SV032: From 200 Rejections to Raising $4.2 Million with Roybi Robot Founder Elnaz Sarraf

On today’s show, we’re happy to chat with our very own Stig Brodersen. Stig is a value investor, business owner, and international bestselling author. His podcast We Study Billionaires has over 30 million+ downloads and has been recognized as the #1 ranked stock investing podcast in the world with awards such as: #1 stock investing podcast on iTunes #1 stock investing podcast on Google #1 investing podcast by CNBC #1 investing podcast by Business Insider In this episode, you’ll learn: How does a podcast host build a relationship with advertisers for their shows? How do analytics play a part in podcasting? What are the struggles with having the core team in another country? How can one make a career out of podcasting? Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Talk to Stig Brodersen on Twitter Follow Stig Brodersen on LinkedIn Get the latest updates on We Study Billionaires by The Investor’s Podcast Network on Facebook   GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today’s episode, we interview James Ehrlich. James Ehrlich is a serial entrepreneur in the areas of technology, media technology and clean-tech. He is the founder at ReGen Villages, Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford University Center for Compassion, Altruism, Research and Education (CCARE), and faculty at Singularity University.  James is part of an on-going White House Task Force on the Nexus of Food, Water, Energy and Waste and advising the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Department of State on regenerative platform development and implementation at the neighborhood scale. He also co-authored the UN Sustainability Platform Brief "Regenerative Community Development" with Professor Larry Leifer and Chris Ford (AIA) at the Stanford University Center for Design Research.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  How is tech leading towards a sustainable future for all? What is the Wood Wide Web? How are digital twins used in the modeling villages of the future? What technology will be used for completely self-reliant cities? What is it like to be the first ever Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford? Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Connect with James on LinkedIn ReGen Villages  James’ TV Show Hippy Gourmet  Email James Ehrlich Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined.   GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today’s episode, we sit down with Jim McKelvey. Jim is the co-founder of Square, a financial services, merchant services aggregator, and mobile payment company. In 2009, Jim designed a card reader which in 2011 was inducted into the Museum of Modern Art. Jim then teamed with other St. Louis-based serial entrepreneurs to help found Cultivation Capital which was ranked the 7th most active venture capital firm founded since 2009, and the 3rd most active lead investor and since 2017, McKelvey has been appointed as an Independent Director of the St. Louis Federal Reserve. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why you can’t be an expert as an entrepreneur About Jim’s new book “The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time”  The incredible story of how he first met Jack Dorsey (cofounder of Twitter) and how they built Square together The story of the man that if he had wanted could have been the richest man ever to have lived Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Visit Jim’s Website  Follow Jim on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn  Read Jim’s new book Read “Good to Great” by Jim Collins  Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined.   GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

Rich Razgaitis has been passionate about building brands and teams. Since 2002, he has served in CEO/president-level roles in several venture capital backed start-ups, privately held turnaround and growth companies, and he brings insight from those experiences to his work today at FloWater. Raz was the CEO of several consumer-tech companies, including DealOn, an e-commerce company that developed the Web’s first deal-commerce exchange, and another, MyTownPerks, which built the first PCI-complaint, cloud-based loyalty program for B2B. (Both companies were subsequently acquired.) In this episode, you’ll learn: What is the current problem with the “state of water” domestically and globally? What are the challenges of a hardware company when it comes to cash flow? How is a hardware company’s growth different than a software company? How are “refill stations” positioned as smart devices? What is the big vision and big events for the company Environmental Tech in 2020? Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Find out more about FloWater Follow FloWater on Twitter Follow FloWater on Instagram Email FloWater   CONNECT WITH RAZ Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s  LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

Crystal McKellar is the Founder and Managing Partner of Anathem Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in companies that have developed breakthrough technology that they are pragmatically leveraging to win and own uncrowded, high-margin markets. Crystal currently serves on the board of Cooler Heads, and previously served as a board member at Siren, Neurable, and DoubleDutch (acquired by Cvent) and as a board observer at Fractyl.   Crystal is a Kauffman Fellows Mentor, and has served as a mentor to the TechStars MetLife Digital Accelerator and the Ad Astra tech incubator program. Crystal is a proud member of All Raise and is a frequent speaker on entrepreneurship and innovation at technology conferences and finance events. In this episode, you’ll learn: When raising a fund, what recommendations are there for first-time fundraisers? What are the relationship dynamics between a Venture Capitalist and the Limited Partners (LPs)? The life of a VC, how is it really? What are some of the positives and negatives of the role? What are the advantages of keeping the fund size small? We would like to thank Maya Tussing for making the introduction which allowed for today’s episode. Thank you for the support! HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise. Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp.   CONNECT WITH CRYSTAL LinkedIn| Website | Email  GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today’s show, we’re happy to chat with Nichole Yembra. Nichole is the Founder and Managing Director of The Chrysalis Co which houses The Chrysalis Capital, a new $15M Africa and Diaspora early stage tech fund and The Chrysalis Advisors, a strategy and investment advisory firm.  In addition to this work, Nichole is deeply committed to making gender diversity a priority within the financial-technology 'fintech' space in Nigeria and enhancing opportunities for women in leadership. She founded the Garden Women's Network, a group dedicated to the development and retention of high-performing women in the Nigerian tech ecosystem.   In this episode, you’ll learn:  What’s it like to be a minority Female Venture Capitalist raising a fund to invest in African Startups?  Does a typical Silicon Valley Venture Capital fund structure work in Africa?  Which countries in Africa have a thriving startup ecosystem?  What are some difficulties facing African entrepreneurs?  How do African startups expand into new markers?  We would like to thank Nigel Salina who made the introduction that allowed the interview to happen.   HELP US OUT!  Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!  Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley.  BOOKS AND RESOURCES  Download your free audiobook at Audible.  Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise.  Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp. CONNECT WITH NICHOLE  LinkedIn  | Twitter | Email  GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN  Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account  Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account  Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account  Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account  Email: [email protected]

On today’s show, we sit down with Kelly Coyne who is deeply immersed in the Silicon Valley start-up community. Having grown multiple start-ups from conception to over $100M valuations, she is a leading Go-To-Market expert. After earning her MBA from Oxford University, Kelly served at the helm of several early-stage hardware companies (Lily, Mimosa, Candl) and advised many others.  Kelly has broad technology experience, but specializes in guiding Robotics, AI, AR/VR and computer vision companies from concept to launch. She has tremendous experience managing successful betas, developing use cases, connecting products to the right customers, and leading successful product launches. She has also seen some of the extreme pitfalls of SV start-ups - this unique knowledge helps her guide new companies to success. She is a Techstars and Oxford Creative Destruction Labs mentor. In this episode, you’ll learn: How have the VCs changed over time in relation to their paths and career backgrounds before becoming a VC? What are the skills or knowledge that is going to be key to be a successful VC in the future? What does it look like to be a fundable pre-seed hardware company? What are the two largest issues that early-stage robotics and artificial intelligence startups face? What is “humanized AI”? HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Find the best job candidate at Ziprecruiter. Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Kelly Coyne on Linkedin GritVentures.com Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise.  Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp.   GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today's show, we sit down with Elnaz Sarraf, who is a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in technology, business, sales, and marketing. She is currently the CEO and Founder of ROYBI; an investor backed EdTech company focusing on early childhood education, that recently raised $4.2 million in its seed round. Before starting ROYBI, Elnaz co-founded and led a consumer electronics/IoT company, iBaby, serving as the company's President.  As an immigrant and female founder, Elnaz has made worthy accomplishments in a short duration living in the US. Honors include being selected as Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Milestone Maker 2018, named the Woman of Influence through Silicon Valley Business Journal in 2016 and Entrepreneur of The Year in 2016 in Silicon Valley. She has been a speaker at several conferences such as the Mobile World Congress, ASU GSV Summit, Consumer Technology Association, and more.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How many pitch events or investor meeting might it take to raise capital? What is it like to raise $4.2 million on just an idea? Growing a hardware company, what are the struggles one might have to face? What are some of the limits to Artificial Intelligence and how the collection of data help improve user experiences? HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Find the best job candidate at Ziprecruiter. Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Roybi website Elnaz Sarraf on LinkedIn Email Elnaz Sarraf Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise.  Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp. GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today's show, we're happy to chat with George Gammon. George Edward Gammon is an American real estate investor and entrepreneur. He produces and stars in the hit reality television series "Vide En Remodelacion," a home remodeling program on the Colombian network Telemedellin. Prior to 2012, George started, owned, and operated multiple businesses ranging from conventions to advertising. After 12 years as a successful entrepreneur, at the age of 38, George semi-retired and shifted his focus to real estate in the United States. He has recently started focusing on Medellin, Colombia. He has a thriving YouTube Channel and podcast where he focuses on investing and changes in the economy. In this episode, you’ll learn: What are some of the most difficult milestones for a company?  What is it like for an entrepreneur who is very young and able to retire?   Does investing in Silicon Valley companies make financial sense? What is the “Everything Bubble”? What business opportunities are there in Medellin Colombia? Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise.  Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp.   CONNECT WITH GEORGE YouTube | Twitter | Email    GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]

On today’s show, we sit down with Bill Reichert. Bill is the Managing Director at Garage Technology Ventures, a seed and early-stage venture capital fund, which invest in extraordinary entrepreneurs with unique technologies that will define the next era of innovation. He takes a hands-on approach from the very beginning, partnering with talented entrepreneurs to transform their vision into reality. He is an entrepreneur, mentor, author, speaker, board member, adviser, educator, partner, spouse, parent, and general enthusiast. Not always in that order. In this episode, you’ll learn: What are some of the misunderstandings on trends in technology? What is the typical view of leadership and why this view is flawed? What is the difference between innovation and invention? What are the different types of computing and how will they impact us in the future? What do you see as the “hot” sector or trend for 2020? This episode is dedicated to Craig Johnson who had a great influence in Silicon Valley. Help us out! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it! Tweet your comments about this episode directly to Shawn Flynn and the rest of The Investor’s Podcast Community using #TIPSiliconValley. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Download your free audiobook at Audible. Find the best job candidate at Ziprecruiter. Bill Reichert on LinkedIn Bill Reichert on Twitter Garage Technology Ventures Startup World Cup Capital One. This is Banking Reimagined. Experience a real estate investing platform that is powered by an investor-first model with Fundrise.  Make your money work harder with Wealthsimple. Affordable, private online counseling. Anytime, anywhere with Betterhelp. GET IN TOUCH WITH SHAWN Shawn Flynn’s Twitter Account Shawn Flynn’s LinkedIn Account Silicon Valley LinkedIn Group Account Shawn Flynn’s Facebook Account Email: [email protected]