Ventures from The Valley

R136 Ventures

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Ventures from the Valley brings you inside the rooms where billion-dollar decisions get made. Hosted by R136 Ventures, each episode features candid conversations with the founders, operators, and investors shaping the future of technology; from AI infrastructure to global fintech to the companies redefining how we build.

Jun 3

How Losing Her Best Friend Led Eugenia Kuyda to Build the World's First AI Companion

What happens when AI stops being just a tool… and becomes a relationship? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski speaks with Eugenia Kuyda — founder of Replika and Wabi — about the future of emotional AI, AI companions, consumer technology, and the next wave of human-computer interaction. Eugenia shares the deeply personal story behind Replika, how the loss of her best friend inspired one of the world’s first AI companion platforms, and why millions of users formed emotional connections with AI long before ChatGPT existed. They also discuss:• The early days of conversational AI before transformers• Building emotional intelligence into software• Why Replika had 1.5M users on the waitlist before launch• The rise of ChatGPT and OpenAI• Why emotional AI may become bigger than assistants• The future of AI relationships and digital companions• Why AI could replace millions of jobs• The next generation of AI interfaces through Wabi• Consumer AI vs enterprise AI• The future battle between Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and startups This conversation explores one of the biggest questions of our time: can AI truly understand humans — and what happens if it does? Watch the full episode and subscribe for more conversations with world-class founders, investors, and AI pioneers. Learn more about R136 Ventures What do you think — will emotional AI help humanity or make people more isolated? #venturecapital #R136 #AI #Replika #EugeniaKuyda

1h 6m
May 6

How HighLevel Won 70,000 Marketing Agencies Without a Sales Team - with Robin Alex

What if you could build a multi-million dollar SaaS company… without a sales team or paid ads? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Robin Alex, co-founder of HighLevel — an AI-powered business platform serving 70,000+ agencies and over 1 million businesses worldwide. Robin shares how HighLevel scaled from early struggles and high churn to becoming one of the fastest-growing SaaS platforms — by focusing on agencies instead of SMBs, building strong community-driven growth, and aligning incentives at scale. ⸻ 💡 What you’ll learn: • Why selling directly to SMBs failed — and what worked instead• The real reason agencies became the growth engine• How a simple pivot changed everything• Why HighLevel never relied on a traditional sales team• The strategy behind 40% lifetime affiliate commissions• How to scale a SaaS company profitably from day one• The truth about product-market fit most founders misunderstand• How AI is changing (but not replacing) service businesses ⸻ This episode is brought to you by R136 Ventures, backing the next generation of B2B and AI-driven companies. 🌐 Learn more:https://www.r136.vc/ 💬 Would you rather build a startup with VC funding or stay fully profitable from day one?

57 min
Apr 9

How to Build a $1T Venture Platform with Daniel Dippold

How do you build companies worth hundreds of millions - and aim for a trillion-dollar venture platform? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with serial entrepreneur Daniel Dippold. Daniel is a 3x founder with over $300M in collective startup value, a Cambridge machine learning graduate, and an angel investor in 60+ startups since 2020 with multiple unicorn investments. He is also the founder of EWOR, a fellowship that supports top tech founders globally with up to €500,000 and bespoke mentorship from unicorn founders (Adjust, ProGlove, SumUp). In this conversation we discuss: • How Daniel evaluates exceptional founders• Why venture capital is a heavy-tailed industry• How EWOR helps founders build unicorn companies• The infrastructure behind startup success• Why small teams can build billion-dollar companies• The future of AI startups and foundation models• How venture investors identify breakout founders• Why the best founders focus on talent, money, and distribution Daniel also shares his perspective on AI disruption, venture capital, and the future of trillion-dollar companies. This podcast is brought to you by R136 Ventures, supporting visionary founders building the next generation of B2B and fintech companies. 🌐 Learn morehttps://www.r136.vc/ 💬 What matters more for startup success — the founder, the idea, or timing?

