In this episode of “Ventured,” KPCB General Partner Randy Komisar interviews Priv Bradoo, Founder and CEO of e-waste recycling company BlueOak, and Lila Ibrahim, Chief Business Officer of online course provider Coursera, about what it is like to run a social mission-driven startup in today’s funding environment. Halfway through the interview, the interviewees turn the tables on Randy and ask him what it is like to invest in companies like theirs. Both sides agree that although it may be more difficult to find the right financing tools for these types of companies, the fight is ultimately worth it for the founders, investors, and society at large.
Show Notes:
1:11 Randy interviews Piv Bradoo and Lila Ibrahim on the global impact of Blue Oak and
Coursera
5:31 Global perspectives leading to empathy in business
6:55 Being a woman in business: experiencing gender inequality in Silicon
Valley and the business world
8:24 Businesses with social mission and the investment challenges that come along with it
12:12 “We don’t fit patterns”, finding investors for non-traditional business models
14:56 Investing in ventures that matter
19:22 How investing in Silicon Valley has changed overtime, and how it could be different in the future
21:57 Priv and Lila share the advice they’d give to a person who was compelled by social
mission but doesn’t necessarily have the business frame for it
23:57 Randy shares the advice he would give to business owners and entrepreneurs