10:10 - What are some of the key characteristics you look for when searching for “the next big thing?”
11:52 - How did Mary level up in that way to be able to really effectively evaluate these technical businesses?
13:41 - How do you weigh valuing a company and its team versus the growth of the customer and the metric data?
15:58 - What will continue to evolve within the cloud ecosystem for enterprise SaaS and software companies?
17:34 - What is one company that is changing the way cloud is used or changing the technical ecosystem?
19:02 - How does Mary work with businesses she invests in?
21:10 - Is there a common stumbling block or something that is particularly tricky for new businesses?
24:10 - What advice does Mary have for post-B-level businesses who are struggling to retain talent and hire?
25:50 - How is Mary thinking about 2022 and this current very accelerated pace of investing?
28:53 - What does the future hold for Mary?
29:32 - Who is a woman in Mary’s life that has had a profound impact on her career?The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
WX Productions
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S5E8: Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe, Is Sharing Her Experience With New Founders as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clerisy
8 maart 2022 · 40 min
In The Room with Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Co-Founder of Gilt Groupe, GLAMSQUAD, and Clerisy. Lees meer
In our final episode of the season, and 50th episode of The Room Podcast, Alexandra shares her experience breaking into the online retail fashion world with her smash hit, Gilt Groupe, alongside her partner, Alexis Maybank. Alexandra explains how she had limited merchandising experience but took advantage of the consumer ‘FOMO’ by creating the early forms of fashion brand “drops.”
In this conversation, we cover themes such as the original “drop” model, what’s happening in Miami’s ‘Silicon Valley Beach’, and the adoption of Omni-channel 3.0.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
4:23 - Where did Alexandra grow up and how did that experience shape her view of the World?
5:55 - Did Alexandra always think she would become a founder?
7:35 - When Alexandra was at Harvard, were many people looking to become founders?
10:03 - What was the retail climate like in 2007 when Alexandra started Gilt Groupe?
13:05 - Did Alexandra realize she was creating the early stages of fashion brand “drops”?
14:24 - What inspired Alexandra to structure Gilt Groupe in the way that it was?
15:13 - Was it difficult pursuing larger purchase orders without having much retail fashion experience?
18:32 - Who's the first person to say yes to Alexandra and Gilt Groupe?
20:39 - What challenges did Alexandra face when building the robust catalog of items on Gilt?
25:31 - Is Alexandra more or less bullish on the gig economy than she was when she founded Glamsquad in 2014?
26:56 - What is the investment strategy of Clerisy?
29:44 - How is the technology ecosystem evolving in Alexandra’s new home city of Miami?
32:07 - What do the next five years hold for commerce?
33:54 - How is Alexandra thinking about the evolving tech world, especially in regard to Web3?
36:38 - Who is a woman in Alexandra’s life that had a profound impact on her and her career?Be the first to know w…
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S5E7: Rathna Sharad, CEO and Founder of FlavorCloud is Unlocking International Supply Chains and Shipping for Startups
1 maart 2022 · 38 min
In The Room with Rathna Sharad, Founder, and CEO of FlavorCloud. Lees meer
With the constant growth of social media and the impacts of the pandemic, more businesses and brands are looking to export or import internationally. And since consumer expectations are only increasing, there is immense pressure on independent companies to unlock access faster. Enter, FlavorCloud, who takes care of the whole cross-border shipping process, including all customs requirements, wherever you’re shipping to.
In this episode, CEO and co-founder, Rathna covers topics such as unlocking “anywhere to anywhere” shipping, the increasingly higher expectations of online consumers, and theories on how the supply chain issues will shape up this year.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
3:34 - Where did Rathna grow up and how did that shape her view of the world?
5:24 - When Rathna was growing up did she want to be a founder?
7:04 - What did the logistics ecosystem look like in the early 2000s?
9:31 - What challenges did Rathna face when switching from B2B to B2C?
13:02 - How did Rathna’s first company, Runway to Street, inform what is now FlavorCloud?
18:45 - Who was the first person to say yes to investing in FlavorCloud?
19:41 - Who is the target customer of FlavorCloud?
20:57 - Which international markets are growing the fastest and where would Rathna recommend retailers expand?
25:25 - How will the supply chain shape up next year?
29:09 - What advice does FlavorCloud have for businesses that manufacture and distribute in multiple countries?
32:06 - How has consumer expectation shifted the need for logistics to become faster and faster? And how have the supply chain constraints stunted e-commerce growth?
34:40 - What’s next for Rathna?
35:00 - Who is a woman in Rathna’s life that has had a profound impact on her and her career?Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter
Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends a…
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S5E6: Mac Conwell of RareBreed Ventures is Serving His Community by Turning LP Relationships Upside Down
22 februari 2022 · 40 min
In The Room with Mac Conwell, the Managing Partner and founder of RareBreed Ventures. Lees meer
After founding a few of his own startups, Mac’s life changed when he learned about the world of VCs and funders. This inspired him to start RareBreed Ventures, a pre-seed fund that invests in founders outside of large tech ecosystems. Mac and RareBreed provide resources, capital, and financial education to new and underrepresented founders. This episode discusses; strategies for bridging the gap between funders and marginalized founders, the unique uses of TEDCO, a state-sponsored VC that provides resources to early stage companies in Maryland, and how Mac is utilizing Rule 506(c) to publicly fund new founders.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
0:17 - Where did Mac grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?
1:21 - How did Mac’s early career start put him on a path to entrepreneurship?
3:15 - At what point did Mac decide to quit his job and become an entrepreneur?
5:06 - What resources are available now versus when Mac started his career?
5:53 - Who did Mac start his first company with?
8:59 - How did Mac’s experience as a founder lead him to venture?
12:27 - What is it like to be primarily investing in your home state?
16:19 - Is there a “top of the funnel” issue when it comes to who is receiving funding and financial education?
18:13 - What is TEDCO and how is it tying venture to state funding?
