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18 episodes
Trailblazers by Erica Wenger
by Park Rangers Capital · English
Trailblazers is your favorite business podcast, hosted by Erica Wenger, GP at Park Rangers Capital. Each week, Erica sits down with top investors, founders, and business icons who’ve found conventional success in unconventional ways. From billion-dollar exits to scrappy early pivots, Trailblazers brings you unfiltered stories of how the next generation of firms and companies are really built. New episodes every Tuesday.
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Molly O'Shea: How to Get Access to Silicon Valley's Most Powerful CEOs l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 61
Molly O’Shea’s Trailblazers episode explains how her company Sorcery gained access to Silicon Valley’s top CEOs/investors and why her “show” format (walking interviews, HQ/factory tours) works, plus…
10 Nov 2026 · 55m · 16 chaptersSam Parr: How to Build An $18M Business From Scratch l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 60
Sam Parr (Trailblazers Ep. 60) discusses building and selling media businesses, sobriety and confidence, and how to grow newsletters, events, and “rich life” planning.
3 Nov 2026 · 55m · 20 chaptersMeka Asonye: How to Think Like the Top 1% of Venture Capitalists l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 59
Meka Asonye (Prist Capital) explains how top venture investors think about mission-driven deep tech, why conviction and contrarian bets matter at inception stage, how to evaluate whether early…
30 Oct 2026 · 52m · 28 chaptersTyler Denk: The Secret to Building a Billion Dollar Startup l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 58
Tyler Denk, co-founder/CEO of Beehive, discusses building a billion-dollar startup by owning audience distribution (email/newsletters) instead of renting it from algorithms, plus product velocity,…
27 Oct 2026 · 47m · 16 chapters
Michael Broukhim: Why AI Is a National Security Issue l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 57
Michael Broukhim (Deep33) argues AI is a national security issue tied to “sovereign AI,” information warfare, and the geopolitics of frontier tech infrastructure (especially data centers).
20 Oct 2026 · 52m · 16 chapters
Why Silicon Valley Is Bad for Early Stage Investors l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 56
Nichole Wischoff argues early-stage investors should avoid “Silicon Valley” incentives and instead fund unglamorous, operator-run categories that power the physical economy.
13 Oct 2026 · 39m · 16 chapters
Sara Foster & Phil Schwarz: Why Celebrity Brands Keep Failing l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 55
Why celebrity-backed brands and creator-led ventures often fail, and how Sara Foster and Phil Schwarz built Oversubscribed Ventures as an early-stage consumer-tech and consumer-brand investor by…
6 Oct 2026 · 1h · 20 chapters
David Haber: The Biggest Mistake Founders Make When Hiring l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 54
Hiring and investing lessons from David Haber, plus how Andreessen Horowitz operates as a “firm” (not just a fund), how competitive advantage compounds, and how AI changes the balance between…
29 Sep 2026 · 1h 14m · 26 chapters
Jeff Clavier: How To Raise Your First Fund l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 53
Jeff Clavier, founding partner of Uncork Capital, discusses how to raise a first seed fund, what VC life is like (especially the “97% bad” grind), and how he thinks about DPI/TVPI, secondaries, and…
22 Sep 2026 · 57m · 18 chapters
Brian Kelly: How I Made $300k Per Month With Affiliate Marketing l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 52
Brian Kelly (The Points Guy) explains how he built a travel/credit-card points media business from a personal blog into a 11M+ monthly visitor platform, how affiliate marketing mechanics drove early…
15 Sep 2026 · 1h 3m · 30 chapters
Natalie Fratto: The Truth About Going Viral l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 51
Natalie Fratto (Charts and Crafts) explains how she turns complex tech and infrastructure companies into hand-drawn short explainers that go viral, why “proof of creative work” matters in an AI era,…
8 Sep 2026 · 1h 7m · 31 chapters
Nirav Tolia: The Lonely Reality Of Being CEO l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 50
Nirav Tolia discusses the “lonely reality” of being a CEO and founder, what breaks and rebuilds leadership, and why he returned to lead Nextdoor again.
1 Sep 2026 · 1h 3m · 21 chapters
Jack Raines: How to Avoid Wasting Your 20s l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 49
Jack Raines (writer/investor) discusses how to avoid wasting your 20s by staying intentional, resisting apathy and status games, and aligning ambition with “adventure” through stage-specific life…
28 Aug 2026 · 1h 4m · 25 chapters
Nadya Okamoto: Why Every Founder Needs to Become A Content Creator l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 48
Nadya Okamoto discusses why founders should become content creators, how to balance founder work with creator work, and practical frameworks for posting and growing audiences.
25 Aug 2026 · 49m · 21 chapters
Marshall Sandman: What It Takes To Win In Venture Capital | Trailblazers Podcast Episode 47
Marshall Sandman, founder/general partner of Animal Capital, discusses what it takes to win in seed-stage venture capital—especially fundraising through downturns, building a founder-first firm, and…
18 Aug 2026 · 1h 20m · 35 chapters
Polina Pompliano: The Power Of Putting Yourself Out There l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 46
Polina Pompliano discusses how to “put yourself out there” to build a career and audience, and how she profiles exceptional people through long-form journalism.
11 Aug 2026 · 1h 10m · 23 chapters
Rebecca Kaden: The Biggest Myth About Great Ideas l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 45
Rebecca Kaden (Union Square Ventures) discusses the “biggest myth about great ideas,” how USV thinks in market cycles, and why the “Rebel Alliance” (a consortium/stack approach) can compete with…
4 Aug 2026 · 59m · 21 chapters
John Hu: How I Built A $40M Business With 30 Employees l Trailblazers Podcast Episode 44
John Hu (Stan) discusses building a $40M+ creator-economy business while prioritizing human culture, mission-driven customer care, and “building in public.” He also covers founder branding, the…
28 Jul 2026 · 55m · 22 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy