Conductive Conversations

About Conductive Conversations

A podcast series from Conductive Ventures bringing you authentic conversations with tech founders, CEOs and venture capital investors. Conductive Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in capital efficient companies and unconventional founders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Conductive Ventures

Category

business · business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Sept 2024

Latest episode

16 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Sept 2026

   From a Failed Startup to a $333M Exit: Ed Han's Journey Building Tiny Prints

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai sits down with Ed Han, co-founder of Tiny Prints, to explore the story behind building a bootstrapped company from less than $10,000 into a business acquired by Shutterfly for $333 million. Ed's entrepreneurial journey didn't begin with a big win. His first startup failed after a year, costing him $10,000 of his own savings and leaving him with what he describes as an agonizing fear of failure. But that experience became part of the foundation for what came next. In 2003, Ed co-founded Tiny Prints with two partners and built the company almost entirely through disciplined execution, organic SEO, careful spending, and a strong company culture. What started with birth announcements eventually grew into a major online stationery business and ultimately a $333 million acquisition by Shutterfly in 2011. But the story behind that outcome is much more complicated than the headline. Ed shares what happened when Shutterfly initially offered to acquire Tiny Prints for more than $100 million in 2007, why the deal fell apart during the financial crisis, and how the company navigated a critical period when its business was nearly derailed by a search vulnerability just before the holiday season. He also reflects on the lessons he learned about distribution, hiring, imposter syndrome, founder psychology, and why building a great company requires much more than creating a great product. What you'll learn: • How Ed's first startup failure shaped his approach to entrepreneurship • How Tiny Prints was built with less than $10,000 in initial capital • Why organic SEO became Tiny Prints' biggest growth engine • How Tiny Prints nearly sold for more than $100 million in 2007 • What happened when the 2008 financial crisis put the deal at risk • How a search vulnerability nearly brought Tiny Prints down before the holiday season • Why founders often focus too much on product and not enough on distribution • How to build a strong company culture around genuine care • How successful founders deal with imposter syndrome and fear of failure • Why Tiny Prints ultimately sold to Shutterfly for $333 million • What founders can learn from Tiny Prints' manufacturing and margin challenges • Why Ed believes success is ultimately about relationships, love, and community ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Trailer 02:40 From Morgan Stanley to Entrepreneurship 04:38 The Kid Who Grew Up With Nothing to Do 19:26 The Freshman Year That Changed Everything 22:55 His First Startup Cost Him $10K 33:48 The Idea Behind Tiny Prints 41:16 How They Built It With Under $10K 46:38 The $100M Deal That Almost Happened 56:24 Why They Took Outside Capital 1:06:24 When New Ideas Go Wrong 1:23:25 The Decision Behind the $333M Exit 1:33:13 Google Nearly Destroyed the Company 1:40:09 The Founder Lessons Ed Still Lives By 1:46:11 Redefining What It Means to Win This episode is for founders, entrepreneurs, operators, and anyone interested in the realities of building a company from scratch. Ed's story offers an honest look at failure, resilience, distribution, company culture, and what it really takes to turn a small bootstrapped startup into a $333 million business. For more information, visit our website: (https://conductive.vc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) https://conductive.vc/ (https://conductive.vc/) 👉 Subscribe to Conductive Ventures for more deep-dive conversations with founders, operators, engineers, and thinkers shaping the future. #Entrepreneurship #Startup #TinyPrints #Shutterfly #StartupFailure #BootstrappedStartup #FounderStory #Entrepreneur #StartupLessons #SEO #CompanyBuilding #ConductiveConversations #EdHan #VentureCapital #Business #Leadership #FounderMindset Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   21 Jun 2026

   From a Taiwanese Village to Aerospace Engineer: An Immigrant's Journey to America

