The Boost VC Podcast

Rebroadcasting the episode of The Boost VC Podcast with Billy Draper. In this week's episode of The Boost VC Podcast, Adam asks his brother Billy Draper from Draper Associates about the nuances of venture capitalism. Adam and Billy explore the many problems of today's marketplaces, and how start-ups can disrupt the flow of big industries using new technology. They talk about the entrepreneurial mindset that VC's appreciate, and go over what attitudes they like to see in their founders. We also plan Billy’s bachelor party. Billy Draper is on the investment team at Draper Associates. He works primarily at the early stage, investing in companies valued between 3m and 10m. Prior to joining DA, Billy worked in Operations at Facebook and in product design at ApartmentList. He was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 for venture capital in 2016.​

Disruptive ideas are the ones that go viral, and the two hottest ideas in VC right now are cryptocurrency and VR. Today we’re taking a step back to articulate the major themes in both ecosystems, discussing Bitcoin’s exponential growth, the current FOMO among investors when it comes to cryptocurrency, and the debate around tokens as securities. We’re also exploring what the best first use case of virtual reality might be, looking at B2B applications like collaboration and business training as well as fitness applications such as FITXR. Listen in to understand the debate around the correct distribution vehicle for VR and what the industry is doing to address its major problems.

Today we discuss the attributes of Semil’s writing that led VCs to utilize his work as a resource and current themes in the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship. Semil shares his early investing experience, what gets him pumped about financing a project, and how he applies the Saturday 2pm Test to potential investments. Listen in to understand Semil’s take on the role of seed capital versus series A money and his advice for up-and-coming VCs.

Jacob Hamman graduated from USC with a degree in architecture, where he honed his aptitude for design thinking and creative problem-solving. After seven years with the prestigious Los Angeles firm, Gehry Partners, Jacob pursued a master’s in design studies and technology with a focus on virtual reality from Harvard. Jacob’s mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s three years ago. Caught off guard by the diagnosis, he set out to find a way to use VR to reverse the disease. Jacob founded the health technology company Zenjoi a year and a half ago with an intention to create peace of mind and improve quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients through dementia-based assistive technologies and a therapeutic VR experience.

Today, Tim is on a mission to make people move more, and ensure that the body is not a barrier. On this episode, we address Tim’s journey to becoming an entrepreneur, the reasons why he left Ekso to create his own startup, and his vision of success ten years into the future. We cover the small community that inhabits the human augmentation space and how ROAM is helping people run 10% farther and faster. Listen in to understand how ROAM’s potential customers have become an integral part of the development process, and what the company is doing to put robots in the hands of real people.

Hamza Siddiqui has built the #1 social app on the oculus store, it just so happens to be for Poker. On this episode of "The Boost VC Podcast" we Hamza discloses how important data will be to the growth of VR, and that his favorite quote ever is one that I said to him a long time ago. So listen to the latest. Little known fact... we had to record it twice because... why not?

Loic is an awesome entrepreneur who has built a new story telling medium that puts you in the story. On this episode of "The Boost VC Podcast" we venture deep into the heart of an entrepreneur, with an amazing french founder. We also talk about Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, but the most important thing you can get out of this episode is the who, what, when, where, why of starting a company... also you learn that Loic cannot juggle.

Have you ever thought, "how do I start a venture capital fund?" Well, Amitt did just that. We talk about starting a fund and the state of VR. Amitt also created one of the most notorious social games ever created... Farmville. You want to hear what he has to say. Listen to the podcast.

Have you ever thought, "It would be super cool to have my own pet dragon?" Well now you can! Vivian Tan and the team at Beast Pets have built an incredible VR experience to give you a pet dragon. We talk about startup a company, distribution in VR, and where the world is headed. You should listen.

The next 3 podcasts are VR focused, and to kick them off, we thought it would be appropriate to have the man who is at the center of all VR/AR, Tipatat Chennavasin, join us to discuss the industry. He is an investor with The VR Fund, and when VR is in the air, he is there. You are going to enjoy what he has to say.

Do you know why someone would build a flying exoskeleton? Well Richard Browning, a former oil trader did it, so find out why. Also seeing him fly was literally the coolest thing ever for Adam. So check out this week's podcast to hear the whole story.

Do you know how a former lumberjack becomes the founder of and leader of the largest crypto hedge fund? Listen to this episode of The Boost VC podcast where Adam Draper talks to Olaf Carlson-Wee the founder of Polychain and one of Boost VC's portfolio companies, about starting the first ever crypto hedge fund, and how he now manages more than $250m in assets.

Adam in conversation with Nick Tomaino, Principal at Runa Capital and Creator of The Control

Find out more about one of the hottest upcoming ICOs. Will Warren talks about their vision for a decentralized exchange and also about what super power he would want.

The people have spoken and they want more crypto! The rise of the prices in the industry have led us to interview someone who has an upcoming ICO, Kathleen Breitman with Tezos. We challenge other currencies and discuss governance structures.