The Boost VC Podcast

Today, Alex joins us on Boost VC to share his journey to becoming a published author, discussing the highly unconventional way he funded the writing of his book. Alex offers insight around what he learned in the process of interviewing the highly successful, how the idea of ‘the third door’ plays into all their stories, and why his personal priorities have changed as a result of recent experience. Listen in for his epic story of chasing Larry King through Whole Foods and learn how Alex’s definition of success has evolved—with a little help from Steve Wozniak.

Today, Teddy joins us to discuss his transition from DC to Silicon Valley, sharing the similarities and differences between politics and venture capital. He offers insight around how entrepreneurs should approach the media, describing how relationships and referrals drive the stories he tells. Listen in for Teddy’s approach to identifying the macro trends behind the ‘bread and butter’ stories and learn how to go about pitching your story to the right journalist.

Peter sits down with us to share his long-time interest in VR that began with watching films like The Lawnmower Man and reading Snow Crash as a teen. He discusses the theme of his book, Future Presence, describing VR’s unique ability to facilitate connection among people. We cover the differences between the internet and virtual reality, why people feel more accountable in the VR space, and how regulation might work in virtual communities. Listen in for Peter’s insight on the future of XR and learn how virtual experiences can change our lives in the world outside the headset.

Philip joins us to discuss opportunities in the VR ecosystem and share his vision for shared spaces. He discusses the intersection of cryptocurrency and virtual reality, explaining how High Fidelity is using the blockchain to hold currency, store asset certificates and secure digital identity. Listen in for Philip’s insight around the value of synchronous communication in VR to ‘get people in a room together’ and learn how the blockchain would allow people to meet in a virtual world—without surrendering their data to a centralized repository.

Perianne joins us to discuss the Chamber’s work in shifting the rhetoric around digital currency in Washington, explaining how sentiment has changed in DC over the last four years. She walks us through the conflicting views of cryptocurrency established by FinCEN versus the IRS and the challenge in complying with tax law as it is currently written. Listen in for insight on how the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s current policy proposal would treat digital currency as an alternative to the US dollar and how that would impact the way crypto is taxed.

Thomas sits down with us to explain why he was drawn to solving for Bitcoin security via crypto hardware wallets and how his startup grew out of The Bitcoin Center in Paris. He shares the basics of Ledger, discussing how its tools secure crypto assets in an offline environment. Thomas speaks to his initial interest in Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship and offers an overview of the crypto environment in France, the US and hubs around the world. Listen in as Thomas describes how Ledger exceeded expectations in 2017 as part of the toolkit in the cryptocurrency gold rush.

Brian joins us to explain the relationship between the Linux Foundation and Hyperledger, describing the venture’s subscription-based business model and several of the projects being built with its open-source blockchain technology. He walks us through the benefits of Hyperledger over public blockchains, discussing the business community’s preference for anonymity and the right to fork if data is misused. Listen in for Brian’s insight around measuring the progress of community-building and learn how open-source software helps us go further, faster.

Tony joins us to discuss Unity’s storied background in extended reality and how the company is expanding beyond gaming to support product design, medical and data visualization and non-gaming entertainment applications. He shares his interest in AR and VR that touches the consumer, the factors that have made immersive marketing scalable, and how Unity is working with brands to explore possibilities in the space. Listen in as Tony speaks to Unity’s potential collaborations with developers as well as the company’s current work on a lightweight playback system and scriptable render pipeline.

What gets Kira Noodleman excited about her job as an investor with VC firm Bee Partners? The opportunity to paint a picture of what the future looks like—and then back it up with money and resources for startups in the early stages.

Chris joins us today to discuss the megatrends in technology of the last 15 and next 15 years, explaining how the current controversy around cryptocurrency stems from a dramatic misunderstanding of the space. He shares his insight on how blockchain technology has evolved and the ongoing work involving data ownership. Listen in for Chris’ profound take on our transition from the physical to the digital world and learn why cryptocurrency is a political movement intent on shifting the power of the internet back to users and communities.

Simon sits down with us today to tell his story, explaining his path from Food Truck to crypto startup. He walks us through the intense process of a crowd sale, discussing the long hours he spent in preparation and offering his advice for entrepreneurs considering an ICO. Listen in for Simon’s insight around the shift in his business now that cryptocurrency has become mainstream and how Storm Play helps individuals enter the space without risking their own money to buy tokens through an exchange.

Max is joining us today to share the inspiration behind Launcher, discussing how SpaceX shifted the perception that only governments could achieve orbital flight. He walks us through the timeline of space technology to date and explains how the miniaturization of satellites, growing connectivity and decrease in the cost of launch is further opening space to entrepreneurs. We talk about the feasibility of Earth-escape technology, and Max shares his take on humanity’s need to become multiplanetary if we want to survive long-term. Listen in for insight into the opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs in the satellite space and how community-building impacts the longevity of a startup.

Sunil sits down with us today to share his background as an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist. He explains the idea behind his startup, Triangulate, discussing the challenges he faced in A/B testing and why he ultimately decided to shut the company down. We discuss the benefits of smart hardware and its ability to ‘increase the velocity of the scientific method.’ Listen in for Sunil’s insight on understanding the world through the lens of a coder and his meaningful definition of success.

Today Chris joins us to share his journey into the world of cryptocurrency. He walks us through the basics of Bitcoin mining, explaining how the computers involved process transactions—without bias. Chris offers his insight around the biggest opportunity in mining today, and we look at the longevity of the blockchain.

Ara and Michael join us today to explain how OmniVirt helps brands and publishers distribute and monetize immersive media experiences. We discuss the OmniVirt’s competitive advantage, exploring the reasons why publishers are increasingly investing in their own sites. Ara and Michael share their first VR experiences and explore the significance of creating compelling VR content. Listen in to understand the top use cases for VR in advertising and learn the value in making ads an experience.