Scott Stephenson is the former Chairman, President, and CEO of Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ: VRSK), where he led the company's transformation from a nonprofit insurance data collective into a global data analytics powerhouse with a market cap of over $40 billion.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Scott and Auren discuss:

• Data monetization and defensibility strategies
• AI's impact on data businesses
• Leadership succession in data companies
• Effective board membership

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Scott Stephenson on Linkedin. 

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Martin Casado is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where he focuses on AI and infrastructure investments. He previously co-founded Nicira which was acquired by VMware for $1.2 billion in 2012.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Martin and Auren discuss:

• Economics of open source AI
• Chinese AI innovation with DeepSeek
• Model collapse and data moats
• Regulatory challenges in AI

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Martin Casado on X at @martin_casado.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Rajeev Goel is the co-founder and CEO of PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM), a sell-side advertising platform that processes over 780 billion ad impressions daily.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Rajeev and Auren discuss:

• Building private cloud infrastructure for ad tech
• Processing 780 billion daily ad impressions
• The rise of retail media networks
• Political advertising in Connected TV

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Rajeev Goel on LinkedIn.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Jack Abraham is the founder of Atomic, a startup studio that has launched several dozen companies including Hims & Hers, Openstore, and Bungalow. Before starting Atomic, Jack co-founded Milo, which he sold to eBay.

Auren and Jack discuss how the studio fund model works and what’s allowed Atomic to be successful in a space where many other studios have failed. Jack breaks down the process of finding scalable ideas and deciding which ones to allocate resources to. 

Auren and Jack also dive into the history of the startup studio model and highlight the success stories of companies like Uber, Twitter, and Moderna that originated from studios. They also discuss the benefits of starting a company during a downturn, scaling companies quickly, and the art of branding for both DTC and B2B companies. Jack also shares his thoughts on what’s made Miami a tech hub and where the city will be going in the future.  

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Jack Abraham on Twitter at @jackabraham.

Will Manidis is the CEO and founder of ScienceIO, which builds data solutions for health care. He was previously a managing partner at Dorm Room Fund, and a Thiel Fellow.

Auren and Will discuss American dynamism and the future of knowledge work. Will breaks down his view that technology has not improved our lives as much as it should have. He explains how the nature of platform shifts have accelerated tech earnings over the last decade, but kept actual progress low. 

Will and Auren also do a deep dive on healthcare: why it’s so expensive, why healthcare data is so difficult to work with, and what can be changed. Will emphasizes the need for more usable healthcare data and breaks down how operational workflows consume most of the healthcare dollars spent in the US. 

They also discuss Will’s practical advice for young founders (as a founder and former Thiel fellow), his early work on classical Greek and Latin, and why everyone should believe in demons.  

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Will Manidis on Twitter at @WillManidis.

Avlok Kohli is the CEO of AngelList and the founder of FastBite and Fairy. 

Auren and Avlok discuss the underestimated impact of AI and how it could be creating a tech mega cycle. Avlok explains the importance of unique data as a moat for companies building on top of large language models, and how this technology can disrupt incumbents. 

They also discuss the rise of Dual Threat CEOs and their outsized success in early stage venture capital. Avlok makes the case for why more current operators should start funds, and explains why they’ll thrive in the changing VC landscape. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Avlok Kohli on Twitter at @avlok.

Elad Gil is a prolific angel investor and advisor whose early investments include AirBnb, Coinbase, Pinterest, Stripe, and Square. He’s also the founder of Color Health and author of the bestselling book High Growth Handbook.

Elad and Auren discuss the challenges and opportunities for startups in the emerging AI technology landscape, particularly in comparison to incumbent companies. Elad breaks down what he’s learned as an angel investor and provides some non-generic advice for making good early-stage investments. 

Auren and Elad also discuss fundraising and operating in lean times, the potential for life extension drugs, and why the biotech market is so fragmented. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Elad Gil on Twitter at @eladgil.

Johnathan Bi is the host of a fantastic seven-part lecture series on the work of philosopher René Girard. He’s also a member of the founding team at Opto Investments. 

Auren and Johnathan discuss some of the fundamental concepts in Girard’s philosophy and how they apply to startups, venture capital, and life more broadly. They break down physical vs metaphysical desire, the power of self-delusion, and Girard's concept of zero-sum and negative-sum human interactions.

