Chris Yeh's First Podcast

I'm joined by special guest Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures to review three hot ventures from February 2020.  Scott and I walk through three different deals: Roblox, Maven Clinic, and Iora Health.

My friend and HBS classmate Lindsey Mead and I preview our upcoming series of interviews with our business school classmates.  Since our in-person reunion has been cancelled (current plans are to replace it with a "blackjack" reunion in 2021), we're filling the gap with a series of interviews to allow our classmates to catch up on what their old friends have been up to. In this introductory double episode, Lindsey and I interview each other, previewing the set of questions we'll be asking our classmates.

In this special episode, I'm joined by Scott Johnson and Jeff Abbott of Blitzscaling Ventures to discuss the merits of Pestachio, a new startup with a focus on sustainable, eco-friendly pest control.

I'm joined by Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures to discuss OfferUp, the local marketplace company that recently bought its rival LetGo and raised $120 million.  We discuss the history of OfferUp, my own usage of the service as a substitute for hauling goods to the garbage dump, and run through a blitzscalability analysis of the company before congratulating my friend Josh Breinlinger of Jackson Square Ventures, who led the company's Series A round in 2013.

I'm joined by special guest Scott Johnson of Blitzscaling Ventures to review three hot ventures from January 2020.  Scott and I explain our blitzscaling analysis and walk through three different deals: Security.ai, Launch Darkly, and Roof Stock.

Dr. Jackie took time out of her incredibly busy schedule (she just had time to squeeze me in between 28-hour shifts) to record this interview.  Think of it as an appetizer, allowing you to learn about her incredible family, how trying beauty pageants in college helped turn her from a shy nerd into the amazing, born-to-the-stage nerd we know and love, and her other television in a famous singing competition.  Start thinking of follow-up questions you'd like me to ask when Jackie returns! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

I hope you enjoy this super-sized interview with Ryan "Mr. Fabulous" Jones.  We discuss Ryan's life, including the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family.  Ryan then reveals that he is actually a second-generation game show contestant, following in the footsteps of his mom and dad, who both won big on Wheel of Fortune.  He was literally raised to be on TV, which he proved on Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and Mental Samurai.  We also talk about his passion, Soulcycle, and how his first session literally changed his life.  Finally, we do a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes machinations of Mental Samurai, which explained a number of things that I had been wondering about, and conclude with some suggestions for how we might return to your living rooms in the future.  Enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this special episode, Season 1 competitor, seasoned game show guy, and litigator extraordinaire Joey Gutmann interviews me about the Mental Samurai finale, my April 30 run, and my future in the game show world.  We do discuss the results of the finale, so if you haven't watched it yet, this is your spoiler alert.  Stick around for the end, where Joey makes a surprise announcement to share some incredible news. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this episode, I interview fellow Mental Samurai Ben Bergstrom, whose run appeared in Episode 9 of Season 1.  In this extended interview, Ben and I discuss his amazing life story (he is the biological son of a famous actress, his adopted parents are actors, and he thought he might want to become a lawyer before ultimately moving to Hollywood to become an actor), the dramatic events of his run, and why his birth mom was so animated during the show.  This is the longest interview yet, so enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

My recap of the final regular season episode of Mental Samurai, Season 1.  I discuss the runs of Boris Chernin (the emergency consultant), Marlie Clarke (the flight attendant), Courtney Courter (the model), Miles Nye (the game maker), Eric Schroeder (the tennis pro), Josh Kronz (the math teacher) and Ben Bergstrom (the bartender).  In particular, I discuss how Ben's approach helped him become a Mental Samurai (don't rush!) and fill people in on the story behind his surprisingly young and attractive mom, Amy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

I sit down with Unreasonable FUTURE fellow Mary Hayes, the founder and CEO of WorkBay, and talk about the remarkable work she does in communities around the country.  To learn more about Mary and WorkBay, visit:  http://www.workbay.net --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

I'm joined by my old friend Pascal Finette as we discuss his career, what brought him to Silicon Valley, and how important it is to encourage entrepreneurs to be thoughtful about how they are changing the world. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

Chris Yeh is back with another Mental Samurai episode recap!  This week's competitors were Alex Goines (the adventure racer), Marissa Willman (the woman gamer), Arius George (the trick shot cop), Zach Engel (Tom Selleck meets Billy Ray Cyrus), Kristy Agamegwa (the late-in-life graduate), and Dylan Gentile (the classical pianist).  This week's episode features two winners who are going on to the May 21 season finale! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

It's a banner day--two episodes in a single afternoon.  Can we go for three? In this episode, I interview my fellow Tuesday competitor Stella Zawistowski.  We get to learn all about her eclectic life, including how she got into crosswords, and how "revenge dating" after breaking off an engagement allowed her to find true love with her husband.  Tune in and hear about her upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this episode, I interview former Marine Corps intelligence officer and current stay-at-home dad Adam Thomas about his life journey, and his run on Mental Samurai.  I think you'll enjoy hearing the details on how he and his wife met in Iraq without ever seeing each other face-to-face, how he ended up on the show (hint: Once again, it was MENSA), and why the circumstances of his run may have contributed to his going too quickly. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this extra-special recap, I discuss the action of Episode 7 of Mental Samurai, including my own run which led to my being crowned the third Mental Samurai (after Nathan Gonzalez and Dr. Jackie).  I also talk a little bit about the experience of hosting my own Mental Samurai watch party.  Competitors covered include Nick Bremner (the Accountant), Matthew Schultz (the Handsome Pastor), La Tawnya Robinson (the 3rd-Grade Teacher), Kenyatta Smith (the Firefighter), Roz Paul (the 74-year-young Retiree), and Adam Thomas (the Marine turned Stay-at-Home Dad).  This episode features some extensive discussion of the pros and cons of taking your time. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In today's episode, I recap the action from Episode 6 of this season of Mental Samurai.  The theme of today's show was the Memory tower, as contestant after contestant--including two memory champions, Ron White and Luis Angel--lost on Memory questions.  Today's competitors were Hannah Cussen (Stanford freshman and tae kwon do black belt), Steve Kaye (Las Vegas entertainment executive), Chad Poist (farmboy, dad, and supply chain manager), Stella Zawistowski (crossword champion), and the night's big winner, Ryan "Mr. Fun" Jones (soulcycle instructor, fabulous). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

I hope you enjoy this extended interview with America's first Mental Samurai, Nathan Gonzalez!  We dig deep into his life, including how he ended up carrying on the family tradition in the hospital, his days as a football star, before a devastating injury ended his dreams of a Division 1 scholarship, and what he has planned for the future.  We also discuss some of the crazy things he encountered backstage, which make his amazing run even more impressive. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this episode, I interview Mental Samurai competitor Matt Potts, a Marine and Mensa member who came up just one question short of perfection.  Matt and I discuss his life and journey, and his very cool plans for after he retires from the Marine Corps. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support

In this episode, I recap the action that took place in Episode 5 of Mental Samurai (Tuesday, April 16).  I discuss the runs of Glenn Hetrick (the black-belt pilot), Ed Moses (the Olympic Gold medalist), Jack Vomacka (the USC freshman and aspiring fantasy novelist), Nancy Jo Perdue (the retired journalist), and Dr. Jackie Boheme (the anesthesiologist).  I also spend some extra time discussing Dr. Jackie's amazing story, which I think the show edited down simply because it is so unbelievable that a single person could be so accomplished.  I hope you enjoy the episode! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chris-yeh-podcast/support