Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

At Billion Dollar Moves, our ultimate goal has always been showcasing the often untold stories of what it really takes to achieve that coveted ‘unicorn status’ beyond what’s often humble-bragged about; to challenge today’s status quo of what ‘patterns of success’ looks like, that often does not look like you or me. Join us in our latest recap episode as we dive deep into the meaningful conversations that reshape the traditional definition of success. Let's embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment as we relive these beautiful inspiring snippets from this season. TIMESTAMPS Nirvana Chaudhary Inside a Billionaire's Mind: Nirvana Chaudhary, CG Group—Making Your Mark 8:51-9:51 Rachel Lim Coming into her own: Rachel Lim, Co-Founder, Love Bonito 41:47-42:25 Eric Toda Meta's Eric Toda on Building World-Class Brands & Rising with Authenticity 30:55-31:59 Gola Turning Fear into Power: with Gola, Exiled Iranian Singer 21:14-21:39 Nathaniel Harding Investing in the Midcontinent with Nathaniel Harding, Cortado Ventures 44:56-47:29 Jeff Maggioncalda Pivot or Persevere? | Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda 34:50-35:44 Lisa Edgar Investing in Venture Capital Funds | Lisa Edgar, Top Tier Capital 09:38-10:14 -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

In keeping with the theme of my material from Helsinki, Finland just as one of the biggest events in Finland happens: Slush, today’s episode is with my friend, Taneli Tikka, truly one of the OGs of the Finnish startup ecosystem, who also actually started the Foundation that owns Slush! Taneli founded his first startup Taika Technologies at the tender age of 21. Before going bankrupt, Taika akin to Silicon Valley startup General Magic, had patented technology that helped companies like Nokia and Linux in their core development. A serial entrepreneur and investor, Taneli has had more than 10 exits with several highlights in his career from schooling Mark Zuckerberg about social media when he was CEO of IRC-Galleria, then Finland’s largest youth social media platform; to serving as CEO of a State Development Company, which today is known as the Finnish Climate Fund with something like~3.5B Euros in assets. From being raised by a single mom, to building and bankrupting a company and rising from the ashes to become Finland’s favorite and trusted veteran entrepreneur, let’s just say Part One of my conversation with Taneli Tikka is nothing short of inspirational. -- FOLLOW TANELI: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tanelitikka/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taneli_Tikka PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

What is our 'true dharma' and how can we build without burnout? -- Once seen as the face of failure on the New York Times, Suneel Gupta understands the road to success is not always smooth and requires more than unrelenting grit. Things of course turned around for him, where as CEO of RISE Suneel helped thousands of people in their physical and mental health journey. The company was named “App of the Year” and partnered with then first lady Michelle Obama before being acquired by the NASDAQ-listed company One Medical Group. In 2022, with its acquisition of One Medical Group, RISE is now part of Amazon. Now, a bestselling author, renowned speaker, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, Suneel helps others achieve sustainable peak performance by embracing simple habits to bolster emotional resilience and engagement. Core to that is what he captures in his book “Everday Dharma”; today we unpack the wisdom of the pages on mindfulness, play in work, and how we can rise to our essence as leaders. -- Links: Everyday Dharma by Suneel Gupta FOLLOW SUNEEL: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneelkgupta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneelgupta/ Website: https://www.suneelgupta.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Lisa Edgar has been a trailblazer in the venture industry, a veteran with over two decades in the business backing many of the brand name venture firms we know today from Accel to Benchmark. We chat about: Her journey in building Top Tier Capital Partners — a leading fund of funds and direct investing platform What it takes to build an enduring firm Current venture markets, challenges and opportunities This episode is brought to you by Helsinki Partners. Whether you’re looking to set-up or expand your company, find quality deal flow and investment opportunities, the best location for your event or congress, visit or find your new career in Finland’s capital, Helsinki, they’re your go-to! PS: Helsinki Partners is unveiling an exclusive 2-week program at Slush for international VC fund managers and LPs eager to dive into the dynamic Nordics and embrace the Finnish venture ecosystem! 📣 Be the FIRST to know when applications open: https://tinyurl.com/bdm-helsinki - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Named one of Forbes’ Most Powerful Women, Melinda French Gates needs no introduction. Over the last twenty years through her work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one thing has become clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you must invest in women. In comes our next guest, Erin Harkless Moore, Senior Director of Investment for Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company created to do exactly that. To accelerate social progress in the U.S by investing in women’s power and influence. As a member of Pivotal’s Executive Leadership Team, Erin leads the organization’s fund, and direct investment decisions, overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments that drive breakthrough innovations and drive impact for people in the US. With nearly 20 years of investment experience, building customized portfolios for endowed institutions and family offices, serving most recently as Managing Director at Cambridge Associates, we talk about everything from challenging the status quo to her investment strategy. You don’t want to miss this! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 02:04 - Erin's career, passion, profit, purpose 05:53 - The premium of 'track record' 07:58 - Investment in diversity initiatives under attack 10:53 - Where does the resistance come from? 12:30 - The role of consultants 16:01 - Melinda French Gates' point of impact 18:20 - Investing in women is not charity 24:24 - Getting to a 'yes' as an LP 30:22 - Cracking the patterns of history Links: Pivotal Ventures | A Melinda French Gates Company: https://www.pivotalventures.org/ Investing | Pivotal Ventures: https://www.pivotalventures.org/investing Breaking With Tradition: https://www.pivotalventures.org/articles/breaking-with-tradition-pitchbook-venture-capital PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

True to the saying 'nice guys finish last'; so many of us have accepted that as in the case of Steve Jobs, 'abrasiveness' was part of his genius. But what if there was another way? What if leaders could be kind; and that there is a tangible value to kindness in business? Now all of us probably know the term “goodwill” from an accounting context: In this capitalistic world in many ways; this value is decided by the buyer. Now our next guest argues that in reality, goodwill which should mean a whole lot more than an accounting concept, is earned and cannot be bought; and that if done correctly — can be worth a whole lot. This as he saw in his tenure as the unlikely “least qualified CEO” of Ashley Stewart, a popular plus-sized clothing brand serving and employing predominantly Black women: where he reinvented the co from the brink of bankruptcy: with what he argues was a recipe of “kindness” that shocked the world. PROFILE: James Rhee: https://www.redhelicopter.com/ James Rhee is an acclaimed impact investor, founder, CEO, goodwill strategist, and educator who empowers people, brands, and organizations by marrying capital with purpose. He is an award-winning thought leader on topics such as multidimensional transformation, the intersection of capital, race, and gender, the future of capitalism, and values-based investing and leadership. The story of the remarkable transformation and re-imagination of Ashley Stewart, one of the country’s largest clothing brands serving plus-sized Black women, under James’s enlightened leadership as chairman, CEO and investor (2013-2020), has served as proof to millions of people, as well as the world’s leading businesses and organizations, that one can do better by being better. James bridges seemingly unconnected people, communities, and industries under an inclusive and innovative umbrella. James serves as a member of the Advisory Council of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways, a Founding Member of Ashoka E-to-E, and the Advisory Board of CEO Action for Racial Equity. He is a Strategic Advisor to start-ups creating the world in which we want our children to live, and formerly served as Chair of the Innovation Committee of the National Retail Federation, and a board member of Conscious Capitalism and the American Repertory Theater. He is a client of both UTA and LGR Literary. As an investor, James helped manage billions of dollars of growth and distressed capital at two leading Boston-based institutions before ultimately founding his own impact platform called FirePine Group, where he has stewarded the capital of some of the world’s most sophisticated investors. He has been the lead investor and a board director across multiple successful platform investments. Before his career in business and finance, James Rhee was a high school teacher and an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He is writing a book and devotes time to Howard University as the Johnson Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship. He also serves on the faculty at MIT Sloan School of Management as a Senior Lecturer and EIR @ MIT Leadership Center. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