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai sits down with his father, John Lai, to explore a life story that spans from rural Taiwan in the 1940s to helping build some of America's most advanced aerospace technology. Most people today have never experienced a world without electricity, refrigerators, or indoor plumbing. John did. Born in 1943 during Japanese rule in Taiwan, John grew up surrounded by rice fields and water buffalo, making toys from clay and learning to solve problems with limited resources. In 1967, he left home to pursue aerospace engineering in the United States, beginning a journey that would take him from culture shock and language barriers to contributing to projects including the F-35 fighter jet. This conversation is about resilience, immigration, family, reinvention, and witnessing one of the greatest technological transformations in human history, from wood fires to Artificial Intelligence. What you'll learn: • What life was really like growing up in rural Taiwan in the 1940s and 50s • Why John immigrated to America in 1967 • How he built a career in aerospace engineering • The story behind his work on the F-35 fighter jet • Lessons from layoffs, failure, and reinventing yourself • How he approached parenting as a first-generation immigrant • Why he believes AI is the most transformative technology he's ever seen • The opportunities and risks of an AI-powered future This episode is for founders, engineers, immigrants, and anyone interested in how perseverance and curiosity can shape an extraordinary life. For more information, visit our website: https://conductive.vc/ (https://conductive.vc/) 👉 Follow Conductive Conversations for more deep-dive conversations with founders, operators, engineers, and thinkers shaping the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   23 Apr 2026

   What LPs Really Think About VC Fundraising | Ben Choi

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai sits down with Ben Choi to unpack the reality behind venture capital and what LPs actually look for when backing funds. Most founders think VC fundraising is about pitching. It’s not. Ben shares a rare inside perspective from over 20 years across startups, venture capital, and now as a Limited Partner. From growing up as the son of Chinese immigrants in Peoria to studying computer science at Harvard and becoming a founder and investor, his journey gives deep insight into how the system really works. This conversation breaks down how capital actually flows, why fundraising is a sales process, and what separates top-performing funds from the rest. What you’ll learn: • Why most founders misunderstand VC fundraising • How LPs evaluate funds and make decisions • The strategy behind investing in first-time fund managers • How the VC industry has evolved over the last two decades • Why partnership dynamics can make or break a fund • The truth about AI: short-term hype vs long-term impact • How to approach fundraising like a structured sales pipeline This episode is for founders, operators, and anyone serious about understanding venture capital beyond surface-level advice. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Why this episode will change how you think about investing 01:31 – Meet Ben Choi: From operator to investor across VC, startups & big tech 04:42 – Small-town beginnings: Growing up as the son of Chinese immigrants 07:45 – The move that changed everything: Peoria → San Francisco 09:58 – Rejected by banks… so he chose startups (and it paid off) 13:01 – Fundraising decoded: Why it’s just sales in disguise 21:30 – Imposter syndrome never left… here’s how he uses it as an edge 33:26 – The hidden LP strategy: Betting on first-time fund managers 37:01 – Is VC broken? The truth about big funds vs small firms 01:03:23 – What separates top VCs: The 3 unfair advantages 01:26:51 – Rapid fire: The surprising personal side of Ben 01:31:42 – AI predictions: Why most people are thinking too short-term 01:40:21 – A 6-year obsession: Turning a 1969 VW Bug into an electric car For more information, visit our website: https://conductive.vc/ 👉 Subscribe to Conductive Ventures for more deep-dive conversations with world-class founders, operators, and thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   23 Feb 2026

