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Will Little
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Top 10 Ventures Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Ventures episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Ventures for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Ventures episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Web3 vs. Web2 incentives for tangibly helping the developing world :: with Daniel Wilson, PhD
Ventures
07/26/22 • 9 min
In this episode of Ventures, I introduce and play an important clip from episode 97 with Daniel Wilson, PhD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/) regarding the importance of Web3 to help humans flourish around the world. We talk about how while incentives for traditional organizations (e.g. banks) are often not compelling enough to provide the same services that developed nations enjoy, Web3 - especially Decentralized Finance (DeFi) - allows unprecedented access to quality financial services. We also talk about how a multidisciplinary approach to Web3 in the developing world is critical, and we discuss the work that Daniel is doing right now to help more language communities participate on the Internet.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-107 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:39 - tee-up for the clip, in light of Daniel’s background in human language technology, how does he see Web3 - at its core - helping humans flourish globally? Core pieces of infrastructure are being put in place to give people unprecedented opportunities for development without the same ol’ paths to corruption.
3:25 - The amount that people save in life - all of a sudden, via a decision from one corrupt person, can devalue the currency and wipe out that value.
4:03 - Institutions (like banks) don’t have the kind of incentives that they do in developed nations. It is too risky for them. Web3 changes this.
5:07 - Terms DeFi, DAOs, blockchains, metaverse - combined with all the disciplines - is why Web3 is such an important and exciting area right now. Human challenges vs. technology challenges.
6:47 - What Daniel is doing right now in Web3 to help move things forward. (compassionate innovation...advancements in human language technology.) “If you don’t speak a language that is on the Internet, then you are still left out”
Best way to get a hold of Brandon online to continue the conversation. Twitter: @danwils (academic) @geoframeai (web3 & smart stream) // Also: @_smartstream_ // LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-phd-46956b35/ // email: [email protected]
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Linda Olson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-olson-cpc-cfa-55885858/), Laura Yunger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurayunger/), and I discuss the often-overlooked value of people and communication alignment when when building and investing in businesses. This is an episode I wish I had 20+ years ago when starting out my entrepreneurial career. Based on their extensive experience coaching and investing in entrepreneurs, Laura and Linda also talk frankly about how to avoid burnout and stay maximally healthy with your team.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-84 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:46 - Tee-up for the motivation for this episode
2:36 - Linda introduction and background
4:55 - Laura introduction and background
7:59 - For the audience (entrepreneurs and investors), a lot of the questions are around “How do I form, communicate with, and rally a team”?
12:43 - Fundamentally it’s about: 1. Set a vision/mission, and 2. From the start, invite a wide range of diversity onto the team. Question: what do you do if good communication and diversity isn’t in place in an existing business?
18:55 - What are the questions/topics/problems that Laura and Linda are thinking about these days as it relates to venture building/investing. (Human connection & flourishing...”what do you want your legacy to be”...”what is success to you?”)
23:14 - Importance of getting “the people stuff” right, hard to hear when younger in your career, but so incredibly important.
25:30 - For the 20yr-old listening in, what are we trying to drive home for their generation in terms of the value of relationships and communication?
28:25 - More about GEEK values at Prota (Generosity, Empathy, Excellence, and Kindness). Jim Collins → BE 2.0: https://www.amazon.com/BE-2-0-Beyond-Entrepreneurship-Business/dp/0399564233 // and Good to Great: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996
31:22 - How to avoid burnout
37:17 - Final thoughts - importance of the founder team / dynamics / etc.. value of compassion.
40:44 - Where can people find Linda and Laura online? https://www.mandladvisors.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-olson-cpc-cfa-55885858/ // https://www.protaventures.com // https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurayunger/
In this episode of Ventures, designer/developer Perry Azevedo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/perryazevedo/) and I discuss the importance of a co-founder team having product and design capabilities, the important nuances between “product” and “design”, examples from products that Perry and I have built together, and the future of UX design in the era of low-code/no-code applications.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-35 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:43 - Perry introduction. From “Webmaster” to designer/developer over the last few decades.
10:31 - Going back to when Perry was first in his government job, from an education standpoint, what was “design” and “tooling” for the web back then in the late 90s?
14:30 - How did Perry’s understanding and development of the design/development craft from Perry’s experience in formal education?
18:56 - In startup land, there is typically a business person, a technical person, and ideally a product/design person -- i.e. a Hustler, Hacker, and Hipster. What is Perry’s advice for Business/Technical founders looking for Product/Design help?
