Next Legacy Perspectives

Russ Hall & Ryan Nece: Managing Partners at Next Legacy

Meet Next Legacy Partners. While many members of both the Next Play and Legacy Venture communities are aware by now, the start of 2023 has been an eventful one for both firms. Having joined forces, Next Legacy now stands poised to deliver lasting impact and superior returns to our partners.   Next Play Founder Ryan Nece and Legacy Founder Russ Hall join a conversation with Next Legacy Venture Partner Hunter Hillenmeyer to discuss the rationale and the goals behind the formation of Next L...

Oren Gabriel: Founder and CEO of NextPlayU

Next Legacy is no stranger to serving the needs of athletes, but when Oren Gabriel and Next Play Capital Founder Ryan Nece, now Managing Partner at Next Legacy, first discussed the challenge facing athletes as they transition beyond the world of sports, both of them saw an opportunity.    NextPlayU is the product of that brainstorm. Oren and his talented co-founders have been building a platform to help athletes, both college and professional, find success in their careers beyond the wor...

Amir Hemmat: Welcome Tech Founder & CEO

While immigration is a polarizing topic in the US, Welcome Tech and their vision to become the digital Ellis Island somehow manage to rise above the politics. Amir Hemmat, Welcome Tech's founder, explains that if you think of a country like a company, attracting the best talent and then creating ideal conditions for their success is a no brainer. This is Welcome Tech's mission.   With millions of immigrants in the United States now leveraging the Welcome Tech platform, the company is we...

Harry Tannenbaum: Founder & President at Mill

Harry and his teammates at Mill do not look like your typical early stage startup. For one, they come with a pedigree from some of the most iconic tech companies ever, names like Apple, Google, and Nest. He and Mill Co-Founder Matt Rogers have been in the trenches together, most notably building Nest from $0 to more than $1B in annual revenue, culminating in their acquisition by Google.   Startups that include hardware + software scare many VCs. The added complexity and working capital ...

Natalie Gordon: CEO and Founder of Babylist

Most venture-funded startup founders begin their journeys with grand ambitions from the outset. Such was not the case with Natalie, who started Babylist in 2011 to improve upon her own experience setting up a baby registry while expecting her first child. Now almost a dozen years later, she has both a tween and a company who are maturing rapidly.    From those humble beginnings Natalie turned her side hustle into a force in online commerce, where Babylist now manages a registry for near...

Chase Griffin: UCLA Quarterback and NIL Pioneer

Chase Griffin is a quarterback at UCLA and perhaps the most pioneering NIL athlete in college sports. Despite having not yet regularly started at QB for UCLA, Chase has more brand partnerships than many of the best known names in the college game.    Whether you love the new world of college sports where athletes can monetize their Name, Image, and Likeness or you think this new dynamic has ruined the game, you will be inspired by the story of Chase Griffin. His marketability has as muc...

Matthew Pohlson: Omaze CEO

Matt Pohslon has spent the last decade innovating on what it means to serve non-profits. Omaze, a for-profit company that raises money for great causes by offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences, has a mission grounded in going beyond raising awareness to making huge impacts (and raising lots of money) for the causes it supports.   Matt and Omaze are well on their way, but it hasn't been a straight line. Omaze has continued to evolve its business. Matt himself suffered a near death expe...

Wesley Chan: Founding Partner FPV Ventures

Wes started FPV with co-founder Pegah Ebrahimi with one goal in mind: to back truly exceptional founders who are attacking a problem "they've been thinking about their whole life." Wes knows what a successful founder looks like. His track record as an investor at both Felicis and Google Ventures (now GV) speaks for itself. On top of that, his experience leading product teams at Google, including Analytics and Voice, gives him both the insights and scar tissue to spot the best builders before...

Andrew Brandt: Former Packers "Capologist," ESPN Contributor, and Law Professor at Villanova

Andrew Brandt knows the business side of sports about as well as anyone. He followed up a career as an agent by joining the Packers in 1999 to negotiate player contracts and manage the cap. He is now a blogger, ESPN expert, professor and leader of the Moorad Center for sports law at Villanova, and podcaster. He was an insider for some of the most definitive moments of the modern NFL, including the decision to take Aaron Rodgers with a 1st round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft despite having futu...

Jake Kloberdanz: Co-Founder and CEO, OneHope, Inc.

Many incredible people in this world recognize a need and conceptualize founding a company, but very few bring their ideas to life. After noticing the impact that Breast Cancer Awareness has in only one month of the year, Jake Kloberdanz set out to create something that gives back every single day. He and seven other cause-minded entrepreneurs founded ONEHOPE in 2007 with the mission to “share wine and give hope”. Today, ONEHOPE is one of the largest direct-to-consumer wineries in the world...

Colleen Cutcliffe: Co-Founder and CEO, Pendulum Therapeutics

Colleen Cutcliffe, co-founder and CEO of Pendulum Therapeutics, is leading the charge on helping humanity live better, healthier, and longer lives. She does this through her study of the microbiome – what other scientists and doctors now know drives nearly every avenue of our bodies (think: cognition, aging, metabolism,  Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s). By creating a product that has the efficacy of a drug but safety of a probiotic, Pendulum Therapeutics has become the next generation health c...

Jonathan Harris: CEO of Molekule

Jonathan Harris has had a bit of the Midas touch when it comes to hardware technology businesses. Major roles at GoPro, Roku, and Jawbone prior to Molekule all made it apparent that Jonathan knew the industry and knew what a winner looked like. Yet, he is quick to acknowledge that Molekule represents a lot of firsts for him. Jonathan spoke of his past companies, an iconic trio, as "nice to haves." What separates Molekule, in his mind, is its lofty mission: to provide clean air to everyone, ...

Micah Rosenbloom: Managing Partner at Founder Collective

Micah Rosenbloom: Managing Partner at Founder Collective

Micah Rosenbloom: Managing Partner at Founder Collective

Micah Rosenbloom: Managing Partner at Founder Collective

Most venture funds with a track record like Founder Collective grow their fund size extremely quickly. A Fund I measured in the tens of millions of dollars leads to a Fund III or Fund IV eclipsing the half billion mark. Micah and his partners have bucked the trend and stayed small by choice. They have been validated by continued outperformance and the ability to focus on what they enjoy doing most, backing seed stage founders.   Micah's path to VC is not uncommon. He is a 3x founder and...

Hannah Gordon: Chief Administrative Officer of the 49ers

Hannah Gordon did not grow up in a football obsessed family - her grandad once asked her why people always found linemen to be so "offensive." Despite the lack of early grooming, Hannah has become one of the top power brokers in the NFL as the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of the San Francisco 49ers.    Hannah's conversation with Ryan Nece covers many hot NFL topics such as diversity & equity, cannabis, and gambling. She also shares some of her thoughts on work life b...

Aydin Senkut: Founding Partner at Felicis Ventures

Aydin was an unlikely candidate to build one of the fastest growing venture funds of the last decade. Almost entirely a product person at iconic companies like Google, Aydin has parlayed a $4M angel investing start into a platform that just raised an impressive $900M fund. His conversation with Next Play Partner Hunter Hillenmeyer takes a deep dive into their path to success.    He names empathy for founders as a bedrock conviction that has allowed Felicis to invest an some of today’s m...

Ross Tucker: Former NFL Athlete, Writer, Podcaster

Ross Tucker's childhood dream was to write for Sports Illustrated. When he got the chance to do just that after a successful career in the NFL, Ross earned the chance to be very purposeful about his next steps in media. The result is a career that spans podcasting, play by play, radio, and even his own recruiting business. Just don't call it work.   Ross is a rare example of a superfan turned insider who retains the perspective of how lucky someone is to get paid to do something they lo...

Jewel Burks Solomon: Head of Google for Startups, Investor @ Collab Capital

Founder, investor, and now champion for under-resourced entrepreneurs through Google for Startups. These are a few of the many hats worn by Jewel Burks Solomon. Jewel's conversation with Next Play founder Ryan Nece goes deep on her breadth of experience. This 3x Google employee talks about what she's learned in her several roles at the company, how they have helped her in her subsequent roles, and what she is trying to accomplish now.    Jewel shares some great insight on topics such as...

Nikhil Basu Trivedi: Partner at Footwork

There aren't many 32 year olds in VC with stronger pedigree than Nikhil Basu Trivedi. He moved to Silicon Valley at the age of 13 and worked his way up through the ranks at Insight Partners and Shasta Ventures, where he refined his craft and revealed a knack for finding and winning competitive deals with great founders. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone considering starting their own VC fund. Nikhil has just started Footwork with his partner, Mike Smith, anchored by many of the best...

Blaine Scully: US National Rugby Team Captain

Next Play has many athletes as members of our unique community. Usually their story adds up. Where and how they grew up makes their path to stardom in football or basketball seem plausible. Such is not the case with Blaine Scully. How does a multi-sport star in California high school sports go on to become one of the United States' most decorated rugby stars ever? And, no, rugby was not one of his sports in high school.    In this episode of Next Play Perspectives, Blaine takes us on hi...

Greg Sands: Founding Partner at Costanoa Ventures

Greg Sands has his fingerprints all over the Silicon Valley we know today. As the first head of product at Netscape, Greg helped build the foundation of the original internet boom. As a partner at Sutter Hill and now Founder of Costanoa, Greg continues to work with founders to build industry defining platforms.    His conversation with Ryan Nece covers the gamut. What is Greg most excited about from an investing perspective today? What motivates him, or people in general, to show up and...

Eric Liaw: Partner at IVP

Eric has worked at IVP for over decade. In that time, he has risen to be one of the true alpha generators of this storied VC firm that has a 43.1% IRR over their 39 year history and tens of billions in cumulative assets under management. Eric and Ryan cover a wide range of topics. No softball questions in this one: is tech in another bubble? How does IVP sustain returns even as their fund sizes continue to get bigger and bigger?    That last question, in particular, creates dialogue abo...

Morgan Beller: General Partner at NƒX Ventures

Morgan has packed a lot into her young career. After spending her "first inning" at Andreessen Horowitz, Morgan went on to join Medium and then help launch Libra at Facebook. This deep dive into the crypto world has now become a fulcrum for a good deal of her investment focus in her role as the newest partner at NƒX Ventures.    Morgan has a unique vantage point on where hype meets real substance in the crypto world because she was leading the largest effort in that domain at one of the...

Angela Ruggiero: CEO at Sports Innovation Lab and USA Hockey Hall of Famer

A must-listen for athletes and founders, this week's podcast delves into the sports and professional career of Angela Ruggiero. SIL is part research organization, part branding agency, and part software company, helping companies and sports properties to better understand their fans. Angela sits at the helm of SIL, a company she created after seeing a gap in the market during her tenure in various leadership roles for the International Olympic Committee. Prior to her business career, Angela ...

John Vrionis: Partner at Unusual Ventures

John Vrionis looks, on paper, like many other VCs - educated at Harvard, University of Chicago, and Stanford GSB - mentored by founders of funds like Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia. Yet, for all the ways John might seem "normal" for a VC, this conversation focuses on all the ways he is different. As the name implies, Unusual Ventures celebrates their differences. John gives a granular look at many of the behaviors and values that make his firm unusual in this candid chat with Nex...

Bara Cola: CEO of Carbice

Materials companies are not generally the first industry that comes to mind when you think about venture capital darlings. But don't tell that to Carbice founder, Bara Cola. Hear Bara describe the unique ways that Carbice has leveraged carbon nanotubes to create a material that sounds almost magical in its potential to serve customers in industries like semiconductors, automotive, and space travel.   Carbice recently raised a round of funding that sets them on a path to scale production...

Puneet Agarwal: Partner at True Ventures

Puneet represents a rare combo in a VC. He came into the industry with extensive experience on both the operating side, as a product manager at several startups, and on the finance side in tech investment banking at JP Morgan. As a "both sides of the table" sort of VC, Puneet has a wealth of great insights that reflect his breadth of experience. The founder is the customer (not the other way around). Empathy, adaptability, and authenticity are fundamental characteristics in both investor...

Puneet Argarwal: Partner at True Ventures

Puneet represents a rare combo in a VC. He came into the industry with extensive experience on both the operating side, as a product manager at several startups, and on the finance side in tech investment banking at JP Morgan. As a "both sides of the table" sort of VC, Puneet has a wealth of great insights that reflect his breadth of experience. The founder is the customer (not the other way around). Empathy, adaptability, and authenticity are fundamental characteristics in both investor...

Eurie Kim: Partner at Forerunner Ventures

Eurie and Forerunner have enjoyed a decade of performance that places them at the apex of the VC world. But, as Eurie is quick to explain, the actual investment is more like the "start of an ultra marathon" than a finish line. Eurie and Ryan's conversation covers her path to get into venture, how Forerunner works to give their portfolio companies an unfair advantage, and even how she approaches risk and investing with her own nest egg. Enjoy this wide ranging conversation with a General Part...

Richard Kerby: Partner at Equal Ventures

Richard is a Georgetown grad, a school perhaps best known for politics, and he jokes that he chose VC because startups are in some ways the opposite of government, which can be slow and resistant to change.    Equal Ventures prefers to lead Seed and Series A investments in a wide array of industries. Hear Richard share his view on how VCs can have a “prepared mind” and why this preparation can lead to better investing and less wasted time. Tune in for a great “how to” listen from this fu...

Nnamdi Okike: Founding Partner at 645 Ventures

One of the traits 645 Ventures looks for most in founders is what they call a "purity of motivation." They seek founders who are intrinsically motivated to solve some problem for reasons that go beyond potential riches or accolades. As early stage investors, 645 Ventures is in the business of investing in companies that can become a huge success before it is obvious that huge success lies in their future. To reduce their errors of omission (saw a great company and chose to pass) and co-miss...

Talia Goldberg: Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

New York born, Portland, Oregon raised, Talia brings a "first principles" mindset to everything, whether that is creating her own major at Penn, her approach to venture investing, or what she looks for in a founding team. Talia fits right in with the Next Play crew as a self professed fitness junkie, and she sees many parallels between athletes and founders, starting with the simple truism, "Practice makes perfect."   Talia brings a wealth of good advice for founders and investors alike....

Stephanie Palmeri: Partner at Uncork Capital

Stephanie invests around a core thesis focusing on how technology affects how we live, work, and play. Her conversation with Next Play founder Ryan Nece covers a lot of ground, including her current investment focus areas, her favorite hobbies (travel, yoga), how to win competitive deals (have good references), why VCs need psychology degrees, and much more.   Wanna know how Stephanie has two biological children 14 days apart in age? Hint: it does not involve adoption. Check out this wee...

Jessica O Matthews: Founder and CEO of Uncharted Power, Fortune's "10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs"

Jessica is a woman on a mission. Uncharted began as a modest, playful way to address the power insecurity of the developing world, with a soccer ball that could be used to charge and run household devices. While they remain a scrappy upstart in the broader landscape of global energy, she has put luminaries like Elon Musk on notice that she is coming for them. Now focused on energy infrastructure, Jessica and Uncharted hope to disrupt an industry long in need of more innovation.     An in...

Aileen Lee: Cowboy Ventures Founding Partner, Founder of All Raise, 2019 Time 100 Most Influential People

Aileen Lee would be near the top of any short list of the most influential women, and people, in VC. After 13 years at Kleiner Perkins, Aileen struck out on her own, founding seed stage firm Cowboy Ventures, which has invested in many eventual unicorns, a term Aileen actually coined in her famous NYT article.    Her conversation with Next Play Founder Ryan Nece explores many of the ways she has felt like an outsider in VC. Her gender is the most obvious, but she also confesses to sometim...

Brian Ascher: Partner at Venrock

Following a career in product at Intuit, Brian has been at Venrock for 22 years. While the VC industry has changed a great deal in that time, Brian's approach has not. He invests in founders by building trust first. That trust, he says, is a prerequisite to adding value, offering feedback, making intros, or anything else.     Brian explains why Venrock thinks "pattern recognition" can lead to bad decision making, but details how many of their investing theses build out as "franchises" ar...

Josh Kopelman: Founding Partner at First Round Capital

Three time founder, two acquisitions, one IPO – Josh Kopelman then decided to try his hand at investing to help other founders navigate their own journeys. The result is one of the best brands in VC, regularly stocking the Midas List, leading in rankings of entrepreneurs favorite VCs, and regularly producing top decile returns. First Round Capital is one of the most heavily access restricted VC funds on the planet and one of the most sought after investors by founders trying to build the nex...

Tristan Walker: Founder and CEO of Walker & Company, Investor, and Board Member

 Tristan Walker always knew he had it – but having the ability, or the potential, or even the ambition isn't always enough when you are black kid from the projects. What started as a chip on his shoulder to prove he could make it, get rich, and overcome long odds to success has evolved into much more. Those early dreams were all accomplished by age 30, and this founder and CEO now has different motivations.    He runs Walker and Company, a health & beauty company focused on people of col...

Natasha Watley: All-Everything Softball Icon

Natasha Watley knows what it takes to be a success. This four time All-American softball player at UCLA went on to win two medals as the first black woman on the US National Team. She played professionally in both the US and Japan where she was a fixture on the All-Star team, but her passion nowadays is on the ways she can impact the next generation. She has inspired many young women of color, once a rarity in the game of softball, to play and excel in the game, and she is currently an assis...

