The Syndicate

Matt Ward

Welcome to The Syndicate, the place where investors and startups combine to create crazy businesses and even crazier returns. The Syndicate podcast is a deep dive on the angel investors and VCs behind the big name startups. We interview the best and brightest investors, syndicate leads, GPs, limited partners and startup founders to create an original, off the cuff discussion on startup investing. With a focus on strategies and tactics, mistakes and massive money makers, we hope to help AngelList investors and venture capitalists create unfair advantages in their investment portfolios. Recurring investment themes include Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, Blockchain, B2B, AI, Big Data, AdTech, Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare, IoT, Fintech, Biotech, Ecommerce and of course Mobile. Other topics include lean startup, marketing strategies, growth hacking, business development, startup equity, fundraising, KPIs, incubators and accelerators, hiring, acquisitions, IPOs, ICOs and more. read less

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Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Are you a climate or impact startup looking for funding? Are you an investor looking for interesting world-positive companies to invest in? Then let me introduce you to The Startup Tank presented by 4WARD.VC, the ultimate startup investor pitch contest where top climate tech and impact founders pitch to a panel of VCs looking to... The post Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast appeared first on The Syndicate.

Episodes

Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Are you a climate or impact startup looking for funding? Are you an investor looking for interesting world-positive companies to invest in? Then let me introduce you to The Startup Tank presented by 4WARD.VC, the ultimate startup investor pitch contest where top climate tech and impact founders pitch to a panel of VCs looking to... The post Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast appeared first on The Syndicate.

Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast

Are you a climate or impact startup looking for funding? Are you an investor looking for interesting world-positive companies to invest in? Welcome to The Startup Tank presented by 4WARD.VC 4WARD.VC angel group, a special Swiss-focused startup pitch competition where founders pitch their project to our investor panel including the Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC),... The post Announcing The Startup Tank Climate Investor Pitch Podcast appeared first on The Syndicate.

Objectivity is a Fictitious Thing We Like to Pretend Exists | Charles Arthur

Objectivity is a Fictitious Thing We Like to Pretend Exists | Charles Arthur

Charles Arthur (@CharlesArthur) is a former technology editor of the Guardian and the author of Cyber Wars: Hacks That Shocked the Business World covering some of the world’s biggest cyber attacks. He also played a large role in the UK’s Free Our Data campaign to persuade the government to make non-personal government data available for free reuse.... The post Objectivity is a Fictitious Thing We Like to Pretend Exists | Charles Arthur appeared first on The Syndicate.

Investing in Meditation, Mindfulness, Psychedelics for a Better Mental Health Future | Charlie Hartwell

Investing in Meditation, Mindfulness, Psychedelics for a Better Mental Health Future | Charlie Hartwell

Charlie Hartwell (@ShiftIt_Inst) is an Operating Partner at the Bridge Builders Collaborative, a consumer health tech investment group that invested early in Pear Therapeutics, Insight Timer and Headspace, in addition to being a “Change Agent” focused on igniting consciousness, mindfulness, and creating a more connected human world. In today’s episode we discuss: Where are headed with consumer health tech and... The post Investing in Meditation, Mindfulness, Psychedelics for a Better Mental Health Future | Charlie Hartwell appeared first on The Syndicate.

REPLAY: Cory Doctorow – Political Fallout of COVID-19, Possible Economic and Healthcare Changes, and Why It’s Time for a New Deal to Overcome Late-Stage Capitalism

REPLAY: Cory Doctorow – Political Fallout of COVID-19, Possible Economic and Healthcare Changes, and Why It’s Time for a New Deal to Overcome Late-Stage Capitalism

Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) is the best selling science fiction author, blogger, and technology activist. He is the co-editor of the popular weblog Boing Boing), a contributor to many magazines, websites, and newspapers and a special consultant to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards,... The post REPLAY: Cory Doctorow – Political Fallout of COVID-19, Possible Economic and Healthcare Changes, and Why It’s Time for a New Deal to Overcome Late-Stage Capitalism appeared first on The Syndicate.

The Divergence of AR and VR and Connectivity, Collaboration and Entertainment in a Post COVID World | Tony Parisi

The Divergence of AR and VR and Connectivity, Collaboration and Entertainment in a Post COVID World | Tony Parisi

Tony Parisi (@auradeluxe) is a virtual reality pioneer, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor. He co-created several, 3D graphics standards, is Head of AR/VR Ad Innovation at Unity Technologies, and author several O’Reilly Media books on virtual reality and WebGL. Today, Tony is has a leading spokesman for the immersive industry and was recently named one... The post The Divergence of AR and VR and Connectivity, Collaboration and Entertainment in a Post COVID World | Tony Parisi appeared first on The Syndicate.

