"Can't Be Done"

Disruptive ideas are the ones that go viral, and the two hottest ideas in VC right now are cryptocurrency and VR. Today we’re taking a step back to articulate the major themes in both ecosystems, discussing Bitcoin’s exponential growth, the current FOMO among investors when it comes to cryptocurrency, and the debate around tokens as securities. We’re also exploring what the best first use case of virtual reality might be, looking at B2B applications like collaboration and business training as well as fitness applications such as FITXR. Listen in to understand the debate around the correct distribution vehicle for VR and what the industry is doing to address its major problems. Follow Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamDraper Resources: Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/

“I’m obsessive by nature … and when I meet someone that’s 100X of that in their own thing, but they’re also good at what they do, I feel very lucky.” Venture capitalist Semil Shah is looking for entrepreneurs with a combination of talent and drive, who out-class others in what they do and prioritize their obsession with building an enterprise. Semil is an investor and writer based in Silicon Valley who created a small fund called Haystack. He has been an early investor in 70-plus companies such as Instacart, DoorDash, Hired, and OpenDoor. Semil is also Venture Partner with GGV Capital, and he was named to the 2017 Midas Brink List by Forbes. He fell into venture capital through his work as a writer and consultant to several firms on Sand Hill Road, including General Catalyst, Kleiner Perkins and GGV Capital. Today we discuss the attributes of Semil’s writing that led VCs to utilize his work as a resource and current themes in the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship. Semil shares his early investing experience, what gets him pumped about financing a project, and how he applies the Saturday 2pm Test to potential investments. Listen in to understand Semil’s take on the role of seed capital versus series A money and his advice for up-and-coming VCs. Resources: Semil's Blog: http://blog.semilshah.com/ SoftBank Vision Fund: https://softbank-ia.com/node/8 Fred Wilson's Blog: http://avc.com/ Sequoia Scouts: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/scouts/ Andy Johns on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ibringtraffic

In the US, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease every 66 seconds. Of the estimated 5.5 million Americans suffering from the disease in 2017, approximately 5.3 million are over the age of 65, while 200,000 have developed early-onset Alzheimer’s. In fact, this insidious disease in the sixth leading cause of death in the US. Without intervention, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s is projected to grow to 16 million by the year 2050. But today’s guest is not about to let things progress without intervention. Jacob Hamman graduated from USC with a degree in architecture, where he honed his aptitude for design thinking and creative problem-solving. After seven years with the prestigious Los Angeles firm, Gehry Partners, Jacob pursued a master’s in design studies and technology with a focus on virtual reality from Harvard. Jacob’s mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s three years ago. Caught off guard by the diagnosis, he set out to find a way to use VR to reverse the disease. Jacob founded the health technology company Zenjoi a year and a half ago with an intention to create peace of mind and improve quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients through dementia-based assistive technologies and a therapeutic VR experience. As part of Boost VC Tribe 10, Jacob is working to bring the virtual reality that is helping his mom to the world, with the goal of eradicating Alzheimer’s in the next decade. We discuss how his design background lends itself to his work around virtual reality and what he came to understand about Alzheimer’s as he developed Zenjoi. Listen in to and learn what Jacob considers the key metric of success and why VR is the ideal medium for people experiencing cognitive decline. Jacob’s background in design and technology • Grew up in Phoenix with interest in design • Degree in architecture from USC • Seven years at Gehry Partners in LA • Foundation in creative problem-solving • Master’s in design studies and technology from Harvard Why VR serves as the best medium for Alzheimer’s patients • Touch screens foreign to aging population • VR puts inside experience, allows to act intuitively • Uses hand tracking, user can interact with elements http://www.zenjoi.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobhamman/