20:13 - Why did Mac start RareBreed Ventures?
21:31 - How and why does Mac have a “become an LP” button on his website?
26:46 - Who are some of Mac’s favorite companies that he works with?
30:46 - How will access to capital change for new founders in the future?
33:32 - What’s next for Mac?
34:30 - Who is a woman that has had a profound impact on Mac and his career?Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter
Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
WX Prod…
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S5E5: Early Stage, Go-To-Market Strategies with Ash Rust of Sterling Road
15 februari 2022 · 28 min
In The Room with Ash Rust, Managing Partner at Sterling Road. Lees meer
Since moving to Silicon Valley in 2008, Ash Rust has become an experienced mentor to startup founders and funders. Ash realized that he didn't like the traditional Silicon Valley approach of meeting someone for a small amount of time before making a decision on a large check, as fast as possible, because “that's the cool thing to do.” Instead, he chooses to spend a lot of time with founders early on to build an organic and more valuable relationship. This allows a better perspective on how Ash can properly assist the project.
This episode includes insights on making an enterprise sale as an early or first-time founder, the right time to implement a sales team and who should be on it, and the current and future impacts of developing technologies on enterprise sales.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
3:57 - What interested Ash about becoming a founder and sales coach?
7:48 - What is important when making your first enterprise sale?
11:38 - When is the right time to bring a dedicated sales person to your team?
13:41 - How do you balance asking for a sale while managing an overcritical internal mindset?
17:00 - How has the landscape changed over time for making a sale?
18:44 - As technology continues to develop, what will the future of optimizing the sales funnel look like?
21:36 - What are some indicators or metrics of sales success?
24:51 - Are there any overlooked tips in mastering enterprise sales?
26:04 - Who is a woman in Ash’s life that had a profound impact on him and his career?Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter
Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
WX Productions
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S5E4: Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko of F7 Ventures Create an Inclusive Space for Women In Ventures
8 februari 2022 · 31 min
In The Room with Kelly Graziadei and Joanna Lee Shevelenko, General Partners of F7. Lees meer
For this episode of The Room, we chat with the women who lead the investments and operations of F7. F7 is a seed investment fund, composed of seven senior female operators. With their combined 16 years at Facebook, Kelly and Joanna explain what they learned from their time there and how they want to use their experience, relationships, and capital to make a difference. Kelly and Joanna manage F7 because they see a huge issue with the number of women that have “a seat at the table” in the investment industry and they want to encourage more women to be founders.
This conversation describes some of the barriers to entry as a woman in the investment world and the importance of giving everyone an equal starting place in the industry. Plus, Kelly and Joanna reveal some common mistakes that new founders make and explain how the women of F7 can be beneficial at any stage in the startup process.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
3:55 - Joanna left Facebook after 9 years to pursue F7, how did her time there shape her career?
5:57 - How did Kelly get involved with VCs, and why did she see the need for F7?
7:32 - How did Kelly first make the transition into Venture? What was the aha moment that venture was next for her career?
12:02 - What is the initial mission and investment thesis of F7?
13:55 - What stage in a startup is the right time to call F7?
16:43 - What are the barriers to entry on founding a fund and what was the process like for Joanna, both tactically and emotionally?
18:17 - What are some common mistakes that founders make?
19:55 - What are some tips for a founder whose idea is not clicking and may need to start thinking outside the box?
21:58 - What are some examples of a really good executor and what are things to look for when hiring executors into your business?
22:52 - Who is a company in F7’s portfolio that has really knocked th… -
S5E3: How Faye Keegan of Dipsea is Empowering Women Using Audio-First Content with Sex-Positive Narratives
1 februari 2022 · 27 min
In The Room with Faye Keegan, Co-Founder, and CEO of Dipsea. Lees meer
Consumers are leaning more and more into audio as their primary medium for receiving content. Faye describes how Dipsea is the first of its kind by using the new consumer love of personal audio to empower women. “Sexy audio stories and intimate wellness sessions to help you find joy and confidence in and out of the bedroom.”
This episode covers concepts such as good practices when partnering on a startup with a friend, the current state of audio platforms creators, and advice for fundraising in a non-traditional space. Bonus in time for Valentine's Day, Faye explains why it’s so important to sexually empower women and create a safer environment for sexual education.
USE CODE: “THEROOM” on Dipsea's Website to get a free 30-day subscription to Dipsea and have access to over 500 stories, hot & heavy content, dreamy bedtime stories, wellness sessions, and an ad-free experience. Plus, you can cancel at any time.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
0:08 - Where did Faye grow up and did she always want to be a founder?
1:06 - What did Faye think of her time at Bridgewater and how did it affect her leadership style?
2:06 - What was a lesson that Faye learned at Bridgewater that she has taken with her into the Dipsea culture?
3:16 - What inspired Faye’s career shift from investing to software engineering?
4:40 - What was the initial a-ha moment that sparked the creation of Dipsea?
6:19 - How did Faye meet Gina?
6:54 - What is Dipsea’s core product?
7:41 - How was the fundraising journey for Faye? Who wrote the first check?
9:08 - What advice would Faye give founders who are just starting to think through an idea with a friend?
11:19 - What was the process like finding a product-market fit for this unconventional user experience?
13:09 - Has there been any issues marketing these sensitive subjects?
15:25 - How does Dipsea utilize their ability to empower women?
18:00 - H… -
S5E2: Scaling & innovating on CPG with Graham Fortgang of MatchaBar
25 januari 2022 · 43 min
In The Room with Graham Fortgang, Founder of MatchaBar. Lees meer
Season 5 continues with Graham Fortgang, co-founder, and CEO of MatchaBar. Graham runs MatchaBar alongside his brother, Max, whom he’s worked with for over 7 years. We asked Graham why he and Max fell in love with matcha and, to break down their mission of bringing matcha to the mainstream whether through grocery stores, online shipping, or wholesale offerings.
