On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Keshia Theobald-van Gent, Vice President of Investment Management at BDev Ventures. BDev Ventures is a Venture Capital Fund that focuses on fast-growing, post-revenue B2B software companies in the US and LATAM, from Seed to Series. Also in the studio is Megan Thorp, General Partner of Ignite Fund of Funds. Ignite's Fund-of-Funds portfolio has broad scope exposure to deep tech AI, targeting venture capital funds that invest in transformative technologies across the AI Infrastructure stack.

Keshia leads the investor and operations teams at BDev Ventures. She previously served as the Sr. Director of US Programs at German Accelerator where she led teams in NYC and Silicon Valley to help high-potential European startups enter the US. In additions, she wasvthe Director of Strategic Partnerships at GSVlabs, where she connected the world’s largest companies to the global startup community, accelerated new products, and generated real ROI through digital innovation.

Megan has over 10 years of experience in marketing, sales, and back office operations within the Financial Services industry, primarily focused on growth strategies for 9-figure asset managers and wealth advisors. Leveraging her MBA from Johns Hopkins University, where she currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Carey Business School. Before joining IngiteGTM she spent four years building a Healthtech startup as the Chief Operating Officer.

Join us as we discuss the pathway to becoming a VC, and startup insights.

This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact, KPCR 92.9FM in Los Gatos; and 101.9FM in Santa Cruz Tuesdays at 3pm!

This show is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by the hosts, and Silicon Valley Impacts guest’s are strictly their own. These views are not intended to

"Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.”

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we have four remarkable women discussing Femtech, startups, leadership, and forging strategic alliances. Joining us in the studio are Marian Bekkar, Nola Masterson, Ariel Watson, and Shagun Maheshwari.

Nola is the lead investor of the Portfolia Femtech Fund and a seasoned board member for both public and private companies, as well as nonprofits. With over 25 years of experience, she has served on audit, compensation, and nominating/governance committees, playing a pivotal role in guiding companies through IPOs and startup growth. As Co-chair Emeritus of the Women Corporate Directors Northern California Chapter, Nola has global experience as an investor, entrepreneur, and executive in sales and marketing for scientific products, ranging from diagnostics to genetic analysis tools. Known for her ability to simplify complex scientific concepts for investors and analysts, she brings deep insights into synthetic biology and human nature, paired with a strong sense of market trends and social needs.

Shagun is the Founder and CEO of Papaya, a company dedicated to women's health and sustainability. A mechanical engineer from Duke University, Shagun has a passion for solving complex problems. Before launching Papaya, she worked at Applied Materials in semiconductor manufacturing, Mojo Vision in AR contact lens development, and a stealth-mode biotech startup focused on wearable biomarker monitoring. With a hands-on approach to engineering, Shagun excels in interdisciplinary projects and loves working in the lab to bring innovative solutions to life.

Ariel is the Founder & CEO at Red Tent PMDD, and a passionate advocate for mental health, deeply aware of how each interaction with an app can have an immediate impact on a user’s well-being. She believes in creating products that not only meet business objectives but are also ethical, responsible, and designed with empathy. Ariel strives to balance functionality, profitability, and user experience while ensuring that her work contributes positively to mental health and overall user wellness.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.

On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Vishal Verma, General Partner at Edgewood Ventures, LLC.; and Vrinda Agarwal, of Penny Jar Capital. Listen in as we unpack the insights of these two high energy investors and map how they view the startup ecosystem from their experience.

Vishal is General Partner at Edgewood Ventures, LLC, a single-family office (www.edgewoodvp.com), and Redwood Collective, LLC, a venture fund of funds (www.redwoodcollective.net). He serves on the Boards of Darwin Ventures, Fortinet, Opthealth, and Witt Security. As a Senior Advisor, he consults Honorable Dick Gephardt and former Secretary Michael Chertoff on international strategy.

Vishal founded Sidebar Summit (www.sidebarsummit.com) , a leading networking platform in Silicon Valley, and remains actively involved in The Chicago Club and The Indus Entrepreneurs. He also participates in the US-India Cybersecurity Track 1.5 Dialogue, led by the Council on Foreign Relations and Observer Research Foundation.

Committed to education, Vishal sits on the Board of Trustees at the University of California, Merced, and supports the RFK Foundation and Best Buddies. He founded Hyde Park Angels while pursuing his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he earned his degree in Finance. He also holds a B.S. in Marketing from Santa Clara University.

Also in on the show is Vrinda an Investor at Penny Jar Capital, where she focuses on sourcing and evaluating promising early-stage B2B software companies. With a deep-rooted passion for fostering startup growth, Vrinda also actively supports portfolio companies in scaling their businesses.

