Founders And Funders

Heleo collaborates with prominent authors to curate thought-provoking ideas for users. The content is delivered under the Next Big Idea Club brand via a subscription model, offering access to podcasts, videos, e-books, and hardcover books. We connected with CEO Rufus Griscom to discuss how he’s aiming to complement the evolving trends of how we consume content — especially during the pandemic.

Levels Health has built a wearable device and dashboard that measures your metabolism, offering personalized insights into how different foods affect your body and well-being. Co-Founder Josh Clemente discusses his background at SpaceX, the importance of metabolic fitness, and how his company’s wearable device allows users to monitor and reinforce healthy habits.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Lolly Medical, Zachary Sweeney and his team are building a healthtech platform that allows patients to schedule a doctor’s appointment with the push of a button. Zach is a grant recipient from the 10,000 Entrepreneurs program (or 10KE), an initiative of Alumni Ventures Group aimed at helping young adults explore entrepreneurial careers.

Larry Jen is Managing Partner of Westwood Ventures, a venture capital fund for UCLA alums under the umbrella of Alumni Ventures Group. The Anderson School MBA discusses his investment experience in Silicon Valley, his decision to join Westwood, what it means to be a UCLA Bruin, and why his fellow alums should add venture capital to their portfolio.

Brianna Makaric struggled to find a healthy snack that fit her dietary needs. So she decided to create BRITE Bites, made with high-quality superfoods and probiotics to help support your immune and digestive systems. Brianna is a Grant Recipient from the 10,000 Entrepreneurs program (or 10KE), a nonprofit founded by Alumni Ventures Group to help young adults explore entrepreneurial careers.

Many people are unaware of the potential tax advantages available to accredited venture investors. Individuals invested in Qualified Small Business Stock can claim a federal tax exemption on up to $10M of capital gains. Peter Loukianoff of Strawberry Creek Ventures and Andrea Kushner of Alliance Bernstein discuss QSBS and other advantages of investing in venture capital.

Timi Dayo-Kayode co-founded Worksense to provide people ops professionals with scalable, real-time analytics for identifying, mitigating, and preventing biases in major decisions involving employees. Timi is a Grant Recipient from the 10,000 Entrepreneurs program (or 10KE), a nonprofit founded by Alumni Ventures Group to help young adults explore entrepreneurial careers.

Stanford alums and Tempo Co-Founders Greta Meyer and Amanda Calabrese looked at tampon leakage as an engineering problem and developed a solution based on fluid mechanics. Amanda and Greta are also Grant Recipients from the 10,000 Entrepreneurs (or 10KE) program, an initiative of Alumni Ventures Group aimed at helping young adults explore entrepreneurial careers. We caught up with them to talk about the need they’re addressing with Tempo and how they discovered their love of entrepreneurship.

Alumni Ventures Group's 10,000 Entrepreneurs (10KE) initiative is aimed at helping young adults explore entrepreneurial careers. The program is coordinated by Drew Wandzilak, a self-described entrepreneurial junkie who was attracted to AVG’s mission of expanding access to venture capital. Listen as Drew talks about the history, mission, and progress of the 10KE program.

Daniel Gartenberg is obsessed with sleep quality and its health benefits. So he and a team of technologists built a software tool that uses sound, atmosphere, and diagnostics to make sleep more regenerative. His hope is that people will eventually transition from using prescription sleep aids to software solutions that provide long-term benefits without negative side effects.

Over the last year, we’ve shared a series of bonus segments from Spirits & Startups, Alumni Ventures Group's investor appreciation event. In October 2019, AVG returned to Boston to host its latest installment of the series. Producer Scott Murphy joined the team in Boston to capture the sights and sounds of the event. Listen to our podcast from the event or read a summary below. Subscribe to Founders and Funders on iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Play, iHeartRADIO, and Android Podcast Players. Episode Summary This is Scott Murphy from Alumni Ventures Group, one of the most active venture capital firms in the world. I attended our largest Spirits & Startups event yet at our new Boston location in Post Office Square. I had the fantastic opportunity to talk with the entrepreneurs behind AVG portfolio companies, our AVG team members, and investors. Keep reading for a recap of this exciting evening. Hors d'oeuvres at Spirits + Startups. Keith Patankar photo. "It’s actually our fifth event and second time here in

The successful entrepreneur, product manager, and software engineer found something in the opportunity with Spike Ventures that didn't exist with more traditional VC firms. 

This CEO is taking every precaution to ensure his business gets the talent, visibility, and backing it needs to stay ahead of the life sciences pack.

Two Dartmouth alums are reinventing the laundry business in a way that delighted customers, shop owners, valets, and even VCs.

Kelsey Hunter, CEO of Paloma, spent six weeks acting as a chatbot to learn how to engage with customers in a messaging app. Now her venture-backed business is changing the way we shop online.

David Klein used his student loan struggles as a spark to provide a better option for the next generation of students.

From aerospace to factory floors, David Mindell is bringing precision navigation and "interconnectedness" to the world of robotics.

Laura Rippy (Managing Partner, Green D Ventures) and Lacey Johnson (Partner, Green D Ventures) discuss the rationale behind diversification when more companies are staying private than ever before. Subscribe to Founders and Funders on iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Play, iHeartRADIO, and Android Podcast Players. Episode Summary Every day, on the phone and at the firm's events across the U.S., AVG's investment teams speak with smart people who ask great questions. Chief among them centers on asset allocation and diversification: Why, at the simplest level, is it important? And how can venture capital take a good mix of investments to a great one? Diversification, after all, isn’t just a buzz word—it’s an actionable strategy with promise. Today on Founders & Funders, Laura Rippy and Lacey Johnson tell us why and how this is true. They’ll unpack the rationale behind diversification in a way that’s helpful no matter where you are in your investing journey. They’ll talk about time horizons and risk tolera

He may not represent an Ivy League school, but Greg Baker, Managing Partner of Bascom Ventures, says his fellow Badgers are more than keeping pace in the VC community.