Johnathan explains what to make of Girard’s apocalyptic thoughts on the future of humanity, and makes some useful recommendations for using mimetic theory to improve your life. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Johnathan Bi on Twitter at @JohnathanBi.

Nicole Perlroth was the New York Times’ lead cybersecurity reporter for over a decade. She’s an advisor to the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee and the author of the bestselling book This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends.

Auren and Nicole discuss the global cyber landscape— which countries have the strongest hacking capabilities, how Ukraine has changed cyber warfare, and where the US stacks up against its adversaries. 

Nicole also shares insights on personal opsec and recounts her experience tracking down a potential leaker behind the Shadow Brokers hack of the NSA. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Nicole Perlroth on Twitter at @nicoleperlroth.

Sigal Mandelker served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence from 2017 to 2019. She’s currently a general partner at Ribbit Capital, which invests in fintech companies. 

Sigal and Auren discuss how sanctions actually work and what makes them effective. Sigal explains how the US’s role in the global financial system could change as new financial technology evolves. They also discuss how the government should work with the private sector, why crypto regulation has moved so slowly, and where the US is starting to look to other countries for regulatory leadership. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph & Flex Capital. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Sigal Mandelker on LinkedIn. 

Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. Prior to leading the ADL, he was the founder of Ethos Brands, VP of Global Consumer Products at Starbucks, and Director of the Office of Social Innovation during the Obama administration. 

Auren and Jonathan discuss the role of technology in amplifying hate and extremism in society, and what tech companies and regulators should do about it. Jonathan breaks down how Section 230 could be reformed and how tech companies should approach moderation. They also discuss what the boundaries of free speech, comedy and anonymity should be on the internet. 

Jonathan gives an overview of the ADL’s research and the unparalleled data they have on extremism in the US. He shares insights from the ADL’s nearly 100 years of public opinion polling and puts the most recent figures in historical context. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Jonathan Greenblatt on Twitter @JGreenblattADL.

Dr. Jonathan Levin is the Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He’s the winner of the 2011 John Bates Medal, and an expert in market design, game theory, and industrial organization. 

Auren and Jon discuss how Stanford GSB, one of the most selective schools in the world, thinks about finding talent. Jon breaks down the non-obvious ways universities foster innovation, and how that path of research differs from the private sector. 

They also discuss whether or not hedge fund managers are overcompensated, what datasets could improve public policy, and what kind of hard and soft skills are the most important today. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Jon Levin on LinkedIn or at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

Dr. Nir Barzilai discovered the first “longevity gene” in humans and pioneered key research around the biology of aging. He’s the founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the author of the book Age Later. 

Nir and Auren discuss the most promising studies and treatments in the field of anti-aging research and break down the major takeaways from Nir’s seminal studies on centenarians— why they live longer, and what the rest of us can learn from them. 

Nir also explains the role of genetics vs. environment in longevity and makes some data-backed recommendations for anyone who wants to live a longer, healthier life. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Nir Barzilai on Twitter @NirBarzilaiMD.

Mark Pincus is the founder of Zynga, which developed some of the most popular mobile games of all time like Farmville and Words With Friends. He currently runs Reinvent Capital and teaches product management at Stanford University. 

In this episode of World of DaaS, Mark and Auren discuss:

• Why games predict the future of tech
• Building on platforms like Facebook
• The economics of virtual goods
• Product frameworks for the AI era

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Mark Pincus on X at @markpinc.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Tony is a retired 4-star US Army General and was the commander of the US Special Operations Command from 2016 to 2019. During his 35-year military career, he played a key role in numerous high-profile operations, including the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. He’s currently a partner at Lux Capital.


Auren and Tony discuss what we’ve learned from the war in Ukraine and which countries are the strategic winners and losers of the conflict. Tony has a clear, nuanced view of Russia’s strengths and weaknesses and explains how the U.S. should be positioning itself against China.  

Auren and Tony also break down how AI should be implemented in military technology, whether NATO is still relevant, and which of the US’s major weapons systems are obsolete.

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Tony Thomas on Twitter @TonyT2Thomas. 

Auren and Megan discuss some of the less obvious factors that contributed to the superheated economy of the last decade. Megan breaks down how she thinks about monopolies in the tech sector and explains one of the most misunderstood things about markets. 

