Refine
Clear All
Your Track:
Live:
Search in:
The Syndicate
The Syndicate

The Syndicate

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.

Available Episodes 10


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 fund world-positive cleantech, sustainability, health and impact startups looking to move the world forward.



If you’ve ever wanted a chance to pitch your company or get in front of VCs and angel investors, now is your time to shine.



Learn more and apply at thestartuptank.com







Subscribe to The Startup Tank on your favorite podcasting platform of choice:



Apple Podcast | Spotify | Youtube | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Anchor







TODAY’S PRESENTING STARTUPS INCLUDE:



* wiCow: Reducing cow birthing deaths from 6% to 1%.* Bomway: The Alibaba of sustainable product/supplier sourcing* DOTS: Soil sensing to stop billions in fertilizer runoff pollution* Materials Nexus: Harnessing AI to develop sustainable new materials* Foodsquared: Upcycling food and drink by-products into plant-based proteins* Voltiris: Transforming greenhouses into renewable solar powerplants



Investor Panelists:



* Sven Meyer – Investor at 4Impact VC* Madeline Lawrence – Investor at Peak Capital* Ricardo Camarinha – Investor at Teal Impact



About 4WARD.VC’s Angel Syndicate:



4WARD.VC’s angel group invests in mission-driven pre seed and seed stage startups moving the world forward by tackling big problems in the areas of commerce/ecommerce, platforms/marketplaces, consumer tech, fintech, cleantech & climate change, B2B/enterprise, hardware-as-a-service and of course software/SaaS.For more information on 4WARD.VC and our angel syndicate:



4WARD.VC/syndicate







About The Startup Tank:



YCombinator popularized the demo day. Shark Tank revolutionized the investor pitch. We take the best of both worlds combined with the Covid-fueled remote nature of everything to bring you The Startup Tank Demo Days presented by 4WARD.VC, the startup pitch fest where founders get to pitch to prospective investors, possible cofounders and the tech ecosystem as a whole. If you’ve ever wanted a chance to pitch your company or get in front of VCs and angel investors, now is your time to shine. 



About the host:



Matt Ward is a serial entrepreneur & startup advisor, lead’s 4WARD.VC’s angel syndicate focused on early-stage climate and impact companies that move the world forward and Ve...


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), Sparrow Ventures and Wingman as well as investors and VCs tuning in from across the globe.



If you’ve ever wanted a chance to pitch your company or get in front of VCs and angel investors, now is your time to shine.



Learn more and apply at thestartuptank.com







Subscribe to The Startup Tank on your favorite podcasting platform of choice:



Apple Podcast | Spotify | Youtube | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Anchor







PRESENTING STARTUPS INCLUDE:



* Voltiris: Transforming greenhouses into renewable solar powerplants* Potiio – Soft drink flavor, 30% less sugar – no artificial flavoring.* Zario – Free yourself from your phone and get on with your life.* Raush: Your travel recommendations bookable directly via social media* Footsnap: Foot scanning to ensure online shoes shopping always fits* Kapsly: An all-in-one startup services for equity platform* Blue Salmon: Aquacultured sustainable Swiss salmon



Investor Panelists:



* Thomas Ackermann – Director of SICTIC* Antonia Albert – Investor at Wingman Ventures* Claudius Stammbach – Investor at Sparrow Ventures



About 4WARD.VC’s Angel Syndicate:



4WARD.VC’s angel group invests in mission-driven pre seed and seed stage startups moving the world forward by tackling big problems in the areas of commerce/ecommerce, platforms/marketplaces, consumer tech, fintech, cleantech & climate change, B2B/enterprise, hardware-as-a-service and of course software/SaaS.For more information on 4WARD.VC and our angel syndicate:



4WARD.VC/syndicate







About The Startup Tank:



YCombinator popularized the demo day. Shark Tank revolutionized the investor pitch. We take the best of both worlds combined with the Covid-fueled remote nature of everything to bring you The Startup Tank Demo Days presented by 4WARD.VC, the startup pitch fest where founders get to pitch to prospective investors, possible cofounders and the tech ecosystem as a whole. If you’ve ever wanted a chance to pitch your company or get in front of VCs and angel investors, now is your time to shine. 



About the host:



Matt Ward is a serial entrepreneur & startup advisor, lead’s 4WARD.

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.



In today’s episode we discuss:



* Thoughts on data-powered totalitarianism
* A deeper dive into social media’s ability to influence us, and democracy
* How data privacy and surveillance have changed in the last ten years
* Why open-sourcing government data is a good thing
* How mission-driven journalism both helps and hurts the world
* A bold proposal to improve democratic outcomes
* How to avoid heading towards 1984
* Just how bad is the surveillance economy today
* Which of the tech giants Charles is most worried about and why
* Charles thoughts on COVID contact tracing



Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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.



In today’s episode we discuss:



* Thoughts on data-powered totalitarianism
* A deeper dive into social media’s ability to influence us, and democracy
* How data privacy and surveillance have changed in the last ten years
* Why open-sourcing government data is a good thing
* How mission-driven journalism both helps and hurts the world
* A bold proposal to improve democratic outcomes
* How to avoid heading towards 1984
* Just how bad is the surveillance economy today
* Which of the tech giants Charles is most worried about and why
* Charles thoughts on COVID contact tracing



Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.

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 consciousness
* Why Charlie’s afraid our collective ability to live together
* How mindfulness and meditation can help us get through this COVID crisis
* The role of psychedelics in shifting mental health
* Why meditation may just be the next best medic
* Which alternative health practices hold the most promise for the future of healthcare
* What Charlie thinks we should do for a more mentally-sound world
* Why we’re treating patients and health all wrong
* How investment dollars drive innovation
* Why the psychedelic movement of today is much more than a fad
* What’s the future of wearable tech





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 consciousness
* Why Charlie’s afraid our collective ability to live together
* How mindfulness and meditation can help us get through this COVID crisis
* The role of psychedelics in shifting mental health
* Why meditation may just be the next best medic
* Which alternative health practices hold the most promise for the future of healthcare
* What Charlie thinks we should do for a more mentally-sound world
* Why we’re treating patients and health all wrong
* How investment dollars drive innovation
* Why the psychedelic movement of today is much more than a fad
* What’s the future of wearable tech





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.

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, and treaties. He holds an honorary doctorate in computer science from the Open University (UK), where he is a Visiting Professor; he is also an MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate. In 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California. His novels have been translated into dozens of languages and are published by Tor Books, Head of Zeus (UK), Titan Books (UK) and HarperCollins (UK). He has won the Locus, Prometheus, Copper Cylinder, White Pine and Sunburst Awards, and been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and British Science Fiction Awards. Several of his award-winning novels include:

* Little Brother
* Homeland
* Pirate Cinema

Cory also co-founded the open-source peer-to-peer software company OpenCola and serves on the boards and advisory boards of the Participatory Culture Foundation, the Clarion Foundation, the Open Technology Fund and the Metabrainz Foundation.

Listen and Learn:

* Possible geopolitical consequence of the COVID-19 epidemic
* New ways to consider the role of economics and market forces post Corona
* Why Cory thinks much of Europe will push further left after the world normalizes
* The reason Cory isn’t worried about a post-COVID new Patriot Act
* Why today feels a lot like post-WWII oligarchy capitalism
* The five new horsemen of the battle for individual privacy
* How to avoid self-destructive late-stage capitalism
* Why Coronavirus death and fallout may swing the future of US politics
* Why the US is WAY more socialized than citizens think
* How we could fund a successful Green New Deal
* What were the true impacts of Edward Snowden
* Are we headed toward a constant location-based tracking and surveillance
* What worries Cory most about today’s epidemic climate

Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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, and treaties. He holds an honorary doctorate in computer science from the Open University (UK), where he is a Visiting Professor; he is also an MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate. In 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California. His novels have been translated into dozens of languages and are published by Tor Books, Head of Zeus (UK), Titan Books (UK) and HarperCollins (UK). He has won the Locus, Prometheus, Copper Cylinder, White Pine and Sunburst Awards, and been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and British Science Fiction Awards. Several of his award-winning novels include:

* Little Brother

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 of Next Reality’s 30 People to Watch in Augmented Reality in 2019.

 
Listen and Learn:

* Where are we on the AR and VR adoption cycle
* What the future of AR/VR holds and why they will diverge
* How COVID-19 is pushing us towards an immersive future
* The big differences between consumer and enterprise VR adoption
* Why Facebook and Oculus are well-placed to dominate virtual reality
* Which sci-fi inspirations are most realistic for augmented and virtual reality
* What’s the future look like for the entertainment industry
* Why Tony isn’t all that worried about any future tech
* How tech life cycles are accelerating and what it all means
* Why we have reached a tipping point in consumer VR adoption

 





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 of Next Reality’s 30 People to Watch in Augmented Reality in 2019.

 
Listen and Learn:

* Where are we on the AR and VR adoption cycle
* What the future of AR/VR holds and why they will diverge
* How COVID-19 is pushing us towards an immersive future
* The big differences between consumer and enterprise VR adoption
* Why Facebook and Oculus are well-placed to dominate virtual reality
* Which sci-fi inspirations are most realistic for augmented and virtual reality
* What’s the future look like for the entertainment industry
* Why Tony isn’t all that worried about any future tech
* How tech life cycles are accelerating and what it all means
* Why we have reached a tipping point in consumer VR adoption

 





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.

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 change.
Miguel has served the Spanish Government as both the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Agriculture, Food and Environment before being selected to head his Party List in the European Parliamentary elections.


 
Listen and Learn:

* The unique challenges that went into crafting the Paris Accord
* What the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement means for climate policy
* How hard it is to ensure collective action on big problems
* China’s role in addressing the environment
* Why Miguel thinks the US will rejoin the Paris Accords
* How the EU is leading the effort on decarbonization
* What to think about nuclear energy
* The reason transportation is so hard to go green
* What happens if we don’t reach climate goals
* The problems of bureaucracy and why the EU is actually pretty efficient
* Which agritech areas are most important to reduce global warming
* How business can be used as a force for good
* Are we headed for a future of mass migrations
* Why democracy is a stronger governance system than centralized economies in the long run
* How China’s policy on coal could crush climate goals

Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 change.
Miguel has served the Spanish Government as both the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Minister for Agriculture, Food and Environment before being selected to head his Party List in the European Parliamentary elections.


 
Listen and Learn:

* The unique challenges that went into crafting the Paris Accord
* What the US’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement means for climate policy
* How hard it is to ensure collective action on big problems
* China’s role in addressing the environment
* Why Miguel thinks the US will rejoin the Paris Accords
* How the EU is leading the effort on decarbonization
* What to think about nuclear energy
* The reason transportation is so hard to go green
* What happens if we don’t reach climate goals
* The problems of bureaucracy and why the EU is actually pretty efficient
* Which agritech areas are most important to reduce global warming
* How business can be used as a force for good
* Are we headed for a future of mass migrations

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 almost all social unrest
* What does the future of cities look like
* Why Morten is big on blockchain and tokenization
* What happens now that the ICO bubble burst, and where crypto is headed
* The big difference between European and US startups
* Why smaller countries make things simpler
* How to build better triple-bottom-line businesses (here’s a free guide for founders)
* How business can be used as a force for good
* Why it’s so hard for startups to raise funding (ps. here’s a free pitch deck guide!)
* The scary truth about surveillance and privacy
* Why Trump pulling out of the Paris accord wasn’t all bad





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 almost all social unrest
* What does the future of cities look like
* Why Morten is big on blockchain and tokenization
* What happens now that the ICO bubble burst, and where crypto is headed
* The big difference between European and US startups
* Why smaller countries make things simpler
* How to build better triple-bottom-line businesses (here’s a free guide for founders)
* How business can be used as a force for good
* Why it’s so hard for startups to raise funding (ps. here’s a free pitch deck guide!)
* The scary truth about surveillance and privacy
* Why Trump pulling out of the Paris accord wasn’t all bad





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.

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 103 on the 2017 PROFIT 500 list, along with being recognized as one of Waterloo’s Top Employers for 2019.




Listen and Learn:


* How to design more eco-friendly products and businesses
* Why packaged goods and disposables are ruining our world
* Advantages of self-funding startups
* Why funding’s harder for female founders
* Ways Carinne would improve the education system
* The benefits of building a certified B Corp
* Why businesses need to be the ones to drive a better world
* How to build better triple-bottom-line businesses (here’s a free guide for founders)
* The reason Carinne’s more-than-worried about screen time for her kids
* Why social media is such a powerful force for good, and bad
* How DivaCup is addressing inequality in a big way
* What does the future of jobs look like
* Why focus trumps everything for founders and success

Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 103 on the 2017 PROFIT 500 list, along with being recognized as one of Waterloo’s Top Employers for 2019.




Listen and Learn:


* How to design more eco-friendly products and businesses
* Why packaged goods and disposables are ruining our world
* Advantages of self-funding startups
* Why funding’s harder for female founders
* Ways Carinne would improve the education system
* The benefits of building a certified B Corp
* Why businesses need to be the ones to drive a better world
* How to build better triple-bottom-line businesses (here’s a free guide for founders)
* The reason Carinne’s more-than-worried about screen time for her kids
* Why social media is such a powerful force for good, and bad
* How DivaCup is addressing inequality in a big way
* What does the future of jobs look like
* Why focus trumps everything for founders and success

Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.

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 Failure of the Kyoto Protocol – in search for an answer to the failure of the international community to act on climate change.





Listen and Learn:

* The main reasons the Kyoto Protocol failed
* What caused the climate denier movement and how to stop it
* How a carbon tax credit system is working well in Canada
* What propaganda is doing to political discourse
* How everyone can do their part to fighting climate change
* Did social media break democracy
* Unique ideas to change public perception of climate science
* How bad is the state of fake news and propaganda
* Why we still haven’t solved the collective action problem
* The importance of arguing against false beliefs
* Gerald’s thoughts on authoritarianism and inaction
* How tax breaks could incentivize innovation and investment in green tech
* The scary truth about geoengineering
* Why corporate campaign contributions are one of the biggest issues in America





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.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 Failure of the Kyoto Protocol – in search for an answer to the failure of the international community to act on climate change.





Listen and Learn:

* The main reasons the Kyoto Protocol failed
* What caused the climate denier movement and how to stop it
* How a carbon tax credit system is working well in Canada
* What propaganda is doing to political discourse
* How everyone can do their part to fighting climate change
* Did social media break democracy
* Unique ideas to change public perception of climate science
* How bad is the state of fake news and propaganda
* Why we still haven’t solved the collective action problem
* The importance of arguing against false beliefs
* Gerald’s thoughts on authoritarianism and inaction
* How tax breaks could incentivize innovation and investment in green tech
* The scary truth about geoengineering
* Why corporate campaign contributions are one of the biggest issues in America





Are you an accredited investor? Apply to join our angel syndicate if you’d like to access our deal flow.