In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan talks with Bianca Gates, founder and CEO of Birdies, about her entrepreneurial journey. Bianca shares her upbringing as the daughter of Latin American immigrants, her early aspirations to be a career woman, and her inspiring career trajectory from pharmaceutical and media sales to her dream job at Facebook. Bianca discusses the creation of Birdies, a brand of stylish and comfortable 'social slippers,' and how she leveraged her sales know-how and experiences at Facebook to turn Birdies into the beloved footwear brand it is today.

Guest Bio and Links:

Bianca Gates is the CEO and co-founder of Birdies, a leading footwear brand that introduced the concept of the "social slipper." Before Birdies, Bianca built a successful career in sales at Univision, MTV, and Facebook, where she worked closely with Sheryl Sandberg. Born to Latin American immigrants, Bianca is a pioneer in combining entrepreneurial drive with a commitment to empowering women.

Listeners can learn more about Bianca Gates on her website, on IG @biancagates

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Intro
• (0:25) Leah introduces guest, Bianca Gates, CEO of Birdies Footwear
• (2:00) The struggle for the perfect shoe
• (3:45) Setting a new precedent in footwear
• (6:00) Growing up Latina in America
• (9:30) “I tell people sometimes when you're in a weak moment or you're feeling isolated or that you don't belong, I think sometimes it was like the best lessons that you can do something positive with it later in life.”
• (15:00) Pursuing independence and career aspirations
• (20:30) Landing a sales gig at Johnson and Johnson
• (24:30) Proving sales potential at Univision
• (29:00) Pitching Hyundai Kia
• (32:30) Finding love and moving west back home
• (36:30) Gaining inspiration from Sheryl Sandberg
• (38:00) The determination to join Facebook
• (42:30) Taking the leap and joining Facebook
• (45:00) The Birth of Birdies
• (48:30) “Be bold and also done is better than perfect.”
• (51:00) The early days of launching Birdies
• (54:00) Navigating the retail landscape
• (57:00) Leaving Facebook to focus on Birdies
• (1:01:00) Finetuning the niche with Birdies until it worked

---

Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.

Connect with Leah:

Website: breakingprecedent.com/

Instagram: @labunleashed

X: @labunleashed

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan talks with Trevor Paglen, an artist, researcher, and adventurer. Trevor shares the hidden layers of our world through art, from covert military installations to undersea internet cables. His work, featured in renowned institutions like the Pace Art Gallery and the Smithsonian Institute, spans photographing submerged cables to launching art into space. They discuss the intersection of art and AI, its societal implications, and how technological advancements redefine visual culture. Paglen's innovative approach challenges precedents and reshapes our understanding of the world and the unseen forces influencing it.

Guest Bio and Links:

Trevor Paglen is an acclaimed artist, photographer, and geographer whose work explores surveillance, secrecy, and technology themes. His unique practice merges art with investigative journalism, creating works that question societal norms and unveil unseen structures in modern society. Paglen’s work has been showcased at the Pace Gallery, the Smithsonian Institute, and even launched into orbit.

Listeners can learn more about at his website, on IG @trevorpaglen

Resources:

Law: Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on what is precedent?

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Intro
• (0:20) Leah introduces guest, Trevor Paglen: Artist, Researcher, and Adventurer to Breaking Precedent
• (5:00) The role of precedent in Art
• (7:45) Three different pockets of precedence
• (11:00) The intersection of Art and AI
• (16:30) The PsyOps project at Pace Gallery
• (18:00) The influence of military upbringing
• (22:30) Paglen recounts early military experiences that created curiosity
• (27:00) Surveillance Art - making the invisible visible
• (32:30) The evolution of data collection and AI
• (35:00) The impact of training data on AI systems
• (39:00) Experimental Geography and Scholarship
• (40:30) Trevor describes his artistic goal as “understanding how to see the world.”
• (44:45) Art in Space - The Last Pictures project
• (49:30) Ethical considerations in creating for the future
• (56:30) Art’s potential to challenge societal norms

---

Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.

Connect with Leah:

Website: breakingprecedent.com/

Instagram: @labunleashed

X: @labunleashed

In this episode of Breaking Precedent, host Leah Solivan sits down with Aaron Holliday, Founder and Managing Director of 645 Ventures, a venture fund with an unprecedented model and a mission to bring the invisible to life. Aaron shares his inspiring journey from growing up in New Orleans to building a data-driven sourcing model that uncovers promising startups and founders at the earliest stages. With over half a billion dollars under management and a 10-year anniversary, 645 Ventures has truly broken the mold.

Guest Bio and Links:

Aaron is the co-founder and Managing Partner at 645 Ventures. He oversees the firm’s investing approach, strategy, investor relations, and governance. Since founding 645 Ventures in 2014, Aaron has worked closely with portfolio company founders to strengthen, grow, and scale businesses. Aaron led 645 Ventures early-stage investments in several breakout successes, including Goldbelly, Iterable, FiscalNote, Squire, Resident/Nectar Sleep, FLY Labs (acquired by Google), Source3 (acquired by Facebook), and several other category-defining companies. In 2021, Aaron made the Midas Brink List of VC investor up-and-comers to watch for his involvement and investments in startup companies that have scaled to hundreds of millions in revenues and unicorn status.

Listeners can learn more about Aaron Holiday on X @aholidayiii

Show Notes:

• (0:00) Intro
• (0:20) Leah introduces guest, Aaron Holiday, Founder of 645 Ventures to Breaking Precedent
• (3:30) Aaron's early life and inspirations
• (6:30) Early college days - math to computer science
• (12:00) The Hustleman - entrepreneurial spirit
• (14:15) Authorship: Award winning author of First Gen, Alejandra Campoverdi, on breaking generational cycles
• (17:00) Experience at Goldman Sachs
• (23:30) Discovering Venture Capital at business school
• (31:30) Internship at Blip.tv
• (35:30) Building Cornell Tech
• (40:00) The birth of 645 Ventures
• (46:00) Challenges and successes of 645 Ventures
• (55:30) “You bring the invisible to life.”
• (57:30) The physics of the entrepreneurial ecosystem
• (1:01:00) Reflections and difficulties on the Venture capital industry

---

Leah Solivan is the host of Breaking Precedent, a podcast that explores the stories of innovators who are pushing societal boundaries and setting new precedents in their fields. Leah is General Partner at Fuel Capital, where she invests in early-stage companies across consumer technology, hardware, education, marketplaces, and retail. Leah has 15 years of experience building and creating technology products that have reached millions of people around the globe. She started her career at IBM as an engineer in the software group, working on Lotus Notes and Domino. In 2008, Leah founded TaskRabbit, the leading on-demand service marketplace in the world.

Connect with Leah:

Website: breakingprecedent.com/

Instagram: @labunleashed

X: @labunleashed