Advice from Ciaran Quinn, advisor and LP of Berkeley SkyDeck - 30-year journey as an entrepreneur, angel investor and mentor

Unlocking Liquidity: The Power of Secondaries with Justin Burden at Industry Ventures

Welcome to our podcast with The Impact Venture [https://www.theimpactventure.com/] , featuring in-depth interviews with LP-GP institutional investors, angel investors, faculty members at UC Berkeley, and all of our friends, focusing on impact investing, cleantech venture capital and project finance. Today, we're joined by Justin Burden [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-burden-46120a/], a seasoned investor and Managing Director at Industry Ventures [https://www.industryventures.com/], one of the most prominent firms in the venture capital ecosystem. Since joining Industry Ventures in its early days, Justin has been instrumental in building and shaping the firm's pioneering approach to secondary direct investments and secondary limited partnership interests, primary venture fund commitments, direct venture rounds, and technology buyout funds. With over two decades of experience in venture capital, Justin brings a unique perspective on market cycles, fund structures, and the evolving role of secondary markets in fueling the liquidity of capital. Justin holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley. We’re excited to have Justin here to share his insights on unlocking the liquidity of venture capital, the art of secondary and primary investing. The Impact Venture invests in climate tech and renewable energy projects via venture capital and project finance, leveraging our proprietary Due Diligence AI Copilot  [https://www.theimpactventure.com/aiduediligencecopilot]- where AI meets investors. We also designed a VC Deal Fellowship Training Program for fellows to gain deal experience.

Advice from Ciaran Quinn, advisor and LP of Berkeley SkyDeck - 30-year journey as an entrepreneur, angel investor and mentor

Welcome to our podcast with The Impact Venture [www.theimpactventure.com/], featuring in-depth interviews with LP-GP institutional investors, angel investors, and faculty members at UC Berkeley. Ciaran Quinn is a globally experienced senior executive, entrepreneur, angel investor, and advisor with four decades of leadership across energy, digital media, sports tech, SaaS, and venture acceleration. Based in Europe, he is currently engaged with a number of innovative companies across Europe and North America as Seed investor, board member and Board Chair. Ciaran is also a Key Advisor and LP at Berkeley SkyDeck, UC Berkeley’s flagship startup accelerator. In this episode, Ciaran shared his insights about 1. What strategies or mindsets help manage successful transitions across seven diverse sectors, including energy, technology, sports media, and investment? 2. What are the key factors to consider when evaluating early-stage startups as a SkyDeck advisor and LP? 3. How AI is used in sports tech company, Ochy.io, one of Ciaran's portfolios? 4. What is the most important thing to prioritize during an MBA program to build a strong foundation for future success? The Impact Venture (www.theimpactventure.com/) invests in climate tech and renewable energy projects via venture capital and project finance, leveraging our proprietary AI Due Diligence Copilot - where AI meets VC. We also designed a VC Deal Fellowship Training Program for fellows to gain deal experience.

Scaling Impact in the future of EdTech - with Amit Patel, Managing Director @ Owl Ventures

Welcome to The Impact Venture [https://www.theimpactventure.com/] Podcast, where we explore the intersection of innovation, investment, and impact. In this episode, we sit down with Amit Patel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitashwinpatel/], Managing Director at Owl Ventures, the world’s largest edtech-focused venture fund. Amit shares insights from the frontlines of education investment — from how venture capital evaluates early-stage startups to the metrics that matter most in scaling impact. We discuss why education technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, yet still largely under-digitized. Amit also reflects on what makes founders stand out, the role of team dynamics and market understanding, and how lifelong learning will redefine both education and work in the years ahead.

Scaling Impact as One of the Most Active Venture Funds in Energy Transition – with Joshua Posamentier of Congruent Ventures

Welcome to our podcast with The Impact Venture [https://www.theimpactventure.com/], featuring in-depth interviews with LP-GP institutional investors, angel investors, and faculty members at UC Berkeley. Today’s guest is Joshua Posamentier, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Congruent Ventures. He recently closed their third fund, with consistently growing assets under management over the last 10 years. They are actively investing in energy transition, smart cities and mobility, food and agriculture, and sustainable consumption and production. In our conversation, Josh shares his journey from a corporate executive to an entrepreneur and an investor. He also shared three essential qualities he looks for in a startup: a compelling idea with a sizable market, a team with either deep expertise or the ability to get smart and move quickly in a new domain, and a valid market channel strategy. Whether you are already an entrepreneur building in cleantech or an MBA student exploring startups, this episode is packed with insights. The Impact Venture invests in cleantech, sustainability, and renewable energy projects via venture capital and project finance, leveraging our proprietary AI Due Diligence Copilot [https://www.theimpactventure.com/aiduediligencecopilot] - where AI meets VC. We also designed a Cleantech Deal Fellowship Training Program for fellows to gain deal experience.

From Zero to One: Charles Hudson on Backing First-Time Founders

Welcome to our podcast with The Impact Venture [https://www.theimpactventure.com/] , featuring in-depth interviews with LP-GP institutional investors, angel investors, faculty members at UC Berkeley, and all of our friends, focusing on impact investing, cleantech venture capital and project finance.   In this episode, we're joined by Charles Hudson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chudson/], Founder & Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures [https://www.linkedin.com/company/precursor-ventures/posts/?feedView=all], a trailblazing early-stage firm known for backing nearly 500 startups led by first-time and underrepresented founders. Charles explains why he built Precursor to fund ambitious entrepreneurs at the idea stage—people who may lack credentials but possess clarity, courage, and a willingness to take risks. We explore how Charles evaluates founder-market fit, the importance of lived experience over polished resumes, and why co-founder dynamics, resilience, and risk-taking are critical signals of success. This episode is packed with insights for founders, fund managers, and anyone passionate about building an inclusive and imaginative venture ecosystem from the ground up. The Impact Venture invests in climate tech and renewable energy projects via venture capital and project finance, leveraging our proprietary Due Diligence AI Copilot  [https://www.theimpactventure.com/aiduediligencecopilot]- where AI meets investors. We also designed a VC Deal Fellowship Training Program for fellows to gain deal experience.