In this episode of Ventures, my guest Audrey Baedke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-baedke-93724290/) and I discuss Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST - https://iwantrest.com). We talk about the origins of the nonprofit, the impact they have had, the dynamics of the sex trade in general, how humans are enslaved, and how REST provides tangible pathways to freedom, safety, and hope. As a board member and donor myself, I would ask that you **please** consider joining us with a year-end gift.

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-159 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here.   

1:58 - Introduction to the episode. Will’s board involvement. What is REST? 

3:00 - How Audrey got involved with REST 

4:15 - Describing the problem of sex trafficking in the USA

7:43 - Responding to the common idea that selling sex is just among consenting adults and harmless

10:17 - Understanding market dynamics here - buyers, sellers, brokers

11:17 - Supply and demand dynamics, how “products” are treated

12:24 - Modern-day slavery

12:39 - How is REST addressing the problem?

14:25 - For those considering year-end donations - what amount of money would have a real impact? 

16:16 - How many years does it take to help someone leave “the life” within REST’s services?

17:37 - REST’s quantitative impact - 4400+ individuals served, Work with more than 600 every year, 300 that enroll in services. 

18:12 - An example story of a survivor

21:05 - Hearing the stories like this board meeting after board meeting

21:39 - REST’s expansion plans beyond the greater Seattle area

22:59 - If someone wants to give, where can they go to do this? https://iwantrest.com // Also how to contact Audrey directly.

See also a previous episode on this show about REST: https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3 

For more information about sex trafficking in America, see: https://www.state.gov/humantrafficking-about-human-trafficking/ 

Be aware of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Languages: English, Spanish) – 888-373-7888

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through a number of updates with my for-profit and nonprofit venture work. I talk about Prota Ventures, our second fund, how we get operationally involved in our portfolio companies, and who we serve. As an example, I discuss my involvement with AI Layer, which is a new company providing AI inference computing services that leverages an upcoming Web3 protocol that will be decentralized and widely available next year. Finally, I talk about updates - and my volunteering involvement - with Impact Stream and Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST). 

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-158 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:30 - quick overview of Will’s bio and current activities - check out https://www.protaventures.com 

1:15 - More about how Prota Ventures services Founders, Investors, and Talent. 

2:00 - Investing multiple forms of capital (not just financial capital)

2:40 - More about AI Layer - decentralized compute for AI inference

3:45 - West Africa work - Impact Stream updates http://impact.stream - local people solving local problems 

4:35 - Beyond the standard development work, more about the well-drilling business

5:15 - More specifically about Impact Stream’s vision of connecting digital communities to IRL impact. Quadratic Voting mechanism. Local projects and funding pool on-chain.

6:36 - More about Real Escape from the Sex Trade (REST) see more from Episode 2 → https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-3 

In this episode of Ventures, my guest Hans Mulders (https://obertal.com/leavenworth-wa-hotel-owner/) and I recorded a conversation while we were on-site at a demonstration farm in Togo, West Africa. We had just helped dozens of local Togolese people onboard into a progressive web application that we are building with Impact Stream (https://impact.stream), a new NGO helping to decentralize poverty alleviation via trust networks and blockchain technology. In our conversation we cover how Hans got involved in Impact Stream and how to smartly use technology and aid to sustainably help lift people out of poverty.

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-157 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Intro to the episode 

1:35 - On-site intro - application we are onboarding Togolese into with Impact Stream

1:57 - Who is Hans? Why is he here with Will and the Impact Stream team in Togo? Origin story how Hans and Will met.

3:20 - “Can I come”? (Hans asking to come to Togo with us). Productive and effective aid in Africa.

3:53 - What kinds of projects does Hans hope to see funded in Togo?

4:45 - The need for basic infrastructure

5:07 - How do we inject financial aid into projects in Togo that help the local economy? How do we ensure the projects are regenerative and sustainable?

6:24 - Impact Stream manages the flow of money. More info about blockchain technology that Impact Stream will be using.

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through the current progress of a new NGO called Impact Stream (https://impact.stream). I and fellow team members were able to travel to Togo, West Africa this month to help onboard dozens of local people into a progressive web app we are building to facilitate proposals, on-chain voting, and funding via cryptocurrency. Importantly, these proposals are submitted by local people to be built by local vendors/workers and prioritized by their own community (and not outside influencers). In this episode I share plenty of footage from our trip, so be sure to watch the video via the link below if you happen to be on your podcast player.

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-156 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Episode setup, more information about Impact Stream, where to do audio and video, etc.. 

0:34 - Overview of Impact Stream - transparent streams of impact between digital communities and real-life communities. 

1:12 - Promise of Web3 - Banking the unbanked, financial equity, etc..

1:33 - The Impact Stream team and partners

2:16 - Local people proposing public goods / infrastructure, with funding from around the world.

3:07 - Visiting both the rural area and Lomé (capital city of Togo)

3:55 - Walking through the offramp plan into the local CFA currency

5:09 - Overview of first proof of concept round this year

5:50 - Jump into our Discord server to get involved → https://discord.gg/we344V4QP7 

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk through how to buy crypto on a centralized exchange, move it to your own crypto wallet, and participate in an NFT mint. I use the upcoming Founders Collection mint for Alphi (https://mint.alphi.xyz/, June 29th, 2023) as a practical example. Most NFT communities require some kind of process to be added to their allowlist, so I walk through how to do this, step-by-step, with Alphi. 

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-155 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, background/scope, helping onboard you into Web3, buy ETH, and participate in Alphi’s mint. 

0:43 - About the allowlist, and the 333 mint – Mint page → https://mint.alphi.xyz

1:27 - Disclaimers and disclosures

1:49 - Sign up for Twitter first if you don’t have one. Also go to Metamask’s site and get a crypto wallet.

2:50 - Alphi founder NFT 

3:00 - How to obtain ETH and export it to your Metamask account

4:00 - How to participate in Alphi’s mint. https://alphi.xyz // https://mint.alphi.xyz 

5:10 - What is Alphi? 

6:03 - How to reach out to Will if you are having any trouble getting setup.

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss early stage startup pitch decks and what VCs/angels really want to hear when founders ask for equity financing. I talk about how the culture around the traditional deck has not been as helpful as it could be to clarify why traction (and forecasts of traction) are - in my opinion - the most important aspect of the initial pitch process that warrants deeper diligence.  

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-154 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Tee-up for the episode, screencast, motivation

0:45 - Background of the pre-seed vs. seed pitch deck article → https://www.startuprocket.com/articles/investor-pitch-deck-and-communication-strategies-pre-seed-and-seed 

2:08 -  What investors really want to hear (traction, forecasts, and that you are the right team to do it) 

3:30 - A better way to train entrepreneurs 

4:14 - What is traction, really? Example from Uber’s pre-seed pitch

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) discuss the recent lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase brought by the SEC. There is no lack of FUD on crypto right now, and it seems like everyone is moving over to AI. Still, both AI and Blockchains are important tools to make a better Internet for us all, and this is the goal of Web3. 

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-153 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Episode tee-up, where to view/watch, FUD in Crypto

0:43 - More information about the lawsuits and commentary on the space. See also https://www.vox.com/23752826/binance-coinbase-sec-crypto-investors  // https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/binance-coinbase-head-to-court-and-the-sec-labels-67-crypto-securities-hodlers-digest-june-4-10/ // https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-magazine/2023/06/13/the-industry-doesnt-want-the-answers-josh-klayman-on-coinbase-and-binance/ 

4:10 - Are people just switching from Crypto to AI? How do these tools benefit humanity?

6:05 - More about Impact Stream – creating transparent streams of impact between digital and IRL communities. Check it out → https://impact.stream 

7:10 - Donate to impact stream at impactstream.eth 

7:30 - Do I think crypto is dead? No. Just like relational databases aren’t dead. Regulatory clarity will be good. 

In this episode of Ventures, I (https://linkedin.com/in/wclittle) walk briefly through Marc Andreessen’s recent article “Why AI Will Save the World” (https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/) and discuss why I tend to agree the time to build aggressively with AI is *now*, at the very least in order to compete on the global landscape for the common good. I also talk about the upcoming GenAI summit I’m hosting in Seattle on June 9th, and why the immediate future with AI is ripe for “co-pilots” across multiple markets and disciplines.  

Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-152 for more information. 

You can watch this episode via video here. 

0:03 - Episode Tee-up - where to listen and watch. 

0:45 - Walking through the outline of Marc’s article → https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/

2:46 - The future belongs to AI-powered co-pilots 

3:10 - More information about June 9th GenAI summit Will is hosting in Seattle on June 9th → https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wclittle_generative-ai-startup-ideationincubation-activity-7060642934529929218-RZLb