   Tennis & Tech: Lessons from the Court

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai brings together two leaders whose lives followed parallel paths long before they ever spoke about business. For Juan Jaysingh, tennis was not a side pursuit. Starting in India at age 10 and continuing after moving to the U.S. at 14, the sport became a decision-making framework. It earned him a full scholarship, shaped his years at American University, and later influenced how he runs Zingtree with a sharp focus on discipline and capital efficiency. Across the net sits Martin Blackman. A former Stanford player, ATP professional, and longtime leader in U.S. player development, Martin has spent decades inside elite performance environments. From listening to Wimbledon on BBC Radio in the 1970s to leading the Junior Tennis Champion Center, his career has been defined by building systems that produce excellence over time. He was also the American University coach who first recruited Juan to the school. Rather than talking tactics or trophies, this conversation explores something deeper: how repetition builds judgment, how pressure clarifies priorities, and why long-term performance depends more on mindset than momentum. This episode is for anyone curious about how elite sports quietly trains leaders for life and business. 🕒 Timestamps 0:00 — Trailer: Where Potential Actually Comes From 0:58 — Two Paths, One Discipline: Juan Jaysingh and Martin Blackman 1:39 — Growing Up Inside the Game: Martin’s Early Tennis Roots 2:22 — Intro: Conductive Conversation 2:48 — From India to American University: Juan's Turning Point 3:39 — When Sport Becomes a Business Framework 4:18 — Landing in the U.S. at 14: Learning Everything From Scratch 5:03 — Small Shocks That Change You (Cars, Candy, and Context) 5:49 — Finding a Voice in a New Language 6:15 — Adapting Fast: Culture, Space, and Scale 7:09 — Taste as a Metaphor for Change 8:31 — Tennis as a Doorway to Education 9:06 — Why Track Came Before Tennis 10:09 — Picking Up a Racket at 10 10:54 — Martin’s First Steps Into Tennis 11:45 — A Scholarship That Altered the Trajectory 13:30 — Nick Bollettieri and the Economics of Opportunity 14:40 — What Each Career Chapter Quietly Teaches You 15:18 — Missing the Pro Dream and Gaining Something Better 16:19 — From Player to Coach: An Accidental Shift 16:46 — Why Failure Accelerates Learning 17:31 — Handling Wins and Losses Without Identity Collapse 18:13 — Becoming Head Coach Without Expecting To 19:33 — Spotting Hunger: Recruiting Juan 21:22 — Leading Young, Leading Early 21:40 — Navigating College Recruitment Decisions 22:56 — The Road Almost Taken 23:44 — Learning Who Martin Blackman Was 25:11 — The Conversation That Changed the Decision 26:11 — Why Martin Pushed So Hard to Recruit Juan 27:20 — Quiet Inflection Points That Shape Careers 28:58 — Watching Excellence Up Close: Jim Courier 30:16 — What the Pursuit of Excellence Actually Looks Like 31:02 — The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Improvement 31:50 — Feedback as Fuel, Not Criticism 33:44 — Character as the Hidden Variable 35:59 — Coaching Values That Outlast Results 36:47 — Building a Self-Policing Culture 40:07 — When the Leader Becomes Accountable 41:44 — Translating Team Accountability to Zingtree 42:53 — Progress as a System, Not a Sprint 43:10 — Doing the Work After the Match Ends 44:20 — Training the Brain for Emotional Control 45:32 — Admitting to Choking 47:35 — Playing to Win vs. Playing Not to Lose 48:19 — Why Business Needs Faster Feedback Loops 50:31 — The Patriot League Finals Moment 52:10 — Process Over Outcomes 52:31 — Why Choking Is Often a Sign You’re Close 54:17 — Capital Efficiency, Explained Through Tennis 55:12 — The 80/20 Rule on the Court 56:49 — Rafael Nadal and Mental Discipline 57:39 — Why the Right Constraints Create the Best Performance For more information, visit our website: https://conductive.vc/ 👉 Subscribe to Conductive Conversations for more in-depth conversations with world-class founders, operators, and thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   15 Dec 2025

   From Bias to Better Fundraising: Laura Huang’s Tactics for Founders

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai sits down with Laura Huang, Distinguished Professor of Management and Organizational Development at Northeastern University and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of EDGE: Turning Adversity into Advantage and You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition. A leading thinker on bias, entrepreneurship, and intuition, Laura has held faculty positions at Harvard Business School and Wharton and has been recognized by Thinkers50 and Poets & Quants for her impact on business and leadership. Together they unpack the real stories and research behind EDGE and You Already Know, why Laura wrote these books, how being underestimated can become your greatest asset, and how her EDGE framework (Enrich, Delight, Guide, Effort) helps founders and leaders turn adversity into opportunity. Laura shares insights from her work on accent bias, investor Q&A dynamics, and her “Ten Nos” exercise, giving tactical tools for navigating perception, bias, and high-stakes pitch meetings. The conversation also explores the future of work, teaching, and entrepreneurship in an AI-driven world, how AI is changing jobs, how it will reshape the classroom, and how entrepreneurs can use AI as a force multiplier rather than a threat. Drawing from You Already Know, Laura explains intuition as a trainable synthesis of experience and data, and shows how founders can sharpen their “gut feel” to make better, faster decisions in uncertainty. If you’re a founder, investor, or operator navigating bias, AI, and high-stakes decisions, this episode gives you a playbook for turning disadvantages into an edge and learning to trust what you already know. 👉 Subscribe to Conductive Conversations for more deep-dive conversations with world-class founders, operators, and thinkers. #ConductiveVentures #CareyLai #LauraHuang #EdgeBook #YouAlreadyKnow #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #AI #FutureOfWork #StartupFunding #PitchingInvestors #BusinessLeadership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   5 Sept 2025

   “Many people feel seen by the works I do”: Interview with Abigail Hing Wen

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, co-founder and managing director of Conductive Ventures, speaks with Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times bestselling author and former Silicon Valley dealmaker at Intel Capital. Abigail shares her unique journey from clerking at the DC Circuit Court to working at Intel on AI investments, and becoming a celebrated author and Hollywood filmmaker. She delves into her life, growing up with activist parents, navigating the often challenging career path as an Asian American woman and how she has honed her creative process writing novels. Abigail also discusses her transition to filmmaking with her directorial debut, 'The Vale', and the challenges and rewards of adapting her books into movies. About Abigail Hing Wen Abigail Hing Wen works at the intersection of storytelling and technology. She is a New York Times Best Selling Author of five novels, producer, director, woman-in-tech leader specializing in artificial intelligence, as well as a mother of two. She writes and speaks about tech, AI ethics, women’s leadership and transforming culture. Abigail penned the New York Times Best Selling and Indie Best Selling novel LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI and its two companion novels. She executive produced the film adaptation of the Paramount Plus original film, LOVE IN TAIPEI starring Ashley Liao (Hunger Games) and Ross Butler (Shazam). Her middle grade debut, THE VALE, has been partially adapted to a short film prequel THE VALE–ORIGINS starring Lea Salonga. She and her work have been profiled in Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, NBC News, Forbes, Fortune, Cosmopolitan, Bloomberg, Seventeen, Google Talk, People, People en Espanol, South China Morning Post and the World Journal, among others. Abigail holds a BA from Harvard, where she took coursework in film, ethnic studies and government. She also holds a JD from Columbia and MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In her career in tech, she has negotiated multibillion dollar deals on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, worked in venture capital and hosted Intel’s Artificial Intelligence podcast. About Carey Lai Carey Lai is a Founder and General Partner at Conductive Ventures focused on finding overlooked entrepreneurs who are building capital-efficient businesses who punch above their weight. With deep experience in software and tech-enabled services, Carey brings a results-driven, hands-on approach to scaling businesses empowering founders who dare to dream big and make the nearly impossible a reality. Carey’s journey to becoming a seasoned venture investor over the past 20 years has been anything but conventional. Before founding Conductive Ventures, he spent over seven years diving into the world of tech investing at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), where he specialized in later-stage, high-growth companies in the enterprise software realm. He was involved with companies like ArcSight (ARST), At Road (ARDI), Business.com (DEXO), Concur (CNQR), Cortina Systems (acquired by Inphi), Danger (MSFT), Data Domain (EMC), Mobile365 (SAP), SuccessFactors (SFSF), Synchronoss (SNCR) and Yodlee (YDLE). After IVP, Carey continued to sharpen his investment experience at Intel Capital, where he honed his focus on the most promising Internet and enterprise software companies. His portfolio included 500Friends (acquired by Dentsu), Box (BOX), BrightEdge, Gigya (acquired by SAP), Kabam (acquired by Netmarble), Nexmo (acquired by Vonage), Onefinestay (acquired by AccorHotels), Sprinklr (CXM), and SweetLabs. This episode of Conductive Conversations was produced by Carissa Lai for Conductive Ventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   25 Jul 2025

