The Truth About Venture Funds in 2026 with James Shecter from Makena Capital | Full Stack Podcast

From Investment Banking to Fashion Founder @ the Stanford GSB: Coco Wang’s Version Up Journey

In Episode 3 of The Full Stack, Ryan Chandra, David Pantera, and Garrett Clinton are joined by classmate Coco Wang, the visionary behind Version Up. Coco shares her unconventional transition from high-stakes tech investing at TPG and investment banking at Moelis to teaching herself to sew and launching a machine-washable workwear brand.In this episode, we dive into: * The "Asking" Framework: How Coco landed Miss USA as a brand ambassador through persistence. * Bootstrapping in China: Navigating international supply chains and cold-calling 50+ factories. * The Solo Founder Reality: Managing the mental toll of entrepreneurship and building a support system. * Fashion Meets AI: Coco’s outlook on how AI fashion labs are revolutionizing digital assets and content creation for small brands. * The Stanford Strategy: Leveraging the GSB as a "risk-hedging" tool and a direct-to-consumer testing ground.Whether you are building in software or physical goods, Coco’s insights on discipline, agency, and target marketing are essential for any aspiring founder.

The Truth About Venture Funds in 2026 with James Shecter from Makena Capital | Full Stack Podcast

Welcome to the Full Stack Podcast with your hosts David, Garrett, and Ryan. On this episode, we sit down with James, an investor at Makena Capital, to pull back the curtain on the venture capital ecosystem. James shares his journey from investment banking and private equity to becoming a capital allocator, explaining exactly how capital flows to venture funds. We dive deep into the current saturated venture market, the rising importance of secondary markets for liquidity, and why investing in existential global issues like healthcare and power generation is crucial for the future. Plus, James gives his honest advice for students trying to break into VC today and answers our rapid fire questions about his favorite books, music, and his take on the Harvard vs Stanford debate. Subscribe to the Full Stack channel for more conversations on technology, venture capital, and AI!

Why We're Starting a Podcast at the Stanford GSB | Episode 1

In the inaugural episode of Full Stack, Stanford GSB classmates Ryan Chandra, Garrett Clinton, and David Pantera introduce a new forum for campus-led innovation. The team discusses the "two-year time warp" of the MBA experience and the unique opportunity to analyze emerging technologies from the Stanford vantage point. In this episode, we cover: * The Mission: Why student-led perspectives are vital for understanding the future of tech. * Industry Deep Dives: Initial thoughts on the AI infrastructure stack, trust in technology, and the "retreat from financial mediocrity". * Looking Ahead: Our goals for archiving the most important tech transformations of our time. Subscribe to follow our journey through the Stanford ecosystem and beyond.