Silicon Valley Impact
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!
Episodes
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with Mathias “Matt” Biilmann, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, the AI-native web platform where developers and AI agents build together.
Matt coined the term Agent Experience (AX) to describe how people and AI can collaborate to build a better, more open web. Before that, he pioneered the Jamstack movement, an approach that transformed how the web ...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re in Tokyo, Japan, at JETRO, exploring how founders can access new markets, build international partnerships, and grow across borders.
Joining us are Mayako Ishiguro, JETRO Program Manager; Will Ferguson, Manager of Startup and Innovation Programs at JETRO USA; and Hiroshi Takeuchi, Founder of ExportAI and Managing Director of Genero Inc.
As Japan’s government-b...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we bring together three leaders approaching that question from very different perspectives: Jorden Woods, Managing Partner at StarChain Ventures; Dr. Jeannice Fairrer Samani, AI governance and digital transformation strategist and CEO of Fairrer Samani Group; and Tom O’Malley, Founder & CEO of Meshi AI.
From investing in the next generation of AI companies and buildin...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re sitting down with two leaders operating at the intersection of venture capital, emerging technology, global markets, and media:
Radhika Iyengar, Managing Partner of Silicon Valley-based StarChain Ventures, and Piyush Puri, President and Board Director of BCCL Worldwide Inc. (BWI), the North American division of The Times of India Group, India’s largest multime...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we are talking with Ray Dargham, Founder and CEO of Step, and we’re talking about how relationships are the real currency. From Beirut to the Bay: building more than a business: community, trust & connection.
Step is a global tech and startup platform connecting founders, investors, operators, and technology leaders across MENA, Silicon Valley, and emerging markets.
Ray foun...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with B Dweik (BD), Chief Investment Officer of Bluestone Flagship Investors, and Dileep Dhakal, Founder & CEO of Veel App.
BD is the Chief Investment Officer of Bluestone Flagship Investors, a fractional family office he co-founded in Silicon Valley alongside four other technology entrepreneurs. With more than 24 years as a microchip design engineer, BD ...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we’re talking with Chris Yeh, Founding General Partner of Blitzscaling Ventures, and Mehron Sharq, investor and Founder of Inside Round Advisory, about startups, venture capital, fundraising, and what it really takes to build and scale.
Lock in for an incredible conversation.
Chris Yeh has founded, advised, or invested in more than 100 high-tech startups since 1995, inclu...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we're joined by Ben Stein, Founder and General Partner at Cartography Capital, and Zach Betts, General Partner at Zandia Ventures.
Benjamin Stein is the Founder and General Partner of Cartography Capital, a deep tech venture firm investing in founders building at the intersection of infrastructure, sustainability, and emerging technologies. Before launching the firm, Ben was an opera...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we are talking with Kirby Harris, Co-Founder at Base Ventures; and Scott Swanson, Founder & CEO of Bonder about The Art of Investing and Building in Silicon Valley.
Kirby is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Base Ventures, a Berkeley, CA based early-stage venture firm investing in 120+ companies including unicorns 6sense, Gecko Robotics, and Genies, with a portfolio valued...
100 episodes. Hundreds of conversations. Countless lessons from the entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators shaping the future. Thank you for being part of the Silicon Valley Impact journey.
AI is changing how we work—but who is building the systems, communities, and infrastructure that will shape what's next?
To celebrate our 100th episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with two remarkable leaders driving innovation ...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with three remarkable innovators shaping the future of fashion, entrepreneurship, accessibility, and technology: Azadeh Riaz, Founder and CEO of House of Azadeh; Ella Shukho, a venture ecosystem leader and startup growth strategist; and Zain Samdani, co-founder of Exoheal and Please Touch This Art.
Azadeh is an internationally recognized fashion designer, entrepreneur, an...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Darnell Adler, Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and Red Bull Basement World Champion 2026; Felipe Gurgel, Principal at Actions Capital; and Ziv Lautman, PhD, a researcher, entrepreneur, and educator working at the intersection of human physiology, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence.
Darnell Adler is the Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and the Red Bull Base...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we bring together three exceptional leaders at the forefront of sales, partnerships, growth, AI, and executive performance.
Nicole Ward is Senior Vice President of Sales at Aon, founder of the Executive Athlete platform, author of Biohacking for the Sales Athlete, and host of both the Aon at the Top and Executive Athlete podcasts. Nicole helps executives, board members, and C-suite l...
On 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 ...
On 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, S...
On 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, ...
On 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, fint...
On 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-fou...
On 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 ...
On 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 pu...
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