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A conversation about how startups leverage their mission as a competitive advantage. Each episode we talk to entrepreneurs and investors to get to the bottom of what it means to build a business with impact. From personal founder stories of how they got started, to how they overcame challenges in hiring, sales and fundraising and how building a mission-driven company helps you outperform the market. Hosted by Better Ventures in Oakland, CA. Backing mission-driven founders building a better w ...
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Mission Driven - Episode 19 - Ulili Onovakpuri (Kapor Capital)
48:04
48:04
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We’re honored to have Uriridiakoghene “Ulili” Onovakpuri, Managing Partner at Kapor Capital, join us on Mission Driven. At Kapor, Ulili leads investments in the health tech and people operations tech companies. She is also the founder of Kapor Capital’s Fellows program, the longest running venture capital internship program for underrepresented ind…
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Mission Driven - Episode 18 - Miriam Rivera (Ulu Ventures)
48:15
48:15
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48:15
Miriam Rivera holds a number of titles at Ulu Ventures including co-founder, managing director, and champion of the underdog and longshot. She is a distinguished investor known for her dynamic contributions in the tech, legal, and philanthropic sectors. At Ulu, Miriam upholds her mission of supporting transformative startups where her investment ap…
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Mission Driven - Episode 17 - Amy Francetic - Buoyant Ventures
54:41
54:41
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54:41
Amy Francetic, Managing General Partner & co-founder of Buoyant Ventures, joins Rick on Mission Driven in the last of our series about electrification. Amy’s career spans 25 years of high tech entrepreneurship, private equity, and research. Before founding Buoyant, a firm based in Chicago investing in digital climate solutions for energy, transport…
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Mission Driven - Episode 16 - Astrid Atkinson (Camus Energy)
37:27
37:27
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Astrid Atkinson joins Rick on the latest episode of Mission Driven to chat about electrification. Astrid is co-founder & CEO of Camus Energy, which provides software-based Grid Management as a Service, combining real-time situational awareness, device control, and market integration for grid operators and energy providers. Prior to founding Camus, …
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Mission Driven - Episode 15 - Rohan Puri (Stable Auto)
49:31
49:31
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We’re joined by Rohan Puri, CEO & co-founder of Stable Auto. Rohan helps us understand software’s role in electrification, chatting about the EV charging landscape. Rohan and his company Stable Auto believe that climate is humanity’s gnarliest problem and that every charger has to be part of the solution. With data-driven insights, Stable Auto help…
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Mission Driven - Episode 14 - Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor (Kapor Capital)
1:06:11
1:06:11
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We have special guests on the podcast - Freada Kapor Klein and Mitch Kapor. The founders of Kapor Capital have released a new book, Closing the Equity Gap, and, on this episode, they discuss their life missions to make the tech industry more diverse and inclusive. Tune in to learn how the two got their start, founded Kapor Capital, and have been pi…
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Mission Driven - Episode 13 - Robyn Beavers (Blueprint Power)
47:55
47:55
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47:55
Welcome to Season 2 of Mission Driven! We’re switching things up a bit and diving into a sprint on the theme of electrification. The next few episodes will cover various POVs and a deep dive on the following question: what is the role of software in electrification? Our first guest on electrification is Robyn Beavers, CEO & co-founder of Blueprint …
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Mission Driven - Episode 12 - Michael Lombardo (BookNook)
49:44
49:44
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49:44
Michael Lombardo, founder & CEO of BookNook, joins Rick on the latest episode of Mission Driven. BookNook is an online collaborative learning platform that provides reading and math support through lessons, gamification, and assessments. They also provide online tutoring services, connecting district students to vetted tutors. The company is on a m…
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Mission Driven - Episode 11 - Dr. Eric Whitaker (Zing Health)
40:56
40:56
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40:56
Welcome back to Mission Driven. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Eric Whitaker, Co-Founder and CEO of Zing Health. Zing's mission is to address social determinants of health to reduce healthcare disparities among historically underserved populations. Their model complements clinical care with behavioral health and community care, collaboration wit…
