Guest Spot on Float or Founder: Toronto Startups and Origin Strategy

[Startup Series] Prashant sits down with the co-founders of Hammoq, Sid Lunawat and Ty Blunt, to discuss their backgrounds, their journey to starting Hammoq, and the big vision they have for the company. The founders give some perspective on how large and meaningful the reselling industry is, and why now is the time to build a software platform catering to this customer base. They also share the generational and social factors that are providing tailwinds for the circular economy, what keeps them up at night, and some crazy stories about reselling and resellers. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

On this episode, Devon talks with Lindsay Knight, partner at Chicago Ventures. The two friends and collaborators chat about their experience in "VC Platform" (post-investment support for portfolio companies), the growth of platform across the industry, as well as Lindsay's path to partner and what it means for platform across the industry. The pair also discuss their shared experience and mission in founding nonprofit Chicago:Blend, the organization committed to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Chicago VC ecosystem.

In a cross-post of the Chicago Capital podcast, Prashant joins host Matt Castellini in a wide-ranging conversation. The pair touch on how the Chicago VC ecosystem and economy at large compare to other cities, adding value as investors, the pandemic's affect on early-stage investors and operators, local restaurant recommendations, a bit of NBA talk, and more. Watch a video of the conversation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kzXiEtKxvs and subscribe to the Chicago Capital podcast at https://www.chicagocapitalpodcast.com/

[Startup Series] Trala co-founder and CEO Sam Walder sits down with Prashant to chat about the mission and vision of Trala, his journey from college to Techstars to venture-backed startup, and the challenges he's faced along the way. He offers founders advice on how to evaluate accelerators, hire and build a team, and raise venture capital. Sam also offers his thinking on why VCs should be investing in coaching and mental health resources for their portfolio companies. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

[Network Series] Anjarae Hamilton (Director, Caviar for Companies at DoorDash) and Prashant chat about DoorDash and the food logistics market, Anjarae's journey from consulting to being a tech operator, what future technology excites her, and tech's role in battling climate change. As a black female leader in technology, Anjarae shares her important perspective on how companies should think about DEI efforts as a business priority and avoid one-size-fits-all approaches. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

In this episode, Devon and Prashant welcome Nathan Beckord to discuss his background in helping startups raise money through times of economic downturn, and his viewpoint on the current COVID-19 pandemic. The three also discuss how Origin's portfolio companies are responding, and their outlook for the months ahead.

On this episode, Devon and Prashant are guests on the Float or Founder podcast, which focuses on Toronto startups and entrepreneurs. Float or Founder hosts Samantha Lloyd and Lisen Kaci talk with Devon and Prashant about what makes an ecosystem like Toronto appealing to investors, how Origin supports its portfolio companies post-investment, and more. Many thanks to Sam and Lisen for having us on – subscribe to their show at http://www.buzzsprout.com/294377.

[Startup Series] Jack Vines, Co-Founder and CEO of Bonsai Analytics, wants to disrupt the cyber insurance industry. Prashant and Jack chat about cyber under-insurance, risk mismeasurement, how regulation will affect the sector, and why Jack chose to build his solution in Utah. We also discuss how Jack's background in the CIA helps him today, his days as a sportswriter, and what he looks for in investors. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

[Network Series] Angel Diaz, Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, and Prashant chat about what the right amount of moderation is on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, how technology can be (mis)applied in policing, the government's role in moderating online speech, and regulating "big tech". Angel also shares some advice to entrepreneurs and investors on mitigating the "automating of inequality" and/or bias reinforcement in algorithms and product design.  Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

[Investor Series] 20 for 20 – Episode 2. In 2019, we celebrate our firm’s 20-year anniversary with 20 short stories and lessons learned by investing over $150M in more than 70 companies and the entrepreneurs behind their origin. These are their stories. When Steve Miller and Bruce Barron founded Origin Ventures in 1999, the venture capital industry was in a different place than it is today. In this interview, the two Origin Partners discuss how and why they founded the firm, what they've learned over two decades as general partners, their experiences with GrubHub, predictions for the future of Origin Ventures, and much more from 20 years working together. Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc