In this episode of Ventures, my guest Audrey Baedke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-baedke-93724290/) and I discuss Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST - https://iwantrest.com). We talk about the origins of the nonprofit, the impact they have had, the dynamics of the sex trade in general, how humans are enslaved, and how REST provides tangible pathways to freedom, safety, and hope. As a board member and donor myself, I would ask that you **please** consider joining us with a year-end gif...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through a number of updates with my for-profit and nonprofit venture work. I talk about Prota Ventures, our second fund, how we get operationally involved in our portfolio companies, and who we serve. As an example, I discuss my involvement with AI Layer, which is a new company providing AI inference computing services that leverages an upcoming Web3 protocol that will be decentralized and widely available next year. Final...
In this episode of Ventures, my guest Hans Mulders (https://obertal.com/leavenworth-wa-hotel-owner/) and I recorded a conversation while we were on-site at a demonstration farm in Togo, West Africa. We had just helped dozens of local Togolese people onboard into a progressive web application that we are building with Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), a new NGO helping to decentralize poverty alleviation via trust networks and blockchain technology. In our conversation we cover how Hans g...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the current progress of a new NGO called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream). I and fellow team members were able to travel to Togo, West Africa this month to help onboard dozens of local people into a progressive web app we are building to facilitate proposals, on-chain voting, and funding via cryptocurrency. Importantly, these proposals are submitted by local people to be built by local vendors/workers and prio...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through how to buy crypto on a centralized exchange, move it to your own crypto wallet, and participate in an NFT mint. I use the upcoming Founders Collection mint for Alphi (https://mint.alphi.xyz/, June 29th, 2023) as a practical example. Most NFT communities require some kind of process to be added to their allowlist, so I walk through how to do this, step-by-step, with Alphi. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss early stage startup pitch decks and what VCs/angels really want to hear when founders ask for equity financing. I talk about how the culture around the traditional deck has not been as helpful as it could be to clarify why traction (and forecasts of traction) are - in my opinion - the most important aspect of the initial pitch process that warrants deeper diligence. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss the recent lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase brought by the SEC. There is no lack of FUD on crypto right now, and it seems like everyone is moving over to AI. Still, both AI and Blockchains are important tools to make a better Internet for us all, and this is the goal of Web3. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-153 for more information. You can watch this episode via video here. ...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk briefly through Marc Andreessen’s recent article “Why AI Will Save the World” (https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/) and discuss why I tend to agree the time to build aggressively with AI is *now*, at the very least in order to compete on the global landscape for the common good. I also talk about the upcoming GenAI summit I’m hosting in Seattle on June 9th, and why the immediate future with AI is ripe for “...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) introduce a new non-profit called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), which is all about creating transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. Our first project - in partnership with Gitcoin, Supermodular, Prota Ventures, International Literacy and Development, and Primordia - will create a software application to onboard 100 Togolese (West Africa) into Web3 and allow them to creat...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) reflect on my initial experiences with Airchat (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/airchat-talk/id1469462351), a new social media app that leverages AI/audio/video to mimic “rooms” at a dinner party by stitching together moderated clips (which they call “chits”). I walk through my impressions, hopes, and reflections on 20+ years of social media…discussing where we may be heading in the overall conversational metaverse landscape.&nbs...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) compare ChatGPT, Bard, HuggingChat, and BingChat regarding their recommendations for startup books and front-end code for a standard startup landing page. I compare the user experience of each LLM, the limitations of each for these use cases, and show how ChatGPT and Bard seem to be current leaders in these examples. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-149 for more information. You can watch this episod...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the 2.0 software startup framework within Startup Rocket (https://startuprocket.com) using Generative AI, specifically Bing Chat (which is currently free). I discuss how to ideate a startup, conduct surveys/interviews, create prototypes, and launch private and public MVPs with AI assistance. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-148 for more information. You can watch this episode via vid...
In this week’s episode of Ventures, my guests Jesse Bryan (https://twitter.com/JesseBryan), Mike Anderson (https://twitter.com/mikeyanderson) and I discuss updates about their startup, Alphi (https://alphi.xyz). We talk about why digital asset ownership is important, how/why Alphi is helping to organize information in the metaverse, how/why to contribute, and how/why to participate in their Leadership Academy to level up your skills in the Web3 space. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclitt...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss cases for and against the skill/productivity gap widening in light of Generative AI such as ChatGPT and Midjourney. On the “for” side, I discuss a YouTube video showing how to go from MidJourney to Figma to Code, and I show how this - and tools like GitHub CoPilot - enhances the work of already-skilled programmers. On the “against” side, I show a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss options for startup founders at the earliest stages of their journey using Builder.io, Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), ContenBot.ai, and Mixo.io. I discuss how rapidly advancements in this field are happening that are disrupting the “old-guard” of Wordpress and more recently Webflow. With Mixo, you can prompt an AI with a single sentence and within 30s it will generate a complete landing page for you, in...
On this episode of Ventures, my guests Greg Gallimore (Digital Experience Design (DXD) Leader for Gensler’s Northwest region), Joel Fariss (Gensler Strategy Director), and Mike Anderson (CoFounder of Alphi.xyz), and I sat down for a conversation exploring how Web3 will transform the built environment. Physical places are now inextricable from the Internet. Our buildings have become “smart,” collecting, sharing, and applying intelligence to the “user experience” of the built environment. The m...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://www.linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through asking ChatGPT how to help me start building a startup called “Text to Startup”. I share my screen and show the live chat session where it not only tells me generally how to build the startup, but - when I prompt it to give me specifics - I’m able to all the way to having it print out Ruby on Rails code and HTML/CSS for a landing page. Along the way, it also gives me specific examples about how to do user testi...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) introduce for Web2 & Web3 product managers the company https://magic.link and why you should consider using their products to onboard customers in Web2&3. I also introduce GitHub Copilot (https://github.com/features/copilot) as a must-use tool when both learning to code and writing code professionally. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-142 for more information. You can watch this episode via video...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) walk through why BTC is getting more attention, Balaji’s tweets about our banking system, the current Discount Window, MidJourney prompts, and what this means for the world of venture-building and investing. I also have a call to action - a friendly challenge - for website landing page generation via AI and translating these into HTML/CSS/JavaScript using LLMs. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-141 for mo...
In this episode of Ventures, I (https://twitter.com/wclittle) walk through today’s GPT-4 announcement (https://openai.com/product/gpt-4) with a couple of important examples from Twitter (i.e. image-to-HTML/CSS and describing an image). I also introduce a 10-part series that I've written comparing React with Ruby on Rails’ Turbo. Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-140 for more information. You can watch this episode via video here. 0:03 - Intro to t...