Silicon Valley Impact
Welcome to Silicon Valley Impact, where insight meets innovation in the world of business. Join hosts Brian Sparkes and Brian Bernasconi as they delve into the stories of local and global businesses that are making a real impact. Whether you’re a startup founder, a small business owner, or someone looking to navigate the dynamic business ecosystem, this show is your guide to success. Tune in to gain valuable insights, discover new strategies, and stay ahead of the curve in today’s ever-evolving business landscape. Get ready to be inspired and informed on Silicon Valley Impact!
Episodes
100 episodes. Hundreds of conversations. Countless lessons from the entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators shaping the future. Thank you for being part of the Silicon Valley Impact journey.
AI is changing how we work—but who is building the systems, communities, and infrastructure that will shape what's next?
To celebrate our 100th episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with two remarkable leaders driving innovation ...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with three remarkable innovators shaping the future of fashion, entrepreneurship, accessibility, and technology: Azadeh Riaz, Founder and CEO of House of Azadeh; Ella Shukho, a venture ecosystem leader and startup growth strategist; and Zain Samdani, co-founder of Exoheal and Please Touch This Art.
Azadeh is an internationally recognized fashion designer, entrepreneur, an...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Darnell Adler, Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and Red Bull Basement World Champion 2026; Felipe Gurgel, Principal at Actions Capital; and Ziv Lautman, PhD, a researcher, entrepreneur, and educator working at the intersection of human physiology, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence.
Darnell Adler is the Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and the Red Bull Base...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we bring together three exceptional leaders at the forefront of sales, partnerships, growth, AI, and executive performance.
Nicole Ward is Senior Vice President of Sales at Aon, founder of the Executive Athlete platform, author of Biohacking for the Sales Athlete, and host of both the Aon at the Top and Executive Athlete podcasts. Nicole helps executives, board members, and C-suite l...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Tess Robinson, Managing Partner at FTB Capital Group, where she leads the Longevity Fund — investing in startups at the intersection of innovation, inclusion, impact, and human wellbeing.
Tess believes the best companies are built by founders who prioritize longevity over burnout.
Based in the Bay Area, Tess creates spaces for honest conversations around ...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we have Mala Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures; and Manan Mehta, Co-Founder and General Partner of Unshackled Ventures.
Mala is a founder, venture capitalist, and product executive focused on AI, enterprise SaaS, and emerging technologies. As Founder and Managing Partner of Progressive Ventures, she invests in high-growth startups across ecosystems including YC, S...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Naeem Zafar, CEO Coach, Board Advisor, entrepreneur, professor, an angel investor; Ryan Green, Principle at Antler; and Stephanie El-Chakieh, Pharm.D., M.Sc., Founder/CEO of WellVerve, and Author, for a conversation at the intersection of venture, innovation, and human performance.
Naeem is a seasoned CEO advisor and board leader with deep experience building, ...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Sobhan Khani, President and Partner at Plug and Play Tech Center, and one of the earliest team members who helped scale the company from a 20-person Bay Area startup into a global innovation platform with over 800 employees worldwide.
Over the past decade, Sobhan has played a key role in expanding Plug and Play across multiple industries, including mobility, energy, fint...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with three leaders shaping the future of AI, security, and venture: Eugene Malobrodsky (General Partner, One Way Ventures), Anna Kovaleva (Omnissa), and Irina Tagintseva (AI Architect, Apple).
Eugene Malobrodsky is a General Partner at One Way Ventures and a serial founder behind AnchorFree, the company behind Hotspot Shield with over 650M downloads. He later co-fou...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Benny Liao, Principal at Acorn Pacific Ventures, and Ryan Wang, General Partner at Solaris Venture Partners, for a conversation on AI infrastructure, frontier technology, and the evolving landscape of global venture capital.
Benny Liao is a Principal at Acorn Pacific Ventures, a Silicon Valley–based venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments ...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Bryce Gilleland, General Partner of Cal Innovation Fund II; and Chima Osuka, Senior Partner at Suncoast Ventures.
Bryce is the General Partner of Cal Innovation Fund II, a venture fund investing in startups founded by entrepreneurs from UC Berkeley and the University of California ecosystem. His mission is to tenaciously support founders in achieving performance with pu...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Marcus Sawyerr, Founder & CEO of EQ.app, and Mike Lee, a Silicon Valley native and entrepreneur making a meaningful impact through business and community.
Marcus is a pioneering force in AI-driven sales and staffing recruitment, with more than 19 years of experience leading innovation. As Founder & CEO of EQ.app—an AI productivity platform built for ...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, AJ Thomas joins us back in studio as guest co-host as Brian Bernasconi and I sit down with Richard Hua, Chief EQ Officer and global keynote speaker, and Elena Beloshapkova, two-time founder, CEO of inspace, and EY Businesswoman of the Year—exploring the intersection of emotional intelligence and autonomous AI.
Rich is a global authority on building emotionally intelligent...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Danil Kislinskiy, Founder & CEO of Go Global World, and Jonathan Padilla, Founder & CEO of Exonome.
Danil built Go Global World into an international venture platform connecting startups, investors, and mentors across Silicon Valley, Europe, and emerging markets. Through global community-building and hands-on ecosystem design, Danil helps founders achi...
🎙️ This week on Silicon Valley Impact, we’re joined by three leaders shaping the future of technology, capital, and innovation:
🔹 Faisal Mushtaq — Founder & CEO of TechCon Global, best-selling author, investor 🔹 Ellen Damaso — Venture & Capital Partner at Plus Ultra Capital Partners 🔹 Kunal Chandiramani — Co-Founder & CEO of ZeroToIP
Faisal Mushtaq is a visionary C-suite ex...
🎙️ This week on Silicon Valley Impact — we’re bringing together builders, investors, and connectors shaping the startup ecosystem from multiple angles.
Joining me on the show:
🔹 Sam Wong — CEO of FundableStartups.com, serial startup operator, and author of 21 Secrets of Successful Startups. Sam has led multiple venture-backed companies through scale and acquisition and now helps founders become truly fundable be...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we kickoff Season 3 with Keith Kaplan, CEO of Maykr Inc.; and San Jose entrepreneurial legend, Mauricio Mejia.
Keith is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and executive with deep experience across capital, technology, and media. He leads Maykr’s integrated ecosystem, directing investment toward AI, robotics, sustainable and nuclear energy, and advanced data infrastructure to hel...
On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact we speak with Anshu Agarwal, General Partner at Converge; and Amar Flora, General Partner at Solaris Venture Partners. We talking about Scaling the Future: Where Veteran Operators Meet Multi-Agent AI.
Anshu has spent 20+ years founding, scaling, and exiting venture-backed B2B tech companies in Silicon Valley. She has helped build four startups as a founder or early executive&mda...
On this week’s episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Kamal Hassan, Managing Partner at Loyal VC, and Baron Cannon, educator and angel investor with Sand Hill Angels.
Kamal is a Managing Partner at Loyal VC, a diversified evergreen venture fund that offers investors the flexibility to buy or sell units quarterly. Loyal invests early in top founders from three global networks and earns loyalty for preferred access to ...
🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT — Silicon Valley Impact This week, we sat down with two powerhouse innovators: Jackie Wu and Alan Malon.
⭐ Jackie Wu — From Refugee to Top 1% Sales Leader & Global CoachJackie’s story is one of extraordinary transformation. From escaping war-torn Vietnam and arriving in the U.S. barely speaking English… to building a career that spans Stanford University, Nvidia, and becoming a ...
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