Playing with Unicorns is a live streaming show on startups, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. I stream Thursdays at 12 pm EST on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch. I then post the videos to YouTube and the audio to the podcast section of Spotify and iTunes. All the episodes are below including all the supporting materials presented during the stream.

 

It takes me a while to write episode summaries. For the latest shows, check out Playing with Unicorns on YouTubeSpotify, or iTunes.


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Episode 43: Julio Vasconcellos and the state of Latin American tech

I had the pleasure of receiving Julio Vasconcellos on the show. Julio is the Founder and Managing Partner … Continue reading “Episode 43: Julio Vasconcellos and the state of Latin American tech”

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Episode 42: Kevin Ryan, Unicorn Builder

I had the pleasure of being joined by my good friend Kevin Ryan. He’s often been called the … Continue reading “Episode 42: Kevin Ryan, Unicorn Builder”

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Episode 41: Ask Me Anything

It had been over a year since we did the last Ask Me Anything (AMA) so the time … Continue reading “Episode 41: Ask Me Anything”

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Episode 40: Oskar Hartmann, Unicorn Accumulator

This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with my good friend Oskar Hartmann. He’s had the most … Continue reading “Episode 40: Oskar Hartmann, Unicorn Accumulator”

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Episode 39: Simpl and the Indian Fintech Ecosystem

On this week’s episode I had the pleasure of welcoming Nitya Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Simpl, to … Continue reading “Episode 39: Simpl and the Indian Fintech Ecosystem”

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Episode 36: Building a Web3 Unicorn with Lorien Gabel (Figment)

Lorien Gabel is the Co-Founder of Figment Network. He holds an LLB from Toronto’s Osgoode Hall Law School. … Continue reading “Episode 36: Building a Web3 Unicorn with Lorien Gabel (Figment)”

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Episode 35: Thoughts on the market

Last February, I decided to reflect on the turmoil that had started to affect the public, crypto and … Continue reading “Episode 35: Thoughts on the market”

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Episode 34: Ask Me Anything

My apologies for the delay in summarizing the episode, but it’s been a very busy 9 months. Last … Continue reading “Episode 34: Ask Me Anything”

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Episode 33: From VC to Web2 to Crypto with Mark Lurie

Mark Lurie is the CEO and co-founder of Shipyard Software. Shipyard Software builds decentralized exchanges (DEX) for specific … Continue reading “Episode 33: From VC to Web2 to Crypto with Mark Lurie”

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Episode 31: From Start-up to Grown-up with Alisa Cohn

Alisa Cohn (@AlisaCohn) is a prominent startup coach who has advised founders and executives at Venmo, Etsy, DraftKings, … Continue reading “Episode 31: From Start-up to Grown-up with Alisa Cohn”

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Episode 30: A Conversation with Thomas Plantenga

Thomas Plantenga is the CEO of Vinted. He was born and raised in the Netherlands. Thomas was previously … Continue reading “Episode 30: A Conversation with Thomas Plantenga”

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Episode 29: The Latest Marketplace Trends

In episode 27, I took a stab at which categories investors and entrepreneurs should focus on for the … Continue reading “Episode 29: The Latest Marketplace Trends”

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Episode 28: What’s the deal with crypto?

When Satoshi Nakamoto famously wrote the Bitcoin white paper on November 13, 2008, it proposed to solve the … Continue reading “Episode 28: What’s the deal with crypto?”

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Episode 27: The Tech of Tomorrow

In a way I live in your future. By virtue of receiving 150 startup pitches per week, I … Continue reading “Episode 27: The Tech of Tomorrow”

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Episode 26: Jeff Wald & The End of Jobs

Jeff Wald is a serial entrepreneur, board Member, bestselling author, keynote speaker, and investor. Jeff’s most recent company, … Continue reading “Episode 26: Jeff Wald & The End of Jobs”

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Episode 25: Clearco & The Future of Finance

As most of you know, I want to empower people to work on the things they love. As … Continue reading “Episode 25: Clearco & The Future of Finance”

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Ep 22: Why Startups Fail with Tom Eisenmann

9 out of 10 startups fail. This is a gloomy number. However, it has never stopped entrepreneurs from … Continue reading “Ep 22: Why Startups Fail with Tom Eisenmann”

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Episode 21: How to Build the Perfect Pitch Deck?

