Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

Sarah Chen-Spellings

Lead, build, and invest better. Join us as we hit the streets globally to uncover billion dollar ventures of unicorn founders & funders. In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. Billion Dollar Moves is proud to be part of the Hubspot Podcast Network with 10 million downloads a month as a group.

  1. 7월 24일

    The Purpose-Driven Power Player Behind Silicon Valley’s Quiet Money w/ Mike Anders, ICONIQ

    From Wall Street to Silicon Valley's inner circle—this is the untold story behind one of tech’s most trusted capital stewards. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Anders, Partner at ICONIQ, the quiet powerhouse managing over $80B for tech’s most iconic names. Mike opens up about his activist roots, Wall Street disillusionment, and the journey to building a purpose-driven financial empire. We go behind the curtain of ICONIQ’s rise, the venture bets that paid off, the AI wave, and why collaborative philanthropy is their next big frontier. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 02:11 - Roots & Activism: Academic upbringing and activist parents; “Start outside politics” 04:25 - Disillusionment & Reinvention: donor-advised funds (DAFs), discovering purpose in philanthropy & the pivotal first coffee with Divesh Makan 07:37 - Building ICONIQ: From Alibaba to enterprise software to data centers; the power of collective wisdom from founder clients 15:09 - Market, AI, & Culture: Surviving financial crises and market cycles; ICONIQ’s bet on AI; reflections on culture 26:31 - The Shift to Impact: The genesis of ICONIQ Impact and the CoLab model 31:06 - The Cost & The Legacy: Leadership, humility, and enduring values READ MORE: ICONIQ Impact Half a Billion Report Michael Anders | Partner, ICONIQ Michael Anders is a founding partner of ICONIQ, a global investment firm that channels ideas, talent, and capital to initiatives that advance society. Michael is also the founder and Chairman of ICONIQ Impact, which convenes ICONIQ’s extraordinary community of families, founders, and organizations to catalyze collaborative philanthropy for giving at scale. To-date, ICONIQ Impact has advised on nearly $600M in grants, tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, including climate change, education and economic mobility, ocean health and other impact areas. FOLLOW MIKE: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter Matti Navellou | Head of ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ  Matti Navellou is the Head of ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ’s platform for collaborative philanthropy, which convenes ICONIQ’s extraordinary community of families, founders, and organizations to catalyze collaborative philanthropy for giving at scale. To-date, ICONIQ Impact has advised on nearly $900M in grants, tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, including climate change, mental health, women’s health and rights, refugee resettlement and poverty relief. Across her career, Matti has developed and launched several global human rights campaigns, including most recently at UNICEF HQ in New York, leading public advocacy campaigns for child rights. FOLLOW MATTI: LinkedIn | X/Twitter - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    36분

  2. 7월 17일

    Why Australia’s Leading Family Offices Are Backing ALIAVIA Ventures’ Cross-Border VC Strategy w/ Marisa Warren

    How do you build a cross-border VC fund that backs female founders before the world sees their value? In this #MeritIn Motion series, we sit down with Marisa Warren, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of ALIAVIA Ventures and Founder of the ELEVACAO. A former Microsoft and SAP exec turned entrepreneur and investor, Marisa shares how she’s rewriting the rules of venture, by backing high-growth female founders across the U.S. and Australia before they're on anyone else’s radar. Backed by Carol Schwartz, the Forrest Family Office, the Denholm family and more, Marisa and co-founder Kate Vale (ex-Google, Spotify) are proving that investing in diverse teams isn’t charity—it’s smart capital. Tune in now to learn more about generating cross-border alpha, and why Aussie startups may just be VC’s best-kept secret. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 02:21 - From teenage hustles to Microsoft, SAP, and Workday; built SAP’s SME channel and scaled Microsoft cloud partner revenue 07:35 - The gender gap in VC; founded ELEVACAO to support women in tech 14:24 - Building ALIAVIA: a cross-border VC fund amid the pandemic; creative loan structure to beat the “no track record” barrier 18:38 - Fund strategy & the edge of cross-border dynamics: Australian startups are often undervalued, capital-efficient, growth-ready 24:48 - LP co-investment as a value driver; founder red flags & must-haves 31:14 - Portfolio focus & the influence of AI on Future of Work and HealthTech 35:10 - The maturity of Australian startup scene; LP alignment and stakeholder management 39:52 - Looking ahead: Fund II at $25M; Fund III to follow with potential growth fund 42:41 - Billion Dollar Questions ABOUT MARISA WARREN Marisa Warren is the Founder and Managing Partner of ALIAVIA Ventures, investing in female-founded tech startups across the U.S. and Australia. Established in 2021, ALIAVIA has delivered it's first exit, Loupe Art to Stingray, and invested in 12 early stage companies. She’s also the founder of ELEVACAO, a not-for-profit that helped 175 women raise over $120 million in funding, leading to 5 exits. FOLLOW MARISA: https://www.aliavia.vc/ https://www.elevacao.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisawarren - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    47분

