The Luba Show

He's Bringing Supersonic Flight BACK - Blake Scholl

Automate Compliance (and get $1,000 off!!) - https://vanta.com/luba Today I walk with Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. Blake was roughly Amazon's 200th engineer, spent more than a decade building XB-1 into the first supersonic jet made outside a government or military, and got the US ban on supersonic flight repealed after breaking the sound barrier, and now he's scaling Boom toward carrying passengers in 2030. He gets into the six years Boom spent waiting on Rolls-Royce for an engine, and why that breakup turned out to be the best gift the company ever got. We get into: Why he'd rather be a "dark matter entrepreneur" who tried and failed than spend his life asking what if The six years Boom spent trying to get Rolls-Royce to build a custom engine, and why losing that deal is what made the business financially viable Why "work on something you know about" is terrible advice, since what you know is far easier to change than what you love How a parenting lesson turned into the practice that built candor inside Boom's staff meetings So much more! 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒 (00:00) Trailer (00:41) Intro (01:39) The day XB-1 broke the sound barrier (05:40) 2,000 pounds overweight and called the Theranos of aviation (09:15) How big a dent can we make in the universe (12:01) Bill Gates and the dark matter entrepreneur (14:55) Mom's advice: work on something you already know (17:12) The flying lesson at 19 that decided everything (23:17) Starting Boom with three kids under two (24:39) The mistake dinner that became a staff meeting (27:22) Why the Rolls-Royce breakup was the best gift Boom got (30:37) Brian Chesky and permission to make the big swing (34:29) Amazon at engineer 200 and automating ads at 22 (37:58) Congestion price the entire road network (40:12) "I'd be proud of you for trying" (43:58) The $750K prize to fly supersonic (44:33) Outro Follow Blake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakescholl/ X: https://x.com/bscholl Website: https://boomsupersonic.com/ Follow Luba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/ X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina

She Backed Twitter. Now She's Betting on Founders Who Are "AI-Pilled.” - Ann Miura-Ko

Automate Compliance (and get $1,000 off!!) - https://vanta.com/luba Today I walk with Ann Miura-Ko, co-founding partner of Floodgate. Ann has spent almost 18 years building Floodgate around a deliberately small, non-consensus fund model, made early bets on companies like Lyft and TaskRabbit, and teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford, and now she's watching AI rewrite the lean startup playbook in real time. She gets into the AI agent inside one portfolio company that quietly caught millions of dollars in missed credit, and why she believes not losing is not the same as winning. We get into: • Why she waited nearly 18 years to grow Floodgate's fund size, and how staying small means a $1 billion exit still moves the needle for her investors • Making debate opponents cry for a slice of pizza, and the permission that gave her to be disagreeable for the rest of her career • SmarterDx, the company she couldn't get other investors to take seriously at Series A, that went on to exit for over $1 billion • The math behind "founder friendly" investing, and why a $100M exit barely registers against a $1 billion fund So much more! TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Ann Miura-Ko, Co-Founding Partner, Floodgate (01:35) Making debate opponents cry for a slice of pizza (05:41) Truth-seeking VS defending your ego (11:12) How Mike Maples treated her as an intellectual equal from day one (18:04) Being told she was "average" before finding her calling (26:07) How AI is rewriting the lean startup playbook (36:35) Floodgate's bet to stay small while other firms scale up (39:53) The AI agent that caught millions in missed credits (46:43) SmarterDx: the $1B exit no other investor wanted (48:49) The real math behind a "founder friendly" investor (53:55) Category design and why Lyft had to break the law to launch (1:08:39) The Toyota Corolla he drove for 25 years to buy her a piano (1:11:53) Being the only woman in her electrical engineering class (1:16:37) Turning 50 and her year of saying yes Follow Ann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amiura/ X: https://x.com/annimaniac Follow Luba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/ X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina

He Scaled Plaid to $300M ARR. Now a16z Just Bet $55M on Him — Jean-Denis Greze (Town)

