Seed to Harvest Paige Finn Doherty

Today, I'm joined by Dhaval Patel, Founder and CEO of Lotus, a Techstars portfolio company, that makes a wearable ring to control objects at home by pointing. Unlike traditional smart home tech - no rewiring, no app, no internet. Lotus' mission is to build tech that is usable by everyone, by optimizing for disability. Previously, Patel was the VP of Hardware at PillDrill and an engineering manager at Apple for 8+ years.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Dhaval Patel
01:25 what problem is Lotus solving?
04:38 Dhaval improving at storytelling
06:54 Dhaval’s investor updates
12:25 early days of building Lotus
16:01 principles at Lotus
19:30 raising venture financing
24:26 working with BGV
29:20 why did BGV invest in Lotus?

Show notes:
Dhaval Patel | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhaval-c-patel/

Lotus | https://www.lotuslabs.org/

The Pitch | https://www.thepitch.show/guests/dhaval-patel-lotus/

Open | https://www.amazon.com/Open-Autobiography-Andre-Agassi/dp/0307388409

Mei Lin Ng | https://www.linkedin.com/in/meilinng/

Shail Mehta | https://www.linkedin.com/in/shail-mehta-7b500712/

Andy Hoang | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-hoang-93067226/?originalSubdomain=ca

The Pitch Show: Lotus Episode | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPoYkU6r5bw

In today’s podcast, I talk about AI’s power to automate, optimize, and revolutionize, making AI a goldmine for opportunities. However, because of the rapidly accelerating pace of AI innovation, what seems like a cutting-edge investment today could be outdated in a few short years or even months or weeks. The excitement about the potential of AI, although warranted, needs to be supplemented with a healthy dose of discipline, caution, and diligence. In this podcast, we’ll dig deeper into the value of investing early in AI, the risks, and our unique approach to the space.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Paige Doherty
02:03 intro
03:34 Value Driver #1
04:16 Value Driver #2
04:52 Macro Driver
06:52 Technical Feasibility
07:30 Consumer Trust
08:09 Incumbency risk
09:03 Rapidly shifting legislative landscape
09:26 Data privacy considerations
09:59 Our AI Investment Approach

Show notes:
BGV AI Blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/post/ai-investing

The Psychology of Money | https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Money-Timeless-lessons-happiness/dp/0857197681

duolingo | https://www.duolingo.com/

Mike Arpaia | https://twitter.com/mikearpaia

Arkady Kulik | https://www.linkedin.com/in/arkady-kulik/

Today, I'm joined by Kristen Wiley, Founder of Statusphere, a influencer marketing platform that helps brands earn authentic micro-influencer posts at scale in a fraction of the time. With Statusphere, brands save 98% of the time they’d typically spend on influencer marketing while securing dozens, hundreds or thousands of guaranteed posts. With Statusphere’s streamlined matchmaking algorithm, fulfillment technology and in-depth reporting, they help brands drive maximum results with minimal setup. Previously, Kristen worked as a Chief Marketing Officer at Greenhouse Agency and BlurtBox.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Kristen Wiley
01:02 what is Statusphere?
02:53 what problem is Statusphere solving?
04:18  Statusphere’s matching algorithm
06:25 long-term vision for Statusphere
07:34 how did Kristen get deep customer empathy?
08:27 working with BGV
10:15 presenting at the annual summit
13:42 Statusphere’s core values
16:19 challenges Kristen has overcome
18:40 journey as a non-technical founder
20:18 Kristen’s fundraising journey
21:51 Kristen’s favorite investors
23:26  best books for founders

Show notes:
Kristen Wiley | https://twitter.com/TheKristenWiley

Statusphere | https://joinstatus.com/

We're Calling Shenanigans | https://www.werecallingshenanigans.com/

1984 vc | https://1984.vc/

Hearst | https://www.hearst.com/

Project Hail Mary | https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135202

Founding Sales | https://www.amazon.com/Founding-Sales-Go-Market-Handbook-ebook/dp/B08PMK17Z1