Leading Spain in Paris Accords and Pushing Climate Policy Today | Miguel Arias Cañete

Leading Spain in Paris Accords and Pushing Climate Policy Today | Miguel Arias Cañete

Miguel Arias Cañete was the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy and led the EU negotiations of the Paris Agreement. He’s now involved with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation which has launched the Prize for Humanity, an annual €1m award for people or organizations from all over the world focused on mitigation of, and adaptation to climate... The post Leading Spain in Paris Accords and Pushing Climate Policy Today | Miguel Arias Cañete appeared first on The Syndicate.

Blockchain, Building Recycled Plastic Homes and Redistributing Wealth | Morten Bove

Blockchain, Building Recycled Plastic Homes and Redistributing Wealth | Morten Bove

Morten Bove (@mbove) is the founder and CEO of Wohn Homes, a Danish startup revolutionizing modular, eco-friendly affordable housing designed with tokenized ownership for students. Morten also runs Block21, a blockchain-focused tech podcast on the future of decentralization. In today’s episode we discuss: How recycled plastic can be used to make sustainable housing Why inequality is the driving factor in... The post Blockchain, Building Recycled Plastic Homes and Redistributing Wealth | Morten Bove appeared first on The Syndicate.

Eco-Friendly B Corps, Dropping Disposables and Building a More Equitable World for All | Carinne Chambers-Saini

Eco-Friendly B Corps, Dropping Disposables and Building a More Equitable World for All | Carinne Chambers-Saini

Carinne Chambers-Saini is the founder and CEO of DivaCup, an eco-tech startup focused on making feminine health more sustainable. She’s been awarded the EY Entrepreneur of The Year for Sustainable Products and Services, been recognized as one of Canada’s 40 under 40, and her company, Diva has ranked 138 on the 2018 GROWTH 500 list and... The post Eco-Friendly B Corps, Dropping Disposables and Building a More Equitable World for All | Carinne Chambers-Saini appeared first on The Syndicate.

Solving the Climate Crisis by Fixing the Politics of Kyoto Protocol and Paris Accords | Gerald Kutney

Solving the Climate Crisis by Fixing the Politics of Kyoto Protocol and Paris Accords | Gerald Kutney

Gerald Kutney (@geraldkutney) is a climate scientist, professor, journalist/speaker, author and founder/consultant of 6esm, a C-level consulting firm focused on the bio-economy, renewable energy and the politics of the Kyoto Protocol and others like it. Gerald’s a frequent contributor to the HuffingtonPost, Canada’s National Observer and is the author of the peer-reviewed: Carbon Politics and... The post Solving the Climate Crisis by Fixing the Politics of Kyoto Protocol and Paris Accords | Gerald Kutney appeared first on The Syndicate.

Venture Bubbles, the Trade War and Tech Investing in the 2020s | Chip Meakem

Venture Bubbles, the Trade War and Tech Investing in the 2020s | Chip Meakem

Chip Meakem is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Tribeca Venture Partners. Prior to co-founding Tribeca, Chip worked at both Kodiak Venture Partners and DFJ Gotham. Previous notable acquired investments include Appnexus, Ingenio and Q-Link. Listen and Learn: How quantum computing will change the world forever What areas Chip sees as the biggest opportunities to invest... The post Venture Bubbles, the Trade War and Tech Investing in the 2020s | Chip Meakem appeared first on The Syndicate.

Tackling Climate Change With Economic Incentives and Circular Economics | Andrew Winston

Tackling Climate Change With Economic Incentives and Circular Economics | Andrew Winston

Andrew Winston is the founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, author of The Big Pivot and Green Recovery, and coauthored Green to Gold, the best-selling guide to what works — and what doesn’t — when companies go green. He’s a globally recognized expert on green business and has appeared in WSJ, Time, BusinessWeek, NYTimes, and CNBC. His clients... The post Tackling Climate Change With Economic Incentives and Circular Economics | Andrew Winston appeared first on The Syndicate.

Saving Lives and Stopping Disease Through Clean Air and Startup Innovations | Jaya Rao

Saving Lives and Stopping Disease Through Clean Air and Startup Innovations | Jaya Rao

Jaya Rao is the co-founder of Molekule, a transformative SF based startup that’s raised $38M+ to tackle the clean air problem worldwide, starting in people’s homes to promote a healthier future. Prior to Molekule, Jaya focused with Stanford’s Public Sector InnovationLabs to work with citizens to redesign public transit. Listen and Learn: The epidemic of air... The post Saving Lives and Stopping Disease Through Clean Air and Startup Innovations | Jaya Rao appeared first on The Syndicate.