From guerrilla marketing in the busiest grocery stores to flying to Japan to study the origins of matcha, Graham has dedicated his life to his cause of bringing more attention to the benefits of matcha over your regular caffeinated drink.
This week’s episode explores insights and themes such as the thousand-year-old origins of matcha, the power of hustle in building a business, and tactical tips on being an omnichannel retailer in 2022. Let’s open the door.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
4:29 - What was Graham doing before MatchaBar?
6:40 - What made Graham and his brother, Max, decide to take MatchaBar seriously?
9:51 - What was it like owning and operating cafés?
11:53 - How did guerrilla marketing become an integral part of the MatchaBar brand?
13:08 - How did it benefit Graham to study the history of matcha?
16:00 - Who were the early suppliers of matcha to MatchaBar?
18:02 - How was the transition from real cafés to a CPG brand?
20:37 - Who was the first retail partner that believed in MatchBar?
22:30 -What brought the decision to capitalize MatchaBar?
24:14 - What has been the added value of having household name celebrities as endorsers?
25:14 - What is Graham’s favorite matcha drink?
26:33 - Why direct to consumer has been successful for MatchaBar and how the company has incorporated E-Commerce?
23:44 - What advice does Graham have for another founder planning to rebrand their business?
30:10 - Graham discusses how customers are the most sensitive they’ve ever been.
31:10 - Who is in Graham’s D2C… -
S5E1: Jeremy Cai and Italic are Changing the Game for Manufacturers and Merchants
18 januari 2022 · 41 min
In The Room with Jeremy Cai, Founder, and CEO of Italic. Lees meer
We start off season 5 of The Room with Jeremy Cai, the Founder and CEO of Italic. Jeremy and Italic are changing what it means to be a manufacturer by connecting directly to customers and consumers, breaking from the traditional path of utilizing a middle-man distributor.
Jeremy details the evolution of Italic, expanding on the changes they’ve made to the business model. Plus, we ask him about the future of the E-Commerce space and any predictions he may have.
For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
3:21 - Who is Jeremy Cai and how has his family background influenced his interests?
4:42 - Jeremy compares what he learned from his time as a Theil Fellow to his time running his two subsequent startups.
8:02 - What inspired the start of Italic?
12:37 - Who was the first manufacturer to sign up with Italic?
15:41 - What was the first product Italic sold and how did Italic get consumers to join?
18:01 - What is the design process of Italic’s product offering?
22:45 - Was getting a VC the first step in getting Italic off the ground?
23:18 - Who was the first Venture that said yes to supporting Italic?
24:48 - What led Italic to step away from their original mandatory membership model?
27:11 - What does Jeremy think the next innovation in E-Commerce is?
30:24 - Italic is not a brand but, they can create an experience.
32:56 - What is Jeremy’s favorite product on Italic?
33:51 - How has the current supply chain crisis affected Italic?
35:14 - What advice would Jeremy give to a new E-Commerce startup founder?
36:30 - What’s new for Jeremy in 2022?
38:29 - Who is a woman that has impacted Jeremy?Be the first to know when new episodes drop - Receive Our Newsletter
Season 5 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
WX Productions
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Movers & Shakers Ep 4: Ryan Mundy of Alkeme Health
7 december 2021 · 37 min
Welcome to the last episode of our four-part mini-series Movers & Shakers! This week, Madison and Claudia sit down with Ryan Mundy, Founder & CEO of Alkeme Health. Any football fans? You may also recognize Ryan as the Super Bowl-winning safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After eight seasons in the NFL and playing across three teams, Ryan retired at age 31 and embarked on a self-discovery journey to find his identity outside of football. This led him to spend time both on the investing side at Techlete Ventures and starting his first company SWZLE, a sustainable CPG brand. That year, Ryan and his family faced an unfortunate number of personal health crises, ultimately shedding light on healthcare inequalities that millions of Black Americans must face. From this personal experience came Alkeme Health, a digital health platform that features content from black practitioners and respected experts in wellness, including psychology and mindfulness to tackle the issues that are historically unaddressed by health tech, such as intergenerational trauma, systemic racism, anxiety and microaggressions. The platform is set to launch in January 2022. Lees meer
This week’s episode of The Room Podcast explores insights and themes such as endurance on and off the field, building an ecosystem of culturally competent care, and healthcare's future in America. Let's open the door.
Movers & Shakers is proudly sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
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Movers & Shakers Ep 3: Paige Finn Doherty of Behind Genius Ventures
30 november 2021 · 40 min
Welcome back to The Room- today’s conversation is another installment in our mini-series, Movers & Shakers where we sit down with early-stage entrepreneurs to hear about their stories. Lees meer
Today we sit down with Paige Finn Doherty, Founding Partner of Behind Genius Ventures. Behind Genius Ventures is an early-stage fund investing in product-led growth companies and play at the pre-seed/seed stage. They are backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Tribe Capital, Bonfire Ventures, and others. Behind Genius focuses on API-first products, wellness, creator economy, and dev tools. Paige is also the author of Seed to Harvest: A Simple Explanation of Venture Capital. Today we chat about her passions, how she got into venture, and her take on future tech trends. Let’s open the door.
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Movers & Shakers Ep 2: Gaby Goldberg of The Chernin Group
23 november 2021 · 36 min
In today’s episode, Claudia and Madison sit down with Gaby Goldberg, an investor at The Chernin Group. A self-proclaimed Gen Zer, Gaby natively understands the creator and gamer economies. Through a self-discovery semester off from Stanford, where she spent time working at a startup in Tel Aviv, Gaby fell in love with venture capital. Through Twitter, she landed her first job in VC at Chapter One. After this experience, she found herself at Bessemer before recently joining The Chernin Group to focus on the evolving space of crypto. Lees meer
Today's episode explores insights and themes including navigating early career milestones, the concept of modern friends, and the future of Web 3. Let’s open the door.
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Movers & Shakers: Madison Campbell of Leda Health
16 november 2021 · 35 min
Before the launch of season 5 of The Room Podcast, we are so excited to introduce a four-part mini-series: Movers & Shakers, where Madison and Claudia sit down with early-stage entrepreneurs and influencers to hear their stories. In this week’s episode and series launch, we sit down with Madison Campbell, Co-Founder and CEO of Leda Health, a health and wellness startup turning the conversation around sexual assault into actionable change lead. Lees meer
A company created for survivors by survivors, Leda Health provides the care and resources needed for a full recovery and works towards bettering the many systemic shortcomings surrounding sexual assault services. We chat with Madison on her journey to founding Leda Health and her mission and vision for the future of healthcare and wellness. Let’s open the door.
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Season 3 & 4 Recap: Madison & Claudia
11 november 2021 · 34 min
As we recently wrapped on Season 4 of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia take a trip down memory lane to look back on our past two seasons. Over the past year, we’ve had the most amazing guests come to join us in The Room to share their inspiring stories. Take a look back on some of our key themes and insights from the past two seasons. Thank you so much for joining us for four seasons now! We have so much more in store, but for now, let’s take a look back and open the door. Lees meer
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S4E8: Andy Ruben of Trove on empowering and rethinking sustainable consumption
5 oktober 2021 · 44 min
In the Season 4 finale of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia sit down with Andy Ruben, Founder and CEO of Trove, an end-to-end technology and supply chain platform, unlocking second-hand shopping for your favorite brands. Before founding Trove, Andy served on the senior leadership team at Walmart, including the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. A big congratulations to Trove who recently announced their $77.5M Series D funding. With the resale and e-commerce space expected to hit $64B in annual sales by 2028, Trove is at the forefront of enabling top-tier brands like Patagonia, REI, and Lululemon to capture this rapidly growing market. Lees meer
This week’s episode covers key themes such as how we empower sustainable consumption, the art of the reframe, and building a business in a supply-constrained market. Let’s open the door.
Season 4 is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
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S4E7: Katie Warner Johnson of Carbon38 on the artistry of entrepreneurship and disrupting the activewear industry
28 september 2021 · 42 min
In The Room with Katie Warner Johnson Lees meer
This week on The Room Podcast, we are excited to share our conversation with Katie Warner Johnson, Founder and CEO of Carbon38. Carbon38 is one of the leading activewear e-commerce platforms, carrying brands like Beyond Yoga, Isabel Marant, Adidas by Stella McCartney and their own line. Katie's journey to disrupting the activewear industry started early on as a professional dancer from childhood and later, a Physique 57 fitness instructor. After years of being immersed in the health and fitness world, Katie realized that the sports bras and leggings that were being sold were just not meeting the needs of women. She decided to move to Los Angeles and build a business that provided fashion-forward activewear designed by women, for women.
In this episode, Katie talks about the relationship between being a performer and an entrepreneur, serving the needs of her customer, The Boss, empowering women with women-led brands, and the future of activewear.
Season 4 is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
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S4E6: Sashee Chandran of Tea Drops on disrupting CPG, the power of grit, and sustainability
21 september 2021 · 40 min
In The Room with Sashee Chandran Lees meer
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast with co-hosts Madison and Claudia, they are joined by Sashee Chandran, CEO, and Founder of Tea Drops. Founded in 2015, Tea Drops are organic, ground leaf teas pressed into fun shapes that dissolve in water. Think of a bath bomb, but tea! Using 15% less waste than traditional tea bags, Tea Drops provides an environmentally friendly, convenient, and high-quality tea experience. Tea Drops are now sold in nearly 2000 store retailers around the United States.
This week’s key themes include what it's like to start and fund a venture-backed business in the CPG space, the importance of passion and grit, and the future for D2C. Let’s open the door.
Season 4 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
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S4E5: Startup Banking 101 with Vera Shokina of SVB
14 september 2021 · 29 min
In The Room with Vera Shokina Lees meer
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia take a break from chatting with their typical founder or funder to cover a core need of every startup and fund: their bank. They are joined by Vera Shokina, Managing Director at Silicon Valley Bank where she covers U.S. banking and early stage international banking, helping VC funds and startups with all of their banking needs. From the founding moment of SVB, the bank has been focused on early stage technology companies and venture capital funds.
Vera walks us through the top tips for founders looking to establish a banking relationship, the process of getting a debt line, and how a bank like SVB helps out with remote work. Let’s open the door.
Season 4 is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley. The episode is now live on all podcast streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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S4E4: Danielle Cohen-Shohet on the future of beauty and disrupting tech for hyper-local businesses
7 september 2021 · 31 min
Welcome to another episode of The Room Podcast! In this week’s episode, co-hosts Madison and Claudia chat with Danielle Cohen-Shohet, Co-Founder and CEO of GlossGenius. Danielle, a freelance hobbyist makeup artist, started GlossGenius when she knew that there had to be a better way to manage a business and engage with clients. From scheduling to booking and payments, GlossGenius meaningfully helps freelancers and small businesses in US salon and studio spaces. Lees meer
In this episode, Danielle talks about building for a specific need and passion, developing a tech platform for hyper-local businesses, and where the beauty industry is going next. Let's open the door.
Season 4 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley. This episode is now live on all podcast streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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S4E3: Katherine Salisbury of Qapital on Disrupting Personal Finance
30 augustus 2021 · 29 min
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia sit down with Katherine Salisbury, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Qapital, a mobile banking app designed to help incentivize people to save smarter. Qapital’s Chief Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely leverages science to propel people into better money habits. Since its inception in 2015, Qapital has helped millions of users collectively save over $2 billion. Lees meer
This week’s key themes include navigating raising venture capital with an untraditional background, co-founding your business with your significant other, and when to make your product a paid product in the world of free. Let’s open the door.
Season 4 is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley.