Automate Compliance (and get $1,000 off!!) - https://vanta.com/luba Today I walk with Jean-Denis Greze, co-founder and CEO of Town, an AI on-ramp platform for individuals and businesses. Jean-Denis is the former CTO of Plaid, led engineering through a blocked $5.3B Visa acquisition, and walked away from the C-suite at 45 to start over from zero, and now he's turned a scrapped AI tax-prep startup into a $55M Series A company backed by Andreessen Horowitz. He gets into the week he decided to kill a business that was actually working, and why he refuses to call Town an "AI assistant." We get into: Why he waited until 45, after seven years as Plaid's CTO, to become a founder for the first time The week he and his co-founder killed a working, revenue-generating tax-prep startup because it wasn't going to be a rocket ship Town's real bet: not a smarter AI assistant, but an onboarding layer that gets normal people leverage from AI without writing a single prompt His "accelerators, table stakes, foundations" framework for staying ahead of OpenAI, Gemini, and Google Why turning "uncool" work into cult culture, from Dropbox's Team Cash to Plaid's colorful tights, built teams that stuck around so much more! Timestamps [00:00:00] Trailer [00:00:43] Intro [00:01:41] Leaving Plaid at 45 to become a founder [00:06:01] Redefining success beyond IPOs and revenue [00:11:56] The YC prodigy myth VS two decades of hard-earned instinct [00:19:47] The stress gap between being an exec and being the founder [00:25:35] Time-boxing family, health, and friends at Series A [00:32:11] Betting on AI tax prep and grinding for a year [00:38:13] The week they decided to shut down a profitable business [00:41:53] The worst three weeks: telling the team and winding down right [00:57:47] The accidental prototype that became Town [01:04:15] Why Town calls itself an on-ramp, not an AI assistant [01:12:29] Beating OpenAI, Gemini, and Google's home-field advantage [01:20:31] Team Cash: making "uncool" work fun at Dropbox and Plaid [01:32:02] Landing Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner for the Series A [01:37:41] Outro Follow Jean-Denis LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeandenisgreze X: https://x.com/jgreze Website: https://town.com Follow Luba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/ X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina

She Raised $100M+ to Reversibly Cryopreserve Humans — Laura Deming (Until)

Today I walk with Laura Deming, co-founder of Until, a reverse cryopreservation company in San Francisco. Laura got interested in longevity at eight, started working in Cynthia Kenyon's lab at UCSF at 12, and spent years backing the field as an investor through the Longevity Fund. She now builds technology to pause biological time, starting with donor organs and building toward whole-body medical hibernation. We get into: -The conference talk she was not supposed to give, and how it ended her VC chapter -What "transcend death" actually means once you press on it, tested with a teleporter to Mars -Why San Francisco kills intuition, and the breakdown in her mid-20s that made her protect hers -The big magnet, and rewarming an organ in about a minute -Why transplant patients live inside a two-hour radius with a pager on them at all times so much more! Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:48 Intro 00:01:35 "I love science" and the things that have stayed constant 00:05:13 A childhood without rules and reconstructing what normal means 00:07:03 What is actually worth preserving when a person dies 00:13:00 The Dreaming Machine and the film that never got made 00:19:02 When you could not say the word aging out loud in the lab 00:22:55 Emailing Cynthia Kenyon at 12 and the day her life started 00:28:49 The talk that made her leave VC for cryo 00:32:39 San Francisco as an intuition killer 00:35:04 Molecules in clockwork synchrony and feeling loved by the universe 00:44:39 The big magnet and rewarming an organ in about a minute 00:46:19 The two-hour radius and the pager that runs a transplant patient's life 00:53:50 Her best arguments against her own work 00:58:44 The teleporter to Mars and what dies in the process 01:01:42 Outro Follow Laura X: https://x.com/LauraDeming?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-deming-b255362a/ Website: https://www.untillabs.com/ Follow Luba I Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/ X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina

The Investor Who Backed 10 Unicorns Explains the AI Bubble - Avichal Garg (Electric Capital)

Today I sit down with Avichal Garg, co-founder and General Partner at Electric Capital. Avichal has built and sold companies, worked inside early Google and Facebook, served as a visiting partner at Y Combinator, and now backs founders across crypto and frontier tech. We get into: -Why founders are more like artists than operators -What actually compounds a person's trajectory -His "software eating money" thesis behind Electric Capital -Why honesty ends up being the real edge in venture so much more! Timestamps 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:44 Intro 00:01:00 Watches, luxury markets, and the AI parallel 00:12:48 Opportunity is a luxury 00:14:43 Founders as artists, not just operators 00:18:26 Authenticity and cutting through market noise 00:24:38 Betting on outliers as a life philosophy 00:37:58 Storytelling as a founder superpower 00:55:41 How Elad Gil helped launch Electric 01:07:55 Why crypto was the wedge for Electric 01:19:28 Why he prefers market corrections 01:31:00 The firms Electric was modeled after 01:36:21 Honesty as the core operating principle 01:42:15 Over-committing resources to founders 01:51:03 Dodging SBF and reading fake authenticity 02:01:40 Outro Follow Avichal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/avichalgarg/ X: https://x.com/avichal?lang=en Follow Luba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa/ Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/ X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina

$6.8B GovTech Founder On Why Most Startups Fail Selling to Government - Ben Rudolph

