Episoder
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Ever wondered how a military leader transitions to the world of venture capital? In our latest episode of Skin in the Game, we sat down with retired Four-Star General Tony Thomas to discuss his incredible journey. From leading special operations forces to investing in cutting-edge technologies, General Thomas shares his unique insights on leadership, innovation, and the intersection of the military and the private sector. Listen now to hear about his experiences, his thoughts on dual-purpose technology, and his perspective on the world stage
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In this podcast episode, we delve into the world of AI and its transformative potential for the construction industry. Our guest, Patrick Murphy, a former U.S. Congressman and construction industry veteran, shares insights on his company Togalai, which utilizes AI to automate the estimating process in construction.
Murphy discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, emphasizing the importance of data and domain-specific expertise. He also addresses the ethical and legal implications of AI in construction, highlighting the potential for both job creation and displacement.
The conversation extends to explore the applications of 3D printing and sustainable building materials like RENCO. Murphy outlines Togalai's future goals, including global expansion and the development of new AI features.
Overall, this episode provides a valuable perspective on the future of AI in construction, its potential benefits, and the challenges that lie ahead. Tune in to hear the whole episode.
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Join us for an insightful episode of the Skin in the Game VC Podcast with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, discussing the city's thriving tech ecosystem, strategic growth during COVID, and the role of AI in governance. Mayor Castor highlights Tampa's appeal as a tech hub, the importance of organic growth in the tech scene, and the city's focus on talent and innovation. Tune in to learn how Tampa is positioning itself for continued success in the tech industry!
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The episode features Zaid Rahman, CEO of Flex, a Florida Funders portfolio company. Zaid discusses his entrepreneurial journey, Flex's rapid growth in providing financial services to small and medium businesses, and their expansion plans. He shares insights on talent acquisition, customer marketing, and creating a comprehensive financial platform for mid-market businesses.
In a rapid-fire Q&A, Zaid offers his optimistic outlook on the future, predicting AI as a job creator, Bitcoin's rise, Tesla's dominance in transportation, Miami becoming a major tech hub, and even Jake Paul's victory in his upcoming fight against Mike Tyson.
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Discover the fascinating journey of Frank Smith, from YouTube sensation to Multimedia Mogul, in the latest episode of the Skin in the Game pod. Join Saxon Baum as he dives into a captivating conversation with Frank, tracing his evolution and success in the multimedia landscape. From crafting short-form sports videos on TikTok to navigating the complexities of influencer marketing trends, Frank shares invaluable insights and strategies. Explore the rise of personal brands in sports media and the future of content consumption with Frank's astute observations. Witness the emergence of Frank Smith as a trailblazer, pushing the boundaries of creativity and engagement in the digital age. Don't miss out on Frank's revolutionary projects and follow him across platforms to stay updated on his groundbreaking work.
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Tune in to the latest episode of the Skin in the Game VC Podcast featuring Charmel Maynard, Chief Investment Officer of the University of Miami. Gain invaluable insights into university asset management and the journey that led Charmel to his prestigious position. Discover the strategies and decisions driving investments, and learn about the dynamic nature of his role overseeing three distinct pools of capital. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just curious about finance, this episode offers valuable perspectives on responsible asset stewardship. Don't miss out on Charmel's wisdom and expertise!
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Delian Asparouhov, a Bulgarian-born, self-made software engineer, dives into the rollercoaster of a journey from being an MIT dropout to earning the Thiel Fellowship. Delian discusses his initial reservations about a career in venture capital and how early exposure to the field via an internship at Square, a student-run VC, helped change his mind and led him closer to his purpose. Delian touches on how he accidentally fell into a full-time venture capital role and how, over time, his skepticism ignited into a passion. Delian also covers his experience as a partner at Founders Fund.
This episode explores recent pullbacks in the crypto market – and what these changes spell out for investors – but also gets into the space-born industry and Varda, a first-of-its-kind orbital manufacturing platform, where Delian serves as co-founder. Tune in to hear Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum on Skin in the Game.
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In this podcast episode, Lucy Guo, a prominent entrepreneur and Thiel Fellow, shares her remarkable journey from receiving a Thiel Fellowship at the age of 20 to becoming the second wealthiest self-made female in the United States. Lucy discusses her experiences with ventures such as Scale AI, her transition from venture capitalist to entrepreneur, and the evolution of her venture fund, HF0.
The conversation explores Lucy's latest venture, Passes, a platform for content creators, where she emphasizes the importance of investing in engineers and discusses the role of AI in the creator economy. Lucy reflects on her move to Miami, highlighting the differences in the tech landscape and the need for increased capital in the ecosystem. Listen to find out more.
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This episode focuses on Steve MacDonald’s unique experience of spending a year in Florence, Italy, while exploring the cultural and historical aspects, as well as insights into the local tech scene.
