Driving Alpha

Can Middle America become the next innovation powerhouse? Aziz Gilani, General Partner at Mercury, thinks so—and he’s proving it by backing cloud and enterprise software startups across Houston and beyond. With a track record that includes major exits like Black Lotus and Modus, Aziz has helped Mercury’s portfolio reach over $9 billion in enterprise value.

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Matt McIlwain, Managing Director at Madrona, has spent over two decades investing in intelligent applications and driving innovation in AI. With a track record including Smartsheet, Apptio, and Isilon, he brings rare perspective from 25 years in venture capital.

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Lisa Chai, co-founder and general partner at Interwoven Ventures, joins Driving Alpha to discuss how robotics and AI are transforming industrial technology. With a deep background in venture capital and public markets, Lisa shares her insights into the megatrends driving automation, reshoring, and industrial AI.

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Bob Ackerman saw the future of cybersecurity before the market did. As the founder of AllegisCyber Capital, the first venture firm dedicated 100% to cybersecurity, and the co-founder of DataTribe, he’s been at the forefront of investing in cyber defense. With a 20+ year track record, Bob has backed some of the most cutting-edge cybersecurity companies, navigating the intersection of venture capital, AI, and national se...

David Hornik, founding partner at Lobby Capital, has spent over 25 years shaping the venture capital landscape. Formerly a lawyer with degrees from Stanford and Harvard, David transitioned into venture capital, making early bets on companies like Splunk, Build.com, and GitLab. His career is marked by a passion for helping founders, fostering strong industry relationships, and identifying high-potential investments.

Laura Chau is a Partner at Canaan, where she leads investments in consumer technology and commerce tech. With over a decade of experience in venture capital, Laura has backed companies like Clutch, Ollie, Mischief, Solvely, and Nagish.

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• 00:43 Introdu...

Dave Lambert, co-founder and managing director at Right Side Capital Management, has built one of the most active pre-VC investment firms in the U.S. With a portfolio of over 2,000 companies, Dave and his team take a data-driven approach to ultra-diversified early-stage investing, making quick decisions and challenging traditional VC norms.

In this episode...

Charles Hudson, Managing Partner and Founder of Precursor Ventures, joins Steve Brotman to share his journey through venture capital. With over 15 years of experience, Charles has made more than 400 investments and raised over $200 million, making him a leading voice in the seed-stage community.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• 00:43 - Introduc...

How do you turn Texas into a global innovation hub? For Joshua Baer, founder and CEO of Capital Factory, the answer lies in empowering unstoppable founders, fostering a vibrant entrepreneurial community, and leveraging Texas’s unique advantages.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• 00:43 Introduction to the Driving Alpha Podcast
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Chris Farmer, the founder and CEO of SignalFire, is transforming the venture capital landscape through a pioneering, AI-native approach. Leading a $2.1 billion early-stage venture firm, Chris has integrated cutting-edge data analytics to revolutionize how investments are sourced and scaled. His journey began with operational and entrepreneurial roles, including spearheading the turnaround of Skybitz and building early ...

Richard Seewald, founder and managing partner of Evolution Equity Partners, joins Driving Alpha to share his incredible journey from scaling AVG Technologies to $400 million in revenue to leading one of the world’s largest cybersecurity-focused VC funds. With over 30 years of experience and $2 billion raised to invest in category-defining software companies, Richard offers invaluable insights into the cybersecurity and venture capi...

Amit Patel and Brian Smiga discuss the origin story of Owl Ventures, founded in 2014 in response to major shifts in education technology infrastructure and consumer behavior. They cover key trends that enabled the rise of edtech, including the expansion of broadband in U.S. schools and the availability of affordable devices like Chromebooks. Amit shares his unique career journey, starting in film and theatre before piv...