Get from Underestimated to Iconic with Billion Dollar Moves™
Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings

Episodes

July 27, 2023

Not Your Token Woman with First Female NFL Coach Dr. Jen Welter: Billion Dollar Bite

I’ve been enjoying the Women's FIFA World Cup, and I’m so thrilled to see the conversation on gender equity that has arisen alongside the excitement of the sport. As we continue to be in awe of the performance of so many of …
Guest: Jen Welter
July 17, 2023

The Unstoppable Power of Web3, Scaling Amazon with Jeff Bezos and the Future of Online Identity with Sandy Carter

From building emerging tech in IBM to working with Jeff Bezos and Andy Jessy, being a part of scaling Amazon from a $12 Billion to $80 Billion company; tech pioneer and trailblazer, CNN’s Top 10 Most Powerful Women in Tech S…
Guest: Sandy Carter
July 13, 2023

From Underestimated to 50 Million+ Users: Leveraging AI to Empower with Vu Van, ELSA

Long before AI became a buzzword, Vu Van recognized its transformative potential. Combining her deep understanding of language learning with her AI expertise, Vu Van founded ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) in 2015. …
Guest: Vu Van
July 7, 2023

Maximizing Your First 90 Days: Head Coach vs CEO with Tiwa York, Kaidee (largest C2C Marketplace in Thailand)

“Foreigners may misunderstand in that they believe silence is either ‘they don’t know’ or ‘they’re idiots’. Actually it turns out to be, they’re just not willing to say it to you directly. I’m not going to tell you directly …
Guest: Tiwa York
June 22, 2023

Leaving a $250 Million Fund: Ollen Douglass Speaks Out about being a Black Man in Venture Capital, the Power of Diversity to Drive Returns

Ollen Douglass‘ abrupt departure from a $250 million fund he helped start left industry insiders hungry for answers, including me. For the first time, he reveals in his own words what happened and why; and importantly, his …
June 15, 2023

Why Early Specialization doesn't Guarantee Career Success with David Epstein, Global Bestselling Author, Range

A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your lo…
Guest: David Epstein
June 8, 2023

Investing with Penny Pritzker and Building a Robust Venture & Growth Practice with Momei Qu, MD, PSP Partners

This week I am so pumped to be speaking with Momei Qu, Managing Director of PSP Growth, where she leads PSP’s venture capital and growth equity initiative, working closely with the esteemed Penny Pritzker, former United Stat…
Guest: Momei Qu
June 1, 2023

After the Exit: Finding and Decoupling Your Identity from your Firm/Startup

This week's Billion Dollar Bite features the big question: Who am I beyond the company I built? This has become a theme that has emerged in so many of my conversations with both founders and funders at the helm of thei…
May 26, 2023

Scaling to $2 Billion, backed by Oprah, Katy Perry to solve the Global Food Waste Issue: a Conversation with James Rogers, Founder & CEO, Apeel Sciences

Our next guest is tackling the food waste problem by applying what he and his team have learned from nature. They created a plant-based protective coating that can make fruits and vegetables last longer. When the average hou…
Guest: James Rogers
May 18, 2023

Shocking Tips to Lead and Build Influence with Behavioral Expert, Phill Agnew

What’s the secret to becoming more likable and influential as a leader? How do we actually build and scale by appealing to our consumers in a sustainable way? Why are we more likely to eat an imperfect cookie? This week’s…
Guest: Phill Agnew
May 11, 2023

Unleashing AI —Too Soon? with VC Martina Welkhoff, WXR Fund

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm. And with it, a whole conversation surrounding AI, it’s opportunities and yes perils. Well, to go de…
May 4, 2023

Battling Disinformation while Young, Black and Female with Phumzile Van Damme, Former MP, South Africa

“It takes years to build a reputation and minutes to ruin it.” Many would recall the scandal of Bell Pottinger: the reputation-laundering firm that ruined its own reputation. One of the most notorious PR firms in histo…
April 27, 2023

What Makes A Billion Dollar Founder? According to Cathy Gao, Sapphire Ventures & Jack Smith, sold Vungle for $780M

Between the SVB collapse (and now First Republic Bank on the edge, with stock now down 95% for the year to date!), ChatGPT taking over and the "SAAS-cre", where valuations of Software-As-A-Service companies have taken a dive…
Guests: Cathy Gao , Jack Smith
April 20, 2023

