Silicon Valley Impact

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with Sophie Lamparter, founding partner at VitaminºC, a female-led, early-stage venture fund investing in climate mitigation and human adaptation, and Ryan Baird, CEO of Baird Augustine, a cross-border neo-investment bank. Sophie is a founding partner at VitaminºC, based in Zurich and San Francisco. The fund combines European impact investing with Silicon Valley scaling expertise, giving founders an edge as they grow their climate tech businesses. A Swiss transplant in the Bay Area, Sophie has spent 15 years helping European deep tech companies grow in the US. She began as a science and technology diplomat at swissnex San Francisco, built the first US team at MindMaze during its growth from university spinout to unicorn, and later co-founded DART Ventures to support founders entering the US market. She brings this firsthand operating experience to VitaminºC’s portfolio, helping founders turn breakthrough technologies into global businesses. Sophie has been recognized three times among Switzerland’s 100 Digital leaders and has served as an expert to the European Commission. She studied at the University of Zurich and UC Berkeley. She loves art, nature, and dancing. Ryan Baird leads Baird Augustine with a focus on integrity, risk management, and cross-border investment. As CEO of LYKA, a social media platform that enables Southeast Asian content creators to monetize their data, Ryan helped attract 11 million monthly active users and raised $35 million from institutional investors and family offices. As a venture partner at the GWC Innovator Fund, Ryan supported early-stage investments, including Xpeng’s Series A (NYSE: XPEV). He has also organized events such as G-Startup Worldwide and the Cross Board Venture Summit, bringing together CEOs, limited partners, and institutional investors to build relationships, showcase portfolios, source deals, and exchange industry insights. Ryan’s experience also spans hedge funds. As head trader and risk manager at Fineline Trading, he navigated market volatility during the global financial crisis. In 2010, he launched his own fund, Flotilla, where he pursued volatility arbitrage, developed exchange arbitrage algorithms, and traded exotic derivatives. His work at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management on Sand Hill Road further developed his expertise in US and global portfolio management, risk management, asset allocation, derivatives strategies, and relationships with ultra-high-net-worth families. Ryan has raised capital for his own ventures, other general partners, and startups. Through his board roles at companies and nonprofits, he supports growth and impact across industries, bringing investment experience and an extensive network to Silicon Valley’s cross-border investing community. All this and more on Silicon Valley Impact! Follow us on and listen to all our episodes on:   🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is a proud global venture partner to great companies, MoralesHR and STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower - Oakland. Check out https://moraleshr.com/ and https://stakspace.com/ to gain access to the worlds largest full stack venture ecosystem. It's over 1.2 million square feet of Live, Work, Play, Go; everything innovators, investors, ecosystem influencers, institutional partners, and global talent needs to gain a global advantage, access, alignment, and accelerate your venture.   Event Partnerships: Join us in San Francisco on October 28th, 2026 for One Way Summit 2026. Go to Luma to learn more and get on the waitlist before tickets are released: https://lnkd.in/gVsa23gj Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with Mathias “Matt” Biilmann, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, the AI-native web platform where developers and AI agents build together. Matt coined the term Agent Experience (AX) to describe how people and AI can collaborate to build a better, more open web. Before that, he pioneered the Jamstack movement, an approach that transformed how the web is built and deployed. Today, he leads a community of more than 14 million developers and holds to a simple but powerful belief: everyone who builds online is a developer. A builder at heart, Matt is always working to improve web architecture, champion developer experience (DX), and help developers unlock the full power of the web. All this and much more, on Silicon Valley Impact! Follow us on and listen to all our episodes on: 🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact   Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is a proud global venture partner to great companies, MoralesHR and STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower - Oakland. Check out https://moraleshr.com/ and https://stakspace.com/ to gain access to the worlds largest full stack venture ecosystem. It's over 1.2 million square feet of Live, Work, Play, Go; everything innovators, investors, ecosystem influencers, institutional partners, and global talent needs to gain a global advantage, access, alignment, and accelerate your venture. Event Partnerships: Join us in San Francisco on October 13th-15th for TechCrunch. Use Promo Code: siliconvalleyv25  and use the link here: https://techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-disrupt/?utm_source=siliconvalleyventures&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=disrupt2026&utm_content=partnerdiscount&promo=siliconvalley25&display=true Join us in San Francisco on October 28th, 2026 for One Way Summit 2026. Go to Luma to learn more and get on the waitlist before tickets are released: https://luma.com/onewaysummit2026   Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re in Tokyo, Japan, at JETRO, exploring how founders can access new markets, build international partnerships, and grow across borders. Joining us are Mayako Ishiguro, JETRO Program Manager; Will Ferguson, Manager of Startup and Innovation Programs at JETRO USA; and Hiroshi Takeuchi, Founder of ExportAI and Managing Director of Genero Inc. As Japan’s government-backed organization for international trade and investment, JETRO helps foreign companies establish a presence in Japan and Japanese startups expand globally through market insights, business guidance, and connections to partners, accelerators, and investors. Hiroshi also shares his journey from telecom and open-source technology to AI-powered commerce. His company, ExportAI, simplifies export regulations and automates compliance—starting with sake, with ambitions to expand across 1,000 industry verticals. What does it take to turn local innovation into global opportunity? Join us for the conversation. This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!   Follow us on and listen to all our episodes on:   🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact   Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is a proud global venture partner to great companies, MoralesHR and STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower - Oakland. Check out https://moraleshr.com/ and https://stakspace.com/ to gain access to the worlds largest full stack venture ecosystem. It's over 1.2 million square feet of Live, Work, Play, Go; everything innovators, investors, ecosystem influencers, institutional partners, and global talent needs to gain a global advantage, access, alignment, and accelerate your venture.   Event Partnerships: Join us in San Francisco on October 13th-15th for TechCrunch Disrupt. Use Promo Code: siliconvalleyv25  and use the link here: https://techcrunch.com/events/techcrunch-disrupt/?utm_source=siliconvalleyventures&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=disrupt2026&utm_content=partnerdiscount&promo=siliconvalley25&display=true   Join us in San Francisco on October 28th, 2026 for One Way Summit 2026. Go to Luma to learn more and get on the waitlist before tickets are released: https://luma.com/onewaysummit2026   Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.  

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we bring together three leaders approaching that question from very different perspectives: Jorden Woods, Managing Partner at StarChain Ventures; Dr. Jeannice Fairrer Samani, AI governance and digital transformation strategist and CEO of Fairrer Samani Group; and Tom O’Malley, Founder & CEO of Meshi AI. From investing in the next generation of AI companies and building responsible intelligence systems to reimagining professional networking through AI agents, this conversation explores where AI is creating real opportunity—and what it will take for founders, investors, organizations, and people to capitalize on what comes next. Jorden Woods is Managing Partner at StarChain Ventures, backing seed-stage startups in AI, Data Intelligence, and enterprise blockchain transforming high-stakes industries including finance, banking, healthcare, and life sciences. An exited AI founder and Caltech-trained astrophysicist, Jorden has raised more than $50 million for his own startups and generated millions in revenue. Through his venture lab, startups he strategically advised have raised $900M+, produced three exits and two unicorns, and generated more than $4 billion in shareholder value. He is the bestselling co-author of Enterprise Blockchain Has Arrived and has keynoted and lectured at more than 50 technology conferences worldwide, including at Stanford, MIT, and Google. Jorden is also an AI and enterprise blockchain thought leader and technical advisor to Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Jeannice Fairrer Samani is a Silicon Valley AI governance and digital transformation strategist, CEO and Managing Director of Fairrer Samani Group, and creator of the SMART Intelligence Layer™. For more than two decades, she has architected data and intelligence systems for organizations including Apple, Cisco, the International Telecommunication Union, the City of San José, and Santa Clara County. An educator and NSF I-Corps instructor, Jeannice helps leaders, founders, and institutions translate emerging technology into responsible innovation, workforce capability, and sustainable economic growth. She has spoken in 41 countries and brings a systems-level perspective to how AI can create investable businesses, stronger organizations, and broader economic opportunity. Tom O’Malley is Founder & CEO of Meshi AI, building AI agents that remove the social stress and spam from professional networking while dramatically expanding the power of your effective network. A four-time founder, Tom previously built ventures including Currnt, Y Combinator-backed Yardbook, and La Leyenda. Prior to Meshi AI, Tom held senior strategy and sales leadership roles at Oracle, Avaya, and Qwest Communications. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and brings a combination of entrepreneurial, enterprise, and AI experience to rethinking how professionals build meaningful networks. His philosophy: “To connect is human. To network is math.” This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!   Follow us on and listen to all our episodes on: 🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact   Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is a proud global venture partner to great companies, MoralesHR and STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower - Oakland. Check out https://moraleshr.com/ and https://stakspace.com/ to gain access to the worlds largest full stack venture ecosystem. It's over 1.2 million square feet of Live, Work, Play, Go; everything innovators, investors, ecosystem influencers, institutional partners, and global talent needs to gain a global advantage, access, alignment, and accelerate your venture.   Event Partnerships: Join us in San Francisco on October 28th, 2026 for One Way Summit 2026. Go to Luma to learn more and get on the waitlist before tickets are released: https://lnkd.in/gVsa23gj   Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions.  

On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re sitting down with two leaders operating at the intersection of venture capital, emerging technology, global markets, and media: Radhika Iyengar, Managing Partner of Silicon Valley-based StarChain Ventures, and Piyush Puri, President and Board Director of BCCL Worldwide Inc. (BWI), the North American division of The Times of India Group, India’s largest multimedia conglomerate. Radhika Iyengar is Managing Partner of StarChain Ventures, where she backs seed-stage startups using AI and Data Intelligence to transform enterprise healthcare, life sciences, and finance. She is a Top 100 Woman of the Future, TEDx speaker, Silicon Valley Woman of Influence, eight-time founder, and expert in AI, Data Intelligence, and enterprise blockchain. Through her venture lab, Radhika has advised startups that have collectively raised more than $900 million, produced four exits and two unicorns, and generated more than $4 billion in value. She has also served as CEO of an AI and Web3 cybersecurity company focused on zero-trust security in healthcare. Radhika is the bestselling co-author of Enterprise Blockchain Has Arrived and has keynoted and lectured at more than 50 technology conferences worldwide, including engagements at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Google, and Intel. Her expertise in blockchain and healthcare has been featured by CNN International, Business Insider, and Forbes Japan. She has also advised government leaders on emerging technologies, including serving on the California Blockchain Working Group, advising Governor Gavin Newsom and the California State Legislature. Piyush Puri is President and Board Director of BCCL Worldwide Inc. (BWI), the North American division of The Times of India Group. He is also the founding partner of Mercurius Media Capital, an independent venture fund that brings together premium media assets to support high-growth startups. Piyush oversees The Times Group’s strategic investment arm, Brand Capital International (BCI), where he has helped more than 30 portfolio companies expand from international markets into India. He also leads the monetization of the group’s media platforms across North America and drives new business initiatives throughout the market. Piyush holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), an MBA from XLRI School of Business, and a Master’s Degree in the Psychology of Leadership from Penn State University. He is a CFA Charterholder and also holds a Master’s Degree in Modern & Contemporary Art. Venture. AI. Global markets. Media. Leadership. This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact! Follow us and listen to all our episodes on: 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is proud to be a global venture partner to great companies and organizations, including MoralesHR, STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower – Oakland. Together, we are connecting innovators, investors, senior executives, institutional partners, and global talent to one of the world’s largest full-stack venture ecosystems—more than 1.2 million square feet of Live, Work, Play, Go. It’s about creating the access, alignment, community, infrastructure, and opportunity founders and organizations need to accelerate their ventures and compete globally. Learn more: https://moraleshr.com/ https://stakspace.com/ EVENT PARTNERSHIPS Join us in San Francisco on October 28, 2026, for One Way Summit 2026. Get on the waitlist before tickets are released: https://lnkd.in/gVsa23gj Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a qualified professional before making financial or business decisions.