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Every entrepreneur and every person who’s creative wants to have a deeply fulfilling professional and personal life. But it can be easy to get distracted and pulled off course, which is why we all need “Touchstone Moments” to remind us of what matters. Today, we talk about it with our guest, Brad Pedersen.

Brad Pedersen is a lifelong entrepreneur, and the Co-founder & Chairman at Lomi. He’s got a new bestseller out called Startup Santa, a toy makers tale of 10 business lessons learned from timeless toys, and it’s great.

What you’re about to experience is a deeply personal conversation about life and startups, the toy business and Brad’s learnings from creating Lomi, which is pioneering the smart home composter category. If you think real, meaningful conversations about life and business matter, you’re in the right place.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

Brad Pedersen on courage and creativity in entrepreneurship

Christopher Lochhead and Brad Pedersen start off the conversation with the importance of courage and creativity in entrepreneurship.

Christopher reflects on his initial doubts before launching his book, Play Bigger, emphasizing the unpredictability of how the world will respond. Brad praises his courage to put his ideas out there, highlighting the power of the Internet in connecting people.

Brad defines courage as finding the balance between recklessness and carelessness, emphasizing its pivotal role in decision-making. He values the courage to embrace the unknown, pursue ideas despite criticism, and create value in the world. Their exchange showcases the transformative impact of courage and the Internet in scaling ideas and fostering meaningful connections.

On Mentoring and throwing a rope to those who need it

The conversation then shifts into the importance of experienced entrepreneurs helping newcomers.

Christopher emphasizes the value of giving back and supporting others in their entrepreneurial journey, drawing from his own mentors like David Ogilvy. They discuss the accessibility of mentors in the digital age, debunking the misconception that mentors are unapproachable.

Brad shares his perspective on mentorship, emphasizing the significance of personal growth and the importance of mentors who focus on becoming better individuals. They challenge the pursuit of materialistic achievements, advocating for meaningful connections and personal development. Brad also suggests evaluating mentors based on their character and the positive impact they’ve made, highlighting the enduring value of genuine connections and intrinsic fulfillment.

Brad Pedersen on prioritizing growth over material gains

Continuing on the topic of mentorship, they discuss the evolving nature of mentorship and personal growth in the digital age. Christopher reflects on the accessibility of mentors in the digital world, contrasting it with the past when connecting with influential figures was challenging. He criticizes the influence of “hustle porn stars” who promote materialism and envy. Lochhead emphasizes the genuine connection and humility he values in mentors.

Brad agrees with the assessment, focusing on personal growth and the pursuit of intrinsic value over material possessions. He highlights the importance of mentors who exhibit excellence and virtue.

Christopher then shares a humorous anecdote about a wealthy individual’s arrogance, emphasizing the significance of genuine connections over material displays.

To hear more from Brad Pedersen and how to realize your touchstone moments in your life, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Brad Pedersen: Co-founder and Chairman of Lomi.

Brad Pedersen is an award-winning entrepreneur, angel investor, thought leader, and sought-after business coach.

In 2008, he founded and scaled one of Canada’s top toy companies, merged it to co-found Basic Fun and subsequently co-founded Pela, the 100 million sustainable phone case startup that created an entirely new category.

In 2021, Brad and the team at Pela successfully launched a record-breaking 9.8 million crowd-sourced campaign for the Lomi, the world’s first smart waste kitchen composter.

Brad has a passion for faith, fitness, adventure, and outdoor pursuits and lives in the mountains of British Columbia with his amazing wife, where they are building a beautiful life!

Links

Connect with Brad Pedersen!

Brad’s Website | Lomi | Brad’s new book: Startup Santa

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes

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Today on Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different, we have a special episode featuring a good friend of mine, Dr. Giora Yaron. We talk about what’s happening in Israel now, the realities of the situation Israel faces and what’s likely to happen next.

Dr. Giora Yaron is considered a legend in the startup tech world. He’s known as one of the key players in creating the tech startup VC ecosystem. He started his career as a Senior Executive in National Semiconductor in the United States. And subsequent to that he’s founded, co-founded, and/or been the chairman of more than 25 Deep-tech startups. He’s also the former chairman of Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Yaron is also a decorated Israeli Defense Forces Combat officer. And today, he serves as a strategic adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

No matter what you think about this war, no matter how much you think you might know, there’s a lot to learn in this riveting captivating, in depth, no BS conversation with a living Israeli legend. Also, it’s important to note this episode was recorded on October 26 2023.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

Dr. Giora Yaron on the current situation in Israel

Christopher Lochhead and Dr. Giora Yaron discuss the situation in Israel. Dr. Yaron shares how his family was safe living far from conflict zones, although they hosted affected families initially.

