“Execution is everything in startups.” - Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals and a longtime leader in venture banking and lending.

Before becoming an author, Marshall spent more than two decades in venture banking, including sixteen years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he held nine different roles across three countries. Most recently, he led SVB’s Relationship Management organization in Northern California and oversaw the bank’s in-house private credit team, the Strategic Capital Group. Over his career, Marshall has worked closely with hundreds of startups — including Airbnb, Twitch, Fitbit, Planet Labs, Tubemogul, and Egnyte — giving him a rare, front-row view into how founders use (and sometimes misuse) venture debt.

The conversation dives deep into the mechanics of venture debt, how banks actually think about underwriting risk, and why venture debt can be a powerful — but often misunderstood — tool for extending runway and minimizing dilution. Marshall also shares candid insights on team dynamics, execution, and how the venture lending landscape has evolved in the wake of SVB’s collapse.

They explore what great lenders look for, how founders should evaluate financing options, and why building strong relationships with capital partners is just as important as raising the money itself.

Chapters:

00:00 The Role of Banks in Venture Debt

01:34 Introduction to Venture Debt Deals

04:03 The Journey to Authorship

09:07 History and Evolution of Venture Lending

12:22 Understanding Venture Debt

17:49 The Underwriting Process in Venture Debt

21:44 When to Use Venture Debt

25:19 Evaluating Team Dynamics

29:33 The Importance of Team Functionality

36:31 Case Study: Airbnb’s Success

46:03 The Impact of SVB’s Failure

51:26 Conclusion and Book Release

Watch now to understand how venture debt really works, what founders often get wrong about it, and how the best teams use capital as a strategic advantage — not a crutch.

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies

👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #VentureDebt #Startups #Financing #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #SVB #Leadership #TeamDynamics #PeakTeams

“AI is a gigantic multiplier.” - Boris Sofman, Co-Founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics

In this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin sits down with Boris Sofman, Co-Founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics, to explore how AI and robotics are transforming the physical world — starting with heavy machinery and construction.

Boris brings rare, deep experience across consumer robotics, autonomous vehicles, and now autonomous construction. Prior to Bedrock, he spent five years as an engineering executive at Waymo, helping scale autonomous trucking and the Waymo One robo-taxi network, which has logged over 100 million fully driverless miles. Before that, Boris spent a decade building Anki, shipping millions of robots globally and scaling the business to over $100M in annual revenue.

The conversation dives into the real challenges of physical AI, why edge intelligence matters more than ever, and how Bedrock’s vision of a “digital operator” for heavy machinery could unlock massive gains in productivity, safety, and predictability across construction and infrastructure.

They also explore team dynamics in advanced AI development, lessons from deploying autonomy in the real world, and how AI is reshaping creativity, work, and entire industries.

Chapters

00:00 The Role of AI in Productivity

02:22 Automation in Heavy Machinery

05:06 Insights from Waymo and Autonomous Driving

07:48 Challenges in Physical AI vs Digital AI

10:36 The Future of Edge AI and Robotics

13:19 The Evolution of Humanoid Robots

16:03 Managing AI Development and Team Dynamics

18:50 The Vision Behind Bedrock’s Digital Operator

21:51 Unlocking Construction Efficiency

24:38 The Shift in Team Collaboration and Structure

27:17 The Future of Work and AI’s Impact

29:50 The Democratization of Creativity

32:50 Final Thoughts and Personal Reflections

Watch now to understand why autonomous construction isn’t just a breakthrough — it’s an economic necessity — and how AI is becoming the ultimate force multiplier for the physical world.

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies

👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #AI #Robotics #Automation #ConstructionTech #FutureOfWork #Productivity #Waymo #BedrockRobotics #Leadership #PeakTeams

"We want to create more capitalists."

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Seth Levine, Partner at Foundry and co-author of The New Builders and Capital Evolution. Seth has spent his career at the intersection of venture capital, entrepreneurship, and social impact — backing companies, funds, and ideas that aim to redefine capitalism for the modern era.

The conversation explores the intersection of technology, capitalism, and the future of work. Seth shares insights from his latest book, Capital Evolution, examining how AI, innovation, and ownership models can drive a more inclusive and dynamic form of capitalism — one that rebuilds the middle class, empowers employees, and strengthens community.

They also discuss lessons from interviews with CEOs, the need for collaboration between business and government, and why offsite meetings remain one of the most powerful tools for strategic alignment and leadership connection.

Chapters

00:00 Techno-Optimism and the Future of Work

01:38 Exploring the Future of Capitalism

08:23 Insights from CEO Interviews

11:43 Rebuilding the Middle Class

19:45 The Impact of AI on Employment

24:30 Collaboration Between Business and Government

26:55 Concrete Actions for CEOs

48:13 The Importance of Offsites and Team Alignment

53:51 Personal Reflections and Future Aspirations

Watch now to explore how Seth and the next generation of leaders are evolving capitalism — and why optimism, ownership, and collaboration are key to shaping a better future of work.

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

Music by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #SethLevine #CapitalEvolution #Foundry #AI #FutureOfWork #Entrepreneurship #Capitalism #Leadership #EmployeeOwnership #PeakTeams