Auren Hoffman is one of the most connected people in Silicon Valley. In a place where the currency of the land is connections – Auren is near the top of the heap.
Auren is a Founder and CEO — He founded SafeGraph in 2016, and
previously founded LiveRamp, which is now public (NYSE: RAMP) – a leading data
platform.
Auren is also an investor – he has invested in more than 120
active technology companies.
Auren went to UC Berkeley a B.S.E. in Industrial Engineering and
Operations Research from UC Berkeley.
But perhaps most importantly – Auren shares his wisdom: Often in napkin sketches, shared on Twitter. In this podcast we discuss Auren’s journey, his wisdom and his view from his unique perch in Silicon Valley.
Nicole Taylor CEO, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
In Silicon Valley enormous wealth and huge need sit side by side. The gap is bridged in large part by an important organization – Silicon Valley Community Foundation (“SVCF”). SVCF manages more than $10 billion. In this episode Nicole Taylor, SVCF’s CEO, tells us where the money comes from, where it goes, and the practical issues of giving to support Black Lives Matter.
Since taking the helm at SVCF, Nicole has led the
organization to renew its focus on the many challenges facing residents of San
Mateo and Santa Clara counties – two of the largest counties in Silicon Valley.
In April 2020, Nicole was invited by San José Mayor Sam
Liccardo to be among the five co-chairs of the Silicon Valley Recovery
Roundtable. This group was formed to address
how Silicon Valley will adapt and thrive in the aftermath of the COVID-19
pandemic. In the early months of pandemic response, SVCF raised over $50
million for funds to meet the needs of individuals, families, nonprofit
organizations, small businesses and education systems across 10 counties in the
Bay Area.
Before joining SVCF, Nicole served as vice president of the
ASU Foundation, and as dean of Students at Arizona State University. Prior to
her time at ASU, Nicole was the associate vice provost of student affairs. She has also served as dean of community
engagement and diversity at Stanford University.
In this episode we discuss what SVCF does, how the increase in Bay Area wealth has impacted it. We also discuss the practical giving aspects related to solving problems highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.