Steve shares that the decision to move to Florence was driven by a long-standing desire to experience life abroad with his family. He reflects on the cultural differences, the historical richness of Florence, and the challenges of adapting to a different lifestyle. Steve also highlights his travels within Europe during this period.
The podcast delves into the tech scene in Italy as well a noting cultural nuances affecting entrepreneurship. In contrast to the U.S., failure is not culturally acceptable in Italy, making it a challenge for startups. Additionally, Steve provides insights into the venture capital landscape in Europe, noting the conservative approach and a lack of angel investors.
Upon returning to the U.S., Steve shares his observations on the current market environment, emphasizing the prolonged timeline for startup exits and the impact of changing economic conditions on valuations. He stresses the importance for startups to focus on profitability and cash preservation.
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In this particular episode, Tom and Saxon touch on various subjects, such as the bankruptcy of WeWork, the impact of EVs on traditional automakers, and the changing landscape of commercial real estate due to remote work trends. Guest speaker, David Goldberg, a partner at Alpaca Ventures, talks about his background, the branding of Alpaca Ventures, and their approach to venture capital.
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Joe Bayen, who was Born in Cameroon, shares his journey of moving to the United States as a three-year-old and being raised in Paris, France. Joe shares his experience in the credit industry, starting with his realization of the impact of late payments on his credit score. This led him to found a company aimed at helping students manage their credit.
Joe worked on the development of the Bootstrap app, which garnered millions of installs and revenue through a successful business model of offering free downloads of paid apps for a few days. However, the business model suffered when Apple changed the app store rules, resulting in a sudden loss of revenue.
Join Tom Wallace and Saxon Baum as Joe dives into what it looked like going from success to failure then back to success.
Link for the "State of Seed and Early Stage Investing Quarterly Update" by Saxon Baum: https://www.floridafunders.com/resources/blog/the-state-seed-early-stage-investing/
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Founders of Lula, Michael and Matthew Vega-Sanz joins the episode of Skin In The Game VC Podcast with Tom Wallace and new co-host Saxon Baum.
Matthew and Michael discuss their journey of creating a car sharing app called Lula. They talk about how they came up with the idea while in college and built an app that initially had many flaws. However, over time, the app gained traction and went viral, becoming one of the top car sharing apps in the country.
They also faced challenges in securing insurance coverage for their rentals but eventually found an insurance company to work with.
The two founders emphasize their passion for insurance and how it touches every aspect of life. The two brothers mention using data points to assess risk when users sign up for their service. Michael and Matthew mention a pivotal moment in which they decided to pivot from being a car rental company to focusing on insurance. Lula provides insurance-related services, including claims management and risk reduction. They help companies save money by reducing insurance expenses and optimizing teams.
Lula has experienced significant growth, increasing their customer base from 99 to nearly 4000 companies in just over a year.
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Laura DiBella, the Secretary of Commerce for the State of Florida as well as the president of CEO of Enterprise Florida, joins us for this episode of Skin in the Game.
Laura explores the robust evolution of Florida's tech industry and the state's response to COVID-19. Florida's open strategy during the pandemic made the state a magnet for tech talents, thereby catalyzing innovation. She acknowledges the pivotal role of a diverse talent pool and universities in creating a vibrant business environment.
They shift focus to Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership established in 1996, aimed at spurring economic growth. Despite its impending merger into the Department of Commerce, Laura counters misconceptions about its effectiveness, underlining its contributions, including the Florida Opportunity Fund, its venture capital arm. She points to its successful model as proof of its integral role in Florida's economic development.
Get an inside look at emerging technologies, with Laura unveiling Florida's ambition to be at the forefront of electric vehicle take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology. Florida's geographic characteristics and existing infrastructure make it an ideal location for the deployment of this technology,
As for the current political climate, Laura expresses hope for more unity and collaboration in government. She believes challenging economic times could forge a sense of unity, leading to a more stable, effective, and trusted government.
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Brad Feld, an avid ecosystem-builder, tech entrepreneur, and early-stage investor for over 35 years shares his insights on the venture capital, startup, and tech community in this episode of Skin in the Game VC Podcast. Brad began his journey in tech and venture capital in the ‘80s and has since become a respected and influential figure in the industry. He has written several books on entrepreneurship and venture capital and started blogging in 2004 before VC Twitter existed.
Join Tom Wallace as he dives into the world of angel investing in startups with Brad Feld where they’ll discuss his successes, what it takes, and where startup investing could be going.
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On this episode, Tom interviews Joey Levy. You may have seen him recently all over the news and social media alongside his business partner and top sports influencer Jake Paul. They have recently launched Betr (initially known as Instabet), the world’s first micro-betting focused app and new media venture for the next generation of sports fans.