What if you could hit up Foot Locker for a pair of shoes that would allow you to dunk a basketball? Or stop by Walgreens to pick up a robot that would give your grandparents the mobility to continue living at home rather than moving to an assisted living facility? A startup called ROAM is working to create exoskeletons that would afford everyday people the ability to overcome their physical limitations, solving problems around mobility and capability. It may not be the Ironman suit you’ve been dreaming of, but the robotic exoskeletons in development at ROAM would put this groundbreaking human augmentation technology in the hands of everyday people. ROAM Founder and CEO, Tim Swift, earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, where he developed the technical foundations for many of the commercial exoskeletons in use today. An early employee at Ekso Bionics, Tim spent six years building robots with medical applications like stroke rehabilitation and paraplegic mobility, writing the software that allowed people to walk again. Problem was, these exoskeletons are 50-pound, $100K machines that only impact a select few people. He grew weary of watching people use the exoskeleton, and then get back into their wheelchairs and ‘roll out the door like it had never happened.’ Tim set out to rethink the way robots are built, making them out of fabrics and plastics so that they are smaller, lighter, cheaper—and ultimately accessible to the general population. He founded ROAM with the intention of developing a new type of exoskeleton that can go with people into the world, allowing them to run farther and faster, rehabilitate from injury, or simply maintain the mobility to sit, stand and climb stairs. Today, Tim is on a mission to make people move more, and ensure that the body is not a barrier. On this episode, we address Tim’s journey to becoming an entrepreneur, the reasons why he left Ekso to create his own startup, and his vision of success ten years into the future. We cover the small community that inhabits the human augmentation space and how ROAM is helping people run 10% farther and faster. Listen in to understand how ROAM’s potential customers have become an integral part of the development process, and what the company is doing to put robots in the hands of real people. http://www.roamrobotics.com/ https://www.boost.vc/ https://twitter.com/BoostVC

Hamza Siddiqui has built the #1 social app on the oculus store, it just so happens to be for Poker. On this episode of "The Boost VC Podcast" we Hamza discloses how important data will be to the growth of VR, and that his favorite quote ever is one that I said to him a long time ago. So listen to the latest. Little known fact... we had to record it twice because... why not? http://www.casino-vr.com/ https://twitter.com/casino_vr

Loic Ledoux is an awesome entrepreneur who has built a new story telling medium that puts you in the story. On this episode of "The Boost VC Podcast" we venture deep into the heart of an entrepreneur, with an amazing french founder. We also talk about Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, but the most important thing you can get out of this episode is the who, what, when, where, why of starting a company... also you learn that Loic cannot juggle. https://www.shadow.lol/ https://twitter.com/douill

Have you ever thought, "how do I start a venture capital fund?" Well, Amitt did just that. We talk about starting a fund and the state of VR. Amitt also created one of the most notorious social games ever created... Farmville. You want to hear what he has to say. Listen to the podcast. https://www.presencecap.com/ https://twitter.com/amittm https://angel.co/amitt

Have you ever thought, "It would be super cool to have my own pet dragon?" Well now you can! Vivian Tan and the team at Beast Pets have built an incredible VR experience to give you a pet dragon. We talk about startup a company, distribution in VR, and where the world is headed. You should listen. http://www.beastpets.com/

The next 3 podcasts are VR focused, and to kick them off, we thought it would be appropriate to have the man who is at the center of all VR/AR, Tipatat Chennavasin, join us to discuss the industry. He is an investor with The VR Fund, and when VR is in the air, he is there. You are going to enjoy what he has to say. http://www.thevrfund.com/ https://angel.co/tipatat https://twitter.com/tipatat

Do you know why someone would build a flying exoskeleton? Well Richard Browning, a former oil trader did it, so find out why. Also seeing him fly was literally the coolest thing ever for Adam. So check out this week's podcast to hear the whole story. http://gravity.co/ https://vimeo.com/214439991

Do you know how a former lumberjack becomes the founder of and leader of the largest crypto hedge fund? Listen to this episode of The Boost VC podcast where Adam Draper talks to Olaf Carlson-Wee the founder of Polychain and one of Boost VC's portfolio companies, about starting the first ever crypto hedge fund, and how he now manages more than $250m in assets. https://angel.co/polychain-capital http://polychain.capital/