Megan also shares some of her insights on politics and culture. She explains how one of the most popular negotiation techniques in politics almost never works, how companies should think about cancellation mobs, and why there’s no point having a pen name on the internet anymore. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Megan McArdle on Twitter @asymmetricinfo. 

Jaan Tallinn is one of the founding engineers of Skype and the file-sharing service Kazaa. He’s also a co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk and the Future of Life Institute. 

Auren and Jaan discuss the trajectory of artificial intelligence and the existential risks it could present to humanity. Jann talks about the prevailing attitudes towards risk in AI research and what needs to change in order get aligned, safe AI. 

Jaan and Auren also talk about how Jaan’s native Estonia has become one of the most tech-forward societies in Europe. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and‍ Jaan Tallinn’s work on YouTube and at the Centre for Existential Risk and the Future of Life Institute. 

Baroness Dido Harding has held high-level leadership roles in the UK’s National Health Service and in the private sector, at companies like TalkTalk, Tesco, and Thomas Cook. She was executive chair of the NHS’s COVID-19 Test and Trace effort. 

Dido and Auren break down what we’ve learned about data and public health during the pandemic. Dido explains how publicly accessible data helped leaders and the general public make decisions, and outlines what we should be doing to prepare for the next pandemic. 

Auren and Dido also talk about running large organizations, staying productive, and what the public and private sectors have in common. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Dido Harding on Twitter at @didoharding.

Oren Etzioni was the founding CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, or AI2. He’s founded multiple companies that had successful exits, and he’s a professor emeritus at the University of Washington. 

Oren Etzioni and host Auren Hoffman discuss Oren’s criteria for artificial general intelligence and what signs he’s looking for to indicate that AGI is about to emerge. They talk about major issues in AI research right now, including the cost of compute, accessing data, and adversarial versus collaborative AI training methods.  

Oren shares how AI2 has been able to spin out so many successful companies and how he's found the balance between running a research organization and a business.   

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Oren Etzioni on Twitter at @etzioni

Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur, investor and author. He founded Roivant Sciences in 2014 and Strive Asset Management in 2021. He’s also the author of the bestselling books Woke Inc. and Nation of Victims. 

Auren and Vivek discuss how CEOs and leaders should think about ideology in the workplace— both their own and their employees’. Vivek breaks down the history of the ESG movement and pulls back the veil on two companies that have massive, little-understood power over the public markets— proxy advisory services ISS and Glass Lewis. 

Vivek also talks about what drives the pharmaceutical industry and what’s holding it back from greater innovation. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Vivek Ramaswamy on Twitter at @VivekGRamaswamy

David is a co-founder and partner at Craft Ventures, one of the foremost SaaS VCs. He was the former COO at Paypal and he’s invested in over 20 unicorns, including AirBnB, Facebook, Palantir, Uber, and SpaceX. 

David and Auren discuss the state of SaaS in 2023 and consider how layoffs, seat contraction, and the broader macro environment could affect the ecosystem this year. David shares some advice on how companies should be positioning themselves to weather the downturn. They also talk about bubbles and cycles in tech, how to spot stand-out founders early, and which analysts have the best record on foreign policy.  

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and David Sacks on Twitter at @DavidSacks

Bret Stephens is a foreign affairs columnist at the New York Times and author of America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder.

Auren and Bret discuss major takeaways from the war in Ukraine, and the US's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bret offers predictions about the future of warfare and weaponry, and explains what the US will have to do to remain the preeminent global power through the next decade. They also discuss cancel culture, decadence, and environmentalism. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Bret Stephens at the New York Times Opinion section. nytimes.com/column/bret-stephens

Thani Shamsi is the co-founder and CEO of Datarade, a Berlin-based data commerce platform. 

Auren and Thani dive deep into the data market and discuss how it’s developed in comparison to SaaS. Thani shares his insights on how the most successful data companies drive sales and how expects the data space to evolve. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Thani Shamsi on Twitter @ThaniShamsi.

Amit Bendov is a serial founder who’s scaled three unicorn software companies to massive exits. He’s currently the co-founder and CEO of Gong, an AI sales intelligence platform. 

Auren and Amit discuss the best practices for B2B sales, based on data Gong has collected from over a billion sales conversations. Amit breaks down how winning strategies have changed in the challenging macro environment. 

Auren and Amit also discuss the generational difference in startup founders and what’s made Israel the most startup-dense place on Earth. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Amit Bendov on LinkedIn.

Adam Singolda is the founder and CEO of Taboola (NASDAQ: TBLA), a content discovery platform that powers recommendations for Apple News, Yahoo, and other major publishers, reaching over 500 million daily active users.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Adam and Auren discuss:

• The war for internet user attention
• Why Apple and Amazon are becoming ad companies
• Building a discovery engine for the internet
• The future of AI-powered advertising

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Adam Singolda on X at @AdamSingolda.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Eric Frank is the founder and CEO of LightBox, a GIS real estate data company. He’s also the creator of ADR.com and former president of the Investment & Advisory division at Thomson Reuters. 

Eric brings his perspective from financial services to analyze data adoption in the commercial real estate space. He outlines some non-obvious effects of COVID on the market and breaks down where real estate tech is headed. 

Eric and Auren also discuss building a business through acquisitions, and how Eric managed to integrate the different technology companies that make up LightBox today. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Eric Frank on Twitter at @ericfrank. 

Bryan Mistele is the founder and CEO of INRIX, a leading provider of traffic data and analytics. 

Auren and Bryan discuss how vehicle technology is changing and when we can expect to see mass adoption of driverless cars in the US and around the world. Bryan breaks down which industries he expects will go autonomous first and how self-driving will affect total vehicle sales. 

Auren and Bryan also discuss the intricacies of operating a global data company and what better safety data could do for transportation.

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Bryan on Twitter at @BryanMi.

Sarah Bond is Corporate Vice President of Xbox’s Game Creator Experience & Ecosystem at Microsoft. 

Auren and Sarah discuss the future of gaming across platforms and where Sarah expects to see the most growth in the next few years. They break down the democratization of game development and what the growth of the creator economy could mean for the industry. 

Sarah also shares insights on how Microsoft transformed its culture to become a hyper successful acquirer and how she helped lead T-Mobile through its historic turnaround. 


World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Sarah on Twitter at @BondSarah_Bond.

Richard Barlow is the CEO of Wejo, a publicly traded company that collects and analyzes connected vehicle data. Wejo gathers billions of data points a day from cars all over the world.  

Richard and Auren discuss the state of global connected vehicle data— what data points are out there right now, how many cars on the road are equipped with connected tech, and what new sensors could do in the future. Richard also explains how data sharing could help get autonomous vehicles to the next level and bring self-driving tech to the mass market. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Richard on Twitter @RichardWejo. 

Dimitri Dadiomov is the co-founder and CEO of Modern Treasury, a payment operations software company valued at over $2 billion. 

Auren and Dimitri discuss the future of crypto payments, innovation (or lack thereof) in the massive B2B payments space, and what Dimitri expects to change as more instant payment services come on line in the next few years. 

They also dive into culture and break down how Dimitri was able to gain traction and scale Modern Treasury to a $2 billion valuation in less than four years. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Dimitri on Twitter at @dadiomov.

Richard Hanania is a foreign policy expert and author. He’s the president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology and a visiting scholar at the University of Texas’s Salem Center. 

Richard and Auren discuss which players have the most sway over American foreign policy and how they’ve affected the US’s global strategic positioning. Richard breaks down the failure of expert opinion in the intelligence community to anticipate events like the fall of Afghanistan and the invasion of Ukraine. They also discuss sanctions, NATO expansion and partisanship in Washington. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Richard on Twitter at @RichardHanania. 

Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, which manages over $800 million in digital assets. He’s also the founder of the SALT Conferences, and he briefly served as the White House Communications Director. 

Anthony and Auren break down the 2022 crypto crash in depth and discuss the major factors that led to the crash. Anthony shares his perspective on potential crypto regulation, institutional investing in the space, and which blockchain technologies he expects to become dominant. 

In addition to crypto, Auren and Anthony also discuss working in politics, the art of throwing good events, and Anthony’s finest Long Island wisdom. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Anthony on Twitter at @Scaramucci.

Keith Rabois is the CEO of Openstore and a general partner at Founders Fund. He’s had an amazing career as a founder and senior operator at some of the most innovative companies of the last 20 years, including Paypal, Square, Opendoor, and LinkedIn.

Auren and Keith take a deep dive into spotting talent— one of Keith’s strengths— and discuss how he’s managed to hire so many incredible people over the years. They break down what makes a successful founder, why sitting on “too many” boards is the right move for VCs, and how Keith has reverse engineered a tech scene in Miami.  