What are some key factors that contribute to a successful exit for a company? How can investors and founders align valuations with realistic outcomes? How have market conditions affected the fundraising landscape for companies? What opportunities exist for quality companies with strong fundamentals? What is the service mindset founders need to be really zooming in on? How does this differentiate successful companies? This week, we cover these crucial questions in a Billion Dollar Bite with Elodie Dupuy, Founding Partner of $200M growth equity firm, Full In Partners. Full episode: https://link.chtbl.com/bdm-elodie FOLLOW FULL IN PARTNERS: https://fullinpartners.com/ Full In Partners is a premier NYC-based growth equity firm founded in 2019. The firm is focused on backing high-velocity, high-efficiency software and internet businesses while building better outcomes through proactive operational and strategic support. -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

On Billion Dollar Moves we don't shy away from difficult conversations. A heads up, in today's conversation we will be talking about mental health, including suicide. Know that if you are struggling with your own mental health you are not alone, please reach out to a local mental health provider for support. For a list of free support lines available around the world, we recommend: https://bekind.findahelpline.com We’re all about surfacing what we call the unexpected leader; unicorn founders and funders across the globe in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. But one thing I’ve always known beneath these conversations that I don’t always get to bring to the fore are the inevitable dark moments along the way, and the immense cost to our mental health. The anxiety and toll on our personal relationships, the toll on ourselves in taking these risks, So, in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, I’m thrilled to be bringing you a slightly different but very special episode that I think will be important to you as you build, lead, and invest better. Elisha and I cover so much in this conversation from: - What it means to really struggle with mental health and why we need to all pay attention - The need to address systemic issues, 'structural determinants' in mental health - Where capital can drive impact on mental health, the challenges and opportunities LINKS Cotton On Foundation campaign in support of Born This Way Foundation: https://cottonon.com/US/co/charity-gi... Elisha London https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisha-lo... Prospira Global https://prospira.global/ Kate Spade New York Social Impact: https://www.katespade.com/social-impact PROFILE Elisha London is an entrepreneur and global mental health advocate. She is an advisor to leading global companies, donors, investors, brands and influential individuals on mental health and regularly speaks and writes on the topic. Across her career Elisha has established a number of national and global initiatives, and worked for organisations including the UK Department for International Development, PWC, the Overseas Development Institute and The World Bank. She was the founding UK Director of the Global Poverty Project (now “Global Citizen”), and following her own personal experience of mental ill health she was appointed as Campaign Director for the Head Together Campaign, spearheaded by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. In 2017 Elisha drew upon her experience to understand the huge gap that exists in addressing mental health around the world and founded United for Global Mental Health. She holds an MBA from TRIUM (NYU New York, LSE London, HEC Paris), and an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics. Elisha Co-Chaired the Global Futures Council on Neuro technologies in 2019 has been a regular member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Mental Health. In 2020 she was honoured for her leadership in global mental health when she was appointed as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar... Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Today’s guest speaking to the African continent is none other than Eunice Ajim, Cameroonian-American tech entrepreneur and investor who's changing the game. With her fund, Ajim Capital, she seeks to invest in Africa’s best startups at the pre-seed and seed level; leveraging her experience as a former repeat founder herself, including leading a $10M+ tech startup. But what many may not know is her story of becoming homeless while building what she calls the African dream. Eunice’s story is not just a cheatsheet into investing in Africa (which by the way has had 51 Private Equity exits in the last 10 years, with 478 deals worth $8.6 billion), but real talk on how hard it still is to build in the emerging markets. -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated, long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- FOLLOW EUNICE: https://www.ajimcapital.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/euniceajim/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes/ Watch on Youtube : tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Build like a CEO: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/ceoseries FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

From $50 million in circulation annually in venture capital to about $500 million; this 10x growth in a short amount of time in Oklahoma caught my attention. So when Nathaniel Harding of Cortado Ventures invited me out to Oklahoma City for the MidContinent VC Summit earlier this year—my answer was yes! Today’s conversation is with a leader unlike any other I’ve had on the show— a former Air Force captain stationed at the US-NATO headquarters in Afghanistan, Nathaniel transitioned from military service to become a successful oil entrepreneur, leading a venture that ultimately exited for a staggering $120 million. Today he serves as Managing Partner at Cortado Ventures, which has just announced its oversubscribed close of Fund 2, investing in early-stage startups in the Midcontinent region of America. -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated, long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- FOLLOW Nathaniel: linkedin.com/in/nathanielharding/ Cortado Ventures PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes/ Watch on Youtube : tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

In 2005, three Singaporean teenagers set up a secondhand clothes blog. They didn't realize it at the time, but it laid the framework for this multi-million dollar empire, one of the largest omnichannel womenswear brands in Southeast Asia, that has gone global, delivering to 18 countries with its most recent pop up store in SoHo New York. This week we dive into the story of Love, Bonito, in the business of serving the modern Asian women; which last raised a $50M Series C in 2021 led by Primavera Capital Group, China’s second-largest private-equity firm which previously invested in Alibaba and ByteDance. We chat with Love Bonito’s co-founder Rachel Lim about risking her mother’s entire savings to overcoming jealousy of her new CEO and finding herself as a leader even as they scale profits, revenues and markets, and build to an exit for their investors. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss. -- TIMESTAMPS: 00:28 - Love Bonito: From Secondhand Clothes Blog to Multimillion-Dollar Empire 05:44 - Family struggles, financial crisis, Rach dropping out and betting on herself 14:50 - Bonito Chico to Love Bonito. The business of women beyond fashion, building with co-founders 23:22 - Rach bringing in a CEO, accepting her limitations, hiring to scale 34:29 - "Everything rises and falls on leadership" 40:33 - Taking venture money, the pressure for an investor return -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated, long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- FOLLOW RACHEL: LoveBonito: https://www.lovebonito.com/ LinkedIn Instagram Rach Reflects Podcast PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes/ Watch on Youtube : tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

