Podcast
Silicon Valley Impact
Hosted by Silicon Valley Impact · EN
Welcome to Silicon Valley Impact, where insight meets innovation in the world of business. Join hosts Brian Sparkes and Brian Bernasconi as they delve into the stories of local and global businesses that are making a real impact. Whether you’re a startup founder, a small business owner, or someone looking to navigate the dynamic business ecosystem, this show is your guide to success. Tune in to gain valuable insights, discover new strategies, and stay ahead of the curve in today’s ever-evolving business landscape. Get ready to be inspired and informed on Silicon Valley Impact!
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Founder Wellness Is the Next Competitive Advantage - S3 E13
3w ago01:00:20Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Tess Robinson, Managing Partner at FTB Capital Group, where she leads the Longevity Fund — investing in startups at the intersection of innovation, inclusion, impact, and human wellbeing. Tess believes the best companies are built by founders who prioritize longevity over burnout. Based in the Bay Area, Tess creates spaces for honest conversations around entrepreneurship and sustainable company building. Through HER Connections, she provides fractional COO and CMO support to founders seeking scalable operational systems without the overhead of full-time executives. Her work focuses on helping startups build sustainable infrastructure while protecting founder wellness — because growth should never come at the expense of health. As the founder of Pacific Standard Co., Tess is also launching Silicon Valley’s first Founder Total Performance Accelerator, built on the belief that elite performance and long-term wellbeing can coexist. She also co-hosts Answering AI with Joe Vazquez — a podcast designed to help everyday listeners better understand AI without needing to be deeply embedded in the tech world. This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact. Follow and listen here: 🎙️ 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 partner globally with MoralesHR, STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower Oakland. Learn more: 🔗 https://moraleshr.com/ 🔗 https://stakspace.com/ Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by hosts and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Please consult a qualified professional before making financial or business decisions.
Transcribe →AI, Grit & Global Talent: Two VCs Shaping Silicon Valley’s Future - S3 E12
4w ago01:04:55Tap to summarizeOn this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we have Mala Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures; and Manan Mehta, Co-Founder and General Partner of Unshackled Ventures. Mala is a founder, venture capitalist, and product executive focused on AI, enterprise SaaS, and emerging technologies. As Founder and Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures, she invests in high-growth startups across ecosystems including YC, StartX, and SkyDeck, with portfolio companies such as Anthropic, xAI, and Perplexity AI. A multi-exit entrepreneur and operator, Mala has spent more than two decades building and scaling products and companies from 0-to-1 and 1-to-100. She has held leadership roles at Meta, Cloudera, Oracle, Veeva Systems, and Ethyca, while also co-founding and exiting multiple ventures deployed at Fortune 500 scale. In addition to investing and operating, Mala is the founder of Founders Creative, a Silicon Valley AI community of 18,000+ builders, a contributor to Forbes Business Council, and a member of Stanford Women on Boards. She is known for her operator-first mindset, strategic product leadership, and passion for helping founders scale transformative technologies. Manan is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Unshackled Ventures, a pioneering venture fund built to support immigrant founders navigating the complexities of building startups in the United States. A former founder and CEO whose social media company was acquired by Smule, Manan co-founded Unshackled Ventures to remove immigration barriers for entrepreneurs by providing visa, legal, and employment infrastructure that enables founders to start companies from day one. Known for investing at the earliest stages—often pre-product, pre-revenue, and even pre-incorporation—Manan backs founders based on execution ability, resilience, and personal connection to the problems they are solving rather than traditional traction metrics. He is widely respected for his unwavering support of immigrant entrepreneurs and for viewing global talent as one of America’s greatest competitive advantages. Beyond capital, Manan emphasizes the human side of entrepreneurship, positioning Unshackled as both an investment partner and a support system for founders navigating the emotional realities of building a company. He is also deeply committed to authentic community building, founder trust, and cultivating diverse, high-performing teams across the venture ecosystem. 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. 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.
Transcribe →Building, Backing, and Becoming: What It Really Takes to Win! S3 E11
Apr 2101:06:43Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Naeem Zafar, CEO Coach, Board Advisor, entrepreneur, professor, an angel investor; Ryan Green, Principle at Antler; and Stephanie El-Chakieh, Pharm.D., M.Sc., Founder/CEO of WellVerve, and Author, for a conversation at the intersection of venture, innovation, and human performance. Naeem is a seasoned CEO advisor and board leader with deep experience building, scaling, and exiting high-tech companies. He has led five ventures as CEO and supported dozens more as a board member and strategic advisor, including TeleSense. He is also a dedicated educator, teaching entrepreneurship at University of California, Berkeley since 2005 and at Northeastern University since 2017, where he serves as Faculty Director and Professor of the Practice. Naeem is the author of five books on entrepreneurship and is committed to sharing Silicon Valley insights with founders around the world. He has served on multiple boards, including as Chair of OPEN Silicon Valley and AspirePK, and is the Founding President of the Brown University Club of Silicon Valley. Ryan is a Principal at Antler, where he focuses on pre-seed investing and bringing exceptional founders into Antler’s San Francisco residency. His background spans deep-tech and AI investing, as well as go-to-market, product, and deployment leadership at early-stage startups. He began his career at Deloitte in industrial cybersecurity and holds a degree in Computer Engineering from University of Notre Dame. Stephanie is a scientist, holistic health expert, and Founder & CEO of WellVerve. Her work bridges pharmaceutical science with integrative wellness, focusing on whole-person health, emotional intelligence, and human relationships. She holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy and a Master’s in Advanced Pharmacotherapy from the University of Montreal and practiced as a pharmacist for 14 years. Certified in functional medicine, herbal medicine, yoga, and reiki, Stephanie combines clinical expertise with holistic approaches to advance health, mental well-being, and personal transformation. 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 About Silicon Valley Impact Silicon Valley Impact, produced by Silicon Valley Venture LLC, connects listeners to the people, ideas, and strategies shaping innovation. In partnership with MoralesHR and STAK Ventures, the platform brings access to a global network of founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders.
Transcribe →The Playbook for Scaling Innovation Across Industries and Borders S3 E10
Apr 1400:59:53Tap to summarizeOn this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Sobhan Khani, President and Partner at Plug and Play Tech Center, and one of the earliest team members who helped scale the company from a 20-person Bay Area startup into a global innovation platform with over 800 employees worldwide. Over the past decade, Sobhan has played a key role in expanding Plug and Play across multiple industries, including mobility, energy, fintech, and real estate. He has launched new verticals, opened international hubs, and partnered with some of the world’s largest corporations to help them adopt and integrate emerging technologies. His journey has taken him from building early mobility programs in Stuttgart alongside Mercedes-Benz to scaling Plug and Play’s Smart Cities platform across four global markets—driving 20x revenue growth in his first year as VP. Today, Sobhan oversees a broad portfolio of U.S. and international operations, working closely with Fortune 500 companies, governments, and investors to bridge the gap between innovation and real-world enterprise adoption. He is particularly focused on the future of corporate innovation—where meaningful partnerships outperform hype—and on the growing movement around health optimization, where technology empowers individuals to take ownership of their well-being. A global operator at heart, Sobhan spends much of his time connecting with founders, investors, and policymakers across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, staying close to where the next wave of innovation is emerging. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register 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.
Transcribe →AI Agents Are the New Employees — Are We Ready? S3 E9
Apr 701:08:43Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with three leaders shaping the future of AI, security, and venture: Eugene Malobrodsky (General Partner, One Way Ventures), Anna Kovaleva (Omnissa), and Irina Tagintseva (AI Architect, Apple). Eugene Malobrodsky is a General Partner at One Way Ventures and a serial founder behind AnchorFree, the company behind Hotspot Shield with over 650M downloads. He later co-founded Pango, scaling consumer cybersecurity products globally and incubating Twingate, a zero-trust enterprise security company that has raised over $40M. Today, Eugene brings a founder-first lens to investing and has helped build One Way’s Pathfinder Collective—an advisory network that includes founders behind companies like Slack and LinkedIn. Anna Kovaleva is a product leader at Omnissa (formerly VMware’s End User Computing business, backed by KKR), where she builds AI agents and identity platforms used by Fortune 500 companies and millions of users worldwide. Her work sits at the intersection of agentic AI, identity, and Zero Trust security—exploring how autonomous systems operate safely at enterprise scale. A Stanford MBA and former BCG consultant, Anna brings 15+ years of experience across AI, enterprise SaaS, and marketplaces, with a strong focus on the future of AI agents as a new class of identity. Irina Tagintseva is an AI architect, enterprise systems leader, and cloud strategist with 14+ years of experience across infrastructure, DevSecOps, and AI platforms. At Apple, she has led the development of MLOps systems powering GenAI-driven sales, and previously drove global-scale automation initiatives at Gap. She began her career in business development at an AI startup later acquired by Google, working alongside Tristan Harris. Irina holds a degree from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. We cover: → The rise of agentic AI and what it means for enterprise systems → AI as identity: how agents will interact, operate, and be governed → The future of cybersecurity in a world of autonomous systems → Founder-led venture, immigrant-driven innovation, and building at global scale This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact — where business insight meets startup innovation. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register
Transcribe →The AI Infrastructure Race: Where the Next Billion-Dollar Startups Will Come From - S3 E8
Mar 1701:05:31Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Benny Liao, Principal at Acorn Pacific Ventures, and Ryan Wang, General Partner at Solaris Venture Partners, for a conversation on AI infrastructure, frontier technology, and the evolving landscape of global venture capital. Benny Liao is a Principal at Acorn Pacific Ventures, a Silicon Valley–based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in AI infrastructure and enterprise software. Before entering venture capital, Benny was the founder and CEO of a fintech startup in Southeast Asia, where he raised more than $10 million in equity and venture debt and led the company through growth and exit. Having experienced the startup journey firsthand, he transitioned into venture capital to work closely with founders building the next generation of technology companies. At Acorn Pacific Ventures, Benny focuses on backing technical founders building AI infrastructure, enterprise software, and data platforms—particularly the foundational tools powering the broader AI ecosystem. Drawing on his experience as both founder and investor, he is passionate about helping entrepreneurs navigate fundraising, avoid common pitfalls, and build companies that solve meaningful problems. Ryan Wang is a technology futurist and venture investor working at the intersection of AI, spatial computing, robotics, and frontier technology. As General Partner at Solaris Venture Partners, Ryan advises global capital and corporate leaders on emerging opportunities across the rapidly evolving AI and robotics sectors. A pioneer in cross-border investment, he co-founded Outpost Capital in 2015—one of the first early-stage funds focused on frontier technologies spanning the U.S. and Asia. Ryan has also built companies at the edge of innovation. He served as COO of MOAC Blockchain, helping scale the protocol into the Top 30 projects on CoinMarketCap, and co-founded Zebra Labs, an innovator in AI-driven music and metaverse intellectual property. Earlier in his career, Ryan worked in investment banking with Citigroup and Société Générale in New York. He has also lectured at USC, the University of Washington, and Nanyang Technological University, and holds a master’s degree from New York University. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/registe
Transcribe →Performance with Purpose: The Discipline Behind Elite Venture Investors
Mar 1001:04:47Tap to summarizeOn this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Bryce Gilleland, General Partner of Cal Innovation Fund II; and Chima Osuka, Senior Partner at Suncoast Ventures. Bryce is the General Partner of Cal Innovation Fund II, a venture fund investing in startups founded by entrepreneurs from UC Berkeley and the University of California ecosystem. His mission is to tenaciously support founders in achieving performance with purpose—building companies that deliver both strong returns and meaningful impact. Bryce previously operated the #1 performing hedge fund in the world in 2020, generating 846% net returns while scaling assets from $8 million to $600 million and bringing on more than 150 limited partners. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade in energy markets at PG&E and Southern California Edison, analyzing policy and designing initiatives that saved over $1 billion in costs while advancing environmental outcomes. Today, Bryce is focused on backing capital-efficient founders emerging from the Cal and UC ecosystems, investing in leaders building companies at the intersection of innovation, scale, and impact. Through the California Innovation Fund model, 50% of firm profits are donated back to Berkeley’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, ensuring investors keep 100% of their returns while fueling the next generation of builders. Chima is a venture investor at Suncoast Ventures, where his path from elite athlete to entrepreneur has shaped a disciplined approach to investing and founder support. His early exposure to healthcare came from working in his family’s chain of clinics in the Bay Area, giving him firsthand insight into healthcare delivery and innovation. Before entering venture capital, Chima spent over a decade advising corporate VCs and accelerators in London, helping organizations refine innovation strategy and startup engagement. He also led Google Launchpad programs across Latin America, partnering with regional leaders to advance entrepreneurship and technology ecosystems. Chima later helped launch Diverse Angels, a syndicate enabling diverse fund managers to invest in more than 50 startups, reinforcing his commitment to expanding access in venture capital. He also led the creation of Anthem’s incubation and innovation arm at Elevance Health, developing a fast-track program to help startups reach market readiness faster. Before the venture, Chima was both an entrepreneur and elite athlete—launching a chain of health-focused cafés, competing as a U.S. Olympic boxer, and playing football at San Jose State University. Today, he’s known for pairing disciplined strategy with hands-on support for founders building the next generation of impactful companies. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register 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.