52 min
Mar 4

OpenVC - The Platform Behind $1B in Startup Raises with Stephane Nasser

What actually drives venture capital decisions - data, FOMO, or storytelling? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Stephane Nasser, Co-Founder & CEO of OpenVC - a free fundraising platform that has facilitated over $1 billion in startup funding for 25,000+ founders since launch. We unpack how early-stage fundraising really works, why most founders make the same avoidable mistakes, and how OpenVC is building infrastructure to modernize venture deal flow. Stephane shares his journey from startup accelerator operator to building OpenVC into a global discovery engine for founders and investors without taking equity or success fees. In this episode, we discuss: • How OpenVC connects founders and 6,000+ investors worldwide • The biggest pitch deck mistakes founders don’t realize they’re making • Why FOMO is the real driver of venture investing • How to structure a fundraising narrative investors actually understand • The psychology behind deal flow and investor decision-making • Why most founders should climb the learning curve before pitching • How Product Hunt helped OpenVC gain early traction • Why venture capital is still a niche but powerful asset class • The long-term vision of OpenVC as deal flow infrastructure • Whether venture capital itself could be disrupted If you’re a founder raising Pre-Seed, Seed, or Series A or an investor looking for high-quality early-stage deal flow - this conversation will sharpen your thinking. R136 Ventures supports visionary founders scaling B2B and fintech companies across the United States. 🌐 Learn more: https://www.r136.vc/ Would you build your fundraising strategy around FOMO or fundamentals?

1h 27m
Feb 4

The Scientist Turned VC Funding the Cure for Aging with Omri Amirav-Drory

What if aging isn’t inevitable — but a solvable problem?And what if the biggest opportunity in healthcare isn’t treating disease, but preventing it entirely? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Omri Amirav-Drory, General Partner at NFX, to explore one of the most ambitious frontiers in venture capital: longevity, biotech, and the intersection of biology and technology. Omri leads pre-seed and seed investments at NFX and focuses on what he believes is the ultimate mission — ending involuntary death. We talk openly about why aging is the root cause behind most diseases, how AI is transforming biotech, and why longevity represents a $38 trillion per year opportunity in additional healthy life. This is a deep, honest conversation about conviction, risk, optimism, and why the future of healthcare looks nothing like today’s system. ⸻ In this episode, we discuss: • Why aging is the root cause of 9 out of 10 deadly diseases • The real difference between lifespan and healthspan • Why longevity could unlock $38T per year in economic value • How NFX evaluates early-stage biotech and tech-bio startups • The power-law logic behind seed investing • Why most VCs miss the biggest opportunities by being pessimistic • AI’s three major waves in biotech and drug discovery • Why GLP-1 drugs changed healthcare economics forever • Precision medicine, biomarkers, and the limits of simulation • Whether humans alive today could realistically live to 160 • Replacement biology, regeneration, and the ethics of enhancement ❓ Do you believe aging will be cured in our lifetime — or is it science fiction? ___________________________________________________________________________R136 Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based multi-stage VC firm with a focus on scaling mid and late-stage B2B and fintech startups. Our mission is to propel creative entrepreneurs to a faster growth trajectory. We help founders scale their mid-to-late stage startups, bringing with us a distinctive fusion of expertise and past experiences that are key in unlocking their true potential. With many of our team having previously held CEO, CTO and other c-level positions, we understand the challenges and opportunities of both startups and major corporations. Our contribution doesn't just stop at vision and strategy; we actively shape your execution and help in talent acquisition. With a legacy of managing assets exceeding $400 million and having financially backed more than 30 innovative companies, our record speaks for itself. 🌐 Learn more: https://www.r136.vc/

1h 1m
Jan 8

How Uber’s Playbook Shaped Blockchain.com’s Growth Strategy With Lane Kasselman

Most people think disruption is about technology. In reality, it’s about winning inside chaos, regulation, and imperfect systems — before the rules catch up. In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Lane Kasselman, President of Blockchain.com and one of the earliest executives at Uber, to unpack what it truly takes to scale category-defining companies in the most regulated environments on earth. We talk candidly about how Uber forced regulation to follow adoption, how that mindset carried into Blockchain.com, and why the next crypto cycle will look fundamentally different from the last. This is not a conversation about hype. It’s a masterclass on building real companies that survive cycles, scrutiny, and scale. ⸻ In this episode, we cover: • Why Uber’s “win or lose” culture still defines category winners • How Blockchain.com scaled from 100 to 600 employees in under a year • What founders misunderstand about regulation in tech and crypto • Why emerging markets are driving real crypto adoption — not speculation • How stablecoins are already replacing fiat in parts of the global economy • Why the next crypto downturn won’t look like 2022 • How AI agents will quietly make crypto the backbone of global payments • The leadership shifts required to scale from startup to global platform • Why hiring true operators — not just insiders — changes everything • The single most important mistake founders make in regulated industries ⸻ ❓ If regulation is inevitable, should founders fight it — or design their strategy around it from day one?

