Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

• Leadership Redefined: Inside the Playbooks of AANHPI Founders and Funders

  In this AANHPI Heritage Month special, we go beyond the headlines to uncover the real strategies behind extraordinary leaders who happen to be Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander.  From billion-dollar founders to high-conviction investors, this episode dives into the mindset, grit, and quiet strength that drive lasting impact—not just success. You'll hear unfiltered insights from Melanie Perkins, Canva; Steve Chen, YouTube; Cathy Gao, Sapphire Venture; Kimberly Yao, CloudEats; Lisa Su, AMD; Momei Qu, PSP Partner; and James Rhee, the red helicopter; as they redefine what it means to lead in today’s world.  This isn’t just about representation—it’s about outperformance. TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS 0:00 - Intro 0:52 - Key Takeaway #1: Entrepreneurial Grit and Innovation 09:06 - Key Takeaway #2: Leadership Lessons 15:37 - Key Takeaway #3: The Quiet Power of Humility 20:28 - Final takeaway: Treat grit as an input. Identity as insight. And never underestimate the quiet builders. WATCH THE FULL EPISODES: Journey after YouTube w/ Steve Chen, Draco Evolution https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/journey-after-youtube-steve-chen-draco/ Enterprise is Eating The World with Cathy Gao, Sapphire Ventures https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/enterprise-is-eating-the-world-cathy-gao-sapphire-ventures/ Bite: Evolving as a CEO That Your Company Needs with Kim Yao, CloudEats https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/bite-evolving-CEO-scaling-company-kim-yao-cloudeats/ Investing with Penny Pritzker and Building a Robust Venture & Growth Practice with Momei Qu, MD, PSP Partners https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/building-robust-venture-growth-practice-with-momei-qu-md-psp/ CEO Series: Lisa Su, AMD https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/ceo-series-lisa-su-amd/ CEO Series: Melanie Perkins, Canva https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/ceo-series-melanie-perkins-canva/ Leading with Kindness: The Power of Goodwill with James Rhee, Owner, Red Helicopter, TEDTalk Speaker https://www.billiondollarmoves.com/leading-with-kindness-the-power-of-goodwill-james-rhee-red-helicopter/ - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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• The LP-to-GP Journey: Rewriting VC Playbook With A Marketing Edge w/ Laurel Mintz, Fabric VC

  Laurel Mintz is not your typical VC. At just 26, she stepped in to run her father’s Bassett Furniture business — managing 60 employees and learning leadership the hard way. From there, she launched ⁠Elevate My Brand⁠, a marketing powerhouse behind hundreds of consumer brands — many of which went on to raise capital. Today, she’s rewriting the VC playbook with ⁠Fabric VC⁠, a seed-stage fund turning marketing into a superpower for picking and growing winners. In this episode, Laurel opens up about her first LP check, flipping the script on fundraising, using proprietary diligence tools, and why investing in diverse founders isn’t charity — it’s a smart business model. If you’re a founder, funder, or future GP — this one’s a masterclass. TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS 0:00 - Intro 02:12 - From lawyer to founder: interim CEO for Bassett Furniture; founded Elevate My Brand 05:19 - 16 years of marketing experience; first LP check into Halogen Ventures’ Jesse Draper 09:56 - Why Fabric VC? The data-backed diversity bet 13:00 - AI hype; secondary diligence layer using marketing listening software 17:27 - Sweat equity + marketing as a VC edge 21:32 - Fundraising lessons: the mindset shift and the rolling raise / rolling deploy strategy 23:31 - Empowering new female LPs & destigmatizing money talk 27:58 - Laurel’s exit strategy philosophy & her bets for the future 31:58 - Billion Dollar Questions ABOUT LAUREL As founder of Elevate My Brand, Laurel has spent 16 years turning bold ideas into measurable growth for over 400 powerhouse brands like Verizon, Paw Patrol, Zendesk, Geico and Squishmallows. Their marketing strategies don’t just look good—they drive visibility, profitability, and real results. In parallel, as General Partner at Fabric VC, Laurel invests in the next wave of consumer-tech, health, and fintech founders. With a marketer’s lens and a strategist’s mindset, she helps visionary startups scale smart and stay seen. Across both roles, her mission is simply described as fuel innovation and impact, elevate bold ideas, and build what’s next. FOLLOW LAUREL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-mintz - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves   FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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• [REPLAY] Pivot or Persevere? Being a Growth Company CEO w/ Jeff Maggioncalda, Former CEO of Coursera

  Our guest today is none other than Jeff Maggioncalda, a visionary leader whose journey spans not just one but two groundbreaking fields. For 18 years, Jeff worked side by side with Nobel Prize winner and economist Bill Sharpe, as the founding CEO of Financial Engines, one of the earliest pioneers in the world of robo-advisors and algorithm-driven investment strategies that became the largest independent online retirement advice platform with more than $100 billion under management. sold for you know, a casual $3 billion. Fast forward to today, Jeff is at the helm of another HIGH IMPACT endeavor. As the former CEO of Coursera, he had led the charge to redefine education for the digital age; since joining in June 2017 and had helped the company grow to over 120 million learners and 7,000+ institutions, served by high-quality learning content from 300+ of the world’s top universities and industry educators. From what a good CEO is and how a game of Monopoly really started Jeff on this journey, our power-packed conversation is a CEO masterclass you need to buckle up for. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 00:00 - Intro 01:55 - From a game of Monopoly to Monte Carlo simulations 09:26 - Pivoting is important, but knowing when is difficult 12:55 - Jeff's take on AI: another form of technology, impact, and social concerns 16:18 - Using GPT to predict business strategies 19:10 - Coursera; Digital platform business models in online learning: why massive online open courses (MOOCs)? 29:20 - Being a growth company CEO: challenges & lessons. 32:40 - Technology, globalization, and AI drive future change. 38:10 - Billion Dollar Questions What is Coursera? Coursera Inc. is a publicly listed U.S.-based massive open online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses, certifications, and degrees in a variety of subjects. About Jeff Maggioncalda Jeff Maggioncalda is an American business executive and was the chief executive officer of Coursera until January 29th, 2025.  FOLLOW JEFF: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmagg/ - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondol... FOLLOW SARAH: Instagram @sarahchenglobal  LinkedIn @sarahchenglobal   https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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• How Family Offices Are Redefining Impact: Investing in Women & the Future w/ Evan & Ariel Segal, Segal Ventures

  This week, we sat down with father-daughter duo Evan and Ariel Segal of Segal Ventures, pulled back the curtain on how modern family offices can drive real impact. From investing in 94% women-led funds to creatively deploying donor-advised funds, the Segals share how they're rewriting the playbook on values-aligned investing.  Tune in as they discuss building an ecosystem of trust, navigating today’s venture landscape, and why being additive—not extractive—is the future of capital! Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 02:18 - Evan Segal's journey: from Pittsburgh roots, CEO at 27, CFO at USDA, to impact investing and philanthropy 05:10 - Ariel Segal's path inspired by her father’s entrepreneurial journey 05:35 - Inside Segal Ventures’ over 50 venture funds (94% women-led), 180+ direct investments, spanning 800 startups 08:15 - Segal Ventures’ strategic check-writing; additive relationships over passive capital 09:14 - Weathering the political changes; “for us, making an impact is the key driver; that legacy becomes so much greater than just simply an investment” 14:51 - Portfolio growth from family offices view: balancing profit and purpose 22:38 - Post-2021 downturn: challenges in fundraising; importance of storytelling during fundraises; founder strategies to reallocate resources 29:27 - Creative use of capital, Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), and marketing 34:11 - Setbacks and barriers in venture to achieve purposeful investing; ‘smashing the patriarchy’ 41:46 - Final takeaways; Segal Ventures as a model for next-gen family offices: blending profit with purpose About Segal Ventures Segal Ventures is an early stage investment firm focused on women-led venture capital funds and companies. They provide capital in three ways: Intellectual: Strategic and tactical guidance to address business challenges with innovative approaches Social: Warm introductions to potential customers, vendors, investors & partners to expand your network Financial: Investment capital, plus advice for current or future rounds of funding About Evan Segal Evan J. Segal is a business leader, philanthropist, angel investor, social entrepreneur, author and adjunct professor. He was the President/ Owner of Dormont Manufacturing Company, the inventor and world's largest manufacturer of flexible stainless steel gas appliance connector.  After a successful exit, Mr. Segal served as the Chief Financial Officer at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Nominated by President Obama and confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate, Mr. Segal also served on The White House Innovation and Information Policy Task Force and was the Co-Chair of the Federal CFO Council.  In addition to leading The Segal Family Foundation, Evan serves as Founder & General Partner of Segal Ventures, Co-Founder of The 412 Venture Fund, Founder of Kiva Pittsburgh and Venture For America Pittsburgh.  FOLLOW EVAN | LinkedIn About Ariel Segal Eck As Managing Director of Segal Ventures, Ariel advises fund managers and founders on strategies to fuel growth, providing valuable resources and cultivating community. With 15+ years of experience as an operator at tech startups, Ariel most recently led marketing at Foursquare, where she developed deep expertise across content, events, customer insights, social media, email, paid advertising and more.  FOLLOW ARIEL | LinkedIn - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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• Inside France’s €54B Climate Investment Drive w/ Raphaele Leyendecker, Techstars Sustainability Paris

  In this episode, we dive into France's bold €54 billion climate investment plan with Raphaele Leyendecker, Managing Director of Techstars Sustainability Paris.  As France positions itself as a leader in sustainable innovation, this massive initiative spans sectors from green energy to clean transportation. Raphaele unpacks how Techstars Sustainability Paris fits into this movement, the evolving role of European startups in climate tech, and the tangible ways global founders can engage with France’s green transition.  With practical insights on market access, regulatory alignment, and ecosystem support, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone building for the climate era! Timestamps / Key Takeaways 0:00 - Intro 01:40 - Raphaele’s background & motivation to align career with meaningful sustainability work 04:24 - Techstars Sustainability Paris: The launch & vision 07:08 - European funding landscape: France’s €54B climate investment plan; BPI France 08:42 - Software VS Hardware Clean Tech companies in Europe; Deep Tech & Hardware in Climate Innovation 10:48 - European Climate Tech landscape & regulatory advantage; Techstars' role in facilitating soft landing and long-term expansion support 14:34 - Growing trends in Climate and Sustainability and the challenges in European market 19:00 - Profit & purpose alignment;  21:41 - The thrive of female founders in Clean Tech; how Techstars Paris is designing program around founder needs in deep tech 24:51 - 3 Key takeaways from Raphaele & Billion Dollar Questions About Raphaele Raphaele Leyendecker is the Managing Director of Techstars Sustainability Paris. Raphaele is a sustainability and digital entrepreneur, startup board member and early stage investor in over 40 startups. She is also versed in strategic innovation and venture building, working with 55+ corporations such as Engie, Suez, Schneider Electric, L’Oreal or Nespresso over the years. FOLLOW RAPHAELE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaeleleyendecker/ - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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