Grace Isford's guest appearances

Grace Isford

The Full Ratchet (TFR): Venture Capital and Startup Investing Demystified

Datacast

Chain Reaction

OwlTail

Show Notes(02:02) Grace shared formative experiences of her upbringing - being heavily influenced by the financial sector from growing up near New York and getting an appreciation for diverse perspectives from studying abroad in Tokyo.(03:47) Grace described her college experience at Stanford studying Management Science and Engineering.(08:04) Grace talked about her participation in the Mayfield Fellowship and her service as a Co-President of Stanford Women in Business.(12:34) Grace walked through her internship experiences as an investor at the Stanford Management Company, in product at ed-tech startup Handshake, and in growth equity at Stripes Group.(16:20) Grace reflected on her time at Canvas Ventures - where she joined as a campus scout while still a student.(19:11) Grace shared three approaches to prove her value upfront in potential deals and to form her investment thesis as a new VC associate.(23:07) Grace dissected her Series A investment in Vendia, a blockchain-powered, real-time data-sharing platform that solves the growing inter-organization data collaboration problem.(25:17) Grace examined her Series A investment in Robocorp, which offers the first cloud-native, open-source automation stack and orchestration platform to power any automation process.(26:43) Grace shared three pieces of advice in hiring decisions, navigating go-to-market strategy, and growing product offerings that she had given her portfolio companies.(29:49) Grace shared trends in the API-first economy that she is most excited about in the upcoming years.(31:56) Grace unpacked key takeaways from her article "The Mindset of a Data Leader."(34:02) Grace discussed under-hyped and over-hyped trends in Web3 - taken from her incredibly detailed deck on the Web3 World.(36:31) Grace dissected the major categories of the Web3 infrastructure, including Decentralized Finance, Decentralized Apps, DAOs, NFTs, and Guild Education/Reskilling.(41:43) Grace walked through her decision to join Lux Capital, a firm that invests in emerging science and technology ventures at the outermost edges of what is possible, as a principal investor in early 2022.(45:12) Grace shared her mental checklist to evaluate entrepreneurs and make investment decisions at the nexus of web3, data infrastructure, and applications of AI/ML.(47:10) Grace talked about her community-building work to promote women's voices in tech.(48:59) Grace reflected on her consistency in adding value to every conversation with people in her community.(51:26) Closing segment.Grace's Contact InfoWebsiteLux ProfileLinkedInTwitterLux CapitalWebsite | Twitter | LinkedInSecurities (Podcast &amp; Newsletter)Mentioned ResourcesArticles"The Third-Party API Economy: Part I" (Sep 2020)"The Third-Party API Economy: Part II" (Feb 2021)"The Mindset of a Data Leader" (Nov 2020)"The Web3 World" (Jan 2022)"Welcoming our newest investor Grace Isford to Lux Capital" (Feb 2022)PeopleFred Wilson (Union Square Ventures)Matt Huang and Fred Ehrsam (Paradigm Ventures)Katie Haun (Haun Ventures)Book"Wanting" (by Luke Burgis)NotesMy conversation with Grace was recorded back in April 2022. Since then, many things have happened. I'd recommend:Listening to her chats with Tina Seelig and Christian Catalini on the Securities podcastReading her thoughts on building the next AI/ML infrastructure stackCheck out her reflections on the intersection of AI and creativityAdditionally, Grace invested in RunwayML's Series C, a pioneer in the Generative AI space. If you are in NYC, be sure to stop by the upcoming first annual AI film festival powered by Runway!About the showDatacast features long-form, in-depth conversations with practitioners and researchers in the data community to walk through their professional journeys and unpack the lessons learned along the way. I invite guests coming from a wide range of career paths — from scientists and analysts to founders and investors — to analyze the case for using data in the real world and extract their mental models (“the WHY and the HOW”) behind their pursuits. Hopefully, these conversations can serve as valuable tools for early-stage data professionals as they navigate their own careers in the exciting data universe.Datacast is produced and edited by James Le. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email khanhle.1013@gmail.com.Subscribe by searching for Datacast wherever you get podcasts, or click one of the links below:Listen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsListen on Google PodcastsIf you’re new, see the podcast homepage for the most recent episodes to listen to, or browse the full guest list.