Eyes in the Sky Surveillance, Drone Warfare and the Future of Freedom | Arthur Holland Michel

Eyes in the Sky Surveillance, Drone Warfare and the Future of Freedom | Arthur Holland Michel

Arthur Holland Michel (@writeauthor) is a writer and researcher focused on drones, surveillance, artificial intelligence, robots, the arts, immigration, and movies for topnotch publications like Wired, Vice, The Verge, Fast Company, Motherboard, Al Jazeera America, U.S. News and more. Arthur’s the author of EYES IN THE SKY, about the rise of advanced aerial surveillance technology... The post Eyes in the Sky Surveillance, Drone Warfare and the Future of Freedom | Arthur Holland Michel appeared first on The Syndicate.

Coal is Dead, Climate Change is Real, and Bezos and Alexa for President | Nikolas Badminton

Coal is Dead, Climate Change is Real, and Bezos and Alexa for President | Nikolas Badminton

Nikolas Badminton is a world-respected futurist speaker, author, and researcher. He wows audiences with keynote speeches on the impact of exponential technologies including: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality; Work Productivity; The Sharing Economy; Autonomous Transportation; Smart Cities; Education; The Future of AI integrated with Life and Business; and Predictions for humanity from 2017 to 2030, and... The post Coal is Dead, Climate Change is Real, and Bezos and Alexa for President | Nikolas Badminton appeared first on The Syndicate.

Smart Cities that Function Like Startups and Ayesha Khanna

Smart Cities that Function Like Startups and Ayesha Khanna

Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) solutions firm and incubator that was named one of 4 top AI companies in Asia. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities, and fintech to leading corporations and governments and serves on the Board of Infocomm Media Development... The post Smart Cities that Function Like Startups and Ayesha Khanna appeared first on The Syndicate.

Blockchain, Isolationism, Space Exploration and the Future of Nations | David Orban of Singularity University

Blockchain, Isolationism, Space Exploration and the Future of Nations | David Orban of Singularity University

David Orban is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker and the Founder and Managing Partner of Network Society Ventures, a seed stage global investment firm focused on innovative startups at the intersection of exponential technologies and decentralized networks. An early adopter of blockchain and an active Bitcoin investor since 2010, he was the first to own Ether... The post Blockchain, Isolationism, Space Exploration and the Future of Nations | David Orban of Singularity University appeared first on The Syndicate.

Arduino Co-founder David Cuartielles on the Open Source Movement and Future of Education

Arduino Co-founder David Cuartielles on the Open Source Movement and Future of Education

David Cuartielles is the co-founder and co-creator of Arduino the open hardware platform Arduino, which has become a leading platform for DIY electronics and which earned the team an Honorary Mention at the Ars Electronica Digital Community Prix 2006, the SER price 2015, the FIUM price 2017, and an Ashoka Fellowship 2017, among others. David’s work spans... The post Arduino Co-founder David Cuartielles on the Open Source Movement and Future of Education appeared first on The Syndicate.

Catching the Most Notorious Spy in US History and Why James Bond’s Just a Hacker | Eric O’Neill

Catching the Most Notorious Spy in US History and Why James Bond’s Just a Hacker | Eric O’Neill

Eric O’Neill is an accomplished speaker, security expert and author that presents keynotes about espionage and national security, cybersecurity, fraud, corporate diligence and defense, hacking, pursuing one’s dreams and surviving Hollywood. Eric has worked as an FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, a national security attorney, as a corporate security consultant and founded The Georgetown Group, a... The post Catching the Most Notorious Spy in US History and Why James Bond’s Just a Hacker | Eric O’Neill appeared first on The Syndicate.

Designer Babies, Reviving the Neanderthals and Funding Fundamental Science | Prosanta Chakrabarty

Designer Babies, Reviving the Neanderthals and Funding Fundamental Science | Prosanta Chakrabarty

Prosanta Chakrabarty is a systematist and an ichthyologist studying the evolution and biogeography of both freshwater and marine fishes. His work includes studies of Neotropical (Central and South America, Caribbean) and Indo-West Pacific (Indian and Western Pacific Ocean) fishes. Prosanta is an Associate Professor and Curator of Fishes at the Museum of Natural Science and Department... The post Designer Babies, Reviving the Neanderthals and Funding Fundamental Science | Prosanta Chakrabarty appeared first on The Syndicate.