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Mission Driven - Episode 10 - Muffi Ghadiali (Electriphi and Ford Pro)
31:18
31:18
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31:18
In this episode, we talk with Muffi Ghadiali. Muffi is the Founder of CEO of Electriphi which was recently acquired by Ford and now is the Head of Ford Pro Charging. Electriphi is a fleet electrification company at the forefront of the EV industry. They developed a fleet and charging management platform designed to simplify fleet electrification, s…
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Mission Driven - Episode 9 - Davida Herzl (Aclima)
36:20
36:20
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36:20
In this episode we talk with Davida Herzl, Co-founder and CEO of Aclima, a Public Benefit Corporation focused on environmental intelligence. Aclima has pioneered an entirely new way to measure and analyze air pollution and greenhouse gases, block by block and around the world. The Aclima hardware and software technology platform translates billions…
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Mission Driven - Episode 8 - Julia Collins (Planet FWD)
35:42
35:42
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35:42
In this episode, we talk with Julia Collins, Founder and CEO of Planet FWD about regenerative agriculture, founding her new sustainable food company, and raising money from a diverse group of investors. We dig into how having such a strong mission of sustainability has been an advantage for Planet FWD in building their brand, attracting talent, cre…
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Mission Driven - Episode 7 - Heidi Patel (Rethink Impact)
38:51
38:51
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38:51
In this episode, we talk with Heidi Patel, Managing Partner of Rethink Impact, a venture capital firm investing in women leaders using technology to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges in digital healthcare, ed-tech, economic empowerment, sustainability. We cover raising their latest fund during COVID, and the ongoing gap and opportunity…
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Mission Driven - Episode 6 - Marc Tarpenning (Tesla and Spero Ventures)
27:37
27:37
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27:37
Marc Tarpenning is the Co-founder of Tesla and a Venture Partner at Spero Ventures. He was one of the original co-founders of Tesla back in 2003 and shares with us the origin story of Tesla as a mission-driven company, and how that mission was a competitive advantage. Spero Ventures invests in early-stage technology companies solving critical probl…
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Mission Driven - Episode 5 - Nan Li (Obvious Ventures)
31:16
31:16
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31:16
Mission Driven is a conversation about startup founders on a mission to address the world’s biggest challenges and how they leverage their social mission for competitive advantage. In this episode we talked to Nan Li from Obvious Ventures about his career in venture, Obvious’ approach to ‘world positive’ investing, and the massive emerging opportun…
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Mission Driven - Episode 4 - Erica Mackey (MyVillage)
37:25
37:25
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37:25
Erica Mackey, Co-founder and CEO of MyVillage. 'Mission Driven' is a conversation about startup founders on a mission to address the world’s biggest challenges and how they leverage their social mission for competitive advantage. In this episode Erica shares her journey starting her first company, OffGrid Electric, and her current company MyVillage…
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Mission Driven - Episode 3 - Julie Lein (Urban Innovation Fund)
27:38
27:38
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27:38
Julie Lein, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Urban Innovation Fund, a venture firm that invests in the future of cities. 'Mission Driven' is a conversation about startup founders on a mission to address the world’s biggest challenges and how they leverage their social mission for competitive advantage. Today Connor and I explored, in particular, …
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Mission Driven - Episode 2 - Connor Landgraf (Eko Health)
23:12
23:12
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23:12
Connor Landgraf, Co-founder and CEO of Eko Health. 'Mission Driven' is a conversation about startup founders on a mission to address the world’s biggest challenges and how they leverage their social mission for competitive advantage. Today Connor and I explored, in particular, how he leverages his mission for hiring. Connor and Eko are on a mission…
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Mission Driven - Episode 1 - Meena Sankaran (KETOS)
31:10
31:10
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31:10
Welcome to our first episode of Mission Driven! We were excited to sit down with mission driven founder and inspiring leader, Meena Sankaran, Founder and CEO of KETOS. KETOS provides predictive and actionable smart water data needed for agricultural irrigation, industries and cities. In this episode we explore not just what drives her but how she l…
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