Nick Tomaino spills the secrets of ICOs and about thinking long term as an investor in the space. So now I know everything... and you can too. Listen to Nick, from his work at Coinbase, to his position at Runa Capital, he knows. "It's becoming easier than ever for entrepreneurs to raise money" -Nick Tomaino, The Control https://thecontrol.co/ http://www.runacap.com/ https://medium.com/@ntmoney https://twitter.com/NTmoney

Ep. 20: Will Warren, Co-Founder & CEO @ 0x Find out more about one of the hottest upcoming ICOs. Will Warren talks about their vision for a decentralized exchange and also about what super power he would want. https://0xproject.com/ https://twitter.com/willwarren89 https://medium.com/0x-project/introducing-0x-d51d5231ba53

The people have spoken and they want more crypto! The rise of the prices in the industry have led us to interview someone who has an upcoming ICO, Kathleen Breitman with Tezos. We challenge other currencies and discuss governance structures. https://www.tezos.com/ https://twitter.com/tez0s

Healthbox is a healthcare based accelerator, and Chuck and Adam discuss the differences in accelerators and sectors. Learn about different structures! We all try to help the best we can. https://www.healthbox.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckfeerick https://twitter.com/chuckfeerick

New on the venture scene, Arielle covers preconceived notions of Venture Capital, her interests and her latest investment in an awesome company called The Wing and social club for women. Arielle is awesome! http://www.kpcb.com/partner/arielle-zuckerberg

Part cowboy, part tech geek. AJ was a dinosaur wrestler in a past life. His enthusiasm and energy for changing things is intoxicating, and I believe that AJ is one of the best mentors/friends you can have in the startup eco-system. https://www.icracked.com/

Janus is building the MetaVerse. James hails from Canada, where he has many academic achievements. We cover a wide range of questions to do with Virtual Reality, but also to do with finding product market fit and some of the battles raging in the VR industry. http://www.janusvr.com/

We cover everything from rockets to software. Have you ever met James Bond? That's basically who Marshall Culpepper is, except he has a cooler job and he's not British. KubOS is the future of software in the space industry. http://www.kubos.com/

Michael Dunworth explains the different stages of Snapcard now called Wyre. Michael Dunworth is Australian, which means he is genetically superior to mortal human. He uses his charm and intellect to dazzle. His company has gone through many transitions, just as Bitcoin has. They have continued to build and thrive. He also points out that fundraising is difficult. https://www.sendwyre.com/

Talking about starting a company, the VR market as a whole and finding focus. Nathan Rowe, CEO of Sculptr, the greatest world builder in VR, talks about everything VR that you could possibly cover on a podcast. He drops knowledge bombs left and right. http://www.sculptrvr.com/

Zavain breaks down AI, basketball and just is an all around great dude. Zavain Dar is a Principal with Lux Capital, he focuses on machine learning, crypto currency and everything that requires you to think 20 years out. He has been a mentor with Boost VC for years and is wise beyond his years. https://www.luxcapital.com https://twitter.com/zavaindar

Jens shares his story of entrepreneurship in this week’s episode of The Boost VC Podcast. Adam and Jens talk about the VR industry, comparing gaming and cinematic VR, looking at the variety in experiences and hardware, and exploring the potential growth in the industry. Jens talks about the founding of Jaunt VR and his favorite VR experiences. Jens is an experienced technology executive and founder, with a strong computer science background and a proven track record of assembling world class teams, raising capital, and achieving successful outcomes. Most recently, he co-founded Jaunt VR and served as its CEO for three years.

Bonus Episode: Adam chats with Maddie Callander, Director of Operations at Boost VC (and unofficial Podcast Producer) about what they learned during the process of starting this podcast! (Both Adam & Maddie are big Harry Potter Fans... thus the bonus episode title in honor of Platform 9 3/4!)

