Next Unicorn: The Next Great Tech Startups & Founders

Phil Wickham is Executive Managing Director at Sozo Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm that specializes in helping startups become global category leaders by expanding to Asia and the world via Japan. They have deep connections with many of the largest and most prestigious Japanese corporations, which are also investors in their funds. Phil was also the longtime Executive Chairman, President, and CEO of the Center for Venture Education, the foundation that oversees the Kauffman Fellows Program, the most prestigious venture capital fellowship program in the world. In addition, he was an early advisor to the well-known Swedish venture capital firm Creandum. In this episode, he discusses the strategies used by Sozo Ventures to help startups successfully enter the Japanese market and expand to Asia and the world. Sozo Ventures has been an investor in many successful startups including Twitter, Square, Palantir, Coinbase, and Zoom, helping those startups plan and execute their expansion into the Japanese market.Next Unicorn podcast episode 10. Also available on 🎥 YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@NextUnicornIf you like this episode, check out out other episodes too!Follow Phil Wickham:🐦Twitter: https://x.com/PhilWickham2Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:🐦Twitter: https://x.com/EarnheartGold📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earnheartgold/📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.comVideo Contents:0:00:00 Teaser0:01:38 Introduction0:03:12 Sozo Ventures & Why it is Unique0:07:17 Why a Startup Would Want Expand to Japan0:09:42 How Startups Can Successfully Expand to the Japanese Market0:28:54 US vs. European Startups and the Japanese Market0:30:30 Understanding the Unique Structure of Japanese Corporations (Keiretsu)0:35:11 3 Reasons Why Japan is a Gateway to a Startup's Global Expansion0:39:22 How Sozo Ventures Works With Large Competing Japanese Corporations as LP Investors0:43:35 How Sozo Ventures' Strategy Has Changed Over Time0:47:27 Why a First Meeting With Sozo Ventures is Different Than at Other VC Firms0:56:25 Phil's Time Running the Kauffman Fellows Program1:00:09 Top Take-Aways for Startup Founders: Advice About Entering the Japanese Market1:03:45 Examples of What a Startup's Successful Expansion to Japan Actually Looks Like1:07:28 Is the current USD and Yen Currency Conversion a Considerations for Startups?1:09:05 Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Japanese Market 1:12:18 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications That Are Particularly Relevant for Japan 1:13:25 The Current Startup Ecosystem in Japan1:36:48 Phil's Prediction for Startups in Tokyo, Japan's Importance for Global Startups & How to Best Reach Out to Phil1:38:25 Phil's Personal and Career Background1:51:10 Bonus RoundCredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Lars Leckie is a Managing Director at Aspenwood Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm specializing in early-stage enterprise software startups.Aspenwood Ventures was rebranded from Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, the first venture capital firm focused exclusively on software. Founded in 1989, Hummer Winblad Ventures was incredibly successful from its first fund and operated for over 30 years as a pioneer in the enterprise software space. 🚀The video version of this episode is also available on our 🎥 YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/ZPQ5GLAYB5Y?si=oK3imhlKvY05FyiZIf you like this episode, I think you'd also like our other episodes too. Please check them out. Follow Lars Leckie🐦Twitter: @LarsLeckie🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsleckie/💻 Aspenwood Ventures Website: https://aspenwoodvc.com/team/Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:🐦 Twitter: @EarnheartGold🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/📸 Instagram: @EarnheartGold📬 Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻 Next Unicorn Podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Episode Contents:0:00:00 Teaser0:00:58 Introduction0:02:23 What Makes Aspenwood Ventures Unique0:04:31 Definition of Enterprise Software0:09:34 Successful Investment in MuleSoft ($0 to $9.8 Billion)0:11:05 More Examples of Successful Aspenwood Ventures Investments0:12:17 Aspenwood Ventures Investment Thesis0:14:23 Inflection Points in the Market That Can Lead to Startup Successes0:15:09 AI & Opportunities for Startups0:22:29 AI Startups that Aspenwood Ventures is Investing in0:27:58 Investing in Enterprise Software in a More Saturated Market0:33:36 What Made Your Most Successful VC Investments Successful?0:38:35 Being Non-Consensus and Right vs Timeframe for Others Agreeing