fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
New details are emerging about the tragic death of former Zappo’s CEO Tony Hsieh on November 27…
By: Jack Calhoun
Tags: Startup, Tony Hsieh, Purpose, Silicon Valley, Wealth

New details are emerging about the tragic death of former Zappo’s CEO Tony Hsieh on November 27 from injuries he received in a house fire.

Recent articles in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal detailed Hsieh’s disturbing behavior in 2020, including substance abuse, self-starvation and oxygen deprivation.

Hsieh’s death at age 46 is a shocking and sad end to his extraordinary life. Despite his vast wealth, friends quoted in both articles say Hsieh seemed lost.

One quote from his 2010 book really jumped out at me: “Happiness is really just about enjoying life.”

In my experience working with the ultra-wealthy, though, I found that happiness comes from having meaning and purpose in your life. It’s the end, not the means. I spoke to this in a recent article:
How To Build An MVP?
By: Pranshu Mittal
Tags: Edudot, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley, MVP

Madhu Chamarty, our mentor for the sixth session of Edudot, taught us about MVP or Minimum Viable Product. A minimum viable product (MVP) is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.

As you can see that in the top row, the product is only usable at its final stage, but in the bottom row, each stage of the product is usable in some way and that’s what we call MVP.

After that Madhu told about the Golden Circle Model : Simon Sinek’s theory of value proposition.

An MVP is the simplest idea to represent your product. Learn from your mistakes. Keep improving your product. Don’t get disappointed by your failures. They will help understand your flaws and will take the product one step closer to success.
Session 6— Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program by Edudot
Tags: Edudot, Silicon Valley, Teenpreneur

In today’s session of Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program held by Edudot, the mentor was Madhu Chamarty. He is a Stanford alumni and mostly talks about the concept of Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Not only that he also tells the deeper truth about entrepreneurship and how to become one.

From what I’ve understood, MVP is a version of a new product that is able to maximise the solving of a problem that customer faces with least effort. So in general it’s the simplest version of the product that can at least solve problems that customers face.

This concept got me thinking on how I can do this with my business idea. I already have the product in mind. But I don’t think it is the MVP of my business. So I’ll keep that in mind to think about that in the next couple of days so that I can identify the simplest form of my product. I also need to be aware of how my MVP can help my customers. Because, although MVP takes the least effort, it requires problem-solving that can really help and improve the day-day life of people who are using my product.

One main thing Madhu talks about that inspires me is to do the difficult things first rather than avoiding them. Make sure your brain is used to be doing things that are too difficult for you to solve. This is to ensure that at least the difficult things would be less hard in the future. Because if you keep avoiding doing things that are difficult, if in the future you encounter the same difficult thing it would be much harder to solve.

I learned that entrepreneurship is about trying to fix an issue with the least effort. Even if things do get difficult, if you keep trying and trying it would be less difficult overtime. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to solve things that are difficult. If you’re able to at least give it a shot, it would benefit you somewhere in the future.
Airbnb S1 Analysis
Tags: Bay Area, Airbnb, S1, IPO, Silicon Valley

The below chart shows the crazy effect the pandemic had on Airbnb

79% of the hosts coming to the platform organically to sign up in 2019

23% of the new hosts are converting from guests — this is a very healthy sign
You are Harley Quinn to my Joker.
By: Gregory D Esau
Tags: Ecosystem Building, Platform Thinking, Platform Economy, Disruption, Silicon Valley

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

You are Harley Quinn to my Joker.

We are going to form and lead the Suicide Squad that will disrupt Silicon Valley with the next generation of platform based ecosystems.

They say disrupting the status quo here is suicide.

We’re going to be the ones to do it.

I come from the north.
Discovering California
By: Open Italy
Tags: Startup, Bootcamp, Open Innovation, Sherpa, Silicon Valley

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Silicon Valley Style: Normcore at an extra expense
By: Gitte Alexander
Tags: Silicon Valley, Style, Fashion

Did you know that Mark Zuckerberg, your data’s landlord, wears custom-ordered, $300 Brunello Cucinelli t-shirts? Yes, those plain (technically melange) grey tees that he wears when yapping about the latest way he’s going to invade your privacy, are three hundred small ones (well, regular ones). And The Zuck is not the only person with unreasonable amounts of your personal info to hop onto this trend of extremely expensive, regular clothing. In fact, pretty much every FAANGMULA executive has bought into Brunello Cucinelli’s, “business casual for people who never have to work again” aesthetic. Characterized by $400 dollar jersey knit tees, thousand dollar gilets, and reverse weave hoodies, this fad at least does it’s best to act humble.

Brunello Cucinelli Navy Cotton Jersey T-Shirt | MR. PORTER | $445

But it has horrifyingly and hopefully accidentally progressed. It’s no longer just the Silicon Valley big shots and it’s not just Mr. Cucinelli. This isn’t too recent either and it just seems to be a version of the smart, casual, modern-man style you see on shitty male fashion blogs, but adapted for bay area tech salaries and somehow slightly better.

