Best Samir Kaji Podcasts (2025)

1
Tracy Gallagher: Demystifying and Democratizing Private Market Investments 33:55

1d ago33:55

33:55

Caesar sits down with Tracy Gallagher, head of private markets at Arta Finance, to discuss how she works to demystify private markets and help everyday people invest in them. Tracy began her career working for a private endowment, before transitioning to one of the top private banks in the world and finally landing at Arta. As Caesar points out, it…

1
Madhav Rajan: Factoring the Risks and Rewards of a Career in Academia 39:29

29d ago39:29

39:29

Caesar is joined by Madhav Rajan to discuss his journey to becoming dean of the Chicago Booth School of Business and how Madhav has factored the risks and rewards of a career in academia. Madhav started out as a faculty member at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, before teaching at the Stanford University Graduate School of Busi…

1
The Benchmark Way: Running of an Iconic firm with Victor Lazarte 45:00

3M ago45:00

45:00

Today, I sat down with Victor Lazarte, a Benchmark partner who transitioned from founding a billion-dollar mobile gaming company in Brazil to becoming a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley with Benchmark in 2023. Victor shared Benchmark's unique investment philosophy, which focuses on deep, meaningful partnerships with entrepreneurs, with each par…

1
Tomasz Tunguz on where we are in the AI S-Curve and the Evolving Investment Landscape 35:35

3M ago35:35

35:35

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Had a great conversation recently with Tomasz Tunguz Founder and General Partner at Theory Ventures. We dug into how AI is reshaping venture capital and everyday life, from the rapid advancements in the space to what it all means…

1
Sopnendu Mohanty: To Do Good, You Must Do Well 31:17

3M ago31:17

31:17

Sopnendu Mohanty sits down with Caesar at a turning point in the fintech expert’s career. Mohanty has served as the chief fintech officer of Singapore’s central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore for almost a decade. But last month, February 2025, he took on a new role focused on expanding global fintech innovation. Mohanty is now the Group …

1
The Solo GP Playbook: Zal Bilimoria on Fundraising, Portfolio Strategy, and Founder Relationships 47:27

3M ago47:27

47:27

Follow me @SamirKaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We recently had the pleasure of hosting Zal Bilimoria, Co-Founder of Refactor Capital. Zal has had a fascinating career from building products at Microsoft, Google, Netflix, and LinkedIn to making the leap into being a VC. His st…

1
The Evolution of building a legacy firm at Venrock with Brian Ascher 44:25

4M ago44:25

44:25

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Brian Ascher, a veteran venture capitalist at Venrock, a firm with a storied history dating back to 1969 as part of the Rockefeller family office. Brian, with nearly 30 years in the indus…

1
Melissa-Ann Chan: Crafting a Brand for the Next Generation of Finance 29:55

4M ago29:55

29:55

In this episode, Arta CEO Caesar Sengupta sits down with Arta's newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer, Melissa-Ann "Mel" Chan, for an insightful conversation on her journey and vision for Arta's marketing strategy. From their time working together at Google, where they helped launch Google Pay (formerly Tez), to Mel’s decision to join Arta as it …

1
Evolving Venture Liquidity Solutions with Gaurav Mathur of Pinegrove Capital Partners 47:01

4M ago47:01

47:01

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. In this episode, I have the pleasure of conversing with Gaurav Mathur, Partner at Pinegrove Capital Partners. Together, we dive into the evolving venture capital landscape, focusing on liquidity solutions and the rise of secondar…

1
Samir Kaji: Capitalizing on The Generational Wealth Transfer 36:41

6M ago36:41

36:41

Caesar sits down with Samir Kaji, founder and CEO of Allocate, to discuss how the greatest generational wealth transfer of all time is revolutionizing the world of venture capital investing. Samir explains how hyper personalization and data-driven intelligence are factoring into that revolutionary shift. He breaks down how Allocate offers family of…

1
The blueprint for starting a new firm with Chemistry Ventures, including the work needed before choosing your partners and non-consensus decision making. 43:27

7M ago43:27

43:27

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Today I’m excited to speak with the founding team of Chemistry, a new venture firm led by Kristina Shen, Ethan Kurzweil, and Mark Goldberg, who recently spun-out of blue chip firms Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer, and Index Venture…

1
The Future of Finance and Tech with Ralph Hamers, former CEO of ING and UBS 32:28

7M ago32:28

32:28

Ralph Hamers is a true game-changer in finance. As former CEO of ING and UBS, he’s been a pioneer in digital and mobile banking, witnessing firsthand how technology has reshaped finance—from transformations in trading and retail banking to the latest advancements in AI and wealth management. In this episode, Ralph shares his unique insights on how …