In this week's episode of The Boost VC Podcast, Adam asks his brother Billy Draper from Draper Associates about the nuances of venture capitalism. Adam and Billy explore the many problems of today's marketplaces, and how start-ups can disrupt the flow of big industries using new technology. They talk about the entrepreneurial mindset that VC's appreciate, and go over what attitudes they like to see in their founders. Billy Draper is on the investment team at Draper Associates. He works primarily at the early stage, investing in companies valued between 3m and 10m. Prior to joining DA, Billy worked in Operations at Facebook and in product design at ApartmentList. He was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 for venture capital in 2016.​

Gil worked as a 3D Artist and visual effects supervisor in Hollywood. He was the founder and director at Method Studios in Los Angeles, where he did a lot of work for commercials, including an iconic Toyota being smashed by a meteor commercial. Gil most recently founded Visionary VR, a tool for budding content creators to make films in VR using the tools they've been using all their lives.

As a member of Correlation’s investment team, Collin focuses primarily on identifying and evaluating early-stage startups. Collin also serves on the board of the NextGen Partners organization and is a Kauffman Fellow. Both of these educational organizations are focused on serving the venture capital and startup communities. Prior to joining Correlation Ventures, Collin founded two businesses in digital advertising and adventure travel, respectively. Prior to that, Collin was an IT Strategy consultant at Accenture. Collin earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management with an emphasis on Innovation & Entrepreneurship where he was awarded a prestigious Four Pillars award, awarded to only four members of the graduating class for embodying the values of the school. He also graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Finance from Southern Methodist University. Prior to joining Correlation, Collin and his team of four broke a Guinness World Record completing the longest expedition across the Arctic Ocean by rowboat, rowing over 1,000 miles non-stop and unsupported for 41 days.

Catheryne Nicholson is CEO and Co-founder of BlockCypher, a Blockchain-as-a-Service company. BlockCypher’s blockchain-agnostic infrastructure exposes simple web APIs for developers to easily build reliable blockchain applications. BlockCypher runs multiple open and private blockchains at-scale on their same infrastructure. Catheryne is an engineer, entrepreneur, mother, and former U.S. Naval Officer. She has built large-scale software platforms in education, energy and emissions management, CRM, and defense systems for companies such as MommaZoo, C3, Siebel Systems, and Northrop-Grumman. She graduated from the U.S Naval Academy and Stanford University and holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering, a MS in Environmental Engineering, a MBA, and is a registered PE in Mechanical Engineering. https://www.blockcypher.com/

Justin was the co-founder and president of Notehall before it was acquired by Chegg in 2011. He is also a very active angel investor and advisor to many technology startups. Currently, he is the president of Pillow Homes and loves to travel.

Liv Erickson is a Virtual and Augmented Reality Developer and Evangelist at Microsoft based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the creator and host of Just A/VR Show, a web show for aspiring VR and AR developers, developer of KittenVR, and the author of The Matrix is My Office blog. Liv is passionate about making immersive technologies accessible to everyone, and teaching new developers how to create their own VR & AR experiences. She is a co-founder and instructor of ARVR Academy, and is a frequent speaker on virtual and augmented reality development in addition to developing projects across desktop, mobile, and web VR and AR platforms. ARVR Academy: http://arvracademy.io/ Just A/VR Show: https://channel9.msdn.com/blogs/misslivirose/ The Matrix is My Office: https://livierickson.com/blog/ Kitten VR: http://kittenvr.com/

Baptiste is a French entrepreneur who has worked as a designer, engineer, and project manager for several startups. He is the founder & CEO of Unimersiv, the platform for VR educational experiences. He was part of Boost VC’s Tribe 6 last summer. He is currently based in Paris. During his free time he enjoys playing FIFA, spending some quality time with his friends and family and he’s also spending more and more time playing VR games on the Rift! https://unimersiv.com/ https://twitter.com/BaptisteGreve https://www.linkedin.com/in/baptistegreve/en

Full-stack developer, expert blockchain architect, father, and husband: Lamar Wilson has been creating enterprise software for almost a decade with a recent focus on financial and blockchain technology. A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded the software development firm, 212ths and created Pheeva, a mobile bitcoin wallet. He is the CEO of Love Will Inc., and, most recently, Lamar founded Fluent where he serves as Head of Vision and Decision. https://fluent.network/ https://twitter.com/bigmarh https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamarawilson