Growing as a technology leader, engaging value-add investors, and optimizing go-to-market strategies :: with Bill Murphy and Sol Cates
02/23/21 • 50 min
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/
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/
Previous Episode
Cybersecurity, 5G, extraterritoriality, and the dynamic negotiation of trust :: with Tony Rutkowski, Sol Cates, and Tony Sager
In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Tony Rutkowski (http://www.circleid.com/members/6809/), Sol Cates (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/), Tony Sager (https://www.cisecurity.org/) and I extend last week’s conversation about cybersecurity and web 3.0. We dive into topics related to international data controls, entrepreneurship in a global landscape, 5G, SSL certificates, and the evolving definition of trust.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-32 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:
1:31 - Sol briefly recapping last week’s episode
2:17 - Tony S. introduction of Tony R.
3:33 - Tony R.’s introduction, 50+ year history in cyber and cybersecurity, from a radio amatuer to launching Saturn 5s, to federal service, to his work in telecommunications and security, to 5G.
20:43 - Recap of the questions from last week regarding lessons for Web 3.0
21:32 - Longer recap from Sol through Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 conversations from last week.
22:42 - Tony S: “This is not the first round of utopian thinking”. The struggle of moving to cloud and the body of enforcement. He grew up in a world where trust was a binary decision. Today’s world of trust is a much more nuanced “negotiating” decision.
28:47 - Tony R’s commentary on FCC attempts to implement international reporting mechanisms of problems. (Also commentary on antitrust efforts and 5G)
34:59 - Creating trust and encouraging anti-corruption in cyber
35:46 - Cloud computing, fog computing, and edge computing: implications of 5G
38:25 - Question for TonyR - what should bright-eyes entrepreneurs be aware of in terms of problems/potholes with international cybersecurity.
40:41 - Advice for entrepreneurs: everybody has an idea, but not everyone understands the context they are selling into.
42:15 - Commentary on Alibaba, Google, Elon Musk, and AWS. Matching users/funders with people who know how to code.
44:28 - Commentary and education on extraterritoriality
49:43 - Sovereignty and Data
51:20 - CA/Browser forum
53:48 - Let’s encrypt - what happened there and why is it problematic? Rational decisions individually versus systemic risk (e.g. Solar Winds).
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20200209_truth_in_web_digital_identity/
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20190124_creating_tls_the_pioneering_role_of_ruth_nelson/
1:02:28 - Are SSL certificates as simple as ensuring the data from point A to point B is encrypted? (No, they also should signal trust and verification of the provider)
1:06:43 - The slight of hand and scaling of trust
1:07:30 - The importance of an international perspective, especially amongst USA-based entrepreneurs.
1:08:40 - Where can we find Sol, Tony S, and Tony T online. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sol-cates-649736/, https://www.cisecurity.org/, http://www.circleid.com/members/6809/
Next Episode
Brokering trust, bringing transparency into medical supply sales, and distributing COVID-19 rapid antigen & antibody tests :: with Susie Kataoka and Norris Liu
In this episode of Ventures, my guests Susie Kataoka (https://www.linkedin.com/in/susiekataoka/), Norris Liu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenorrisliu/), and I discuss the origin story of Zebra Health, the work they are doing to bring transparency to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) global market, starting a joint venture between their startups, distributing rapid antigen and antibody tests for COVID-19, and aspiring toward blockchain/Web 3.0 opportunities for any marketplace that involves brokering trust.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-34 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:
1:45 - Susie introduction and background, Transpara to Zebra Health
3:00 - Norris introduction and background, EHLP to Zebra Health, describing the origin of the name “Zebra Health”
7:43 - for Susie and Norris, was being entrepreneurial something they did as kids or was it something they picked up later in life?
10:00 - What was the process like of starting a formal Joint Venture? At what point did Susie and Norris know that was a good idea?
13:59 - Regarding trust, communication, and transparency (or lack thereof); what is going on in the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) marketplace globally? (A discussion about the fraud and scams going on in the industry)
18:35 - More discussion about the “good” and “bad” side of the global PPE market.
27:13 - What products and services does Zebra Health offer?
29:30 - What is the vision/mission of Zebra Health today?
31:03 - What is the difference between a COVID-19 antigen test and antibody test? (FYI, Zebra Health is a distributor of these tests - visit https://zebra.health to learn more)
39:04 - Does having COVID-19 make someone immune from getting it in the future?
41:23 - Who is Zebra Health for? (Geared toward health care professionals, health care organizations, and governments)
41:59 - Would manufacturers of PPE/tests and distributors be partners with Zebra Health?
43:27 - What needs to change in the USA and the global system regarding PPE distribution? (Setting standards, transparency, and open markets)
46:57 - Web 3.0 / Blockchain considerations for brokering trust / supply chain management, even outside the PPE world (e.g. in commodities trading).
55:26 - Call to action for Web 3.0 developers to help build a decentralized application for brokering trust.
55:39 - How can people best find Susie/Norris and learn more about Zebra Health? Go to https://zebra.health and feel free to contact [email protected] and [email protected]
56:25 - Zebra Health is more than just PPE. They are distributing test kits (antibody and antigen) and equipment such as air filtration systems and sanitation stickers).
57:39 - Results from testing internally. We tested 13 members of our team, check out https://zebra.health/blogs/news/thirteen-members-of-our-team-were-given-covid-19-rapid-antibody-tests-here-s-what-we-learned
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