24:04 - What should the business and technical person be aware of when picking a co-founder - and if they had to lean one way or another, which way should they lean?
26:53 - A word of caution to business/technical people out there (hint: you probably aren’t very good product people).
30:40 - Walking through product examples and the Design/Product: VendorHawk https://www.geekwire.com/2018/servicenow-snaps-vendorhawk-help-customers-manage-saas-spending/
35:35 - Another example of a product that Perry and Will built: https://www.startuprocket.com/
39:50 - The story behind the hexagon logo for Startup Rocket - and the story behind logos in general.
41:22 - More about the history and founding story of Startup Rocket
41:56 - What is the next stage of learning for Perry as a world-class designer? (No-code/low-code; we may not need to write code anymore soon)
45:41 - Going from design to coding up a product - are there any downsides to this personally for Perry?
48:51 - The “T” analogy for people; how founders should identify people to fill out their team.
49:50 - Where can people find Perry online? @perryazevedo on the socials, or go directly to https://www.protaventures.com
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Bill Murphy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamwmurphy/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), and I discuss the worlds of private equity and investment banking, how founders should think about engaging strategic investors, the different stages of technology leadership as a company grows, and the services that Cresting Wave (https://www.crestingwave.com/) offers to help tech companies mature operations and execute go-to-market strategies.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-33 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
1:35 - Sol tee up and intro of Bill
3:03 - Bill introduction, initial stories from being part of the founding teaming of CapitalIQ, CTO of Blackstone, and Managing Partner at Cresting Wave.
10:15 - From an education standpoint, what is investment banking? Why should people care about it?
12:04 - What is private equity (PE)? At what point should founders think about having meetings with PE folks?
16:11 - Interacting with PEs/VCs that can bring real value-add, i.e. those that want to go on that journey with you.
19:14 - Getting the early company engine started - first customer and first loss.
20:30 - The balance of having a “north star” versus pivoting.
21:22 - Brief background of Sol and how his journey interacts with these topics.
25:30 - Customer segments/targets: broad vs. specialized.
30:12 - Stages of technology leadership: beginning phase to that first transition into management/delegation?
33:51 - Where can Cresting Wave help as technology founders grow their companies? (the go-to-market side).
36:47 - Creating a good culture when company building
37:35 - Personality diversity / personality tests
40:15 - The next horizon in the growth of a technology leader, after the delegation mode has been in place for a while.
42:18 - Communication and processes, openness and transparency.
44:00 - Commentary on waterfall design vs. agile.
45:13 - More about Cresting Wave. Who is the ideal customer? (Free services and ideas to tech leaders curious about optimizing their game, and go-to-market services for technology companies...helping the first handful of conversations with potential clients)
48:48 - Where can people follow up and learn more? https://www.crestingwave.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/
02/01/22 • 60 min
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Lindsey T. H. Jackson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-t-h-jackson/) and I discuss the journey of anti-racism and anti-oppression work in ourselves, in venture capital, and in startup ecosystems. We discuss the nuances of dismal representation numbers in venture; how to approach Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) conversations in the workplace and beyond; how to develop a regular practice to self-reflect, define your community, and “fail fast” on your own anti-racism journey; and how to encourage others to consider embarking on the journey themselves.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-82 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
3:18 - Lindsey’s introduction, background, brief story, about LTHJ Global (https://lthjglobal.com/)
10:30 - What got Lindsey into DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) consulting work?
13:30 - DEI & anti-racism work as intriguing to all entrepreneurs (it’s about collecting and responding to data, to work safer and smarter)
14:34 - Will’s journey coming from graduate work in a bioengineering lab, gathering and responding to data, influence from Dr. Viola Vogel as he got into venture building & investing.
17:13 - Common references to The Matrix in DEI work, why people ignore data, and listening to the market.
20:20 - Companies that make great products are made up of people. Importance of unlocking greatness in people.
20:56 - More diverse companies perform better. (Check out: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-numbers-dont-lie-diverse-workforces-make-companies-more-money-2020-07-30)
21:56 - Unlearning racism; reflections from Will’s personal journey
23:54 - How does Lindsey start the conversation without triggering people who think differently?
28:30 - “Calling in” (instead of calling out)
29:19 - Shockingly bad statistics regarding diversity in venture (see: https://www.wired.com/story/vc-pledged-better-diversity-its-barely-changed)
30:24 - “Do a count in a given day: How many people do you engage with that are outside of your intersectional identity”
30:57 - Identity as “Black”
32:52 - Dismal numbers in terms of percent of VC dollars going to businesses owned by black women.
36:04 - Cognitive diversity
36:29 - Recommended next steps to begin an anti-racism journey
47:32 - For people on their anti-racism/anti-oppression journey, what is Lindsey’s recommended way to talk about this with others and/or publicly?
51:15 - By the age of 5, black and brown children experience racism 5x/day, which increases in frequency as they get older.
51:11 - “How do I know I’m moving forward?”
54:00 - Consider the venture of anti-racism. Consider unlearning racism as joyful and freeing.
56:05 - By nature, anyone who considers themselves an entrepreneur is well poised to unlearn racism.
56:46 - Lindsey’s work: https://lthjglobal.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-t-h-jackson/ // Reach out and book her for a speaking gig // Subscribe to learn more about her upcoming book “Unlearning Racism” → http://eepurl.com/htLZyv
01/26/22 • 73 min
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Veronica Sagastume (https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicalsagastume/) and I talk about all-things startup finance and accounting. From the perspective of what founders need to know, this episode ended up being a crash course in the various high-level aspects of bookkeeping, accounting, controller work, fractional CFO work, tax prep, legal considerations, and finance operating suggestions. Veronica’s firm (https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/) works with funded, early stage startups and she makes a compelling pitch for why you should seriously consider hiring a firm rather than individuals in the early stages of your funded business.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-81 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:47 - Veronica introduction and background, story, and what she does now.
5:46 - What’s the “Finance 101” for startups and when should founders hire help?
11:48 - Last ~5min of conversation is worth re-listening to, but - first question - what is GAAP accounting? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gaap.asp
13:45 - Will Xero or Quickbooks online help entrepreneurs with the basics of GAAP accounting?
16:14 - Suggested order of hires – Veronica suggests hiring a firm and growing into them.
19:14 - Analogy of someone doing a large remodel or construction project.
20:09 - Traction and having the cash is key so you can hire a proper finance and accounting firm.
22:38 - Lessons after 15+ years in the startup space. If you can hire a firm, do it.
23:12 - Importance of having a regular monthly meeting to go over your books. Quick lesson on the P&L (income statement), balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
28:00 - Amazing to have a group that can get you finished books quickly after the beginning of the month.
31:50 - Coming back to the overall framework: bookkeeping, controller, accounting, “CFO stuff” - does Veronica’s firm do all this? Even tax prep?
33:52 - The role of controller. What does it look like working with Veronica’s firm from the role of the controller.
37:14 - Prepping a company for an exit strategy / data room
41:37 - Data rooms
42:40 - How Veronica’s firm builds data rooms from scratch as they go.
43:20 - How should founders think about finance best practices to be properly compliant.
46:50 - “CFO stuff”
53:03 - Tax prep strategies // what should founders be looking for to ensure their firm is doing the right things?
44:33 - Early November tax strategy meeting / how to work with the tax prep folks?
59:00 - What are the types of things that Veronica will bring in the expert accounting / legal folks?
1:00:41 - Stock options vs. RSUs? https://smartasset.com/investing/stock-options-vs-rsu
1:01:37 - Where can people find Veronica’s firm online? https://www.fortifiedaccounting.com/
1:03:28 - Smart use of Loom videos (https://www.loom.com/).
1:04:50 - About Will (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) and Prota Ventures (https://www.protaventures.com). Special focus on idea to pre-seed.
1:09:00 - When is the right time to talk to Fortified Accounting?
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Alex Zub (https://twitter.com/theAlexZub), Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah), and I talk about the details of day-to-day “DAO life” on DAOHaus (https://daohaus.club/). We talk specifically about how Raid Guild (https://www.raidguild.org/) - a services DAO - manages proposals, escrow, billing, and bridges to the traditional finance system. We also talk about short-term and long-term financial incentives for DAO founders/participants, how DAOs can quickly raise funds and manage risk/assurance/trust, and how newcomers to DAOs can/should think about how to participate to create maximum value for themselves and their communities.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-80 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
2:38 - Background and tee-up for the conversation; Alex has a bunch of questions about Raid Guild and we figured we’d record it for everyone’s benefit.
3:20 - Alex intro / background (full-stack engineer, turned management)
5:50 - Spencer’s description: “What is a DAO?” (From “group chat w/ a bank account” to more) - plus, information about how Raid Guild splits their revenue (90% to team, 10% to treasury)
11:08 - Is there a founder of Raid Guild? How did the letting go of control happen? How did Raid Guild Start?
13:04 - Showing the dashboard of the Raid Guild DAO on DAOHaus
14:49 - When someone new joins, does that create new shares?
16:30 - Seeing the list of members in Raid Guild
17:30 - Is there such a thing as a partial rage quit? (i.e. sell part of his shares).
18:14 - What are all the types of proposals that people can propose in DAOHaus DAOs?
20:50 - Smart escrow https://smartescrow.raidguild.org/
22:25 - How does a proposal outcome get enforced / QA control?
23:02 - Guild kick (booting someone out)
23:40 - Assurance for client and service provider via escrow-type services on-chain
24:12 - Smart invoice https://smartinvoice.xyz/
26:39 - Court on-chain (LexDAO, Kleros Court, etc..)
29:20 - How to deliver a project w/ scope in tranches using Smart Invoice
31:34 - Advantage of a service DAO, Raid Guild in particular.
33:35 - Long-term economic incentives for moloch-type DAO participants.
36:55 - What are loot shares?
37:29 - If a DAO decides to allow their shares to be transferable - the peg to a specific value would go away.
40:20 - Besides pegging a token to governance, what other types of tokens are there? https://satchel.works/@wclittle/a-primer-on-blockchains-protocols-and-token-sales (Utility token, work token, etc...)
42:45 - Yeeting (easy way to raise funds for a DAO) → https://twitter.com/nowdaoit/status/1483463413464502277
44:20 - Off-chain to on-chain bridging - web3 to traditional - does Raid Guild work w/ “off-chain” customers?
46:11 - Off-chain operations for raid guild via a standard reimbursement policy
47:00 - Where can people find Alex and Spencer to continue the conversation? https://twitter.com/theAlexZub & https://twitter.com/spengrah
10/26/21 • 42 min
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Ken Lundin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kglundin/) and I discuss a wide variety of strategies and tactics for improving sales traction and business development processes in a growing startup. We talk about Ken's journey into sales, how founders should reach out to (and land) early customers, how tangible goods companies should think about retail sales strategies, and how to run experiments and make sales decisions with data.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-68 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:29 - Tee-up for the episode and motivation to talk about sales growth
2:00 - Ken general intro
3:01 - What got Ken into the world of sales?
4:50 - What is Ken's advice for the new entrepreneur (selling into enterprises) building a company from the ground up?
8:23 - How, as a founder, do you figure out what your client's strategic priorities are in order to sell most effectively. Survey strategy and "I'm going to give you the results" as a way of learning about your industry.
10:40 - If you are talking to the ideal customer profile (ICP) after a survey result conversation - then it becomes easy to give them the value proposition
11:28 - What is the process of identifying ideal decision-makers?
12:55 - Effective sales decision makers write checks all year long - not just in Q3.
14:26 - Why is $20k the magic number that differentiates small/quick deals vs. larger deals?
16:46 - What are the most common mistakes founders make when they are building their sales game?
19:00 - Helping early stage founders get traction to attract great talent.
19:45 - Driving sales through data
20:01 - Assuming coachable founders, how do they scale after a bit of traction? (Test everything)
22:04 - Consumer businesses / B2B sales principles
24:15 - D2C brands that need to sell into retailers (tips/recommendations)
26:42 - Does Ken's group assist with sales or just help them set up the processes?
28:05 - How has the pandemic changed the sales game? What have we collectively learned?
32:56 - Sensitivity & empathy to what the world has gone through in the pandemic
33:50 - How does Ken advise founders who may be running toward burnout?
36:56 - What is Ken's ICP? When should a founder reach out to Ken?
38:50 - Final thoughts. How Ken can help drive sales for your company / your portfolio companies. Massive respect for the entrepreneurs out there.
40:39 - KenLendin.com // RevHeat.com // Ken on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kglundin/)
Teaching financial literacy after the NFL, and embracing TikTok for marketing :: with Jed Collins
Ventures
01/05/21 • 51 min
In this episode of Ventures, my guest (Jed Collins: https://www.tiktok.com/@fullbackoffinance) and I discuss the basics of financial literacy and Jed’s journey into the NFL and entrepreneurial venture thereafter. Of particular interest is not only Jed’s story and important content he is teaching young people, but also how he has been using TikTok as a marketing engine to grow his business.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-26 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
In this episode we cover the following:
2:50 - Jed intro and background; his journey into the NFL and into now teaching financial literacy.
9:02 - Jed was a receiving tight end at Washington State University. He had 53 catches his senior year (which is amazing). Question: What’s the story from there to getting into the NFL?
16:14 - What is Jed up to these days?
21:29 - What is the basic motivation, structure, and content of Jed’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Vehicle-Driving-Financial-ebook/dp/B08596991L
27:18 - This curriculum needs to be in every school across America. How are things going with Jed’s entrepreneurial journey?
32:16 - Regarding founders with their day job, what financial lens should they be thinking about regarding when to leave their day job.
35:30 - Word of caution to hold on to the day job as long as you can.
37:20 - Once you fully understand that you have something - and it’s validated - then it’s best to build the day job.
38:00 - “When is my idea validated?”
38:35 - In what ways has Jed approached marketing his book and course?
40:00 - TikTok marketing; how to find an audience there.
43:33 - What is the difference in the audience and mechanisms on TikTok?
45:40 - What is Jed’s big picture vision? What is his hope for humanity? 1m people to U.S.E (Understand, Strategic, and be Efficient) money and open a ROTH account.
49:22 - How can people find Jed online? https://yourmoneyvehicle.com and FullbackofFinance on the socials. https://twitter.com/fullbackfinance // https://www.tiktok.com/@fullbackoffinance
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Mike Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeandersonjr/) and I discuss the launch of a new startup incubator program hosted by Prota Ventures (learn more and apply here → https://www.protaventures.com/labs). We talk about the program’s background, motivation, vision, details, mentorship and investor opportunities, cohort model, and more. Prota has an enormously successful track record of incubating and investing in startups at their earliest stages. This new incubator is for those who either want to work as a startup CEO on an existing idea, bring their own idea to the table, and/or propose a general market area for us to incubate a new startup idea together within.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-112 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:29 - Setup for the new incubator, in light of the internet era and Web3
2:02 - Mike intro, background, DAOs, and tee-up for the new cohort coming Oct 4th
3:10 - More information about the new incubator with the labs division of Prota Ventures: https://www.protaventures.com/labs
5:05 - Clarity about the definition of what an “incubator” is, the types of founders that should apply to Prota’s new incubator...
7:00 - Web2, to Web2.5, to Web3...and the various types of companies can leverage the changing internet.
7:30 - Mike’s story of back in high school he thought that all the good startup ideas were already taken...but new technology brings new innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities.
8:30 - How would Will advise entrepreneurs to think about starting and validating their new venture idea: link to apply: https://www.protaventures.com/labs // How to determine if people actually want your new product.
10:45 - You can also apply to this incubator if you want to work on an existing idea.
11:26 - More information about the “Plate” idea that you could be CEO of.
12:31 - More about the structure of the incubator in Q4
14:30 - The Figment story and Will’s background in Web3, different segments in Web3, the power of DAOs.
16:34 - Mike’s commentary on why he’s sending his friends to Prota’s incubator. // “Best path I can imagine for starting a company”
17:33 - More information about the “Startup Rocket” idea that needs a CEO. https://www.startuprocket.com/
19:41 - More information about “Satchel” that needs a CEO → https://satchel.works/
20:40 - Info about “Connect Hero”, its need for a CEO, and its promise for the future.
22:35 - Info about “Research and Me” and its need for a CEO → https://www.researchandme.com/
23:35 - Info about 80 West Labs / CEO need → https://www.getvessi.com/
24:49 - Info about the “Workstreams” app / CEO need.
26:28 - Summarizing the community based support and cohort model for the incubator that begins Oct 4th. Mike is hosting welcome meetings between now and when the cohort starts. First meeting is this coming Thursday at 11am PDT.
27:27 - Concluding thoughts from Will, also summarizing what the incubator is and how to apply. Go to → https://www.protaventures.com/labs
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FAQ
How many episodes does Ventures have?
Ventures currently has 159 episodes available.
What topics does Ventures cover?
The podcast is about Venture Capital, Founder, Investor, Entrepreneurship, Startups, Podcasts, Small Business and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Ventures?
The episode title 'Fall updates: Prota Ventures, AI Layer, Impact Stream, and REST' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Ventures?
The average episode length on Ventures is 40 minutes.
How often are episodes of Ventures released?
Episodes of Ventures are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Ventures?
The first episode of Ventures was released on Jul 14, 2020.
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