   "The Cap Table is Your Treasure Map": Interview with Joshua Lee, Founder and Former CEO of Ardius

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, Founder & General Partner of Conductive Ventures, sits down with Joshua Lee, the comics-loving entrepreneur and former CEO of Ardius. Joshua opens up about his leap from a 14 year tax career at Ernst & Young to building and investing in startups, an inspiring path shaped by his single mom upbringing and experiences as an Asian American founder. He dives into aligning passion with career, lessons from the venture capital world, and the tricky balance between family and work. As a founder and investor, Joshua leaves founders with one powerful insight: “Your cap table is everything—it’s the only thing that truly matters at the end of the day.” Joshua and Carey met while in UCLA and have been life-long friends since. About Joshua Lee Joshua Lee is the co-founder and CEO of Ardius, which sold to Gusto in 2021. Prior to Ardius, Joshua served as a senior executive for over 13+ years with Ernst & Young, a leading global consulting and advisory firm. It was there he focused primarily on understanding the impact of various credits and incentives for both start-ups and Fortune 100 companies alike. After starting his own venture fund(s) soon thereafter, he noticed his portfolio of companies did not have the same access to these types of credits and decided to set out to democratize taxes. A seasoned leader in start-up operations and funding, Joshua has had multiple exits as both an investor and founder. He continues to focus on fintech because it blends all of his accounting/tax knowledge with his passion for technology. Joshua currently serves on the boards of directors/advisors of numerous companies and holds multiple degrees in Business-Economics, Accounting, and Taxation. About Carey Lai Carey Lai is a Founder and General Partner at Conductive Ventures focused on finding overlooked entrepreneurs who are building capital-efficient businesses who punch above their weight. With deep experience in software and tech-enabled services, Carey brings a results-driven, hands-on approach to scaling businesses empowering founders who dare to dream big and make the nearly impossible a reality. Carey’s journey to becoming a seasoned venture investor over the past 20 years has been anything but conventional. Before founding Conductive Ventures, he spent over seven years diving into the world of tech investing at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), where he specialized in later-stage, high-growth companies in the enterprise software realm. He was involved with companies like ArcSight (ARST), At Road (ARDI), Business.com (DEXO), Concur (CNQR), Cortina Systems (acquired by Inphi), Danger (MSFT), Data Domain (EMC), Mobile365 (SAP), SuccessFactors (SFSF), Synchronoss (SNCR) and Yodlee (YDLE) After IVP, Carey continued to sharpen his investment experience at Intel Capital, where he honed his focus on the most promising Internet and enterprise software companies. His portfolio included 500Friends (acquired by Dentsu), Box (BOX), BrightEdge, Gigya (acquired by SAP), Kabam (acquired by Netmarble), Nexmo (acquired by Vonage), Onefinestay (acquired by AccorHotels), Sprinklr (CXM), and SweetLabs. Carey’s roots trace back to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he worked in the Technology Investment Banking Group. It was here that he got intimately involved in the software and financial technology sectors, handling high-profile offerings for tech giants like some of the leading technology companies in the world, including Blackbaud Software (BLKB), Computer Associates (CA), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), Sungard Data Systems (SDS), and Tibco Software (TIBX). This episode of Conductive Conversations was produced by Carissa Lai for Conductive Ventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   21 Apr 2025

   "I'm a lifelong entrepreneur because I'm attracted to the frontier": Interview with Kevin Chou, Founder of Kabam

   In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, founder and managing director of Conductive Ventures, speaks with Kevin Chou, the Founder and CEO of Kabam and a five-time entrepreneur. He shares about the struggles of fundraising and competing against Facebook, why venture capital wasn't for him, and how AI is transforming the world. Join us as Kevin candidly discusses his unique career journey, the evolution of his first company into Kabam, and the essential qualities needed for entrepreneurial success. 02:15 Kevin’s unlikely path to entrepreneurship 08:34 Facebook and the birth of Kabam 12:37 Navigating the Financial Crisis and Pivots 20:58 Lessons in Leadership and Team Building 37:48 Fun Rapid-Fire Questions 41:01 Bill Gates' Leadership Style and Philanthropy 43:12 The Importance of Grit for Entrepreneurs 44:24 Luck vs. Hard Work 46:11 Finding the Right Mentor 48:29 Do Founders Need to Be Technical? 50:37 What Makes a Good VC to a Founder? 54:00 Fundraising vs Board Meetings 57:54 Staying Grounded in Silicon Valley 01:00:35 Being an Asian American Founder 01:05:50 The Future of AI On Learning and Jobs 01:13:50 Reflections on Success, Happiness and Legacy 01:20:17 A Minor Detour into Professional Poker 01:23:22 Outtakes Kevin Chou is a five-time entrepreneur behind the companies Kabam, SuperLayer, Rally, Gen.G and Forte. Most recently, he co-founded Bright Saver, a nonprofit with the mission to make solar energy and storage accessible to everyone. Kevin founded venture studio SuperLayer in 2021, whose mission is to build easy-to-use consumer crypto products that can bring in the next 100 million people into crypto. Prior to SuperLayer, Kevin founded Rally, a Creator Economy crypto protocol. Rally is a blockchain project for Creators and their fan communities to thrive together. In 2021, Rally reached a fully-diluted market cap of over $3 billion. Prior to that, Kevin was the founding CEO of Forte, a blockchain game developer platform. Forte's mission is to build a more collaborative future in gaming by realigning the economic relationship between players and developers. Forte raised at a multi-billion dollar valuation from SEA, Kora, Griffin, a16z, Union Grove, Canaan, and Battery in 2021. Kevin currently serves as the Chairman of Gen.G, an esports enterprise bridging Asia and North America. He was the founding CEO of Gen.G in 2017. Gen.G is the parent company of Seoul Dynasty in the Overwatch League, as well as the 2017 League of Legends world champions. Previously, Kevin was CEO and founder of Kabam, a top developer of mobile games. Kevin led the company from business plan founding to over $400M in annual revenue serving over 500 million players. Kabam developed leading partnerships with Marvel, Star Wars, Fast & Furious, Lord of the Rings, and Hunger Games. Kabam was profitable from 2012 until the sale of the company's studios to Netmarble, 21st Century Fox, and GAEA, which in total generated nearly $1 billion in value. Early in his career, Kevin was a venture capitalist at Canaan Partners investing in consumer internet and digital media. In 2017, Kevin and his wife Connie Chen made the largest gift UC Berkeley has ever received from any of its alumni under the age of 40 to fund the Connie & Kevin Chou Hall at Berkeley Haas. He's been honored by Fortune in 40 under 40, CNN in Smartest People in Tech, and Business Insider's Silicon Valley Top 100. In 2019, Kevin was honored as UC Berkeley's Alumnus of the Year. Kevin graduated magna cum laude from the UC Berkeley undergraduate Haas School of Business program. He serves on the Board of Trustees at UC Berkeley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

9. 

   24 Feb 2025

   "Running a Business is like Being GM of a Sports Team": Interview With Scott Kincaid, CFO of Zingtree

   In this episode, Carey Lai and Robin Chan from Conductive Ventures speak with Scott Kincaid, CFO of Zingtree. They dive deep into the evolving role of CFOs, the dynamic relationship between CEOs, CFOs and board members, and Scott's journey from Wall Street to the startup world. Discover the critical skills and experiences that shape a successful CFO and gain unique perspectives on corporate strategy, financial operations, and the impact of AI on the finance industry. Learn from Scott's intriguing anecdotes, career advice, and why being curious and having a strong opinion can be critical to success. Zingtree is an AI CX workflow platform for B2C enterprises, powering 500+ customers to create, manage, and automate support processes that everyone can follow. Carey is a Board Member of Zingtree, and led Zingtree's Series A investment for Conductive Ventures. 02:30 Sports and Finance 07:22 JP Morgan, Wall Street and Pallets 16:00 I Went to Oxford to Get a Different Experience 21:20 From Corp Dev to CFO 28:02 Investor Blindspots 30:00 Running a Business is like Being GM of a Sports Team 34:12 The Evolving Role of The CFO: Strategic, Operational and Tactical 38:28 The Baby Snake Syndrome 40:56 Building Relationships With The Board 43:18 Being a CFO is a 24/7 Job 53:00  No Meaningful Lift from AI Yet 56:59 Superpowers 58:50  If You Don't Have An Opinion, You Are Less Valuable 59:24 Outtakes: Basketball, the Dol, and One Plant Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

10. 

    20 Dec 2024

    "The Definition of Being An Immigrant, Is To Be Entrepreneurial": An Interview with Steven Hong, Co-Founder and CEO of Oculii

    Conductive Ventures' Paul Yeh sits down with Oculii co-founder and CEO Steven Hong, who shares his entrepreneurial journey from Ohio to leading a $400M acquisition.

11. 

    18 Sept 2024

    A Career in Venture Capital with Carey Lai, Founding Member and Managing Director of Conductive Ventures

    Carey Lai is founding member and managing director of Conductive Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm he founded with Paul Yeh in 2017. In this episode, Carey discusses his path into venture capital and the challenges of starting his own firm, why he likes investing in capital efficient companies and unconventional founders and what's next for the firm, seven years in. Conductive Conversations is a series from the Conductive Ventures team featuring tech investors, founders and CEOs and their authentic stories. This episode's host is Robin Chan, an investor at Conductive Ventures. Carey Lai is a Founding Member and Managing Director at Conductive Ventures with $450M in AUM focused on investments in the areas of software, hardware, and technology-enabled services. Carey has over 20 years of venture capital and technology experience. Prior to Conductive Ventures, Carey spent over four years investing at Intel Capital focused on Internet and enterprise software companies. His portfolio included 500Friends (acquired by Dentsu), Box (BOX), BrightEdge, Gigya (acquired by SAP), Kabam (acquired by Netmarble), Nexmo (acquired by Vonage), Onefinestay (acquired by AccorHotels), Sprinklr (CXM), and SweetLabs. Prior to Intel Capital, Carey worked at Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) where he focused on rapidly growing later-stage and growth-equity investments in Internet & enterprise software companies. He actively worked with the following IVP portfolio companies: ArcSight (ARST), At Road (ARDI), Business.com (DEXO), Concur (CNQR), Cortina Systems (acquired by Inphi), Danger (MSFT), Data Domain (EMC), Mobile365 (SAP), SuccessFactors (SFSF), Synchronoss (SNCR) and Yodlee (YDLE). Carey also worked in the Technology Investment Banking Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as an Investment Banking Analyst focused on the software and financial technology sectors. His transaction experience included offerings for some of the leading technology companies in the world, including Blackbaud Software (BLKB), Computer Associates (CA), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), Sungard Data Systems (SDS), and Tibco Software (TIBX). Carey has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He also graduated with a B.A. in International Economics from the University of California Los Angeles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 2 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

4

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0