Transcribe →Zero Admin, Maximum Impact: AI, Sales & Silicon Valley Leadership - S3 E6
Mar 301:10:57Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Marcus Sawyerr, Founder & CEO of EQ.app, and Mike Lee, a Silicon Valley native and entrepreneur making a meaningful impact through business and community. Marcus is a pioneering force in AI-driven sales and staffing recruitment, with more than 19 years of experience leading innovation. As Founder & CEO of EQ.app—an AI productivity platform built for agents in sales and recruitment—Marcus is on a mission of “Zero Admin,” leveraging AI to eliminate administrative burdens and unlock human potential. He also writes weekly to more than 130,000 subscribers across the AI community. Previously, Marcus served as a Global Fortune 500 executive at The Adecco Group, where he led digital transformation as Global President of Adecco X. He has played a pivotal role in buying, building, and investing in technology, served on the board of Microsoft Services, and is a Limited Partner at Semper Virens. Recognized as a Top 100 Most Influential Industry Leader by Staffing Industry Analysts and a DE&I Influencer, Marcus continues to champion inclusion and innovation. Mike is a Silicon Valley–born entrepreneur, angel investor, franchise partner, and community builder based in San Jose. As CEO and Founder of Manticore Signage Solutions, he helps companies execute go-to-market strategies, product launches, and omni-channel sales expansion. A seasoned sales expert and relationship builder, Mike is known for connecting great people to create even greater outcomes. In addition to leading Manticore and partnering in multiple franchise ventures, Mike serves as a Commercial Real Estate broker, advising companies on leasing, acquisitions, and strategic growth decisions beyond traditional brokerage. He also hosts the itsMikeLee podcast, where he features conversations with entrepreneurs and industry professionals about building impactful careers. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register 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.
Transcribe →EQ + AI: Building Human Leadership in an Autonomous World - S3 E5
Feb 2401:13:21Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, AJ Thomas joins us back in studio as guest co-host as Brian Bernasconi and I sit down with Richard Hua, Chief EQ Officer and global keynote speaker, and Elena Beloshapkova, two-time founder, CEO of inspace, and EY Businesswoman of the Year—exploring the intersection of emotional intelligence and autonomous AI. Rich is a global authority on building emotionally intelligent cultures of innovation at scale. As Chief EQ Evangelist and Worldwide Head of EPIC at Amazon, he built the world’s largest corporate EQ community—70,000 members strong—scaling emotional intelligence from theory into global practice and impacting over 1.5 million people worldwide. He has delivered keynotes, workshops, and executive coaching for Fortune 100 leaders and institutions including Stanford, Wharton, and UC Berkeley. Rich also served as an expert advisor to the Amazon Alexa team, helping embed empathy and emotional intelligence into Alexa+, now integrated into over 600 million devices. A globally sought-after speaker featured in Forbes, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and AWS Executive Insights, Rich is the founder of EPIQ Leadership Group. His message is clear and urgent: in the age of AI, IQ alone is not enough. Leaders must harmonize EQ + IQ—what he calls the EPIQ skill set—to thrive in complexity and drive human-centered innovation. Elena is a second-time founder and CEO of inspace, the autonomous AI Workplace Agent transforming how modern offices operate. She is leading the shift from static booking tools to intelligent, AI-driven orchestration across desks, rooms, visitors, services, and workplace infrastructure. Under her leadership, inspace has become the operating layer for the modern workplace, achieving 96%+ employee adoption and scaling across organizations from 300-person teams to 128,000-employee global enterprises in 18 countries. With more than 20 years at the intersection of technology, design, and workplace strategy, Elena has contributed to over 800 office projects spanning 5+ million square feet—combining deep software expertise with real-world operational insight. Often described as “Jarvis for Offices,” inspace enables employees to simply talk to their workplace while the AI autonomously orchestrates collaboration, integrates with 65+ enterprise systems, and connects to building infrastructure, robotics, and smart devices. With +570% YoY ARR growth and enterprise clients including Yext, Unilever, Konica Minolta, Roofstock, and LHH, inspace is scaling rapidly. Named Business Woman of the Year, Elena’s mission is clear: transform every office into a proactive teammate that helps people do their best work. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register 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.
Transcribe →S3 E4 - Global by Design: Scaling Across Borders & Owning Your Platform
Feb 1701:14:54Tap to summarizeOn this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Danil Kislinskiy, Founder & CEO of Go Global World, and Jonathan Padilla, Founder & CEO of Exonome. Danil built Go Global World into an international venture platform connecting startups, investors, and mentors across Silicon Valley, Europe, and emerging markets. Through global community-building and hands-on ecosystem design, Danil helps founders achieve product–market fit, expand into the U.S., and raise capital with confidence. Go Global World supports international teams entering the U.S. market with incorporation, tax, accounting, and direct access to venture networks. Danil also leads investment processes, startup due diligence, and global potential assessments through Selective VC, a fund and angel community investing across industries. Jonathan built Exonome as an exchange infrastructure platform enabling trusted operators—brands, communities, and organizations—to launch and scale curated marketplaces on their own terms. Instead of relying on extractive third-party platforms, Exonome allows operators to invite vetted providers, create trusted ecosystems, and evolve into full marketplaces when ready—while maintaining ownership and control. A technical founder with 30+ years building on the internet, Jonathan has led digital strategy and platform initiatives at Salesforce, Microsoft, Razorfish, and AKQA. Today, he is focused on building infrastructure for trust-based, operator-led growth. 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 Long Beach, April 22-25th for the IIT 2026 Conference. Get your tickets register here: https://www.iit2026.org/register 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.
Transcribe →