On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Tyler Norwood, managing partner at Antler, a global firm focused on early stage investment. He talks Jim through his background, from moving to Vietnam directly after his college graduation, to his work in the fashion e-commerce space, eventually getting what he calls “a real world MBA,” launching Antler across Southeast Asia. He speaks about how he and his team connect founders and investors, untimely working their hardest to put young companies in a p...
Aug 09, 2022•57 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Anna Barber, Partner at M13 and head of their Launchpad program. Their wide-ranging discussion touches on the shifting landscape in today’s economy, how different values between generations influence the workforce, and inflation. Anna thoughtfully reflects on how to be a more considerate investor, and how her passions for addressing climate change, income inequality and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in LA’s Tech community influence her deci...
Jul 26, 2022•45 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with British Economist Sir Paul Collier to discuss the current state of Capitalism, and walk our listeners through historical reactions to economic crises around the world. He speaks about his working class upbringing, compares the 1840s and 1930s to today, and speaks about using the lessons of the past to inform the present.
Jun 30, 2022•52 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Melissa Weintraub, co-founder and executive director of Resetting the Table, an organization dedicated to dialogue across political divides. Their conversation touches on Melissa’s professional roots working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, growing up in a very politically red community, and how we can all do a better, healthier, job of communicating with one another.
Jun 09, 2022•50 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Cyrus Sigari of Up Partners, a venture firm at the forefront of transportation innovation. He speaks about his lifelong love of aviation and the journey of starting his firm centered around mobility. Cyrus and Jim discuss drone capabilities and taking cues from birds, sustainability related to technology, the massive benefits of AI in the transportation space, and inspiring the next generation of innovators. You don’t want to miss it!
May 05, 2022•42 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with David French, political commentator, senior editor of The Dispatch, and co-host of the Good Faith podcast. Their wide-ranging discussion covers the current US political climate and what he calls the ‘new culture war,’ the fundamental differences in thinking between liberals and conservatives, and the possibility of unity in today’s polarized world. A fascinating, nuanced discussion that you don’t want to miss!
Apr 06, 2022•53 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Neil Sequeira, founder and managing director at Defy, an early-stage venture fund focused on emerging high-potential investments. Neil walks Jim through his history in the corporate VC world, weathering downturns in the economy, and working towards positive change in consumer financial services. They talk about blockchain, the market, and a more socially conscious workforce. A stimulating conversation you don’t want to miss.
Mar 17, 2022•39 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with author and journalist Christopher Leonard to discuss his new book, The Lords of Easy Money How the Federal Reserve Broke the American Economy. Chris has spent his career writing about powerful institutions on behalf of the public and his new work examines how FED policy over the last fifteen years has shaped our current financial landscape. From Quantitative Easing, to Income Inequality to Asset Inflation, he covers it all. A fascinating conversation yo...
Feb 15, 2022•54 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Jordan Nof, co-founder of Tusk Venture Partners, a firm whose expertise in the regulatory space has made them a valuable partner to such companies as Bird, Lemonade, and FanDuel. Jordan walks Jim through the founding of the firm, his background in a more traditional investing space, and how Tusk’s experience with technology regulation makes them a strategic partner for many investors.
Jan 27, 2022•37 min
This week, Jim sits down with Grant Miller, founder and CEO of Replicated, a company built around a new way to package software. Grant walks Jim through how Replicated allows software vendors to scale the delivery of applications in a way that’s more portable, letting companies more securely protect their data by bringing applications to them. They talk about bringing a unique product to the marketplace, paving the way for the cloud, fostering a team mentality while working remotely during COVID...
Jan 11, 2022•27 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Adriana Saman of Clocktower Ventures, a Southern California based venture fund focused on investing in the future of financial services. She walks Jim through her background in investment banking and how the experience informs her work in the fintech space. She talks about the future of fintech as beyond simply vertical, Clocktower’s mission to be the best co-investor in the world, and how more creative sourcing strategies are integral for more diverse ...
Dec 16, 2021•32 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Scott Painter, founder and CEO of NextCar, a major disruptor on the sales side of the auto industry. Scott has devoted much of his career to solving the problem of car ownership – updating the model, reducing the headache, and making the marketplace more efficient. He and Jim discuss his journey from 1-800 Car Search to today, bringing a subscription model to car ownership, and how NextCar is leveraging dealer inventory in order to bring down customer a...
Dec 07, 2021•47 min
On this week’s episode, Jim speaks with writer and social entrepreneur Shaylyn Romney Garrett about how we got to where we are today. Author of The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again, Garrett covers a wide range of topics including income inequality, polarization, and social isolation. She highlights similarities between the Gilded Age and now and discusses how the standard narrative of the 20th century is in fact a misrepresentation. A fascinating discus...
Nov 11, 2021•55 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Michal Cieplinski, CBO of Pipe, a groundbreaking financial platform revolutionizing the way companies are funded. They discuss Pipe’s beginning, working strictly with Software as a Service companies before expanding into the larger marketplace. Their in-depth conversation explores how Pipe is reinventing debt and creating a new type of asset class.
Oct 28, 2021•34 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Maury Blackman, CEO of Premise Data, an innovative AI-driven decision engine geared toward collecting data that can help decision makers respond more effectively to real world events. Maury walks Jim through how Premise curates a network of data collection, working with members of the gig economy, all the while blending the human and technological sides of data collection. They talk about operating at scale, working with the US Government, and the ever-...
Oct 13, 2021•47 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Ryan Falvey, the co-founder and managing partner of Financial Venture Studio, and a pioneer in the fintech space. Ryan walks Jim through his background in mobile banking and payment platforms, discussing the massive upheaval at play in the financial sector – everything from a more curated financial experience to the changes in access to loans and the shift in the mortgage market. A fascinating and informative conversation. You will definitely want to tu...
Sep 21, 2021•38 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Erik Tarczynski, the founder of Contrary Capital, a venture fund focused on future leaders in engineering and design. Their conversation touches on the Contrary origin story, how Eric scouts, evaluates, and supports talent, and operating remotely long before COVID-19. Eric has some interesting ideas about work/life balance, mental health innovation and how to build a community focused on the next generation of venture tech. This is not to be missed! Tra...
Sep 14, 2021•34 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Will Schmitt of Miroma Ventures, the investing arm of The Miroma Group, an international firm focused on growth stage consumer brands and media platforms. Will walks Jim through his finance oriented background building models and doing financial diligence, and how working with food and beverage companies informs his work today. He talks about Miroma’s position as a long term strategic marketing partner, and the generational changes happening before our ...
Aug 31, 2021•42 min
On this week’s episode, Jim sits down with Elizabeth Edwards of H Venture Partners for a fascinating discussion covering a variety of topics, including the power of diverse lived experience in the venture world, the benefits of gender parity in finance, and investing in the consumer space through companies like Peloton. Their conversation covers Elizabeth’s background, including her time in M&A at Deloitte, as well as the role transparency plays in the founding and success of new companies. ...
Aug 10, 2021•42 min
On this week’s episode, Jim is joined by Kristina Serafim, managing director at Verizon Ventures. They touch on a wide range of topics, including Kristina’s background as an engineer, co-founding companies that eventually got acquired, and investing in state of the art technology like 5G and vertical AI. Kristina discusses how Verizon’s ecosystem provides resources to young companies beyond simply capital, and walks us through the new industrial revolution of 5G/ AI, helping to create smart citi...
Aug 03, 2021•45 min
This week, Jim speaks with Brad Feld, author of the recently published The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche, as well as co-founder of Foundry Group, a tech-focused venture fund located in Boulder Colorado. Brad and Jim discuss how Brad accidentally became a venture capitalist, gender and racial equity in the venture world, and setting aside bias as a leader. They then move onto the advantages of Zoom meetings over old-school IPO roadshows (especially during the fundraising stage) and Brad’s exper...
Jul 13, 2021•52 min
This week, Jim sits down with Vern Howard, co-founder and CEO of Hallo, the digital events platform transforming the job fair market. Over the course of their conversation, Vern talks Jim through the the difficulties students face getting into the right rooms and the science behind finding applicants the proper job fit. Vern shares his experience relocating the company to LA from San Francisco right before the pandemic, working remotely, and speaks about other founders and CEOs he admires.
May 25, 2021•32 min
On this week’s episode, Jim talks with Sean Harper of Westlake Village BIOPartners about Sean’s experience working on the front lines of the medical technology industry. They discuss Sean’s background as a more traditional medical practitioner, his move into drug discovery, and how he and his partners run their current fund. Sean shares his views on biology as an engineering based discipline, accepting uncertainty in the state of biology today, and the near limitless opportunities for innovation...
Apr 20, 2021•40 min
Today, in a very special episode of THE PUCK, our guest is… host Jim Baer! That’s right -- after three seasons of asking the questions, Jim will now occupy the hot seat himself. In a wide-ranging conversation guided by PUCK producer Caitlin Lalezari, Jim takes us on a deep-dive, starting with his childhood, and covering his legal background, culminating in his own personal opinion on… where the puck is going. Without spoiling too much, this is not a conversation you want to miss!
Apr 07, 2021•36 min
William Quigley is back in the second of our two-part series on the present state and future of cryptocurrency. After their first episode touched on blockchain in the global marketplace and our current financial structures, William and Jim spend time talking about blockchain as a secure record, the ease of auditing an un-editable database, the advantages of the lack of gatekeeping in the crypto marketplace, and the difference between Ethereum and Bitcoin. After diving into Augmented Reality, Wil...
Mar 17, 2021•28 min
William Quigley, Tether co-founder and Crypto pioneer, returns to the podcast in the first of a two-part series about the present state and future of cryptocurrency. He and Jim discuss the advantages of blockchain and a global commodity, how crypto might integrate with our current financial structures, and Bitcoin as a finite resource. William also clears up some misconceptions about crypto and whether Bitcoin can really be considered “currency.”
Mar 10, 2021•35 min
Brian Garrett, co-founder of Crosscut Ventures, talks with Jim about the strategies he employed while building one of Southern California’s preeminent venture capital firms and what he learned as co-founder of one of the earliest funds to base itself in LA. They touch on the talent migration, the kind of founders he likes to back, and the ways COVID has impacted every aspect of life, from meeting entrepreneurs remotely, to conducing diligence, to how we consume media and entertainment.
Feb 09, 2021•43 min
Aubrie Pagano and Ryan Freedman, partners at Alpaca VC, join Jim for a thoughtful discussion about the benefits of bringing diversity into the venture ecosystem and the actions they are taking to support this. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent to working remotely, and the long-term effects this year may have on an the ever-changing financial landscape.
Dec 01, 2020•40 min
In today’s episode, Jim sits down with Richard Duncan, economist and author of such books as The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures; The Corruption of Capitalism: A strategy to rebalance the global economy and restore sustainable growth; and The New Depression: The Breakdown Of The Paper Money Economy. Richard currently produces a video newsletter called Macro Watch that analyzes trends in the global economy and discusses how these trends are likely to impact the financial markets, which...
Oct 19, 2020•53 min
In Jim’s first *remote* episode, he sits down with Andre Gharakhanian and Gaurav Mathur, founders of Silicon Legal Strategy, a boutique law firm providing targeted, bottom-line-oriented advice to technology startups, innovative entrepreneurs and seasoned investors. Over the course of their conversation, they touch on the current state of the financial world, the rewards of mentorship, and the challenges of running a business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sep 09, 2020•45 min
