Latest Interviews
Showing 2176–2190 of 2,499 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator49 min
Communicate with Users, Build Something They Want - Ryan Hoover of Product Hunt
Ryan Hoover secured Y Combinator investment by validating Product Hunt through manual outreach and email lists before engineering resources were committed, eventually launching the platform as a global hub for product discovery. The company is now shifting its strategy to monetize by introducing the "Ship" paid tool for creators while expanding its angel fund "Weekend Fun" to invest in remote work and voice technology. Operating a distributed team of 17 across nine time zones, Product Hunt focuses on asynchronous collaboration and strategic pivots like dropping podcast discovery to align with its core product recommendation model.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
The Blockchain: It's Not All About the Money
Staci Warden, Leanne Kemp, Greg Li, Sopnendu Mohanty, David Treat, Zia Zaman
At a Milken Institute panel moderated by industry leaders from JPMorgan and Accenture, representatives from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and major corporations outlined how blockchain replaces fragmented databases with shared, immutable ledgers to drive regulatory experimentation and supply chain transparency. The discussion detailed concrete implementations including Singapore's domestic digital currency pilot, Georgia's national land titling migration, and Everledger's diamond provenance tracking, while addressing critical challenges such as data quality, quantum threats, and the necessity of re-architecting legacy systems. Looking forward, experts predict that within a decade, this technology will automate financial reconciliation and digitize identity and health records, fundamentally shifting the economic efficiency of global asset management and clearing settlements.
- Milken Institute56 min
The Asian Phenotype: An Unmet Medical Need?
Benjamin Seet, John Connolly, Laurent Metz, Arthur Mark Richards, Patrick Tan
Experts highlight that distinct genetic, environmental, and anatomical factors create a unique Asian phenotype, driving divergent disease patterns such as higher cardiovascular risks at lower BMI thresholds and specific cancer profiles like biliary tract malignancies. These biological differences have spurred regulatory shifts in Asia toward homegrown standards for advanced therapies while prompting medical device and pharmaceutical companies to develop localized solutions, including smaller implants and tailored dosing regimens. The ongoing transition to personalized medicine relies on integrating granular real-world data and cultural context to address these population-specific needs effectively.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Beyond the Belt and Road Initiative: Financing Asia's Needs
William Lee, Paul Gruenwald, Gerald Keefe, Lincoln Leong, Joachim von Amsberg, Faisal Syed
Addressing the trillions of dollars in infrastructure financing gaps across Asia, this panel discusses the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's strategy to mobilize private capital through innovative project selection and cross-border connectivity. By leveraging value-capture models like MTR's rail-property approach and structured financial products such as maturity transformation, multilateral institutions aim to de-risk long-term investments for global institutional investors. The discussion concludes that shifting from bank-dominated lending to a market-based system requires robust public-private partnerships, regulatory certainty, and the allocation of specific risks to ensure sustainable economic development.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Playing the Long Game: Investing in Infrastructure
Jonathan Woetzel, Jose Rene D. Almendras, Saadia Khairi, Ben Way, Wencai Zhang
Amidst a projected global infrastructure funding gap of $300 billion to $400 billion annually, international development banks like the ADB and IFC are deploying structural reforms and credit enhancement tools to attract institutional capital into underserved greenfield markets. These institutions utilize mechanisms such as minimum revenue guarantees, local currency bond ratings, and first-loss provisions to mitigate regulatory and currency risks that currently deter private investment in emerging economies. By distinguishing between socially essential but financially unviable projects requiring public support and commercially viable assets suitable for private financing, the sector aims to bridge the disparity between the $1.7 trillion needed in Asia and the current $800 billion level of spending.
- Milken Institute57 min
Institutional Investing: The Model for the Future
Nobel Gulati, Mark Konyn, Hugh O'Reilly, Piau-Voon Wang, Bryan Yeo
Industry leaders from GIC, AIA, OP Trust, and NOAA Holdings convened to address structural challenges such as low returns and data overload, proposing that strategic asset allocation and liability-driven approaches yield superior outcomes over traditional manager selection. The panel highlighted a significant shift toward insourcing capabilities, technological integration via satellite and AI, and workforce diversification to maintain agility amidst an expected market consolidation by 2037. Ultimately, participants forecast a future where homegrown Asian institutions leverage retail savings and alternative data to drive performance while ESG integration becomes a non-negotiable standard for long-term sustainability.
- Milken Institute37 min
Prestige and Purpose: Asia's Luxury Market
Ravi Thakran, Zak Brown, Naomi Campbell, Bruce Rockowitz
Speakers including Bruce Rokovich, Naomi Campbell, and Jack Brown analyze the decade-long pivot of the Asian economy from manufacturing to wellness-driven consumption, highlighting a massive surge in fitness and premium food markets alongside the strategic revitalization of heritage brands like Kenton Kirwan. The panel identifies Singapore as a governance model and emphasizes digital engagement through motorsports and eSports as critical tools for capturing the region's youthful demographic, while noting the urgent need for greater Asian representation in global luxury fashion. Ultimately, the discussion forecasts a thirty-year dominance of the wellness sector driven by changing dietary habits and the cultural normalization of fitness across China and Southeast Asia.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
Lunch Program | The World in 2037: Asia On Demand
Hugh Andrew, Su Shan Tan, Patrick Grove, Ridwan Kamil, Ming Maa, Rohan Mahadevan
Hosted by Asia Square in partnership with the Milken Institute, the "The World in 2037: Asia on Demand" lunch program features a panel moderated by Tan Sue Shan and includes insights from leaders of Grab, iFlix, PayPal, and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil regarding digital disruption across real estate, infrastructure, and governance. The discussion highlights rapid mobile-first adoption in Southeast Asia, Bandung's successful smart city transformation through software-driven governance, and Grab's expansion into a financial ecosystem while predicting a shift toward flexible "on-demand" commercial spaces. Ultimately, the session outlines a trajectory for 2037 characterized by autonomous transportation, deflationary economic pressures, and the evolution of payment infrastructure to near-instantaneous, invisible authentication models.
- Milken Institute40 min
Women Leaders’ Summit:A Conversation with Al Gore: How to Inspire a Movement
At a Milken Institute Women's Summit, former Vice President Al Gore discussed his 2000 election concession, his journey into climate advocacy, and the urgent drivers of the current ecological crisis during the screening of *An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power*. Gore highlighted how rapid technological cost reductions and shifting investor priorities are accelerating a global transition toward electrification and renewables in major economies like India and China, while emphasizing that diverse perspectives and authentic passion are critical for effective communication. The event concluded with a call to action for the investor community to leverage capital and inclusive leadership to secure a sustainable future against the backdrop of a rapidly warming planet.
- Y Combinator1h 0m
Your Whole Goal Is to Not Quit - Courtland Allen of Indie Hackers
Following a strategic acquisition by Stripe, the IndieHackers founder shifted operations from ad-revenue management to exclusive community development by launching a podcast that prioritizes radical financial transparency. This platform facilitates high-volume interviews with independent founders like Julian Shapiro and West Boss, showcasing profitable bootstrapped models as a viable alternative to venture-backed growth. The initiative leverages a standardized interview workflow and a self-policing forum ecosystem to document real-world struggles, ultimately fostering a global network of solo entrepreneurs who reject traditional "mission-driven" narratives in favor of sustainable revenue.
- Goldman Sachs11 min
Talks at GS – Richard Armstrong: Redefining Beauty Through Art
Since 2008, Director Richard Armstrong has steered the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum toward a mission prioritizing imagination and the human "quest for beauty" within Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic spiral structure. The institution attracts over one million annual visitors who engage with a curatorial model that rejects rigid data-driven education in favor of challenging, high-risk artistic proposals vetted through a hierarchical directorship process. This approach positions the museum as a sanctuary for eccentricity, aiming to foster visual acuity and societal diversity against the backdrop of modern digital consumption.
- Y Combinator41 min
Elizabeth Iorns on Biotech Companies in YC
Elizabeth Iorns, Craig Cannon, Elizabeth Lyons
Science Exchange founder and CEO Elizabeth Lyons discusses how Y Combinator accelerates biotech innovation by prioritizing technology de-risking and capital access over traditional market validation. The program addresses the surplus of PhDs entering entrepreneurship by guiding scientists through complex intellectual property licensing and connecting them with Silicon Valley investors seeking deep domain expertise. Current strategic focuses include leveraging AI for drug toxicity prediction, advancing CRISPR applications for genetic editing, and navigating the clinical trial design challenges inherent in longevity research.
- Y Combinator48 min
The Challenges a Repeat Founder Faces - Tikhon Bernstam
Ticon Bernstam reflects on his journey from dropping out of a physics PhD to founding Scribd and the acquired mobile platform Parse, detailing how early Y Combinator guidance and a focus on backend infrastructure helped scale both ventures. Now an angel investor with a portfolio including Cruise and Reddit, Bernstam advocates for founders to prioritize large market dynamics and product-market fit over early fundraising or the pursuit of entirely new categories. He advises against the "zero to one" philosophy, suggesting instead that 10x improvements in crowded sectors combined with relentless execution offer the most viable path to success for both first-time and repeat entrepreneurs.
- Goldman Sachs16 min
Talks at GS – Richard Plepler: Finding the Next Great Voices in Storytelling
Richard Plepler steered HBO from post-*Sopranos* stagnation into growth by reinvesting in differentiated voices like *Game of Thrones* and abandoning legacy sequels to monetize distinction over volume. The leadership cultivated an internal culture of genuine dialogue and non-punitive crisis management, enabling a synchronized response to recent security incidents while fostering an environment where talent takes visceral ownership of their work. By prioritizing human identification and high-stakes storytelling over intellectualization, the network aims to coexist with competitors like Netflix by delivering an addictive content experience rather than chasing sheer audience metrics.
- Y Combinator44 min
The CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate From the Bay
In March, Zapier launched a "delocation" program offering $10,000 to incentivize employees to leave the Bay Area, a move that attracted 30% more applicants but resulted in zero successful relocations while expanding the company's global reach. Concurrently, the 95-person all-remote organization is navigating its transition from internal promotions to hiring external management talent at the 100-employee mark, utilizing the "Manager Tools" framework and "Airbnb onboarding" to integrate new leaders. This strategic scaling supports the recent launch of a "Teams" product for enterprise clients, leveraging Zapier's extensive integration library and high retention rates to compete against well-funded rivals without relying on venture capital.