Latest Interviews

The Asset Management Outlook

Jason Kelly, David Druley, Nobel Gulati, David Hunt, Michelle McCloskey, Ron Mock

Leading institutional investors and asset managers, including representatives from PGM, Ontario Teachers, and Two Sigma, converge to declare traditional asset classifications obsolete as the industry pivots toward a scarcity-based model where only managers delivering true alpha command premium fees. The panel anticipates significant market consolidation over the next five years, driven by the dominance of technology in filtering noise, the rise of non-traditional talent in private markets, and capital flows shifting from liquid beta strategies to illiquid alternatives among a new generation of family offices. While geopolitical volatility is normalized, the primary long-term challenge remains the structural pressure to close the gap between projected global equity returns and historical pension targets, necessitating active management and strategic partnerships to achieve required risk-adjusted outcomes.

New Horizons: The Evolution of Direct Lending and Illiquid Credit

Staci Warden, Michael Arougheti, Mary Katherine DuBose, Damien Dwin, Nino Fanlo, Terry Harris, Mike Garaghetti, Mary Catherine Dubois

Representatives from Ares Management, Wells Fargo, Brightwood Capital, SoFi, and Barings convened to analyze the maturation of the private credit market, defining direct lending as a global asset class spanning from family-owned businesses to PE-backed corporations. Panelists highlighted divergent strategies across the sector, including asset-backed senior financing, supply-demand imbalances for underserved founders, and disintermediation of super-prime consumers, while noting strong credit fundamentals despite a late-cycle environment. As regulatory frameworks evolve and fee compression accelerates, the industry faces a shift toward market efficiency where relationship premiums erode and liquidity managers prioritize rational relative value decisions over concentrated sponsor reliance.

Quality Assurance: Why Women Lead Most Health-Care Decisions

Kelly Close, Lynn Goldman, Dariush Mozaffarian, Deneen Vojta

A strategic public health initiative addresses the global nutrition crisis and declining U.S. health outcomes by leveraging women's decision-making power while countering misinformation with evidence-based interventions. Experts propose systemic reforms including price transparency, Medicare incentives for healthy eating, and the integration of nutrition as a vital sign in electronic health records to shift focus from acute care to preventive "soft healing." The plan further outlines the deployment of automated monitoring technologies and community health workers to reduce chronic disease rates, aiming to transform healthcare delivery into a scalable, consumer-oriented model within the next decade.

Commissioners of Sport: Agile Leadership in a Competitive World

Jim Gray, Gary Bettman, Don Garber, Robert Manfred Jr., Adam Silver

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NHL's Gary Bettman, MLS's Don Garber, and MLB's Rob Manfred discussed critical challenges facing major sports leagues, including balancing owner interests with fan experiences and navigating digital disruption. The commissioners highlighted significant policy decisions ranging from implementing strict concussion protocols and youth safety measures to managing international competition costs and substance use regulations. Furthermore, the leaders addressed roster management strategies like strategic player resting and the complexities of integrating social issues into the apolitical nature of professional sports while aiming to drive global growth and demographic shifts.

Talks at GS – Eddie Huang: Food, Culture, Identity

Eddie Huang

Executive Producer and author Nahnatchka Khan reflects on her memoir *Fresh Off the Boat* and the television adaptation as pivotal moments in transitioning from defensive survival mechanisms to intentional identity formation. She critiques the show for diluting authentic Asian experiences into universal white narratives while rejecting the "model minority" stereotype through her personal journey of culinary preservation and leadership at her restaurant, Bauhaus. Ultimately, she advocates for a cultural shift that prioritizes shared humanity over differences, utilizing a management philosophy that blends high performance with deep personal care to foster genuine employee loyalty.

Scaling Growth | Gustaf Alstromer, YC Partner (formerly Airbnb) & Ed Baker (formerly Uber)

Gustaf Alstromer, Ed Baker

Ed Arons and Gustav Sorensen discuss their experience scaling growth teams at Uber, Airbnb, and Facebook, contrasting early viral tactics that exploited platform loopholes with sustainable strategies focused on retention and marketplace liquidity. The speakers detail how successful scaling requires aligning product and engineering functions, adapting paid acquisition to local constraints, and replacing short-term viral hacks with long-term investments in SEO, data science, and user experience optimization. Furthermore, they emphasize the necessity of institutionalizing experimentation to challenge assumptions, citing specific examples like copy adjustments in Japan and WeChat integration in China, while advocating for unified operational models that track acquisition, churn, and re-engagement separately.

Scaling Product | Fireside with Joe Gebbia and Reid Hoffman

Joe Gebbia, Reid Hoffman

Airbnb achieved product-market fit by abandoning scalable code solutions in favor of manual, non-scalable actions, such as founders personally photographing listings to overcome trust barriers and reduce user friction. To sustain hyper-growth while maintaining culture and empathy, the company institutionalized practices like hiring for future needs, training core values interviewers, and mandating that employees regularly experience the platform as travelers and hosts. This strategic focus on deep user connection and operational realism eventually enabled the expansion from a simple room-rental service to a comprehensive travel ecosystem featuring Experiences and a global network of professional photographers.

How to Raise Money with Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway, and Parker Conrad (HtSaS 2014: 9)

Marc Andreessen, Ron Conway, Parker Conrad

SV Angel outlines a venture capital philosophy centered on investing in outlier founders with extreme strengths rather than balanced profiles, emphasizing that seed rounds of $1M to $2M at caps near $9M offer the highest probability of success. The firm prioritizes companies that have already peeled away risk through revenue generation and traction, viewing the investor-founder relationship as a long-term partnership where dilution limits and board governance are managed through covenants rather than formal votes. By leveraging a high-selectivity process where only one in thirty referrals receive funding, SV Angel targets leaders who can articulate clear value propositions within minutes while avoiding conflicts that limit future portfolio flexibility.

10,000 Small Businesses UK Participants Share Experiences of Time on Programme

Launched in 2012, this intensive program guided struggling entrepreneurs through a rigorous diagnostic process that identified critical financial leaks and strategic pivots from B2B to B2C models. By pairing founders with growth experts and fostering a transparent cohort of vetted peers, participants transformed their ventures from loss-making entities into cash-positive businesses generating up to £1.5 million in revenue. The initiative delivered a transformative return on investment, enabling companies to hire strategically, secure major capital projects, and establish a lasting support network that continues to drive long-term operational efficiency.

Q&A with YC Partners at Startup School SV 2016

Kat, Adora, Tim, Jaredy, Michael, Dalton, Kirsty

This event delivers a comprehensive strategic guide for startup founders, covering critical phases from immediate idea validation and co-founder selection to operational tooling and the YC application process. Key insights emphasize prioritizing genuine passion over impressiveness, balancing product perfection with growth based on specific retention thresholds, and leveraging community support rather than isolating oneself. The session concludes with logistical details for a reception in the sunken garden, offering a direct forum for continued dialogue with the YC partners and staff.

Rewarding Employees & Giving Back to Your Local Community

Carol Roth, Sharon Miller, Steve Strauss, Cali Williams Yost

This analysis of the 2016 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report reveals that post-election optimism has surged as entrepreneurs leverage flexibility and community engagement to enhance employee retention and local economic stability. Key figures including Steve Strauss, Sharon Miller, and Callie Williams-Yost outline strategic resolutions for 2017 that emphasize diversifying profit centers, formalizing remote work policies, and establishing long-term charitable partnerships to drive sustainable growth. The event underscores that balancing operational adaptability with personal well-being is essential for small businesses navigating an uncertain economic landscape.

FinClusion: Connecting the Unconnected

Aron Betru, Bob Annibale, Tilman Ehrbeck, Daniel Gorfine, Susan Lund, Shamina Singh

A coalition of financial institutions and fintech leaders convened to address the $5 trillion economic gap caused by the 2 billion unbanked individuals lacking access to formal lending and savings systems. The discussion highlighted how digital infrastructure, alternative data underwriting, and regulatory sandboxes can reduce service costs by 90% while enabling mobile-first solutions like micro-leasing and automated savings. Participants emphasized that successful global inclusion depends on collaborative government policies establishing digital identities and interoperable payment rails to prevent predatory lending and ensure long-term economic stability.

2016 CA Summit - Enhancing California's Role as a Global Crossroads for Trade and Investment

Michael Klowden, Kevin Klowden, Caroline Brown, Maria Contreras-Sweet, Fred Hochberg, James Villeneuve

A comprehensive overview of California's trade landscape highlights the state's status as a global economic powerhouse where over 40% of U.S. container goods pass, while federal programs like the SBA's STEP and Ex-Im Bank guarantees drive small business export growth with a $17 ROI per dollar invested. The event further details how targeted strategies leveraging immigrant communities and veterans, alongside technical assistance from institutions like Bank of America Merrill Lynch, mitigate financial and logistical risks for emerging exporters. By shifting focus toward clean technology and utilizing bilateral agreements to navigate evolving global dynamics, these initiatives aim to secure California's competitive edge against rivals like China and support the transition from domestic to global market strategies.

Reid Hoffman at Startup School SV 2016

Reid Hoffman

Reid Hoffman outlines a framework for navigating the evolution of human cognition through Artificial General Intelligence while establishing foundational strategies for startup success, such as prioritizing network building and flexible persistence. He details critical venture capital mechanics, including the necessity of trusted referrals for funding, the requirement for credible competition narratives, and the specific structural elements of effective pitch decks. Finally, Hoffman argues that achieving dominant market positions requires "blitzscaling" to sacrifice short-term efficiency for rapid growth, supported by a high-performance corporate culture modeled after professional sports teams.

Spotlight on Issues Affecting Women Entrepreneurs

Carol Roth, Maisha Walker, Erin Andrew, Elizabeth Romero

A joint panel featuring SBA officials and Bank of America representatives highlighted the rapid growth of women-owned businesses, which generate over $1 trillion in annual sales, while addressing persistent barriers such as unequal access to capital and the "glass ceiling." The event detailed strategic initiatives like the SBA's revised underwriting and the "Blink" platform designed to bridge financing gaps, alongside actionable advice on early relationship building with financial institutions and leveraging mentorship networks. Despite historical challenges in federal contracting and supply chain access, the discussion projected continued economic growth driven by women's entrepreneurship and their significant share of U.S. purchasing power.