Sand Hill Road

Dr. Christina Smolke runs a brewery, except the yeast isn’t making alcohol. It’s making medicine. At Antheia, Smolke has turned a long-shot Stanford research project into a new way to manufacture critical pharmaceutical ingredients, using biology instead of traditional chemistry.The approach is already being used to produce opioid precursors for Narcan, with more drugs in the pipeline aimed at chronic shortages and supply-chain failures. Smolke talks about regulation, security, and why some of the hardest problems in science are worth chasing—especially when everyone says they won’t work. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Legendary Stanford immunologist Dr. Ed Engleman helped create the foundations of modern cancer treatment. From early breakthroughs in immune-cell training to a brand-new discovery, Engleman explains how the immune system can now be switched on and off like circuitry, with implications for cancer, autoimmune disease, infections and more. He also breaks down his role at Vivo Capital, the global life-sciences venture firm where he evaluates and guides new biotech startups. Engleman describes how Vivo’s more conservative, data-driven investment style matches his own approach: digging deep into the science, waiting for real clinical signals, and backing teams that can translate discoveries into actual drugs. A rare conversation with a scientist-founder-investor whose discoveries and companies have reshaped medicine — and who’s still chasing the next breakthrough. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scott's conversation with Freestyle Capital's Maria Palma ranges from venture capital hype cycles to ethics, engineering creativity, venture regret, and even the art of naming startups (“Cluster Fudge” stays). Palma also offers a personal take on her own journey—from GE supply chain to Harvard Business School to eventually discovering she was built for venture—all while keeping an engineer’s mindset and a founder’s empathy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gamma co-founder and CEO Grant Lee and lead series A investor Vas Natarajan of Accel are building one of the fastest-growing creative-tools startups in tech. With 70 million users, 100M ARR and just 50 employees, Gamma has become the “anti-PowerPoint”—a visual communication platform for the AI generation.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TJ Rylander, general partner at N47 is exploring the next frontier of artificial intelligence: the physical world. Rylander explains how companies like Luminary Cloud are revolutionizing engineering by merging AI with physics, enabling designers to test and refine aircraft or cars virtually in days instead of months. He also shares how Skydio’s autonomous drones, once aimed at consumers, are now helping first responders and the military. Along the way, Rylander reflects on his early career at Enron, his time investing for the CIA’s In-Q-Tel, and his passion project on the board of one of America’s oldest summer camps—where he says lessons in leadership and “doing your fair share of the work” still guide him today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kanishka Narayan isn’t your typical politician. A Stanford GSB grad, he’s now the United Kingdom’s Minister for Artificial Intelligence — a job that didn’t even exist a few years ago. In this episode, Narayan talks about how Britain is using AI to drive both prosperity and dignity, why the UK just signed a “Technology Prosperity Deal” with the U.S., and how his Indian-Welsh roots and time in Silicon Valley shape the way he thinks about innovation, energy, and risk-taking. Plus, what it’s really like to grumble in Parliament. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eugene Malobrodsky came to the U.S. as a teenager and went on to co-found Hotspot Shield, the VPN that became a symbol of free speech during the Arab Spring. Now he’s a venture capitalist at One Way Ventures, backing immigrant founders building the next wave of AI companies. He joins Scott McGrew to talk about risk, resilience, and what really drives innovation in Silicon Valley. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Startups need an interesting story.  Not just for the media, but for investors and clients.   Former CNBC reporter turned venture investor turned author Christina Farr explains what makes a great story and how being boring is the worst strategy of all. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Postman began as a side project by Abhinav Asthana and his two co-founders, and turned into the most widely adopted API collaboration platform, used by millions of developers worldwide. In this conversation, Abhinav breaks down why developer feedback matters more than early paywalls, how “just ship” beat long strategy decks, and why he’s still bullish on San Francisco. We cover raising capital without making it the point, scaling from three founders to ~850 people across 20+ countries, and the hard lessons of hiring—and replacing—leaders as a company grows. Plus: Factorio, parenting, and what it really means to build “developer-first.”  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Venture capitalist Katelin Holloway—founding partner at 776— unpacks the new math of sports investing. From incubating Angel City FC and LA Golf Club to why women’s sports offer the biggest upside, Holloway explains where value is created (media, sponsors, merch) and how pay equity should be built from first principles. Plus: the origin of “776,” TGL’s tech-arena gamble, and the story behind her three citizen’s arrests. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ireland is making an aggressive play to strengthen its ties with the West Coast. IDA Ireland—the nation’s foreign investment agency—has launched a trade mission aimed at securing €250 billion (about $300 billion) in new capital and creating 75,000 jobs over the next five years. Already, a West Coast company opens or expands in Ireland every month, with Apple, Google, Anthropic, and Microsoft among the major investors. Scott McGrew sits down with Ivan Houlihan of IDA Ireland to talk about Ireland’s evolving industries, the impact of Brexit, why U.S. tech companies keep choosing Ireland, and how the country is balancing record foreign investment with challenges like housing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NEA partner Aaron Jacobson joins Sand Hill Road to discuss the next wave of robotics and AI — from warehouse automation and drone manufacturing to autonomous construction and defense innovation. Jacobson explains why the future of robotics isn’t humanoids but specialized machines that perform one task perfectly. He shares insights on startups like Outrider, Built Robotics, Second Front Systems, and Firestorm, and why he believes AI-driven intelligence and flexible manufacturing will reshape industries from green energy to national security. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steven Lee raised $40 million in five weeks to fund his own venture firm — with just his reputation, network, and a bet on AI. From being the last kid picked up at school to becoming one of Silicon Valley’s earliest investors in breakout companies, Lee shares his journey from his parents’ clothing store in Los Angeles, to Twitter, to launching his own fund. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rehan Jalil has sold three companies. His fourth, Securiti AI, might be his first to go public. A decade after we first met him as the founder of Elastica, Rehan returns to explain why protecting enterprise data is the gateway to unlocking AI’s full potential—and why building companies will always be his passion. From reading market signals to redefining data security, Jalil shares what it takes to keep winning in a fast-changing tech landscape.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kanyi Maqubela’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary—from fleeing apartheid South Africa as an infant, to living in a homeless shelter in New York City, to becoming a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. As managing partner at Kindred Ventures, Maqubela sits at the intersection of culture, finance, and technology. In this episode, he talks with Scott McGrew about why he believes crypto has already succeeded—even if it doesn’t look the way early critics expected.Maqubela argues that value isn’t just stored in physical assets or spreadsheets—it can also be stored in memes. Whether it's gold, real estate in Las Vegas, or Dogecoin, he suggests that cultural momentum and shared belief can give something staying power and real economic weight. “Mimetic value is value,” he says, making the case that virality itself is a form of capital.This conversation explores why the blockchain matters, how meme coins might be more serious than they seem, and why the next generation is right to question the financial syste

Scott McGrew sits down with Tom Drummond, co-founder of developer-first VC firm Heavybit, fresh off the announcement of the firm’s fifth fund and second opportunity fund.Drummond explains why the traditional enterprise sales model is fading, and why developers now hold the keys to software adoption. He talks about resisting the temptation of early revenue, the dangers of “cargo cult” startup thinking, and what it means to build for a future where code is free and infrastructure is everything. As Tom puts it: “We’re entering a world where code is free. Anyone can generate it. The consequence? We’ll need an entirely new layer of infrastructure." Sand Hill Road is produced by Andrew Mendez under the leadership of Sara Bueno and Stephanie Adrouny. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's our annual tradition—venture capitalists and startup founders share the books that shaped them. From sci-fi and civil rights to artificial intelligence and management, this year's reading list offers insight into the minds of Silicon Valley’s most thoughtful leaders.Highlights include:Master of the Senate by Robert Caro, recommended by Casber Wang of Sapphire Ventures for its deep exploration of power and politicsTraffic by Ben Smith, cited by Joe Alalou of Daring Ventures as essential reading on how the social web shaped our modern worldThe Sentence by Louise Erdrich, praised by Initiate Ventures’ Jessica Owens for its emotional depth and powerful storytellingRead Write Own by Chris Dixon, a pick from Bobby Franklin of the NVCA to better understand the potential of blockchain beyond cryptoEven Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, a personal favorite of Wharton’s Lori Rosenkopf for its message on turning perceived flaws into strengthsMindset by Carol Dweck, currently on Larry Gadea’s reading listThe Fo

Stanford lecturer and venture investor Robert Siegel argues the lone-wolf CEO is not just outdated—but dangerous. In this episode, he joins Scott to explain why today's most effective leaders are those who can hold competing truths at once: acting with empathy and accountability, being tactical and strategic, thinking locally and globally. Drawing from his new book The Systems Leader, Siegel shares stories from Silicon Valley and beyond, reflects on the next generation of founders, and explains what it really takes to lead in a world defined by constant crisis and accelerating change.Sand Hill Road is produced by Andrew Mendez under the leadership of Sara Bueno and Stephany Adrouny Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(Encore! Encore!)  Mike Jones has helped launch some of the most unexpected breakout brands in consumer goods—from canned water with a death metal vibe to subscription underwear and a prayer app. The former CEO of MySpace and founder of Science Inc. joins Sand Hill Road to talk about why creating fans matters more than just getting customers, what he learned navigating the rise of Facebook, and how LA’s culture engine gives his ventures a creative edge. Plus: why iced tea was the right move—and the one piece of branding advice every founder needs to hear.This episode first aired April 2024Sand Hill Road is produced by Andrew Mendez under the leadership of Sara Bueno and Stephanie Adrouny. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joseph Alalou of Daring Ventures says too many VCs  choose "performance" over discovery — prioritizing brand-building over finding overlooked talent. In this episode, he shares how his journey from washing cars at Enterprise to investing in underdog founders shaped his contrarian view of venture capital. We talk about cultural gatekeeping, the myth of meritocracy, and why cereal in a rental car's back seat might teach you more about resilience than any Ivy League seminar. Sand Hill Road is produced by Andrew Mendez under the leadership of Sara Bueno and Stephanie Adrouny. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.