He mentioned the challenges faced by IDF with a significant number drafted and the delicate balance in completing the mission while saving hostages.

Dr. Yaron also highlighted past incidents, comparing the current situation to previous attacks in 1973 and 2002. He expressed concerns about dealing with barbarian savages and the challenge of maintaining Israeli values while addressing the crisis.

Dr. Giora Yaron on the conflict’s impact on civilians

The conversation then shifts to the topic of the recent conflict in Israel and its impact on civilians.

Dr. Yaron discusses the strategic and moral dilemmas faced by Israel in dealing with groups like Hamas and the challenges in differentiating between combatants and civilians. He emphasizes the need to combat extremist groups aiming to establish an Islamic state and the importance of military action to achieve this.

Christopher notes that many veterans, like Colin Powell, become peacemakers later in life and discussed the heroic efforts of civilians in the conflict. But Dr. Yaron responds that the situation isn’t about pursuing peace but dealing with an ongoing conflict.

Dr. Giora Yaron on Cultural Differences and how it affects perception in the West

Dr. Yaron shares his concerns about the disconnect between Western sympathies for Palestinians and the harsh realities faced by Israelis due to terrorist attacks.

He emphasizes the need for a practical approach and shared personal experiences, such as Mellanox’s tragic incident, to illustrate the challenges faced in pursuing peace in the region. He further underscores the complexities of the situation and the clash between idealistic hopes for peace and the harsh realities on the ground.

To hear more from Dr. Giora Yaron and the clash of ideals in Israel, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Dr. Giora Yaron is the former Chairman of Tel Aviv University (Executive Council), and on the board of Amdocs (DOX).

Dr. Yaron serves on the advisory board of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

He is also an active Founding Investor and Founder of a group of high-tech and med-tech companies; P-cube, (acquired by Cisco), PentaCom (acquired by Cisco), Qumranet (acquired by Redhat), Comsys (acquired by Conexant, Texas Instruments), Exanet (acquired by Dell) Hyperwise Security (acquired by Checkpoint) Qwilt, Itamar Medical, Excelero, Equalum and, Aqua Security.

Dr. Yaron has been serving as board member and/or Chairman of the Boards of these companies since their inception.

Dr. Yaron served as Chairman of the Board of Mercury Interactive (acquired by HP for $4.5B US).

From 1992-1995 Dr. Yaron has served as President of Indigo NV, leading the company to an NASDAQ IPO. Prior to joining Indigo served as corporate Vice President of National Semiconductor and was the Founder of National wafer fab in Israel (today Tower-Jazz Semiconductors) [https://issuu.com/malgin/docs/national_semiconductor_israel].

In 2008 Dr Yaron presented at the Computer History Museum the revolutionary microprocessor development work he lead with his team at NCS which provides the foundation for the microprocessors as we know them today.

Dr Yaron was granted Honorary Fellowships by The Hebrew University In 2009 .

In the years 2009-2013 served on Israel Prime Minister Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee

Dr. Yaron holds a Ph.D. in Device Physics from the Hebrew University has published numerous scientific papers and holds numerous patents.

Links

Connect with Dr. Giora Yaron!

LinkedIn

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes

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How do you build an AI startup? What’s different about an AI startup compared to a normal tech startup? How do you get VCs to come to you instead of chasing them? If you have these questions in mind, our guest, Vikram Chalana, might have the answer you are looking for.

Vikram Chalana is the founder and CEO of Pictory.AI, an AI video creation tool that can help content marketers create content in a fast and scalable manner. So, if you have an interest in AI and what future it holds, you’re going to love this episode.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

Vikram Chalana on the Practicalities of Remote Work

Christopher and Vikram start off the conversation by talking about the benefits of working remotely. Both have stated that they have enjoyed their work-from-home setups, even after the hustle and bustle of the world has returned somewhat.

They also agree that, despite some backlash, remote work offers advantages, like eliminating commutes and enabling people to work in comfortable, happy environments. Vikram, a startup founder, values hiring talent globally, and that online tools like Slack and Zoom have made it easier to bridge the geographical barrier of work.

Though they acknowledge the desire for in-person interactions sometimes, they could not ignore the practicality of remote work.

Raising money for AI startup: when do you bring on investors?

Christopher and Vikram then discuss the timing of taking in investors and venture capital.

Christopher shares a conversation he had with a friend, a CEO in the AI space, who’s considering significant investment offers. They debate the need for additional funding despite having $5 million already. The friend’s reason for this is because of the demand for compute in AI due to expanding training data, which requires substantial investment. In this case, Vikram agrees that getting more funds makes sense because of the load they are taking as their data lake grows and the computing demand increases.

Vikram, on the other hand, expresses hesitance about raising funds when his SaaS startup is already capital efficient. He grappled with how to allocate the money, but also considers future investments in deep tech. Vikram also emphasizes his approach of launching products even if they are initially embarrassing, highlighting his focus on post-revenue stages for fundraising.

Vikram Chalana on startup valuations and fundraising strategies

Christopher and Vikram then talk about fundraising strategies, emphasizing the risks associated with overvaluation. Christopher shares some cautionary tales about companies that raised large sums at high valuations, only to face significant drops in worth, causing employee dissatisfaction.

Vikram, who favors a conservative approach, highlights his experience in building capital-efficient businesses. He stresses the importance of realistic valuations, suggesting that entrepreneurs should not overvalue their businesses.

They discuss an entrepreneur who achieved a healthy valuation without pushing it to the extreme. Christopher notes the contrasting situations faced by non-AI entrepreneurs struggling to attract VC attention, while AI startups like Vikram’s are sought after.

To hear more from Vikram Chalana and his thoughts on AI Startups, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Vikram Chalana is an experienced business and technology executive with a demonstrated history in the enterprise software and medical device industry.

Before becoming the CEO of Steth IO, Vikram was the co-founder and CTO of Winshuttle – empowering people to transform their ERP-based business. He propelled the company’s technology strategy to support Enterprise, workflow and mobile solutions, helping thousands of customers maximize their investments in enterprise applications such as SAP ERP, Oracle EBS and Salesforce.com.

Prior to Winshuttle, Vikram spent several years in the software industry concentrating on data mining and business intelligence applications. His previous positions included engineering leadership positions at Verathon,Inc. and Insightful Software (now part of Tibco Corp). Vikram is a published author of more than 20 journal articles and holds more than a dozen US and international patents.

Links

Pictory.AI | LinkedIn

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes

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On this episode, let’s talk about Israel, and the war that has come to this “Startup Nation”.

Off the top, let me say the pain and suffering of what’s happening is unbelievable, unbearable. My heart goes out to Israel, all Israelis, and all Jews around the world.

I also want to say I have spoken with many Arabs since this happened. There’s a very big difference between an Arab or a Palestinian and Hamas. They are not the same thing. My Arab friends wanted to stress that to me. My heart goes out to all the innocent Arabs in Gaza and in the region who are suffering and also experiencing extraordinary pain and loss.

Israel is a “Startup Nation”

If you’ve been in tech for a while, you’ve probably worked with Israelis. For the better part of my professional life, I’ve worked with entrepreneurs, engineers and executives from the country.

The Israeli’s I know are smart, tough, driven, no-nonsense result producers. If you want to get big tech shit done, work with Israelis.

It has one of the highest concentrations of startups in the world. Its tech sector is a major contributor to the country’s economy. Tech is 18% of Israel’s GDP, and 14% of all salaried employees work in Tech. That’s roughly 500,000 people. On top of which, 50% of Israel’s total exports come from Technology developed by these people.

The framework Israelis created to co-locate Israel/US tech startups, established an innovation model that is envied the world over.

Israel has over 6,000 Tech Companies

The impact of this war borne out by the Israeli people.

Reports indicate that the start if this war was “the darkest day in Jewish history since the end of the Holocaust.”

And, it will also be felt by virtually every major tech company in the world.

There are over 6,000 tech companies operating in Israel, including some of the largest names, with Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Intel to name a few. These companies have a variety of strategic operations in Israel, including research and development centers, sales offices, and customer support centers.

Israel is home to over 15,000 startups, and they employ over 100,000 people. In 2021, Israeli tech companies raised a record $25.6 billion in venture capital funding.

Today, they are scrambling to secure and support their people.

15,000 Israeli Tech Startups

Now, this evil war is extracting an unbearable human cost. More death, suffering and disruption is sure to follow. And this war will be felt by many of us in the tech industry.

My heart aches for Israel.

My heart aches for all of the innocent souls in the Middle East.

We’re praying for peace, and the day we can all get back to building legendary companies.

To hear more of Christopher Lochhead’s thoughts on the recent events that unfolded in Israel, download and listen to this episode.

If you wish to join the conversation and get more information on the matter, check out Christopher’s post on LinkedIn:

Christopher Lochhead

Different: Weekly Newsletter

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes

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If you have been following Silicon Valley and tech news, you might be wondering what the future of tech startups in general are and what trends venture capitalists are following nowadays. Our guest, Paul Martino, might be able to answer those questions for you.

Paul Martino is the founder of eight companies including Tribe; one of the world’s first social networks, and aggregate knowledge a big data advertising company. Paul holds over a dozen patents on core social networking concepts, content targeting and recommendation systems.

This is a fun, fascinating and deeply insightful conversation with one of our favorite thinkers in the tech startup world.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

Paul Martino on Venture Capital, Fundraising, and Market Sentiment

The conversation begins with Paul Martino and Christopher Lochhead talking about the challenging environment for venture capitalists.

Paul Martino acknowledges the tough 18 months, highlighting a temporary upswing but anticipating further challenges.

Christopher shares mixed signals from CEOs, noting a tough market despite some positive indicators. Paul observes a significant change in fundraising capital availability in Q2, attributing it to increased confidence with NASDAQ’s rise.

As Christopher mentions entrepreneurs preferring angel investors over traditional VCs due to difficulties and lowered valuations, Paul disapproves of VC complacency during tough times and assures entrepreneurs that committed VCs like him are open for business, emphasizing their entrepreneurial mindset. He also understands the logic behind entrepreneurs relying on existing investors during market uncertainty.

Paul Martino on the impact of market downturn on early- and late-stage companies

They then continue to discuss the challenges faced by late-stage companies dealing with overvalued situations.

Paul emphasizes the distinction between a down round and a recap, suggesting that a down round, while not ideal, is manageable. He also stresses the importance of CEOs accepting a realistic valuation to issue new options and retain employees, criticizing those who let ego hinder practical decisions.

Christopher raises concerns about companies with significantly reduced growth rates, questioning their true value. Paul gives a hypothetical example of a $10 billion company dropping to $3 billion, highlighting the need for companies to adapt and not shy away from necessary adjustments to move forward.

Paul Martino on San Francisco’s decline and potential for recovery

The conversation shifts to the topic of the decline of vibrant cities like San Francisco and Portland.

Paul observes the eerie emptiness in once-bustling areas, expressing concern for the loss of the lively environment. Lochhead shares similar sentiments, reminiscing about the exciting times they experienced during previous boom periods. They discuss the root causes of these issues, focusing on policy changes like Prop 47 and Prop 57 in California that decriminalized theft under $1,000, leading to increased crime rates.

Paul believes it will take a new generation of pragmatic leaders to address institutional problems and revive cities, estimating a 20-year timeframe for San Francisco’s recovery. The conversation highlights their shared disappointment in witnessing the decline of the cities they once knew.

To hear more from Paul Martino and the future of tech startups, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

Paul Martino is a Managing General Partner at Bullpen Capital. Paul is the founder of eight companies including Ahpah Software (a computer security firm acquired by InterTrust; Tribe (one of the world’s first social networks), and Aggregate Knowledge (a big data advertising attribution company acquired in 2014 by Neustar).

Paul’s early online gaming innovations in multi-player user experience from over 30years ago are the inspiration for several of the modern social gaming offerings.

He holds over a dozen patents on core social networking concepts, content targeting, and recommendation systems.

Prior to forming Bullpen In 2010, he was an active angel investor and personally invested in the first rounds of Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), TubeMogul (NASDAQ: TUBE), and uDemy.

He sold a company into Millennial Media prior to its public offering (Condaptive), as well as to Marketo prior to Its public offering (Crowd Factory).

While at Bullpen, Paul has led several of its key investments including FanDuel (merged with Flutter Entertainment (LSE:FLTR)), Swish Analytics, Jackpocket, Grove, Ipsy, SpotHero, Ocrolus, and Life360 (ASX:360). Paul served on the board of directors of FanDuel for over 5 years during a period of tremendous high growth.

