We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys
2. Carta
3. Archangel and Techstars
4. Current trends
5. Outlook for investing for 2026

Hamza Shad is an insights manager at Carta, where he analyzes data on startups and the venture capital ecosystem. He leads Carta's quarterly State of Pre-Seed report on early-stage companies and has spoken at Startup Grind, 500 Global, SOSV, the World Bank, and more.

Previously, Hamza conducted research on entrepreneurship in emerging markets at Endeavor. He holds a bachelor's in economics and political science from the University of Chicago and a master's in international development from University of Oxford.

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Mellie Chow is an Engineer turned Entrepreneur / Operator turned Angel Investor / Venture Capitalist with over 25+ years of experience across multiple industries including telecommunications & cable, utilities & power generation, banking, healthcare, government, and food.

She is a Board Advisor at Techstars Toronto Accelerator and a Venture Partner at Archangel Network of Funds, Axion Fund, ventureLAB EIR and University of Delaware - Horn Entrepreneurship - Venture Acceleration Lab mentor.

She is also an adjunct professor at New York University SPS and Elizabethtown College of Competitive Product Strategy. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering (University of Waterloo), an MBA (Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management & Schulich).

#podcast #AFewThingsPodcast

We discussed a few things including:

1. Jenny's career journey

2. The funding environment, then your fund

3. What she is seeing at the universities she teaches at; trends in young talent

4. Her new book

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re startup ecosystem

Jenny Fielding is a seasoned venture capitalist and technology trailblazer with a diverse background in law, finance, and entrepreneurship. As the founder of two tech startups, she understands the challenges of building companies from the ground up. She's also the author of the new book, Everywhere Ventures, https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Everywhere-Travel-Entrepreneurship-Roadmap/dp/B0DHQQTCG3

Now, with a decade of investing experience and a portfolio valued at $10 billion, Jenny leads Everywhere Ventures, the go-to venture fund for early-stage founders around the world.

Beyond investing, Jenny is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Cornell Tech, where she inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs. A sought-after speaker, Jenny has been featured on Bloomberg TV, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and TechCrunch, among many others.

#podcast #afewthingspodcast

We discussed a few things including:

1. Their career journeys

2. History of NFHA

3. Michael's impact on organization; AI in housing/financial services

4. April 28-30 Responsible AI Symposium
https://events.nationalfairhousing.org/2025AISymposium

5. Trends, challenges and opportunities re fair housing and technology

Lisa Rice is the President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), the nation’s only national civil rights agency solely dedicated to eliminating all forms of housing discrimination and ensuring equitable housing opportunities for all people and communities.

Lisa has led her team in using civil rights principles to bring fairness and equity into the housing, lending, and technology sectors. She is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Board of Directors, Center for Responsible Lending Board of Directors, FinRegLab Board of Directors, JPMorgan Chase Consumer Advisory Council, Mortgage Bankers Association Consumer Advisory Council, Freddie Mac Affordable Housing Advisory Council, Fannie Mae Affordable Housing Advisory Council, Quicken Loans Advisory Forum, Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Advisory Council, and Berkeley’s The Terner Center Advisory Council.

She has received numerous awards including the National Housing Conference’s Housing Visionary Award and was selected as one of TIME Magazine’s 2024 ‘Closers.’

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Dr. Michael Akinwumi translates values and principles to math and code. He ensures critical and emerging technologies like AI and blockchain enhance innovation, security, trust, and access in housing and financial systems, preventing historical injustices.

As a senior leader, he collaborates with policymakers and industry to strengthen protections and advance innovation. A Rita Allen Civic Science Fellow at Rutgers, he developed an AI policy tool for state-level impact and co-developed an AI Readiness (AIR) Index to help state governments assess their AI maturity.

Michael also advises AI companies on developing, deploying and adopting responsible innovations, driven by his belief that a life lived for others is most meaningful, aiming for lasting societal change through technology.

#podcast #afewthingspodcast