1h 4m
12/10/2025

How Smart Founders Raise Capital in 2026 (VC Reality Check)

Most founders believe venture capital is a game of who can raise the largest round. But the real game is different: pick the right market, build something defensible, and create a business that doesn’t burn through capital just to stay alive. Jeff Weinstein is a partner at FJ Labs, one of the world’s most active early-stage investors. The firm has backed more than 1,000 companies with over $500 million under management. Unlike traditional venture firms that deliberate for weeks, FJ Labs moves fast, invests globally, and says no to most deals. In our conversation, Weinstein walks through the mechanics of evaluating 200 startups each week, explains what separates fundable companies from also-rans, and discusses how artificial intelligence is reshaping both marketplace businesses and the venture industry itself. For founders, operators, and investors, the conversation offers a window into how venture capital works when stripped of its usual inefficiencies. Key topics: • Why FJ Labs backs more than 100 companies annually • How the firm narrows hundreds of pitches to a handful of investments using two calls • What founders must demonstrate before investors commit capital • Why marketplace businesses remain defensible despite AI advances • How emerging fund managers compete against multibillion-dollar institutions • Why raising less capital can lead to better outcomes than raising more • How FJ Labs identifies winners in saturated markets • Why capital-efficient companies command higher valuations today • How venture firms evaluate returns, runway, funding rounds, and company valuations What’s the #1 signal you look for when choosing a startup to bet on? 🌐 Learn more: https://www.r136.vc/

1h 9m
11/05/2025

How China Actually Builds Tech Giants with Mark Greeven

What makes China’s innovators and entrepreneurs so relentlessly driven, and how is their ecosystem mindset redefining global innovation, investment, and AI development? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski talks with Mark Greeven, Professor of Management Innovation and Voice on China Innovation, and Dean at IMD Business School, to unpack the mindset that is powering China’s innovation revolution. Drawing from over two decades of on-the-ground experience, Mark explores how Chinese entrepreneurs blend fierce competition with deep collaboration to build resilient ecosystems. From the pivotal role of government policy and alumni funding networks to China’s pragmatic, mass-adoption approach to AI, this conversation reveals what truly sets China’s tech scene apart from Silicon Valley. Investors and business leaders will gain invaluable insights into how cultural values, policy alignment, and ecosystems are shaping the next generation of global innovation. What you will learn: How Chinese entrepreneurs balance intense competition with collaborative ecosystem buildingWhy government policy alignment is crucial for startup success in ChinaThe funding sources in Chinese tech, from global VCs to local alumni networksHow Chinese universities are transforming into powerful startup incubators Why the Chinese AI strategy focuses on mass adoption and open-source developmentThe unique characteristics of Chinese tech leadership: constant sense of urgency, ecosystem thinking, and balanced visibilityHow China's next generation of entrepreneurs combines a global mindset with traditional cultural valuesThe strategic approach to scaling deep tech ventures in China's current environmentWhy China's startup ecosystem differs from Silicon Valley's model and how it drives innovation differentlyThe role of university-industry partnerships in driving Chinese tech innovationMark Greeven is Professor of Management Innovation and Dean of Asia at IMD. A Chinese speaker with over 20 years of experience in China, he collaborates with companies like Alibaba, Ping An, Haier, Bayer, and Bosch to accelerate innovation and build business ecosystems. A Thinkers50-ranked management expert and contributor to Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, Mark is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Future of Global Retail and Pioneers, Hidden Champions, Change Makers, and Underdogs. Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

54 min

Ventures from the Valley brings you inside the rooms where billion-dollar decisions get made. Hosted by R136 Ventures, each episode features candid conversations with the founders, operators, and investors shaping the future of technology; from AI infrastructure to global fintech to the companies redefining how we build.

Creator

R136 Ventures
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

27
Rating

Clean
Copyright

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Ventures from The Valley