In this episode, Sneha and Noah are sitting down with A-Level Capital Associate, Vishnu Joshi. Vishnu discusses his time as a student athlete at Johns Hopkins and his experience working at Capital One. Vishnu dives into his opinions regrading tech start-ups and what he wants to do later in his career. We talked to Vishnu in August 2020 This episode was originally released in November 2020.
Our guest this week is Morgan Cheatham. Morgan is a VP at Bessemer Venture Partners in the healthcare and life sciences group. He’s simultaneously pursuing medical training at Brown University … and in case that wasn’t enough, is active on Twitter (@morgancheatham) and Substack (@ Decoding Tech Bio). Morgan is an absolute wealth of knowledge on all things bio. We cover lots of ground, including AI applications in healthcare, techbio, value-based care, direct-to-clinician distribution models, and balancing investing with medical school. We hope you enjoy (and take notes)! Morgan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgancheatham/ Morgan on Twitter: @morgancheatham Morgan on Substack: https://decodingbio.substack.com/ To stay updated: A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/ To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com
Our guest this week is Halle Tecco. Halle has been building and investing at the forefront of digital health for over a decade. She is the co-founder of Cofertility (reshaping egg donation and egg freezing), Natalist (acquired by Everly Health), and digital health venture fund Rock Health. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, where she teaches the school’s first MBA-level course on digital health investing, and hosts The Heart of Healthcare podcast. In this episode, we cover: The evolution of digital health How to remain a healthcare optimist in today's environment Who has benefited most from digital health innovations … and who has been left behind Whitespace and opportunity in women’s health, especially fertility care Co-founding Cofertility Halle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/halletecco/ Cofertility: https://www.cofertility.com/ The Heart of Healthcare: https://www.heartofhealthcarepodcast.com/ Blog post, Defining Women’s Health: https://www.hbs.edu/healthcare/blog/post/defining-womens-health-womens-health-is-more-than-female-anatomy-and-our-reproductive-systemits-about-unraveling-centuries-of-inequities-due-to-living-in-a-patriarchal-healthcare-system Blog post, Why Fertility Care is Broken: https://fortune.com/2022/04/28/reasons-why-fertility-care-broken-cost-access-outcome-women-health-halle-tecco/ To stay updated on all things A-Level Capital: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/
Our guest this week is Merrill Anovick. Merrill is the President and COO of 25m Health, a health-tech venture studio founded in partnership with Lifepoint Health that backs startups aimed at enhancing the delivery of high-quality healthcare. This episode dives deep into the venture studio model of investing + incubating. We cover: the difference between a venture platform and a more traditional VC firm where venture studios can add the most value how 25 Madison and 25m Health think about mitigating risk and validating potential incubation opportunities the decision to incubate vs invest some of the challenges faced by health-tech entrepreneurs if there is a ‘formula’ for successfully launching companies ... and much more! Merrill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillanovick/ 25m Health: https://www.25madison.com/health To stay updated: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/
Our guest this week is Robin Shah, founder and CEO of Thyme Care. Robin has spent his entire professional career in digital health, working toward one primary goal: to improve the cancer patient care journey. Before founding Thyme Care, he was among the first employees and VP of Marketing at Flatiron Health (acquired by Roche), then joined the founding team at OneOncology ($200M in funding, backed by General Atlantic). Today, Thyme guides cancer patients through a complex healthcare system by providing personalized support, quality resources, and quick access to high-value care. They’ve raised $22M from firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer. Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-shah-8072bb35/ Thyme Care: https://www.thymecare.com/ To stay updated: A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/ To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com
Our guest this week is Dr. Hesam Motlagh. Hesam is an investment partner at Khosla Ventures, a VC firm that backs bold, innovative companies leveraging technology to solve today’s most pressing problems. Founded in 2004, their portfolio includes OpenAI, InstaCart, Affirm, and Impossible Foods. At KV, Hesam focuses on companies that translate basic science into products that impact and improve society. He is also Chief of Staff to the legendary Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founding partner of KV. We speak with Hesam about his journey into investing from academia, the mission behind KV, and how they live up to their thesis of being bold, early, and impactful. Hesam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hesam-motlagh-1a379663/ Khosla Ventures: https://www.khoslaventures.com/ Resources: The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby); Vinod Khosla: 70-80% Of VCs Add Negative Value To Startups (TechCrunch), The Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster by Khosla Ventures (Khosla Ventures), A few Critical Climate Technology Breakthroughs Multiplied by “Instigators” is desperately needed (Vinod Khosla) Stay updated: A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/ To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com