<h2>Show Notes</h2><ul><li>(02:02) Grace shared formative experiences of her upbringing - being heavily influenced by the financial sector from growing up near New York and getting an appreciation for diverse perspectives from studying abroad in Tokyo.</li><li>(03:47) Grace described her college experience at Stanford studying <a href="https://msande.stanford.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Management Science and Engineering</a>.</li><li>(08:04) Grace talked about her participation in <a href="https://stvp.stanford.edu/mayfield-fellows-program" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Mayfield Fellowship</a> and her service as a Co-President of <a href="http://www.stanfordwomeninbusiness.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stanford Women in Business</a>.</li><li>(12:34) Grace walked through her internship experiences as an investor at the <a href="https://smc.stanford.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stanford Management Company</a>, in product at ed-tech startup <a href="http://joinhandshake.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Handshake</a>, and in growth equity at <a href="http://stripes.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stripes Group</a>.</li><li>(16:20) Grace reflected on her time at <a href="https://www.canvas.vc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canvas Ventures</a> - where she joined as a campus scout while still a student.</li><li>(19:11) Grace shared three approaches to prove her value upfront in potential deals and to form her investment thesis as a new VC associate.</li><li>(23:07) Grace dissected her <a href="https://www.canvas.vc/blog/our-investment-in-vendia-the-new-standard-for-data-sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series A investment in Vendia</a>, a blockchain-powered, real-time data-sharing platform that solves the growing inter-organization data collaboration problem.</li><li>(25:17) Grace examined her <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-investment-robocorp-automation-platform-future-grace-isford/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series A investment in Robocorp</a>, which offers the first cloud-native, open-source automation stack and orchestration platform to power any automation process.</li><li>(26:43) Grace shared three pieces of advice in hiring decisions, navigating go-to-market strategy, and growing product offerings that she had given her portfolio companies.</li><li>(29:49) Grace shared trends in the API-first economy that she is most excited about in the upcoming years.</li><li>(31:56) Grace unpacked key takeaways from her article "<a href="https://gisford.medium.com/the-mindset-of-a-data-leader-330ee77712d0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Mindset of a Data Leader</a>."</li><li>(34:02) Grace discussed under-hyped and over-hyped trends in Web3 - taken from her <a href="https://twitter.com/graceisford/status/1479151009997930504" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">incredibly detailed deck on the Web3 World</a>.</li><li>(36:31) Grace dissected the major categories of the Web3 infrastructure, including Decentralized Finance, Decentralized Apps, DAOs, NFTs, and Guild Education/Reskilling.</li><li>(41:43) Grace walked through her decision to join <a href="https://luxcapital.com/team/grace-isford/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lux Capital</a>, a firm that invests in emerging science and technology ventures at the outermost edges of what is possible, as a principal investor in early 2022.</li><li>(45:12) Grace shared her mental checklist to evaluate entrepreneurs and make investment decisions at the nexus of web3, data infrastructure, and applications of AI/ML.</li><li>(47:10) Grace talked about her community-building work to promote women's voices in tech.</li><li>(48:59) Grace reflected on her consistency in adding value to every conversation with people in her community.</li><li>(51:26) Closing segment.</li></ul><h3>Grace's Contact Info</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.graceisford.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li><li><a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/people/grace-isford" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lux Profile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/graceisford/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/graceisford" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li></ul><h3>Lux Capital</h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/about" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Lux_Capital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/lux-capital/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.luxcapital.com/ideas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Securities</a> (Podcast &amp; Newsletter)</li></ul><h2>Mentioned Resources</h2><h3>Articles</h3><ul><li>"<a