WEBVTT 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.980 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:15.140 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.600 day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:20.699 Deck today here on Veterans Radio and thanks 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.460 for joining us. We've got some interesting stories 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.640 for you. We always want to remind you, you can 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.739 find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.420 site or at the web, veteransradio .org, where 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.259 we're on the web 24 -7. You can find a lot of 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.299 our podcasts there as well. We post new ones 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.479 every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.219 new interview, something you didn't know before 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.219 by going to veteransradio .org. And before we 00:00:49.219 --> 00:00:52.259 get started, we want to thank our sponsors. First 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:55.259 up, we want to thank National Veteran Business 00:00:55.259 --> 00:01:01.039 Development Council, nvbdc .org. It was established 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.379 to certify both service disabled and veteran 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:06.659 owned businesses. You'll find out how they can 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:12.319 help your business by going to nvbdc .org. We 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.840 want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. Legal 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.939 Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.040 rights all across the nation. You can reach them 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:30.500 at 800 -693 -4800 or on the web at legalhelpforveterans 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:36.180 .com. And finally, PuroClean. PuroClean is the 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:38.760 paramedics of property damage. It provides water 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.019 damage remediation, flood water removal, fire 00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:45.859 and smoke damage remediation, mold removal, biohazard 00:01:45.859 --> 00:01:50.900 cleanup. It also has a focus on veteran franchisees. 00:01:51.239 --> 00:01:54.359 You can learn more about them by going to PuroClean 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:59.340 .com. We want to welcome to Veterans Radio today 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:02.780 Mike Sherbakov, who is a Marine veteran. We're 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:05.359 going to talk about that military service, but 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.379 we're also going to talk about the venture fund 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:11.199 that he is involved in as a general partner. 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:14.469 Mike, welcome to Veterans Radio. Jim, thanks 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:16.710 so much for having me today. Well, let's start 00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:21.169 with how did a nice kid like you from California 00:02:21.169 --> 00:02:24.810 end up in the Marines for five years? Yeah, well 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:27.889 it's a bit of an interesting story. I grew up 00:02:27.889 --> 00:02:32.110 in the Bay Area and first -generation immigrant. 00:02:32.909 --> 00:02:34.810 I have two older sisters and a younger brother 00:02:34.810 --> 00:02:39.099 and with my family the path was always You get 00:02:39.099 --> 00:02:41.520 great grades, you go to a great college, you 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:44.259 get a great job, and that's just that's your 00:02:44.259 --> 00:02:46.340 life path. So my oldest sister went to Stanford. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.800 My sister after that got a full ride to William 00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:51.879 and Mary and then got her doctorate in neuroscience. 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:53.800 My little brother ended up getting his master's 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:57.659 from Berkeley. And I'll tell you this, Jim, I 00:02:57.659 --> 00:02:59.879 remember exactly where I was when I heard about 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:05.340 the planes hitting the towers and. It shook me 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:10.599 and I knew I wanted to do something. Combine 00:03:10.599 --> 00:03:12.879 that with a number of other factors, including 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:16.120 seeing my family again as first -generation immigrants 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.919 start in this country with nothing and through 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:22.539 entrepreneurship, through hard work and discipline. 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:25.580 make an incredible life for themselves. My parents 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:27.919 now live in the Bay Area. They have a farm and 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:30.360 horses and chickens and goats. And again, seeing 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:32.699 what my family was able to do in one generation 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.319 in this country, seeing an attack on our soil. 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:39.520 And I had one of those Marine posters in my room 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.800 of the scout sniper, you know, the force recon 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:45.099 team. And I just felt like although everything 00:03:45.099 --> 00:03:47.360 in my family is telling me to go this one path, 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:50.629 which my siblings did, I was going a different 00:03:50.629 --> 00:03:53.830 way and so without telling my parents I actually 00:03:53.830 --> 00:03:56.419 went to the recruiter's office. didn't know much 00:03:56.419 --> 00:03:59.360 about the Marines. I just wanted to do the hardest 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:03.400 thing I could and join the Marines in June 2003, 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:05.180 which was kind of the peak of the war. It was 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:06.939 really, you know, we had to kind of insert ourselves 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:10.740 into Fallujah in April of 2003. And I was on 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:13.460 active duty for five years. I went in originally 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:17.139 as a comm tech enlisted Marine, ended up teaching 00:04:17.139 --> 00:04:19.100 their version of hand -to -hand combat called 00:04:19.100 --> 00:04:21.399 MCMAP, the Marine Corps Marshal Arts Program. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:24.319 and was very grateful for my time in service, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.319 met a lot of incredible people, always interestingly 00:04:27.319 --> 00:04:29.439 part of non -deployable units to make sure there 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:32.920 was the consistency in the training. And in 2008, 00:04:32.939 --> 00:04:36.339 at the end of my active duty time, I also knew 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:39.720 it was time to transition out. There were a number 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.459 of things and I wanted to implement during my 00:04:42.459 --> 00:04:45.860 time in the Marines, things that would make processes 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:52.110 much more efficient. I was essentially shut down 00:04:52.110 --> 00:04:54.970 when I tried to bring new innovative ideas on 00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:57.110 ways we could save ourselves so much time and 00:04:57.110 --> 00:05:00.430 money. And that's ultimately, we can fast forward 00:05:00.430 --> 00:05:02.889 a lot and talk about the parts in between, but 00:05:02.889 --> 00:05:05.290 that's ultimately what led me to entrepreneurship. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.220 I ended up doing my undergrad after the Marines. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.899 I had started and sold two companies in the health 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:14.240 and wellness space. But I fell in love with entrepreneurship. 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:18.100 And now, obviously, with what I do, investing 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.860 in great startups that are advancing this great 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.680 nation of ours. Well, let me back up to the family 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:25.980 for a minute, because everybody, clearly your 00:05:25.980 --> 00:05:31.259 parents valued education. The other siblings 00:05:31.259 --> 00:05:34.620 all kind of went off to that direction. How was 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:37.259 it received when, I don't know, what were you, 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:39.439 18 years old or something, when you walked into 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.139 the house and said, hey mom, hey dad, guess what, 00:05:42.459 --> 00:05:45.889 I joined the Marines. It was a surprise. Yeah, 00:05:45.889 --> 00:05:49.009 it was a surprise to everyone in my family and, 00:05:49.009 --> 00:05:51.829 you know, combine that I'm kind of giving the 00:05:51.829 --> 00:05:54.790 the wave tops of this, right, but underneath 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:57.470 were a number of other factors. You know, I remember 00:05:57.470 --> 00:05:59.829 going into the recruiter's office and I don't 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:01.569 know if they still do this strategy, but it worked 00:06:01.569 --> 00:06:03.629 quite well on me. The recruiter put out a bunch 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:06.709 of placards with words on them like camaraderie, 00:06:06.930 --> 00:06:09.629 adventure, brotherhood, patriotism, and said, 00:06:09.730 --> 00:06:12.189 put these in order of what's important to you. 00:06:12.189 --> 00:06:14.160 I remember thinking I can't even put them in 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.459 order because they're all important to me. So 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:20.439 in addition to the wave tops of what I shared 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:24.839 was happening in the country and with my family, 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:27.540 it was also a sense of independence for me. It 00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:30.480 was a sense of wanting to push myself and try 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:33.040 something I haven't done, create that separation 