Keith has a highly unique perspective and brings sharp insight to everything from fundraising to culture to personal health. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Keith at @Rabois.

Packy McCormick is the founder and writer of Not Boring, a Web3 and startup newsletter. He’s also an investor at Not Boring Capital.

Packy and Auren dive into the tech landscape on a generational scale and talk about the loss of tech optimism and what’s limiting technological progress today. They discuss how to evaluate early-stage companies as investments and Packy shares his insight on what he looks for in crypto and Web3 companies. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Packy at @PackyM. 

Grover Norquist is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform and one of the most influential conservative activists in Washington. 

Grover and Auren discuss the historical balance of power between the two parties and what partisan realignment has meant for the country. They also talk about the future of the filibuster in the Senate and the structural shifts that have occurred in taxation, investing, and education in the last 30 years. 

Grover is one of the most long-term thinkers in the political space and he gives a master class on thinking about strategy in decades, rather than election cycles.    

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Grover on Twitter at @GroverNorquist

Mark Zagorski is the CEO of DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV), a $3.4B market cap company that provides digital media measurement and verification software to major advertisers and platforms.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Mark and Auren discuss:

• The $100B digital ad fraud economy
• Why marketing data is wrong but works
• The death of cookies and what's next
• Building sustainable independent adtech companies

This episode of World of DaaS was brought to you by Alkemi. Check out alkemi.ai to learn how Alkemi can help you unlock the AI market.

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Mark Zagorski on LinkedIn.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Michael Brown recently finished his term as director of the Defense Innovation Unit, a DoD organization focused on accelerating the adoption of commercial technology by the military.

Auren and Michael go in depth on defense spending and discuss how to reform the budget process. Michael outlines the challenges of buying commercial technology for the military and offers some advice for startups looking to work with the government. They also discuss how new technologies are being used in the war in Ukraine and what the government can do to hire more innovative people.   

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Michael on LinkedIn at @michaelabrownceo.

Congressman Jim Himes (D-CT 4th) serves as the chair of the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee.

Jim and Auren discuss Jim’s recent white paper on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) that explored the potential for a US CBDC and how it should be structured. They also talk about what regulation could mean for the crypto landscape and discuss why it’s so hard for the military to buy innovative tech.    

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Jim on Twitter at @jahimes.

Jason Gardner is the founder and CEO of Marqeta, an open-API card issuing platform used by companies like Square, Doordash, and Uber. 

Jason is one of the most knowledgeable people in the complex world of payments. He gives an in depth breakdown of how the global payments system actually works and shares his outlook on disruptors like crypto and mobile wallets. Jason and Auren also talk about the differences between startup and scale CEOs, the process of going public, and what the best executive chairmen have in common.    

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Jason on Twitter at @jmgards.

Tim Urban is the creator of Wait But Why, a blog with over half a million monthly subscribers. He writes about productivity, science, politics and the future. 

Tim and Auren discuss some of Tim’s biggest ideas around technology, including cryonics, life extension, and artificial superintelligence. They break down Tim’s framework for understanding political polarization and Tim shares his unique perspective on tackling some of life’s biggest challenges, from beating procrastination to marrying the right person.  

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Tim on Twitter @waitbutwhy or on his blog Wait But Why. 

RJ Pittman is the CEO of Matterport, a $1.2 billion market cap spatial data and 3D capture company. 

RJ and Auren discuss the mechanics of bringing real estate, an “offline” asset class, into the 21st century. RJ talks about the company’s decision to launch a smartphone capture app and adopt a freemium model. He also shares some insight on entering an organization as a non-founder CEO. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and RJ Pittman on Twitter @rjpittman.

Mark Penn is the CEO of Stagwell and a longtime pollster and strategic advisor. He’s a former senior executive at Microsoft and has advised politicians including Bill Clinton and Tony Blair.

Mark and Auren discuss Mark’s books Microtrends and Microtrends Squared, in which Mark identified minor demographic trends and predicted their outsized impact on society and the economy. Mark gets into the mechanics of good opinion polling and breaks down the major differences between political and consumer polling, and how internet polling is affecting the industry. They also discuss Stagwell and Mark’s digital-first strategy for disrupting the old-school advertising holding companies. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Mark at @Mark_Penn.

Christopher Ahlberg is the founder and CEO of Recorded Future, a cyberintelligence firm that sold for $780 million in 2019. He formerly co-founded the business intelligence software company Spotfire. 