I realized for many of you, I’ve yet to formally introduce myself, why I do the work I do, and why, Billion Dollar Moves exists to serve you today. Fact: I was often in rooms I felt I didn’t deserve to be in. I was too young, too unqualified, and heck, looked and sounded different from everyone else. I knew I had two choices: to crumble into myself or to step up and honor my potential. The tables are turned in this episode where I'm in the hot seat, interviewed by my friends at Beyond Barriers. Enjoy! -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Our guest today is none other than Jeff Maggioncalda, a visionary leader whose journey spans not just one but two groundbreaking fields. For 18 years, Jeff worked side by side with Nobel Prize winner and economist Bill Sharpe, as the founding CEO of Financial Engines, one of the earliest pioneers in the world of robo-advisors and algorithm-driven investment strategies that became the largest independent online retirement advice platform with more than $100 billion under management. sold for you know, a casual $3 billion. Fast forward to today, Jeff is at the helm of another HIGH IMPACT endeavor. As the CEO of Coursera, he's leading the charge to redefine education for the digital age; since joining in June 2017 and has helped the company grow to over 120 million learners and 7,000+ institutions, served by high-quality learning content from 300+ of the world’s top universities and industry educators. From what a good CEO is and how a game of Monopoly really started Jeff on this journey, our power-packed conversation is a CEO masterclass you need to buckle up for. -- TIMESTAMPS 04:20 From a game of Monopoly to Monte Carlo simulations 10:23 Pivoting is important, but knowing when is difficult 13:50 AI: another form of technology, impact, and concerns 17:09 GPT to predict business strategies 23:44 Digital, platform business models in online learning, massive online open courses (MOOCs) 35:56 Technology, globalization, and AI drive future change. Being a growth company CEO ON COURSERA: https://www.coursera.org/ -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

I’m so excited about this week’s guest! If you’ve been following our work at Beyond The Billion; there’s no better snapshot of why we do the work we do than this episode; where Elodie Dupuy represents the kind of fund manager we are so bullish on. Starting as a receptionist at Insight Venture Partners, she is today betting on herself. Elodie founded Full In Partners, a software-focused $200M growth equity fund based in New York City, getting into deals like Canva, and Vinted. How she got there? You’d have to tune in. TIMESTAMPS 03:33 - Gymnast "Pushing through the pain' grounding Elodie's journey 08:21 - Iconiq chapter, but not really? 09:03 - 'I didn't know I want to be a CEO, until I couldn't be' 09:30 - 'Why don't I have my own fund? That's rude' 15:29 - Lagging indicators in fund management? 20:41 - Trust vs ownership in equity 25:56 - Usercentrics & Cookiebot - THE deal 36:28 - 'When the tide goes out, it's easy to see who doesn't have a bathing suit on' 40:38 - Will the growth stage sustain? Distributions vs valuations? 48:17 - 'B2B SAAS will not go anywhere' FOLLOW FULL IN PARTNERS: https://fullinpartners.com/ Full In Partners is a premier NYC-based growth equity firm founded in 2019. The firm is focused on backing high-velocity, high-efficiency software and internet businesses while building better outcomes through proactive operational and strategic support. -- On Billion Dollar Moves, we travel across the globe in search of the unexpected leader. Every week, it is our job to deconstruct the Billion Dollar Moves of unicorn founders & funders; many of them, underestimated long before they became iconic. Many of them, unexpected leaders, just like you. This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear, and courage in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

"But how can women actually be good operators?" This is a special episode from my work archives—in reflecting on my work this summer, I realized that this conversation in particular needed more air for the important angles raised by some real heavyweights in our industry. Featuring GV Ravishankar, MD at Sequoia India or now known as Peak XV; Sunitha from LetsVenture, India’s largest tech platform for early-stage startup investing and Nacitta from Sayurbox, Indonesia based distribution platform of fresh produce backed by Indonesian e-commerce Tokopedia From removing the pitch process to changing mindsets in angel investingm to challenging our own assumptions, this is your crash course on why the gender venture funding gap exists; and the Billion Dollar Moves these leaders are championing to change the status quo. You’re tuning into the Bridging the Funding Gap in SEA Panel at DSA’s 2021 PEVC Conference. PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

“Give them some purpose, unlimited vacation time, free food, and beanbags.” 🙄 Yet why are workers still unhappy and disengaged? 😳 40% of workers say they're likely to leave their current job in the next 3-6 months In this Billion Dollar Bite I explore a question I get asked often: "What exactly does the next generation workforce want from me?" EPISODES REFERENCED: Silvia Wiesner, former MD at Unilever on "really listening" Niels Christiansen, Group CEO at Lego and Stanley Bergman, CEO at Henry Schein on "the non-political leader" Cathy Gao, Partner at Sapphire Partners on "building culture from day one" PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

I’ve been enjoying the Women's FIFA World Cup, and I’m so thrilled to see the conversation on gender equity that has arisen alongside the excitement of the sport. As we continue to be in awe of the performance of so many of the teams, I was inspired to bring this week’s Billion Dollar Bite to a candid conversation with Coach Jen Welter who tackled her football career with tenacity and an unprecedented track record of pioneering firsts. What does it mean to be the first and the only? How do you turn being seen as the 'token' woman to being taken seriously as a team player? From building on her career in women’s football, which included 2 Gold medals with Team USA, to breaking through the biggest boys club of all, the NFL, as the first female coach in the league, I thought her Billion Dollar Moves deserved a listen this week. Original full episode Follow Dr. Jen Welter PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

From building emerging tech in IBM to working with Jeff Bezos and Andy Jessy, being a part of scaling Amazon from a $12 Billion to $80 Billion company; tech pioneer and trailblazer, CNN’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech Sandy Carter is now betting big on Web3: as COO of Unstoppable Domains, a platform for user-owned digital identity that hit the unicorn status last year led with a round led by Pantera Capital. Today we break some exciting news by Unstoppable Domains launching, discuss the viability of Web 3.0 and how it is creating new business opportunities and reshaping the way we think about commerce, entertainment, and social interaction. ABOUT SANDY CARTER: Sandy Carter is Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development at Unstoppable Domains, a platform for user-owned digital identity. As COO, she is responsible for driving growth and developing business strategies in pursuit of the company’s mission to provide user-owned identity for the world. She also drives partnerships and integrations for Web3 and the Metaverse. Prior to Unstoppable, Sandy was a VP at AWS where she created and grew businesses in emerging tech, leveraging AI, blockchain, and AR/VR. Before that, she was a General Manager at IBM and a Silicon Valley start-up founder. Sandy is a leading voice in technology, social media, Web3 and the metaverse who has been recognized as a Top 10 Most Powerful Woman in Tech by CNN and as a top AI influencer per Onalytica. Sandy Carter is a Board Member at Altair, an AI company, Chairman of the Board for the non-profit Girls in Tech, a past member of the Diversity Committee at the World Economic Forum, the founder of Unstoppable Women of Web3 and a founding member of Blockchain Friends Forever (BFF). She has won numerous awards including 2023 Crunchbase Influential Women in Sales List, 2023 CRN Channel Chief, Top 100 Global Thought Leader by Awards Magazine, Top 150 Business Transformational Leaders, a Top 100 Chief Tech Leader, Top 115 Most Inspirational Women of Web3/Metaverse, 100 Women Davos, Two Lovies Awards for Best Metaverse HQ, Top 14 Edge Leader, Federal 100 Award Winner, Top 100 Women of the Future, and PwC Game Changer. She is a member of Fortune Most Powerful Women. She is fluent in eight programming languages and is the author of five books, which won the Platinum MarCom Award and the Silver Marketing Sherpa award. About Unstoppable: Launched in 2018, Unstoppable Domains is a Web3 domain name provider and digital identity platform working to onboard the world onto Web3. Unstoppable Domains offers Web3 domains minted on the blockchain that give people full ownership and control of their digital identity, with no renewal fees. With Unstoppable Domains, people can replace lengthy alphanumeric crypto wallet addresses with a human-readable name and log into and transact with more than 720 apps, wallets, exchanges and marketplaces. The company was named by Forbes as one of America's Best Startup Employers in 2022. Media Contact: [email protected] FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. ELSA, an AI-powered learning app, provides users with an interactive and personalized approach to improving English pronunciation, 50 million users later, over $27 million dollars raised, with investors including Gradient Ventures, Google’s dedicated AI fund, this is a conversation not to be missed. ABOUT VU VAN: Vu Van is Co-founder & CEO of Silicon Valley-based ELSA, the world’s best and smartest English pronunciation app. She worked with leading speech scientists, machine learning scientists, and linguists from around the world to create ELSA. Powered by the company’s proprietary AI and speech recognition technology, ELSA scores a learners' speech to pinpoint individual syllable and phoneme level mistakes with real time feedback. Prior to founding ELSA, Vu lived and worked in Vietnam, Singapore, Denmark where she experienced the challenges of an English language learner abroad. She served as an Engagement Manager at Booz & Co, one of the top four global management consulting firms. Vu earned an MBA and a Masters in Education from Stanford University and is originally from Vietnam. FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

While the IPO window feels closed for many; what we’re still seeing are interesting mergers, acquisitions and strategic exits: many of which create the scenario of leaders at the helm of new teams. And so, for this week’s Billion Dollar Bite; I’m bringing a question I’m off late being asked a lot: how do leaders make maximum impact in the first 90 days? A concept; from one of my fav book of all time— by Michael Watkins where as Watkins brilliantly illustrates the first 90 days present a unique window for leaders to establish their vision, build influence and actually set the foundation to make things happen. It is a period that demands precision, clarity, and swift action, political savvy. I couldn’t think of a better episode than that of Tiwa York to highlight: a visionary leader who has made waves in the e-commerce industry like no other. Tiwa was handpicked by industry giants, Naspers and Tencent, to revolutionize their e-commerce portfolio in Thailand. And boy, did he deliver in the first 100 days and more. Full episode: On Apple: https://apple.co/3sXNtkz On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3UpAbcV On Youtube: https://youtu.be/fBmTNT4G-20 -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top GLOBAL funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar... Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol...

Ollen Douglass is a name that many have come to recognize in the venture industry, in particular for building the first venture fund for the Motley Fool; a popular news and media platform providing investing insights and financial advice to millions of people for over 25 years. But his story takes an unexpected twist as he walks away from a $250 million outfit he helped start. His abrupt departure left industry insiders hungry for answers. And today, he's here to reveal in his own words what happened and why; and importantly we’ll chat about his mission to challenge the status quo as a Black man in this industry. FOLLOW OLLEN: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollendouglass/ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top GLOBAL funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar... Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol...

A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally: even in our world of venture and business. Special thanks to Cortado Ventures for setting this up in the beautiful First National Center in Oklahoma City: https://cortado.ventures/ FOLLOW DAVID: Get his book, Range: https://amzn.to/3Nrht3c Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidEpstein LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-epstein-5a37ba25/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidepstein/ https://davidepstein.com/ David Epstein is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times best seller The Sports Gene, both of which have been translated in more than 30 languages. (To his surprise, the latter was purchased not only by his sister but also by President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.) He was previously the host of Slate‘s popular “How To!” podcast, and a science and investigative reporter at ProPublica. Prior to that, he was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he co-authored the story that revealed Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had used steroids. His writing has been honored by an array of organizations, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, to the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Center on Disability and Journalism, and has been included in the Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. His story “Following the Trail of Broken Hearts,” on sudden cardiac death in athletes, was chosen as one of the top 100 stories of the last 100 years by Columbia Journalism alumni. FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top GLOBAL funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar... Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol...

This week I am so pumped to be speaking with Momei Qu, Managing Director of PSP Growth, where she leads PSP’s venture capital and growth equity initiative, working closely with the esteemed Penny Pritzker, former United States Sec of Commerce and American billionaire businesswoman with family investments in the Hyatt Hotels and Marmon Group. From Momei’s leadership lessons working with a trailblazer to building a robust venture and growth practice to the future of B2B SAAS despite valuation slashes we’ve seen, we cover it all. ABOUT MOMEI: Momei Qu is a Managing Director at PSP Growth, and leads PSP’s venture capital and growth equity initiatives. She is responsible for strategy development, new deal sourcing, and portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining PSP Growth in 2018, she was a Vice President at Baird Capital where she invested in healthcare and technology companies. Prior to joining Baird, she was at Independence Equity (IE), a technology focused venture capital firm. Before IE, she worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co. Qu earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the Board of The Goldie Initiative, an organization dedicated to elevating the careers of high potential women in real estate, and on the Board of CRETI (Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation). In her spare time, Momei enjoys traveling with her husband and 2 kids, running by the lake, and finding deals at wine auctions. FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

This week's Billion Dollar Bite features the big question: Who am I beyond the company I built? This has become a theme that has emerged in so many of my conversations with both founders and funders at the helm of their businesses — an inspired this week’s Billion Dollar Bite about finding identity and decoupling your identity from your business. Tune in to what Rana el-Kaliouby who sold her emotional AI startup, Affectiva to publicly listed Smart Eye for $73.5 Million has to say: Full episode: (Season 2 Episode 1; 11/03/22) Rana el-Kaliouby: https://tinyurl.com/2p94hmyy About Rana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliouby/) FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top global funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

Our next guest is tackling the food waste problem by applying what he and his team have learned from nature. They created a plant-based protective coating that can make fruits and vegetables last longer. When the average household wastes over 30% of their food and throws $1,500 of the food they buy into the trash, you can see how it’s crucial to work to reduce this impact on our planet and our pocketbooks. Apeel is commercially available for avocados, organic apples, cucumbers and citrus fruits (lemons, limes, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit)- so they can stay fresher longer in the supply chain and in our homes. I chatted with my friend, James Rogers, Founder & CEO of Apeel when we were together in Oklahoma City about his journey over the last decade, and how he’s finally getting closer to his “why” in the first place. ABOUT JAMES: Dr. James Rogers is Founder and CEO of Apeel, a company that’s fighting the global food waste crisis by using materials found in nature to help food last longer — a sustainable approach to enable a more abundant future for the entire supply chain. Apeel’s mission has enabled Dr. Rogers to learn from and collaborate with thought leaders from all segments of the global food system. Founded in 2012, Apeel works with a global network of suppliers to serve retail customers across the globe with longer-lasting organic and conventionally grown produce, ensuring a fresher experience for customers at home. Apeel also invests its expertise in biological and data science toward helping retailers solve their fresh challenges and securing new opportunities for growth. www.apeel.com FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