Leveraging Community to Invest in the Future with VC Jenny Fielding, Everywhere Ventures

Founder turned Funder, from Head of Digital Ventures of the BBC to Managing Director of Techstars, to now Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures with 250 portfolio companies and counting, Jenny Fielding is the ultimate comm…
April 13, 2023

You Are What You Risk—Unpacking the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse & Gray Rhino with Global Best-Selling Author & Risk Expert Michele Wucker

Today’s episode is by no means a full breakdown of what happened, but answers this one question : “Was this truly a Black Swan event? as Nassim Taleb explains it or really, a Gray Rhino, as Best-Selling Author, my friend …
April 6, 2023

Inside a Billionaire's Mind: Nirvana Chaudhary—Making Your Mark, The Teacher Appears When The Student Is Ready, Selling 3 Billion Noodle Packets Yearly

We’re bringing our next billionaire on Billion Dollar Moves; this time from Nepal, my friend Nirvana Chaudhary who is at the helm of Nepal’s first and only company listed on the Forbes list of Billionaires since 2015, valued…
March 30, 2023

From Lab to Table: The Startup Founder Revolutionizing the Seafood Industry with Sandhya Sriram, Shiok Meats

What does it take to sell and execute on what feels like an impossible vision? This, is the task of a stem-cell scientist turned founder who is tapping into the multi-billion opportunity to create lab-grown crustacean mea…
March 23, 2023

Getting Users Hooked & Regaining Control of Your Attention with Nir Eyal, WSJ Best-Selling Author of 'Hooked' & 'Indistractable'

A ping on your phone takes you out of a conversation with a friend. At the office, a colleague interrupts your work on a project. At home, screens intrude on time with your partner. Your goals don’t get done and it feels …
Guest: Nir Eyal
March 15, 2023

"Let's Take Our Chips Off The Table"—Riding the Venture Downcycle: Investing in Southeast Asia with Dmitry Levit, Cento Ventures (Part 2)

In today's Billion Dollar Moves, we bust some myths about Southeast Asia's VC activity and the narratives driving the expansion seen in the region. The key question: will the momentum survive this downcycle? I chat with D…
Guest: Dmitry Levit
March 13, 2023

"Narratives Driving Substance" —Riding the Venture Downcycle: Investing in Southeast Asia with Dmitry Levit, Cento Ventures (Part 1)

In today's Billion Dollar Moves, we bust some myths about Southeast Asia's VC activity and the narratives driving the expansion seen in the region. The key question: will the momentum survive this downcycle? I chat with D…
Guest: Dmitry Levit
Feb. 28, 2023

"When The S**t Hits The Fan"—Scaling to a $4.2 Bn Global Business with Nicole Sahin, G-P (Globalization Partners)

While scaling globally seems often to be part of the 'Billion Dollar Plan', it is hardly as simple as it is thought to be. Nicole Sahin who founded and scaled G-P, a global PEO leader from an idea to over $4Bn in value chats…
Guest: Nicole Sahin
Feb. 19, 2023

Multi-Billion Firms' Chief Investors, CPP Investments, CVC Capital Partners, EPF, CD&R on Actually Aligning Profit & Purpose in Private Equity — Davos Takeaway 3 {BONUS}

Private Equity has a tremendous role to play in the real economy: with about $10Trillion assets under management, robust returns relative to public market measures, a reach that touches the lives of many (some say 1/3, 2/3 o…
Feb. 7, 2023

Former Unilever MD, Silvia Wiesner on Quiet Quitting, Paranoia of Productivity - Davos Takeaway 2 {BONUS}

Quiet quitting, a recession looming, a polycrisis declared at Davos 2023 — how can leaders navigate this uncertainty? Silvia Wiesner, former Managing Director at Unilever who was with me in Davos joins me to weigh in on t…
Feb. 2, 2023

Global CEO of LEGO, Deloitte & Chair of Henry Schein debate the Non-Political Company Leader - Davos Takeaway 1 {BONUS}

The 'non-political' company leader. In 2020/2021, we saw feathers ruffled when leaders like those from Google, Coinbase declared certain "political activism" was a distraction. Employees walked out since of course, in many…