I had the pleasure of chatting with Zach Resnick, the founder and CEO of Ascend (formerly FlyFlat), a membership program for frequent travelers that eliminates 90% of travel decisions and saves 35% off biz/first class flights.

Ascend has been helping my partners Jose and Jeff with all their travels for a couple years now, saving FJ Labs over six figures since we first learned about them.

Prior to starting Ascend, Zach opened hundreds of credit cards, manufactured over $100M in credit card spend, and started three other travel companies. In addition, he started a crypto hedge fund and a blockchain and fintech-focused venture fund.

We covered the following:
• How he opened 300 credit cards.
• Tips to save lots of $ on travel with miles and points.
• Why as a former VC Ascend hasn't raised much capital.
• How to save time and be healthier when traveling long-haul.

The venture market is in flux. AI is booming while the rest of venture is in the dumps. Venture capital as an asset class is evolving and retrenching. Fewer deals are happening at higher prices. New marketplace types are emerging. AI is impacting marketplaces in unexpected ways and new technologies are coming of age. There is much to discuss!

You can follow along live on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch.

If you are interested in seeing past episodes, including the supporting materials presented during the stream, check out my blog's Playing with Unicorns section.

It takes me a while to write episode summaries. For the latest shows, check out Playing With Unicorns on YouTube, Spotify, or iTunes.

Clutch has had an incredible ride. As the "Carvana of Canada" it was a highflier in 2021. It had a brush with death in 2023 and effected an incredible turnaround. They are now once again on a tear. Dan Park, Clutch's Founder & CEO, joined us to share all the lessons learned along the way.