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Key Theme 1: Navigating raising venture capital with an untraditional background
After graduating from Cornell Law, Katherine started her career as a lawyer in New York City before moving to Europe to found and run a sports management company focused on soccer. Without a background in FinTech, Katherine advises founders to just show up and put in the time and energy. It’s a learning curve to work out all the kinks, but you have to be willing to try, be embarrassed, and mess up.
Key Theme 2: Co-founding your business with your significant other
Co-founding Qapital with her significant other George Friedman, Katherine gives some tips on how to balance personal and work life. She says it’s sometimes easier to be on the same rollercoaster with a significant other as they share compassion for one another whether it be through the good or bad moments. Katherine also emphasises the importance of turning it off and knowing when to put work aside for the day.
Key Theme 3: When to make your product a paid product in the world of free
When deciding the pricing scheme for her product, Katherine and her team went to several pricing experts and ended up developing a lasting partnership with Simon Kucher. They tested different options out and were able to back up Kat…
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S4E2: Sydney Sykes of BLCK VC on transforming VC and building diverse communities for future founders & funders
23 augustus 2021 · 32 min
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia sit down with Sydney Sykes, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of BLCK VC. Founded in 2018, BLCK VC empowers and advances black venture investors by providing a focus community built for and by black venture investors. Out of Harvard undergrad, Sydney joined New Enterprise Associates as an investment analyst before moving on to e-commerce planning with Dolls Kill. Today, Sydney is also studying at Stanford GSB for her MBA. Lees meer
This week’s key themes and insights include solving the problems you see in the world, the future of direct-to-consumer investing, and the integral role of a unique perspective and driving innovation. Let’s open the door.
Season 4 of The Room Podcast is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley. Learn more about SVB’s Access to Innovation initiative here.
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Key Theme 1: Solving the problems you see in the world
Blck VC is evidence that you have the ability to solve the problems you see in the world. Sydney took her lived experience and passion for building a better tomorrow into action. This passion to unlock more equity in who’s represented in venture led her to create her non-profit. Whether you’re thinking of starting a non-profit or a for-profit business that solves something you deeply believe should change; Sydney reminds us that you are empowered to build for that future.
Key Theme 2: Direct-to-consumer Brands and their Evolution
Having spent time in operations at Dolls Kill, a venture-backed DTC brand, Sydney has unique insights into the future of e-commerce. As an investor, Sydney is compelled by brands who are taking a more differentiated approach to finding and cultivating community with their customers. She specifically is interested if they’re providing a product or service that no one else is offering. Two driving questions Sydney shared when it comes to investing in DTC are What's different about what I'm building? Why is this going to take off in a way that works for ventu…
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S4E1: Kara Goldin of Hint. Accidental entrepreneurship and growing a household CPG brand with the founder of your favorite water.
16 augustus 2021 · 49 min
Welcome to Season 4 of The Room Podcast! We start off this brand new season with Kara Goldin, Co-Founder and CEO of Hint. Hint is known for its healthy fruit-infused flavored water that brands itself as a better alternative to sugar-laden sodas and artificially sweetened drinks. Hint Water in a variety of fun and fruity flavors is found at any local supermarket. Today, Hint has also expanded its product line to sun and body items, including sunscreen and deodorant. Kara’s newest book Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters is also available now for purchase. Lees meer
In this week’s episode, Madison and Claudia chat with Kara on value-driven product development, building and growing a CPG brand, and accidental entrepreneurship by being undaunted. Let’s open the door.
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S3E8: Heidi Zak of ThirdLove on fundraising, finding product-market fit, and the future of eCommerce and D2C
22 juni 2021 · 42 min
In the Season 3 finale of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia sit down with Heidi Zak, CEO and Co-Founder of ThirdLove, a multi-generational women's lifestyle brand focused on elevated essentials across bras, underwear, loungewear, and much more. ThirdLove’s products are designed to support women feeling effortlessly comfortable and confident. ThirdLove is also the third largest underwear and bra retailer in the world, which is a true testament to how its unique model truly disrupted how consumers shop for bras and other essentials. Lees meer
This week’s key themes include what fundraising looks like for non-software businesses, finding product market fit and innovating on distribution, and the future of e-commerce. Let’s open the door.
Season 3 is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley.
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S3E7: The Future of Work with Frank Weishaupt of Owl Labs and Roy Hirshland of T3 Advisors
16 juni 2021 · 43 min
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia cover a relevant topic as the world begins to re-open and adapt to a life post-pandemic: the future of work. They are joined by two CEOs, Frank Weishaupt and Roy Hirshland, who are both innovating on the new normal as leaders of their companies. Frank is the CEO of Owl Labs, a video collaboration technology company that provides the inclusive meeting experience remote participants need and deserve. Roy is the CEO and Co-Founder of T3 Advisors, a global real estate firm that inspires companies to think more strategically about real estate and their workplace. Lees meer
We discuss key insights and tactical advice surrounding the future of work, including the hardware and software tools needed to empower a hybrid work culture, leadership’s vital role as reopening brings transition, and multi-generational perspectives on navigating a crisis while empowering employees to thrive at work. Let’s open the door.
Season 3 is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley. The questions today were researched through SVB’s Future of Work Report.
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S3E6: In the Room with Analisa Goodin of Catch&Release | On building marketplaces, the intersection of art, creatives, and tech, and first-time fundraising
8 juni 2021 · 42 min
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia chat with Analisa Goodin, Founder and CEO of Catch&Release, a company making it easier to discover the best content for an open web and making it available for licensing to agencies and brands worldwide. As a classically trained artist and art historian, Analisa personally understood these pain points of creatives. This past April, Catch & Release announced its $15M Series A, led by Accel. Lees meer
We cover the key themes of the intersection between art, creatives, and technology, tips for fundraising and pitching for founders who don’t have traditional tech backgrounds, and how Analisa translated customer pain points into a scalable marketplace. Let’s open the door.
Season 3 is sponsored by SVB and Cooley. Find this newest episode of The Room Podcast on all streaming platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. Enjoy!
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S3E5: In the Room with Michelle Zatlyn of Cloudflare
1 juni 2021 · 42 min
In this week’s episode, Madison and Claudia sit down with Michelle Zatlyn, Co-Founder, President and COO of Cloudflare. Public since 2019, Cloudflare is a web performance and security company keeping millions of businesses and, by association, consumers safe online through their cybersecurity infrastructure, stopping over 70 billion attacks a day. Michelle is one of few female founders to take a company public, and now Cloudflare is valued at over $24 billion as the world increasingly realizes the importance of keeping our internet safe. Lees meer
We discuss with Michelle themes including diversity of thought in co-founding teams, the power of changing your own framing of a problem, and only needing to get a few things right. Let’s open the door.
Season 3 is sponsored by our friends at SVB and Cooley.
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S3E4: Ask the expert- Starting up with Legal featuring Lauren Creel of Cooley LLP
25 mei 2021 · 37 min
In this week’s episode of The Room Podcast, Madison and Claudia cover early stage startup legal needs, an essential part of the startup journey. Oftentimes, the first round of fundraising is the first time founders will interact with lawyers, and this relationship will continue for years beyond just the initial fundraise. They are also joined by Lauren Creel, Early-Stage Partner at Cooley, to help walk us through what the legal side of startup fundraising looks like. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Cooley is an international law firm with one of its specializations in startup and venture capital legal needs. We are proud to be sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank alongside Cooley LLP for Season 3 of The Room Podcast. Lees meer
This week’s key learnings include when to involve a lawyer when you are starting a startup, understanding the common components of a term sheet and what to look out for, and finally digging into the legal implications of company building decisions. Let’s open the door.
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S3E3: Founder & Funder Perspectives- The first fundraise featuring Maria Salamanca of Unshackled Ventures
18 mei 2021 · 36 min
We are so excited to sit down with Maria Salamanca, Partner at Unshackled Ventures, in the newest episode of The Room Podcast. Unshackled Ventures is a pre-seed venture firm focused entirely on investing in immigrant founders. An immigrant herself, Maria came to the United States from Colombia when she was six years old. After attending UC Berkeley, Maria joined the FWD.us team, a political organization supporting immigration reform started by tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. In 2015, she joined Unshackled Ventures and was recently named Partner at the firm. Lees meer
Before Madison and Claudia chat with Maria, our two co-hosts walk us through the pre-seed round from both the founder and funder perspectives. This week’s episode explores the key themes of navigating the pre-seed round, the unique experiences of being an immigrant founder, and the value of time versus money in the early stages. Let’s open the door.
This episode is brought to you by Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley LLP.
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S3E2: SJ Sacchetti of Cleo
11 mei 2021 · 42 min
This week on the room, we are thrilled to be sitting down with SJ, Sacchetti, CEO of Cleo, a working parent family benefits platform for employers. SJ didn’t always think she was going to become a CEO and chats with us about her career path, her learnings along the way, and what it's like coming into a company as CEO just months before COVID and work from home. SJ started her career in politics and policy, cutting her teeth in the world of political fundraising, which “set her clock” for the startup world. SJ made her way into tech as a marketing consultant at Formspring, then as SVP of Marketing at Collective Health, and ultimately CMO- a pivotal step towards her career at Cleo. After nearly 5 years at Collective Health, SJ joined Cleo as CEO late 2019. This March, Cleo announced their $40 million dollar Series C round. Today we dig deeper into themes such as leadership during unfamiliar and unusual circumstances, overcoming imposter syndrome, and being a boss amidst uncertainty. Let’s open the door. Lees meer
This episode is brought to you by our partners at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley LLC.
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S3E1: Ciara
4 mei 2021 · 41 min
In The Room Podcast’s very special Season 3 opener, Claudia and Madison sit down with the one and only, Ciara. We all know her as the Grammy-award winning singer and songwriter behind hit classics like “1, 2 Step,” “Goodies,” and “Level Up,” but she is also a businesswoman and entrepreneur behind multiple businesses. Ciara is the CEO and Founder of music label Beauty Marks Entertainment, through which she produced her latest album, as well as Co-Founder of The House of LR&C, a fashion house she started with husband Russell Wilson. Lees meer
This week’s special episode walks through the themes of digital media’s transformation of the music industry, having a level up mentality, and surrounding yourself with people aligned to your vision. Let’s open the door.
Season 3 is brought to you by our partners at Silicon Valley Bank and Cooley.