If you want to learn more about investing in early-stage tech like a venture capitalist, be sure to visit the Florida Funders website at floridafunders.com. Join our angel network at no cost and get access to Florida Funders VC-vetted investment opportunities in the next great breakout tech companies.
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Lakshmi Shenoy is the CEO of Embarc Collective in Tampa, Florida. Tom Wallace discusses her story and how she ended up helping to build and lead the fastest-growing startup hub in Florida.
If you like what you hear, please rate us 5 stars and check out other episodes here: https://www.floridafunders.com/category/podcast/
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Florida Funders partners Tom Wallace and Marc Blumenthal discuss the ups and downs of markets and the lessons learned from the past. Learn more about early-stage tech investing during these times.
If you like what you hear, please rate us 5 stars and check out our site: https://www.floridafunders.com/category/podcast/
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Hello, my name's Tom Wallace, and I'm the Managing Partner of Florida Funders. Welcome to Florida Funders podcast. Our podcast is all about how to make all of us better angel investors, or better founders or entrepreneurs. We really address two audiences here. One thing that I love about angel investing and entrepreneurship is, it's so dynamic, so fluid, and there's always something new to learn, and somebody new to learn from. Our guest this week is Tony Dibenedetto.
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When you paint a picture in your head of the American Dream, what do you see? For many of us, it involves the vision of being ‘self-made’ and designing our own destiny, no matter where we came from.
For Elias Torres, the choice his mother made when she immigrated from Nicaragua to Tampa would prove to be a fortuitous one in helping him realize that dream. After his early start at IBM, Torres became committed to the vision of entrepreneurship. With Drift, his current company, he has proven time and again that Latino founders deserve a place amongst the world’s biggest capital projects.
Torres is the founder and CTO of Drift, the world's leading conversational marketing and sales platform. Drift helps businesses connect with customers who are ready to buy. After just three years in the market, Drift has become one of the fastest growing SaaS companies of all-time and was named to the Forbes Cloud 100, LinkedIn Top 50 Startups, Entrepreneur's Top Company Cultures, Boston Business Journal's Best Places to Work, and SaaS Company of the Year by the NEVCA.
Listen to today’s episode of Investing in Florida Technology and hear how Elias made the incredible leap from struggling to take orders in English at his fast food job as a teen to becoming Chief Technology Officer of his own company. He also discusses dealing with imposter syndrome, starting with a new company just weeks before the 2008 crash, and the major expansion plans he has for Drift.
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Some Questions Asked:
You came here at a young age from another country, can you tell us about that? (01:37)What was your first entrepreneurial venture? (12:32)Can you tell us about Drift, your current company? (17:30)Can you explain to the listeners the difference between venture capital and private equity? (31:29)Would you ever consider moving Drift’s headquarters to Florida? (39:59)In this episode, you will learn:
How and when Torres became interested in tech (03:48)Torres’s early start with IBM (06:42)What the original vision was for Drift (21:43)Why venture capitalists love first generation immigrants (25:49)Connect with Elias:
LinkedInWebsiteDriftHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It's been more than 18 months since the COVID-19 pandemic started and we experienced weeks of lockdowns, quarantines, and a total reconfiguration of the way we work.
For venture capitalist David Blumberg, the pandemic took him from his ancestral home of California across the country to Florida. Realizing that he was no longer chained to his fixed, physical office in San Francisco, he took the plunge and moved over 3,000 miles in order to take advantage of the up-and-coming vibe of Miami, as well as the state’s business-friendly regulations and taxes. David learned how to take advantage of the pandemic and was able to recognize it as -- as he puts it -- a catalyst of virtualization, innovation, and decentralization.
Blumberg is the founder and managing partner of Blumberg Capital, a private Venture Capital firm investing in early-stage IT, digital media, social media, mobility, Internet, e-commerce, payments, SaaS, and tech-enabled services. He also serves as a board member of Credorax, Trulioo, IntSights, and Slync.io. David holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Listen to today’s episode of Investing in Florida Technology and find out how David made the leap from studying government to becoming a venture capitalist, how he embraces virtualization, and why he believes that the 21st century will be one of massive innovation and productivity for office and service work.
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Listen on Apple Podcasts
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Some Questions Asked:
Can you tell our audience a bit about your background and where you grew up? (01:54)You have this tie with Israel, when did that start? (14:10)What do you see in Florida and Miami? (22:41)What are you looking for in a founder? (29:38)In this episode, you will learn:
Why Miami made the top of David’s list when he and his family decided to relocate (03:16)About taking ‘acorns’ and turning them into unicorns (09:41)How patience has paid off for Blumberg Capital (12:57)A little about the Israeli company that David and Tom are both investors in (20:01)Venture capitalists either follow the NASCAR model or the marionette model (33:59)Connect with David:
LinkedInBlumberg CapitalTwitterHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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