Soon Enough0:41:27 Strategically Timing Your Market Entry for Success, and to Maximizing Runway0:42:50 How to Get Large Customers to Buy From an Early-Stage Startup0:44:50 How to Find the Best Early-Stage Startups, Founders & Startup Ideas0:46:49 How to Find the Best Early-Stage Enterprise Software Startup Founders0:48:09 How to Think About a Market Map of The Enterprise Software Space0:52:18 Additional Thoughts on How to Think About VC Investment Thesis0:56:06 What Lars Has Learned About How to be a Great Venture Capital Investor0:57:16 The Best Way to Contact Lars0:58:17 Additional Thoughts on the Future of Investing in Enterprise Software & AI1:00:23 Lars' Personal Career Background & How he Got to Where he is Today1:04:23 An Unexpected Aspect of Lars' Career Journey1:05:31 Bonus RoundTo support Next Unicorn Podcast, please press the "follow" button for the show on your podcast platform. Also, please take a moment to leave a 5-star review. And on Apple Podcasts, please also leave a few positive sentences as a written review. Thanks so much! 🙏Credits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Ian Chiu is a Managing Director at Owl Ventures, the largest EdTech (education technology) venture capital firm in the world, with over $2 billion under management. Owl Ventures is stage-flexible, investing in EdTech startups from seed through growth. The firm is also international, investing in EdTech startups throughout the world. Ian received an MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), as well as a BS and MS from Stanford University. To support Next Unicorn Podcast, please press the "follow" button for the show on your podcast platform. Also, please take a moment to leave a 5-star review. On Apple Podcasts, please consider also leaving a few positive sentences as a written review. Thanks so much! 🙏📬 To keep up to date with new episodes, please consider subscribing to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com🎥 Next Unicorn Podcast is also available in video on our YouTube channel (Next Unicorn: The Next Great Startups & Founders). Just search for "Next Unicorn" on YouTube. YouTube channel link: https://www.youtube.com/@NextUnicornThis is Next Unicorn Podcast episode 8. The video version of this episode is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/U_ZYwHqkWiA?si=p15gEznpG5pNlo0QIf you like this episode, you may also like episode 7 (Top Startup Accelerator Reveals How it Helps Startups Succeed), an interview with Ajay Kamat, the head of PearX, one of the top startup accelerators in the San Francisco Bay Area. The video version of that episode is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SNbS7mTW2PE?si=TysiEHVFgmKZSf8y  Follow Ian Chiu:🐦Twitter: https://x.com/OwlVCFollow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:🐦Twitter: https://x.com/EarnheartGold📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earnheartgold/📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻Next Unicorn website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Video Contents:0:00:00 Teaser Clip0:00:58 Introduction0:01:46 How Owl Ventures is a Unique EdTech VC Firm0:04:36 Owl Ventures Investment Thesis around EdTech0:05:53 Types of EdTech Startups Owl Ventures is Currently Focused on0:06:50 Examples of EdTech Startups in the Owl Ventures Portfolio0:09:41 The Future of Education – will Education in 10-20 Years Look Dramatically Different? 0:22:23 Does Remote Learning Really Work? What Did we Learn During Covid about Remote Learning?0:28:21 Use of Remote Learning and EdTech vs. Socialization, Emotional Growth, and Mental Health0:32:33 How to Think About a Market Map of EdTech0:35:20 The Most Intriguing Areas of EdTech for Aspiring Founders to Focus on Right Now0:40:23 How Will AI Change Education? And How Can AI Improve Education?0:44:50 Avoiding the Dystopian Vision of AI in Education0:51:19 How Does Education Need to Change to Prepare Students for a World Where AI is Very Present?0:54:02 How LLMs (Large Language Models), like Chat GPT, are Affecting Owl Ventures' Investment Decisions0:58:52 The Best Opportunities for AI EdTech Startups Right Now (Given the Strength of LLMs)1:03:15 The Most Intriguing Areas for AI in EdTech for Aspiring Founders & Most Interesting Kinds of AI EdTech Startups Right Now1:08:02 Final Thoughts on the Future of EdTech1:13:13 Ian's Personal & Career Journey1:17:41 An Unexpected Aspect of Ian's Career Path1:21:29 Bonus Round Credits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Ajay Kamat is a Partner at Pear VC, where he runs PearX, one of the top startup accelerators in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pear VC has been an early investor in many successful startup companies. In this episode, we talk about the PearX method of startup success, and how the team at PearX helps startup founders avoid common mistakes, find product-market fit, land their first hires, find venture capital funding, and quickly scale into successful unicorn companies. Later in the interview, we discuss Ajay’s personal career background, his time as a founder, and how he became the head of PearX. Also, stick around to the end of the interview, because Ajay participates in the Next Unicorn Podcast bonus round!This is Next Unicorn Podcast episode 7. The video version of this episode is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/SNbS7mTW2PE?si=fDJr7IxJ-PKEk3b5If you like this episode, I think you'd also like episode 5 (Are Startup Accelerators Worth It For Founders?), an interview with the former head of Techstars startup accelerator's San Francisco Bay Area location. The YouTube version of that episode is available at: https://youtu.be/sGBS8w0iLv0?si=8pb0dzPJqVeBZXPAFollow Ajay Kamat:🐦Twitter: @ajaykamFollow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:🐦Twitter: @EarnheartGold📸Instagram: @EarnheartGold📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻Next Unicorn website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Timestamps:0:00:00 Teaser Clip0:00:11 Introduction0:00:20 Pear VC, PearX, & the difference between the two0:02:18 How PearX is different than other startup accelerators0:05:55 What PearX looks for in startups0:07:13 How PearX evaluates and selects startup teams0:09:01 Geographic locations of PearX startup teams & their market focus0:10:12 At what stage is PearX most effective for startups?0:12:11 The PearX method of startup success0:15:22 How PearX helps B2B vs B2C startups0:19:05 How to know when it's time for a startup to pivot0:20:55 PearX startups that pivoted & became successful0:23:33 The most successful PearX startups & what made them successful0:27:30 How the PearX approach has changed over time0:29:00 AI startup opportunities & changes in PearX startups0:32:45 How to avoid common startup mistakes0:35:52 What made PearX one of the top startup accelerators?0:38:59 Additional comments about PearX and Pear VC0:40:45 Ajay's personal career journey0:47:37 Bonus roundOur recording setup:-Pro webcam used to film this episode: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH-Mid-tier webcam option: https://amzn.to/3KPrntv-Cheaper version of the webcam (if you just want to level up your Zoom calls): https://amzn.to/3Sb4QMe-USB-C microphone used to film this episode: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40-Roost laptop stand to bring the webcam up to eye level (also alleviates back pain from bad posture and hunching over your computer): https://amzn.to/3XrYqvjCredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Nick Kateris is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University, where his research is focused on new battery technology, and computer modeling to help develop new types of battery technology, as well as on detonation engines. (Recently, along with colleagues from Stanford and Dartmouth, Nick developed a new type of lithium-sulfur battery that performs much better than any lithium-sulfur batteries developed previously.) In this episode we talk about the future of new battery technology innovation and how it will change the world. Nick completed his PhD at Stanford University, and his bachelor's and master's degrees at Cambridge University in the UK. He is originally from Athens, Greece.Next Unicorn podcast episode 6. The video version of this episode is available on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicornFollow Nick Kateris🐦Twitter: @NickKaterisFollow Sasha Earnheart-Gold:🐦Twitter: @EarnheartGold📸Instagram: @EarnheartGold📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻Next Unicorn website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/🎥Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicornVideo Contents:0:00:00 Introduction0:00:41 The Most Exciting Areas of Battery Technology0:01:25 How New Battery Technology Could Dramatically Reshape Our Economy0:02:45 The Most Exciting Battery Technology Startups Today0:03:55 Step Change in New Battery Technology0:06:26 How Does a Battery Work?0:09:38 Energy Density and Efficiency in Battery Technology 0:12:05 The Different Types of New Battery Technology0:30:03 Will Future Electric Vehicles Have a Much Longer Range?0:31:29 Will Airplanes Become Electric? 0:33:50 What Are Detonation Engines and Why Are They Useful?0:37:39 Why Are Batteries So Important for Storing Energy for the Electric Grid?0:48:50 Environmental Issues with Lithium-Ion Batteries1:01:28 Use of Computer Modeling to Develop New Battery Technology1:08:01 Why is Political Will Important For New Battery Technology?1:15:16 What is a Quantum Battery?1:16:26 What is a Super Battery?1:18:12 Nick's Personal and Career Background01:19:09 Nick's Lab Research01:20:59 An Unexpected Turn in Nick's Career Path01:23:14 Bonus RoundRecording setup:-Pro webcam: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH-Here's a similar mid-tier webcam option: https://amzn.to/3KPrntv-USB-C microphone: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40Credits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Collin Wallace is the Former Head of Techstars Silicon Valley (one of the top startup accelerators), co-teaches the Startup Garage accelerator class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), and is a partner at Lobby Capital (formerly August Capital), a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Previously, as a repeat founder, he also was a participant in Techstars and Y Combinator (YC is, of course, also a top startup accelerator). One of the startups that he founded (FanGo) was acquired by Grubhub pre-IPO, where he became Head of Innovation. In this interview, we talk about startup accelerators, how they've changed, and whether they are worth it for founders. We also talk about how much equity startup accelerators take, the amount of funding they provide, and some details regarding SAFEs and other startup accelerator financing terms, as well as differences between startup accelerators. We also talk about the types of problems startup accelerators are especially good at helping founders solve. In addition, we discuss the differences between accelerators: Y Combinator vs Techstars vs Pear VC, etc. Collin has invested in over 80 early-stage companies, including PayJoy, Landed, Mosaic Voice, Postscript, and Vellum. He has a BS from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, he speaks Mandarin Chinese.🎥 Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/sGBS8w0iLv0?si=2Sb8FhmMX_fnrZyyFollow Collin Wallace👥LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collin-wallace/🐦X: https://twitter.com/pithyprof💻Lobby Capital: https://lobby.vc/Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold👥LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/ 🐦X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold🎥Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn📬Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Interview Contents:0:00 Intro1:07 What are startup accelerators and why are they important?5:05 Differences between startup accelerators: YC vs Techstars vs Pear9:32 Are startup accelerators worth it for founders?13:38 Why speed is so important for startups19:38 Startup accelerator funding and equity details26:29 Startup problems that can be solved in an accelerator31:33 Stanford GSB's Startup Garage36:15 How to find user empathy38:42 If Collin started a new type of accelerator today...41:32 Techstars' partnerships with big companies47:17 Lobby Capital1:02:15 How to get into venture capital1:07:14 Career advice: finite and infinite games1:09:49 Something unexpected in Collin's career1:11:31 Bonus round! Books mentioned in this episode:📖 The Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton M. Christensen: https://amzn.to/3TS2N0H📖 Finite and Infinite Games, by James Carse: https://amzn.to/41RR0lcOur recording setup:-Webcam used in this episode: https://amzn.to/3NZNOhH-Cheaper version of the webcam (if you just want to level-up your Zoom calls): https://amzn.to/3Sb4QMe-Microphone used in this episode: https://amzn.to/3Sf9o40Credits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Ali Abouelatta is the author of the First 1000 newsletter on Substack (with over 85,000 subscribers at the time of publishing this episode), which is about just that! It also contains all kinds of tips, tricks, and hacks relating to getting your first 1,000 customers and beyond, including: pricing, product design, product management, growth hacks, startup stories, and much more. By day he is a product manager at the popular language learning app Duolingo, and by night he is the author of the popular email newsletter First 1000. Originally from Egypt, he received his bachelor's degree from NYU, and his Master's degree from Cornell Tech. He's worked in a wide range of roles from product management to venture capital.  Next Unicorn podcast episode 4. Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn 🎥YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/0tKLOpylbNY?si=Tp5OBN71nCLp4XIVFollow Ali Abouelatta👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-abouelatta/🐦 X: https://twitter.com/abouelatta_ali💻 First 1000: https://read.first1000.co/Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold🎥 Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn📬 Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻 Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Resources mentioned in this episode:❤️⭐️ One of Ali's favorite issues of the First 1000 newsletter: 53 ideas to get your first customers: https://read.first1000.co/p/53-ideas-to-get-your-first-customersBooks mentioned in this episode:📖 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (the greatest emperor of Rome): https://amzn.to/3vtFeBfCredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Damir Vrabac is the Co-Founder & COO of Valar Labs, an AI startup that analyzes cancer tissue samples and predicts which type of cancer treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, etc.) would be most successful for each individual cancer patient. Until now, this has been a very difficult thing for oncologists to predict. This incredible application of AI has the potential to have a life-saving impact on the lives of so many people. The Valar Labs founding team is out of Stanford. Their seed round was led by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Other keywords: Medtech / healthtech / healthcare / digital pathology / medicine / future of medicine. 🎥 Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/GW99Xn1Zx_s?si=bLS_vmT3SOycMdCwFollow Damir Vrabac:👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvrabac/🐦 X: https://twitter.com/dvrabac💻 Valar Labs: https://www.valarlabs.com/Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold🎥 Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn📬 Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻 Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/Resources mentioned in this episode:🎥 Watch the full episode video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GW99Xn1Zx_sCredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Leeor Mushin is a Principal at Floodgate, an early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Floodgate has been an early investor in such iconic companies as Lyft, Twitter, Okta, Twitch, Task Rabbit, and many others. Leeor attended the University of Texas at Austin, and more recently graduated with an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (the GSB). He previously worked in the energy sector, and also co-founded a digital marketing company. While at Stanford, he co-founded the GSB 2020 Fund, a venture capital fund that invests in startups founded by his classmates, which was the first such fund at the GSB, and which has been repeated by each subsequent class. Since graduating, Leeor been working as a principal at Floodgate Fund, alongside the founding partners, Mike Maples and Ann Miura-Ko. 🎥 Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/TOthBBQYjsE?si=12yagXaxJZvcRPo6Follow Leeor Mushin:👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeormushin/🐦 X: https://twitter.com/lmushin💻 Floodgate Fund Website: https://www.floodgate.com/Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold🎥 Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn📬 Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻 Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/🎥 Watch the full episode video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TOthBBQYjsECredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach

Caleb Boyd is the Co-Founder & CEO of Molten Industries. Molten is commercializing breakthrough technology to produce the lowest-cost, cleanest hydrogen to decarbonize heavy industrial sectors such as steel, fertilizer, fuels, and plastics. He attended UC Berkeley for his bachelor’s, and then graduated from Stanford with a PhD in materials science and engineering. After graduating, he moved to Germany and become a venture capitalist in Munich, working with UVC partners, an early-stage deep tech VC firm. Eventually, he moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area to co-found Molten Industries. Recently, he was named a 2023 Forbes 30 under 30. Caleb and his co-founder, Kevin Bush, were also recently named as two of Bill Gates’ 2022 Breakthrough Energy Fellows. 🎥 Watch the video version of this episode on the Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/wYIlG4QgCLw?si=lVN0lUMbKjAdAyQdFollow Caleb Boyd: 👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-c-boyd/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/Caleb_C_Boyd💻 Molten Industries Website: https://www.moltenindustries.com/ Follow Sasha Earnheart-Gold👥 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaearnheart-gold/ 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/EarnheartGold🎥 Next Unicorn YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nextunicorn📬 Subscribe to the Next Unicorn email newsletter on Substack: https://nextunicorn.substack.com💻 Next Unicorn podcast website: https://www.nextunicornpodcast.com/🎥 Watch the full interview video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wYIlG4QgCLwCredits:Video/audio editor and engineer – Oleksii Kyrkach