Vrinda has spent the last 3 years investing in software companies, during which she has sourced and led investment diligence for startups across AI, enterprise, and fintech. Before her work in venture, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and then transitioned to Google, driving product strategy and developing financial analytics for new Nest products. Vrinda holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed by the host(s) and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we talk with one of Silicon Valley’s legendary disruptors, Rajat Suri, co-founder of Lyft and serial entrepreneur. Also in the house are Nick Larson, creator and host of Silicon Zombies, and Delya Jansen, co-founder and CEO of Partner Utopia.

Rajat, or 'Raj,' is a long-time serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Lyft and Presto, both of which went public. He is now the co-founder of Lima, a premium concierge service for immigrants to the United States, and Tribe, a re-imagined group chat app. He lives near Stanford University with his wife and two young kids. He also co-hosts the Founders in Arms podcast. Listen in as we walk through Raj’s experience and unpack his wisdom and insights for running multiple companies at a high level.

Nick is a Bay Area native with a passion for people, technology, and surfing. As a serial founder, Nick has started and scaled mission-driven companies like Willow (an AI social media platform; investors include Google and Green Park Ventures; now worth $200M+), and OnePiece Work (co-working/accelerator, scaled to 12 locations; invested in by UpHonest Capital). He was named one of the 25 most influential people in communications technology by PRWeek in 2021. Nick is the host of Silicon Zombies, a live show and ecosystem that demystifies emerging technology and highlights the best minds (reaching 50+ countries, top 5% of podcasts on Spotify, with 100k+ views/month). His angel investments include Skunklock, SidePocket, Agrisonix, Palmia, and others. Nick was awarded LinkedIn’s “Top Voice” distinction (given to 300 people per year).

Delya is a visionary partnership strategist and the CEO and co-founder of Partner Utopia. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, Delya has made a name for herself by transforming companies with zero partnership strategy into revenue powerhouses, consistently driving 25%+ of revenue from partners in record time. Her expertise spans software, hardware, cloud, and SaaS, having built partnerships from scratch for industry giants like SanDisk, Snowflake, and NetApp. Recognizing a critical gap in the partnerships platform space, Delya pioneered the world's first SaaS product focused on partnership strategy. Her mission is to revolutionize how companies make partnering decisions, empowering partnership managers with a game-changing platform that simplifies the complex world of tech partnerships. Her unique approach and dedication to improving the partnership landscape have positioned her as a thought leader and innovator in the field.

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On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Dan Cohen, Partner at NextLeap Ventures, and former VP of Corporate Strategy at Adobe Systems; and former Head of Strategic Planning at Intel Corporation. Also on the show are two startups from Saudi Arabia scaling internationally. You will meet Ziyad Alshehri, co-founder and CTO of COGNNA; you will meet and Emad Daghreri, co-founder and CEO of autobia.

Dan is Partner at NextLeap Ventures, which uses a unique "wisdom of the intelligent crowds" approach to identify promising Israeli startups for accredited investors. He has also held leadership roles in strategy, products, and branding for multiple $1 billion+ businesses.

As Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Adobe Systems, he successfully advocated for Adobe's shift to a recurring revenue model and accelerated growth in its Digital Marketing SaaS business—moves that have helped achieve a 20-fold increase in the stock price. HBR ranked Adobe’s transformation as the 2nd biggest of any company in the last decade.

His views on moving quickly in the face of industry disruption have been published in the MIT Sloan Management Review and the McKinsey Quarterly, and he has guest lectured at Berkeley's Haas School of Business.Earlier in his career, Dan held senior roles at Intel Corporation. As Head of Product Management and Product Marketing for the notebook computer business, he helped move wireless networking into the mainstream with the launch of the Centrino product line and quadrupled revenue by simultaneously gaining market share and raising ASPs.

Ziyad is the co-founder and CTO at COGNNA, a cybersecurity software company that helps organizations protect their servers and customer data from cyber threats.

Emad is the co-founder and CEO of Autobai. Autobai is transforming the automotive supply chain in Saudi Arabia and MENA by digitizing the entire ecosystem. They provide an end-to-end digital platform that connects automotive parts suppliers with retailers, workshops, and service centers, enabling seamless transactions and efficient supply chain management.

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On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we talk with top venture capital voice and venture capital advisor Mercedes Bankston of the Founder Institute. In the studio with us are Nouf Alhazmi, CEO and founder of Plastus, and Paul Kleen, CEO at Pitchit—two phenomenal founders in the process of launching startups with tremendous traction.

