Beyond the Blue Badge Podcast
Sep 04, 2024 - Opening Doors with Sriram Krishnan
I connected with Sriram Krishnan, who shared his journey from leading product and business at Microsoft in Redmond to venturing into Silicon Valley's tech scene. Now a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Sriram reflects on his transition from executive roles at X to becoming a venture capital investor. During our conversation, he emphasized the importance of building relationships, taking calculated risks, and offered valuable advice for founders navigating the startup ecosystem
Jun 19, 2024 - Navigating startups with Dan Shapiro
I had the pleasure of discussing entrepreneurship with Dan Shapiro, the CEO and co-founder of Glowforge, known for launching one of the largest 30-day crowdfunding campaigns in history. Dan’s background is rich with startup experiences, from creating the bestselling board game on Kickstarter, Robot Turtles, to starting his career at Microsoft on the Windows 98 kernel team. He shared insights into the startup journey, selecting VCs, team building, and recognizing the right time to exit
Apr 17, 2024 - From ideas to startups with Prasanna (Sankar) Sankaranarayanan
I spoke with Prasanna (Sankar) Sankaranarayanan, former Bing software engineer and now a seasoned entrepreneur, about his journey in building and scaling startups. As co-founder of the unicorn Rippling and founder of 0xPPL, a decentralized social network for the crypto community, Prasanna shared valuable lessons on the significance of understanding market trends and effective execution in the startup world.
Oct 18, 2023 - Corporate investing with Adam Coccari
I spoke with Adam Coccari about corporate investing for startups eyeing corporate venture capital. Adam, leading Intuit Ventures and formerly part of Microsoft Ventures and a startup founder himself, shared his insights on the differences between venture capital and corporate venture capital, along with advice for startup leaders.
Jun 7, 2023 - Hallucinating the future with Rahul Sood
If you're into AI and what’s possible, you’ll want to hear my latest episode of Beyond the Blue Badge where I talk to Rahul Sood. Rahul, a serial entrepreneur who founded the Bing Fund and Microsoft Ventures, and later Unikrn, discusses using generative AI at Irreverent Labs and plans to disrupt movie making.
Apr 5, 2023 - Advice to entrepreneurs with Soma
I sat down with S. “Soma” Somasegar to discuss his work as a partner at Madrona Venture Group after a 27-year career at Microsoft. Soma, a legend especially among Microsoft developers, shares his decision-making process in leaving Microsoft, the transition from operator to investor, and essential qualities for entrepreneurial CEOs.
Aug 17, 2022 - Unlocking startup success with Robert Wahbe
In a discussion with Robert Wahbe, co-founder of Highspot, we dive into the creation of a new industry category, the trials and triumphs of breaking into a new space, achieving desirable business outcomes, and advice for other startup leaders.
May 18, 2022 - Creating great company culture with Anoop Gupta
Growing a company culture where both people and business thrive is crucial. I explore this topic with Anoop Gupta, co-founder and CEO at SeekOut. Anoop, recently named CEO of the Year, discusses lessons from his time as Bill Gates’ technology assistant and pivotal decisions leading to SeekOut’s success.
Feb 23, 2022 - Creating Convoy with Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis, CEO and founder of Convoy, shared his startup journey with me, including disrupting an industry, building trust, securing investors, and adapting to change. Dan’s insights from his time at Microsoft and his approach to entrepreneurship are invaluable.
Oct 6, 2021 - Startup secrets with Eugenio Pace
Eugenio Pace, founder and CEO of Auth0, talks about building his company from the ground up, the influence of Microsoft on Auth0, and advice for others wanting to launch their own company.
Jul 29, 2021 - Breaking barriers with Daniela Braga
I sit down with Daniela Braga to discuss her two decades in cognitive technology, founding DefinedCrowd, her life as a female founder, and advice for early-stage entrepreneurs.
May 5, 2021 - Using data to save lives with Terry Myerson
Terry Myerson shares his journey from Microsoft to launching Truveta, a health tech startup aiming to improve U.S. health studies with de-identified patient data. Terry discusses leveraging his network and the mission behind Truveta.
Feb 17, 2021 - Entrepreneurship in China with Kai-Fu Lee
Dr. Kai-Fu Lee discusses the entrepreneurial landscape in China versus the U.S., health tech innovations, and insights from investing in over 350 companies.
Dec 09, 2020 & Dec 16, 2020- Wrangling a unicorn with Manny Medina
Manny Medina talks about leading Outreach.io, his approach to fundraising, and how his experience at Microsoft has aided his journey as an entrepreneur.
Oct 14, 2020 - Words matter with Textio Co-founder Kieran Snyder
Kieran Snyder shares her experience of starting Textio with her spouse, promoting diversity, and building a strong company culture.
Aug 5, 2020 - Founder to Financier with Kai Bond
Kai Bond and I discuss the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of diversity in investment, and tips for early-stage founders meeting with VCs.
May 27, 2020 - Fundraising in a time of COVID-19 with Claire Lee
Claire Lee and I delve into fundraising during a pandemic, focusing on current market trends and advice for entrepreneurs seeking investment.
Apr 8, 2020 - Starting up your startup with Diego Oppenheimer
Diego Oppenheimer discusses the inception of Algorithmia, the transition from a side project to full commitment, and insights on enterprise sales. We discuss his ah-ha moment, when was the right time to go “all in,” raising money, shifting a business model, decoding enterprise sales, and the beauty of hearing “No.”
Apr 10, 2019 - T.A. McCann,
I reflect on my driving forces as an entrepreneur, the realities of startup life, and offer advice for those considering starting their own company.