Charles Hudson: Founding Partner, Precursor Ventures

Managing Director of Precursor Ventures, Charles Hudson has decades of experience in Silicon Valley. This candid conversation with Next Play Founder Ryan Nece focuses both on Precursor's investment philosophy and on broader changes that need to happen in the VC industry.   Amongst those changes, hear why Charles thinks some of the old school habits, even the ones that have worked well, are responsible for some of the systemic lack of diversity in VC. A huge sports fan, Charles also discu...

Justyn Howard: Founder and CEO of Sprout Social

The skillset of a startup founder and that of a public company CEO are oftentimes very different. Thus, it is rare that one CEO will lead a company throughout this journey. Sprout Social founder, Justyn Howard started the company in 2009. More than a decade later, Justyn is almost a year into his stint as the CEO of a public company. In fact, all four founders still work for the company.   Hear about Justyn's journey and how the future might be even brighter in this unique founder's stor...

Mikey Taylor: Pro Skateboarder and Entrepreneur

Pro skateboarder was once considered a fringe sport for outsiders. When Mikey first picked up a skateboard, this was the case. Fast forward several decades, skateboarding has exploded in popularity, and the business opportunities for the sport's elite have grown along with it. Mikey has been both a symptom and a cause of this trend. His brand, identity, and priorities have evolved during this time as well.    Hear Mikey discuss the business of skateboarding, the ways in which he has buil...

Mark Terbeek: Partner at Greycroft Partners

Mark has been an entrepreneur and professional investor for most of his adult life. His perspective on investing and the founder journey is flavored by an empathy for the difficulty that starting a company entails but also enthusiasm for how amazing it can be when everything ultimately goes right.    There is lots in this podcast for both entrepreneurs and aspiring VCs. Mark offers his perspective on what it means to be entrepreneur friendly. He divulges how VC firms reward top performer...

Christian Ponder - Former NFL QB and Florida St. Seminole

Christian Ponder is no stranger to success. Yet, this candid conversation delves more into his struggles than his highlight reel. Christian's vulnerability and reflectiveness around what drove him to success, but also what ultimately held him back, exposes a realness not often seen in a superstar.  Christian shares insight on his faith, questions around his identity as he left the game of football, self doubt, and how he is cultivating a new passion by diving into the world of entrepreneursh...

Ryan Darnell, Founding Partner at Max Ventures

Ryan Darnell has a fascinating story from college athlete, to working on Kenny Chesney's rum company, to starting a VC firm. Max Ventures is an early stage fund that focuses mostly on NYC and the Nordics, specifically Sweden. Hear Ryan talk about why this unique geographic focus has been a winning formula and how they have approached growth as they embark upon Fund III.    Ryan's thoughtful approach to VC has allowed him to back some of the hottest startups in NYC. Any aspiring VCs will ...

Vernon Davis: NFL Star, Super Bowl Champ, and Investor

Vernon Davis has worn many hats. He is one of the fastest tight ends to ever put on an NFL uniform. He collected Super Bowl trophies and Pro Bowl accolades. He is also an artist, an avid curling fan, and a successful investor.   As an investor Vernon has had some huge hits in franchising and startup investing, but he has also learned some tough lessons about trusting the wrong people to manage his wealth. This week's Next Play Perspectives podcast delves into all of these topics and more.

Rick Mirer: Former NFL QB and Wine Entrepreneur

After a storied college football career at Notre Dame, Rick Mirer was the #2 pick in the NFL Draft and the Rookie of the Year in his first season. From there, he went on to play for seven NFL teams over twelve seasons. Rick credits this exposure to so many different teams, playbooks, and cultures for his knack for building relationships in his life since he retired in 2004.  Rick is now the owner of Mirror Wines, a business he has been cultivating for the last decade. Their Napa Valley wine ...

Zane Beadles - NFL Veteran and Aspiring Professional Investor

Do you know many NCAA football players who major in mechanical engineering? That anomaly is just the tip of the iceberg in the many ways that Zane Beadles defies stereotypes and carves his own path through life. Hear this thoughtful recently retired NFL trench warfare specialist share his mentality on and off the field. From blocking for Peyton Manning to protecting his family's nest egg from unforeseen risks, the themes that guide Zane outlook and philosophy remain remarkably consistent.