This is one of the most requested questions I’ve received since starting Playing with Unicorns. People want to … Continue reading “Episode 21: How to Build the Perfect Pitch Deck?”

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Episode 20: So you want to launch a SPAC ?

Last week Alpha Capital, a SPAC company that FJ Labs co-sponsored, went public. We rang the bell and … Continue reading “Episode 20: So you want to launch a SPAC ?”

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Episode 19: Reinvesting in the Latam Tech Ecosystem with Brian Requarth

Brian Requarth is the Co-Founder of Latitud and former CEO of Viva Real. Through Latitud, he now dedicates … Continue reading “Episode 19: Reinvesting in the Latam Tech Ecosystem with Brian Requarth”

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Episode 17: The State of Solar

This week Kerim Baran shares where we stand in the world of solar. He covers: If you prefer, … Continue reading “Episode 17: The State of Solar”

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Episode 16: Startup Talent & Trends

I often pondered the makeup of successful founders and founding teams. At FJ Labs we spend a disproportionate … Continue reading “Episode 16: Startup Talent & Trends”

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Episode 15: Mistakes to Avoid as an Entrepreneur

It is extremely hard to succeed as an entrepreneur. Even the most successful entrepreneurs have countless ups and … Continue reading “Episode 15: Mistakes to Avoid as an Entrepreneur”

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Episode 14: A Conversation with Christian Angermayer

Christian is the rare breed of polymath Renaissance Man operating in a world that rewards specialization. We had … Continue reading “Episode 14: A Conversation with Christian Angermayer”

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Episode 13: What’s the deal with SPACs?

SPACs have been one of the hot topics of 2020. Jeff Weinstein, who co-heads investing at FJ Labs, … Continue reading “Episode 13: What’s the deal with SPACs?”

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Episode 11: Loonshots with Safi Bahcall

I had the privilege of running into the same social and intellectual circles as Safi Bahcall for the … Continue reading “Episode 11: Loonshots with Safi Bahcall”

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Episode 10: Validating Your Startup Idea

Last week we covered how to come up with great startup ideas. This week I present how to … Continue reading “Episode 10: Validating Your Startup Idea”

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Episode 9: Coming Up with a Startup Idea

Many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to come with compelling startup ideas. I detail the four sources of startup ideas: … Continue reading “Episode 9: Coming Up with a Startup Idea”

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Episode 8: The Business of Venture Capital

Most entrepreneurs merely see venture capitalists as a source of capital without understanding how venture capitalists operate. Jeff … Continue reading “Episode 8: The Business of Venture Capital”

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Episode 7: FJ Labs’ Startup Studio Model

Last week we covered whether first time founders should build a company on their own or join an … Continue reading “Episode 7: FJ Labs’ Startup Studio Model”

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Episode 6: DIY vs Accelerator vs Studio

This week we cover whether first time founders should build a company on their own or join an … Continue reading “Episode 6: DIY vs Accelerator vs Studio”

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Episode 5: Ask Me Anything

Given that I was in Lake Placid looking at the foliage change without my multi-screen setup, I tried … Continue reading “Episode 5: Ask Me Anything”

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Episode 4: FJ Labs’ Investment Thesis

In the third episode, I described how VCs evaluate startups by using a combination of the team, business, … Continue reading “Episode 4: FJ Labs’ Investment Thesis”

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Episode 3: How VCs evaluate startups

In the first episode I covered how and when to fundraise. In this episode, I describe how venture … Continue reading “Episode 3: How VCs evaluate startups”

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Episode 2: Build a MVP for less than $20k

I start by covering the theoretical do’s and don’ts of building a minimum viable product (MVP) before giving … Continue reading “Episode 2: Build a MVP for less than $20k”

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Episode 1: Fundraising

Given that it’s episode 1, I start by explaining why I am creating this show before covering everything … Continue reading “Episode 1: Fundraising”

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Announcing Playing With Unicorns

Playing with unicorns is a new weekly live streaming show on startups, entrepreneurship, and venture capital. I will … Continue reading “Announcing Playing With Unicorns”