1
Meet the Expert: Venture Fund Banking with Sam Heshmati and Vincent Timoney of Citizens Private Bank 47:59

8M ago47:59

47:59

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. In this episode, Sam Heshmati and Vince Timoney from Citizens Private Bank stop by to talk about all things venture banking and how the industry is recovering from the 2023 regional banking crisis. Sam and Vince, both of whom hav…

1
Brett King: The Future of Banking and Beyond 37:18

8M ago37:18

37:18

Caesar is joined by Brett King, renowned futurist, founder, and bestselling author, to explore the future of banking and finance in the age of digital transformation and AI. Brett shares personal stories of entrepreneurial resilience, including the critical moments that shaped his career. We dive deep into the digitization of banking, the rise of m…

1
Saga Ventures on key lessons on raising a Fund I, building healthy partnerships, and winning in a competitive seed market 47:36

8M ago47:36

47:36

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This week we welcome the three co-founders of Saga Ventures: Ben Braverman, Thomson Nguyen, and Max Altman. Saga Ventures is a seed-stage investment firm that recently closed its first fund of $125M. The conversation dives into t…

1
Building a firm to last, lessons from nearly three decades of investing, and the path to hiring great venture teams with Glenn Solomon of Notable Capital (FKA GGV Capital) 40:51

9M ago40:51

40:51

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Today we're thrilled to be joined by Glenn Solomon, managing partner at Notable Capital. Along with Granite Asia, Notable Capital was one of two groups to emerge from GGV Capital, which recently split into two groups with Notable…

1
Maria Morris: Trust Your Gut 41:59

10M ago41:59

41:59

Caesar is joined by Wells Fargo and S&P Global Board Member Maria Morris as she chronicles key moments in her decades-long career that illustrate her drive and financial savvy. Maria has been breaking glass ceilings from an early age. She advises listeners to trust their instincts and be their own advocates as she shares her journey from a young pr…

1
Doing a successful GP led secondary in Venture Capital, Why seed funds can scale, and what a good VC platform team looks like 52:18

10M ago52:18

52:18

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. In this episode, we are thrilled to be joined by Ben Sun, co-founder of Primary, a seed-stage fund based in New York. Ben shares his journey from investment banking to startup founder, and eventually to co-founding Primary, which…

1
Investing in USV Fund I, lessons learned as a LP, and why Emerging Managers are so important 1:03:20

10M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This week I'm excited to sit down with Lindel Eakman from Foundry. Lindel has been an investor in funds and companies since the early 2000s when he started at UTIMCO. In our conversation, Lindel talks about being one of the first…

1
The great startup reckoning event of 2023 and 2024, but why startups should now start going back on offense featuring Tom Loverro of IVP 35:56

11M ago35:56

35:56

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Tom Loverro, General Partner at IVP is our guest as part of our Venture Unlocked Shorts series intended to go deep on a single topic. We revisit Tom’s Twitter post from early 2023, which spoke to the market shift that was in moti…

1
Finding greatness in non-consensus startups, the story of Twitch from Justin.TV, and why great companies need insights and inflection points with Mike Maples 47:40

11M ago47:40

47:40

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We're re-joined by Mike Maples, Jr. of Floodgate, this time to discuss his just released new book "Pattern Breakers." Mike was first on the pod in 2021 and it was great to catch up again, this time to discuss the importance of id…

1
TX Zhuo’s of Fika Ventures on raising a Fund I, evolving decision making frameworks, and what founder first means to them 41:28

11M ago41:28

41:28

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We're joined by TX Zhuo, Co-Founder and General Partner of Fika Ventures. His tech career began in college when he started an online textbook marketplace. After working at McKinsey and as a CFO at an operating company, TX joined …

1
Rahul Roy-Chowdhury: Tune Out the Noise 35:23

12M ago35:23

35:23

Caesar sits down with Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, CEO of Grammarly and former Google executive, to discuss the pivotal moments that have shaped his illustrious career. Rahul’s journey is a testament to the power of introspection, bold decision-making, and the pursuit of meaningful impact. Rahul shares how he transitioned from academia to tech, driven by a…

1
Limited Partner Unlocked: Michael Kim Cendana Capital on the Emerging Manager landscape, fundraising, and the need for liquidity 50:50

12M ago50:50

50:50

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We are back with another LP-focused episode with Michael Kim, Founder of Cendana Capital. Michael shares how he started Cendana around his thesis (at the time very early) of backing small, emerging managers. This led to early inv…

1
Amy Saper of Uncork Capital on how startups should embrace constraints to foster creativity, and her learnings from being at Accel, X, Uber, and Stripe 48:32

1y ago48:32

48:32

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We are back with Amy Saper, partner at Uncork Capital. Amy shares her journey from Silicon Valley operator at Twitter and Stripe to venture capitalist. She talks about Uncork’s strategy, including its recent $200 million seed fun…

1
Gokul Rajaram: The Superpower of Being Helpful 36:55

1y ago36:55

36:55

Gokul Rajaram has worked as a leader at some of the most iconic companies in the world: Google, Facebook, Square, Pinterest, Coinbase and Doordash. In conversation with Caesar, Gokul dives into the motivations behind his journey from being one of the foremost ad experts in the world to being a leading tech investor and advisor. Gokul promotes the s…

1
LP Unlocked shorts: What We're Hearing about Venture Liquidity with Meghan Reynolds of Altimeter 25:00

1y ago25:00

25:00

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Today we have another version of Venture Unlocked shorts, and this time it will be focused on topics within the GP/LP world. Joining me again is Meghan Reynolds, who leads capital formation at Altimeter Capital. This time we disc…

1
What's happening at the seed stage? Featuring Jenny Fielding, Kirby Winfield, and Nate Williams 45:14

1y ago45:14

45:14

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This week we're doing another special roundtable discussion with a focus on the seed stage market. Joining us are Jenny Fielding of Everywhere Ventures, Kirby Winfield of Ascend, and Nate Williams of UNION Labs. This whole conver…

1
Brandon Bouier: The Courage to Ask “What If?” 41:19

1y ago41:19

41:19

Brandon Bouier, founder of the Data Investing Community and early Arta member, sits down with Caesar to share insights from the pivotal moments that defined his remarkable career journey. From leaving a stable government job during the 2009 recession to transitioning into the tech world, Brandon’s path is a testament to the power of embracing the u…

1
The Craft of Venture Capital with David Sacks 55:44

1y ago55:44

55:44

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We are thrilled to bring you a conversation with David Sacks, Founder and Partner of Craft Ventures. Based in San Francisco, Craft was founded in 2017 and currently has over 3 billion in assets under management. Across the last t…

1
Adam Bain of 01 Advisors on scaling Twitter from 0 to $1B+, being coached by Bill Campbell, and why they don't take board seats 48:28

1y ago48:28

48:28

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This week we are pleased to be joined by Adam Bain of 01 Advisors, a San Francisco-based firm with nearly $1 billion under management. Adam and his partners, including Dick Costolo, have taken a very different approach to the ven…

1
Mitchell Green of Lead Edge Capital on the Moneyball approach to investing, the art of effective cold calling, and managing 700+ strategic LPs 42:04

1y ago42:04

42:04

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We have a conversation with Mitchell Green, Founder and Managing Partner at Lead Edge Capital. With offices in New York and Santa Barbara, the firm has over $5B in Assets under management and specializes in helping growth-stage c…

1
Limited Partner Unlocked shorts: What we're Hearing from LPs with Meghan Reynolds of Altimeter 25:11

1+ y ago25:11

25:11

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. Today we have another version of Venture Unlocked shorts, and this time it will be focused on topics within the GP/LP world. Joining me for this around-the-water-cooler recurring series is Meghan Reynolds, who leads capital forma…

1
Khosla Venture's Samir Kaul on building an iconic, durable firm, and the role of non-consensus decision making 42:08

1+ y ago42:08

42:08

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We have a conversation with Samir Kaul from Khosla Ventures. Founded in 2004, Khosla is one of the largest and most well-known venture capital firms in the world and led by legendary investor and entrepreneur Vinod Khosla. The fi…

1
Diya Jolly: Embracing the Now 33:47

1+ y ago33:47

33:47

In this week’s episode, Caesar hosts Diya Jolly, Chief Product Officer at Xero. Early in the conversation, Diya shares her wisdom on the importance of following one's internal compass, emphasizing that true direction comes from within rather than succumbing to external pressures. She points out several times in her career when her family and loved …

1
Venture Unlocked Shorts: Looking back the era of Unicorns and what's ahead? 25:46

1+ y ago25:46

25:46

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This is our second episode of Venture Unlocked Shorts where we highlight a specific point of view of our guest. These points of view may come through a tweet, an article, or an offline conversation, and our goal is to unpack thes…

1
Venture Unlocked Shorts: Why VC has gone mainstream and the parallels to private equity and hedge funds 19:05

1+ y ago19:05

19:05

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. As we continue to grow Venture Unlocked, we are now going to release short conversations highlighting a specific point of view of our guest. These points of views may come through a tweet, an article, or conversation, and our goa…

1
The opportunity outside of Silicon Valley and how to build a strategic LP base with Brendan Wales and Kellan Carter of FUSE 46:01

1+ y ago46:01

46:01

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We are excited to bring on Brendan Wales and Kellan Carter, Co-Founders and GPs of FUSE. Founded in 2020 with a thesis centered around the growth of the Pacific Northwest ecosystem, a geography both of our guests know well. With …

1
Karim Temsamani: Balancing Business Success with Personal Fulfillment 37:06

1+ y ago37:06

37:06

Karim Temsamani, the CEO of Cardlytics and previous President of Google in Asia, joins Caesar for an eye-opening conversation about personal growth, career changes, and the mindset he had that pushed him to make these pivotal changes throughout his life. Karim shares what factors went into his decision-making for every career shift, from taking his…

1
Meet The Expert Series: Matt Trotter of Stifel Bank on the state of the venture debt market, and how investors & startups should approach the credit markets today 38:56

1+ y ago38:56

38:56

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. On this special meet the expert episode, we are discussing the venture debt market with Matt Trotter, a Managing director within Stifel Bank’s Venture division. Stifel Bank was established in St. Louis, MO in 1890 and is an indep…

1
Shishir Mehrotra: Making Transformative Choices 38:15

1+ y ago38:15

38:15

CEO and Co-Founder of Coda, Shishir Mehrotra, sits down with Caesar for an eye-opening conversation about career choices, investments, and how these choices can impact the bigger picture. Shishir shares the most pivotal moments in his career that led him to where he is now as a mentor, CEO, and investor. From starting his first company, Centrata, t…

1
Pejman Nozad of Pear on building a $800MM+ AUM firm as an immigrant who sold Persian rugs before going into VC 47:55

1+ y ago47:55

47:55

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. This week we are thrilled to be joined by Pejman Nozad, Co-Founder and GP of Pear VC. Founded in 2013, Pear has scaled to over $800MM in AUM with a powerful engine to help early-stage companies. As many regular listeners of the s…

1
Paul Kwan of General Catalyst on the importance of innovation in creating global resilience 41:54

1+ y ago41:54

41:54

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We're excited to welcome Paul Kwan, Managing Director at General Catalyst (GC). Established in 2000, the firm currently has just under $25 billion in assets under management. GC has made a significant mark in the venture capital …

1
Ryan Tabone: Passions Over Paychecks 33:20

1+ y ago33:20

33:20

In this episode, Caesar is joined by Ryan Tabone, who was a key innovator in the development of products including Chromebooks, G Suite, and Google Finance. Today, Ryan serves as Chief Product & Technology Officer at Lightspeed Commerce. Ryan reflects on his time at Google, discussing the amazing projects he had the opportunity to work on, the impo…

1
The Chainsmokers' Alex Pall in crossing over from a grammy nominated group in the music industry to starting Mantis VC 48:33

1+ y ago48:33

48:33

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We're thrilled to have Alex Pall, general partner at Mantis VC, a seed and an early stage fund based in LA. Alex is a great example of someone who has made a significant crossover from another industry—he is one half of the award…

1
Brad Gerstner talks AI, Tech Super cycles vs. Market cycles, and the start of Altimeter as a $3MM fund 56:03

1+ y ago56:03

56:03

Follow me @samirkaji for my thoughts on the venture market, with a focus on the continued evolution of the VC landscape. We're thrilled to bring on Brad Gerstner, Founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital. Altimeter was first founded in 2008 during the GFC with an initial fund of only $3 Million which Brad raised from friends and family. Today the firm …

1
Samita Malik: Building a Life on Your Terms 35:28

1+ y ago35:28

35:28

In this episode, Caesar welcomes Sam Malik, whose early life in India set a foundation for a journey marked by resilience and ambition. Sam shares her unconventional dreams growing up, influenced by her mother’s profession and her own aspirations to play in the WNBA. Sam takes us through her bold decision to leave college and pursue a new path that…

1
Tamar Yehoshua: Trusting Your Gut in the Tech World 25:10

1+ y ago25:10

25:10

Tamar Yehoshua, who has served as VP across multiple divisions at Google, Chief Product Officer at Slack, and now as a venture partner at IVP, joins Caesar for an illuminating discussion on career, personal growth, and finance. Tamar reflects on the pivotal moments in her career, discussing the fine line between taking risks and playing it safe, an…

1
Sabrina Ellis: The Creative Pivot 35:13

1+ y ago35:13

35:13

Caesar sits down with Sabrina Ellis, whose strategic insights have shaped her roles at industry behemoths like Google and now as Chief Product Officer at Pinterest. Sabrina opens up about her approach to decision-making, emphasizing the joy in following one's passion and the wisdom gleaned from her father on welcoming new opportunities. Highlightin…

1
Welcome to Arta Spotlight: Live Long & Prosper 2:04

1+ y ago2:04

2:04

Hosted by Caesar Sengupta, the CEO and Co-Founder of Arta Finance, Arta Spotlight: Live Long & Prosper offers an illuminating look into the thoughts and insights of some of the most successful founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. The topics covered in these podcasts are conversational and for informational purposes only. These podcasts are not i…

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Samir Kaji Podcasts

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