Billion Dollar Moves™ with Sarah Chen-Spellings | Global Venture Capital

• Alpha’s New Timeline: Rethinking Alternatives with Family Offices

  The rules of private market investing are shifting; and so is the timeline for generating alpha. In this conversation from Arctic15 LP Summit earlier this year, leading allocators Selale Zaim (third-generation family business leader and venture investor) and Kim Groop (Co-Founder, First Fellow Partners) joined us to unpack how family offices and institutions are rethinking their playbooks. From compressed market cycles and delayed liquidity to the rise of co-investments, secondaries, and specialized family offices, we dive into how investors are navigating volatility, reshaping allocation strategies, and re-defining what it means to create long-term value. A must-listen for LPs, GPs, and founders who want to stay ahead in an increasingly dynamic private markets landscape. TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS 0:00 - Intro 01:56 - Meet the Investors: From Family Conglomerates to Founder-Led Funds 01:00 - Meet the Investors: From Family Conglomerates to Founder-Led Funds 04:43 - Returns, compression, and the shifting VC cycle 07:10 - Why family offices are splitting and specializing 09:06 - One unicorn in every 10 investments: Founder-first approach to investing 11:04 - Cracking the code on direct investments and avoiding negative selection 13:24 - Liquidity engineering: co-investments, secondaries, and partial exits 17:20 - Finland’s ecosystem and the rise of homegrown unicorns 18:42 - Cross-border collaboration among family offices 21:52 - Lessons learned: family business vs. financial returns 24:05 - AI and the new investment frontiers 26:57 - Audience Q&A; final takeaways Panelists: Kim Groop, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at First Fellow Partners Selale Zaim, Board Member at Inci Holding & Head of Investment Committee at Vinci Venture Capital Hosted by: Sarah Chen-Spellings, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Beyond The Billion - Billion Dollar Moves Podcast | The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders | Backed by HubSpot Podcast Network In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook. PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website | Watch on Youtube | Join the Community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter

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• Inside the Fund Fueling Aussie Unicorns: Canva, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp w/ Rick Baker, Blackbird VC

  What does it take to build a billion-dollar fund from Australia — and back global unicorns like Canva, SafetyCulture, and Culture Amp? In this episode, we sit down with Rick Baker, Co-Founder of Blackbird VC, to unpack the journey from 530 investor rejections to becoming one of the most successful venture firms in the Southern Hemisphere. Rick shares the real stories behind meeting and backing Canva’s Melanie Perkins, scaling a multi-generational VC franchise, and why storytelling and diversity are key to building enduring funds. This is a masterclass on conviction, culture, and capital. Timestamps / Key Takeaways 00:00 Intro 02:01 The early days of Australia’s startup scene: Atlassian & the incoming of US VC firms: Sequoia, Accel, Benchmark, a16z and more. 05:27 From founder to investor: lessons from two failed startups 07:28 How 530 meetings led to Blackbird’s first $29M fund 11:02 The first Canva meeting and what convinced Rick to invest in Melanie Perkins 15:01 Luck vs pattern recognition; turning a $29M fund into 40x returns 17:43 Why funds should last longer than 10 years 19:39 Building a multi-generational VC franchise 21:22 Inside Blackbird’s blind hiring and bias-free investing 24:41 The future of AI and deep tech in Australia 29:02 The thesis of Blackbird VC and portfolio construction 32:00 Lessons from the Kiki incident: investing and accountability 35:13 Gender-lens investing, transparency, and joining Beyond The Billion’s pledge 43:02 “Would you have built Blackbird differently?” 44:25 Billion Dollar Questions About Rick Baker Rick Baker is a co-founder of Blackbird Ventures, a venture capital firm focussed on investing in the best global tech startups being formed in Australia. Rick has led the firm’s investments such as Canva, SafetyCulture, Baraja, Gilmour Space and Ovira. Prior to Blackbird, Rick ran MLC’s venture capital portfolio with investments of over half a billion dollars. Prior to MLC, Rick co-founded two successful software companies: IDC Global and Right Party Connect. Blackbird partners with founders at the very beginning and surrounds them with a community of other founders who have built successful technology companies before. The firm was founded in 2012 and currently manages $1.3 billion dollars. Follow Rick: - Billion Dollar Moves Podcast | The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders | Backed by HubSpot Podcast Network In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook. PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website | Watch on Youtube | Join the Community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter

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• Catalytic Capital for Climate: Rules for the Next Economy

  With record outflows from ESG funds and rising political scrutiny, the climate investing conversation is shifting dramatically. In this episode, we sit with Anna Herlin (KONE Family, Tiina and Antti Herlin Foundation) and Dr. Krista Halttunen (Halton Ventures) — two next-generation family office leaders driving sustainable innovation in the built environment. We asked: what comes next at the intersection of climate tech, venture capital, and LP strategies? Together, they unpack what it means to deploy patient and catalytic capital in an era of ESG fatigue; from decarbonizing steel and transforming HVAC systems to building data-driven frameworks that measure planetary boundaries. As allocators face rising pressure to balance returns, reputation, and regulation, this candid conversation explores how to future-proof portfolios and redefine value in the next economy. TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 – Intro 02:23 – ESG backlash and geopolitical landscape 05:25 – Where the capital is flowing now 08:20 – Efficiency as the new climate strategy 11:24 – Systems change vs. incremental innovation 14:12 – Building the Planetary Boundaries framework; beyond box-ticking and science-based investing 18:38 – How to spot Greenwashing & find true additionality 22:22 – Defining “Catalytic Capital for the New Economy” 25:55 – AI and Energy 28:19 – Hardware renaissance: Clean Energy, Green Steel & HVAC; “The Future Is Circular” 32:04 – Audience Q&A 37:06 – Where should Family Offices start in climate investments? Panelists: Anna Herlin, Board Member at TAH Foundation & Vice Chair at Security Trading Krista Halttunen, CEO of Halton Ventures Hosted by:  Sarah Chen-Spellings, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Beyond The Billion Video Credit: Arctic15 LP Summit 2025 - Billion Dollar Moves Podcast | The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders | Backed by HubSpot Podcast Network In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you’re chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook.   PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website | Watch on Youtube | Join the Community   FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter

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• Turning a Dream Into a Nine-Figure Deal w/ Beatrice Dixon, The Honey Pot

  From living in motels and battling recurring infections to leading one of the fastest-growing feminine care brands in America, Beatrice Dixon’s story is as unlikely as it is inspiring. In this episode, Bea reveals how a dream sparked the formula for The Honey Pot, how she scaled from kitchen batches to Target’s Super Bowl ads, and why she walked away from a higher $450M offer to exit on her own terms. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or leader, this is a masterclass in resilience, conviction, and building generational wealth without selling your soul. TIMESTAMPS / KEY TAKEAWAYS 0:00 Intro 01:45 Chapter 1: Rock Bottom to Mindset Shift 03:26 Chapter 2: The Genesis of Honey Pot — a dream of grandmother’s recipe turned the formula that changed her life 07:01 Chapter 3: From Kitchen Batches to Target Super Bowl Ad 13:46 Chapter 4: Scaling with Capital — Why every founder must master money and Bea’s lessons on raising responsibly 16:36 Chapter 5: The Exit & Walking Away From $450M 18:05 Chapter 6: Modern Matriarch & Legacy Builder — on scrutiny, social media storms, and leading Honey Pot into the future 23:13 Bea Dixon’s 5 lessons: invest early, stay authentic, raise with clarity, exit on your terms, and scale with soul ABOUT BEA DIXON Beatrice Dixon is the CEO, cofounder, and chief innovation officer of The Honey Pot Company—the first complete personal wellness brand “made by humans with vaginas, for humans with vaginas.”® She has been named one of Goldman Sachs’s 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, Worth’s Worthy 100, Forbes’ Top 100 Female Founders, Inc.’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs, Ebony’s Power 100, and Create & Cultivate’s 100. FOLLOW BEA: LinkedIn | Instagram Source: Healing from the Earth with The Honey Pot Founders | Black America | CUNY TV Honey Pot Founder Beatrice Dixon Talks Wellness, Black-Owned Business, & Shares Her Five Minute Face The Business of Making Money w/ Bea Dixon - Billion Dollar Moves Podcast | The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders | Backed by HubSpot Podcast Network In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies. From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond. Whether you're chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook. PODCAST INFO: Podcast Website | Watch on Youtube | Join the Community FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter

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• The Purpose-Driven Power Player Behind Silicon Valley’s Quiet Money w/ Mike Anders, ICONIQ

  From Wall Street to Silicon Valley's inner circle—this is the untold story behind one of tech’s most trusted capital stewards. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Anders, Partner at ICONIQ, the quiet powerhouse managing over $80B for tech’s most iconic names. Mike opens up about his activist roots, Wall Street disillusionment, and the journey to building a purpose-driven financial empire. We go behind the curtain of ICONIQ’s rise, the venture bets that paid off, the AI wave, and why collaborative philanthropy is their next big frontier. Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 02:11 - Roots & Activism: Academic upbringing and activist parents; “Start outside politics” 04:25 - Disillusionment & Reinvention: donor-advised funds (DAFs), discovering purpose in philanthropy & the pivotal first coffee with Divesh Makan 07:37 - Building ICONIQ: From Alibaba to enterprise software to data centers; the power of collective wisdom from founder clients 15:09 - Market, AI, & Culture: Surviving financial crises and market cycles; ICONIQ’s bet on AI; reflections on culture 26:31 - The Shift to Impact: The genesis of ICONIQ Impact and the CoLab model 31:06 - The Cost & The Legacy: Leadership, humility, and enduring values READ MORE: ICONIQ Impact Half a Billion Report Michael Anders | Partner, ICONIQ Michael Anders is a founding partner of ICONIQ, a global investment firm that channels ideas, talent, and capital to initiatives that advance society. Michael is also the founder and Chairman of ICONIQ Impact, which convenes ICONIQ’s extraordinary community of families, founders, and organizations to catalyze collaborative philanthropy for giving at scale. To-date, ICONIQ Impact has advised on nearly $600M in grants, tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, including climate change, education and economic mobility, ocean health and other impact areas. FOLLOW MIKE: LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter Matti Navellou | Head of ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ  Matti Navellou is the Head of ICONIQ Impact, ICONIQ’s platform for collaborative philanthropy, which convenes ICONIQ’s extraordinary community of families, founders, and organizations to catalyze collaborative philanthropy for giving at scale. To-date, ICONIQ Impact has advised on nearly $900M in grants, tackling the world’s most urgent challenges, including climate change, mental health, women’s health and rights, refugee resettlement and poverty relief. Across her career, Matti has developed and launched several global human rights campaigns, including most recently at UNICEF HQ in New York, leading public advocacy campaigns for child rights. FOLLOW MATTI: LinkedIn | X/Twitter - PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://billiondollarmoves.com Watch on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/sarahchenglobal Join the community: https://sarah-chen.ck.page/billiondollarmoves FOLLOW SARAH: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sarahchenglobal Instagram: https://instagram.com/sarahchenglobal X/Twitter: https://x.com/sarahchenglobal

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