LIAM DARMODYᵍᵐ

Liam's Brand Stand

I help coaches, founders, executives and their teams build magnetic brands that attract clients, talent, and opportunity on LinkedIn. 

My services include: 

My services include: 
- Profile Optimization
- LinkedIn feature training
- Core content strategy
- Ghostediting (ask me about it)
- Content performance analysis 
- Sales Navigator training

Liam's Brand Stand was born out of my passion for personal branding and belief that LinkedIn is the ultimate platform for professionals and organizations to manifest serendipity and unlock opportunity.

This passion started as a fascination that turned into a hobby, then to a side hustle, and now, my full-time focus. I started creating content and being more intentional about building my brand here in January 2020 and since then I've amassed 35,000 followers and my content has garnered ~23,000,000 impressions, ~600,000 reactions, and ~100,000 comments. 

Completely organically.

Pretty crazy, especially when you consider I'm just a suburban dad who took to LinkedIn as a way to have conversation with other adults while cooped up in my house with my wife, a toddler, and an infant during a pandemic. 

That's the kind of opportunity that exists on LinkedIn and I'm on a mission to help more people experience it for themselves. 

If you're interested in doing so, visit: 

liamsbrandstand.com to learn more 
-or- 
calendly.com/liamdarmody to book time with me

Thanks for stopping by! 

Hi5, 
LD

Founder

The Outlier Project

The Outlier Project is a unique private membership community for people who believe that anyone can be ordinary, but we all have the power to choose to be extraordinary. 

Encouragement from a brilliant and diverse global community ensures that our members always have a built-in support system for all of life's personal and professional ups and downs as well as unique learning and development opportunities created exclusively for our members.

Member

WillowTree

Hired into a newly created, board-visible role to build an outbound recruitment marketing engine at scale. 

Collaborated with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to create target personas for design, engineering, product and project management prospects. 

Hired and led a team of four to build a prospect database of 15,000 and deploy evergreen email marketing campaigns that yielded 59% open, 18% reply, and 9% conversion rates.

Launched “ShopTalk Conversations” campaign strategy that became the second best-performing recruitment source, yielding candidates 2.5x more likely to receive offers and 3x more likely to be hired. 

Developed social media and employee advocacy strategies that increased company Linkedin following by 39%. 

Implemented cost-saving strategies for advertising channels and implemented Linkedin Recruiter platform, increasing efficiency across a 20-person talent acquisition team. 

Choice quotes from interested talent prospects: 
• "'Would you be open to having a conversation with one of our devs to talk about what it's like to build here?' < that is one of the best recruiting pitches I've heard right there" -- Frontend Web Developer

• "I gotta say that I normally loathe the "just checking in" emails and it's the quickest way to get on my hard-no list, but the ShopTalks you described in the first email are just so interesting that I'm kind of curious..." - Engineering Director 

• "Frankly this is the most innovative thing I've seen in recruiting. Well done!" - Product Manager

Director of Employer Brand & Talent Marketing Operations

Homesnap

Leading a team of 7 responsible for streamlining project management & delivery of revenue-generating initiatives & processes spanning engineering, marketing, product, sales, & support. 

Established, launched, & scaled operational processes for high-performance sales & customer success teams responsible for generating & retaining $5,000,000 annual recurring revenue (ARR)

Streamlining cross-team operational efficiency by focusing on relentless process & system automation that decreases the opportunity cost associated with highly manual, rote tasks being performed by humans so that they are free to do more empathetic, strategic work that benefits the bottom line.

Director of Revenue Operations

AddThis

Launched 3-person Customer Success team to service strategic clients post acquisition, increasing engaged accounts from 0 to 600, with a 98% retention rate. 

Appointed to manage 5-person Customer Support team (3 in North America, 2 in India) providing 24/5 assistance to customer base of 15M by resolving ~1200 tickets/month with 99% positive CSAT ratings.

Set vision & defined all strategy, standard operating procedures, documentation, functional reporting, OKRs and CRM configuration (Salesforce & Desk.com) for both teams.  

Established Customer Advisory Council that increased total customer feedback by 47%, positive feedback by 62%, and average positive CSAT from 86% to 96% QoQ. 

Championed “Project Barycenter” from hackathon initiative to formal development of tool that improves operational efficiency of customer teams by eliminating data silos, detecting product usage anomalies to identify churn risks, and decreasing reliance on engineering teams. 

Implemented measurable, closed-loop customer feedback process with product & engineering teams that increased development of feature requests received by customers from 0% to 72% in just 2 quarters.

Increased collaboration with marketing to align customer acquisition strategies, develop cohesive communication, gather case studies, and improve NPS scores. 

Launched TRIORG, a cross-functional team focused on improving internal processes relating to talent, recruitment, interviewing, onboarding & retention after dedicated HR-team was disbanded.

Director of Product Operations & Customer Experience

LivingSocial

Spearheaded cross-functional change management initiatives resulting in 400% increase in quantity and length of available online inventory while simultaneously optimizing sales efficiency. 

Revised & redefined standard operating procedures and protocol for sales & operations teams of 400+

Managed team of 29 responsible for ensuring excellence in sales planning, internal client support, and advertising operations. More specifically: 

2 managers & 14 Sales Planners responsible for providing both strategic & tactical sales guidance to a team of ~400 sellers covering 250+ North American markets responsible for generating ~$300MM in annual revenues 

1 Manager & 6 Enablement Specialists dedicated to triaging issues from the field, conducting root cause analysis, gathering product requirements and collaborating with engineering to improve tools

1 Manager & 5 Advertising Operations specialists responsible for managing advertising operations for Fortune 500 companies.

Director Of Sales Operations & Enablement

Leading an innovative, nimble team responsible for strategizing and executing on key company initiatives that optimize process, improve efficiency, and contribute to revenue growth

Establishing standardized processes through a central hub that internal & external teams rely upon for accurate information, dissemination of important messaging, effective training, and project management

Developing in-depth reporting suite that provides greater visibility of team performance to department heads 

Managing robust process for intake & prioritization of system enhancements and partnering with product teams to scope & deploy solutions quickly and thoroughly 

Facilitated smooth change management processes associated with multiple wholesale workflow changes

Director of Product Operations

Lead a team of internal consultants that provided strategic guidance to global Sales & Operations teams in the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain & France 

Established centralized best practice library and disseminated standardized documentation to all global entities 

Regularly deployed overseas to conduct in-country assessments, develop improvement plans, and work with country leadership to execute on key initiatives

Sr. Manager, International Business Operations & Strategy

Recruited, trained, & scaled team from 1 to 35 people responsible for quality control and market programming 

Developed effective launch process & communication channels across marketing, sales, finance & operations 

Launched 5 verticals in 250+ North American markets, including a single day launch of 25 markets in 2010

Defined & deployed sales guidelines upon which all deal structures were based 

Identified & implemented revenue optimization strategies resulting in multi-million dollar gains

Facilitated launch of LivingSocial UK by recruiting, hiring, and training personnel on the ground 

Deployed to launch first 6 markets of LivingSocial Australia in November 2010 

Tapped by executive management to spearhead international expansion & optimization

Sr. Manager, Quality Control & Market Programming

Collaborated with company founders to define & operationalize daily deal business 

Developed product requirements for front & backend systems that have supported expansion to hundreds of international markets and multiple business verticals 

Managed online community through social media, sales, servicing customer & merchant relationships, writing copy for all deals, subject lines, and website

Manager, Product & Business Operations

Revolution Health Group

People Operations

Support the communication of requirements and user stories pertaining to Premium Services web products.

Create and maintain project plans and workflow management. 

Working in concert with product managers, software development teams, and business units to ensure that products are developed according to specifications throughout the entire SDLC.

Act as liaison to facilitate communication between marketing/business unit, graphic design, product management, software engineering teams, and quality assurance testers.

Assist VP of Technologies and CTO with program management duties - keeping track of the status' of all active projects across the company.

Business Project Manager

Personal Brand Strategist & Networking Coach → I help entrepreneurs, executives & teams build brands to attract clients, talent & opportunity | Family Man | Connector | AI & Blockchain Bull | Hot Sauce Aficionado🌶️

I help entrepreneurs & executives build magnetic personal brands that attract clients, talent, and opportunity. After nearly two decades scaling revenue operations at tech startups, I realized something powerful: the skills I used to help companies grow - strategy, operations, marketing, and analytics - could help individuals grow too. That's why I launched Liam's Brand Stand. 

I combine my operational expertise with my passion for personal branding to help entrepreneurs & executives manifest serendipity on LinkedIn. Think of me as your personal brand operator - I help you develop strategy, establish processes, and measure what matters.

My Services Include:

🌶️ Brand Strategy & Profile Optimization
Transform your LinkedIn presence into a powerful brand asset that attracts your target audience.

🌶️ GhostEDITING (Not Ghostwriting)
Unlike ghostwriters who write for you, I help you find and amplify your authentic voice. We collaborate on content strategy and I edit your drafts to optimize them for LinkedIn while maintaining your personality.

🌶️ Business Growth Coaching
Learn how to leverage LinkedIn strategically to attract clients, build partnerships, and grow your business organically.

🌶️ LinkedIn Feature Training 
Master Sales Navigator and other LinkedIn tools to network strategically and build meaningful relationships.

🌶️ Content Performance Analysis
Get data-driven insights about your content performance with detailed analytics that help measure what matters.

More about me: 

My Roots 🌱:
• Irish/Italian-Canadian born US Citizen
• Have lived in Toronto, Los Angeles, Boston, DC, & now Raleigh, NC
• Proud husband to an amazing wife & father to two wonderful tiny humans

My Passions ❤️:
• Helping others build & scale 
• Aspiring backyard BBQ pitmaster
• Hot sauce aficionado (seriously, my collection is ridiculous)

My Personality 🧠:
• Gallup Strengthsfinder Top 5: Woo, Communication, Strategic, Positivity, Adaptability
• ColorCode: Yellow (53%), Red (22.94%), Blue (16.16%), White (7.9%)
• Myers Briggs: ENFP > Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving
• 16personalities: "The Campaigner" (ENFP-T) | Role: Diplomat | Strategy: Social Engagement
• Kolbe A: 7-3-8-3 "Terrific when juggling rapidly changing priorities. Known for taking risks grounded in practical reality."

Favorite Quotes:
"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it" - Thomas Jefferson

"There are no strangers here, only friends you haven't yet met" - William Butler Yeats

Ready to amplify your personal brand? Book an appointment up 🔝

I help executives, founders, and their teams build magnetic brands that attract clients, talent, and opportunity on LinkedIn. 

My services include: 

My services include: 
- Profile Optimization
- LinkedIn feature training
- Core content strategy
- Ghostediting (ask me about it)
- Content performance analysis 
- Sales Navigator training

Liam's Brand Stand was born out of my passion for personal branding and belief that LinkedIn is the ultimate platform for professionals and organizations to manifest serendipity and unlock opportunity.

This passion started as a fascination that turned into a hobby, then to a side hustle, and now, my full-time focus. I started creating content and being more intentional about building my brand here in January 2020 and since then I've amassed 35,000 followers and my content has garnered ~23,000,000 impressions, ~600,000 reactions, and ~100,000 comments. 

Completely organically.

Pretty crazy, especially when you consider I'm just a suburban dad who took to LinkedIn as a way to have conversation with other adults while cooped up in my house with my wife, a toddler, and an infant during a pandemic. 

That's the kind of opportunity that exists on LinkedIn and I'm on a mission to help more people experience it for themselves. 

If you're interested in doing so, visit: 

liamsbrandstand.com to learn more 
-or- 
calendly.com/liamdarmody to book time with me

Thanks for stopping by! 

Hi5, 
LD

LIAM DARMODY

Like many this week, I'm reflecting on what I'm most grateful for. Today it's my health. Two years ago, I was 347 pounds.

I couldn't walk upstairs without getting winded.
Playing with my kids was a physical strain.
I was ashamed and miserable.

After receiving some concerning lab results from my doctor, I knew something had to change, so Megan and I joined Omnia Paratus Health Training.

We started going 3x per week.

It was grueling.
I was perpetually sore.
And I was the weakest dude there. 

But I kept showing up.

Eventually 3x became 4x.
Then 5x.
Now 6x.

Today I'm ~290lbs, which isn't exactly a flex, but I've lost 60 pounds, gained a ton of muscle, and am stronger than I ever have been. 

(Even made the 1000lb club twice!)

Went from being unable to walk up a flight of stairs solo without getting winded to carrying both my kids on my shoulders upsta without elevating my heart rate one bit. 

At my heaviest, I wondered if that would ever be possible.

But more than the physical transformation, I've had a complete mindset shift.

I used to be an all-or-nothing guy. 

I'd set unrealistic goals, like declaring I was going get 10,000 steps in by 10am every day, only to quit shortly thereafter when I realized just how hard that actually is. 

But I'm a changed person now and I've embraced the idea that most things worth doing are not easy and require consistency and patience above all else. 

That meaningful progress doesn't happen overnight.

Instead, it happens:

Day-by-day. 
Week-by-week. 
Month-by-month. 
Year-by-year. 

Meaningful progress is achieved through a bunch of micro actions compounding over time (it's the same thing I preach about building on LinkedIn, coincidentally.)

Show up.
Do the work.
Trust the process.

Now I'm not where I want to be yet--I've got a long way to go--but I'm so damn proud of how far I've come and I'm grateful that I get to wake up every day feeling strong, healthy, and capable.

Turns out it feels good to feel your muscles. Who knew?  

To everyone else on a health journey: keep going.

Every step forward is a step forward and worth feeling proud about. 

Hi5 & stay tuned for gratitude post No. 3!
LD 
🙏🏼

Personal Brand Strategist & AI Coach | Helping humans build soulful brands & smarter operating systems w/ AI | Linkedin Sales Navigator Expert | Hot Sauce Aficionado 🌶️

Beverly Hills. 13 years old. Chubby Canadian kid at an all-boys prep school. I spent my afternoons at the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts waiting for my Dad to finish work, and my nights practicing my American accent. 

A-bout.
Not "aboot." 

Desperately trying to sound less Canadian. 
Less foreign. 
Less different.

Anything to make a friend.

Being an only child who already struggled with connection, I thought if I could just blend in, maybe I'd finally fit somewhere.

My dad and I used to drive around the big mansions belonging to all of the Hollywood stars to pass time. 

One day he asked me: 

"What's the most important thing to you in life?"

Heavy question for a kid. I thought for a second and said: 

"Human relationships."

My dad was stunned. 

He tells this story to this day--he expected me to say video games. Or sports. Or girls.

Human connection was nowhere on the radar.

A few weeks later, we're on a walk and dad asks where I'd want to live if I could go anywhere in the US.

"I've always heard good things about Boston," I said. Turns out he'd been offered a job in Boston that very day.

And that was my first taste of serendipity.

Fast forward three decades. Here I am helping people build personal brands that create stronger connections and manifest serendipity on LinkedIn.

It's everything I've ever cared about wrapped into one business. That lonely 13-year-old practicing his American accent would be proud.

I guess sometimes your biggest pain points become your life's work.

What's a story from your youth that drives who you are or what you do today?

Hi5, 
LD 
🌶️
__
Building your brand on Linkedin? I'd love to help. 
Book an appointment above & let's jam.

Personal Brand & AI Strategist - helping humans build soulful brands, strong connections & smarter operating systems | Startup Advisor | Linkedin Social Selling Pro | Sales Navigator Sherpa | Hot Sauce Aficionado 🌶️

This week I'm taking time to reflect on what I'm truly grateful for and first up is my family, starting with my wife Megan.

She's been the biggest champion I've ever had. Steady. Even-keeled. Exactly the kind of support I always needed.

She's my rock.

When I got laid off and was debating what to do next, she didn’t let fear get in the way. Instead, she said: "You’ve been talking about launching your own business for as long as I’ve known you. Now’s your time."

That was the push I needed to bet on myself. Without her belief in me, I’m not sure I would’ve had the courage to jump. Her faith and fearlessness helped me find my own. 

She’s the strongest woman I know, and every day I’m trying to rise to her level. I’m incredibly lucky to have her.

Then there are the gifts that are Brooks and PJ.

Becoming a dad changed everything for me.

For years, I knew I needed to take my health seriously, but I stayed stuck -- lazy, scared of change, telling myself I’d “do it eventually.”

But my kids gave me a reason bigger than myself to finally become the person I wanted to be.

They push me to show up as the best version of myself every day and I want them to look back and see a dad who didn’t just talk about what he 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 do,  but actually 𝑑𝑖𝑑 it.

A dad who:

Bet on himself at 40  
Built something from nothing  
Broke decades-long bad habits to lose 60 pounds 
Refused to believe “I can’t” was a permanent truth  

A dad who proved it’s never too late to become who you’re meant to be.

Megan, Brooks, and Piper: you make me better every single day, and I love you beyond measure. 

I’m so grateful for & to you. 

Hi5 & stay tuned for gratitude post No. 2!
LD  
🙏🏼

Just crossed 47,000 followers.

Back in early 2020, I wrote an article called “Why LinkedIn is the place to be in 2020" and I’ve shown up pretty much every single day since.

I built this following 100% organically. 

No growth hacks. 
No shortcuts.
No pods. 

Could I have grown faster? Sure.
But that’s never been the point.

Because your personal brand outlives every algorithm shift and every trend and there's no need to rush it. Instead, show up authentically, consistently, and strategically.

Slow and steady really does win here.

Since 2020, my life has changed for the better three times over because of this platform: 

1) A career pivot fell into my lap. 
2) I bought a home sight unseen via the DMs. 
3) I started my business because LinkedIn gave me the confidence and network to take the leap.

I love Linkedin because it is the emotionally intelligent social network that boasts the most empathetic community online. 

It's a place where serendipity manifests and compounds when you invest in people, not vanity metrics. 

And the best part is? 

We're still early! 

If you’re new, here's a bit about what I do: 

I help humans: 

- Craft their authentic personal brand narrative
- Learn how to network with intention
- Build content pillars
- Master social selling through Sales Navigator
- Create smarter, AI-powered content & operating systems

I'm unique because I blend 20 years of go-to-market operations at startups with personal branding.

Authenticity is my operating system and my approach to Linkedin can best be summarized by two of my favorite quotes: 

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.” — Yeats

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” — Jefferson

Thanks for being part of this journey.
Thanks for trusting me with your attention.
Thanks for showing up as your real self alongside me.

I truly believe that the best is yet to come.

Hi5,
LD
🌶️
__
Building your brand on LinkedIn? I’d love to help.
Book an appointment up 🔝 & let’s jam.

I don’t judge people who like their own posts (because you do you, my friend), but this is the first thing I think every time I see it... do with that what you will. 

Hi5, 
LD
🌶️
__
Want to build your brand on Linkedin without relying on hacks? Book an appointment above & let's jam. Or snag some of my free resources at stan.store/liamdarmody

No alternative text description for this image

While brushing my teeth last night and pining at my thinning hair, I had a thought: 'I wonder if Nano Banana could show me what I'll look like bald!?' And, well... 

(See real photo for comparison in my profile banner)

Life is beautiful.
I flippin’ love this time of year. 
Happy Holidays to you and yours, Linkedin!
Hi5,
LD

Think about how useful YouTube is. 

Now think about what happens if every professional on earth starts sharing what they know on LinkedIn the way that people share what they know on YouTube. 

Are you gonna show up for that or not? 

Brendan Gahan says that LinkedIn is like early YouTube.
Gary Vaynerchuk says that LinkedIn is like early Facebook.  

These two gentlemen can see the forest for the trees. 

Can you?

Day 3 of posting what I'm thankful for.

Today: the Linkedin community.

For the first 15 years I was on Linkedin, I didn't view it as a community. I viewed it the way most people do: a storage utility for your professional accolades and a place to find your next job.

Somewhere around 2017, I started getting LinkedIn emails that ended with "join the conversation.

"What conversation?"

But my interest was piqued.

In 2019, I decided to feed my curiosity and make LinkedIn a place I intentionally spent time on.

I wasn't here to do business. 
I wasn't here to make money.

I just wanted a place to learn and share my thoughts about business.

That proved to be a lifesaver when the pandemic hit and I was stuck inside a tiny house with Megan Bailey Darmody and our tiny humans instead of going to the office every day.

I love my family, but man did I miss the office. 

The energy. 
The coffee walks.
The conversations. 

So I spent my free time on LinkedIn.

People were confused why I was even here if I didn't have anything to sell.

"I'm here for the vibes," I'd tell them.

That's truer today than ever.
(But I make a little money now, too).

I went from never posting to posting daily and leaving 500+ comments per week (made easier thanks to Buffer & Wispr Flow).

In 2021, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky himself messaged me about being selected for the Creator Accelerator Program and that's when I really started to grow my community here. 

One post at a time. 
One comment at a time.
One DM at a time.

I went from thinking that hopping on a Zoom with a stranger was weird to hosting audio rooms with 50-100 people (remember The Block Party?).

It proved worthwhile when I got laid off and started my own business.

Hundreds of strangers I had turned into friends showed up to support me. Years of building relationships in the comments became the foundation for my first business.

For that I am truly grateful.

The LinkedIn community is special. 

It's an emotionally intelligent social network filled with empathetic humans who want to see you win.

Not everyone sees that, though, because much of it happens beneath the surface. 

The comments sections are like little networking events where people converge to chat. It's subtle and you can't see it unless you're showing up consistently, but once you do, you cannot unsee it.

My next evolution is to start my own community. 

A place to go deeper with a smaller group because not everyone in my comments knows one another, and that seems like a missed opportunity.

(If you're interested, let me know)

To all of you strangers I've turned into friends over these last 6 years: thank you. 

This community has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

I'm curious...
How has this community helped you?

Hi5 & have a great day! 
LD

Loving Sims Tillirson’s energy with this post. 

Pivoting from a 20-year career as a W2 employee at 40-years-old opened my eyes to the fact that the definition of success I had been chasing my entire life (money & titles mainly) was the wrong one. 

I made 74% of my most recent w2 salary in my first year in business and I couldn’t care less if I never make more than that if doing so means changing the quality of life I have as am entrepreneur. 

Entrepreneurship is the most terrifyingly exciting thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the most liberating. So long as the excitement continues to outweigh the terror, I'll keep doing it. 

Because nothing beats following’s your fascination, feeding your curiosity, and pursuing your passion for a living. 

Next week I'm starting the most exciting thing I've done since starting my business. And I can't wait to share it with you.

Hi5 & stay tuned! 
LD

Brand Strategist & AI Coach for founders building standout brands and smarter operating systems with AI • LinkedIn Strategy • Fractional Ops • Hot Sauce Aficionado 🌶️

Don't forget your manners when talking to the robots. Consider it like life insurance just in case there comes a day when they're determining whether to keep us or get rid of us. 😅

You can take the guy out of ops, but you can’t take ops out of the guy. Most brand strategists will teach you content frameworks and engagement tactics.

I do that too.

But after 20 years in go-to-market operations, I also obsess over the systems that make content creation sustainable.

That’s why my tech stack looks more like a startup’s operational backbone than a typical creator’s toolkit.

AI tools for efficiency. 
Video platforms for repurposing. 
Automation to eliminate bottlenecks. 
CRMs to track relationships. 
Voice-to-text to capture ideas in real-time.

While other strategists are debating hook formulas, I’m building workflows that let you show up consistently without burning out.

The reality is most “brand experts” have never run sales ops, scaled a team, or optimized conversion funnels. 

They understand attention but not systems. 

But in order to establish and scale your brand effectively, you need to understand both. 

I spent two decades systematizing everything from lead flow to revenue operations at fast-paced tech companies, several of which were acquired for 9-figure sums. 

Now I apply that same operational rigor to personal branding.

When you work with me, you’re not just getting content strategy.

You’re getting 20 years of operations expertise applied to making your LinkedIn presence actually work like a business asset.

That’s the difference between someone who teaches you what to post and someone who builds the machine that makes posting effortless.

I’m curious… 

What’s one operational bottleneck that’s keeping you from being consistent on LinkedIn?

If you want some help, just holler!

Hi5,
LD
🌶️
___
Find this useful? Saves & sends appreciated. 
Want to jam? Book a free appointment above.

This is how companies should handle situations like Cloudflare's SNAFU that shut down the internet today. It shouldn't come from the head of comms or through a PR firm. It should come from the highest ranking executive of the department responsible for the issue. 

Was it inconvenient? Yes. 
Do I respect Dane Knecht for owning it publicly? You bet. 

Seeing things like this further humanizes business. 

And we need that now more than ever. 

What do you think? 

Hi5, 
LD
🌶️

I used to dread getting annual physicals and the lab results that subsequently followed because they reaffirmed what I already knew: that I wasn't taking care of myself. 

 "How bad is it going to be this year?" I would ask myself. 

On Wednesday, I got my annual physical at One Medical & the lab results just came back… 

For the 2nd year in a row, my doctor congratulated me on achieving exceptional results. 

And when I popped them into my ChatGPT Doctor, it clarified that not only am I healthy, I’m actually “metabolically impressive” and in the top-tier cardiovascular risk range. 

At 290lbs.

Proud of myself and pumped for next year’s labs!

Special thanks to Eric & Erika Hoeckberg of Omnia Paratus Health Training and especially Richard Plona for helping me make health a habit. 

And thanks for all of your support, Linkedin!

Hi5 & LFG!
LD

"Be yourself" is not a strategy.

I hear this all the time from people who think authentic personal branding is naive.

I disagree completely.

I'm doing just fine, and I'm literally just being myself.

But most people view their personality as a liability online. 

They think if they share too much, they'll miss opportunities. 
Someone won't like what they say. 
A prospect will scroll past.

So they water themselves down. 
They talk only about business. 
They become another voice in an ocean of forgettable content.

Meanwhile, I'm posting about hot sauce, AI experiments, my weight loss journey, and random thoughts from my neurodivergent brain.

People love it.

(Not everyone. But the right people for me to serve do.)

Being yourself online is a filtering mechanism. 

The people who don't vibe with you were never going to be great clients anyway.

The people who do vibe with you show up ready to work because they already know and trust who you are.

Yes, pair authenticity with strategy. 
Yes, be professional. 
Yes, be intentional. 

But stop putting your personality in a box—it’s your best asset, especially in the AI era. 

And, since personality is subjective, I tell my clients  to treat their LinkedIn presence like a journal they’d share with family, friends, clients and/or colleagues (including your boss, if you have one). 

That’s a good litmus test. 

Remember, the purpose of brand marketing is to attract the right audience and detract the wrong ones with the same level of effort. 

Your personal brand is no different. 

I'm curious... 

How much of the "real you" do we see here?  

Hi5, 
LD
🌶️
__
Dig this? Saves & sends appreciated. 
Building your brand? I'd love to help. 
Book an appointment up top & let's jam!

Who's got recommendations for banner designers? 

A friend of mine is looking for help with her Linkedin banner. I gave her the name of the person who did mine (👀 Jane Kisnica), but I figured it might be a good opportunity to crowdsource a broader list. 

If you have recommendations, we're all ears! 

Hi5 & thanks! 
LD 
🌶️
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Day 5 of sharing what I'm grateful for.

Today, I'm grateful for my clients!

Over the past two years, I've had the privilege of working with 150+ executives & entrepreneurs who trusted me to help them craft their personal brand & social selling strategy on LinkedIn.

As a first-time entrepreneur myself, they've taught me as much as I've taught them and I have learned so much. 

It's invaluable to me. 

Every cohort has its own energy.
Every 1:1 session reveals something new.
Every success story reminds me why I do this work.

I've seen executives go from being terrified to post to becoming confident thought leaders in their space. From being nervous their network would judge them to receiving all sorts of praise for their words. 

I've seen entrepreneurs go from posting and praying for clients to executing a social selling strategy that builds pipeline and converts new business predictably. 

But what I'm most grateful for is this:

My clients don't just show up to learn. They show up to do the work because that's what it takes. 

Because I don't work with people trying to cut corners. 

My ideal clients are: 

Willing to roll up their sleeves. 
Willing to bet on themselves.
Willing to be vulnerable.
Willing to experiment.
Willing to learn. 
Willing to work.

Because success here is worth working for. 

And when they win? I win.

There's nothing more fulfilling than seeing someone finally "get it" and watching their business transform as a result.

So to every person who has trusted me with their personal brand & social selling journey: THANK YOU! 

You've made my first 2 years in business possible, not to mention enjoyable.  You've reminded me every single day why I took the leap and you've proven to me that I'm doing the work I'm meant to do.

I don't take that lightly. 

And being that it's Black Friday here in the U.S., I'm offering the two deepest discounts I ever have: 

50% off a 60-minute strategy session
(https://lnkd.in/e_utpjCS) 
-OR- 
50% off my January Personal Brand & Social Selling cohort.
(https://lnkd.in/eyzACahu)

If you've been contemplating working together, there's no better time than now to make that investment. 

I look forward to chatting with you!

Hi5,
LD

Client Testimonials for Liam Darmody

🗳️RANDOM WEEKDAY POLL🗳️  

I am connected to 200 Linkedin employees and 16% of my profile views over the last 365 days are from people who work at Linkedin. 

That's by design. 