Christopher and Auren discuss the global cybercrime landscape, from emerging threats and ransomware gangs to international conflicts and the geopolitics of taking down hackers. They dive into how the US can improve its cyber defenses, both in the public and private spheres, and talk about the sprawling US security apparatus. They also discuss cyber operations in Ukraine and what we can expect from future conflicts. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Christopher on Twitter @cahlberg.

Terry Kawaja is the founder and CEO of Luma Partners, a media and technology investment bank. Terry has advised on over $300 billion in transactions, including some of the biggest deals in media, tech and advertising. 

Auren and Terry discuss the changes in the markets over the last few months and what they expect from the M&A landscape in the near term. Terry shares his thoughts on the long-term outlook for consolidation in the media and advertising space and where he thinks the next most innovative companies will appear in adtech. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Terry on Twitter @tkawaja.

Sheila Heen is the Deputy Director of the Harvard Negotiation Project and the bestselling author of Difficult Conversations. She’s an internationally recognized negotiation coach and trainer. 

Sheila and Auren discuss how to approach your toughest conversations, including best practices for opening a negotiation, defusing conversations that feel adversarial and giving and receiving better feedback. They also talk about the surprising similarities in tough conversations at work and at home, and how you can use negotiation strategies to throw a better dinner party. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren.

Cindy Cohn is the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the largest digital rights organization in the world. 

In this wide ranging conversation, Cindy and Auren touch on a number of topics across the tech space, including privacy on the Blockchain, interoperability and the politics around regulating big tech. They discuss the unintended consequences of privacy protections and what smart regulation should seek to accomplish. 

Cindy brings a unique perspective to the debate around open access to data and discusses how to think critically about the power that data can unlock. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren.

Farley Mesko is the CEO and co-founder of Sayari, a financial intelligence and supply chain risk platform that serves major financial institutions, government agencies, and corporations.

In this episode of World of DaaS, Farley and Auren discuss:

• How geopolitics are reshaping global supply chains
• The evolution of financial crime networks
• Building data products for government agencies
• Why entity resolution is the future of intelligence

Looking for more tech, data and venture capital intel? Head to worldofdaas.com for our podcast, newsletter and events, and follow us on X @worldofdaas.  

You can find Auren Hoffman on X at @auren and Farley Mesko on LinkedIn.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

Neal Katyal is a professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University, a partner at Hogan Lovells law firm, and the former Acting Solicitor General. He has argued 45 cases before the Supreme Court.   

Neal and Auren look back on the Supreme Court’s most recent term and Neal brings some historical context to the court’s major decisions. They discuss the court’s new balance of power and Neal explains how Supreme Court lawyers can make arguments on the most complex legal issues in under 30 minutes. 

They also talk about productivity, balancing multiple roles, and how to get the best people on your team. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Neal Katyal at @neal_katyal

David Epstein is the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Range” and “The Sports Gene”.  

Auren and David discuss David’s latest book Range and his counterintuitive ideas about specialization and why generalists are so powerful. They talk about why the 10,000 hours rule is overrated, how specialists get so many major predictions wrong, and how to think about talent and interest in your own career. 

David also discusses some of the intricacies of genetics in medicine and gives some non-obvious advice for healthy living. 

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and David at @DavidEpstein. You can also find David’s newsletter at https://davidepstein.bulletin.com/. 

Rob Buxton is a partner at AGC Partners where he specializes in the DaaS and SaaS capital markets.  Rob has completed over 300 financings and M&A transactions in his career. 

Rob and Auren dive into the recent trends in the data-as-a-service (DaaS) sector.  They break down the insights from Rob’s recent DaaS sector report and dig into what makes the great data companies great and the broader DaaS M&A landscape.  Rob walks through the different types of data companies out there, their respective competitive advantages and TAMs, and how the recent downturn has impacted the DaaS space. 

They also discuss when external data can benefit a company, what data readiness looks like, and why DaaS companies are so profitable at scale. 

Rob’s DaaS sector report can be found here: https://www.blackpeakcapital.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/AGC-DaaS-Mar-2022.pdf

World of DaaS is brought to you by SafeGraph. For more episodes, visit safegraph.com/podcasts.

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You can find Auren Hoffman on Twitter at @auren and Rob Buxton on LinkedIn.