Mark your calendar! StrictlyVC's newest INSIDER Series event takes place Wednesday evening, September 16 at the modern Autodesk Gallery at 1 Market Street in San Francisco. If you want to mingle with some of the smartest operators in the tech-investing ecosystem, you won't want to miss it.
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FEATURED GUESTS:
1.) Social+Capital founder Chamath Palihapitiya, in conversation with Haystack founder Semil Shah about the future of VC.
2.) Entrepreneur-investor Tony Conrad of About.me and True Ventures, in conversation with Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg about running a billion-dollar company -- and the expectations that come with it.
3.) Legendary venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, in conversation with StrictlyVC founder Connie Loizos about his early bets on Space X, Tesla Motors and what's next (including, potentially, for Elon Musk).
4.) Bolt managing director Ben Einstein, in conversation with Connie Loizos on separating fact from fiction when it comes to the Internet of Things.
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AGENDA:
5:00 PM - 5:45 PM Check-In/Networking
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5:45 PM - 6:00 PM The promise and hype around the Internet of Things. Ben Einstein (Bolt), Connie Loizos (StrictlyVC)
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6:00 PM - 6:30 PM An unorthodox approach to VC. Chamath Palihapitiya (Social+Capital Partnership), Semil Shah (Haystack)
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6:30 PM - 7:00 PM Self-piloted planes and other things you might not be expecting. Steve Jurvetson (DFJ), Connie Loizos (StrictlyVC)
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7:00 PM - 7:30 PM From startup to unicorn -- and what happens now. Matt Mullenweg (Automattic), Tony Conrad (About.me/True Ventures)
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7:30 PM - 8:00 PM NetworkingÂ
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 SPONSORS:
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TICKETS:
The StrictlyVC INSIDER Series fee is $95 per person and includes access to the featured interviews, along with the following social gathering. Hope you can make it for a night of top-notch content, great networking, and delicious food and drinks!
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Space is limited. Buy tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/strictlyvc-insider-series-tickets-17196934494
In 2011, Chamath Palihapitiya founded the Social+Capital Partnership, which closed its third fund earlier this year with $600 million. Previously, he spent four years as a VP at Facebook, where he grew the company's growth team; before that, Palihapitiya was an investor with Mayfield Fund and a VP and general manager at AOL. (He also happens to be part owner of the Golden State Warriors and a famously competitive poker player.)
Matt Mullenweg founded Automattic, parent of the blogging platform WordPress, roughly a decade ago. (The company was valued at more than $1 billion during its last financing, in 2014.) He's also an active angel investor who has made bets on more than 50 startups to date. Mullenweg started his post-collegiate career as a product manager at CNET.Â
Tony Conrad is a serial entrepreneur and longtime venture capitalist. His newest company, About.me, makes it easy for people to learn about others and find their content on the web. (It sold to AOL in 2010; Conrad and a syndicate of investors bought it back in 2013.) He also cofounded Sphere, a company acquired by AOL in 2009. Conrad, who spent his earlier career in brand management, is widely known, too, for his role as a partner and founding member of True Ventures.
Steve Jurvetson is the legendary cofounder of DFJ, the 30-year-old venture firm. Jurvetson's many bets include Hotmail, Space X, and Tesla Motors. He is also widely recognized as one of the smartest cookies in Silicon Valley, which is saying a lot. (At Stanford University, he finished his BSEE in 2.5 years and graduated at the top of his class.) When Steve Jurvetson talks, you should probably listen.
Ben Einstein is a general partner at Bolt, a seed-stage fund that invests capital, personnel, equipment, and expertise in startups at the intersection of hardware and software. Before starting Bolt, which is currently investing a $32 million fund on behalf of investors that include Autodesk, Logitech, and Cisco, Einstein founded and ran the product design consultancy Brainstream Design.
Semil Shah is a venture advisor at Bullpen Capital and GGV Capital, as well as an investor through his own LP-backed seed-stage outfit, Haystack, which is on its second fund. Some of his investments include Instacart, DoorDash, and Managed By Q. Shah was previously involved in mobile product development, marketing, and distribution at Swell, acquired last year by Apple. He's also on the advisory board of StrictlyVC.
Connie Loizos is a longtime journalist and the founder of StrictlyVC, a news organization centered around a free, daily e-mail newsletter that provides readers in the startup industry the news they need to start their day. Loizos got her start in Silicon Valley at the original Red Herring magazine in the late '90s. In addition to running StrictlyVC, she is Silicon Valley Editor at TechCrunch.