  3. 7월 10일

    Leading Guild After a $4.4B Rise: New CEO Bijal Shah Reshaping the Future of Workforce Education

    When Guild Education’s co-founder Rachel Romer suffered a life-threatening stroke, the company’s future rested in the hands of Bijal Shah — then on maternity leave, recovering from a traumatic birth. In this intimate and deeply strategic conversation, Guild’s now-CEO shares what it took to step up, scale a mission-driven business, and guide 70,000+ employees toward career mobility. From building slum workforce programs in India to powering skills transformation for giants like Walmart, Chipotle, and Disney—Bijal unpacks what it means to lead through adversity, design with empathy, and operate for long-term resilience. This episode is for anyone thinking about the future of workforce development, durable marketplaces, or leadership when it matters most. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 02:11 - From Visa to slum development in India to scaling Guild 03:58 - Joining Guild: The founding vision, team conviction, and social enterprise thesis 07:51 - Evolution of the business model from content creation to a scalable marketplace 09:11 - Customer-led transformation: Meeting both employer and employee skill demands 12:41 - Workforce shifts: Aging population, AI disruption, and the half-life of skills 14:58 - Measuring impact: 70,000 learners, 2.6x retention boost, customized talent solutions 18:03 - Building long-term partnerships over short-term revenue: Walmart, Chipotle, Disney and more major clients 27:40 - Stepping into the CEO role: Permission to lead, guidance from the board, Rachel’s trust 39:45 - Billion Dollar Questions ABOUT BIJAL SHAH Bijal Shah is the CEO of Guild, a talent development company partnering with leading employers to help them build the talent needed for today and the resilient workforce of tomorrow. Guild works with organizations like Chipotle, Discover, Target, and Providence Health to provide seamless pathways for talent mobility that enhance the employee experience and activate internal talent to achieve business goals. Bijal has been named a CNBC Changemaker, and Guild has been recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies, CNBC’s Disruptor 50, LinkedIn’s Top Startups, and received Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas award. Prior to Guild, Shah held leadership roles across data analytics at Ibotta and corporate strategy at Visa. She served on the Board of Directors of Girls Inc. and was named one of Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Shah graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the MIT Sloan School of Management. She lives in Denver with her husband and children. FOLLOW BIJAL LinkedIn  | Instagram  - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    42분

  4. 7월 3일

    Reframing Growth: How to Win in A Minority-Majority World w/ Jeffrey Bowman, Reframe AI

    This week we sit down with Jeffrey L. Bowman — former Ogilvy senior partner turned founder of Reframe Consulting and Reframe AI Technologies — for a bold, unfiltered look at what it really means to future-proof your business.  Jeffrey doesn’t just talk about diversity as a moral imperative; he reframes it as a growth strategy rooted in data, market opportunity, and long-overdue correction. From revealing how legacy data sets exclude entire populations to unpacking the $100 billion blind spots companies ignore when they leave women and people of color out of their TAM, he challenges conventional thinking on every front. He pulls no punches—calling out performative DEI, synthetic AI datasets, and the emerging “woe is me” narrative among young men.  Whether you’re a founder, investor, or operator, this is a provocative, insight-rich conversation on how to build boldly for the world that is, not the one that was. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 01:53 - Why Reframe? Widening the lens on TAM (Total Addressable Market) and reevaluating go-to-market strategies that exclude women and minorities 06:08 - This is a business risk, not a moral issue - exclusion is leaving billions on the table 08:01 - MetLife case study: refocusing segmentation led to 2x growth in digital product lines 11:04 - Historical data sets, current AI and most TAMs are inherently biased 18:14 - Future-proofing for brands; ELF Beauty case study 23:23 - Global lens on consumers today; How exclusive is your TAM? 27:53 - Monocultural vs. cross/polycultural strategy; Amazon case study in addressability 33:38 - Responsible AI & women in tech 37:06 - Power and capitalism: “To build the America we love, we must accept the new America: diverse, cross-cultural, and polycultural.” 39:49 - Masculinity and the “Lost Boy Syndrome” 43:24 - Billion Dollar Questions About Jeffrey L. Bowman Jeffrey L. Bowman is the CEO and founder of Reframe AI Technologies and Reframe Consulting Services. He is an inventor, pioneer of a change operating system and inclusive experience design approach that helps leaders accelerate and operationalize inclusive change and growth at scale. Bowman is a two-time award-winning Wiley published author and Campaign US 40 Over 40. A former senior partner and managing director at Ogilvy & Mather in New York City, one of the world’s largest advertising and communications agencies. It was there Bowman pioneered the industry’s first cultural practice that modernized the marketing and communications industry. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Campaign, The Economist, Fast Company, NBC (Today Show), Fortune to name a few and he speaks frequently at industry and trade events across the United States, Europe, and South America. FOLLOW JEFFREY: https://jeffreylbowman.com LinkedIn | Instagram - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    47분

  5. 6월 26일

    [REPLAY] Melinda French Gates $1Bn for Women | Erin Harkless Moore, Pivotal Ventures

    Named one of Forbes’ Most Powerful Women, Melinda French Gates needs no introduction. Over the last twenty years through her work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one thing has become clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you must invest in women. This week's replay featured Erin Harkless Moore, Senior Director of Investment for Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company created to do exactly that. To accelerate social progress in the U.S by investing in women’s power and influence. As a member of Pivotal’s Executive Leadership Team, Erin leads the organization’s fund, and direct investment decisions, overseeing a diverse portfolio of investments that drive breakthrough innovations and drive impact for people in the US. With nearly 20 years of investment experience, building customized portfolios for endowed institutions and family offices, serving most recently as Managing Director at Cambridge Associates, we talk about everything from challenging the status quo to her investment strategy. You don’t want to miss this! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro 02:04 - Erin's career, passion, profit, purpose 05:53 - The premium of 'track record' 07:58 - Investment in diversity initiatives under attack 10:53 - Where does the resistance come from? 12:30 - The role of consultants 16:01 - Melinda French Gates' point of impact 18:20 - Investing in women is not charity 24:24 - Getting to a 'yes' as an LP 30:22 - Cracking the patterns of history Pivotal Ventures | A Melinda French Gates Company Investing | Pivotal Ventures Breaking With Tradition | Pitchbook - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    41분

  6. 6월 19일

    Scaling with Purpose: Antler’s Global Thesis on Intentionality & Outlier Returns w/ Rosalind Bazany

    In this episode of our mini series #MeritInMotion, we’re joined by Rosalind Bazany, Head of ESG and Impact at Antler, one of the world’s most active and selective early-stage VCs. As a pledge partner of Beyond The Billion, Antler has helped deploy capital into nearly 3,000 women through its founder residencies—without any diversity quotas. From her childhood to managing hedge funds through the global financial crisis, Ros brings systems-level thinking to investing in outliers. We explore how Antler is rewriting the rules of venture by backing overlooked markets and underestimated founders across 27 offices and six continents—with a third of its capital going to women-led startups. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 02:11 - Ros’ global roots that shaped her adaptability & curiosity; joining Antler 06:21 - Inside Antler’s highly selective global model: 160,000+ applications annually, 27 offices on 6 continents, 1500+ investments made 08:03 - Antler VS Y Combinator; backing PEOPLE before ideas: commercial viability and adaptability as key early traits 12:55 - Female founders with real returns under Antler’s portfolio; driving returns with intentionality, not hard quotas nor mandates 24:22 - Impact ≠ Concessionary Returns 27:46 - Exits and long-term view with liquidity on horizon 30:19 -  Sustainability as strategy: backing the outliers; leveraging Antler’s global programs to source the best of the best 39:35 - Looking ahead for Antler 42:26 - Gender lens is not a filter but a strategic aperture 46:07 - Billion Dollar Questions Read Beyond The Billion's Our Next Billion Momentum Report 2025 here. About Rosalind Bazany Ros Bazany is Head of ESG and impact at Antler and currently based in Singapore. Ros is responsible for leading the overall strategy design and implementation of Antler’s ESG and impact proposition to deliver long-term value for Antler’s stakeholders. This includes oversight of firm level practices, founder engagement and investment decision making processes.  Prior to this, she worked at the global asset manager Schroders for over 10 years, working with institutional and retail clients, including on a number of strategic ESG initiatives, across Europe and Asia. She started her career at the hedge fund BlueCrest and holds an MSc in Chemistry.  She is passionate about making ESG and impact a tool to create value for our founders, Antler and the industry more broadly. Read more about Antler’s 2024 ESG and Impact Report: https://www.antler.co/sustainability Follow Ros & Antler: https://www.antler.co/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalind-bazany-a225275/ - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    52분

  7. 6월 12일

    From Viral Videos to Brain Chips: The Future of Human-AI Evolution w/ Taryn Southern

    What happens when a viral creator becomes a deep tech investor—and then starts working on brain chips? In this episode, we go beyond the hype with Taryn Southern—early YouTube pioneer, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and now a leading voice in neurotechnology and AI.  From releasing the world’s first AI-generated music album to working at the frontier of brain-computer interfaces with Blackrock Neurotech, Taryn opens up about redefining creativity and investing in future-defining tech.  You’ll walk away with a practical AI prompt framework, hard truths about what it takes to bet smart on deep tech—and a powerful reminder of what it really means to be human in an age of machines. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 01:43 - From Anthropology to youtube stardom—then diving into AI & Neurotech 07:04 - The first artist to release a full AI-generated music album: why AI enhances creativity, not threatens it 12:45 - Upskilling for the AI era; The G.R.I.P.E. framework: How to prompt ChatGPT like a pro 16:18 - The science and reality behind BCI; Blackrock Neurotech’s critical technologies for ALS patients, funding and capital 26:47 - The future of AI for women; AI investment advice & the questions you should be asking 32:24 - Billion Dollar Questions with Taryn Southern About Taryn Southern "Deeply thoughtful yet boundlessly optimistic." Taryn Southern is an award-winning storyteller and creative technologist exploring the intersection of emerging tech and human potential. Her groundbreaking creative experiments offer unique insights into how technology can help us unleash creativity, joy, wellbeing and productivity. Originally from Kansas, Taryn’s first foray into entertainment began at 17 when she competed in the semi-finals of American Idol. In 2007, after obtaining degrees in journalism and anthropology, Taryn uploaded her first video onto YouTube. Ten years and 750 million views later, this early YouTuber produced more than 1500 internet videos, at the forefront of the online content revolution. In 2007, she hosted and produced a TV series documenting her travels to meet her MySpace friends and uploaded her first viral video to YouTube. Over the next decade, she created over 1500 videos garnering more than 1 billion views, served as an early advisor to YouTube, Google VR and Snapchat product teams, and consulted for companies like Conde Nast and Marriott on digital content strategy and narrative design. FOLLOW TARYN https://tarynsouthern.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tarynsouthern/ https://www.youtube.com/TarynSouthern - PODCAST INFO: ⁠Podcast website⁠ | Watch on Youtube⁠ | ⁠Join the community⁠ FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter

    38분

  8. 6월 5일

    Why 8 in 10 LPs Still Don’t Back Women—And What Ankita’s Doing About It

    Venture capital is changing—and so is India. In this episode, we dive deep with Ankita Vashistha, the trailblazing investor behind Saha Fund and Arise Ventures. From building Singapore’s first government-backed fund to leading a ₹500 Crore gender-lens powerhouse, Ankita’s story is one of grit, foresight, and redefining alpha. With 5 unicorns, 50+ investments, and a global accelerator reaching 5,000+ founders a year—this is more than investing. It’s revolution. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 01:50 - #1 From Copycat to Category Creator – The Rise of India as a Global Builder 08:32 - #2 Gender Lens ≠ Charity. It’s Alpha. 17:53 - #3 The Venture Capital Playbook Needs a Reboot—For India 19:42 - #4 From Capital Allocator to Company Builder 21:47 - #5 Be Loud. Be Clear. Be Your Own Champion. 22:47 - Closing Remark:Legacy in Motion ABOUT ANKITA With over 16 years of experience in private equity, venture capital, innovation, diversity and impact investing, Ankita is a passionate and visionary venture capital investor and entrepreneur.  Ankita founded and led two pioneering funds, StrongHer Ventures and Saha Fund, that invest in and promote women engagement, empowerment and entrepreneurship through digital technology and now leading her third fund - Arise Ventures.  Ankita also co-authored of the book "Innovation at Scale", which covers how digital is transforming industries and creating opportunities for women.  FOLLOW ANKITA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankitavashistha/ https://www.instagram.com/ankitasvashistha/ - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

    27분
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Lead, build, and invest better. Join us as we hit the streets globally to uncover billion dollar ventures of unicorn founders & funders. In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. Billion Dollar Moves is proud to be part of the Hubspot Podcast Network with 10 million downloads a month as a group.

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