Mercedes is a seasoned executive leader with two decades of experience in sustainability, venture acceleration, and partnership development. A globally recognized leader, she has worked across multiple countries, earning accolades like LinkedIn's “Top Entrepreneurship Development Voice” and the Global Start-up Leadership Award. Mercedes excels in launching startups, mentoring thousands of pitches annually, and driving growth in sectors such as healthcare, education, and fintech. Her work as a venture partner and capital advisor showcases her ability to turn innovative ideas into successful ventures.

Nouf is the CEO and founder of Plastus, an innovative biotech startup based in Berkeley, California, specializing in polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for biodegradable bioplastics. Nouf's recent TEDx talk highlighted Plastove, a novel bioreactor design to create bioplastics from organic carbon waste, aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing fossil fuel dependency in developing countries. Dedicated to impact and sustainability, Nouf strives to inspire the next generation of bioengineers and entrepreneurs. Plastus has secured VC funding from IMB Ventures and Kristin Taylor and will compete in the global Hult Prize finals in London in September 2024, aiming to close its seed round.

Paul started in tech as a data scientist at Framed Data (YC-W14, acquired by Square), then became the head of growth at Paperspace (YC-W15, acquired by Digital Ocean), and recently started Pitchit, which just closed its Series Seed funding round led by Silicon Road Ventures with participation from Gray Ventures, Plug and Play, and Alchemist Accelerator.

Join us as we discuss insights into the startup world and how to accelerate your fundability in a competitive market.

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On this weeks episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with the inspiring Graham Betchart, mental performance coach for top business minds and professional athletes. Listen in as he gives us insight into how top performing NBA stars, and high performing startup founders gain the edge in a competitive landscape. Also joining us is Behrouz Hariri, CEO, Director, and Co-Founder of Smart Nora, a startup solving a very common sleep problem and saving marriages.

Graham has spent the last 20 years as a leading mental skills coach, shaping the minds of professional athletes, including serving roles with two NBA teams and personally coaching over a dozen NBA All-Stars. Notably, he has been the mental coach behind the success of top NBA draft picks like Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, and Aaron Gordon. Recognized as one of the NBA's premier resources, Graham’s expertise in helping athletes master the mental side of the game is unparalleled.In 2023, while coaching with the Sacramento Kings, Graham was invited to speak at a Sequoia Capital event, which led him to a new challenge—coaching growth-stage CEOs. Just like elite athletes, these high-impact leaders operate in high-pressure environments where mental clarity is crucial. Today, Graham continues to work with a select group of NBA clients while leading quarterly cohorts of five CEOs through a personalized program at Capitola Coaching.With a deep understanding of thriving under pressure, Graham empowers both athletes and business leaders to reach their highest potential.

Behrouz Hariri is the CEO, Director, and Co-Founder of Smart Nora, a company on a mission to help 2 billion adults worldwide sleep and breathe better. With over 15 years of experience in product design and strategy, Behrouz has successfully launched products and programs across sectors in seven countries, improving the quality of life, digital health services, and financial mobility globally.Before founding Smart Nora, Behrouz honed his expertise in Toronto at JetCooper (acquired by Shopify) and in San Francisco at IDEO.org, where he led projects that tackled poverty through design. His work at IDEO.org included developing a sustainable franchise model to deliver essential services in D.R. Congo, reproductive health services in Zambia, and an inclusive financial product in the Philippines.Under Behrouz’s leadership, Smart Nora’s products have already transformed millions of lives by enabling better nights of sleep. His vision is to impact global health, happiness, and longevity by ensuring restorative, healthy sleep for half of the adult population worldwide.

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This week on Silicon Valley Impact, we have a special 3-part edition!

First, Brian Bernasconi and I briefly discuss the mission of Silicon Valley Impact—providing the startup ecosystem with access to valuable insights and innovation from those deeply immersed in Silicon Valley.

Next, tune in as we revisit last month’s live panel discussion on AI Innovation and Insights for Startups at Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. Our esteemed panelists included Bill Reichert, Jenni Wu, Mona Salvi, and Venkat Thiruvengadam. With over 150 AI founders and more than 250 guests in attendance, it was a remarkable event. We were honored to moderate, record, and share this exclusive conversation for our show.

Finally, on this episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’ll air an interview from the Founders and Funders Series, held at Hapa’s Brewery in Los Gatos. This series of events takes place across the Bay Area, with the Los Gatos edition happening every second Tuesday at Hapa’s Brewery in partnership with IgniteGTM. Join us tonight (August 13th) in Los Gatos