(Hoping one day the deciderer of Top Voice badges bestows one upon me). 

My "Linkedin Team" list in Sales Navigator allows me to see all of their posts in a single feed whenever I like so that I can: 

A) See what they're talking about
B) Join the conversation

Do you know what a lot of them are talking about right now? 

TRUST. 

The word TRUST gets used a LOT by Linkedin employees--almost as if it's a corporate strategy objective or something ;) 

So many social networks have lost people's trust because they're so filled with bombastic growth hackers trying to sell things. 

For a while there, Linkedin seemed to be going down that path as well, but I believe that they are taking steps to remedy that situation (in fact, I know they are because I see them talking about it here). 

And it makes sense when you think about it. 

Linkedin requires us to use our real names. 
Linkedin requires us to use our real likeness. 
Linkedin encourages us to verify our identities. 

All of those things help build TRUST. 

So before you decide to work with someone you find on Linkedin, ask yourself one question: 

Do you TRUST that person? 

If one iota of your being thinks twice, listen to it. 

One of the most common things I hear from people I meet 1:1 (virtually or IRL) is: "you're exactly the same person I thought you'd be from your online persona." 

That used to surprise me because I can't imagine being different online than I am in real life, but I've come to realize that's not always the case. 

To me, your personal brand isn't who you are online. 
To me, your personal brand is who you are. 
Online. 

(grammar is powerful, eh?) 

And so, I'm curious...

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

🦃TURKEY DAY POLL🦃 

FUN FACTS from Perplexity:  

Americans consume approximately 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving Day alone, representing about 21-22% of all turkeys eaten in the United States annually. 

The average turkey purchased for Thanksgiving weighs around 16 pounds, meaning Americans consume roughly 736 million pounds of turkey during this single holiday.

Americans consume 80 million pounds of cranberries during Thanksgiving week, which represents 20% of the 400 million pounds of cranberries consumed annually in the United States. This includes approximately 5 million gallons of jellied cranberry sauce purchased specifically for the occasion. 

Americans purchase about 214 million pounds of potatoes in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving in the U.S. and around 50 million pounds of sweet potatoes for the holiday. 

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

The burning question on my mind is…

Do you eat cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving meal? If so, what kind? 

Nice try, Linkedin, but not gonna happen!

I've created 4,500 posts in 6 years on this platform. I don't regret it for a second, but there is zero chance I'll ever pay to boost a post here. 

Zero. 

Because once you do, they know you will, and that's when you can really kiss organic reach goodbye. 

Not to mention, you don't need to boost your posts here. There are many other ways to build & be seen by your target audience (Sales Navigator, anyone? IYKYK.) 

I'm curious... 

Have you/would you boost your Linkedin posts? 

If you're on the fence, do yourself a favor and snag some time with me before you do... I promise it'll be worth it :) 

Hi5, 
LD
🌶️

Smart Venture Podcast

Craig Newmark - Founder of Craigslist
Jim McKelvey - Co-founder of Square 
Justin Osofsky - COO of Instagram 
Chris Slowe - CTO of Reddit
Todd Kaplan - CMO of Kraft Heinz, ex- CMO of Pepsi
Suzanne Kounkel - CMO of Deloitte
Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean - Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of DoorDash
Daniel Kan - Co-founder & CPO of Cruise 
Matt Madrigal - CTO of Pinterest
Ben Kus - CTO of Box
Berent Bellm - ex CEO of BigCommerce 
Henry Schuck - CEO of Zoominfo 
Tony Stubblebine - CEO of Medium 
Chris Koehler - CMO of Twilio 
Kevin Rose - Partner at True Ventures, ex-GP at Google Ventures
Robert Rosenberg - 35-Year CEO of Dunkin' Donuts, ex-Board Member @Domino's Pizza 
Monty Moran - ex-CO-CEO Chipotle Mexican Grill
Jeetu Patel - CPO of Cisco, ex-CPO & CSO @ Box
Paul Madera - Co-founder & General Partner at Meritech Capital. Portfolio: Facebook, Salesforce
Rob Chesnut - ex Chief Ethics Officer @Airbnb, SVP @eBay & Chegg
Olivia Nottebohm - CRO of Notion, ex COO of Dropbox, ex VP at Google 
Marvin Chow - VP of Google 
Erin Egan - VP & Chief Privacy Officer, Public Policy at Facebook / Meta
Ethan Evans - VP of Amazon
Howard Wright - VP of Nvidia 
David Cowan - Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners Portfolio: LinkedIn, Twitch
Kim Scott - NYT&WSJ Bestselling Author of Radical Candor, ex-CEO coach of Dropbox &Twitter  
Chris Voss - WSJ Bestselling Author 
Bob Muglia - ex CEO of Snowflake, ex President of Microsoft
Aparna Chennapragada CPO @ Microsoft AI for Work, ex CPO of Robinhood, ex VP of Google
Sumit Chauhan - CVP of Microsoft
Roman Chernin - Co-Founder of Nebius 
Gary Pinkus - Chairman of McKinsey North America 

+more

Ranked by Listen Notes as one of the top 1.5% most popular shows globally
Listenership 100 + countries 
Nominated by Asian American Podcasters Association for Golden Crane Awards

Apple:https://apple.co/3d6bGea
Spotify: http://bit.ly/gracegong
Website: https://www.smartventurepod.com
YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube

Founder, CEO & Host

Venture with Grace

I go LIVE with a VC/ LP/ founder daily here on LinkedIn. Past guests:

Co-Founder & Managing Partner @ Greycroft - Ian Saginaw
Partner @ Sequoia - James Flynn
Partner @ Sapphire Ventures - Rajeev Dham
Partner @ NEA - Aaron Jacobson
General Partner @ IVP - Somesh Dash
Partner @ Lightspeed - Hemant Mohapatra
Partner @ Bessemer - Mike Droesch
Managing Director @ Insight Partners - Nikhil Sachdev
Partner @ a16z - Emily Bennett 
Partner @ Pear VC - Vivien Ho
General Partner @ Gradient Ventures - Darian Shirazi 
General Partner @ Lux Capital - Shahin Farshchi 
Partner @ Upfront Ventures - Aditi Maliwal
Partner @ Primary Ventures - Emily Man 
Partner @ Menlo Ventures - Steve Sloane
Partner @ M13 - Brent Murri 
Partner @ Madrona - Vivek Ramaswami 
Partner @ Craft Ventures - Bryan Rosenblatt  
Partner @ Bain Capital Ventures - Saanya Ojha
Partner @ True Ventures - Tony Conrad 
Co-Founder and Partner @ Tribe Capital - Arjun Sethi
Managing Partner @ Eclipes Venture - Lior Susan 
Managing Partner @ Left Lane Capital - Jason Fiedler 
Founder & Managing Partner @Ahoy Capital - Chris Douvos 
Partner @ Vintage Investment Partners - Shira Eting
Founder & General Partner @ Boldstart - Ed Sim
Founder & Partner @ Defy VC - Neil Sequeira
Partner @ Cendana Capital - Kelli Fontaine 
Founder & CEO @Techstars - David Cohen
Partner @ Redpoint Ventures - Jordan Segall 
Partner @ Wing Venture Capital - Chris Zeoli 
Founding Partner @ NewView Capital - Ravi Viswanathan 
General Partner @ DCVC - Alan Cohen 
Managing Partner & Co-Founder at 645 Ventures - Nnamdi Okike
General Partner @ Foundation Capital - Ashu Garg 
Managing Partner @ Base 10 - Adeyemi Ajao 
Partner @ Lead Edge Capital - Emila Damjanovic 
General Partner @ Headline - Jett Fein
General Partner @ AlleyCorp - Abe Murray 
Partner @ 500 Global - Clayton Bryan
General Partner @ Polaris Partners - Gary Swart
Founding Partner @Acrew Capital - Mark Kraynak
Chief Investment Strategist @ Ark Invest - Charlie Roberts 

And more …

Founder, CEO, Host 

Grace Gong

Investor in AI startups, portolios including Generative Alpha, Emancro Robotics, LD Talent, Vantager, Hyperspell (YC F25), Hyperbolic, AgentHub (YC S25) among others. Advisor to Quill.