Our guest this week is Michelle Stephens. Michelle is the co-founder of Oath Care, a maternal digital health company focused on the experience of fertility, pregnancy, and pediatrics. The company delivers on what mothers crave most: medical advice from experts who deeply know you, paired with anecdotal wisdom from fellow mothers who are there or have been there. At its core is a belief that health is fundamentally social. Oath is backed by investors including OMERS Ventures, XYZ Ventures, General Catalyst, and Eros Resmini, former CMO of Discord. In this episode, we speak about Oath Care's mission, Michelle's journey as a founder, and trends in maternal digital health. We also get lots of career advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, along with tips on how to find more meaning and purpose in your career. Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-stephens-oath-care/ Oath Care is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store Oath Care website: oathcare.com Stay updated: A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/ To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com
Our guest this week is Yousuf Khan. Yousuf is a Partner at Ridge Ventures, a venture capital fund founded in 2007 that backs early-stage enterprise startups (portfolio companies including Fastly, Braze, and Discord). Before joining Ridge, Yousuf spent over a decade as an enterprise company CIO. He was one of the early advisors at Zoom, and has been leveraging his operating experience to support early-stage founders well before he began his career in investing. Yousuf is intimately familiar with all things software. In this episode, we get his take on the state of early-stage enterprise investing today, his advice for founders building during a downturn, and why he’s still optimistic about venture capital in 2023 despite a turbulent market. We also get lots of career and life advice - what it takes to become a venture capitalist, why he loves his job, and words of wisdom for young people early in their careers. Yousuf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousufakhan/ Ridge Ventures website: https://ridge.vc/ Stay updated: A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/ To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com
In this episode, Sneha and Noah are sitting down with Head of Technology at A-Level Capital, Shreya Singh. They discuss Shreya's view of cryptocurrency and recent events. We talked to Shreya in March 2021. This episode was originally released in April 2021.
In this episode, Sneha and Beckie are sitting down with Founder and GP of A-Level Capital and Founder of SoGal Ventures, Elizabeth Galbut. They discuss Elizabeth's experience founding two widely successful VC firms and get Elizabeth's take on gender equality in the VC industry. We talked to Elizabeth in October 2020. This episode was originally released in January 2021.
In this episode, Noah is sitting down with fellow A-Level Capital Associate, Alanna Du who discusses her experience in venture capital and how she looks to promote equality in funding. We talked to Alanna in September 2020. This episode was originally released in December 2020.
In this episode, Sneha and Noah are sitting down with fellow A-Level Capital Associate, Charlie Almoney. Charlie discusses his work as a Co-Founder of Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Design Team, Edgesense. Charlie dives into his experience in IP Development and shares his perspective on investing in med-tech. We talked to Charlie in August 2020. This episode was originally released in November 2020.
In this episode, Associate Sneha and current A-Level Managing Partner Isaac are sitting down with Alex Sharata, former MP at A-Level Capital and investor at New Enterprise Associates (NEA). NEA is a global venture capital firm with more than $20Bn in committed capital. At NEA, Alex focuses on early to growth stage investments across enterprise and consumer technology. We talked to Alex at the end of Q2 2020, right on the heels of the COVID-related market pullback in March 2020. In our conversation with Alex, he shares his thoughts on early vs. late stage investing, the state of the enterprise software market, new trends emerging as a result of COVID, and what a post-COVID world might look like for both investors and operators. This episode was originally released in October 2020.
In this episode Sneha and Noah are sitting down with Beckie Cohen, a current managing partner at A-Level Capital. They'll discuss Beckie's experiences in venture capital and the interplay of those experiences with her interest in fashion technology. This episode was originally released in October 2020.
In this episode Jayden, Sneha, and Noah are sitting down with Alex Toporek, current Head of Product at A-Level Capital and co-founder of The ImagineX Project. They'll discuss Alex's experience as both a founder and an investor. This episode was originally released in October 2020.
In this episode Sneha sits down with Simran Suri, a former managing partner at A-Level Capital. They'll discuss Simran's experiences in venture capital and how she broke into the space post-undergrad. This episode was originally released in October 2020.
On this podcast, members of A-Level Capital will learn from and interact with industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs across the A-Level network. We'll be discussing industry trends, investment theses, and the personal professional experiences of our guests.