Normcore has already been everywhere but this it’s own sect. A quick look at the fashion retailer Garmentory showcases the concept very well. It’s stealth wealth woven into every fabric, not Dickies and vintage Lee jackets, but the ability to look normal for an extreme expense. There is no irony to it, it is completely intentional and specifically chosen. Perhaps it is better comprehended as a well constructed “PR” move to appear inoffensive while holding a “this shirt actually costs $500, ya know” grenade in their back pocket — an obviously much needed defense for when being called unfashionable.

But it is still weirdly respectable. It is knowing your lane and being able to enjoy the comforts of life. Having a ridiculous amount of money, you would probably find it very easy to over indulge in yourself like this. And of all the worst menswear trends to ascend over the past, at least this “trend” isn’t trying too hard.

Speaking of trying too hard, Amazon employees have been overworked since before the COVID pandemic — maybe they should get a couple spins of that Brunello yarn.
75M People Voted for Donald Trump
By: Brooke Sinclair
Tags: Startup, Entrepreneurship, Technology, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley

What if I was to tell you we could eradicate racist biased behaviors in four generations? I know it’s crazy, but exciting concept huh?

Half the country is considerate of their fellow man. Some Trump supporters voted for him because of his policies, economics, or because they feel whites should rule supremely.

Chappelle was right! You use to love masks! Couldn’t get enough of them. What happened there? You and masks fell out?

As I watched the vote count go up, Biden and Donald gaining neck and neck, I realized what she meant when Angela Davis said it wasn’t enough to not be racist, you have to be anti-racist. To be actively anti-racist means to breed out elitist traits in your children and your community.

You have to defend someone being attacked by a Karen. You have to be willing to hear hard things, process them, and hold yourself accountable. Being anti-racist means bringing external consultants into your workplace. Don’t ask Blacks & minorities in your office to take on the additional work of diversity, inclusion, equality, and anti-racism on top of their daily tasks. Call on the professionals of The 11 Step Program brought to you by The Bias Rehab Center.
Horses With Jet Engines Coming Out Their Ass
By: Gregory D Esau
Tags: Consulting, Digital Transformation, Gambling Addiction, Silicon Valley, Economy

In this current world of, um, “digital transformation”, this is sort of the competition.

It’s what most businesses are capable of at best.

The title reference is from back in the day of the birth of the auto industry, if people were asked, what they want would be a “faster horse”.

Henry Ford sold them his Model T.

Back then, selling “horsepower” was easy. It was easy to see.

Now, we have these “hybrid” organizations with some kind of “digital” engine and some kind of “industrial” engine.

I call them Frankenstein models without the elegance.

Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

(I couldn’t find a public image for Frankenstein here, nor a good “steampunk” pic, so this is what we’re left with to visualize the point. :(. )

For our fun here, let’s call these hybrids horses with jet propulsion coming out their ass.

But it’s easy, sticking a jet engine out the horses ass because at least you still have that horse to start with that generates revenue, and if you’re lucky, profits.

Uber is a great example. Textbook really.

A silicon taxi cab. Except it loses $5 dollars for every trip.

If it takes a taxi $6 to cover a trip mile/klm, Uber needs $11 to recover the cost.

And taxis need false scarcity (the reason for this Uber model in the first place) to keep this floor at $6.00 (give or take).

This wasn’t a strategy, it was testosterone and technology. And clearly not thought through.

But this is Silicon Valley for you, an entire ecosystem of evangelists that sell jet engines for horses, putting a pointy thing on its head, and calling this “disruption”.

Crunch the numbers, and Silicon Valley bats worse than average.

As others have put it, Silicon Valley is a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters whose best work produces ‘products’ that demonstrably undermine the economy over time.

Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash

Kind of like investing in start-ups that feed rat poison into our food and water supply and calling it Valhalla.

But!

Because capital literally has nowhere else to go to find returns that beat average, it wanders into the valley — aka Las Vegas West — in hopes of pulling a one armed bandit in hope of a pay out.

Photo by Benoit Dare on Unsplash

This, for the uninitiated, as an accurate portrayal.

Because. Numbers.

It’s not hard to find this out. Most VCs know this.

But why give up the shell game when there’s no other game to play?

To get to the point of this chapter, we’re currently this macro version of Thelma and Louise in the closing scene, all on our collective jet propulsion horses headed for the cliff thinking we’re about to get Brad Pitt in the sack.

Shut UP and TAKE MY MONEY!!!

We are nothing if not addicted gamblers with illusions of false hope.

What could go wrong?
The Wojcicki sisters’ family tree
Tags: Silicon Valley, YouTube, Stanley Wojcicki, Susan Wojcicki

Generation

Franciszek Wójcicki, a Polish People’s Party politician

Janina Wójcicka Hoskins, librarian at the Library of Congress from 1951 to 1989

2. Generation

Stanley Wojcicki, emeritus professor and former chair of the physics department at Stanford University in California.

Esther Wojcicki the mother to these three siblings, is a teacher and an American journalist that possesses a distrust to authority. Hence her unique approach to parenting and finding the real secret behind it, came forth with her book entitled “How to Raise Successful People (Simple Lessons for Radical Results)”. She has also written numerous publications and did blogging for Huffington Post.

3. Generation

Susan Wojcicki, is the longest tenured CEO of YouTube. Since 2014. She was hired as one of the 16 employees’ when Google had just started in the year 1999, and has worked on Google AdSense, Google Books and Google Analytics. During her time as the CEO, her notable achievements include launching of YouTube Premium, YouTube TV and increasing policies to curb hate speech and violent radicalism.