The Lean Startup | https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898

The Art of Gathering | https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-How-Meet-Matters/dp/1594634920

Today, I'm joined by Anthony Privitelli, Founder of Creator Testing, on-demand creator-focused feedback and insights. Essentially, Creator Testing was built for teams and individuals who want to get creator feedback, whether it's podcasters, short-form video creators, long-form video creators, live streamers, bloggers, writers, etc. Previously, Anthony worked as a Product Manager at TikTok and a Product Manager at Patreon.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Anthony Privitelli
04:50 what problem is Creator Testing solving?
06:42 what was the breaking point for Anthony?
10:12  how do creators get paid by Creator Testing?
12:09 how do creators apply for Creator Testing?
13:30 5 year vision of success for Creator Testing
15:42  what calls have been most valuable to creators?
17:24 what are challenges Anthony faces?
22:28 challenging aspects of being a founder
24:42 working with BGV
27:09 common traits among founders

Show notes:
Anthony Privitelli | https://twitter.com/APrivitelli

Creator Testing | https://www.linkedin.com/company/creator-testing/

Arash Ferdowsi | https://twitter.com/arashf?lang=en

Dropbox | https://www.dropbox.com/

Kyle Parrish | https://twitter.com/KyleHParrish

Figma | https://www.figma.com/

Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/

Today, I'm joined by Max Echeverria, Founder & CEO of Eskuad, a field data platform built specifically for operations and compliance. Eskuad transforms the way you work in the field — whether you operate by yourself or with a team. Easily organize your work, collect data, and generate reports. In the office, gain instant real-time visibility into your field operations and communicate easily with field teams. Previously, Max worked as an Entrepreneur at Start-Up Chile and an Entrepreneur at Techstars.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Max Echeverria
5:12 getting the idea for Eskuad
9:30 tackling a generational paint point
12:25 what is the vision for Eskuad?
16:03 day-to-day challenges
20:15 how does Max filter customer feedback?
24:04 working with BGV

Show notes:
Max Echeverria | https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxeche/

Eskuad | https://home.eskuad.com/

Chris Cunningham | https://twitter.com/c2cunningham?lang=en

Matt Olivo | https://twitter.com/earlystagehand?lang=en

SAP | https://www.sap.com/index.html

Today, I'm joined by Mar Hershenson, Managing Partner at Pear VC, where seed specialists partner with founders at the earliest stages to turn great ideas into category-defining companies. Pear VC founded 10+ companies and invested early in startups now worth over $50B. In just 9 years, Pear VC has seeded 7 companies currently valued at over $1B and 3 public companies. Previously, Mar worked as co-founder/VP for Product Development at Revel Touch and an Entrepreneur in Residence for Foundation Capital.

Seed to Harvest is a podcast focused on stories & tactics from a diverse array of investors, founders, and creators, hosted by Paige Finn Doherty, a founding partner at Behind Genius Ventures and author of Seed to Harvest, an illustrated children's book for adults.

Connect with Paige 🌱💜

Behind Genius Ventures blog | https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/

Personal Blog | https://paigefinndoherty.com/

Twitter | https://twitter.com/paigefinnn

00:00 Welcome to Seed To Harvest: Mar Hershenson
01:28 what did Mar learn from attending her father’s lectures?
03:25 how has the philosophy of simplicity contributed to Mar’s journey as an entrepreneur?
06:08 raising Pear VC’s first fund
10:56 explaining Pear VC’s ethos
14:07 what is an example of a program that has gone really well?
17:12 what is an example of a program that did not go as planned?
21:43 what is the main mission of Pear VC?

Show notes:
Mar Hershenson | https://twitter.com/MarHershenson

Pear VC | https://pear.vc/

Pejman Nozad | https://twitter.com/pejmannozad

Tony Xu | https://twitter.com/t_xu?lang=en

Pear Garage | https://pear.vc/garage/#:~:text=Pear%20Garage%20is%20a%20community,build%20products%20to%20solve%20them.

Female Founder Circles | https://pear.vc/female-founder-circles/
Vivien Ho | https://twitter.com/VivHo