Silicon Street

Nick Cutler and Matty Vallace
  • 4.6 (10)
  • BUSINESS

A podcast on venture capital, technology, and entrepreneurship geared towards college students and young professionals. Silicon Street was co-founded by two students at the University of Notre Dame with the goal of making it easier for young people to understand the private investing and technology ecosystems.

  1. 12/09/2025

    Building a Career in Growth Equity

    Jim Ferry is a Partner at Volition Capital, a Boston-based growth equity firm founded in 2010 that focuses on investing in high-growth, founder-led technology companies. After graduating from Providence College in 2014, Jim Ferry joined Volition as an Analyst and has been there ever since. In this episode, we walk through his journey from sourcing deals as a junior investor to leading and closing deals as a Partner. We then break down Volition’s philosophy on the “five ways to earn a 5x return” and apply it to one of their portfolio companies, Connatix. Finally, we wrap up with practical advice on how to stand out when applying to firms like Volition and how to stay on top of trends in the growth equity industry.

    45 min

  2. 03/06/2025

    Investing Across Diversified Venture Opportunities

    Mike Joslin is currently a partner at the 1842 Fund and a Build Director at High Alpha Innovation, where he focuses on creating and investing in startups in collaboration with universities and corporations. We begin by discussing the start of his career at Best Buy’s corporate headquarters, followed by his MBA at Harvard Business School, where he conducted research under the late Clay Christensen. Mike then explores his experiences across various sectors of venture capital, including corporate VC, venture studios, and fund-of-funds investing. Further, Mike provides guidance to listeners on breaking into the various types of venture capital investing. Finally, he provides an in-depth look at the 1842 Fund, which collaborates closely with Notre Dame’s investment office and their mission.

    1 hr

  3. 03/20/2024

    Understanding Ethics, Developments, and Outlooks on Artificial Intelligence

    Dr. John Behrens is the Director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program as well as the Idzik Computing and Digital Technologies Program at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Dr. Behrens spent 20 years in industry where he held several executive positions at large tech firms like Cisco and Pearson, where he was most recently the Vice President of AI Product Development. Before working at these firms, John was a tenured professor at Arizona State where he taught educational data science. Dr. Behren now focuses on preparing current and future leaders to successfully transition through the technology, AI, and data revolutions. In this podcast, we discuss the ethical implications of the AI revolution and anticipated impacts of AI on society, as well as some suggestions for prompt engineering.

    1h 6m

  4. 02/28/2024

    Optimizing Digital Advertising

    Henry Kittle is the COO and Co-Founder of Tiger Tracks, a digital advertising agency focused on helping companies build effective and tailored marketing strategies centered around the top ad platforms. Prior to founding Tiger Tracks, Henry spent over 8 years at Google as a shopping lead, helping companies strategize and deploy their digital marketing budgets. In this episode, we discuss Henry’s career path and some of the lessons he has learned along the way, specifically focusing on how to make the most of opportunities that present themselves to you. Next, we dive into the digital advertising industry and Henry’s motivation for starting his own agency. Finally, Henry offers insights into the role of an entrepreneur and designing the proper organizational structure for a firm.

    1h 5m

  5. 02/14/2024

    Balancing Career Excellence, Impact, and Authenticity

    Michelle Seitz is the Founder and CEO of MeydenVest Partners, an investment and strategic advisory firm that partners with businesses within the technology, healthcare, and financial services sectors who are aiming to solve important problems. Prior to founding MeydenVest, Michelle was the Chair and CEO of Russell Investments and CEO of William Blair Investment Management. First, we explore the mission and strategy of MeydenVest by looking at how Michelle aims to create value and impact in her investments. Next, we dive deeper into the role that investment firms should play in providing a social impact through their investments. After this, Michelle shares some of the advice that she gives to CEOs as a CEO mentor and explains some of the skills and qualities that make not only a good investor but also a good leader and manager. Finally, Michelle provides guidance to young professionals on balancing career success with making an impact through your work and prioritizing personal values, such as family and community involvement.

    1h 2m

  6. 01/30/2024

    The Art and Science of Consumer Investing

    Mike Mauzé is a Founder and Partner at VMG Partners, a leading investment firm that backs visionary consumer products and technologies. First, we discuss some of the most important considerations before starting your own private equity fund and explore the sacrifices and benefits involved. Next, Mike elaborates on the art and science of consumer investing, offering insights for aspiring investors to master both aspects. Following this, he outlines the consumer trends VMG is monitoring and how the firm aims to capitalize on these opportunities. Lastly, Mike shares his perspective on the qualities of an ideal private equity professional and offers advice to students and young professionals embarking on a career in this field.

    41 min

  7. 11/02/2023

    Exploring the Evolving Nature of Consumer Tech Investing

    Mary Miller is the Head of Business Development within Growth Equity Investing at Norwest Venture Partners. Prior to joining Norwest in 2023, Mary was a Director at SoftBank’s Vision Fund and has held a number of other positions focused on investments in consumer technology companies. First, we explore some of the administrative and investing roles that Mary has worked in as she explains how she ended up in her current role. Next, we talk about some of the advantages and opportunities that working for SoftBank’s Vision Fund gave Mary as well as some of the lessons learned while working at such a large fund during the downturn of the market in 2022. After that, Mary explains a case study of the company Fanatics and explains the tremendous growth and evolution of the company over the past few years, focusing on her role in creating value for the company. Then, Mary breaks down what consumer technology is and how the industry has evolved over the recent past. Finally, we open the floor to members of the Notre Dame Venture Capital club (students who are actively trying to or already have broken into venture capital careers) to ask their insightful questions.

    51 min

  8. 09/18/2023

    Insights from an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer

    Professor Raymond Mooney is the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Having written his first paper on AI as a 17 year-old and spending his entire academic and professional career as an AI researcher, Prof. Mooney has become one of the most respected and distinguished thought leaders in the world on artificial intelligence and natural language processing. First, we talk about what the blanket term “artificial intelligence” really encompasses and dig into some of the groundbreaking research that Prof. Mooney has conducted in the recent past. Next, we take a look into how AI has evolved over the past 70 years and point out some important historical landmarks for the technology. We then take a look into how AI differs in academia and enterprise and end off the episode with a discussion of some of the potential negative ethical implications that AI can bring about as well as some of the tremendous upsides that the technology can have in the near future.

    41 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

A podcast on venture capital, technology, and entrepreneurship geared towards college students and young professionals. Silicon Street was co-founded by two students at the University of Notre Dame with the goal of making it easier for young people to understand the private investing and technology ecosystems.

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Cutler and Matty Vallace
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nick Cutler and Matty Vallace
  • Show Website
    Silicon Street