Janet Wojcicki, is an American Anthropologists and a professor of pediatrics at the University of California (UCSF). She has an invested interest on researching pediatrics obesity in high risk populations and assessing the progression among nutritional aspects and HIV and HHV-8 infection.

Anne Wojcicki, from a fierce figure skater to the CEO and co-founder of 23andme, pioneering personal genomics company that provides direct-to-consumer DNA test. It allows consumers to test their ancestry and health risks. The test kits produced by the company was lauded as “Invention of the Year” by Time magazine. She is also a part of the ‘The Xconomists’, an unparalleled group that are making headways in technology, science and business innovation.

Full interactive family tree here.
Mark Zuckerberg’s family tree. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American…
Tags: Silicon Valley, Family Tree, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American internet entrepreneur and media magnate. He was born on May 14, 1984, to Edward Zuckerberg (dentist) and Karen Kempner (psychiatrist).

Zuckerberg tied knots with Priscilla Chan (Paediatrician) on May 19, 2012, just a day after Facebook’s IPO. Around 100 individuals accumulated at the couple’s Palo Alto, California home for the service. The visitors thought they were there to observe Chan’s graduation from medical school, however, rather they saw Zuckerberg and Chan trade pledges.

He has two daughters with Chinese-American pediatrician Priscilla Chan. His first daughter Maxima Chan Zuckerberg (“Max”) was born in December 2015. Her official Chinese name is Chen Mingyu which was announced by her parents. Their second daughter, August Chan Zuckerberg was born in August 2017.

His three sisters are all active in the tech world of Silicon Valley. Mark Zuckerberg has 5 nephews and nieces.

His oldest sister Donna married Harry Schmidt, product strategist at Wildfire, a social-marketing startup that Google bought for $250 million in 2012. They have two children.

Randi Zuckerberg is a business visionary, financial specialist, bestselling author, and tech media character. As an early executive at Facebook, she made Facebook Live, presently accessible to two billion individuals around the world. But by far, Randi’s favorite and most important job is mom. She lives in New York City with her husband, two sons, and a baby daughter.

Arielle Zuckerberg is the Senior Product Manager at Humin.
WE AND SILICON CHIPS:-
By: Abha Negi
Tags: AI, Chips, Silicon Valley, Technology

Integrated circuits.

Well known to every one that now and the upcoming time is of technology, artificial intelligence, internet of things, data science, etc. today any information from around the world is at tip of pour hands, just a click and you are served. Well it’s known that there are a lot of factors compromising the zenith attained by mankind in this sphere, the one today’s article is about CHIP OFTEN KNOWN AS SILICON CHIP, 14th element in the periodic table, the most abundant, preferred semiconductor.

What’s the most astonishing thing about chips nowadays is the size or to be more precise “the shrinking size”.

Technology, full of wondrous antiquity, laid it foundation stone in year 1946 with the invention of ENIAC, words first programmable electronic computer, developed by John Mauchly and John Presper Eckert, weighted 2700 tones, area 1800 sq-ft or precisely a 3BHK apartment, with electrical supply of 150kW( 300 mixer grinders at a time).

And today’s electronically derived computers weight (eg iphone 7 weighs 138gm), storage area required is one hand utmost, and electricity at a time is 2–6W depending upon the technical infrastructure. This enormous amount of versatility , energy power have somewhat been attained because of the the shrunken size of chips in these 5 decades from size of 10 microns to 0.005microns. It’s obvious that smartphones would have been handy with 10micrometre chip and not even efficient. Eact consecutive generation of computer chips is insuring more versatility, efficiency, reliablity.

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK :-

1971 — intel40004- 10 micrometer

1993- intel pentium — 0.8 micrometer

2007- intel core 2 duo — 0.065 micrometer

2013- snapdragon 800- 0.028 micrometer

2017 — apple A10X — 0.01 micrometer

2018 — apple A12X — 0.001 micrometer

2020 — apple A14 0.005 micrometer

2023* — TSMC — 0.003micrometer

2029* — 0.0014micrometer.

apple’s move 14nm A10 to 7nm A11 yielded a 25% increase in efficiency as per the reports , and lately, BBC reports says 5nm chips are expected to be 15% faster then 7nm chips while using the same power even working with higher speed as compared. This all is possible because of millions of transistors embedded in it. And this advancement would go and go.

AND a latest stuff about apple M1 silicon chip of 5 nm size with 16 billion transistors embedded.
Entering the Post Covid 19 World: Get to “Pole Position”
By: Marvin Liao
Tags: Startup, Founders, Startup Lessons, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley

It’s been a challenging 2020 to say the least. In California, we have been in lockdown since March. We have had mass protests, mass unemployment and mass bankruptcies of main street businesses. Yet housing sales, the stock market and ecommerce have skyrocketed.

All of this points to the K-Shaped recovery. Some folks are doing very well, while others have seen their lives and lifestyle decline precipitously. It’s a really strange and painful time.

But like all things in life, every situation can be seen positively and negatively. The question is what stance will you take and then what action you take.

While we can all lament about the lockdown, the devastation, and i can safely say, we all have done so. It’s important to mourn and move on from here as quickly as possible. I found my life getting much better once I just started doing small things to improve myself. These consisted of the “Write of Passage” class I took, the masterminds I joined, the hours of self education via reading & listening to some top podcasts like the Pomp Podcast, Tim Ferriss Show, Invest Like the Best, the 20 Minute VC.

It was the meditation, the walks around the neighbourhood, the exercise regime in the morning. The key is building your health and building your internal skills that help hone your craft whatever it is.

Surviving is thriving in this present environment. But once we are through this, the world is going to be ripe with a multitude of business and investment opportunities. There is a major economic and cultural boom coming.

“Stay Safe and Stay Positioned.”

Listen to this Newsletter: https://listencat.com/the-hard-fork-by-marvin-liao-podcast/
“We’re betting that the future of America is going to be built in the middle of the country, in places with good government and a reasonable cost of living. In other words, places like Texas.”
By: Gloria Oh
Tags: Tech, Austin, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley, Economy

“We’re betting that the future of America is going to be built in the middle of the country, in places with good government and a reasonable cost of living. In other words, places like Texas.” Gloria Oh Nov 25, 2020·2 min read

Photo Illustration: Dora Godfrey | Photos: Drew Anthony Smith

Not even $3.6 billion worth of committed capital will keep top VCs in Silicon Valley anymore. Founding partner of 8VC, co-founder of Palantir, and lifelong Californian Joe Lonsdale wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal explaining his decision to move to Texas, “the new land of opportunity.” He joins a growing diaspora of disenchanted tech entrepreneurs fed up with San Francisco’s crumbling infrastructure and bureaucratic policies. As Adam Bluestein wrote in Marker back in July, this exodus bodes well for cities like Austin, which was already on its way to becoming the de facto, secondary outpost for tech talent before the pandemic hit in early March — and is likely to benefit from the remote work boom.

“As these workers flee the expensive coastal cities they’ve been golden-handcuffed to, Austin could find itself inheriting an entirely new class of workers who don’t actually work here,” writes Bluestein. “People won’t necessarily be flocking to Austin for jobs, but for all the other reasons they’ve been coming here at a rate of 150 people per day since 2010 — including no state income tax and a median home price of $405,000, compared to $1.3 million in San Francisco. Now, they’re just bringing their jobs along with them.”
‘Uncanny Valley’ Named One of the 10 Best Books of 2020
By: Damon Beres
Tags: Silicon Valley, Uncanny Valley, Anna Wiener, Books

‘Uncanny Valley’ Named One of the 10 Best Books of 2020

Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley, a ruminative and cutting memoir about tech startups in the 2010s, is officially one of the best books of the year—at least, according to the New York Times. On Monday, the paper placed the book on its always buzzy top-10 list.

Earlier this year, OneZero held a panel discussion with Wiener, Jessica Powell, and our senior editor Brian Merchant, touching on topics like sexism, power, and diversity in Silicon Valley. Wiener reflected on her decision to write Uncanny Valley as nonfiction.

“My reason for writing the book as memoir was I felt that — especially as a nontechnical woman with the story I had — if I had disguised it as fiction, it would not be taken seriously,” she said. “I wanted people to understand that these things all happen, the good and the bad, that my experience here was as fortuitous as it was disenchanting.”

Read the full interview below:
Bay Area Biotech IPOs Surpassing Internet/SaaS IPOs
By: David Gross
Tags: Biotechnology, Silicon Valley, IPO, Bioeconomy

In the 2000s, Bay Area Internet/SaaS IPOs outnumbered Biotech IPOs by a factor of 3. In the 2010s, that ratio dropped to 1.8. So far in 2020, there have been more Bay Area Biotech IPOs than Internet/SaaS IPOs. Nationally, this trend is even stronger with Biotech accounting for more than twice as many IPOs as traditional tech companies. Moreover, with the VIX stabilizing, conditions look healthy for the IPO market in general.

I discuss these trends in my latest video on the 2020 Biotech IPO market.
Session 4 — Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program by Edudot
Tags: Edudot, Silicon Valley, Teenpreneur

In the fourth session of the Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program held by Edudot, it’s mainly talking about elevator pitch and pitch deck. The mentor was Hanz Kurdi. He teaches us on the basic understanding of elevator pitch and pitch deck and how to use it in the future.

When Hanz was presenting, I immediately think of how my business idea would be applied using the elevator pitch. Elevator pitch is basically a brief speech about your business idea. This brief speech must be able to get the listeners to understand your idea. This is quite a challenge for me because my business idea is a bit difficult to explain in short and brief amount of time. But I think I can make it work overtime, since Hanz said that my statement is solid. So I’m at the right track, I just need to keep the consistency and eventually grow in the long run.

My business idea is an e-commerce website that allows buyers and sellers to collaborate into making an impact to the community. It’s basically eBay for social good. So my business would provide online auctions for people to sell and the money made from the sales, around 50% of it will be given to charity foundations. I got this idea from seeing my friends or relatives houses where they would have a lot of unused things lying around at home. I just figure it would be better used for something that can create an impact to the people who are less fortunate.

In last week’s session, we were told to make an business model canvas for our business idea.

So here’s my business model canvas for my business idea. As you can see there’s one part that I haven’t filled yet and that is the revenue streams. This is because with my idea, where it involves donating, it takes time for decide on how I’m gonna make money out of this idea.

From today’s session, I learned that being an entrepreneur is not an easy job. A lot of thinking and risk taking is required to achieve success. One thing Hanz mentioned is always have confidence in sharing your idea. This makes me reflect to myself and try to be better when presenting my ideas. I need to remember to be confident at all times so that people can understand my ideas and are willing to invest to it.
AI — Creatures Without a Conscience?
By: Meg Lee Chin
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, AI, Good V Evil, Silicon Valley

There was a rumor of a creature brought to life by alchemists. The creature had no soul. It’s only intention was to survive. But with no conscience and survival as it’s only raison d’etre, the entity was inherently evil. Likewise, artificial intelligence is such a man-made creature. It can work either toward good or evil depending on whether the programmer decides to provide it a conscience.

Silicon Valley is an entity that has evolved to shape and manipulate our thoughts and cognitive biases. This manipulation is a downgrading of humanity. But although some insist there is a deliberate plan, the scarier likelihood is that the entity is more akin to a Frankenstein than a human.

For groups and cultures can form single personalities. Collectively they evolve a hive mind that transcends the minds of the individuals involved. Instead of fulfilling the goals of the individuals, the entity is driven toward survival. It is a creature without a conscience (C.O.C.) and bent on survival.

We’ll need more than luck in the battle with these COCs. For they are comprised of the brightest of human minds. Hence the challenge is to neutralize these anti-human COCs with pro-human CWCs (Creatures With a Conscience).

In the meantime… has anyone noticed that Google has removed “Thou shall not be evil” from their manifesto?
A Journey from Silicon Valley to Death Valley
Tags: Growth, Travel Writing, Therapy, Silicon Valley, Thoughts

You chose a difficult path. Don’t expect it otherwise.

The road ahead goes like this. It starts small but always seems a lot at the moment. The pleasure satisfies your needs for a little. The minute you have it, you are excited, calm, disappointed. Before it ends, you want a little more. You are looking for something else. More, better, never enough.

Somewhere in this loop, you are drawn into the center. Your head spins a little faster, the day goes a little shorter, sleeping gets a little harder. The things closest to you start to drift apart. Space is stretched, time is bent.

It is leaving you, so hold on to it. It is decaying, so fix it. Your dream just passed by, so chase it. You try to keep your feet on the ground while your arms are reaching for the stars. Just a little longer, you can make it.

You realize you have to let something go to get what you want, so you don’t hold on to anything. It is beyond repair, so don’t bother fixing it. Another dream is approaching, so wait for it to come to you. Everything only matters at the moment. Everything deteriorates outside your orbit. Every dream has an ending.

So you drove to the valley of death, climbed the mountain with Dante, played a round of golf with the devil, drank the badwater off the basin, and painted the hills with palettes.

You asked the universe a million questions, but the air has no sound. The discomfort, the silence of truth, and nothing but heat
Dream Corps TECH Town Hall powered by TGS
By: Dream Corp Tech, Yeswecode
Tags: Diversity And Inclusion, Town Hall, Tech, Silicon Valley, Events

December 7th, 2020

7 PM EST/6 PM CST

As the economy continues to go digital and high-tech, Black and Latinx communities are slowly tracking to gain equity in the tech space. At the same time, high-tech and Fortune 500 companies are struggling to hire and retain talented people of color.

What if we could solve both problems at the same time? That is what Dream Corps TECH is all about, and it is also the focus of their inaugural TECH Town Hall powered by TGS on Dec 7 @ 7 PM EST/6 PM CST.

Join this can’t-miss online event featuring world-renowned leaders, activists, employers, and educators, moderated by Van Jones, CNN Contributor, Author, and Founder of Dream Corps TECH (formerly #YesWeCode), and Maxine Williams, Chief Diversity Officer of Facebook.

Tune in to be inspired, ignited by transformative solutions, and ready to join a community deciding the future of our economy. Get ready to personally connect with employers and their team after the panel and don’t forget about our#YesWeCode $1,500 Scholarship Giveaway! Three winners will be announced, live, during the Town Hall event. To apply follow TECH on IG and Twitter and submit proof of enrollment in a coding boot camp or a tech-related degree program.

And you won’t want to miss the at-home after-party featuring special live music by 9x Grammy winner, producer-songwriter, Bryan-Michael Cox, and a networking lounge, enabling you to make professional connections with corporate partner recruiters and more!

This event is open and free to the public, RSVP Now: https://act.thedreamcorps.org/signup/rsvp-tech-town-hall
Like a Multivitamin — Using Art to Heal
Tags: Silicon Valley, Content Magazine, Art, Arts And Culture

By Connie Martinez, SVCREATES’ Chief Executive Officer

With the election (nearly) behind us and a vaccine on its way, there is reason to be hopeful for 2021. In a normal year, the holidays are a source of great joy for families and friends of all religions and cultures as we gather together to give thanks, enjoy traditions, and welcome in the new year. 2020 is not that kind of year and with COVID-19 cases rising and our country so divided, it appears that life will become more difficult before it gets better. We need patience, we need each other, and we need the arts.

Bottom line, our country needs a whole lot of healing. As we continue to try to work our way out of this pandemic, I believe the arts are more important than ever for our mental and physical well-being. And beyond the comfort, joy, and inspiration we experience through the arts, medical research demonstrates the power of the arts to reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, and reduce dependencies on pain medication. There is a reason that more than half of U.S. hospitals are now using the arts as healing interventions for their patients and many are transforming their historically stark and sterile environments into healing environments through the use of color, lighting, art, and design.

We have an inspiring local example in the Women and Children’s Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC). In 2018, Tanuja Bahal, Creative Catalyst for SVCREATES, secured an NEA grant and partnered with VMC and Montalvo Arts Center to commission artist Leah Rosenberg to create Like a Multivitamin.

This beautiful art installation uses color and haikus to transform a stark hospital courtyard into an inviting, inspiring, and healing space. Click here to read the full press release and watch the interview with artist Leah Rosenberg here. SVCREATES’ multi-year partnership with VMC and the Valley Medical Center Foundation is infusing art and creativity throughout the Women and Children’s Center so Leah’s installation will not be the last. We hope you can visit, post-pandemic.

As we enter the holiday season during this challenging time, we owe a debt of gratitude to our health care providers and first responders who risk their lives to save ours. But let’s not forget about our second responders, the artists and culture workers who create experiences and works of art that challenge our assumptions, nurture what it means to be human, and heal our bodies and souls.
Culture Fit: Racial Bias in Tech #5—Internal Investigation
By: All Turtles
Tags: Inclusion, Diversity, Tech, Silicon Valley, Podcast

We’re turning the mirror on ourselves to assess diversity, equity, and inclusion at All Turtles. If we believe every company could benefit from open conversations about diversity issues, we need to start with ourselves.

Subscribe to the All Turtles Podcast

iTunes // Google Play //SoundCloud // Spotify // Stitcher //

Overcast // YouTube // iHeartRadio //RSS

Show notes

Webflow’s DEI mission: Mariah Driver wrote about how Webflow works to support and champion their entire team in radically inclusive and empowering ways.

Black Tech Pipeline is a group that All Turtles has recently partnered with to connect to their platform that brings exposure, resources and opportunities to Black technologists.
Why You Should Startup Now
By: Matthew Vega-Sanz
Tags: Tech, Silicon Valley, Founders, Startups

Twitter, Uber, Snapchat, Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Instagram, Slack, and WhatsApp are billion-dollar companies that dominate their industry. They generate billions of dollars, have billions of users, are every Founder’s dream, and most surprisingly, they were all founded during the years surrounding the 2008 recession. As crazy as it sounds, recessions are incredible times to build startups. Yes, they breed chaos, and hardship, but they also breed innovation and are the perfect time to start a company.

As we find ourselves in unparalleled times, I get dozens of founders reaching out and seeking help with their startups on a weekly basis. The innovative spirit of society right now is inspiring. I’ve seen dating apps with crazy twists, AI to help officiate sports, ed tech to revolutionize at home learning, microloan apps for developing countries, and so many more cool startups.

Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time as I used to. I’m trying to get my own company off the ground, and I can’t meet with everyone so I decided to make a few posts that I hope can help a few.

Whenever I get intro’d to a founder, the person making the intro always says things like “Matthew taught himself to code so he can help you with your app”, “Michael and Matthew have raised a bunch of money from investors”, “The twins built a top 100 app out of their dorm”, and my favorite — “Lula got members on 500+ campuses in a year so he’s a good resource”. Although these are all true (and they up my swag), they’re not reasons to follow my advice because the truth is, there are so many people who have accomplished way more. If you ask Michael and I, we haven’t really done much. Yeah, we experienced some “success”, but we’ve experienced the result of a million more mistakes (not failure though, because failure to us is making a mistake and not learning from it).

The reasons Michael and I are worth listening to is because we’ve been rejected by 800+ investors. We’ve faced bankruptcy, we’ve over hired, made bad hires, overpaid for services due to not knowing better, and fucked up on so many other occasions. We know exactly what to do if you want investors to pass on you, if you want to make bad hires, if you want to build a crappy feature, and if you want your company to struggle.

For those of you who want to limit your hard times, I suggest you read, and for those who want a good laugh, I also recommend you read. I’m going to share stories and tips for fundraising, building a cheap MVP, marketing deep vs wide, getting free press, how to avoid getting publicly humbled, and waaaaaay more.

If you have any questions, hmu up on twitter @mattvanzz or Instagram @mateovegasanz
Art, eats & excursions: 11 local outings for a perfect purple-tier Thanksgiving break
By: Charles Russo
Tags: Bay Area, Travel Writing, California, San Francisco, Silicon Valley

A recent Sunday sunset on Pacifica’s Mori Ridge trail. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)

Explore the rugged hills and vistas of Pacifica

There’s nothing like a short drive out to the Coastside to feel like you’re a world away from the corporate office parks and mansions of Silicon Valley. Although November is a bit chilly for beachgoing, it’s a beautiful time to explore the mountains and hills of Coastside towns like Pacifica—definitely bring a jacket, though. The town offers miles of surprisingly dog-friendly trails that combine spectacular ocean views and challenging terrain sure to help you burn off that third helping of pie a la mode. Here are a few trail suggestions, with routes linked via AllTrails.

Mori Point // 2.5 miles. Parking at the official Mori Point parking area fills up fast on weekends, so you can also park near Sharp Park Beach and start the hike with a southbound stroll along the beach promenade until you get to the trails at Mori Point.

Sweeney Ridge // 4.8 miles. If you don’t feel like driving all the way to Pacifica but still want amazing views, Sweeney Ridge is for you. The trailhead is easy to access from 280 near San Bruno. Take the Sweeney Ridge trail from Sneath Lane, which is dog-friendly and mostly paved, up about 2 miles to the ridge. Turn left at the summit to visit the Bay Area Discovery Site, where Spain’s Captain Juan Gaspar de Portola and his crew — accompanied by members of the local Aramai tribe — first “discovered” the San Francisco Bay in 1769, according to the National Park Service.

Montara Mountain // 7.0 miles. This hike is a bit more challenging, with about 1,800 feet of elevation gain largely in the first three miles, but the rewards of summiting, and the downhill views on the flipside are worth it. Pro tip: Start from the McNee Ranch trailhead on the Coastside to skip the $6 parking fee and dog ban at San Mateo County’s San Pedro County Park.
“Unapologetically progressive”: the historic rise of James Coleman, 21, to SSF city council
By: Sarah Klearman
Tags: Bay Area, LGBTQ, Democrats, Socialism, Silicon Valley

This past autumn was a blur for James Coleman.

A senior at Harvard University, Coleman was spending his first semester of the year 3,100 miles away at his home in South San Francisco. He would tend to his biology coursework and classes during the day; at night, he and a faithful cohort of volunteers — including campaign manager and childhood friend Franchesca Buendia — worked to promote Coleman’s campaign for a seat on South San Francisco’s city council.

Together, Coleman and Buendia led efforts to reach his district’s constituents by phone, by mail and over social media. They ordered lawn signs, designed advertisements and orchestrated email campaigns. The goal, Coleman said, was to engage with each of his voters.

This month Coleman, at 21, became the youngest person ever to assume a seat on South San Francisco’s City Council. Councilman Mark Addiego, first elected in 1980 at the age of 24, previously held that title, according to South San Francisco City Clerk Rosa Govea Acosta. (Addiego took a break from local politics and returned to the council in 2005.)

“(James) has that willingness to dive right in and build a better city. He truly believes he can accomplish great things at the local level,” Addiego said, adding he had met with Coleman for an hour this week and been reminded of himself as a young councilman.

Coleman, who will serve alongside Addiego, attributes his campaign’s success in part to its broad and consistent outreach.

“There was one constituent I called — she picked up, and said, ‘This is the second time you’ve called me, I got your mailer yesterday, I got two fliers today and I see your ads everywhere on social media,’” Coleman recalled. “She said, ‘I’m already voting for you.’”

In the end, Coleman believes, they reached every voter in the district multiple times.
The Midwest StartUp Scene & Why VC’s should look more into it
By: Samuel Barnes
Tags: Startup, Silicon Valley, Minneapolis, Venture Capital

The Midwest StartUp Scene & Why VC’s should look more into it Samuel Barnes ·Nov 18, 2020

As many Venture Capitalists know, the United State’s Venture Capital industry relies heavily on the “Big 3” cities (New York City, San Fransisco, Boston). While these are looked at as the breeding grounds of the “best” startups, this may not always be the case.

The large percentage of the US’ venture capital funding that goes to startups in the Big 3 cities gives smaller cities like Minneapolis, Milwaukee, & Omaha the title of an “underserved” city. This term means that those specific cities may have plenty of startups but not enough VC funding that goes to that geographic area.

This is where the Venture Capital firms in the midwest really need to shine. Not only do the startup ecosystems in these midwest cities need the funding, but these venture capital firms can easily take advantage of these underserved markets. Not only would the funding benefit the startups, but it could easily benefit the VC firms. Here are a few key reasons on why investing in underserved markets like the midwest could benefit VC’s:

Smaller Valuations with the ability to hold higher equity in the startup

The ability to have a larger say in the “direction” of a startup.

In summary, investing in underserved markets such as the midwest can lead to benefits on both sides of the tables. While larger Venture Capital firms pay more attention to the startups in the “Big 3” cities, midwestern VC firms can take advantage of the lack of funding in those cities.
Slashare Fulfillment Standards: How We Sacrifice Our Profit Margins for the Well-being of our Employees.
Tags: Ecommerce, Entrepreneurship, Palo Alto, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley

Max Barringer and Kelly Laible Wearing Slashare’s Newest Yoga Tee Bundle

I’m in San Francisco and always on the go! Everyone on my team has the exact same experience. So, you have to be curious about how we get this stuff boxed and shipped as quickly as we do. (BTW! Do you see your order # being packed here?)

Slashare fulfillment operations. First one thousand five hundreds headed through the mail!

Primarily, Slashare is a human first company. We sell everyday products, adding experience, personality, and savings for our customers. Our warehouse staff is paid wages 2.5x higher than comparable operations, and they work in toxic-free waste environments where health and safety is the number one priority. The coronavirus pandemic has unquestionably fueled our business, however, we are just as aware of the health concerns associated with operating a business amidst a pandemic and take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all.

Five days after launch, we sold over 1500 boxes with nearly 1,000 unique items making up the contents of these boxes. Slashare staff is working diligently and aggressively to ensure our first customers will receive the best possible product. We are hiring new employees daily to keep up with our spikes in demand. We are consistently increasing our revenues week after week — and actively trying to reduce our delivery times. We are so excited to fulfill our initial orders, and WOW our customers, so we can move our warehouse operations to our new state-of-the-art facility early next month.

All Slashare bundles arrive at your doorstep in our custom box, curated for an unreal unboxing experience that is meant to spark a smile. We’re so thankful for the team that ultimately helps you have an amazing unboxing experience.

Slashare team crafting new bundles for new markets!

Next month, we’re scaling up! We’re moving our fulfillment operations to a world-class fulfillment center that all of your favorite brands use! Tomorrow — We’re moving into our 5,000 square foot HQ office in Palo Alto, CA! My childhood dreams are coming true! We are two doors down from the birthplace of PayPal and the works of Peter Thiel!
Culture Fit: Racial Bias in Tech #2 — Original Gatekeepers
By: All Turtles
Tags: Racism, Diversity, Tech, Silicon Valley, Podcast

It’s time to hop into the way, way back machine. We’re examining the history of Silicon Valley to better understand how we got to the current moment of racial inequity in tech.

Subscribe to the All Turtles Podcast

iTunes // Google Play //SoundCloud // Spotify // Stitcher //

Overcast // YouTube // iHeartRadio //RSS

Show notes

Blerd Empire is a podcast hosted by Sinbad and Royce Adkins.

Natives In Tech is coalition of Native and non-Native developers empowering and supporting native communities.

What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean from Africa? is a book by Chakanetsa Mavhunga.

“The Ghost in the Machine: How new technologies reproduce racial inequality” is an article by Stephen Kearse.

Reforming Jim Crow: Southern Politics and State in the Age Before Brown is a book by Professor Kimberley Johnson.
Culture Fit: Racial Bias in Tech #3—The Pipeline Fallacy
By: All Turtles
Tags: Racism, Diversity, Tech, Silicon Valley, Podcast

A common excuse tech companies make for their lack of diversity is to blame the “pipeline,” saying there aren’t enough qualified candidates from historically excluded groups in the talent pool. Why do tech companies lean on this argument, and what are they missing?

Subscribe to the All Turtles Podcast

iTunes // Google Play //SoundCloud // Spotify // Stitcher //

Overcast // YouTube // iHeartRadio //RSS

Show notes

Blendoor provides diversity and equity tools for the workplace.

Natives In Tech is a coalition of Native and non-Native developers empowering and supporting Native communities.

What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean from Africa? is a book by Chakanetsa Mavhunga.

“The Ghost in the Machine: How new technologies reproduce racial inequality” is an article by Stephen Kearse.

Reforming Jim Crow: Southern Politics and State in the Age Before Brownis a book by Professor Kimberley Johnson.

LTX Fest is an annual conference for Latinx professionals in tech.

Out In Tech is a not-for-profit uniting the LGBTQ+ tech community.

“Is Silicon Valley using culture fit to disguise discrimination?” is an article by LeRon Barton.

StreetCode Academy is empowering communities of color with the skills, mindsets, and networks to use tech and innovation to fulfill their full potential.

“Here’s the clearest picture of Silicon Valley’s diversity yet: It’s bad. But some companies are doing less bad.” is an article by Sinduja Rangarajan.

Blck VC is a non profit with the goal of doubling the representation of Black investors by 2024.

TechEquity Collaborative is mobilizing tech workers to make our communities more equitable places to live.
Culture Fit: Racial Bias in Tech #1 — Monoculture
By: All Turtles
Tags: Racism, Tech, Silicon Valley, Podcast, Race

Introducing “Culture Fit: Racial Bias in Tech,” a 6-part All Turtles Podcast series taking an in-depth look at racial inequalities in the tech industry.

In episode 1, people from communities that have long been excluded by Silicon Valley’s monoculture share their personal stories and walk through the data on the lack of diversity in tech. When it comes to cognitive biases, what critical errors do our brains make without even realizing it?

Listen

Subscribe to the All Turtles Podcast

iTunes // Google Play //SoundCloud // Spotify // Stitcher //

Overcast // YouTube // iHeartRadio //RSS

Show notes

Design for Cognitive Bias is a book by David Dylan Thomas.

Blendoor is a diversity and equity platform. Stephanie Lampkin is the CEO.

Blck VC is anon profit with the goal of doubling the representation of Black investors by 2024.

LTX Fest is an an annual conference for Latinx professionals in tech.

“Is Silicon Valley using culture fit to disguise discrimination?” is an article by LeRon Barton.

Out in Tech is a not-for-profit uniting the LGBTQ+ tech community.

Techquería is a nonprofit that serves the largest community of Latinx in Tech.

“Here’s the clearest picture of Silicon Valley’s diversity yet: It’s bad. But some companies are doing less bad.” is an article by Sinduja Rangarajan.

“The Pinterest Paradox: Cupcakes and Toxicity” is a medium article by the former Pinterest COO.

Kapor Center Retention Study is a first-of-its-kind national study examining why people voluntarily left their jobs in tech.