Venture Unplugged
Venture Unplugged
Mayra Ceja
Host Mayra Ceja interviews leading founders and investors. Early guests include Tim Draper, Justin Kan (Twitch), Leah Busque (TaskRabbit), Andrew Dudum (Hims) and more... In this new show, we discuss a range of topics including entrepreneurship, startups, venture capital, bitcoin, mindfulness, and spirituality.
Joanne Wilson (Gotham Gal) On Female Founders and Angel Investing
Joanne Wilson, more frequently known as Gotham Gal, discusses female founders, and angel investing, and more.  Joanne is a hugely successful angel investor, blogger, podcaster and feminist advocate who champions female founders and entrepreneurs to achieve their business goals. Subscribe to our newsletter at www.ventureunplugged.com and follow me Mayra on twitter @mayraceja007
Jul 30, 2020
28 min
Andrew Dudum, Founder of Hims/Hers on Fundraising, a $1 Billion Valuation & Advice from Kirsten Green & Peter Thiel
In this podcast, Andrew Dudum and Mayra Ceja discuss his recent $100m raise at $1 Billion Pre-money and the best advice he's received from Peter Thiel & Kirsten Green. Andrew is also co-founder and General Partner at Atomic, a venture-builder backed by Peter Thiel, Marc Andreesen and many of the world’s best investors. Andrew attended the Wharton School. San Francisco-based Hims is also backed by Forerunner Ventures,  Founders Fund,  Redpoint Ventures, SV Angel, 8VC, Maverick Capital and more. Sign up for our newsletter on VentureUnplugged.com and follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007. This podcast is presented by Republic is an investment platform for private companies to raise capital and everyone to invest.
Nov 19, 2019
41 min
Part 2: Billionaire Mike Novogratz on Prison Reform, Bitcoin, Libra, Privacy, Social Justice & More
In this podcast, Mike Novogratz and Mayra Ceja discuss prison reform, privacy, blockchain, bitcoin and more. Prior to Galaxy, Mike had his own meteoric rise from growing up middle class to getting his undergrad at Princeton, starting his career as a helicopter pilot, eventually becoming a partner at Goldman Sachs and later partner and president at Fortress Investment group. Sign up for our newsletter on VentureUnplugged.com and follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007. This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! This podcast is presented by Republic is an investment platform for private companies to raise capital and everyone to invest. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Nov 5, 2019
39 min
Part 1: Mike Novogratz, Founder of Galaxy Digital, the Goldman Sachs of Crypto, on Bitcoin, Confidence, Connectivity & Resilience
In this podcast, Mike Novogratz and Mayra Ceja discuss Mike's fascinating stories of personal professional growth, why he launched Galaxy and his latest insights on bitcoin and blockchain.  Mike became a bitcoin legend when he famously predicted its meteoric rise, but this episode is about so much more than just Mike's legendary status. It's about his stories of building confidence, connectivity, and resilience. Prior to Galaxy, mike had his own meteoric rise from growing up middle class to getting his undergrad at Princeton, starting his career as a helicopter pilot, eventually becoming a partner at Goldman Sachs and later partner and president at Fortress Investment group Sign up for our newsletter on VentureUnplugged.com and follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! ------This podcast is presented by Republic is an investment platform for private companies to raise capital and everyone to invest. -----This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Oct 29, 2019
33 min
Arianna Simpson, Founder of Autonomous Partners on Bitcoin, CryptoKitties, Women in Crypto and Advice for Founders
Arianna Simpson and Mayra Ceja discuss how she started in bitcoin, what she's investing in now, what the future of Libra looks like, how to get more women in crypto and more. Arianna Simpson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Autonomous Partners, a digital asset company backed by Cohen Private Investors, Brian Armstrong, and Union Square Ventures. Sign up for our newsletter on VentureUnplugged.com and follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! ------This podcast is presented by Republic is an investment platform for private companies to raise capital and everyone to invest. -----This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Oct 22, 2019
31 min
Ben Cogan, Founder of Hubble Contacts on raising $70 million from Founders Fund & Greycroft
