Ventures
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.
11/14/23 • 9 min
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through a number of updates with my for-profit and nonprofit venture work. I talk about Prota Ventures, our second fund, how we get operationally involved in our portfolio companies, and who we serve. As an example, I discuss my involvement with AI Layer, which is a new company providing AI inference computing services that leverages an upcoming Web3 protocol that will be decentralized and widely available next year. Finally, I talk about updates - and my volunteering involvement - with Impact Stream and Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST).
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-158 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:30 - quick overview of Will’s bio and current activities - check out https://www.protaventures.com
1:15 - More about how Prota Ventures services Founders, Investors, and Talent.
2:00 - Investing multiple forms of capital (not just financial capital)
2:40 - More about AI Layer - decentralized compute for AI inference
3:45 - West Africa work - Impact Stream updates http://impact.stream - local people solving local problems
4:35 - Beyond the standard development work, more about the well-drilling business
5:15 - More specifically about Impact Stream’s vision of connecting digital communities to IRL impact. Quadratic Voting mechanism. Local projects and funding pool on-chain.
6:36 - More about Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST) see more from Episode 2 → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Hans Mulders (https://obertal.com/leavenworth-wa-hotel-owner/) and I recorded a conversation while we were on-site at a demonstration farm in Togo, West Africa. We had just helped dozens of local Togolese people onboard into a progressive web application that we are building with Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), a new NGO helping to decentralize poverty alleviation via trust networks and blockchain technology. In our conversation we cover how Hans got involved in Impact Stream and how to smartly use technology and aid to sustainably help lift people out of poverty.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-157 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Intro to the episode
1:35 - On-site intro - application we are onboarding Togolese into with Impact Stream
1:57 - Who is Hans? Why is he here with Will and the Impact Stream team in Togo? Origin story how Hans and Will met.
3:20 - “Can I come”? (Hans asking to come to Togo with us). Productive and effective aid in Africa.
3:53 - What kinds of projects does Hans hope to see funded in Togo?
4:45 - The need for basic infrastructure
5:07 - How do we inject financial aid into projects in Togo that help the local economy? How do we ensure the projects are regenerative and sustainable?
6:24 - Impact Stream manages the flow of money. More info about blockchain technology that Impact Stream will be using.
07/26/23 • 7 min
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the current progress of a new NGO called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream). I and fellow team members were able to travel to Togo, West Africa this month to help onboard dozens of local people into a progressive web app we are building to facilitate proposals, on-chain voting, and funding via cryptocurrency. Importantly, these proposals are submitted by local people to be built by local vendors/workers and prioritized by their own community (and not outside influencers). In this episode I share plenty of footage from our trip, so be sure to watch the video via the link below if you happen to be on your podcast player.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-156 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Episode setup, more information about Impact Stream, where to do audio and video, etc..
0:34 - Overview of Impact Stream - transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities.
1:12 - Promise of Web3 - Banking the unbanked, financial equity, etc..
1:33 - The Impact Stream team and partners
2:16 - Local people proposing public goods / infrastructure, with funding from around the world.
3:07 - Visiting both the rural area and Lomé (capital city of Togo)
3:55 - Walking through the offramp plan into the local CFA currency
5:09 - Overview of first proof of concept round this year
5:50 - Jump into our Discord server to get involved → https://discord.gg/we344V4QP7
05/16/23 • 13 min
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) compare ChatGPT, Bard, HuggingChat, and BingChat regarding their recommendations for startup books and front-end code for a standard startup landing page. I compare the user experience of each LLM, the limitations of each for these use cases, and show how ChatGPT and Bard seem to be current leaders in these examples.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-149 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, talking about the 4 LLMs I’ll be comparing, and where to find the audio/video of this episode.
1:14 - Talking about startup books, starting with ChatGPT’s list:
"The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries
"Zero to One" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters
"The Startup Owner's Manual" by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
"Founders at Work" by Jessica Livingston
"The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz
"Venture Deals" by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
"Disciplined Entrepreneurship" by Bill Aule
"Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore
2:47 - Talking about Google Bard’s list:
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Zero to One by Peter Thiel
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
The Startup Owner's Manual by Steve Blank
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston
Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin
The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
The Art of Startup Fundraising by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
3:25 - HuggingChat’s “list” - which was just The Lean Startup
4:12 - Bing Chat’s list:
Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin, The Startup Checklist by David S. Rose, and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries1. Other books recommended for startup founders include The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman, Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor, and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters1. According to Benzinga, the best startup books for beginners are “Zero to One,” “Creativity Inc.” and “The Lean Startup”1. “The Startup Owner’s Manual” by Steve Blank is also recommended as one of the best startup books2. Other books that are recommended for business startup include “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris, and “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin1.
6:06 - Diving into front-end code with the 4 LLMs, including asking it for the CSS for the recommended HTML code that Bard and ChatGPT put out (HuggingChat and Bing weren’t able to generate code for me).
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
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 guest Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/jessebryan) and I talk about our experience on the first voyage within The Otherside (https://otherside.xyz/) and the resulting implications for brands and people IRL. During this episode, we overlay video of our experience, talk about addressing skeptics, the Otherside litepaper, what can be built on plots of land, how brands should be thinking about The Otherside, and how specifically entrepreneurs can - and should - be thinking about impacting the world with metaverses in general.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-106 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video (including scenes from Will’s first voyage within The Otherside) here.
2:28 - What happened on the first voyage of Otherside? What is the backstory here? What was Jesse’s experience?
5:07 - Will’s skepticism about what was going to draw people into Otherside vs. the 20+ other metaverses out there. (Shares his experience of the first Voyage)
6:20 - Jesse’s commentary on why every brand is going to need land and experiences within the Otherside.
7:05 - When you login, you are your personality. NFT as identity. Extensibility. Why it’s important for Brands.
8:52 - The audience for Otherside is going to be huge.
9:50 - The promise of how this impacts the world IRL. Impact Ape/Island/Mountain/Land. https://twitter.com/impact_ape
11:30 - Otherside litepaper https://otherside.xyz/litepaper
12:28 - Commentary on the litepaper
14:32 - All the things coming together at once. Technology and Web3 and branding and marketing and gaming. What you need IRL for land management and building, you’ll also need in the Otherside. “Metaverse Architects”
16:37 - “Island” vs. Plots of land. Numbers. What’s coming. (overlaying some video)
19:08 - We don’t know a ton about Otherside yet. The roadmap is still not super clear (but enough to keep folks interested).
19:42 - We thought this was a couple years away.
20:01 - Interview with Nicole (Yuga CEO). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehw2iM0A5H4 // Otherside as more inclusive...trying to get the price point down.
26:25 - Experiential marketing IRL and, of course, in metaverses
27:28 - General market coverage of the Otherside?
28:27 - How can metaverses help people IRL? Impact Ape helping the world.
28:50 - Jesse setting up the concept of Impact Ape / Impact Island
30:19 - How big will these land sizes be?
31:25 - Think about your land like Disneyland, jumping between lands.
33:22 - Source of Will’s skepticism... Insular Yuga community? Or bigger than that?
34:38 - How do new things start? (Analogy from the Roadster)
37:50 - Amazement in how far Yuga has come in about a year.
39:38 - Contact to learn/discuss: https://twitter.com/jessebryan - https://twitter.com/wclittle - https://twitter.com/impact_ape
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Spencer Graham (https://twitter.com/spengrah) and I discuss the history of DAOHaus (https://daohaus.club/) and the upcoming release of the third version of the platform. We talk about how Spencer has been working full-time in DAOs for a couple years, how he began working with DAOHaus, the details of the new component-based platform and features, how people can contribute, why DAOs in general “matter”, and thoughts about ImpactDAOs.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-105 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:32 - Tee-up for the introduction, how Spencer has been helpful to Will as he’s been getting into the DAO space.
2:19 - Spencer background, journey into working full-time with DAOs
3:34 - What is DAOHaus? https://daohaus.club/
5:14 - History of how Spencer got into working with DAOHaus. (including history working with https://www.raidguild.org/ )
6:24 - History of DAOHaus
10:15 - Merits of DAOHaus v2...and more information about v3 and how it is significantly different structurally (and beneficial for all).
17:27 - Will the components that are being built be only available for EVM chains? FYI - for those not familiar with what the EVM is, see → https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm
19:01 - Are the UI elements that will be available in V3 part of a low-code/no-code builder that DAOHaus is making? Or are they more like React components? (more the latter).
19:52 - Will there still be an app available in the V3 era that is similar to what https://daohaus.club/ is today?
21:10 - New features in V3 - including transferable governance tokens as a DAO grows.
25:32 - If people are interested in helping with DAOHaus, V3, supporting in some way, etc... how can they best do that?
27:24 - Can someone create their own website and use DAOHaus underlying components right now?
28:14 - Why do DAOs matter? How are they helping the world?
31:50 - Commentary on “ImpactDAOs” and that movement/language.
33:55 - Final words / thoughts from Spencer. His deep care for DAOHaus and what they are building. You can contact Spencer at https://twitter.com/spengrah and DAOHaus at https://twitter.com/nowdaoit
In this episode of Ventures, my guests David Harding (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveh003/), Solomon Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/) and I discuss all-things identity and data sovereignty leading up to - and within - the present Web3 era. We tee-up a framework to think about identity verification and data warehousing, cryptocurrencies vs. Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), Identity Assurance Levels (IALs), Presentation Attack Detection (PAD), and how to think about building Web3 applications with a realistic hybrid of both centralized and decentralized identity verification and control services.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-85 for detailed notes and links to resources (videos, articles, etc...) mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
5:16 - Sol introduction of self-sovereign identity and sovereign control of data
8:19 - David introduction of identity and technology... “Identity 101” based on David’s extensive background in the space.
11:49 - Username/password problem that birthed a whole industry of “password management”
12:32 - What does this conversation matter for humanity?
14:46 - SSI (self-sovereign identity opens up new opportunities for people
15:41 - Will’s business accounts getting closed, likely because of his involvement in Web3
18:24 - Where are we going? Are Solomon and David feeling optimistic or pessimistic? Why?
25:02 - How is a CBDC different than traditional ways that Central Banks print currency? Coming back to trust, where data sits, and decentralization.
27:42 - Difference between “connect to wallet” in Web3 and showing up to, say, an airport.
28:36 - What is the state of the tech today for the TSAs of the world to prove that “you are you”.
33:30 - For the TSA, the physical driver’s license or passport doesn’t - in theory - matter. What matters is the “thing” (QR code or whatnot) that can pull up a database.
35:30 - Is it a good thing to build a decentralized database of identity? When would you build on top of centralized vs. decentralized databases?
38:42 - Reality is a hybrid. Decentralized data on blockchains we trust AND data sitting in centralized datacenters we trust.
40:08 - Social media companies as “identity management companies” that provide social media services. They will sell it to anyone willing to pay.
43:30 - Multiple levels of identity verification (IAL levels) → https://ldapwiki.com/wiki/Identity%20Assurance%20Level
46:15 - Is the common IAL level 2 mechanisms legit? Why is this important for venture building?
51:30 - Signing up for exchanges with a photo of my face and the date. A brief discussion about liveness technology. PAD Levels https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/presentation_attack_detection
54:00 - Pay to x models. What can/should be used when building today to verify one account = one human?
1:00:31 - Create a one-account-per-human experience, and don’t create it yourself. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel of cryptography.
1:01:43 - Creation and verification and continual authentication of data, depending on use case and security requirements.
1:03:23 - What are Solomon/David working on now? Where can people follow up? https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveh003/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/solcates/
11/28/23 • 25 min
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Audrey Baedke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-baedke-93724290/) and I discuss Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST - https://iwantrest.com). We talk about the origins of the nonprofit, the impact they have had, the dynamics of the sex trade in general, how humans are enslaved, and how REST provides tangible pathways to freedom, safety, and hope. As a board member and donor myself, I would ask that you **please** consider joining us with a year-end gift.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-159 for more information.
You can watch this episode via video here.
1:58 - Introduction to the episode. Will’s board involvement. What is REST?
3:00 - How Audrey got involved with REST
4:15 - Describing the problem of sex trafficking in the USA
7:43 - Responding to the common idea that selling sex is just among consenting adults and harmless
10:17 - Understanding market dynamics here - buyers, sellers, brokers
11:17 - Supply and demand dynamics, how “products” are treated
12:24 - Modern-day slavery
12:39 - How is REST addressing the problem?
14:25 - For those considering year-end donations - what amount of money would have a real impact?
16:16 - How many years does it take to help someone leave “the life” within REST’s services?
17:37 - REST’s quantitative impact - 4400+ individuals served, Work with more than 600 every year, 300 that enroll in services.
18:12 - An example story of a survivor
21:05 - Hearing the stories like this board meeting after board meeting
21:39 - REST’s expansion plans beyond the greater Seattle area
22:59 - If someone wants to give, where can they go to do this? https://iwantrest.com // Also how to contact Audrey directly.
See also a previous episode on this show about REST: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3
For more information about sex trafficking in America, see: https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking/
Be aware of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Languages: English, Spanish) – 888-373-7888
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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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