Today I'm talking to Ben Rudolph, co-founder and CTO of Peregrine Technologies, to trace his path from Stanford gymnastics to building one of the fastest-growing companies in government technology. They discuss his time at the UN working with refugees, the 18 months he and co-founder Nick Noone spent embedded inside a police department, surviving the early "wilderness" of company building, and how Peregrine grew into a multi-billion dollar business. The conversation also covers leadership lessons, company values, and balancing fatherhood with running a fast-scaling company. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:18 Intro 00:01:21 Stanford gymnastics and meeting Nick 00:09:06 Working with refugees at the UN 00:16:20 Deciding to start the company 00:19:10 Moving into a police department for 18 months 00:26:44 Where the Peregrine name comes from 00:31:23 Winning the California RFP 00:41:47 Growth from wilderness to product-market fit 00:44:58 Biggest mistake and hardest lessons as a leader 00:48:39 Becoming a father while scaling the company 00:48:52 How Peregrine uses AI internally and externally 00:56:01 Life philosophy and closing thoughts 00:57:00 Outro Links: Ben Rudolph Website: https://www.benrudolph.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__benrudolph/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brudolph Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/

$47 Billion Crypto Founder Shares His Story - Anatoly Yakovenko (Solana)

Today I’m speaking with Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder and CEO of Solana, to trace his journey from a childhood in the Soviet Union to building one of the largest blockchain networks in the world. They discuss his years at Qualcomm, the eureka moment that led to Solana, surviving the FTX collapse, and how he uses AI to run multiple side projects. The conversation closes with reflections on stress, risk, parenting, and his definition of success. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:06 Intro 00:01:17 Growing up in the Soviet Union 00:04:02 Immigrating to the United States 00:07:34 Career dreams and studying computer science 00:09:47 First startup and early lessons 00:11:19 13 years at Qualcomm 00:22:32 Meeting Raj and founding Solana 00:26:44 Fundraising and early investors 00:28:41 Surviving the FTX collapse 00:40:19 Solana's mission and impact 00:43:54 Using AI to run side projects 00:49:39 Hardest decisions as a leader 00:52:51 Outlook on crypto and Solana's future 00:59:22 Twitter, being public, and politics 01:05:52 Beliefs on human nature and life philosophy 01:09:34 Outro Links: Anatoly Yakovenko Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solanafounder/?hl=en X: https://x.com/toly?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatoly-yakovenko Luba Yudasina Instagram: Luba Yudasina (@lifeoflubaa) • Instagram photos and videos X: luba yudasina (@LubaYudasina) / X LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

From Being Rejected by Every VC to Starting Her Own Fund - Leah Solivan (Founder of TaskRabbit)

I got to walk with Leah Solivan, founder of TaskRabbit and now Managing Director of Precedent VC, through her journey from IBM engineer to startup founder to venture capitalist. We got into the early days of building TaskRabbit, the decision to sell the company to IKEA, and her transition into investing. Leah also shared her philosophy on evaluating founders, the AI-powered deal scoring tool she built, and the story behind her upcoming book, Breaking Precedent Timestamps: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:12 Intro 00:01:21 Ballet background and SF Ballet board 00:06:12 TaskRabbit's origin story 00:10:52 Move to the Bay Area 00:23:00 Selling TaskRabbit to IKEA 00:33:03 Letting go of founder identity 00:35:37 Launching Precedent VC 00:38:26 AI-powered deal scoring system 00:41:26 Investing philosophy and founder fit 00:54:30 Founder green and red flags 00:58:26 Why she wrote Breaking Precedent 01:07:12 Parenting and work-life balance 01:10:46 Defining success 01:12:20 Outro Links: Leah Solivan Website: Leah Solivan Instagram: Leah Solivan (@leah_solivan) • Instagram photos and videos LinkedIn: Leah Solivan | LinkedIn Luba Yudasina Instagram: Luba Yudasina (@lifeoflubaa) • Instagram photos and videos X: luba yudasina (@LubaYudasina) / X LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

