Origin Ventures Podcast

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.

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[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.

[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.

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[Startup Series] Lauren Farleigh, co-founder and CEO of Dote, joins Prashant to chat about her three-sided marketplace startup (a mobile-first, social-powered "dream mall for Gen Z"), raising money from venture capitalists as a woman, working with her investors at Lightspeed and Harrison Metal, hiring, diversity in the technology ecosystem, and her well-honed obsession with metrics from her days at PocketGems.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

[Startup Series] Justin Davis founded BacklotCars to disrupt a traditional marketplace: wholesale auto dealership auctions. Auto dealers buy and sell cars from each other often, but until Davis built his platform, they mostly did so at physical auctions – an inefficient and expensive process ripe for disruption. BacklotCars also offers financing, inspection, and transportation to make auto dealers' lives easier. Justin and Devon talk about Justin's background, how he's managed to disrupt a traditional industry, and what's next for BacklotCars.

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[Startup Series] Curiosity.com CEO and media veteran Lisa Weinstein joined Devon to discuss Curiosity's mission to create "educational positivity" on the internet, how Curiosity is monetizing its audience in a sometimes-daunting ad market, and what may come next for the company as it expands its audience across platforms. 

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc.

[Startup Series] Steven Galanis, CEO of Cameo, addressed Origin Ventures' investors at our 2018 annual investor meeting in a candid fireside chat with partner Brent Hill. Galanis discussed the growth of his business, a marketplace for personalized video shoutouts from celebrities. He touches on his company's promising growth, how he's built Cameo with very little marketing, and what's next for the company.

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc

[Startup Series] Jordan Ekers, the Chief Customer Officer at Nudge Rewards, and Prashant talk about how Nudge Rewards is improving the performance, engagement, and job satisfaction of frontline employees, the future of retail and hospitality, the challenges involved in building a company, and the growing technology ecosystem in Toronto. 

Intro and outro music is "Origin." by Misc.Inc