Valley Nordic artwork

Valley Nordic

175 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratings

Chander Chawla, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Arne Tonning, a Norwegian Venture Capitalist, discuss global perspectives on startup business, technology, and culture. The views on the podcast are solely personal and not of our employers or of the organizations we belong to.

Investing Business Entrepreneurship culture technology startups startup life venture capital investing nordics silicon valley
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Episodes

S3E3 Valley Nordic: Retail Investing, Robinhood, and Gamestop

February 11, 2021 21:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MB

We discuss the latest phenomenon of retail investing that caused GameStop stock to go up more than 2,000% in a few weeks. 

S3E2 Valley Nordic: Tesla History and Valuation

January 29, 2021 01:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MB

We discuss Tesla's origins (spoiler alert - Elon Musk is not the founder) and its evolution.  We also debate its current valuation of ~$800B. 

S3E2 Valley Nordic: Tesla History and Valuation

January 29, 2021 01:00 - 42 minutes - 29.3 MB

We discuss Tesla's origins (spoiler alert - Elon Musk is not the founder) and its evolution.  We also debate its current valuation of ~$800B. 

S3E1 Valley Nordic: Virtual Reality's Barriers to Adoption

January 15, 2021 00:00 - 35 minutes - 24.8 MB

Happy New Year! We are back with our new biweekly and shorter episodes schedule. We start the year with reviewing the history of Virtual Reality (VR) and discussing its barriers to mass adoption. 

S3E1 Valley Nordic: Virtual Reality's Barriers to Adoption

January 15, 2021 00:00 - 35 minutes - 24.8 MB

Happy New Year! We are back with our new biweekly and shorter episodes schedule. We start the year with reviewing the history of Virtual Reality (VR) and discussing its barriers to mass adoption. 

Valley Nordic S2 E41 Season Finale: 2020 Trends Review

December 11, 2020 02:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MB

In our season 2 finale, we review the 2020 trends we had identified in Season 1 finale. See the trends here. You can find the Morgan Stanley report on Private Equity here.  We will be back on January 14th, 2021 on biweekly basis.  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Valley Nordic S2 E41 Season Finale: 2020 Trends Review

December 11, 2020 02:00 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MB

In our season 2 finale, we review the 2020 trends we had identified in Season 1 finale. See the trends here. You can find the Morgan Stanley report on Private Equity here.  We will be back on January 14th, 2021 on biweekly basis.  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Valley Nordic S2 E40: Embedded Systems With David Krieger

December 03, 2020 20:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MB

We have a guest on the podcast this week, David Krieger, who is back with us after a year.  David and I discuss fundamentals of embedded systems and his experience in designing them.  Useful links: 1. David Krieger on LinkedIn 2. Embedded Systems

Valley Nordic S2 E40: Embedded Systems With David Krieger

December 03, 2020 20:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MB

We have a guest on the podcast this week, David Krieger, who is back with us after a year.  David and I discuss fundamentals of embedded systems and his experience in designing them.  Useful links: 1. David Krieger on LinkedIn 2. Embedded Systems

Valley Nordic S2 E38: Airbnb IPO

November 20, 2020 02:00 - 42 minutes - 29 MB

We discuss the recent S1 (a required document to be filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a private company to raise money in the public markets like NYSE or Nasdaq) filing by Airbnb to public in the US. Useful link: Airbnb S1 S1 definition 

Valley Nordic S2 E37: User Research with Joanna Jones

November 13, 2020 02:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MB

This week, we are delighted to  have a guest on the podcast, Joanna Jones, Founder & CEO of InterQ Research. Joanna and Chander discuss User Research and why the qualitative methods are necessary to complement quantitative methods. Useful links: 1. Joanna's LinkedIn profile 2. InterQ Research 

Valley Nordic S2 E37: User Research with Joanna Jones

November 13, 2020 02:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MB

This week, we are delighted to  have a guest on the podcast, Joanna Jones, Founder & CEO of InterQ Research. Joanna and Chander discuss User Research and why the qualitative methods are necessary to complement quantitative methods. Useful links: 1. Joanna's LinkedIn profile 2. InterQ Research 

Valley Nordic S2 E36: Elections, Prop 22, and Tech

November 06, 2020 02:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MB

We discuss how the US elections have caused the tech stocks to go up. We get deeper into California Prop 22 (a ballot measure by ridesharing and food delivery companies to change the law about classifying their drivers as employees and stopping them from forming a union). Useful links: 1. Prop 22 2. Direct Democracy

Valley Nordic S2 E36: Elections, Prop 22, and Tech

November 06, 2020 02:00 - 37 minutes - 25.6 MB

We discuss how the US elections have caused the tech stocks to go up. We get deeper into California Prop 22 (a ballot measure by ridesharing and food delivery companies to change the law about classifying their drivers as employees and stopping them from forming a union). Useful links: 1. Prop 22 2. Direct Democracy

Valley Nordic S2 E35: Ant Group IPO

October 30, 2020 00:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MB

We discuss the unique nature of Ant Group IPO which is going to be the world's largest IPO ever. Ant Group which has 700M+ users is raising >$34B in the IPO at a valuation of >$300B. Ant Group is a spinoff of Alibaba and has a special relationship with the Chinese government. Useful Links: 1. Ant Group 2. Ant Group IPO filing documents 

Valley Nordic S2 E34: DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

October 22, 2020 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MB

This week, Depart of Justice (DOJ) and 11 State Attorney Generals in the US filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. We discuss the intricacies and history of these type of lawsuits. Useful Links: 1. DOJ Workshop at Stanford  2. DOJ Google Lawsuit press release 

Valley Nordic S2 E34: DOJ Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google

October 22, 2020 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MB

This week, Depart of Justice (DOJ) and 11 State Attorney Generals in the US filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. We discuss the intricacies and history of these type of lawsuits. Useful Links: 1. DOJ Workshop at Stanford  2. DOJ Google Lawsuit press release 

Valley Nordic S2 E33: Off Wall Street IPOs

October 16, 2020 02:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MB

We discuss a new IPO market in Norway and other innovative IPO strategies. 2020 has turned out to be the most innovative year for finance. 

Valley Nordic S2 E33: Off Wall Street IPOs

October 16, 2020 02:00 - 42 minutes - 29.2 MB

We discuss a new IPO market in Norway and other innovative IPO strategies. 2020 has turned out to be the most innovative year for finance. 

Valley Nordic S2 E32: Google's New Hardware

October 08, 2020 22:00 - 44 minutes - 30.7 MB

We discuss Google's launch of new smartphones - Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5,  new video streaming device - Chromecast, and new smart speaker - Nest Audio. 

Valley Nordic S2 E31: Deep Tech Investments In America And Europe

October 01, 2020 19:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

We experiment with a shorter episode ( < 30 minutes). Spotify co-founder, Daniel Ek, made an announcement last week that he will invest ~$1.2B in deep tech in Europe. This prompted us to discuss what deep tech investing is and how it is different between the US and Europe. Useful links: 1. Daniel Ek announcement at Slush 

Valley Nordic S2 E31: Deep Tech Investments In America And Europe

October 01, 2020 19:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

We experiment with a shorter episode ( < 30 minutes). Spotify co-founder, Daniel Ek, made an announcement last week that he will invest ~$1.2B in deep tech in Europe. This prompted us to discuss what deep tech investing is and how it is different between the US and Europe. Useful links: 1. Daniel Ek announcement at Slush 

Valley Nordic S2 E30: Product Management With AI

September 24, 2020 23:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MB

How we develop products continues to evolve as new technologies get commercialized. Products that work with Machine Learning (ML) models require a new way of thinking to launch and improve products. The agile/lean approach does not work with ML. We discuss how product managers will have to develop products differently with ML.

Valley Nordic S2 E30: Product Management With AI

September 24, 2020 23:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MB

How we develop products continues to evolve as new technologies get commercialized. Products that work with Machine Learning (ML) models require a new way of thinking to launch and improve products. The agile/lean approach does not work with ML. We discuss how product managers will have to develop products differently with ML.

Valley Nordic S2 E29: Snowflake IPO

September 18, 2020 03:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MB

We discuss the recent Snowflake IPO and the possible reasons for its sky high valuation. Useful links: 1. Snowflake website: https://www.snowflake.com/ 2. Snowflake S1: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1640147/000162828020013010/snowflakes-1.htm

Valley Nordic S2 E28: Silicon Valley vs. Seoul vs. Amsterdam with Matt Papakipos

September 10, 2020 22:00 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MB

We are honored to have Matt Papakipos as our guest of honor on this episode. Matt is an entrepreneur and an angel investor who has spent a lot of time with nVidia, Google, and Facebook in their early days in Silicon Valley. Chander and Matt talk about Matt's startup ecosystem experiences in Silicon Valley, Seoul, and Amsterdam. Matt is currently living in Amsterdam with his family.  Useful links: Matt on LinkedIn