What’s the secret to becoming more likable and influential as a leader? How do we actually build and scale by appealing to our consumers in a sustainable way? Why are we more likely to eat an imperfect cookie? This week’s episode will have you taking copious notes from Phill Agnew, a behavioral science expert and my podcast brother in the network, where he hosts one of the top Marketing podcasts, Nudge and shares tips of the trade you can start applying to win business and yes influence people today. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 03:42 - Why sharing your imperfection is key to being likeable 11:04 - Does this apply to gender stereotypes? 15:36 - Why is Tony the Tiger on Frosties, Ronald McDonald? 19:56 - Because you're worth it? Language matters 23:33 - Articulating value to your stakeholders 30:23 - Are marketers responsible for our culture? Will AI disrupt marketing? 35:27 - Showcasing labor to influence others SHOW NOTES Aronson’s pratfall effect study is: Aronson, E., Willerman, B., & Floyd, J. (1966). The effect of a pratfall on increasing interpersonal appeal. Psychonomic Science (link) J Sylvester study: Unfair Discrimination in the Selection Interview: An Attributional Account (link) Christoph Bartneck icat study https://youtu.be/7Kf9coMuVuI April Dunfords book obviously awesome: https://www.aprildunford.com/books FOLLOW PHILL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ NUDGE Podcast: The consumer psychology podcast - listen to the researchers, authors, and pioneers in behavioral science and learn small nudges you can use to improve your work. NudgePodcast.com FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm. And with it, a whole conversation surrounding AI, it’s opportunities and yes perils. Well, to go deeper in this, I’m excited to speak with someone who has been working in this space of AI, VR and XR, immersive and extended reality long before it was the hype it is today. Martina Welkhoff, Managing Partner of WXR fund, an early stage fund that invests in two of the greatest opportunities of our time: the next wave of computing + female entrepreneurs; with companies like Obsess AI, BODs and Embodied labs in her portfolio. Before that, Martina first founded her first startup over a decade ago in mobile gaming and after exiting that, she went on to found a VR production studio called ConveneVR. In this convo, Martina shares how she sees this cycle and the market shakeout, the danger of humanizing AI to the business opportunity of XR, we'll cover it all. Buckle up! About Martina Welkhoff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwelkhoff/ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

This week I’m chatting with a Billion Dollar Mover who absolutely captivated me when I first met her, but for a change, from the world of politics. Phumzile Van Damme is a former Member of Parliament of South Africa, winning multiple awards for her work counter-electoral disinformation, digital rights and platform accountability focusing on Africa. Phumzile’s first foray in the fight against disinformation centered on the rise and fall of the controversial global PR firm Bell Pottinger, who ran a race based campaign to ignite the differences between the people of South Africa, digging into its painful history of apartheid. She presented the case on behalf of South Africa, and 2 weeks later, they shut shop, basically toppling one of the most powerful PR firms in the world. What does it take to be a young Black Woman in politics, to build influence and lead with your principles still intact? Her Billion Dollar Moves is one I needed to deconstruct, that I thought all of us leaders could learn from. You don't want to miss it. FOLLOW PHUMZILE: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phumzile-van-damme/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/zilevandamme FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

Welcome to Billion Dollar Bite! Between the SVB collapse (and now First Republic Bank on the edge, with stock now down 95% for the year to date!), ChatGPT taking over and the "SAAS-cre", where valuations of Software-As-A-Service companies have taken a dive, for some, as high as 60%; it’s been a lot. A question that I get asked in this environment is: how will we find outliers? My answer: surface the unexpected leaders. The ones who have been underestimated, who may not come from a “cookie-cutter”, but are not afraid to be the first & only in many rooms, who know that rejection is part of the process and remain grounded to their vision, even if others don’t see it yet. But don't only take it from me! Tune in to what unicorn funder, Cathy Gao, Partner at Sapphire Ventures and unicorn founder, Jack Smith, who sold Vungle for about $780M have to say. Full episodes: Jack Smith "SOLD MY STARTUP FOR $780M: Good, bad, ugly": https://spoti.fi/420sqgL Cathy Gao "ENTERPRISE EATING THE WORLD: https://spoti.fi/3NeWcu9

Founder turned Funder, from Head of Digital Ventures of the BBC to Managing Director of Techstars, to now Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures with 250 portfolio companies and counting, Jenny Fielding is the ultimate community builder and investor. Together with Scott Hartley, Jenny is today pursuing a global strategy, as U.S. venture capitalists have taken a step back from deals abroad; launching a new $25M fund, to be the first-check in for startups building in the future of money, health and work. What does investing as a community mean, what do we think about the upset we’re hearing about Y Combinator’s new terms, how do you manage 500 Limited Partner investors in your fund and what is Jenny’s deepest insecurity? We cover it all and more. About Jenny Fielding: Pre-seed investor and mentor to hundreds of founders around the world. 2x entrepreneur and knows how challenging it is to build great products, inspire a team and keep the lights on. So she spends her time working to surround founders with the resources they need to thrive. First check into 200+ startups including: Chainalysis, Alloy, Latch, Tempo Automation, Headway, Supergreat, Contra, Particle Health, Pair Eyewear, Solo Funds, Halp, Minded, Rupa Health, Morty, Wagmo, Smarthop, Solid, PathSpot, Remesh, Cube, OnePipe, Season, Parsley Health and so many more: https://angel.co/jenny-fielding When not investing in companies... she's teaching (but really learning from) the next generation of future founders as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech. Twitter @jefielding FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we deconstruct the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

For the Billion Dollar Mover that you are, this is not new news: Silicon Valley Bank; what was said to be the epicenter of Silicon Valley tech and small businesses collapsed on March 10th after a run on the deposits doomed the banks plans to raise fresh capital. At first, there was major concern that this crash will take the VC and startup ecosystem with it, but the gov swooped in and provided a backstop, and scraps of SVB was purchased by First Citizens Bank. Catastrophe averted? Not quite. Today’s episode is by no means a full breakdown of what happened, but answers this one question : “Was this truly a Black Swan event? as Nassim Taleb explains it or really, a Gray Rhino, as Best-Selling Author, my friend Michele Wucker writes? And today we have her on the show exactly to speak to this - How should you be thinking about risk and what next? About Michele: Strategic advisor and best-selling author Michele Wucker coined the term “gray rhino” as a call to take a fresh look at how we respond to obvious, probable, impactful risks. She founded the Chicago-based advisory firm Gray Rhino & Company and is a former media and think tank executive. Her four influential books include the influential global bestseller THE GRAY RHINO: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore and the recently released sequel, YOU ARE WHAT YOU RISK: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World. Digital links: Twitter @wucker website thegrayrhino.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/wucker/ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

We’re bringing our next billionaire on Billion Dollar Moves; this time from Nepal, my friend Nirvana Chaudhary who is at the helm of Nepal’s first and only company listed on the Forbes list of Billionaires since 2015, valued in excess of $2.5 Billion. What started in 1935 has today become a conglomerate of 136 companies and 76 brands spread across 30 different countries with over 24,000 employees. From FMCG, Hospitality, Finance, Real estate, Education, Retail; they cover the gamut. Most notably, they’re the brain behind the famous Wai Wai brand of noodles. The eldest Asian son in a family empire, Nirvana was early to make his mark, founding his first independent company at the age of 19; and has continued to grow the businesses from strength to strength; being featured on Forbes to Tatler’s most influential. But what does it really mean to lead as the face of the next generation? How messy does family business get? And with friends like Bill Gates to Jack Ma, how has that informed what next for him? We cover it all in this episode. -- EPISODE LINKS: Nirvana's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirvanachaudhary/ More about Chaudhary Group: https://www.chaudharygroup.com/ -- FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