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Season 2 Recap: Claudia & Madison
29 april 2021 · 34 min
We cannot believe that we have concluded season 2, but are even more excited for season 3, airing next week! Thank you so much to all of our listeners for joining us on The Room! We have big plans for Season 3, launching Tuesday, May 4th, featuring international pop star & entrepreneur.... *drumroll please*.... Ciara Wilson! But before we enter the room where it happened with a whole new slew of entrepreneurs, we take a look back on Season 2, its guests, our biggest takeaways, and share some life updates. Lees meer
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Season 2 Bonus: Henrique Dubugras of Brex
27 april 2021 · 37 min
Yesterday, Brex announced their Series D round, led by Tiger Global, which now valued them at $7.4 billion. Today, we share an episode of The Room Podcast that just couldn’t wait! Madison and Claudia sit down with Henrique Dubugras, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Brex in late March. For those who don’t know, Brex is the unicorn fintech startup that provides the all-in-one money and banking solution for startups. Both Brazilian natives, Henrique and his co-founder Pedro Franceschi founded Pagar.me before both attending, then dropping out of Stanford to found Brex. Lees meer
We discuss the key themes of deciding what market you are built for, the multi-time co-founder experience, and Brex’s decision to remain fully remote in the future. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 9: Trae Vassallo of Defy.VC
6 april 2021 · 46 min
In the Season 2 finale of The Room, we sit down with Trae Vassallo, co-founder of early stage venture fund Defy.vc. Out of undergrad at Stanford, Trae worked for the iconic design and innovation firm IDEO, developing products for companies including the Palm Pilot and Dell. During her second year of business school at Stanford, Trae founded Good Technology, a mobile device company whose purpose was to connect islanded devices to the Internet. Good Technology sold to Motorola for $500 million. Through a relationship built with John Doerr and Kleiner Perkins backing Good Technology, she then spent 11 years at Kleiner Perkins. In 2016, Trae and fellow industry veteran Neil Sequeira founded Defy.vc where her paths intersected with our co-host Madison a few years back. Lees meer
On today’s episode we discuss the early days of the Internet, the pros and cons of venture funding, and how an opening of the venture ecosystem has fostered more equity and inclusion across the table. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 8: Liz Meyerdirk of The Pill Club
30 maart 2021 · 44 min
In this week’s episode of The Room, we welcome Liz Meyerdirk, CEO of The Pill Club, a women’s telehealth platform that simplifies and personalizes the experience of prescribing and delivering birth control. Prior to joining The Pill Club Team, Liz was a founding member of the Uber Eats team, leading strategy and global business development for six years. As The Pill Club hit a $100 million run rate, Liz joined as chief executive officer, now leading the team into an exciting product line launch that we have the exclusive on! Lees meer
We talk knowing when to launch a new product line, transitioning CEOs in a growth-stage startup, and the future of women’s health care. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 7: Zubin Koticha of Opyn
23 maart 2021 · 39 min
This week on The Room, we sat down with Zubin Koticha, co-founder and CEO of Opyn. Opyn is a decentralized finance platform for ethereum options, which recently raised their series A, lead by Paradigm only months after their seed. Lees meer
Zubin graduated from Berkley in 2018 after a Manu-year love and obsession with the crypto space. Post-graduation Zubin worked at Thunder researching blockchain but soon started open with his two co-founders Alexis and Aparna in 2019. Zubin has worked in the crypto space through highs and lows, but given today’s wildly hot crypto market, I think it's safe to say Zubin and the Opyn team are hitting product-market fit. Today we will learn more about fundraising during difficult times, navigating a pivot, and a lot about crypto, DeFi, and NFTs. Let's open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 6: Allison Barr Allen of Fast
16 maart 2021 · 36 min
In this week’s episode of The Room, we talk to Allison Barr Allen, Co-Founder and COO of Fast, a one-click, passwordless checkout platform. Allison started her career as tech consultant with PwC then joined Uber in its early days, eventually serving as Head of Global Product Operations on the Money Team. While launching Uber Money products including Instant Pay, Cash, and Wallets, Allison delved into the world of angel investing. In 2019, she met her Fast Co-Founder Domm Holland on Twitter, and within a few months had raised a Series A funding of $20 million. Less than a year later, the Fast team raised $102 million in Series B Funding led by Stripes this January. Lees meer
We discuss the early days of Uber, how Fast grew so fast, and why investing is for everyone. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 5: Sridhar Ramaswamy of Neeva
9 maart 2021 · 38 min
Claudia and Madison welcome Sridhar Ramaswamy, CEO and Co-Founder of Neeva, into The Room this week. Sridhar immigrated from India for his PhD in Data Science at Brown, back in 1989. Today, Sridhar is a Silicon Valley legend, first growing Google’s search ad program to a $115 million business as the Senior Vice President of Ads and Commerce. After 15 years with Google, he joined Greylock as a Partner, a position he still holds today. Now, he’s also onto his newest venture called Neeva, an ad-free private search engine that just announced its Series B funding of $40 million led by Sequoia Capital and Greylock. Through Neeva, Sridhar is rebuilding trust within the Internet, reimagining the ways we can use data for value. Lees meer
We discuss information and privacy in serving your customer, rethinking pre-existing mental models, and leadership principles. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 4: Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures
2 maart 2021 · 26 min
In this week’s episode, we welcome Jesse Draper, Emmy-nominated television star turned venture capitalist who founded Halogen Ventures, an early-stage venture firm focused on investing in female entrepreneurs. You’ve seen her on TV in The Naked Brothers Band and as the host of The Valley Girl Show, interviewing tech and business entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban. As a fourth-generation venture capitalist, Jesse moved away from entertainment to build her own venture firm, Halogen Ventures, which invests entirely in female founding teams. Having recently closed her second fund, Jesse is just getting started on changing the technology ecosystem for the better. Lees meer
Jesse shared with Madison and Claudia the value of building a brand for yourself, her experiences on being an angel and an institutional investor, and her thoughts on the future for female founders. Let’s open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 3: Jane Metcalfe of Wired
23 februari 2021 · 29 min
This week on The Room, we sit down with Jane Metcalfe. Jane was the co-founder of the legendary Wired magazine and media company, TCHO chocolates, and now NEO.LIFE. Lees meer
In the early 1990s, Jane and her life partner and co-founder Louis Rossetto came to the Bay Area with the idea and passion to build a magazine and media company devoted to cutting-edge technology. This magazine is what we now know as the iconic Wired, home to some of the most futuristic, but also technology-defining stories. Jane and Louis launched Wired with a big story to tell: the internet becoming mainstream. Today we chat with Jane to hear about her three-time founding stories, from media to chocolates, to biotech, Jane has seen it all and has some deep wisdom to share. Let's open the door.
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Season 2 Episode 2: Ajay Kori of Urban Stems
16 februari 2021 · 40 min
In this episode, co-hosts Madison and Claudia, interview Ajay Kori, co-founder and former CEO of UrbanStems. They find out more about his journey of founding and scaling this massively successful eCommerce flower delivery service business. Lees meer
He shares a few of his learnings about customer satisfaction and the best way to ensure the longevity of new customers. His inspiring story of failing during the initial phases of the business, but not letting that deter him or his team from making a huge success of the company, should be a great motivation for any aspiring entrepreneur. Ajay shares why he eventually decided to hand over the CEO reins of UrbanStems and start a new business that now has the potential to help millions of people find relief from migraines.
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Season 2 Episode 1: Amy Chang of Accompany
9 februari 2021 · 36 min
In this episode of The Room, Claudia and Madison kick off the new season with Amy Chang, Co-Founder of Accompany, an AI-driven relationship intelligence platform acquired by Cisco in 2018 for $270 million. we hear from a first-time founder and long term product guru on the ups and downs of transitioning from big tech to founding a company. Listen here to learn about the power of early career decisions, battling anxiety and uncertainty, and the right reasons to sell your company. Lees meer
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Season 1 Recap: Claudia & Madison
2 februari 2021 · 31 min
And that’s a wrap on Season 1! Thank you so much to all of our listeners for joining us on The Room! We have big plans for Season 2, launching Tuesday, Feb.9, but before we enter the room where it happened with a whole new slew of entrepreneurs, we take a look back on Season 1, its guests, and our biggest takeaways. Lees meer
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Episode 8: Amit Sharma of Narvar
5 januari 2021 · 36 min
Claudia and Madison close out The Room’s first season with guest Amit Sharma, CEO, and founder of Narvar. Madison first met Amit in Narvar’s offices back in 2019, as a customer at Gap Inc. If you’ve ever received an email about your tracking update or returned something online, odds are you’ve interacted with Narvar’s core products. Narvar is a post-purchase customer engagement platform helping over 650 retailers streamline their customer communication, returns, and exchanges. Founded in 2012, Amit saw what others did not, post-purchase is a powerful mechanism for e-commerce customer loyalty, retention, and satisfaction. Rather than “ghosting” your customers, retailers needed to handhold customers every step of the way from the “complete purchase button” to the ring of the doorbell. As we learn in today’s episode, this wasn’t Amit’s first try at start-up. Listen to the episode to hear about his journey from India, the first start-up with unfortunate market timing, his time working at multiple large retailers, and ultimately taking the plunge to start Narvar. Lees meer
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Episode 7: Alexa Buckley of Margaux
29 december 2020 · 32 min
Alexa Buckley is the Co-Founder of Margaux - a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand of insanely comfortable and beautiful shoes. If you pay attention to Instagram posts from influencers wearing handcrafted ballet flats in every color of the rainbow, then you’ve probably seen a Margaux shoe. Alexa started the shoe line during her senior year at Harvard. Alongside co-founder, Sarah Pierson, the two women realized the pervasive shoe shuffle, where working women would have to swap their walking shoes with their office shoes under their desks due to a lack of style in the former and comfort in the latter. Why wasn’t it possible to have both? It was time to take a leap of faith and disrupt the shoe industry. Landing on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and nailing a Vogue spread, Alexa and the story of Margaux inspires us all to Guax for it! Lees meer
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Episode 6: Amy Nelson of The Riveter
22 december 2020 · 35 min
This week, we sat down with Amy Nelson, CEO and founder of The Riveter, a digital and physical community for women. Spending 10 plus years in corporate law, Amy never thought she'd be a founder. However, after the 2016 election, she took a closer look at what mattered most to her - The Riveter was born. While it's been a challenging year for physical spaces, Amy has gallantly persevered by building a growing digital space proving our belief that "the room" is more than four walls. In today's episode, we'll explore insights and themes such as how political and venture fundraising have more in common than you might think, motherhood in the workplace, and core product pivots. Let's open the door. Lees meer
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Episode 5: Shishir Mehrotra of Coda
15 december 2020 · 43 min
This week on The Room, we interview Shishir Mehrotra, founder and CEO of Coda. Coda is a venture-backed workflow tool recently valued at over $600 million dollars. With Coda, docs are now as powerful as applications. Although Coda was started in 2014, Coda is more relevant now than ever as a key player in 2020’s “future of work.” Coda is redefining what it means to stay organized, engaged, and effective during COVID-19’s acceleration of a remote-first culture. Lees meer
In today’s episode, we explore Shishir’s path to building one of the world’s most powerful work tools- where the flexibility of a doc is combined with the power of a spreadsheet and application. We’ll explore insights and themes such as prioritizing opportunities that foster personal growth, the benefits of building a company in stealth, and scaling a distributed workforce and culture well. Let’s open the door.
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Episode 4: Jessica Lessin of The Information
8 december 2020 · 34 min
This week on The Room, we interview Jessica Lessin, founder of The Information. In Silicon Valley, whenever there is a breaking story, The source that founders, funders, and technologists turn to to get the inside scoop is the subscription-based news-source that Jessica founded in 2013. Jessica has created a platform the tech world can’t get enough of in a world crowded by media coverage and ad-blockers. Lees meer
In today’s episode, we explore her path to disrupting journalism and how information is consumed in the tech world. We’ll explore insights and themes such as knowing what’s valuable and not giving it away, sustainable growth, and dealing with the hard stuff, like controversy.
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Episode 3: Hope Cochran of Madrona Venture Group
1 december 2020 · 38 min
This week on The Room, we interview Hope Cochran, managing director at Madrona Venture Group. It's probably easier to ask, what hasn't Hope done? Music and economics at Stanford. Founder and CFO of SkillsVillage, bought by Peoplesoft in 2001. CFO of Clearwire and King Digital. Board member of three public companies, Hasboro, Mongo DB, and New Relic. Today we explore colorful stories of her time in C-suites and boardrooms discussing insights and themes such as advocating for yourself at work, what makes a good board, and the little moments that matter. Lees meer
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Episode 2: Coral Chung of Senreve
24 november 2020 · 40 min
This week on The Room, we interview Coral Chung, the CEO, and co-founder of Senreve. Sitting down with Coral to hear about the start of her luxury D2C brand, we learned about the early days of founding an accessories brand in Silicon Valley, her global expansion plans, and a bit about juggling the hats of CEO and mother. Lees meer