Since forming Bullpen, Paul has stayed active as an entrepreneur forming companies specifically at the Intersection of sports, gaming, gambling, and technology.

His most recent endeavor, Bankroll, is building a next generation sports betting focused elevated dining restaurant in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Paul also created a film production company, 818 Media, that produced the film Inside Game. Inside Game tells the story of the 2007 NBA betting scandal in which referee Tim Donaghy’s leveraged unreported inside information to wager on games including those that he officiated.

Link

Connect with Paul Martino!

LinkedIn | Twitter/X

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes

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If you’re someone who wants to have a legendary, long-term, and super-successful professional career, you’re going to love this dialogue with Silicon Valley’s Legal Obi-Wan, David Schellhase.

David Schellhase is considered as one of the greatest General Counsels in Silicon Valley history. David was the GC at Salesforce for nine years, and he was the GC that took them public. He was the GC at Groupon, and most recently, the GC at Slack.

On this highly engaging episode, David and Christopher cover everything from the problems plaguing San Francisco in California, to how lawyers can be true partners who helped power the success of a legendary business.

You’re listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let’s go.

David Schellhase on the Challenges facing San Francisco

The dialogue starts off on the topic of the current state of San Francisco. David described downtown San Francisco as a ghost town with a lack of energy and a significantly reduced population, feeling like just a really small scale of what it was four years ago. He expressed concern that there’s no immediate rebound in sight.

Christopher pointed out that policies and politicians may have contributed to the city’s issues, but some complexity exists in understanding the causes. David acknowledged that many are well-intentioned but lack a clear understanding of cause and effect.

They discussed the challenges of addressing issues like addiction and the need for comprehensive solutions, rejecting simplistic approaches. David emphasized the difficulty of the situation and the desire for an easy solution.

Stuck in the middle

David Schellhase discussed the challenges of dealing with complex problems, particularly in San Francisco, where there’s a high tolerance for individuals facing issues like addiction and homelessness. He noted the difficulty of reaching marginalized individuals with chemical problems.

Christopher shared a scuba diving analogy, emphasizing the need to make a clear choice between being supportive and caring or taking a more serious approach. He highlighted the inconsistency in dealing with crimes related to opioids, such as fentanyl, where some individuals receive lenient sentences despite carrying dangerous substances. Christopher argued that society is stuck in an ambiguous middle ground, where it either needs to fully legalize and regulate these substances or enforce stricter criminal penalties, as the current approach is leading to harmful consequences.

David Schellhase on addressing the societal issues in San Francisco

David and Christopher then continued to discuss the lack of a coherent strategy to address societal problems in San Francisco and the broader United States. They acknowledged the need for a balanced approach that avoids mass incarceration but also holds individuals accountable for their actions.

David emphasized the complexity of San Francisco’s permissive culture and the challenges it faces in dealing with issues like addiction and homelessness. Christopher highlighted the importance of a holistic approach, including both support programs and consequences for criminal behavior. He argued that the U.S. lacks effective measures to deter crime, with many serious offenses going unsolved and unpunished.

To hear more from David Schellhase and his thoughts about the current Justice system, rise of AI, and how to build a long-term successful career, download and listen to this episode.

Bio

David Schellhase is of Counsel to Sullivan & Cromwell.

He is resident in the Firm’s Palo Alto office and focuses on a range of technology-related and business issues.

David has more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry and most recently served as the General Counsel of Slack Technologies, Inc.

While at Slack, David oversaw the company’s 2019 direct stock listing IPO.

Prior to that, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Honest Work Corporation, a software company that was acquired by Twitter, Inc.

He also previously served as General Counsel and then Strategic Advisor at Groupon, Inc. and for more than eight years as General Counsel of Salesforce, Inc. where he guided both companies through successful IPOs.

Professional Activities and Community Involvement

• Trustee, Junior State of America Foundation
• Board Member, Next Chapter Publications

• Cited in a Law360 article, “4 Major Concerns on GCs’ Minds for 2023” (January 3, 2023)

• Credentials
• Related Practices

Credentials

Education

• Cornell Law School, J.D., 1990
• Columbia University, B.A., 1985

Links

Connect with David Schellhase!

LinkedIn | Sullivan & Cromwell

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different™! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and subscribe on iTunes