What does it take to sell and execute on what feels like an impossible vision? This, is the task of a stem-cell scientist turned founder who is tapping into the multi-billion opportunity to create lab-grown crustacean meat. Under Dr. Sandhya Sriram's leadership, Shiok Meats today is the world’s first cultivated shellfish meat company, and Southeast Asia’s first cultivated seafood and meat company. The startup’s mission is to bring delicious, sustainable, and healthy seafood to your table, using the cellular agriculture technology to grow meat from stem cells instead of slaughtering animals. Since its inception in 2018, they have grown from 2 to over 50 employees today, made a strategic acquisition themselves, raised over USD 30 Million dollars from big names from Y Combinator to Korean Conglomerate CJ’s Food Arm. -- EPISODE LINKS: Sandhya's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandhyasriram/ Sandhya's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sriramt_sandhya More about Shiok Meats: https://shiokmeats.com/ -- FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

A ping on your phone takes you out of a conversation with a friend. At the office, a colleague interrupts your work on a project. At home, screens intrude on time with your partner. Your goals don’t get done and it feels like someone (or something) is constantly pulling you away from what you really want to do. Why does it seem we’re no longer in control of our attention or our lives? How different would your life be if you were “indistractable”? In today's conversation, Nir shatters the narrative that the problem is our gadgets, but a symptom of a deeper dysfunction, as he examines in his book 'Indistractable'. We also discuss his earlier book 'Hooked', what it takes to build habit-forming products, where your users come back again and again without maxing out that ad spend! You don't want to miss this. About Nir: Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003 and was dubbed by The M.I.T. Technology Review as, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Bloomberg Businessweek wrote, “Nir Eyal is the habits guy. Want to understand how to get app users to come back again and again? Then Eyal is your man.” He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. Nir invests in habit-forming products that improve users’ lives. Some of his past investments include Eventbrite (NYSE:EB), Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify), Kahoot! (KAHOOT-ME.OL), Canva, Homelight, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Byte Foods, FocusMate, Dynamicare, Wise App, and Sunnyside. EPISODE LINKS: Nir Eyal's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nireyal Nir's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/ A schedule maker tool Nir referenced here: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/ -- FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life.-- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves #billiondollarmoves #venturecapital #investing #startupstories #productivity #leadership

In today's Billion Dollar Moves, we bust some myths about Southeast Asia's VC activity and the narratives driving the expansion seen in the region. The key question: will the momentum survive this downcycle? I chat with Dmitry Levit, Founding Partner of Cento Ventures, a venture capital firm specialized in under-invested emerging digital markets, primarily Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. In today’s Part 2 we go a little bit more 'micro' — what Dmitry is still excited by in building his portfolio. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:50 - What Dmitry is excited by in 2023: the future of digital 04:50 - How founders are building in 2023 06:11 - Trade exits getting dicey? 08:49 - The disappointment of Grab? 11:29 - Rocket Internet "burned the region for many investors for the next 10 years"? 16:47 - The future of the food delivery space 18:06 - How has Ukraine-Russia played out in Southeast Asia? 25:46 - What next for Dmitry after more than a decade with Cento? 27:17 - Billion Dollar Questions Really power-packed, you need to be taking notes for these two episodes if you want to understand SEA; you don’t want to miss it. -- ABOUT DMITRY LEVIT: Dmitry is the Founder of Cento Ventures. He is responsible for overseeing all investment and fund activities in Southeast Asia. Dmitry formerly served as an advisor to several investment groups and corporations pursuing technology and media opportunities across developing Asia, with Media Development Authority of Singapore, Singtel, ru-Net, IDG Ventures Vietnam, SUP Media, Livejournal.com, Chinese Founders Fund, VIVA Media and Nusantara Ventures among his clients. In 2008-2009, Dmitry was part of the investment team at IDG Ventures, where he provided extensive operational support to portfolio companies in Vietnam and was in charge of sourcing and assessment of investment opportunities in Indonesia and Singapore. Prior to that, Dmitry spent several years in business development roles with Yahoo! Southeast Asia, negotiating a series of content, distribution, monetisation and technology deals for Yahoo! in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Dmitry also acted as a business strategist for the regional Managing Director, working on vertical strategies for e-commerce, gaming, travel, finance, telecom and other sectors. EPISODE LINKS: Cento Ventures Twitter: https://twitter.com/cento_ventures Dmitry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levit/ Dmitry's report references: https://www.cento.vc/news-insights/ -- FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia funders & founders. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves #billiondollarmoves #venturecapital #southeastasia #digital #investing #startupstories

In today's Billion Dollar Moves, we bust some myths about Southeast Asia's VC activity and the narratives driving the expansion seen in the region. The key question: will the momentum survive this downcycle? I chat with Dmitry Levit, Founding Partner of Cento Ventures, a venture capital firm specialized in under-invested emerging digital markets, primarily Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 02:07 - Russian born Israeli citizen, now the expert investing in Southeast Asia 06:30 - Predictability of the Southeast Asia startup ecosystem through 2014 08:23 - Narratives driving Southeast Asia 12:43 - Masoyoshi Son breaking the 'time machine' theory? 14:31 - E-commerce: a case study 16:25 - The evolution of capital players holding up the markets 21:28 - Market corrections and institutional capital 24:54 - Market slowdown, deals vs deployments 26:37 - Weakening capital markets and expensive bets -- ABOUT DMITRY LEVIT: Dmitry is the Founder of Cento Ventures. He is responsible for overseeing all investment and fund activities in Southeast Asia. Dmitry formerly served as an advisor to several investment groups and corporations pursuing technology and media opportunities across developing Asia, with Media Development Authority of Singapore, Singtel, ru-Net, IDG Ventures Vietnam, SUP Media, Livejournal.com, Chinese Founders Fund, VIVA Media and Nusantara Ventures among his clients. In 2008-2009, Dmitry was part of the investment team at IDG Ventures, where he provided extensive operational support to portfolio companies in Vietnam and was in charge of sourcing and assessment of investment opportunities in Indonesia and Singapore. Prior to that, Dmitry spent several years in business development roles with Yahoo! Southeast Asia, negotiating a series of content, distribution, monetisation and technology deals for Yahoo! in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Dmitry also acted as a business strategist for the regional Managing Director, working on vertical strategies for e-commerce, gaming, travel, finance, telecom and other sectors. EPISODE LINKS: Cento Ventures Twitter: https://twitter.com/cento_ventures Dmitry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/levit/ Dmitry's report references: https://www.cento.vc/news-insights/ -- FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahchenglobal Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves #billiondollarmoves #venturecapital #southeastasia #digital #investing #startupstories

While scaling globally seems often to be part of the 'Billion Dollar Plan', it is hardly as simple as it is thought to be. Nicole Sahin who founded and scaled G-P, a global PEO leader from an idea to over $4Bn in value chats with me in Davos on her thoughts on the future of work, the challenges of globalization and some of her own hard lessons in scaling. Watch this live interview filmed in Davos on Youtube. -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:28 - Crucible moments 08:53 - Is Globalization really for you? 12:53 - Hiring top talent, and knowing when to let go 20:43 - What you have to do, you already know 21:58 - The unexpected trends on the future of work -- FOLLOW NICOLE: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolesahin/ About G-P: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves

Private Equity has a tremendous role to play in the real economy: with about $10Trillion assets under management, robust returns relative to public market measures, a reach that touches the lives of many (some say 1/3, 2/3 of global GDP by 2030) and with maximizing impact across the risk/return continuum becoming a fast-growing trend within the investing industry. I chat with veterans of the industry: Suyi Kim, Global Head of Private Equity CPP Investments Amir Hamzah Azizan, CEO, EPF Malaysia, Vindi Banga, Partner, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Rob Lucas, Partner, CVC Capital Partners with combined almost $1Tn in AUM on what it means to: (1) drive returns through diversity (2) how enterprises built through generations have the opportunity to uplift the standards of governance & sustainability of the communities they touch (3) and how values alignment driven by stakeholders is core: beyond a reactionary approach is also an opportunity to create change PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Quiet quitting, a recession looming, a polycrisis declared at Davos 2023 — how can leaders navigate this uncertainty? Silvia Wiesner, former Managing Director at Unilever who was with me in Davos joins me to weigh in on the 53rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SILVIA: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvia-wiesner/ IMAGINE Oxford Experience Silvia is Building: https://imagine.one/oxford-experience/ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

The 'non-political' company leader. In 2020/2021, we saw feathers ruffled when leaders like those from Google, Coinbase declared certain "political activism" was a distraction. Employees walked out since of course, in many ways, we're in a generation that have been told to bring "our full selves to work", including our belief systems. But how do we as leaders, manage what feels like a double bind? I ask global leaders, Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group, Stanley Bergman, Chair of Henry Schein, Joseph Ucuzoglu, Global CEO Deloitte to weigh in at #Davos2023 World Economic Forum. Here's what they said, do you agree? -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Social media platforms and creator-focused startups haven’t looked too hot coming into 2023, with companies like Meta, Snapchat waging of layoffs along with the rest of the tech industry. BUT the creator and influencer economy are more than just buzzwords losing interest among venture capitalists. Despite challenges on a platform level, blogger turned entrepreneur Vivy Yusof is a case study of just how retained attention is a currency that will continue to be important in 2023 and beyond. FashionValet.com, an online marketplace that once stocked over 400 brands across Southeast Asia, became a major regional player in the fashion industry but, by 2022, she had wound the venture down, shifting her focus to her own in-house modest fashion brands, dUCK and Lilit. The silver lining? By 2022, Yusof had built a network of 14 physical stores across Malaysia and Singapore and sold more than 3 million scarves from just one of her brands. Today, we unpack Vivy’s journey, the cost of building a brand around herself, her regret on not acting on her gut and her BILLION DOLLAR AMBITIONS for her next decade in the modest fashion industry. Watch this on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3mPihUI -- Find out more about Vivy And get her book now on Amazon -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Data shows that building with diversity in mind just makes business sense. Yet, we’ve not moved the dial nearly enough: bringing it to our investment world, as of Sep 2021 according to Knight Research only 1.4% of US AUM are managed by diverse firms, and at a startup level, we all know the abysmal numbers: women get less than 3% of funding, and Black founders hovering at about 1.2 - 1.3%. What can we do, and how do we tactically address this issue? Today, I take this opportunity to not just celebrate with you the power of diversity; which many of you know my work centers around BUT HOW we can tactically make #BillionDollarMoves by building inclusion and diversity as our lever of growth. To do so I’m calling in an expert, my friend Sonia Thompson, who has worked with brands from Johnson&Johnson to GSK who weighs in on what it takes to actually build a productive diverse team, how messaging to a broader stakeholder base helps you win and grow and why you shouldn’t be tasking that one diverse team member with your diversity goals. -- Find out more about Sonia Thompson The Inclusion Marketing Podcast -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Phil Knight, the founder of Nike famously said “Nike is a marketing company, and our product is our most important marketing tool.” But what does it take to build a world-class brand, and rise above the noise? I dive deep with Eric Toda, former Global Digital Brand Marketing Director at Nike, now Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta and Founder of Meta Prosper who has worked with little upstarts like Facebook, Snapchat and AirBNB in building their brand messaging long before they became the goliaths they are today. Our conversation ranges from what he thinks founders get wrong to how he is choosing to stand out and use his megaphone in his career to uplift the Asian American community. You don’t want to miss this. -- About Eric Eric Toda is the current Global Head of Social Marketing at Meta and the Founder/Head of Meta Prosper, a community support program from Meta serving the Asian and Pacific Islander community of small businesses, creators, and non-profits. He has held previous brand and digital marketing leadership roles at Stitch Fix, Gap Inc, Airbnb, Snapchat, and Nike and his work has been awarded by Cannes Lions, Webbys, Clios, amongst others for combining purpose, creativity, and business results. As an Investor at Hyphen Capital and an independent advisor, Eric has helped build disruptive brands like Yumi, Wardrobe, Upaway, Fyllo, amongst many others. He sits on he Board of Directors for Reimagine and LAAUNCH (Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change), the advisory council for TAAF (The Asian American Foundation), the advisory board of directors for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, and most recently has been using his voice and platform for the #StopAsianHate movement, with a viral piece in Adweek “My People Are Dying In Silence — And I’m Here With A Megaphone”. More about Eric here -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

We've heard a lot about scaling tactics for businesses, but have we paused to think about what it takes to scale ourselves as leaders at the helm? In this episode, Kim Yao, shares with us about how each chapter of her companies demanded different versions of her as a leader, and the future of 'virtual' or 'ghost' kitchens, i.e. delivery-only restaurants that proliferated during the pandemic and is set to be a $1 trillion industry by 2030. About Kim Kim is building the leading tech-powered food service ecosystem in Southeast Asia through digitally native restaurant brands and proprietary smart kitchen technology. By revolutionizing a massive yet traditional food service industry, her mission at CloudEats is to create the largest cloud restaurant group in the region, challenging brick and mortar heavyweights in F&B. With almost $14m in funding for CloudEats to date, Kim is known to have raised the largest amount of venture capital for a female Filipina led startup. She hopes to inspire female, underrepresented founders to keep dreaming big and work together to pave the way for more women entrepreneurs. Find out more about Kim here, and CloudEats here. -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

In this episode, Paul Ark shares how "when you take that big leap of faith, what's waiting for you on the other side is not necessarily a bad thing". From investment banker with global banks Deutsche Bank and Citigroup in Asia and New York, to facilitating Apple and Microsoft's Retail’s market entry into Asian markets, rolling out a US$100 million global corporate venture capital fund, producing one of the top performing fintech CVC funds globally for its vintage and advising pan-Asian venture capital firm, Gobi Partners as Head of ESG, Paul has certainly had his different career chapters you'd want to hear about! 4 things you'll learn: (1) The power of going with the flow of your career (2) The nascent VC ecosystem in Southeast Asia, and the opportunities that presents (3) Failures & successes in building a $100M CVC for Siam Commercial Bank, what strategically hiring means (4) ESG and shifting mindsets About Paul: Find more about Paul here. -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the next generation global leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

What if at the edge of your deepest fear lays your greatest potential? Exiled from the only place she knew to be home, Iranian singer, Gola (Golazin) shares her story on how her first hand experiences of life under the oppressive Iranian Regime shaped her as a fearless, international women’s rights advocate. Fighting everyday to have her voice heard since female solo singers are not allowed to release songs or perform publicly in Iran, Gola shows us what pushing boundaries and true bravery means; and how at the edge of your deepest fear is your greatest potential. View the full video on https://youtu.be/I0hGCtLqbS8 -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- About Gola Golazin, known internationally as Gola, is an exiled Iranian singer and women's rights activist. Her first hand experiences of life under the oppressive Iranian Regime have effectively shaped her as a fearless, international women’s rights advocate while living in exile from her home country; female solo singers are not allowed to record and release songs or perform publicly in Iran. Known by Iranian citizens as the Lioness of Iran, she irrefutably lives up to her reputation as she delivers a divine manifestation of bravery, advocacy, and justice with her historic album ‘CHANGE.’ Gola pushes to usher in an era of peace, gender equality, and reparations for those that have suffered at the hands of the Iranian Regime. Gola and her work have caught the attention of major media outlets such as The Times and The Sunday Times UK, i-D Magazine, C-Heads, and Hunger Magazine, while she continues releasing projects that amplify her mission to spread empowerment, peace, and love. She is among the first Iranian women to professionally sing in Farsi and English, as well as one of the most influential Iranian women to have been born and raised in Iran, and have a pop English track in the UK Club chart. Beyond this, Gola's record label, ZAN Recordings, is dedicated to serving as a vessel of empowerment for other young female creatives. Zan Recordings is currently in search of the perfect collaborator to partner with and sponsor the label's growth and impact. Through Gola's personal artist project and her work with Zan Recordings, the songstress is determined to create an accessible safe space encouraging more women and girls to feel empowered to express themselves through music. Find Gola on: @gola_official To support her record label, please reach out to Gola/Sarah below. EPISODE LINKS: Gola's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gola_official/ Gola's label: https://zanrecordings.com/ -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://sarah-chen.com/billion-dollar-episodes Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Despite Lu Zhang’s accelerated path from researcher to founder to investor — by age 30 —she still reveals how she feels like a failure everyday! This episode is one you'd want to tune into. Full episode here. About Lu Zhang: Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, is a renowned Silicon Valley based investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a Stanford Engineering alumna. Lu is a World Economic Forum (Davos) Young Global Leader and was recently selected as a Best 25 Female Investor by Business Insider. She has also garnered other accolades including the Featured Honoree in VC of Forbes 30 Under 30, Silicon Valley Women of Influence, and Town & Country 50 Modern Swans – Entrepreneurship Influencer. Lu is also on the Jury Board of Cartier Young Leader Award. Prior to starting Fusion Fund, she was the Founder and CEO of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes (acq. 2013). Lu is a frequent speaker at tech events and conferences such as Davos Economic Forum, Future Investment Initiative (FII), Forbes, Web Summit, SuperReturn, etc. and also serves as a mentor and advisor to several tech innovation programs in Silicon Valley. Lu is the board member of the Youth Council of Future Forum and Future Science Award. She received her M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. https://www.fusionfund.com/ -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

Despite Lu Zhang’s accelerated path from researcher to founder to investor — by age 30 —she still reveals how she feels like a failure everyday! This episode is one you'd want to tune into. About Lu Zhang: Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, is a renowned Silicon Valley based investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a Stanford Engineering alumna. Lu is a World Economic Forum (Davos) Young Global Leader and was recently selected as a Best 25 Female Investor by Business Insider. She has also garnered other accolades including the Featured Honoree in VC of Forbes 30 Under 30, Silicon Valley Women of Influence, and Town & Country 50 Modern Swans – Entrepreneurship Influencer. Lu is also on the Jury Board of Cartier Young Leader Award. Prior to starting Fusion Fund, she was the Founder and CEO of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes (acq. 2013). Lu is a frequent speaker at tech events and conferences such as Davos Economic Forum, Future Investment Initiative (FII), Forbes, Web Summit, SuperReturn, etc. and also serves as a mentor and advisor to several tech innovation programs in Silicon Valley. Lu is the board member of the Youth Council of Future Forum and Future Science Award. She received her M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. https://www.fusionfund.com/ -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious next generation leader; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

ICYMI: November Recap Due to popular request since many of my episodes are a little bit long, this season, I’ll be serving up recaps at the end of each month. It features my quick thoughts on the top 3 things that left an impression on me and a short clip from each convo in one place so you can get a feel of both the episode and guest AND you can always dig deeper (which I highly recommend) by going to the actual episodes themselves which will be listed BELOW: -- Timestamps & episode links : Rana el Kaliouby (Egyptian American Emotional AI Technologist & Founder, Affectiva, Status: Acquired): 0050 Tiwa York (Former CEO, Kaidee - largest Thailand C2C Marketplace, Status: Acquired): 0820 Jamal Bujang (MD, Gobi Partners & Former CEO, MAVCAP): 1545 -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal

From reluctant CEO, to seeding and scaling the original generation of venture capital funds in Malaysia as a limited partner investor to Managing Director of $1.2 Billion Pan-Asian VC fund, Jamal Bujang covers it all from how he took different leaps in his career, to how new venture capital funds can actually succeed with trust at the center of partnership, to the potential of Malaysia as the country heads into elections. 👊🏻 3 THINGS YOU'LL LEARN: Why taking leaps in your career is important: even when it’s ‘not cool’ The role of limited partner investors in building a nascent venture capital ecosystem (through the lens of Malaysia’s largest government-owned venture firm) Trust and the power of luck in business About Jamal Bujang: Jamaludin Bujang is the Managing Director, Malaysia at Gobi Partners. Gobi Partners is one of the longest standing venture capital firms with a Pan-Asian presence across North Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN with over USD 1.1bn in assets under management (AUM). Jamal joined Gobi after a combined 23 years of experience in the private and public sector, including being CEO and Board Member of Malaysia Venture Capital Management Bhd. (MAVCAP); Malaysia's largest government owned venture firm responsible for spurring the VC ecosystem with over $1Bn in AUM today. Prior to joining MAVCAP, Jamaludin was the Director of Investments at Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC); and worked with 2 foreign-based finance institutions for a cumulative period of 3 years and spent 13 years in Malaysia's leading investment bank, with extensive exposure to investment banking, particularly in equity research, asset and investment evaluation, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions. Jamaludin graduated with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration (Economics) from Wichita State University, Kansas, United States and a Masters degree in Business Law (Executive) from International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamaludin-bujang-a7b96458/ -- Billion Dollar Moves is THE show for the audacious; featuring the top US-Asia founders, funders and execs. From the growing pains of a unicorn journey to IPO, scaling a venture capital firm, we cover it all in the world of venture & business. Learn from the crème de la crème so YOU too, can make #billiondollarmoves — in venture, in business, in life. -- PODCAST INFO: Podcast website Watch on Youtube Join the community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: twitter.com/sarahchenglobal