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:37.699 from my family to prove what I could do in addition 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:40.500 to the patriotism and wanting to defend our great 00:06:40.500 --> 00:06:45.879 nation. Yeah it was it was very unexpected and 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:49.220 i remember not long after it was only about a 00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:51.600 month from the time i first walked in the recruiter's 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:55.199 office took the asap did all of the i forgot 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:58.300 what they call it all the the screening and everything 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:00.720 to be shipped off about a month from the time 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.360 i first walked into the time i was stepping on 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:06.980 the yellow footprints at mcrd san diego and i 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:09.139 remember just three months later graduating boot 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:11.689 camp as a squad leader and. kind of peeking out 00:07:11.689 --> 00:07:13.769 of the corner of my eye and seeing my family 00:07:13.769 --> 00:07:15.750 sitting on those benches there on the parade 00:07:15.750 --> 00:07:18.670 deck in San Diego and it was a very proud moment. 00:07:18.870 --> 00:07:21.410 I definitely had a tear coming out of my eye 00:07:21.410 --> 00:07:23.449 just because I knew how proud they were even 00:07:23.449 --> 00:07:25.750 though it was a very unconventional path from 00:07:25.750 --> 00:07:28.970 my family. Well I think unconventional path maybe 00:07:28.970 --> 00:07:33.250 is a good title of your book when you write it. 00:07:34.149 --> 00:07:37.579 You went from you know high school into the marines 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:40.279 for five years where you get a lot of uh you 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:43.620 know off book education uh you you meet a lot 00:07:43.620 --> 00:07:46.680 of people you know you get to you get some income 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:49.699 and get to flex your wings a little bit but as 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:52.939 you said you didn't go and get your uh college 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:55.300 degree you you ended up attaining a bachelor 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:58.279 of science from san diego state university until 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:01.779 post marine corps if i understand it that's right 00:08:01.779 --> 00:08:05.000 so when i got out of the marines um But just 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:09.259 a few weeks after my date of separation started 00:08:09.259 --> 00:08:12.459 at San Diego State University, my last duty station 00:08:12.459 --> 00:08:15.000 was at Camp Pendleton. And so I knew I wanted 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.100 to stay in San Diego. And I studied kinesiology 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:21.579 and psychology because it was kind of what I 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:25.600 knew at the time. And as I was going through 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:29.819 my studies, I knew I wanted to pursue entrepreneurship. 00:08:29.980 --> 00:08:32.519 I didn't end up studying it. I just knew I'd 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:37.000 kind of learn it on the job. So just within a 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:38.759 few months of graduating from San Diego State 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:41.279 University, I actually started my first business 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:44.940 in the health and wellness space called HMS Fitness. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.700 It was a franchise model of FitBody Bootcamp, 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:53.200 if anyone's familiar with that company. And we 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:54.960 talked a little bit about this before hitting 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:58.799 record, Jim, but it really just was a function 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:03.159 of hard work and discipline. And getting it done 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:05.919 and which is really a large part of the thesis 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.559 now of the venture capital fund that i started 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:11.259 and run with three of my partners called the 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.320 veteran fund we invest in founders like me it's 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.220 kind of the thing i wish existed at that time 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:20.879 because i know that military veterans possess 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:24.289 a leadership resilience and purpose. that your 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:27.110 kind of average civilian may have, but they've 00:09:27.110 --> 00:09:30.190 tested it and proven it, and that's why we invest 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:32.830 in those types of founders. So yeah, that's what 00:09:32.830 --> 00:09:36.929 I did after my studies at San Diego State University. 