href="https://gisford.medium.com/the-third-party-api-economy-891b2a774fa5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Third-Party API Economy: Part I</a>" (Sep 2020)</li><li>"<a href="https://gisford.medium.com/the-third-party-api-economy-part-ii-announcing-the-api-first-directory-2b56a6dedcfa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Third-Party API Economy: Part II</a>" (Feb 2021)</li><li>"<a href="https://gisford.medium.com/the-mindset-of-a-data-leader-330ee77712d0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Mindset of a Data Leader</a>" (Nov 2020)</li><li>"<a href="https://www.canvas.vc/blog/the-web3-world" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Web3 World</a>" (Jan 2022)</li><li>"<a href="https://medium.com/lux-capital/welcoming-our-newest-investor-grace-isford-to-lux-capital-dd409b49f632" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Welcoming our newest investor Grace Isford to Lux Capital</a>" (Feb 2022)</li></ul><h3>People</h3><ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/fredwilson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fred Wilson</a> (Union Square Ventures)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/matthuang" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Huang</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FEhrsam" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fred Ehrsam</a> (Paradigm Ventures)</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/katie_haun" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Katie Haun</a> (Haun Ventures)</li></ul><h3>Book</h3><ul><li>"<a href="https://lukeburgis.com/wanting/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wanting</a>" (by Luke Burgis)</li></ul><h2>Notes</h2><p>My conversation with Grace was recorded back in April 2022. Since then, many things have happened. I'd recommend:</p><ul><li>Listening to her chats with <a href="https://streaklinks.com/BRmCCjDXV05otmGdVAFpqQuc/https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fgraceisford%2Fstatus%2F1570849054938243072" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tina Seelig</a> and <a href="https://streaklinks.com/BRmCCiuf32jIMEkRcgoeAYt4/https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fgraceisford%2Fstatus%2F1560660618750746624" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christian Catalini</a> on the Securities podcast</li><li>Reading her thoughts on <a href="https://www.terranova.co/grace-isford-lux-capital-next-gen-ai-ml-infrastructure-stack/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">building the next AI/ML infrastructure stack</a></li><li>Check out her reflections on <a href="https://twitter.com/graceisford/status/1619017713090985984" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the intersection of AI and creativity</a></li></ul><p>Additionally, Grace invested in RunwayML's <a href="https://runwayml.com/blog/runway-raises-50-series-c/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series C</a>, a pioneer in the Generative AI space. If you are in NYC, be sure to stop by the upcoming first annual <a href="https://aiff.runwayml.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AI film festival</a> powered by Runway!</p><h2><strong>About the show</strong></h2><p>Datacast features long-form, in-depth conversations with practitioners and researchers in the data community to walk through their professional journeys and unpack the lessons learned along the way. I invite guests coming from a wide range of career paths — from scientists and analysts to founders and investors — to analyze the case for using data in the real world and extract their mental models (“the WHY and the HOW”) behind their pursuits. Hopefully, these conversations can serve as valuable tools for early-stage data professionals as they navigate their own careers in the exciting data universe.</p><p>Datacast is produced and edited by James Le. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email <a href="mailto:khanhle.1013@gmail.com"><strong>khanhle.1013@gmail.com</strong></a>.</p><p>Subscribe by searching for Datacast wherever you get podcasts, or click one of the links below:</p><ul><li><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5MlCijZoapALDy0LLxuSY8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on Spotify</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/datacast/id1481793207" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on Apple Podcasts</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9GN09PYzFmWQ%3D%3D" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on Google Podcasts</a></li></ul><p>If you’re new, see the <a href="https://datacast.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcast homepage</a> for the most recent episodes to listen to, or browse the <a href="https://jameskle.com/podcast-guests" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">full guest list</a>.</p>

Episode 107: Investing At The Nexus of Computational Sciences with Grace Isford

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into the latest mega-fund from venture giant Andreessen Horowitz and some of the… interesting bets that they’re making, including one in disgraced WeWork founder Adam Neumann’s new crypto startup. Lastly, they recap crypto exchange FTX’s big entry into stock trading, which comes just a week after the firm’s young CEO made a massive bet on Robinhood.In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita talk to Grace Isford. Isford is an investor at Lux Capital where she focuses on the infrastructure and security opportunities for blockchain startups. We talk about some of the recent big hacks and whether consumers can feel safe betting on crypto.Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newslettersHelpful links:https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/amid-crypto-downturn-a16z-debuts-4-5-billion-web3-mega-fund/https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/24/flowcarbon-wework-adam-neumann-blockchain-crypto-carbon-credit-startup-raises-funding-from-a16z/https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/19/crypto-exchange-ftx-expands-into-stock-trading-retail-investors/

<p>Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into the latest mega-fund from venture giant Andreessen Horowitz and some of the… interesting bets that they’re making, including one in disgraced WeWork founder Adam Neumann’s new crypto startup. Lastly, they recap crypto exchange FTX’s big entry into stock trading, which comes just a week after the firm’s young CEO made a massive bet on Robinhood.</p><p>In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita talk to Grace Isford. Isford is an investor at Lux Capital where she focuses on the infrastructure and security opportunities for blockchain startups. We talk about some of the recent big hacks and whether consumers can feel safe betting on crypto.</p><p>Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: <a href="https://techcrunch.com/newsletters" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/newsletters</a></p><p>Helpful links:<br/><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/amid-crypto-downturn-a16z-debuts-4-5-billion-web3-mega-fund/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/amid-crypto-downturn-a16z-debuts-4-5-billion-web3-mega-fund/</a></p><p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/24/flowcarbon-wework-adam-neumann-blockchain-crypto-carbon-credit-startup-raises-funding-from-a16z/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/24/flowcarbon-wework-adam-neumann-blockchain-crypto-carbon-credit-startup-raises-funding-from-a16z/</a></p><p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/19/crypto-exchange-ftx-expands-into-stock-trading-retail-investors/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/19/crypto-exchange-ftx-expands-into-stock-trading-retail-investors/</a></p>

Lux’s crypto VC on the startups securing and scaling web3 (with Grace Isford)

Grace Isford of Canvas Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss How Companies Can Maintain Growth Post-COVID. In this episode, we cover:  You're an extroverted, people-person... how you holding up w/ the quarantine? Quick overview of your background and path to VC? Your focus (and thesis) at Canvas? You developed a 30 page GTM Playbook based on interviews w/ 10+ CROs/VPs of Sales across major B2B companies. First of all, is this publicly available and also what were some takeaways that really stood out? There's a segment of VCs that believe that one must be an operator to be a good VC... what's your stance? Examples of successful non-operators? You completed a comprehensive analysis of the portfolios of over 200 venture firms, looked at 100 successful GPs, and winning, U.S.-based investments w/ a valuation greater than $500M... what were your key takeaways? A bit about signaling... Many in the industry and those observing determine the value of a startup based on whether a brand name venture firm is in the deal... "If Sequoia is in the deal, startup must be great"... what are your thoughts on this common perception? What does your weekly routine look like and how have you prioritized the various demands of the job? What have you found to be most challenging in your career as a VC? What advice do you have for young folks trying to make an impact as an investor or board observer? You wrote a great piece that analyzed three areas where VCs could invest to address the societal challenges of COVID-19. Can you walk us through each of these and why the opportunity here is greater? What do you think the future holds for venture &amp; entrepreneurship in a post-COVID world? The old playbook for winning deals is gone... Any idea on how one might win a deal virtually?  To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

<p>Grace Isford of Canvas Ventures joins Nick on a special Crisis Coverage installment to discuss How Companies Can Maintain Growth Post-COVID. In this episode, we cover:</p> <ul> <li>You're an extroverted, people-person... how you holding up w/ the quarantine?</li> <li>Quick overview of your background and path to VC?</li> <li>Your focus (and thesis) at Canvas?</li> <li>You developed a 30 page GTM Playbook based on interviews w/ 10+ CROs/VPs of Sales across major B2B companies. First of all, is this publicly available and also what were some takeaways that really stood out?</li> <li>There's a segment of VCs that believe that one must be an operator to be a good VC... what's your stance?</li> <li>Examples of successful non-operators?</li> <li>You completed a comprehensive analysis of the portfolios of over 200 venture firms, looked at 100 successful GPs, and winning, U.S.-based investments w/ a valuation greater than $500M... what were your key takeaways?</li> <li>A bit about signaling... Many in the industry and those observing determine the value of a startup based on whether a brand name venture firm is in the deal... "If Sequoia is in the deal, startup must be great"... what are your thoughts on this common perception?</li> <li>What does your weekly routine look like and how have you prioritized the various demands of the job?</li> <li>What have you found to be most challenging in your career as a VC?</li> <li>What advice do you have for young folks trying to make an impact as an investor or board observer?</li> <li>You wrote a great piece that analyzed three areas where VCs could invest to address the societal challenges of COVID-19.</li> <li>Can you walk us through each of these and why the opportunity here is greater?</li> <li>What do you think the future holds for venture &amp; entrepreneurship in a post-COVID world?</li> <li>The old playbook for winning deals is gone... Any idea on how one might win a deal virtually?</li> </ul> <p>To listen more, please visit <a href="http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/</a> for all of our other episodes.</p> <p>Also, follow us on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFullRatchet%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@TheFullRatche</a>t for updates and more information.</p>

221. Crisis Coverage w/ Grace Isford - GTM Playbook; Building a Career in VC; Societal Challenges and Opportunities post-COVID; and a Comprehensive Analysis of Successful GPs and Venture Investments