• Chapters

Joe Cohen: 2 Electric Vehicles in 2 Years With Just $14M and 20 People

Today I’m talking to Joe Cohen, founder and CEO of Infinite Machine, a company building electric vehicles. But this conversation is really about something bigger: what it means to live freely and build things that matter. Joe has built companies across education, fashion, software, and now vehicles — and what ties them together is his obsession with freedom, accessibility, and enabling people to do life on their own terms. He calls it the “infinite game” — a framework that shapes how he thinks about business, creativity, and life itself. It’s a conversation about ambition, creativity, and what it actually takes to build something meaningful — without losing sight of why you’re building it in the first place. Topics covered The “infinite game” framework and why finite thinking limits your potential From Universe (empowerment through creation) to Infinite Machine (freedom through mobility) Why “autonomous humans” is the core mission behind everything he builds Building a company with your brother and the importance of going separate ways first Hiring for low ego and autonomy — how to spot these qualities SO much more! Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:40 The motivation to make things 1:55 The infinite game 2:40 Deciding to be an entrepreneur 5:55 Artist vs capitalist 7:34 Why freedom matters 9:29 What is an autonomous human 10:26 Vehicles as tools for freedom 13:14 What's next for Infinite Machine 14:27 How Infinite Machine started 15:08 Going your own way as brothers 16:35 Different paths, same vision 17:36 Design in the DNA 18:42 How brothers handle design disagreements 22:35 The C2 app and Friday feedback 23:33 Building trust 25:38 Team culture and hiring 27:21 Friday show and tell ritual 30:26 Nurturing creativity 32:22 Fundraising 36:47 Manufacturing stories 37:46 Managing stress 39:09 Meditating daily for 13 years 42:56 Life philosophy 44:58 Top books Links Joseph Cohen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmc/?hl=en X: https://x.com/josephcohen LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josephmcohen Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Robbie Bent: From Near Death to Building a Multi-Million Dollar Wellness Cult

Today I’m talking to Robbie Bent, CEO and co-founder of Othership. Othership has scaled from a DIY backyard ice bath to a cult-like wellness brand with multiple sold-out locations across North America and plans to open a first-of-its-kind “social spa” on the Upper East Side. Robbie is a former drug addict-turned founder who’s built something genuinely novel: a space where emotional processing and human connection are the product, and sauna and cold plunge are the delivery mechanisms. What’s rare about his story is that he’s done it with four co-founders — two couples working full-time together after seven years — and he’s obsessive about building the best version of the product, not the fastest path to profit. We talk about the long-term vision, the willingness to go all-in on something nobody thought would work, and what it means to build a company around healing and community in a culture obsessed with optimization. Robbie gets vulnerable about the financial terror of physical retail, the near-death moments when he thought it was over, and why he turned down aggressive investor terms to maintain control and equity. Topics covered - From backyard experiment to $2M+ first location — and how he knew it was real - Why he thinks fear doesn’t disappear when you succeed — it just evolves - The almost-zero odds of building a successful company with two couples as co-founders - How a sauna and cold plunge became a Trojan horse for emotional healing and friendship - Why he’s terrified of competition (and how that terror drives everything he does) - From ADHD, boredom with early fatherhood to being present — the shift that changed his priorities SO much more! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:52 The 20-year vision 05:50 Horse trough to $2M 10:00 Building with 4 co-founders 15:39 The New York crisis 22:10 Why didn't he quit 24:25 What still scares him 27:19 The social spa experiment 31:16 Does fear ever disappear? 34:00 His anxiety toolkit 39:25 Health and clarity 40:21 Competition and abundance 43:08 Product creates community 49:48 From addiction to healing 53:58 How his wife changed him 58:35 Fatherhood evolution 01:02:18 The balance act (work, family, health, friends) 01:07:53 Other cultures and values 01:12:46 Learning from founder stories 01:16:31 Bathhouse inspiration worldwide 01:21:05 Creative retreats and psilocybin 01:23:14 Acceptance Links Robbie Bent Instagram: https://instagra.com/robbiebent X: https://x.com/robbiebent LinkedIn: Robbie Bent Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Sam Parr: How to Build a $20M Empire Without Destroying Your Marriage

Today I'm talking to Sam Parr, Co-Founder of Hampton and Founder of The Hustle, and co-host of My First Million. Sam built The Hustle to over 1.5 million subscribers, sold it for more than $20 million, and now runs one of the most exclusive founder communities in the world. Sam is a Midwestern kid turned serial entrepreneur: from running a hot dog stand to building a media empire to co-hosting My First Million, one of the biggest business podcasts out there. He's also one of the most refreshingly honest people I've ever talked to about money, marriage, and what it actually takes to build a life you're proud of. We go deep on relationships, ambition, and what it means to commit — to a partner, to a company, to a version of yourself you haven't become yet. Topics we cover Why he and his wife had a "co-founder conversation" six months into dating and how it changed everything What billionaires all agree on about luck that most people starting out don't want to hear His controversial take: overnight successes are real — and sometimes you should quit faster How he uses negative visualization to stay grateful SO much more! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:55 When Money Doesn't Feel Real 05:55 Why My Wife Bet on Me 08:35 Run Your Marriage Like a Startup 13:43 Luck Is Real 16:57 Commit Then Figure It Out 21:43 Imagine the Worst, Feel Grateful 24:51 40 Hours Can Make You Rich 27:06 Am I a One-Hit Wonder? 30:43 How to Make Anyone Open Up Links Sam Parr Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesamparr X: https://x.com/thesamparr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyFirstMillionPod Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Kevin Zhang: Inside the Mind of an Investor Writing $35M Checks

Today I'm talking to Kevin Zhang, Partner at Bain Capital Ventures. BCV sits inside Bain Capital, a $200 billion investment manager spanning private equity, credit, life sciences, and real estate, and Kevin has been there nearly a decade, leading early-stage bets from seed through Series B across AI, crypto, longevity, and industrials. We talk about confidence, self-doubt, and what it actually takes to back people before it's obvious. Kevin opens up about feeling like there was a pane of glass between him and the people who got to make big decisions — and the slow, honest process of earning his own seat at the table. We cover "Hyperstition": why enough people believing in something can make it true Why he thinks imposter syndrome is often just an accurate self-assessment The BCV Fellowship: a secret program to find star talent years before they start companies Full stack capitalism: why the most ambitious founders need more than just venture dollars His dream second career: political talent scout SO much more! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:01 The Invisible Glass Ceiling 08:40 Surviving the Almost-Dead Startup 13:40 Full Stack Capitalism 19:24 Bet on People, Not Sectors 23:32 Spotting Greatness Early 27:05 Build Conviction 30:36 Beyond the SaaS Playbook 36:34 Understanding Society 39:21 Why He Stayed at Bain Capital 43:52 Investing in Founders 47:24 Rapid Fire Links Kevin Zhang X: https://x.com/kevinzhang LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinzhang711/ Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Hiten Shah: The Batman & Robin Rule: Why Your Business Partnership is Failing

Today I'm talking to Hiten Shah, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics, and Nira — which he sold to Dropbox. Hiten has been building SaaS companies for over 20 years and has quietly become one of the sharpest operators and thinkers in tech. We go deep on metacognition, self-improvement, and what it actually takes to understand yourself well enough to build great companies and great relationships. Hiten opens up about his process for "poking at the world" to test his own thinking, how he uses Enneagram and Human Design with AI to unlock blind spots, and the mental models that have shaped how he works with co-founders, teams, and his own family. We cover - His "purple bruise" approach to giving advice — and how he trained himself to go from six-month-delayed feedback to next-day impact - The Batman and Robin framework for co-founder relationships, partnerships, and even marriage - Why building faster with AI doesn't mean learning faster — and the companies that have figured out the difference - "Trust takes ten years" — the advice from a relative in India that keeps proving itself right His life philosophy: "It was all a dream" — and what that has to do with presence - SO much more! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:45 Start Your Year in October 06:15 The Purple Bruise Method 12:23 AI as a Thinking Partner 20:13 Thinking About Your Thinking 25:06 Find Your Triggers First 29:32 Decide Fast With Less 34:50 Entrepreneur Since Age Four 42:17 Shed Judgment, Stay Curious 46:09 When Strengths Become Sabotage 49:56 Batman and Robin Partnerships 52:43 Finding the Right Co-Founder 59:53 Trust Takes Ten Years 1:05:04 Fast Success Hides Lessons 1:11:57 Build Faster ≠ Learn Faster 1:21:31 The Lost Craft of Startups 1:29:38 Follow Energy, Not Goals 1:36:05 The Crisis Nobody Sees 1:44:03 Selling at Peak Value 1:52:00 Know Yourself Through AI 2:07:15 One Idea, Many Posts 2:19:20 "It Was All a Dream" Links Hiten Shah X: https://x.com/hnshah LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hnshah/ Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Ankur Nagpal ($250M founder) joins Naval Ravikant to Disrupt Venture Capital

Today I'm talking to Ankur Nagpal - founder of Teachable (nine-figure exit) and Carry (acquired by AngelList), angel investor in 100+ startups, and now a GP at USVC, AngelList's public venture fund. We talk about what it really feels like to sell two companies, why honesty is more powerful than hype, and what Ankur's learned about building, investing, and knowing when enough is enough. He gets refreshingly real about the parts of startup life nobody talks about — from emotional runway to the immigrant lens on America's self-help culture. We cover: - Why most people should never raise venture capital - The three things he looks for in founders (and why the third one is controversial) - From reading Losing My Virginity at 13 to wanting to buy a sports team — and put himself on the roster - SO much more! Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:55 Twice Lucky, Still Humble 05:53 Confidence Is Just Age 08:18 Stress Beats Every Biohack 12:28 Venture Investing for Everyone 19:17 What Makes a Great Founder 23:05 Emotional Runway Kills First 27:53 Don't Raise Venture Capital 30:02 Your Happy Number 34:17 The $20K That Becomes Millions 37:42 Finding Your Zone of Genius 41:59 Read for Joy, Not Optimization 48:23 Maximize Your Surface Area Links Ankur Nagpal X: https://x.com/ankurnagpal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankurnagpal/ Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Grant Sanderson (@3blue1brown): The Hidden Emotion in Mathematics

