Operate Podcast

Bob Nunn - CEO of Everactive

Bob Nunn is CEO of battery-free startup Everactive, a deep tech company that self-powers IoT devices.  They have pioneered ultra-low-power circuits, and we talked a lot about the company's history, evolution and current status on the show.  Have you ever realized how big of a market industrial steam trap monitoring is?!?  Bob considers Everactive the biggest opportunity of his career, by far, as this market grows exponentially in the coming years.

Bob calls himself a “trust-first” manager and we talked about that philosophy, as it has helped his team to thrive during the pandemic, even as they’ve had to go remote, like many other companies.  Bob shared his operating principles as a 30 year executive, as well as the qualities he looks for in other company leaders.
 
Bob has worked successfully with startups for over 30 years across various stages. He’s also raised a lot of capital, nearly $100M with Everactive alone. He previously ran a company, Fulcrum Microsystems, which he successfully sold to Intel, and spent several years there in senior roles.

Bob is also a fellow UCLA Bruin.  There was so much wisdom and perspective from this accomplished business executive in the episode - enjoy it!

Deepa Krishnan - Co-founder & CEO of Spoonful

Deepa Krishnan is the co-founder and CEO of Spoonful, a company focused on leading the “food as medicine” movement.  Deepa, her co-founder, Sam, and her team have developed a leading and fast-growing application that helps consumers increase their confidence and safety when selecting foods to eat, based on health restrictions, allergies or their diets. 

We talked much more about her and the company’s path on the show, including how food is becoming more and more prevalent as powerful health solution, especially for chronic conditions.  I’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work with Deepa over the last year, as we are excitedly an investor in Spoonful through Operate.

Deepa has a strong background in software product and data, having previously worked in a couple prominent data companies.  She’s a graduate of Princeton University, and earned her JD from UCLA.

Kelly Perdew - Co-founder & Managing Partner of Moonshots Capital

I was super excited to have Kelly Perdew on the podcast. He has been an entrepreneur, an executive, an Apprentice, and for the last several years, a venture capitalist.  He’s currently Managing Partner of Moonshots Capital, an early stage venture firm.  He’s been a fixture in the So Cal startup and venture community for a long time.

Kelly is a graduate of West Point and a JD/MBA from UCLA.  He and I met years ago through the UCLA network, where he remains an active participant.  He and his partner, Craig, started Moonshots about 4 years ago – and documented the realities of starting a venture firm and fund, which was greatly appreciated by others who were trying.

We covered a lot of ground in our conversation about investing, the amazing leadership training program that is the military, and how his experiences have shaped him as an entrepreneur and VC.

Thanks to show sponsor and great partner for your hiring needs, Hunt Club

Jennifer Friend - CEO of Project Hope Alliance

I was super excited to finally have Jennifer Friend join me on the podcast. She has been a leader in our business, legal and non-profit community for a long time, and has really asserted herself over the last year, during this challenging time. Jennifer's story, perspective and wisdom was so profound - this episode resounded with me on so many levels!  I'm so grateful to her for sharing her whole self with me and the audience - there is a ton of life wisdom to be learned from her.

Jennifer became the CEO of Project Hope Alliance 8 years ago, after a successful career as a corporate attorney.  She was presented the opportunity to lead the now 30-year old organization.  Their mission is to end the cycle of homelessness one child at a time, and we discussed their work and incredible impact, and their journey since starting.

She’s also been President of the UCI Alumni Association, is a trustee of the UC Irvine Foundation, and also advises and works with other foundations and non-profits.

Jennifer is bold and very visible in our community.  Follow her and PHA on social media!

And thanks to show sponsor, Hunt Club

Ben Kuo - Founder & Publisher of socalTECH

Ben Kuo has been a fixture as an evangelist for startups and innovation in Southern California for many years, and I've appreciated our nearly 20 year friendship. We actually recorded this conversation several months ago, and yet it's almost timeless, as the challenges we face in business, in startups and in the ecosystem largely persist.

Ben is the founder of SOCALTECH LLC, a company that provides regional high tech news, interviews, venture deal flow tracking, and more. SOCALTECH's flagship publication is socalTECH.com, a web site focused on high tech in Southern California. I consider Ben the tip of the spear for startup, tech and investor news in the region, and remember him as one of the first folks I met in the community when I arrived back in the early 2000s.

Before focusing on SOCALTECH, Ben was a product manager and engineer for Troika Networks, which was in storage area networks.  He also started and sold a website RealEats.com for restaurant reviews, well before Yelp!

(Part 2) John Dearie - President of Center for American Entrepreneurship

John Dearie joined me for Part 2 of our discussion on the dire need for more entrepreneurs in our country, and how his work at the Center for American Entrepreneurship is bringing this awareness to our lawmakers in Washington, DC, and how he's creating energy and opportunity for communities around the country to join in the effort as well.  It's been a pleasure to get to know John in the last year, and I appreciate his leadership on this important topic.  We need more entrepreneurs!

Thanks also to show sponsor, Hunt Club.

 

Giorgi Chigogidze & Chris Steege - Co-founders & CEO, CMO, respectively at Purlin

I was excited to have my longtime friends, Giorgi Chigogidze and Chris Steege with me on the podcast to discuss Purlin, their startup for personalizing the homebuying experience.  They try to address the #1 problem for potential buyers - finding the actual home to buy, making that easier, more personalized and aided by AI.

We met nearly 20 years ago at UCLA Anderson, where we were not only in the same class, but same section (Go, Section B). It was amazing to now be talking about Purlin all these years later. Both of these guys have had very successful careers in finance and advertising, which we discussed, as well as how they came together around this opportunity.  They’ve made great progress on Purlin, and are also navigating the startup journey and challenges as most startup founders do.  I appreciated how honest and reflective they were on their relationship and personal growth through this process.

Thanks to show sponsor, Hunt Club, as well - Hunt Club is a new category of search firm that leverages the power of relationships and referrals to find you the best talent. Their technology transforms thousands of subject matter experts into the world’s most powerful talent network, a network consisting of 10,000 trusted industry leaders that refer top talent nationwide to exciting positions. 

Nick Bucheleres - Founder & CEO of Grin Gaming

Nick Bucheleres is the founder and CEO of Grin Gaming, a startup focused on revolutionizing the way fans interact with their favorite live video content by allowing users to compete on every play of the action.  Grin is now available for several eSports like CS Go and Dota, and traditional sports like the NFL, with others coming soon.

Nick is also the CTO, with a tremendous background as a machine-learning engineer at well-known LA companies like Sweetgreen and Flo Technologies.  He was also an engineer at Apple earlier in his career, as well as trading algorithm developer at the Chicago Board of Trade.  All of those experiences have factored into his work at Grin.

Nick is also a fellow Big 10 grad out here in So Cal, having graduated from Michigan.  I’m also super excited to call him and his team at Grin partners, as we are his first investor and are actively involved with them through Operate.  It's been a fun journey with the Grin team so far!

Jeremy Redman - Founder & CEO of Vone

Jeremy Redman and I did a podcast crossover, and we talked about meeting a year ago, how v.one is his 3rd no-code startup and doing great, his entrepreneurial roots and thoughts, and his Not Boring Business podcast, and many other things.  It was a fun conversation.  I can assure you it was not boring.

If you know about the rise of no-code, you'll enjoy this chat.  If you don't know what no-code is, you'll find this super interesting. Bottom line - this one is for everyone.

This is the first episode from our new sponsor, Hunt Club. Hunt Club is a new type of search firm that leverages the power of relationships and referrals to find you the best talent. Their technology transforms thousands of subject matter experts into the world’s most powerful talent network, a network consisting of 10,000 trusted industry leaders that refer top talent nationwide to their client's most important positions. If you're looking for talent, hit me up for an intro to them. They are even game to take on your hardest to fill roles.  Thanks to Hunt Club!

JP La Torre - Co-Founder & CEO of Caylent

JP La Torre is co-founder & CEO of Caylent, a managed services provider for growing software teams.  We met several years ago when he was initially developing the idea.  He’s a classic entrepreneur in how he came upon the idea, how he pursued it through the help of an accelerator, and how he's navigated losing a co-founder along the way, adjusting course and reaching the "survive then thrive" stage where he is today.  JP is very focused on his customers and the rapid evolution of technology, and as we discuss, he helps them "accelerate their time to value" in their own businesses, which is how he creates value and long-term relationships with them.

You'll appreciate JP's passion for his customers, his team, and the technologies they work with to provide DevOps on Demand.