Valley Nordic S2 E28: Silicon Valley vs. Seoul vs. Amsterdam with Matt Papakipos

September 10, 2020 22:00 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MB

We are honored to have Matt Papakipos as our guest of honor on this episode. Matt is an entrepreneur and an angel investor who has spent a lot of time with nVidia, Google, and Facebook in their early days in Silicon Valley. Chander and Matt talk about Matt's startup ecosystem experiences in Silicon Valley, Seoul, and Amsterdam. Matt is currently living in Amsterdam with his family.  Useful links: Matt on LinkedIn

Valley Nordic S2 E27: Unity

September 04, 2020 03:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MB

We discuss Unity Unity Software Inc. and their plan to go public. They filed S1 last week. Useful link: Unity S1

Valley Nordic S2 E27: Unity

September 04, 2020 03:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MB

We discuss Unity Unity Software Inc. and their plan to go public. They filed S1 last week. Useful link: Unity S1

Valley Nordic S2 E26: GPT3, Fortnite, TikTok, and Immigration

August 27, 2020 19:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MB

This episode is a joint production of Valley Nordic and Bifrost Talks (a Nordic Innovation House initiative) and it was recorded with a live audience. Our normal greetings were cut-off in the recording. Sorry. The episode begins with what we cover in the episode i.e. 1. GPT-3 (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer v3) and its applications 2. Epic Games and its fight with Apple regarding 30% revenue share on App Store 3. TikTok ban in the US 4. How the latest US immigration policy is affe...

Valley Nordic S2 E26: GPT3, Fortnite, TikTok, and Immigration

August 27, 2020 19:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MB

This episode is a joint production of Valley Nordic and Bifrost Talks (a Nordic Innovation House initiative) and it was recorded with a live audience. Our normal greetings were cut-off in the recording. Sorry. The episode begins with what we cover in the episode i.e. 1. GPT-3 (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer v3) and its applications 2. Epic Games and its fight with Apple regarding 30% revenue share on App Store 3. TikTok ban in the US 4. How the latest US immigration policy is affe...

Valley Nordic S2 E25: Tech Summer

August 20, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 51.5 MB

We are back after summer break. A lot has happened in the tech world in the last six weeks. We discuss the following highlights:  1. Tech driven stock market  2. Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple's CY 2020 second quarter earnings 3. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies or SPACs 4. Tech CEOs testimonies in congressional hearings  5. California government battle with Uber and Lyft 

Valley Nordic S2 E25: Tech Summer

August 20, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 51.5 MB

We are back after summer break. A lot has happened in the tech world in the last six weeks. We discuss the following highlights:  1. Tech driven stock market  2. Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple's CY 2020 second quarter earnings 3. Special Purpose Acquisition Companies or SPACs 4. Tech CEOs testimonies in congressional hearings  5. California government battle with Uber and Lyft 

Valley Nordic S2 E24: 2020 Tech IPOs

July 02, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 48.8 MB

We look at valuations of tech companies that went public in the first half of 2020 and highlight the companies that might go public in the second half of 2020. The companies that might go public are Lemonade (filed S1), Robinhood, Airbnb, Snowflake, Palantir, Postmates, Doordash, Instacart, and McAfee. Startups that went public earlier this year are listed in the useful links section below. We will be off for the summer. Next episode on August 20th, 2020. Enjoy summer! Useful links ...

Valley Nordic S2 E23: WWDC 2020

June 25, 2020 21:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MB

We review and analyze major announcements made at Apple's latest Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). Useful links Apple's announcements at WWDC 2020 

Valley Nordic S2 E22: Super Apps

June 18, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

We discuss Apps that allow third party developers to publish mini apps within the App. These apps are called Super Apps. WeChat is the biggest Super App. Last week, Snap announced a program to become a Super App. Facebook has been trying to become a Super App for years. Useful links: 1. Snap Minis announcement 2. WeChat 

Valley Nordic S2 E22: Super Apps

June 18, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

We discuss Apps that allow third party developers to publish mini apps within the App. These apps are called Super Apps. WeChat is the biggest Super App. Last week, Snap announced a program to become a Super App. Facebook has been trying to become a Super App for years. Useful links: 1. Snap Minis announcement 2. WeChat 

Valley Nordic S2 E21: Capital Markets And Raising A Venture Fund

June 11, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 42.8 MB

We discuss the difference between capital markets and money markets. Alliance Venture, an early stage venture firm based in Norway recently raised a new ~$60M fund. We get into nitty gritty of raising a venture fund and how raising money is different for entrepreneurs. Arne is a partner at Alliance Venture.  Useful links 1. Alliance Venture 2. Capital Markets 

Valley Nordic S2 E21: Capital Markets And Raising A Venture Fund

June 11, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 42.8 MB

We discuss the difference between capital markets and money markets. Alliance Venture, an early stage venture firm based in Norway recently raised a new ~$60M fund. We get into nitty gritty of raising a venture fund and how raising money is different for entrepreneurs. Arne is a partner at Alliance Venture.  Useful links 1. Alliance Venture 2. Capital Markets 

Valley Nordic S2 E20: Remote Work

June 04, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MB

We discuss the evolution of remote work and its pros and cons. Furthermore, we pontificate on potential changes in society if everyone works remotely.  Useful link: History of remote work

Valley Nordic S2 E20: Remote Work

June 04, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MB

We discuss the evolution of remote work and its pros and cons. Furthermore, we pontificate on potential changes in society if everyone works remotely.  Useful link: History of remote work

Valley Nordic S2 E19: P in CPG changing with D2C

May 28, 2020 21:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MB

We discuss the purpose of packaging in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and how it might change with the direct-to-consumer (D2C) business model. The discussion is based on Chander's blogpost on the subject. Useful link: Changing P in CPG: Packaging In The Direct-To-Consumer World 

Valley Nordic S2 E19: P in CPG changing with D2C

May 28, 2020 21:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MB

We discuss the purpose of packaging in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and how it might change with the direct-to-consumer (D2C) business model. The discussion is based on Chander's blogpost on the subject. Useful link: Changing P in CPG: Packaging In The Direct-To-Consumer World 

Valley Nordic S2 E18: Tech M&A

May 21, 2020 21:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MB

We discuss the reasons why companies do M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) and review the recent acquisitions in the tech space. Also, we talk about the M&A scene in 2020 vs 2019 and themes of 2020 acquisitions. Following are the acquisitions we analyze:  1. Facebook buying Giphy  2. Microsoft buying Affirmed Networks, Softmotive, and Metaswitch Networks 3. Apple buying NextVR  4. Zoom buying Keybase  5. Intel buying Moovit  6. Verizon buying BlueJeans 

Valley Nordic S2 E18: Tech M&A

May 21, 2020 21:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MB

We discuss the reasons why companies do M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) and review the recent acquisitions in the tech space. Also, we talk about the M&A scene in 2020 vs 2019 and themes of 2020 acquisitions. Following are the acquisitions we analyze:  1. Facebook buying Giphy  2. Microsoft buying Affirmed Networks, Softmotive, and Metaswitch Networks 3. Apple buying NextVR  4. Zoom buying Keybase  5. Intel buying Moovit  6. Verizon buying BlueJeans 

Valley Nordic S2 E17: Fintech

May 14, 2020 21:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MB

We discuss how to think about Fintech, what segments startups are targeting within Fintech, and how we see Fintech changing in future. Also, new business models in insurance and banking.  Useful links: 1. Ayden - Most highly valued European startup 2. Credit card payments

Valley Nordic S2 E17: Fintech

May 14, 2020 21:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MB

We discuss how to think about Fintech, what segments startups are targeting within Fintech, and how we see Fintech changing in future. Also, new business models in insurance and banking.  Useful links: 1. Ayden - Most highly valued European startup 2. Credit card payments

Valley Nordic S2 E16: Why Quibi Will Disappoint

May 07, 2020 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MB

We share our views on Quibi, a new streaming service designed for people on the go to watch professionally produced original videos on mobile phones. The assumptions behind Quibi and what mistakes Quibi is making in execution. Useful links: 1. Quibi 2. Differences between Silicon Valley and Hollywood

Valley Nordic S2 E16: Why Quibi Will Disappoint

May 07, 2020 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MB

We share our views on Quibi, a new streaming service designed for people on the go to watch professionally produced original videos on mobile phones. The assumptions behind Quibi and what mistakes Quibi is making in execution. Useful links: 1. Quibi 2. Differences between Silicon Valley and Hollywood

Valley Nordic S2 E15: Incubators and Startup Mistakes with Kjell Håkan Närfelt

April 30, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 50 MB

We are very excited to have Kjell Håkan Närfelt, Chief Strategy Officer, at Vinnova, a Swedish government agency focused on building and funding nationwide innovation ecosystems. Chander and Kjell Häkan talk about incubators, science parks, exit focused venture capital vs dividend based capital. We also discuss the common mistakes early stage startups make. Arne will be back next week. Useful links: 1. Kjell Häkan on LinkedIn 2. Vinnova 3. United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable...

Twitter Mentions

@sherrard_andrew 2 Episodes
@howiemandel 2 Episodes