In this podcast episode, Ben Cogan and Mayra Ceja discuss how his experience at Harry's led him to launch Hubble, why he launched Hubble, and where the future of retail is headed. Ben Cogan graduated from Princeton University with a Philosophy Major. Hubble has raised over $70 million dollars from top VCs like Founders Fund, Wildcat, and Greycroft. Follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007 and go to VentureUnplugged.com for more facts and insights on this episode. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Oct 8, 2019
37 min
Matt Meeker, Founder of Meetup.com & BarkBox
Matt Meeker is the Founder of Meetup.com and BarkBox. In this episode, Matt and Mayra Ceja discuss how he launched Meetup.com and why he left and how he turned his passion for dogs into his second multimillion startup, Barkbox. Barkbox has raised over $80 million from VCs like RRE Ventures, August Capital, and Resolute Ventures. Follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007 and go to VentureUnplugged.com for more facts and insights on this episode. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Oct 1, 2019
37 min
Nick Greenfield, Founder of Candid-The Warby Parker of Braces
Podcast: Nick Greenfield and Mayra Ceja discuss:His early days at Lyft and were those pink mustaches come from?Why he launched Candid?Where the future of retail is going?What advice he has for founders fundraising? Nick Greenfield founded Candid alongside several Co-Founders including Spencer Solovaara and Lila Cosgrove. Forbes magazine nicknamed the company the Warby Parker of Braces. Nick and his co-founders took the company from zero to 400 employees in a little over 2 years and have raised over $70 million from VCs like Greycroft and Bessemer. Prior to launching candid, Nick was an early employee at Zimride where he worked directly with John Zimmer. Zimride would later become Lyft. He received a BA in International Relations from Stanford University. Follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007 and go to VentureUnplugged.com for more facts and insights on this episode. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group, an exclusive content, and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space. 
Sep 24, 2019
38 min
Nick Grossman and Mayra Ceja discuss how Union Square Ventures makes investments,  why open protocols are so important to Web3 deployment, what blockchain uses cases and companies are going to change the world and why USV joined the Libra Association.
In this episode, Nick Grossman Partner at Union Square Ventures and Mayra Ceja, Host of Venture Unplugged discuss how Union Square Ventures makes investments, why open protocols are so important to Web3 deployment, what blockchain uses cases and companies are going to change the world and why USV joined the Libra Association. Union Square Ventures is one of the most iconic venture capital firms with Notable investments that include Twitter, Etsy, and Twilio. Nick has helped to lead and shape the company’s blockchain investments which include Coinbase, Blockstack, Filecoin, Helium, and CryptoKitties. Prior to USV he was at Open Plans, the incubator for startups focused on cities and data management. Nick was born in Brooklyn, graduated from Stanford University, and currently resides just outside of Boston. Other topics discussed: Binance token, Props, Polkadot, Algorand, and Cloudflare. For more information and links to other posts, go to www.VentureUnplugged.com or follow Mayra on Twitter @mayraceja007. -----This episode is sponsored by eToro, the smartest crypto trading platform, and one of the largest in the world. Join me and 11 million other traders and create an account at eToro.com and build your crypto portfolio the smart way. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Sep 17, 2019
45 min
Craig Elbert, Founder of Care/of, The Warby of Vitamins
In this podcast, Craig Elbert and Mayra Ceja discuss how his experience at Bonobos shaped his leadership style, why his commitment to the lean startup methodology led him to launch a fake company and how he turned plain old vitamins into an instagrammable DTC brand. Care/of raised over $40m from Goodwater, Tusk Ventures, RRE Ventures, and Juxtaposed. -----This episode is sponsored by eToro, the smartest crypto trading platform, and one of the largest in the world. Join myself and 11 million other traders and create an account at eToro.com and build your crypto portfolio the smart way. ------This episode is sponsored by Qtum, the first proof-of-stake smart contracts blockchain. If you're tired of paying high fees on other smart contracts platforms, head on over to http://Qtum.org and start building today your own low fee, solidity smart contract today! -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Sep 10, 2019
46 min
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