Grant Sanderson, (@3Blue1Brown) created one of the most beloved math channels on the internet. Grant is a Stanford math grad, Khan Academy alum, and self-taught animator who built his own open-source visualization engine from scratch. From students learning linear algebra for the first time, to researchers, to millions of curious people on the internet, @3blue1brown makes math feel beautiful. Topics we cover How Grant wrote the "best wedding speech anyone's ever heard" with 24 hours notice Why he's never felt the burnout other creators describe after 10+ years His take on the algorithm The real problem with modern education Being a source vs. being a relay and original thinking Why he's now building a team and rethinking sponsorships Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:05 How to Write a Wedding Speech 07:04 Use Pauses Like a Pro 11:39 Going Full Time on YouTube 17:27 Why I Left Academia 20:51 Explain It vs. Discover It 27:53 Be a Source, Not a Relay 39:00 The Analytics Dopamine Trap 43:23 Your Algorithm = Your Audience 47:36 Fun Work vs. Strategic Work 52:12 Mental Hygiene for Creators 54:15 Write to Think, Not to Publish 56:49 How My Team Changed Everything 01:01:36 New Ways I'm Making Money 01:06:05 The Loneliness of Solo Creating 01:09:37 How Ego Shapes Your Topics 01:11:31 The Beauty of High Dimensions 01:17:36 Pretty Videos vs. Clear Videos 01:23:14 Will LLMs Kill Motivation to Learn? 01:29:32 Don't Niche Down Too Early 01:34:37 Happiness vs. Fulfillment 01:38:01 Growth vs. Serving Your Audience 01:48:37 Teaching Empathy to Kids 01:51:48 Lightning Round I hope you enjoy this one!! Links Grant Sanderson YouTube: https://youtube.com/3blue1brown X: https://x.com/3blue1brown Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Jay Graber: From Digital Rights Activism to founding Bluesky

Today I'm talking to Jay Graber, founder and former CEOof Bluesky. Bluesky recently announced raising $100M in Series B funding to build a decentralized social protocol that could reshape how we think about online communication. Jay is a blockchain builder who accidentally became the CEO of a social media platform — one the internet cast as a protest movement whether she liked it or not. Jay's story is the opposite of a straight path. She grew up in rural Oklahoma with a Chinese immigrant mother and a Swiss-American father, went to Beijing for a year as a teenager, hitchhiked through Europe, learned to code through a bootcamp, and eventually landed on the mission that defines her work: building social media architecture that protects freedom of expression by removing centralized control. She's the rare founder who can talk equally fluently about the Cultural Revolution, decentralized protocols, Twitter's DNA, and why moderation at scale is a nearly unsolvable problem—because she's actually grappled with each of these. We talk about the relationship between technology and power, and why Jay is convinced that the internet's architecture—not good intentions—determines whether a society stays free. She opens up about the bet she's making on decentralization, the years of research that led to Bluesky, and what it actually takes to rebuild social media from first principles. • How a childhood name became destiny: "Blue Sky" in Chinese, then Jack Dorsey's unannounced Twitter project • The moment she realized: you can't change systems from the outside—you have to know how to code • Why "protocols, not platforms" could solve moderation at billion-person scale • From Zcash experiments to scuttlebutt to designing her own protocol—the long road to Bluesky • What it means to bet your career on decentralization when most of the world isn't ready and much more… Timestamps (0:00) Introduction (1:16) Early Life & Cultural Heritage (5:41) Year Abroad in China (18:34) Learning Programming & Career Transition (38:42) Getting into Cryptocurrency (47:47) Working on Zcash & Privacy Technology (58:34) Happening.app & Event Platform (1:08:30) Blue Sky Origins & Early Days (1:11:18) COVID & the Working Group (1:24:16) Becoming Blue Sky Lead (1:33:06) Decentralized Social Media Explained (1:36:09) Twitter Acquisition & Independence (1:39:19) Building a Social Media Company (2:05:17) Leadership & Management Philosophy (2:13:53) Life Philosophy & Closing Thoughts Links X: https://x.com/arcalinea LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaygraber/ Luba Yudasina Instagram: / lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: / yudasinal

$4B Crypto Fund, Manhood, Discipline, VC: Haseeb Qureshi

Today I'm talking to Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner of Dragonfly Capital. Dragonfly just closed a 650M fund 4 with over 4B raised in total. Haseeb is a former professional poker player, self-taught engineer, Airbnb alum, and one of the most respected voices in crypto investing. We talk about manhood, meaning, and what it takes to build a life worth living. Haseeb opens up about his unlikely path — from poker tables to Silicon Valley, from viral salary blog posts to leading one of the most competitive funds in crypto — and what it's actually taken to prove himself at each step. Topics covered - How a viral salary blog post made Haseeb the most controversial new hire at Airbnb - The genealogy of his love for teaching — and why it starts with his mother - Why he thinks VC is "kind of cringe" — and how Dragonfly is different - From poker to code to crypto: how he chose his path using first principles - What makes a great co-founder partnership (and how to stress-test one) - Masculinity, strength, and responsibility in a feminized society - Greatness vs. excellence: why he stopped caring about legacy SO much more! Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:14) How We Met at Airbnb (03:00) The Viral Salary Blog Post (06:38) Imposter Syndrome and Proving Yourself (09:14) The Airbnb Culture Mismatch (17:41) Running Dragonfly Like a Championship Team (22:00) The Instinct to Teach (26:40) Learning by Teaching: How to Master Any Domain (37:40) From Poker Player to Engineer to Crypto Investor (41:13) Why He Chose Crypto Over AI (43:47) Marc Andreessen and the Danger of Role Models (48:20) Joining Metastable and Founding Dragonfly (55:00) Why VC is Cringe (But Dragonfly Isn't) (58:00) How to Stress-Test Co-Founder Trust (01:11:55) The Search for Meaning in His 20s (01:15:00) Greatness vs. Excellence vs. Flourishing (01:18:00) Legacy — and Why He No Longer Cares (01:22:00) Personal Writing and the Need to Be Witnessed (01:32:45) Masculinity, Strength, and Responsibility (01:41:50) Society's Masculinity Crisis (01:55:30) Discipline Systems and Contracts With Yourself (02:02:10) Vipassana and the Valley of Darkness (02:07:20) Goal Setting: Outcome vs. Process Goals (02:13:45) Lightning Round: Money, Mentors, Movies, and More (02:23:20) Is Crypto Happening? Links Haseeb Qureshi X: https://x.com/hosseeb Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudasina LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/

Juan Benet (Filecoin, Protocol Labs): Neurotech, Thinking in Decades, Crypto, Knowledge Systems

Juan Benet is the founder of Protocol Labs, where he focuses on advancing humanity's knowledge systems through tech like IPFS and Filecoin, and funding projects advancing the cause. Juan dedicated his career to understanding and accelerating how humanity creates, stores, and expands knowledge. What’s unique about Juan is that he thinks in decades and has organized his ventures to represent this. Topics Covered - Early curiosity and the quest for knowledge - The three knowledge systems: genetic, neural, and digital - From Bell Labs inspiration to Protocol Labs - Building IPFS and Filecoin - Innovation networks vs traditional companies - Brain-computer interfaces and the future of human enhancement - Predictions for 10 and 50 years Timestamps (01:37) Early Curiosity and Encyclopedia Reading (04:18) The Internet and Information Overload (06:42) Knowledge as Capability (15:42) Morality and Scientific Understanding (28:57) Three Knowledge Systems (29:42) Genetic Knowledge System (35:42) Neural Knowledge System (42:18) Digital Knowledge System (44:42) The Tree of Knowledge (49:18) Path to Protocol Labs (51:42) Bell Labs Inspiration (54:18) Building IPFS and Filecoin (56:42) Crypto and Bitcoin (01:09:42) Innovation Networks vs Companies (01:12:18) Protocol Labs Structure (01:18:42) PL Focus Areas (01:19:18) Web3 and Digital Human Rights (01:21:42) AI and Robotics (01:24:18) Neurotech and Brain-Computer Interfaces (01:27:42) Three Cases for Neurotech (01:28:42) Medical Applications and Repair (01:33:18) Enhancing Human Experience (01:38:42) Digital Evolution and AI Coexistence (01:46:18) Consciousness and Digital Minds (01:54:42) Predictions for 2036 (02:04:18) Predictions for 2076 (02:11:42) Wrap up Links Juan Benet X: https://x.com/juanbenet Protocol Labs: https://www.protocol.ai/ Luba Yudasina https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal

Guinness Record, Pain, American Dynamism | Michelle Volz, fonder of Pax VC

Today I'm joined by Michelle Volz, solo GP of Pax, a VC fund focused on American Dynamism. Michelle is a Guinness World Record holder for the fastest aggregate marathon time across seven continents, a former Andreessen Horowitz investor, and a Palantir alumna. We have a wide-ranging conversation about endurance, ambition, and what it takes to build hard things. Michelle opens up about her unconventional path from biomedical engineering to running marathons on every continent, to becoming one of the most active early-stage investors in defense tech and American Dynamism. We explore the psychology of pain, the difference between process and outcome-oriented people, and why ego can be a powerful motivator when channeled correctly. It's a thoughtful look at someone who's chosen the hard path repeatedly: whether it's running 100 kilometers through Zion National Park or leaving the comfort of a16z to start her own fund and why betting on yourself is the ultimate endurance sport. Topics covered Guinness World Record for fastest seven-continent marathon aggregate time The psychology of loving pain and seeking hard challenges Why Marines and ultra-runners make great founders Ego as a tool: using external motivation to achieve internal goals Her path to Venture Why talent from Palantir, SpaceX, and Anduril is reshaping hard tech Starting a solo GP fund and the parallels to founding a company and much more… Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:16) Guinness World Record Journey (06:00) Being Process vs Outcome Orientation (10:06) Training Philosophy and Competition (13:57) The 100K Ultra Experience (16:42) Type Two Fun and Founders (17:26) The Love of Pain (18:46) Marines and Pain-Seeking Personality (25:54) High Ego, Low Discipline (28:57) From Biomedical Engineering to Tech (33:31) Working at Palantir Experience (47:41) Mission vs Loving the Game (51:10) MIT and Defense Tech Club (56:11) Getting into a16z (58:59) What is American Dynamism (01:01:57) Palantir, SpaceX, and Anduril's Impact (01:06:05) Cultural Shift Toward Hard Problems (01:09:00) Bipartisan Nature of American Dynamism (01:14:33) Working at Andreessen Horowitz (01:18:21) Starting Pax (01:20:37) Everyone Said Don't Do It (01:24:36) LP Market and Fundraising Reality (01:35:50) Time Management and Saying No Links Michelle Volz X: https://x.com/MichelleVolz Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellevolz1/ Luba Yudasina Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa X: https://x.com/LubaYudaisna Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudasinal/

Eugene Wei: Culture, Creativity, Attention, and the Future of Tech

Today I’m joined by Eugene Wei. Eugene is former executive at Amazon, Hulu, Flipboard, and Oculus, a writer, a product thinker, and as I like to think about him - a renaissance man. We have a wide-ranging conversation about technology, culture, and what it means to be human in the digital age. Eugene, known for his influential long-form essays on tech and culture, opens up about stepping back from Silicon Valley's relentless pace to reconnect with what matters. The conversation moves through the performative nature of modern life, the decline of authentic community, and why Eugene believes we need to reclaim friction in our lives. They discuss the loneliness epidemic, the death of the blogging era, creator burnout, and whether we're ready to live entirely through screens. It's a thoughtful, grounded look at someone who's choosing depth over speed, real connection over virtual performance, and asking the hard questions about what technology is doing to our humanity. Topics covered: Why film festivals are his form of meditation The "slow cancellation of the future" and cultural stagnation How algorithms shape our perception of reality The economics of indie film and streaming Why tech needs better storytellers Finding community in an age of isolation The hidden costs of frictionless living Collective agency and hope for the future Timestamps: (00:00) Trailer (01:16) Introduction to Eugene Wei (04:31) Film Festivals and the End of Summer (11:06) Boredom as Meditation and Creative Space (12:32) The Slow Cancellation of the Future (17:17) Rear Window and Social Media as Voyeurism (20:39) The Performative Self and Creator Burnout (21:25) Audience Capture and Writing (24:26) The Comfort of Joining a Crowd (28:48) Film Festival Economics and Indie Cinema (31:15) The Streaming Model's Impact on Hollywood (38:23) Pricing Anchors: Netflix and OpenAI (40:32) Stepping Back from Tech's Take Culture (43:55) Silicon Valley Culture (47:07) AI and Desensitization to Breakthroughs (50:17) Tech's Responsibility and Steve Jobs (59:32) Personal Technology Hygiene (01:03:25) Social Media as Our Perceptual Field (01:06:31) The Pandemic Experiment: Living Through Screens (01:09:11) Missing the Social Networking Era (01:10:50) The Blogging Era and Tech Meme (01:16:33) Writing as Therapy (01:21:05) The Decline of Community Structures (01:22:05) College as Peak Community (01:23:26) Friction, Flaking, and the Smartphone Era (01:26:45) Religious Movements and Community Sacrifice (01:28:17) Remote Work and Lost Social Structures (01:29:39) The Future is Bright: Young People at Interact (01:31:14) Hope: Collective Agency and Micro-Communities (01:35:47) Closing Thoughts Eugene Wei **https://eugenewei.substack.com/** **https://x.com/eugenewei** Luba Yudasina **https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa** **https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal**