Puneet Agarwal brings a strong mix of operational and investment experience to his partner role at True. He began his career as a product manager at CrossWorlds Software, an early startup focused on software integration, which was sold to IBM. He then spent time in technology investment banking at J.P. Morgan and later in venture capital at the Mayfield Fund, where he invested in early stage technology companies. Puneet spent four years at BEA Systems in various product management and marketing roles in which he initiated and ran BEA’s RFID initiative. Following BEA, he joined Geodesic Information Systems, a mobile messaging company, where he filled the role of vice president of product management. As part of his work, he moved to India for several months. He joined the True team in 2008. Puneet holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University, where he was a Mayfield Fellow.

You can learn more about:

1. Trends and Opportunities in Early-Stage Investing
2. 2. Due diligence on early-stage companies
3. 3. Evaluating Founding Teams

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• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

1. How to build an iconic VC fund
2. How to hire and train the best investing talent
3. How to identify, attract, and pick the best companies to invest in

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

1. How LPs evaluate emerging managers
2. How to build a successful VC fund
3. Portfolio construction, thesis building, and fund strategy

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Sophia Amoruso is the founder and managing partner of Trust Fund, an early-stage venture fund focused exclusively (yet broadly) on investing in tech-enabled products that help people start and build businesses. Trust fund’s investors include Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, David Sacks, Jason Calacanis, Ev Williams, Naomi Gleit, Andrew Chen, Jeff Jordan, Jesse Draper, Rob Hayes, and Phil Hellmuth. Some of their portfolios include Public, Liquid Death, and MoonPay, among others. She is also the founder of Nasty Gal, Girlboss and a New York Times Bestselling author.

You can learn more about:

• How to Brand Your Business
• How to Invest in Top Startups
• Lessons from Being an Entrepreneur to Venture Capitalist

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Dave Long is the CEO of Orangetheory Fitness. He leads the company's franchise model, regional development, and product development strategy. After founding the company in 2010 with two partners, Dave has led the brand through countless pivotal achievements, including launching two apps, creating a proprietary heart rate monitor with strategically chosen partners, and signing celebrity brand ambassadors. In addition, Dave facilitated Orangetheory Fitness's exponential growth and expanded the brand worldwide, with studios now open in several countries. The scientifically backed fitness franchise continues its rapid expansion with no end in sight under Dave's leadership. Before that, Dave helped grow Massage Envy from 25 to 800 locations. Dave also helped European Wax Center expand the concept from 4 to over 550 locations in less than nine years.

You can learn more about:

1. How to build an iconic fitness brand
2. How to build an effective system to scale your business
3. How to stay on top of the tech trends and apply them to your businesses

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Jake Seid is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Ballistic Ventures, a VC firm focused on early-stage cybersecurity and security-related venture investments, with a debut fund of $300M. Before working at Ballistic, Jake was a Managing Director at Lightspeed Venture Partners and founder and Managing Director at Stone Bridge Ventures—his portfolio includes Blend, Brex, Bolt, Abnormal Security, Carta, Cresta.ai, Drata, and more. 

You can learn more about: 

1. Investing trends in the cybersecurity space
2. Starting and building a successful fund 
3. How to attract the best founders 

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Sergio Monsalve is the Founding Partner of Roble Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs building human enablement technologies. Before founding Roble Ventures, Sergio was a Partner at Norwest Venture Partners and the Board Member and Investor of Udemy. He also invested in other billion-dollar companies such as Kahoot! and Adaptive Insights. 

You can learn more about: 

1. From working at a top fund to starting a fund.
2. Insights into founding Roble Ventures and key strategies for success in venture capital.
3. A look into future trends in work, learning, and AI, and what makes a successful ed-tech company.

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Our sponsor, LD Talent, will transform how you hire, manage, and upskill your tech team. Visit https://www.ldtalentwork.com to get 100 dollars in free credit, and build your product and distributed team quickly, efficiently, and creatively. Disclosure: I am an investor in the company.

Disclosure: I am an investor in the company. 

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.

Ambar Bhattacharyya is the Managing Director at Maverick Ventures. During his venture capital career at Maverick Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Bain Capital Ventures, Ambar has led or been actively involved in investments resulting in 16 IPOs & acquisitions, with six companies achieving valuations of over $1B in the public markets.

Ambar has received broad recognition for his leadership, including Fortune Magazine's "40 under 40", Business Insider’s “30 leaders under 40 transforming healthcare”, San Francisco Business Time’s "40 under 40" list, and as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum. He was also selected to be an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow in 2022. Ambar has been cited by publications including Business Insider, CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal for his thoughts on the startup ecosystem and innovation. 

You can learn more about: 

1. How to invest in the top healthcare companies? 
2. How to accelerate your career growth in venture capital? 
3. The healthcare AI landscape deep dive. 

=====================

• YouTube: @GraceGongCEO
• Newsletter: @SmartVenture
• LinkedIn: @GraceGong
• TikTok: @GraceGongCEO
• IG: @GraceGongCEO
• Twitter: @GraceGongGG

=====================

Join the SVP fam with your host Grace Gong. In each episode, we are going to have conversations with some of the top investors, superstar founders, as well as well-known tech executives in silicon valley. We will have a coffee chat with them to learn their ways of thinking and actionable tips on how to build or invest in a successful company.