Conductive Conversations

In this episode of Conductive Conversations, host Carey Lai sits down with Laura Huang, Distinguished Professor of Management and Organizational Development at Northeastern University and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of EDGE: Turning Adversity into Advantage and You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Your Intuition. A leading thinker on bias, entrepreneurship, and intuition, Laura has held faculty positions at Harvard Business School and Wharton and has been recognized by Thinkers50 and Poets & Quants for her impact on business and leadership.​

Together they unpack the real stories and research behind EDGE and You Already Know, why Laura wr...

In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, co-founder and managing director of Conductive Ventures, speaks with Abigail Hing Wen, New York Times bestselling author and former Silicon Valley dealmaker at Intel Capital. Abigail shares her unique journey from clerking at the DC Circuit Court to working at Intel on AI investments, and becoming a celebrated author and Hollywood filmmaker. She delves into her life, growing up with activist parents, navigating the often challenging career path as an Asian American woman and how she has honed her creative process writing novels. Abigail also discusses her transition to filmmaking with...

In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, Founder & General Partner of Conductive Ventures, sits down with Joshua Lee, the comics-loving entrepreneur and former CEO of Ardius. Joshua opens up about his leap from a 14 year tax career at Ernst & Young to building and investing in startups, an inspiring path shaped by his single mom upbringing and experiences as an Asian American founder.

He dives into aligning passion with career, lessons from the venture capital world, and the tricky balance between family and work. As a founder and investor, Joshua leaves founders with one powerful insight: “Yo...

In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Carey Lai, founder and managing director of Conductive Ventures, speaks with Kevin Chou, the Founder and CEO of Kabam and a five-time entrepreneur. He shares about the struggles of fundraising and competing against Facebook, why venture capital wasn't for him, and how AI is transforming the world. Join us as Kevin candidly discusses his unique career journey, the evolution of his first company into Kabam, and the essential qualities needed for entrepreneurial success.

02:15 Kevin’s unlikely path to entrepreneurship

08:34 Facebook and the birth of Kabam

12:37 Navigating th...

In this episode, Carey Lai and Robin Chan from Conductive Ventures speak with Scott Kincaid, CFO of Zingtree. They dive deep into the evolving role of CFOs, the dynamic relationship between CEOs, CFOs and board members, and Scott's journey from Wall Street to the startup world. Discover the critical skills and experiences that shape a successful CFO and gain unique perspectives on corporate strategy, financial operations, and the impact of AI on the finance industry. Learn from Scott's intriguing anecdotes, career advice, and why being curious and having a strong opinion can be critical to success. Zingtree is an...

In this episode of Conductive Conversations, Conductive Ventures founding member and managing director Paul Yeh speaks with Steven Hong, the co-founder and CEO of Oculii, about his fascinating story growing up an “accidental entrepreneur” from Ohio, building a company with his father and his “oh crap” moment before he sold Oculii to Ambarella for $400M.

00:00 Introduction to Conductive Conversations

02:33 Growing up in Ohio: Steven's Early Life and Inspirations

04:28 The Accidental Entrepreneur: Stanford and Kumu Networks

15:44 How Oculii was Started

24:32 Working with His Father as a Co-Founder

29:18 Joining...

Carey Lai is founding member and managing director of Conductive Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm he founded with Paul Yeh in 2017. In this episode, Carey discusses his path into venture capital and the challenges of starting his own firm, why he likes investing in capital efficient companies and unconventional founders and what's next for the firm, seven years in. Conductive Conversations is a series from the Conductive Ventures team featuring tech investors, founders and CEOs and their authentic stories. This episode's host is Robin Chan, an investor at Conductive Ventures.

Carey Lai is a...