Gregory Shove

If you believe that #Diversity and #Inclusion matter, specifically in times like this, join us on October 30th. We will discuss the challenges and success stories of promoting Diversity in 2024. With me you will find industry leaders who were able to pull it off (!) 💥💥💥 Dorit Dor, Hasan Abasi, Vered Raviv Schwarz, Gal Shaul Guesty, Augury, HAAT Delivery, Check Point Software Power in Diversity Glilot Capital Partners Poalim Tech, Meitar | Law Offices, ESOP - Phoenix, Microsoft, Calcalist כלכליסט #nomatterwhat

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Employee terminations: they're a topic no one wants to discuss but that every company has to navigate. Thankfully, Melanie Naranjo and wonderful Ethena advisor (& Gusto's former People Leader) Jess Yuen are tackling this tricky topic for the next Ethena webinar. Register if you want to learn more about these topics: How to pressure test whether or not termination is the right course of action Best practices for communicating termination decisions How to minimize risk and choose the best course of action when things get tricky Critical pitfalls to avoid

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"If you need to be told what to do, don't buy a company-" This is just one of many unfiltered insights from my chat with M&A expert Chelsea Wood. Join us for this profound & unapologetic discussion on The Expertise Economy. Thinking about acquiring a business? Before you do, ask yourself this: When faced with a challenge, do you wait for instructions or take action? According to Chelsea, your answer could make or break your success as a business owner. "If you're somebody that's always just figured stuff out and you'll be fine, then you'll be fine as a business owner too." But if you're not? "Don't buy a company," she warns. Whether you're actively looking to buy or just curious about this wealth-building strategy, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now. It might just change your entrepreneurial trajectory. #TheExpertiseEconomy #MandA #Entrepreneurship #WealthBuilding

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Want to talk GTM? Join us on October 2nd at Gasworks Brewing for another round of Seattle Founders GTM. #founders #entrepreneurs #startups #gtm Sign up with the link below.

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So great to speak to Mohammed Islam on The Mo Show podcast last week! Watch the full episode here!

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In this exciting episode of the Duran Inci Podcast—where innovation meets deep insight—I am thrilled to host Alex Berg, a pioneering entrepreneur who is revolutionizing industries with his innovative approach at Cratos Equipment, often dubbed "The Tesla of Construction." Visionary Insights: Dive into the motivations that drive top entrepreneurs beyond mere profit. Learn about Alex's passion for transforming the status quo and how it leads to groundbreaking results. The Power of 'WHY': Discover how aligning business operations with core values can shape the future of an industry and forge unstoppable teams. Challenging the Norms: Unpack why tackling complex challenges is essential for creating a fulfilling and impactful future. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone eager to explore the limits of what's possible in business innovation. Tune in and be inspired to think differently and act boldly. #EntrepreneurialSpirit #InnovativeLeadership #VisionaryThinking #BusinessTransformation #CratosEquipment #DisruptTheStatusQuo #FutureOfBusiness #PodcastForChange #DuranInciPodcast #ChallengeConvention

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Join me as I share the secrets to gaining Angel Investment (being ESIC is one) and help you land your pitch and get your message across. I'm joined by experienced founders who can share their experiences and help you develop your own (survive the) Chasm Plan.

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🚀 Excited to share that I had the privilege of contributing to The State of AI in OC 2024 Report 🚀, a collaborative effort between the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC) and McKinsey & Company! 🌟 The report highlights the rapid growth of AI investment, innovation, and the increasing demand for AI-skilled talent in Orange County (OC), outpacing many other regions in the U.S. 🏆 Key Findings Include: 💰 AI Investment Boom: OC is seeing significant AI investments, fueling product and service innovations across various sectors. 👩‍💻 Talent Development: There's a high demand for AI-ready talent, with local companies adopting strategic approaches to meet this need. 🚀 Innovative Applications: Companies in OC are leveraging AI to drive efficiencies, innovation, and growth. A big THANK YOU 🙏 to everyone involved in making this report a reality, including industry leaders and experts who shared their insights and experiences. 🌟 Let’s continue to drive OC’s AI innovation forward! 🌐💡 Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gcr_euXq #AItalenthub #AIresearch #AIinOC #Innovation #TechTrends #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence #OrangeCounty #TechInnovation #AIgrowth #TalentDevelopment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Highlights from "The State of AI in OC 2024" Report: OC’s AI Talent Hub: The report emphasizes OC's position as a burgeoning hub for AI talent and innovation, highlighting the region's proactive adoption of AI across various industries and educational institutions. 🏢🎓 AI Investments: Significant capital investments are being made in AI technologies, positioning OC as a leader in AI innovation. Companies are not only investing in AI but also reaping the benefits in terms of efficiency and growth. 💸🚀 Educational Advancements: Educational institutions in OC, from high schools to universities, are integrating AI into their curricula, preparing the next generation of AI professionals. 🎓🤖 Case Studies: The report includes case studies of OC-based companies that are trailblazers in AI, showcasing how they are utilizing AI to revolutionize their operations and products. 📚💡 Talent Strategies: Interviews with OC employers reveal various talent strategies that are being implemented to attract and develop AI-ready professionals. This includes upskilling existing employees and creating partnerships with educational institutions. 🧑‍💻👨‍🏫 Actionable Insights: The report provides actionable recommendations for stakeholders in OC to capitalize on the opportunities presented by AI, including fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, increasing investment in AI education, and promoting OC as a global AI innovation hub. 📈🌍

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✨ Elevating Consciousness, One Leader at a Time ✨ 🧠 Mental health investors, entrepreneurs, advisors, and advocates: As a proud board member of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), I’m deeply committed to educating current healers and future leaders to create more compassionate, inclusive, and impactful communities. I’m delighted to spotlight an inspiring interview with Kini Chang, LMFT, Chair of the Community Mental Health Program at CIIS. In this piece, Kini highlights the transformative potential of community mental health (CMH) and the vital role it plays in addressing mental health challenges in marginalized communities. Did you know? Community mental health services have been a cornerstone of equitable care since the Community Mental Health Act of 1963. From that shift away from institutionalization to today’s integrated approaches, CMH graduates are now stepping into leadership roles in community-based organizations, bridging gaps in care with empathy and expertise. Mental health is a critical frontier, with 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiencing mental illness annually. In a world grappling with rapid societal change, lingering pandemic effects, and a growing mental health crisis, leaders like Kini—and the students she mentors—are essential to shaping a better future. 🔗 Curious to learn more about how CIIS is preparing professionals to drive this change? Check out the full article featuring Kini’s insights—click the link in the comments below! 👏 Well done to S Brock Blomberg Chip B. Goldstein, EdD and the team. #MentalHealth #Leadership #CommunityWellness #CIIS #EducationForImpact #PsychologyMatters #ElevateConsciousness

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I’m excited to publicly share something that has been in the works for a few months at the 9point8 Collective. We’ve launched our Virtual Studio! This is a program for early-stage companies that provides the coaching, development and venture-building tools they need to find traction and scale. The program is modeled off of the venture-building processes found inside #VentureStudios, which have delivered 2X IRR and exit 45% faster than traditional #VC-backed #startups over the last 10 years. Some of the secret sauce to this is that studios have found a way to validate strategies early on, de-risk execution, preserve and extend limited runway, and create efficient business models very fast. We at 9point8 are seasoned studio builders and are on a mission to bring this value to founding teams as they navigate their startup journeys. What we’ve done with the Virtual Studio is distill these key processes and techniques, add in our own expertise and best practices, and package them into a program which meets start-ups where they are. We are now opening up our Summer 2024 Cohort, slated to begin in July. Space is limited, so I’m sharing the opportunity with my network before we fill the cohort. Here are the details: -It’s a 3-month program which takes the founder through the key phases of venture-building and de-risking (refining target market, product-market fit, economics and financials, planning, and fundraising). -Founders can expect to achieve greater focus, improved operations and increased marketability to customers and investors. -The end results include collaboratively-drafted operational plans, commercial / investment pitch decks, and elevated management practices within the founding team. These draft off frameworks from 9point8's proprietary venture-building process: Targets Over Everything. -It’s built for founders facing (or approaching) a critical inflection point, where fresh perspectives and strategic management levers are critical. These might include fundraising preparation, new product launch, market expansion, and post-MVP scaling efforts. Why did we build this program? Because building a new company is really hard. 90(!) percent of startups fail, and even moderate risk reduction can create a huge lift to survival rate and eventual returns. The studio model is proven to drive greater venture success; our virtual program is extending that success to more and more teams. The program is highly collaborative and hands-on, so we only take on a few companies at a time. This is a great opportunity for founders who are looking to level-up their abilities when it comes to unlocking traction, growth, and an express lane to superior returns. If interested, please reach out immediately as we expect the program to be fully enrolled very soon! Blair Merlino Evan Allen Neal Ghosh

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We just wrapped up an incredible Offsite in Lake Tahoe with the GroundForce Capital team. We’ve got a high-performing group that’s comfortable operating independently, which is great. But in-person, nonwork connections build the kind of relationships that make us more productive and happier in what we do. An unexpected takeaway? The distinction between process and content. A new associate, Summer Farren, raised a powerful question during one in-depth session: “Do we need to take a step back and think about process here?” My response? Absolutely we do. Most people, most businesses, confuse process and content. It’s as simple as having an agenda in advance of every meeting with clear objectives. Setting the context for a meta-conversation versus an in-the-weeds conversation is essential. If it’s all content, we need to make sure we step back and talk about the process. The reality? Most people operate in the business, not on the business. Seemingly minor moments like these are the reason we’re better together. A quick question can spark a massive shift in how you operate. Roles, titles, and seniority don’t matter. Everyone on the team has a unique skill set, and these Offsites are invaluable reminders of what those are. I’m excited for more meaningful moments with GroundForce Capital in 2025 and beyond!

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Matt Sharrers emphasizes the critical role of vulnerability and humility for founders: 🌟 Being a great founder doesn’t mean you’re automatically a great board member or talent picker. 🌟 Ask for help—seek objectivity from experts who can guide you. 🌟 Focus on what’s right, not who’s right—it’s about the best decision for the business. 🌟 Embracing humility allows you to see the bigger picture and make better choices. "Success isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing when to ask for help." 🎧 Watch the full conversation: https://loom.ly/sUc4-T0

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🚨 Key Framework for Successful Exec Searches 🚨 When it comes to hiring execs, most founders don’t spend enough time on one crucial step: setting up the search right from the start. I recently joined Daniel Huerta and Stephen Huerta for the The Modern People Leader podcast to talk through this and Index's latest book Scaling Through Chaos. Things to bear in mind with exec searches: 1️⃣  Define Priorities Early: Before jumping into the search, figure out the must-haves and nice-to-haves. And get your team involved early. 2️⃣  Choose the Right Partner: A great search partner should not only be able to tell your story in the market but also be willing to give you tough feedback when needed. True partnership = accountability. 3️⃣  Think Creatively: Don’t focus solely on hiring the person who checks all the boxes today. Look for the candidates who can grow into the role and lead you into the future. 4️⃣  The Hiring Doesn’t Stop When They Sign: onboarding is just the beginning. It takes a year or more for a new exec to fully hit their stride, so it’s crucial to keep supporting them beyond day one. Check out the podcast link in the comments to the full episode! #ExecutiveSearch #Founders #Leadership #HRLeadership #Hiring #Scaling #PeopleOps

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Some VC investors believe that brick and mortar - referring to a physical presence of some kind - should be avoided at all costs. Yet, the track record of clinic and hybrid care businesses in health care indicates otherwise. ==> One Medical (sold for $3.9 billion to Amazon), Oak Street (bought by CVS for $10.6 billion), Lifestance (IPO at $7.5 billion market cap), and PE-backed Premise Health (acquired by OMERS Private Equity for $1.1 billion) If a clinic is indicated as the optimal way to deliver care for that patient population, there are creative ways to build and operate them. Full article below with advice and strategies on how to build and operate hybrid clinics from my teammate Anarghya Vardhana from Maveron, Amir Dan Rubin from OneMedical Group, Steven Eidelman from Modern Animal and more!