Angel Investor

Smart Venture Media

​My first conference: https://www.smartventuremedia.com

Speakers include: 

​Grace Gong (Founder & CEO of Smart Venture Media) 
​Shravan Narayen (Partner of IVP)
​Dave Zilberman (General Partner of Norwest Venture Partners)
​Shomik Ghosh (Partner of Boldstart Ventures)
​Casber Wang (Partner of Sapphire Ventures)
​Bala Sathiamurthy (former CISO of Atlassian & Nerdwallet)
​Anna Sarnek (Cyber BD at AWS)
​Jake Flomenberg (Partner of Wing VC)
​Nikhil Sachdev (Managing Director of Insight Partners)
​Eugene Lee (Partner of OMERS Ventures)
​James da Costa (Partner of Andreessen Horowitz)
​Anna Patterson (Founder of Ceramic. ai, Formerly VP of Google & Managing Partner of Gradient Ventures)
​Miloni Madan Presler (Partner at IVP)
​Timur Yarnall (Head of AI/ML Startups Business at Amazon Web Services)
​Anna Barber (Partner of M13)
​Brandon Yahn (Partner of Convivialite Ventures)
​Aditi Maliwal (Partner of Upfront Ventures)
​Henry Yin (Co-Founder of AGI House)
​Eylul Kayin (Partner of Gradient Ventures)
​Tejas Manohar (Co-CEO of Hightouch)
​Sydney Sykes (NVIDIA VC Partnerships)
​Kevin Novak (Managing Partner of Rackhouse Ventures)
​Phil Boyer (Partner of Crosslink Capital)
​Alan Cohen (General Partner of DCVC)
​Aidan Madigan-Curtis (Partner of Eclipse)
​Megh Gautam (Chief Product Officer of Crunchbase)
​Meagen Eisenberg (Chief Marketing Officer of Samsara)
​Tim Shi (Co-Founder of Cresta)
​David Yarbrough (Business Consultant at Sequoia)
​Cris Cafiero (Business Consultant at Sequoia)
​John Benetti (Managing Director of Silicon Valley Bank)
​Andrei Meganov (Head of GTM at Nebius AI)
​Simon Lee (Business Development at VESSL AI)
​Ben Bergman (Senior Correspondent at Business Insider)
​Vanessa Larco (Formerly Partner at NEA)
​Samantha Wu (Chief Marketing Officer of Eventbrite)
​Simon Wu (Partner at Cathay Innovation)
​Many thanks to our amazing sponsors:

​AWS
​SVB
​Sequoia
​Nebius
​VESSL AI
​Rackhouse Ventures
​Wayo

Founder & CEO

Alumni Ventures

America’s Largest Venture Firm for Individual Investors
Top 20 Venture Firm (CB Insights ’24)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the US (PitchBook ’22 & ’23)
World’s Most Innovative Companies (Fast Company ’22)

Alumni Ventures collaborates with elite angel investors — a select group of co-investors chosen for their track record, sector expertise, and community connections.

The AV Venture Scout Program is an extensive network of independent angels, entrepreneurs, and connectors. Venture Scouts share attractive investment opportunities with AV.

Super Angel + Venture Scout

Berkeley SkyDeck

Honored to have joined Berkeley SkyDeck as an advisor, alongside an incredible group of tech leaders—like the co-founders of YouTube, Tesla and Synopsys Inc, the VP of Robinhood, Box and others from top tech companies.

Advisor

Intro

Book me: https://intro.co/gracegong

Need startup advice? 👉  Book a 1:1
Let’s chat all things AI 👉  Book a 1:1
Let’s chat fundraising from VCs 👉  Book a 1:1

Expert on Intro | Book a 1:1 Session Now ⬇️

Floodgate

Building Breakthroughs Cohort Member 

Sigma Delta Partners Investment

Capital Markets Analyst

Summit Investment Management Consulting Co., Ltd

Investment Manager

Grace Gong is the founder of Smart Venture Media and the host of two well-known VC podcasts: Smart Venture Podcast (SVPpro.com) and Venture with Grace, a daily show. She is an angel investor in the AI sector, a super angel & venture scout for Alumni Ventures, Advisor at Berkeley SkyDeck. 

Her podcasts have featured high-profile guests such as C-level executives and VPs from companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Sephora, Dunkin' Donuts, Chipotle, Adidas, Pepsi, Instagram, Deloitte, Reddit, DoorDash, Pinterest, Cisco, NVIDIA, Snowflake and more. Additionally, she has interviewed Managing Partners from top funds, many of whom have appeared on the Forbes Midas List, as well as unicorn founders from companies like Craigslist, Square, Loom, and Glean. Grace regularly posts about technology, venture capital, and entrepreneurship and has been recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Finance. She is also a #1 Bestselling author in the VC category on Amazon New Release. Before founding Smart Venture Media, she worked in venture capital and private equity. If you share her interests, feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn @GraceGong.


2025: Spoke at AWS, Seattle Startup Summit, event collab w/ various funds. Hosted Smart AI Leadership Summit, Hosting Smart AI 100 Summit SmartVentureMedia.com (10M+ impressions/ yr)
2024: Venture with Grace daily live podcast (top 10%) features top GPs, LPs, execs, and founders. Angel investing in the AI space. Companies/ funds we have worked with including LG, Microsoft, Convivialité Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Amazon AWS, among others. 1.5M+ impressions in 7 days end of 2024.
2023: Spoke at LinkedIn HQ, ads clients: VC funds, startups, big tech.
2022: LinkedIn Top Voice in Finance, LinkedIn's creator accelerator fellow; clients including big tech & unicorn startups, speaking engagements: Dell, Microsoft
2021: CEO of Smart Venture Media (monetized, joined VC fellowship)
2020: Podcast - Smart Venture Podcast (top 1.5% among 3.4M podcasts globally, listeners in 100+ countries)
2019: PE 
2018: VC  
2017: Book 2 - How To Be A VC (No.1 new release on Amazon VC category; ft. 22 investors on the Forbes Midas List - investors who invested in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Apple, etc) 
2016: Book 1 - The Last Key To Success (ft. 21 founders on Forbes 30 under 30)
2014: Master's + PE
2013: UIUC

🤓 svppro.com
🚀 Stay connected: https://linktr.ee/gracegong115
💼 Book an ad on my podcast | Book me to speak at your conference/ events: 
grace@smartventurepod.com
💰Book to chat with me: https://intro.co/gracegong

People ask how I ship so fast. Here's my AI stack:

I'm constantly testing AI tools to see what actually moves the needle.

My current stack:

→ Make + Clay: Automate the repetitive stuff running in the background 
→ Notion AI: Draft ideas in seconds, not hours 
→ Gamma: Build decks without the design headache 
→ Lovable: Prototype new concepts fast 
→ HubSpot Breeze: Understand customer activity across everything

This stack takes me from idea → automation → output at speed.

For early-stage founders, your AI stack IS your competitive advantage. The right tools let you punch above your weight.

HubSpot for Startups put together a free playbook breaking down how to use these tools step-by-step.


Get the AI Tech Stack + Free Playbook at https://lnkd.in/gwct_HTM

Build at AI speed.

#Ad #Startups #Founder #TechStack #HubSpot #ProductivityHacks

Hosted another Venture with Grace dinner Wednesday night.

Founders backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, OpenAI Startup Fund, Amazon Alexa Fund, Greycroft, Pear VC + top partners from leading funds showed up.

Here's what actually happens at these dinners:

- You meet people who make you think differently. Every founder at the table has figured out something you haven't. You pick up their playbook in real time.

- WhatsApp groups form before dessert. People vibe, numbers get swapped, and suddenly there's a new group chat planning the next move.

- You hear what's really happening, not the polished version. The trends discussed at dinner become the moves everyone's making 6 months later.

- Sharing a meal just hits different. You can't fake chemistry over food. Trust gets built here in ways a coffee chat never will.

Real moves happen. Investments close. Co-founders meet. Friendships form that change trajectories.

Playing the long game matters.

Huge thanks to Rho and Turing for the amazing partnership!

Comment "dinner" if you wanna come to future dinners. 

#founders #venturecapital #startups #networking #sanfrancisco

Last night I hosted our Friendsgiving Founder x VC dinner in partnership with the amazing HubSpot For Startups and Lightyear.

40+ founders and VCs showed up. We kept expanding the table. Adding chairs. Moving things around. Way more people came than expected.

I think back to when I started—just me in my bedroom launching the podcast. The first event I ever hosted. To now, 17 dinners and 2 conferences in one year.

But you're only as good as your last episode. Your last event. That day one mentality never leaves because it can't. Every time I'm fighting to make it count.

In a world obsessed with pedigree and pattern recognition, hustle and grind still beat 50% of the game. The rest is luck and timing—being able to move with the trend when it hits.

Life isn't perfect. Every day you live and learn. Answers aren't handed to you—it's on you to figure out the next steps and follow your gut.

I couldn't be more thankful for every founder and investor I've met along the way. You all inspire me to keep pushing.

Somewhere in the chaos, you start to see the lights.

#FounderLife #VentureCapital #StartupCommunity #BuildInPublic #Entrepreneurship

Last night I was honored at the ETHIS AI and Sustainability Global Awards at Amazon Web Services (AWS) Loft alongside incredible founders, builders and investors in the AI community.

During my panel, I shared something personal: when I started my podcast a few years ago, I had one mission—impact how 1 million people make better business decisions.

This year on LinkedIn alone? 10M+ impressions in 365 days, reaching over 4M+ members. And that's not counting the podcast and other channels.

People kept reaching out for advice, wanting to connect with others in the community. 

So I started hosting dinners. 18 dinners later, we've sold out 2 conferences featuring the President of Cisco, VP of Microsoft, SVP of Vercel, partners from Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, Insight Partners, and founders of the hottest AI startups in Silicon Valley like Cresta, Higgsfield AI and Genspark—90+ top speakers.

Everyone asks: "How do you build an engaging community?"
My #1 tip? Listen.

Building anything meaningful—whether it's a community or a business—comes down to creating value for others. The fastest way to grow something isn't asking what you can get out of it, but what you can provide to others. Whether that's inspiration, connection, or information.

Next year's goal? Help 1 billion people make better business decisions.
One million was just the beginning.

Many thanks to Ann (Xiaoran) C. for hosting this amazing event! :) 

#AIcommunity #VentureCapital #CommunityBuilding #SiliconValley #Entrepreneurship

Just spoke in front of 1,000+ people at the AI Investment Summit 2025@ UC Berkeley. 

The line wrapped around the building. The room was packed with influential VCs, founders, and world-class ML researchers from top tech companies 🤯

What we actually discussed on stage:
- AI investing trends shaping 2025 and beyond
- The skills and talent needed to dominate in AI
- Agent-to-agent orchestration and why it matters
- The context layer everyone's building toward
- Open vs. closed source models 
- The unthinkable question: Does the future of AI sit in consumer or enterprise? (Hot take: Silicon Valley loves enterprise … yet OpenAI and Anthropic are consumer plays 👀)

The lineup was absolutely stacked:
- Chancellor of University of California, Berkeley Rich Lyons - Opening
- Partners from Sequoia Capital
- Leaders from OpenAI and Anthropic
- Top-tier VCs shaping the future of AI

I closed out the summit on a panel with some absolute legends (many of them past podcast/conference guests!):

🔹 Aaron Jacobson, Partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
🔹 Chon Tang, Founding Partner of Berkeley SkyDeck Fund
🔹 Matt Vail, VC Partnerships at OpenAI
🔹 David Hefter, Director at BlackRock

Huge shoutout to the incredible student organizers at UC Berkeley—Hongbo Li, Jiaru LIU, Young Ji, Junyao-Estelle Zhang, Daniel (Yihao) Y., Leo Chng, Cindy(Mingxi) Tang, David (Xinyang) Han, Yufu Chen, Eason Xu and more—for making this happen 🙏

The best is yet to come 🚀

#ai #VC #ucberkeley

It was such a blast to attend The Wall Street Journal Tech Live during my birthday week! 🎂

I got a front-row seat in an intimate room with some of the most influential leaders shaping the future of AI: 

Sarah Friar (CFO, OpenAI), Assaf Rappaport (Co-founder & CEO, Wiz), Michael Intrator (Co-founder & CEO, CoreWeave), my good friend Wen S. (COO, Genspark), Laela Sturdy (Managing Partner, CapitalG), Jai Das (Co-Founder & President, Sapphire Ventures), Enrique Salem (Partner, Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), Jennifer Tejada (Chairperson & CEO, PagerDuty), Alan Murray (President, WSJ Leadership Institute), and more.

The real talk nobody's saying out loud:

→ Most AI innovation today? Impressive demos. But the path to scalable, repeatable solutions isn't clear yet.
→ Enterprise buyers are hedging their bets—buying multiple AI solutions while simultaneously building their own. Everyone's still figuring out what actually works.
→ Vertical AI companies are charging significant premiums for what's essentially an AI wrapper. The question is whether that premium is justified.

But here's what matters:
Every single company—from Fortune 500 to scrappy startups—has AI on their roadmap. Not because it's trendy. Because efficiency and productivity gains are non-negotiable in 2025.

The companies that will win aren't the ones with the fanciest models. They're the ones solving real problems with solutions that actually scale.

The AI wave is real. The question isn't whether AI will transform business—it's who will build the solutions that last.

Are we building something people will still pay for in 3 years?

Super grateful to Wen S. for the invite—your friendship means the world to me, and I can't wait to keep watching you win.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #VentureCapital #TechLeadership

was gonna keep this a secret but...

I'm hosting another private founder + investor dinner TONIGHT

yes I just did one last week but the demand was insane

oh and this one's at a mansion 👀

the RSVPs? founders backed by Y Combinator, Berkeley SkyDeck, and top VCs

when you get this caliber of people saying yes within 24 hours, you know something's working

shoutout to HubSpot For Startups and Lightyear for making this happen
the energy at these dinners >>> any other networking

real conversations. no pitch decks. just founders who get it connecting with people who can actually help them scale

comment "fries" if you want to be considered for the next one 👇

#startups #founders #venturecapital #networking #YCombinator

Another month, another absolutely insane dinner lineup.

The Venture with Grace Dinner Series keeps leveling up — and honestly, I’ve stopped being surprised.

Tonight’s RSVP list:

• Founders who’ve raised $100M+ (we somehow have these every month now)
• The breakout AI tool creators won’t shut up about
• YC’s current batch — the ones flooding your feed with launch videos
• Top + up-and-coming investors actually backing the real AI winners

Huge thanks to Rho and Turing for powering this month’s dinner.

Want a shot at joining the next Venture With Grace Dinner Series event —
we’re hosting it at a mansion —drop “invite” in the comments.

I’ll add you to the exclusive waitlist.

#VentureWithGrace #FounderCommunity #AIDinners #StartupEcosystem #AIFounders

so flattered to be interviewed by Zachary Chang from Conduit AI on a Y Combinator yacht party! Is this the peak? Do I retire now?

#askingforafriend #yc #ai #linkedin

Just spoke at ReasonOS's event with the legendary Henry Shi (founder of Super.com) and Brad Garsten (Managing Principal at Quanta) about something that's been keeping me up:

Your AI moat? Gone in 6 months.

When AI talks to AI, your clever UI doesn't matter. Your "unique" features become table stakes. Every AI startup starts looking identical.

I'm watching enterprise buyers hedge their bets—buying YOUR solution, your COMPETITOR'S solution, while building in-house. Your recurring revenue isn't as recurring as you think.

Here's the tension: There's real power in building lean. But Fortune 500 buyers?
They want three people on-site, white-glove service, someone picking up at 2am.

The real moat isn't your algorithm.

It's distribution. Relationships. Trust. The things that don't scale are the only things competitors can't copy.

In a world where technology is abundant, human reliability becomes the scarcest asset.

The startups winning in 2025 won't have the best models. They'll have customers who trust them enough to bet their careers on them.

Build relationships like your revenue depends on it. Because it does.

Thanks to the amazing Jordan Lyndsay M. for moderating and Vamsi Pandari and Shannon Miller, MSOD (she/her) for the invite and great presentation.

What are you building that can't be replicated?

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Startups #VentureCapital #EnterpriseSales

Every week I talk to founders who’ve sent their deck to 200 investors…

and can’t figure out why no one replies.

Here’s the truth:
Fundraising isn’t about volume. It’s about fit.

So before you hit send, do this:

Month 1 – Research
Find 20 investors who actually fund your stage and your space.
Use Crunchbase, NFX Signal, or look up who funded companies like yours.

Month 2 – Warm up
Comment on their posts.
Reply to their newsletter.
Show up where they are.
They should recognize your name before you ever pitch.

Month 3 – Meet
Now reach out.
You’re not cold anymore.
You’re familiar.
You’re not pitching. You’re catching up.

I get a ton of DMs from founders who only need a few small tweaks like this to unlock their first investor meetings, and it’s totally doable.

I’m offering 20% off 1:1 advisor sessions on @Intro until December 15 to help founders build their investor outreach plan.

Comment “Interested Intro” and the team will DM you a private code to book.

The link to book is in the first comment.

#intro

Week 91 of Venture with Grace (two weeks ago) 🚀

Two weeks ago was another loaded week — founders and investors breaking down how AI is transforming sales, analytics, decision-making, and early-stage investing.

Highlights from Week 91:

Connor Heggie, CTO of Unify — AI-powered Sales & GTM Automation
Jamie Davidson, Founder of Omni — BI, AI Analytics & Data Freedom
Moritz Sudhof, CEO of Bigspin AI — Coaching AI behavior with human feedback
Soham Mazumdar, CEO of WisdomAI — Turning raw data into instant insights
Adam D'Augelli, Partner at True Ventures — Backing founders from Day One
Vivek Krishnamurthy, Partner at Commerce Ventures — Fintech, insurtech & new AI wedges
Tony Conrad, Partner at True Ventures — Community, AI & founder ecosystems that scale

Week 91 captured how fast AI workflows are evolving across GTM, analytics, and early-stage company building.

Catch all replays on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts — just search “Venture with Grace.”

#VentureWithGrace #AI #Startups #VC #Founders #GTM

Week 93 of Venture with Grace 🚀

A week packed with leaders shaping the future of AI, cybersecurity, GTM, and early-stage investing — from seed fund strategy to AI video creation, CVC, and enterprise agents.

Ross Fubini, Managing Partner at XYZ Venture Capital — Anduril, seed bets & what it takes to scale a venture fund

Jon Callaghan, Managing Partner at True Ventures — Early-stage VC, founder relationships & AI innovation

Laura Burkhauser, CEO of Descript — AI video creation, storytelling & the next era of content tools

Ernie B., Managing Director at Forgepoint Capital — Cybersecurity, defense tech & where AI strengthens national security

Anish Srivastava, Venture Partner at Swisscom Ventures — CVC strategy, corporate innovation & supporting startup growth

Kourosh Zamani, Co-Founder of Laurel — Scaling AI products, sales motion & critical early partnerships

Karen Ng, EVP of Product at HubSpot — AI agents, AEO & the future of GTM for modern companies

Week 93 brought together operators and investors building across defense, AI tools, enterprise GTM, cybersecurity, and venture — a full snapshot of where AI is pushing industries forward.

Catch all replays on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts — just search “Venture with Grace.”

#VentureWithGrace #AI #Startups #VC #Cybersecurity #GTM #AIagents

Week 92 of Venture with Grace (two weeks ago) 🚀

Two weeks ago, we covered everything from generative media to AI agents, Gen Z consumer behavior, cloud security, and enterprise AI strategy.

Highlights from Week 92:

Mahi de Silva, Co-Founder & CSO, Higgsfield AI — Generative Media, Creator AI & the future of personalized content (smart ai 100)

Allen Wang, CEO of Ditto — Gen Z dating, virality & how products spread across campuses (smart ai 100)

Lari Hamalainen, Sr Partner at McKinsey & Company — GenAI, agentic workflows & enterprise tech strategy

Conor Brennan-Burke, Founder of Hyperspell (YC F25) — AI agent memory & building reliable agent systems (smart ai 100)

Manmeet Singh Bhasin, CEO of WMC Global — AI, data intelligence & the evolving cloud security landscape

Natalie Dillon, Partner at Maveron — Consumer trends, modern brands & what today’s founders should pay attention to

Week 92 touched consumer, AI infra, enterprise, and security — a real snapshot of where tech is moving right now.

Catch all replays on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts — just search “Venture with Grace.”

#VentureWithGrace #AI #Startups #VC #GenAI #Consumer #Security

Honored to be judging the Scoop AI Hackathon this weekend 

- hosted by University of California, Berkeley & Stanford University, backed by SpoonOS, Google Cloud, ElevenLabs, OpenRouter & more 🚀

$60K+ prize pool.

We're looking at the next generation of agentic AI infrastructure and fintech innovation - the kind of builds that actually push the industry forward.

Can't wait to see what these hackers create.

#AI #SiliconValley #AgenticAI #FinTech #Startups

taplio

The Battle

LIAM DARMODY

Grace Gong

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreLIAM DARMODY's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGrace Gong's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

LIAM DARMODY

Grace Gong

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}LIAM DARMODY's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGrace Gong's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreLIAM DARMODY's LinkedIn Performance