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I just wrapped up a panel with the Marketing Leadership affinity group within the How Women Invest community with my hero Auntie Nancy Hayes, aka the Yoda of board membership, angel investing, and general badassery. We talked about different ways to serve on boards, a role in which experienced Marketers seem to be often underrepresented. Why? If I had to guess, I'd say: 1 - Most heads of marketing are women 2 - marketing is undervalued, especially under sales/revenue experience 3—Compound the first two with the messages you tell yourself about your own worthiness, and suddenly, you're a great marketer for everyone else but yourself. ___________ For those who are interested in getting closer or into the board room, there are so many ways to start/get experience: 1—Board Observer (one of my current board roles)—you represent the investor but have no votes. It is unpaid, but/and hugely essential to act as a bridge of visibility and communication between the fund you've invested with and the company in which the fund has invested. My role brings value to both sides with much less bias than the other VC board seats. 2—Corporate board director—There is much governance but not much influence on the product, as the company usually has big enough teams for that. There is a lot of hiring/firing CEOs (read: drama), which can still be fun, especially for those fresh-popcorn-in-my-bag swag kinda folks (both grossly generalizing and way understating this role's fiduciary importance, but you get the idea). 3—Independent board director—this is another of my favorite places to sit. It is much like the Board observer role but with voting rights and equity (although not always, as these terms are negotiated and influenced by the shareholding board seats). You are NOT representing a VC fund (typically), but you might have subject matter expertise in the product or are a generalist boss gal like myself and bring a sense of neutrality and balance to the board. 4—Advisor. Advisors are similar to IBD in terms of influence and type of advice but are not part of the board or its meetings. This role is usually paid in some combination of equity and cash. It's another of my faves. (Are you seeing the trend here?) We have not even touched non-profit boards (where I got my start and am currently sitting on my sixth), but we will save it for next time as it's a whole 'nother Oprah. If you want to learn more, How Women Lead is hosting its 5th annual #getonboard week, starting October 21. Hybrid virtual and in-person. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/diizwv8j #womeninleadership #boardofdirectors #howwomenlead #governance #boarddiversity #corporategovernance #boardservice #businessleadership #leadership Julie Candelon Susan Greenwood Schroeder Mikayla Ludwig

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Google's first CEO, Eric Schmidt offers powerful advice to entrepreneurs on protecting equity and building successful businesses. He stresses the importance of frugality and resourcefulness, reminding us that founders must focus on spending money wisely and efficiently. Many of the best founders, like those of Google, started with no salary and minimal luxuries, using every dollar strategically to grow their venture. His own experience—working in shared office space and using a door as a desk—serves as a reminder that success comes from grit, sacrifice, and smart financial decisions. To all the entrepreneurs trained and mentored by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, BRAC University, remember that building a sustainable business means being resourceful, protecting your equity, and staying focused on the long game. Your hard work and sacrifices today will shape your success tomorrow. #CED-BRAC University, #Entrepreneurship #Frugality #FoundersJourney #BRAC #BRACUniversity #StartupSuccess #EquityProtection #Leadership #GrowthMindset #FounderSacrifice #BusinessBuilding #Startups

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Aon published a study this week showing that a Fortune 500 Lyra Health customer saved more than $3 in health care costs for every $1 they spent on Lyra. This is a staggering return on investment. Lyra can deliver the highest value in mental health care because it delivers the best outcomes in the field, having tirelessly invested time and expertise in creating the best care available. This blog is a follow-up from the one I wrote a couple months ago showing that Lyra can also prove sustained savings over four years. Proud of our team for all that they do to help those in need and proving that what’s best for people can also be best for business’ bottom lines. https://bit.ly/4fopHoX 

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Product Market Fit (PMF) is a crucial yet elusive concept for many early-stage startups. Achieving it can make or break a company's long-term success. In the latest episode of the "Founder & CEO Podcast," Michael Viscuso and I discuss what PMF is, what it looks like, and what to do once it's achieved. Check out the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/g2fw7v9g

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🎙️ New Episode Alert: IREVOLUTIONIZING WELLNESS: With Phat Le🌟 Join us on “Think Big with Dan & Qasim” for an insightful episode featuring Phat Le as we dive into the ever-evolving world of nutraceuticals. Phat shares his journey, from understanding supply chain intricacies to leveraging new growth channels like TikTok.

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