00:09:37.850 --> 00:09:40.210 After I sold that first company, I started a 00:09:40.210 --> 00:09:43.350 second one, joined a venture -backed startup, 00:09:43.470 --> 00:09:46.429 and then helped another company ultimately go 00:09:46.429 --> 00:09:49.200 public via reverse merger. And that was the end 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.879 of my kind of operational founder experience. 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:54.340 I transitioned then full time to the investor 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:56.019 side of things. That's what I've been doing for 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:59.519 the last decade. And I want to get to this term 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:04.960 internal fire because there's nothing in the 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.460 Marine Corps, you know, a hand -to -hand combat 00:10:07.460 --> 00:10:11.580 area or a degree in kinesiology from San Diego 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:14.279 State where you'd go, oh, this guy's going to 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:18.789 end up in the venture world. But you had an internal 00:10:18.789 --> 00:10:23.110 fire or drive and really that's what everybody 00:10:23.110 --> 00:10:26.090 needs and really accounts for success in the 00:10:26.090 --> 00:10:29.470 long run, doesn't it? Jim, you're spot on. And 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:32.289 this actually comes full circle to the story 00:10:32.289 --> 00:10:35.429 of watching what my parents were able to do in 00:10:35.429 --> 00:10:39.120 one generation. with hard work and discipline 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:43.100 and drive. And I really believe this is the only 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:45.419 country in the world where you can do that. You're 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.480 absolutely right. You look at my path and it 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:50.139 is not a traditional one for venture capital. 00:10:50.299 --> 00:10:52.159 It was traditionally, you know, you go out and 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:55.240 Go to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, you get your MBA, 00:10:55.940 --> 00:10:58.259 you work as an investment banker, you eventually 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:00.820 kind of work your way to be maybe an analyst 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:03.539 and associate and you spend a decade in a firm 00:11:03.539 --> 00:11:06.600 and you finally make partner, you break through. 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:10.039 And as you can see in my path was nothing like 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:12.679 that. And only in this country is that possible. 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:14.960 But when I find something and I imagine, Jim, 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:17.080 this is the same thing for you. When I find something 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:20.769 I'm interested in, I go all in. I've read every 00:11:20.769 --> 00:11:23.330 single book there is on venture capital. I still 00:11:23.330 --> 00:11:26.490 listen to every podcast. I talk to everyone about 00:11:26.490 --> 00:11:29.529 it. There's this insatiable curiosity for me 00:11:29.529 --> 00:11:31.830 and quite honestly, the folks that are also in 00:11:31.830 --> 00:11:35.009 this industry. I'm surrounded in venture capital 00:11:35.009 --> 00:11:39.570 by big thinkers, by people who solve problems. 00:11:39.850 --> 00:11:41.509 I want to slow you down a little bit because 00:11:41.509 --> 00:11:44.440 I want people out there who think... Well, I 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.259 can't I got this idea, but I can't do it. I don't 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:49.539 have the right education I don't have the right 00:11:49.539 --> 00:11:53.360 connections. I don't have the Whatever they think 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:56.879 is holding the back unconventional past work 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:01.360 if you have as you said hard work driving curiosity 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.080 That's more important than some of those other 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:08.669 factors, isn't it? 100 % One hundred percent 00:12:08.669 --> 00:12:12.509 jam this is also why our investment thesis is 00:12:12.509 --> 00:12:14.669 what it is that the better fun we invest in. 00:12:15.599 --> 00:12:18.179 military veterans running critical technology 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:20.899 companies. We're not necessarily, some of them, 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:22.659 yeah, they graduated from Stanford and Harvard 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:24.899 and Yale and all those places, but that's not 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:26.919 what we're looking for. We know that, again, 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:29.179 they have the leadership resilience and purpose 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:32.320 to be focused on a mission set and accomplish 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:35.279 it. And so, again, I think anyone, it doesn't 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:36.919 matter what your background is. It doesn't matter 00:12:36.919 --> 00:12:38.740 where you're starting. It doesn't matter whether 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:41.139 you have the network, the connections, the resources, 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:44.289 or the knowledge. If you have the curiosity and 00:12:44.289 --> 00:12:47.450 the drive to do it, this country allows you to 00:12:47.450 --> 00:12:50.450 do that. And you hit a number of things along 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:52.389 the way that I want to point out to people again 00:12:52.389 --> 00:12:56.669 as to, well, how do I build my pathway, my unconventional 00:12:56.669 --> 00:13:00.029 pathway to this goal? Well, you get involved 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:03.250 in everything. Everything interesting in that 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:05.590 field that you want to be in, you get involved 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:09.059 in. You were brand ambassador for Bunker Labs. 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.460 A lot of our listeners will know what Bunker 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:15.039 Labs is. You've been a brand ambassador and strategy 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:19.600 consultant for different types of big name entities. 00:13:19.820 --> 00:13:23.940 FitBed, Lululemon are two that are listed. But 00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:26.679 you also did something that I thought was interesting 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:28.879 because I'd never heard of it. You went to VC 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:34.899 University to go through a cohort in 2023, I 00:13:34.899 --> 00:13:38.259 think it is. to say, yeah, I want to learn more. 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:40.799 This is where I'm going. I'm driven in this direction. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.980 What can I do? And it's really about doing it 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:48.100 all almost, isn't it? That's exactly right. And 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:50.759 that's a perfect example. BC University is just 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:54.799 one of many resources out there. Again, I asked 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.720 everyone in this world of venture capital and 00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:00.059 angel investing, what are the resources that 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:03.100 they recommended? Every book someone mentioned 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:05.960 I'd order every podcast they mentioned I'd listen 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:08.179 to and find which ones I resonated with every 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:11.100 course I could do again I just wanted to immerse 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:13.820 myself in it and then all of a sudden over time 00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:16.100 now it's everyone in my world I've been doing 00:14:16.100 --> 00:14:19.059 it for a while now but everyone in my world professionally 00:14:19.059 --> 00:14:23.279 is I kind of look at the network around and see 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:26.860 wow there are. Incredible people here that i 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:30.000 have no idea would be in my life a decade ago 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.700 incredible investors from all types of firms 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:35.860 and angel investors and just the most interesting 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:39.200 humans and it came from following my curiosity 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:41.779 and jim an important note here is a lot of those 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:44.629 resources are also available for free. In fact, 00:14:45.070 --> 00:14:48.809 as an example, it was four years ago where I 00:14:48.809 --> 00:14:51.690 started, there's a program called Founder Institute. 00:14:51.809 --> 00:14:54.110 It's the world's largest startup accelerator. 00:14:54.289 --> 00:14:58.190 I still run that program and I give all veterans 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:00.669 a fellowship to go through that program for free. 00:15:00.990 --> 00:15:04.149 If you have an idea for a business, you go what 00:15:04.149 --> 00:15:06.570 we call from zero to one, which by the way is 00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:08.529 a really great book by Peter Thiel called Zero 00:15:08.529 --> 00:15:10.429 to One for anyone interested in starting a business. 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:14.519 But I say that because there are so many incredible 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:17.139 resources out there available to the entire community. 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:21.620 But for veterans, they kind of have a head start 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:25.299 because so many of these programs offer partial 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:27.919 or full scholarships for the veteran community. 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:31.240 And so whether it's starting a business or any 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:34.220 other pursuit that they may have, I would encourage 00:15:34.220 --> 00:15:37.679 everyone just get curious and pursue that curiosity. 00:15:37.899 --> 00:15:40.960 You'll be surprised at who you meet along the 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:45.419 way. Okay, perfect segue because we talk a lot 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:49.399 with veteran business owners who have like When 00:15:49.399 --> 00:15:51.559 you're in the military you have one network, 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.600 but it's all military network. It's not business 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:57.299 associates It's not fraternity brothers running 00:15:57.299 --> 00:16:00.019 the bank. It's a different network and it takes 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:04.240 a while to build your for veterans to build their 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:09.350 civilian employment or passion network and that's 00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:11.029 part of what you were doing for I don't know 00:16:11.029 --> 00:16:12.950 what was it 10 years before you really kind of 00:16:12.950 --> 00:16:16.529 broke in seriously into the venture world but 00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:18.570 you got to do that you got to build a new network 00:16:18.570 --> 00:16:24.110 don't you that's right and yes and that come 00:16:24.110 --> 00:16:28.149 though it's it's a byproduct of what I just said 00:16:28.149 --> 00:16:31.250 which is ask yourself what it is you're curious 00:16:31.250 --> 00:16:35.610 about and then follow that curiosity relentlessly 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:39.480 And you may you'll be surprised when you wake 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.620 up one day and look around and see the incredible 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:43.179 people in your life i think about this all the 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:45.320 time how grateful i am to have these incredible 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:47.980 people these investors and founders and dreamers 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:51.139 and doers and builders in my life and that just 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.500 came as a function of following that curiosity. 00:16:54.090 --> 00:16:57.129 So each and i look back at all these dots that 00:16:57.129 --> 00:16:59.549 connect right i had an incredible built incredible 00:16:59.549 --> 00:17:01.230 relationships in the military during my time 00:17:01.230 --> 00:17:03.330 in the marines of course many of which i still 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:05.069 stay in touch with now i just had a call last 00:17:05.069 --> 00:17:07.630 week with someone i was in the mill in the marines 00:17:07.630 --> 00:17:11.009 with and then you know going and doing my undergrad. 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.740 I'm still in touch with, I was in a fraternity 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:15.819 there. I was part of the student veteran organization. 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:17.480 So I still stay in touch with people in that 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:19.859 network. And then when I was a startup founder, 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:21.779 I obviously met a lot of people in that world. 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:26.079 So I got to build upon all the different networks 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:29.220 that I built in all of these different projects. 00:17:29.380 --> 00:17:32.019 Naturally, when you follow that curiosity, you're 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:34.200 going to meet other people that are curious about 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:36.440 the same thing. And again, you wake up one day 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:39.599 and you just. I'm amazed at now, all of a sudden, 00:17:39.859 --> 00:17:43.519 the quality of people in your life. Before we 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:45.660 turn to the venture fund in a little more detail, 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:47.940 I want to talk a little bit, because you've mentioned 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:55.319 it a couple of times, Mike Shurbakov. The family 00:17:55.319 --> 00:18:00.480 role here and appreciation for what your parents 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.380 have been able to do in a generation and what 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:07.000 your siblings are doing now. Seems to be a real 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.420 motivator for you. Tell us a little bit about 00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:12.180 your where's your parents come from? What what 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:15.880 what rooted them into? Hey, this is where we 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:20.279 can build the family's future Well, interestingly, 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.759 yeah, especially given the nature of what we 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:24.980 invest in at the veteran fund Which is critical 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:28.859 technology advancing America. I was born in Russia 00:18:29.109 --> 00:18:32.349 So my parents, my mom's family extended families 00:18:32.349 --> 00:18:36.509 from Ukraine. My dad is his family's from Belarus. 00:18:36.589 --> 00:18:40.609 They met in Moscow University. And I remember 00:18:40.609 --> 00:18:44.750 speaking with my dad about this, but he knew 00:18:44.750 --> 00:18:47.269 that there wasn't opportunity there. He knew 00:18:47.269 --> 00:18:49.930 he wanted to leave and he did get an incredible 00:18:49.930 --> 00:18:54.240 opportunity to come to the U .S. He's very, very 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.420 smart. My dad was one of the first ones that 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:58.920 invented the personal computer in Russia. And 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.940 so he was recruited by a company that knew about 00:19:01.940 --> 00:19:06.579 him in the United States in the Bay Area. And 00:19:06.579 --> 00:19:09.799 so they were very intentional about coming to 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.519 the Bay Area because they knew that was kind 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:15.359 of where the center of tech was. It was where 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:20.000 the most opportunity existed. We moved to first 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:23.529 a town called Berkeley. Then we moved to Mountain 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:26.430 View, California. This is before I think Google 00:19:26.430 --> 00:19:28.509 had just planted a seed there. They certainly 00:19:28.509 --> 00:19:30.190 didn't have the kind of campus or footprint they 00:19:30.190 --> 00:19:33.049 do now. But my parents were very intentional 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:37.349 in setting us up for success. And I shared this 00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:39.369 actually with them this last Thanksgiving is 00:19:39.369 --> 00:19:42.269 how grateful when I look back how grateful I 00:19:42.269 --> 00:19:46.450 am for them about the sacrifices they made. my 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:49.829 parents have always put us as the kids first. 00:19:50.269 --> 00:19:54.609 They really, every move that they made was with 00:19:54.609 --> 00:19:58.069 their kids in mind, and how can we set them up 00:19:58.069 --> 00:20:00.789 for success? And so I'm very, very grateful to 00:20:00.789 --> 00:20:03.549 them. And interestingly, my third year in the 00:20:03.549 --> 00:20:06.490 Marines, when I ended up getting my secret clearance, 00:20:07.509 --> 00:20:10.049 I renounced my Russian citizenship, turned in 00:20:10.049 --> 00:20:16.349 my passport. Yeah, just grateful. Well, you're 00:20:16.349 --> 00:20:21.210 all in. I mean, that's sort of the message of 00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:25.630 my group. Hey, he's all in. When he's into something, 00:20:25.690 --> 00:20:29.109 he's all in. Yeah, and I actually remember them, 00:20:29.109 --> 00:20:31.490 you know, in my interview process asking that 00:20:31.490 --> 00:20:34.289 question. I think it's just formality and I understand 00:20:34.289 --> 00:20:36.750 it. And they asked the question of if we ever 00:20:36.750 --> 00:20:40.210 get into some kind of kinetic conflict or conflict 00:20:40.210 --> 00:20:43.589 with Russia, whose side are you on? And I almost 00:20:43.589 --> 00:20:48.109 said, are you kidding me? I like I bleed red, 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:52.470 white and blue. I love this country. It's in 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:57.170 my DNA. I love America. I love everything America 00:20:57.170 --> 00:21:00.349 stands for and I obviously will lay my life on 00:21:00.349 --> 00:21:02.690 the line to protect that way of life here. Well 00:21:02.690 --> 00:21:06.250 what caught my attention was a press release 00:21:06.250 --> 00:21:10.069 or a news article on the Venture Fund. which 00:21:10.069 --> 00:21:14.430 had got fully funded. I think it's first round. 00:21:14.970 --> 00:21:16.970 And I'll just read this, and I'll ask you to 00:21:16.970 --> 00:21:19.069 explain it. The Venture Fund is dedicated to 00:21:19.069 --> 00:21:21.869 advancing America through venture capital. It 00:21:21.869 --> 00:21:24.470 focuses on sectors where technology meets the 00:21:24.470 --> 00:21:28.069 mission, like cyber security, AI, drones, space, 00:21:28.609 --> 00:21:31.470 advanced computing, and additive manufacturing. 00:21:32.490 --> 00:21:35.730 What a variety of cool, interesting, important 00:21:35.730 --> 00:21:39.789 areas. But tell us, for those who are going like, 00:21:40.170 --> 00:21:43.349 look, this is such a California thing. I don't 00:21:43.349 --> 00:21:45.369 know what the hell venture capital's about or 00:21:45.369 --> 00:21:47.990 venture funds are about. Can you give somebody 00:21:47.990 --> 00:21:53.269 the venture fund 101? Yeah, let's very simply 00:21:53.269 --> 00:21:56.869 put, as I mentioned, in addition to the veteran 00:21:56.869 --> 00:22:00.630 fund, I also run the veterans program for the 00:22:00.630 --> 00:22:03.230 world's largest startup accelerator. This is, 00:22:03.230 --> 00:22:06.970 again, companies. and founders, startup founders 00:22:06.970 --> 00:22:09.210 that are going from zero to one. They have an 00:22:09.210 --> 00:22:12.650 idea. We say ideation to MVP, to minimum viable 00:22:12.650 --> 00:22:15.029 product, but to make it even simpler, Jim, we 00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:19.150 help people that have ideas start businesses. 00:22:19.990 --> 00:22:23.329 Now, when those businesses start to grow and 00:22:23.329 --> 00:22:26.750 scale, especially for us, the ones that are advancing 00:22:26.750 --> 00:22:29.720 our country. I mentioned some, you mentioned 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:32.440 some of them, but we love what are called critical 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:35.539 technologies, directed energy system, hypersonics, 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:37.740 integrated sensing, human machine interfaces, 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:41.339 advanced computing, renewable energy, space technology. 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:44.180 I like to say investments that matter. When those 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:47.099 companies get to a certain point, venture capital 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:51.220 comes in and says, we love this. We are going 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:54.579 to infuse it with capital to help this grow. 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:58.299 Our target is we come in at a certain stage of 00:22:58.299 --> 00:23:01.079 the company called the seed stage, very early. 00:23:01.619 --> 00:23:04.359 We come alongside them, we help them grow, and 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:07.279 then we want to get that technology either into 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:09.579 the hands of the war fighters or depending on 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:13.539 the industry. As an example, just a few days 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:15.859 ago, one of our companies, Lone Star Lunar, did 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:19.349 its second successful landing on the moon. And 00:23:19.349 --> 00:23:21.589 this company is on a mission to put data centers 00:23:21.589 --> 00:23:24.289 on the moon. So we are building and investing 00:23:24.289 --> 00:23:27.210 in technology that's advancing this country. 00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:30.690 We come in with the capital, the resources, and 00:23:30.690 --> 00:23:33.210 the network to make sure they succeed. Does that 00:23:33.210 --> 00:23:35.589 make sense, Jim? Absolutely. I mean, this is 00:23:35.589 --> 00:23:38.289 where venture capital steps in where banks fear 00:23:38.289 --> 00:23:40.769 to tread, right? There's a lot of risk. It's 00:23:40.769 --> 00:23:42.890 still scaling up. We don't really know if it'll 00:23:42.890 --> 00:23:46.549 all work. Somebody has to put some money in and 00:23:47.069 --> 00:23:50.349 take on some risk that this thing will either 00:23:50.349 --> 00:23:54.289 grow like crazy or explode like crazy. And venture 00:23:54.289 --> 00:23:57.170 capital and those who fund it are willing to 00:23:57.170 --> 00:24:00.450 help support that growth and take on risk. That's 00:24:00.450 --> 00:24:02.950 exactly the right way to put it. Yeah, it is 00:24:02.950 --> 00:24:06.609 an inherently risky asset class. Obviously, we 00:24:06.609 --> 00:24:09.849 come in very early, but with high risk comes 00:24:09.849 --> 00:24:13.900 high reward. And that reward is not only the 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:16.579 financial incentive, which every single investment 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:19.759 we make has, we do not invest if we don't see 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:23.440 the potential for it to 100X. Every single investment 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.019 we look at through the lens of, can this company 00:24:26.019 --> 00:24:29.640 100X from where it is today? Yes, the financial 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:31.980 incentive is a great one. But in addition to 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:33.819 that, as I mentioned, these are technologies 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:37.480 that we want to see exist in the world. So it's 00:24:37.480 --> 00:24:40.079 not necessarily the safe bet, but it's the bet 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:43.940 that we make that we want this to exist. We want 00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:46.220 these space companies to continue to innovate. 00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:48.700 I mean, imagine if Elon Musk with everything 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:51.319 he's doing now, if no one believed in him, imagine 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:53.299 if he didn't believe in himself because he wanted 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:56.200 to be more rational or said, no, there's no way 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:58.279 we can get to Mars or there's no way we can build 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:00.960 better electric vehicles or we can create brain 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:03.549 computer interfaces. But imagine what our world 00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:05.769 would be if we didn't have innovators and if 00:25:05.769 --> 00:25:10.509 we didn't have folks like us as VCs to back those 00:25:10.509 --> 00:25:12.609 innovators and builders and believe in them. 00:25:13.069 --> 00:25:14.950 I want to, before we run out of time, and this 00:25:14.950 --> 00:25:16.670 always goes faster than you think it should, 00:25:16.869 --> 00:25:19.190 I want to at least mention your other general 00:25:19.190 --> 00:25:22.150 partners because it's not a one -man show and 00:25:22.150 --> 00:25:24.210 everybody brings something else to the table. 00:25:25.130 --> 00:25:27.269 So tell us a little bit about your other partners. 00:25:28.069 --> 00:25:31.329 They are, first of all, they are my best friends. 00:25:32.130 --> 00:25:35.190 I've known them since before we started the fun 00:25:35.190 --> 00:25:38.089 together and we've only grown closer during our 00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:41.329 time running this. This absolutely would not 00:25:41.329 --> 00:25:42.869 exist and you're absolutely right, this is not 00:25:42.869 --> 00:25:45.410 a one man show. What's even more important is 00:25:45.410 --> 00:25:47.230 in addition to my three partners, which I'll 00:25:47.230 --> 00:25:50.769 touch on briefly in a moment, we have incredible, 00:25:51.069 --> 00:25:53.670 they're called LPs, limited partners, investors 00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:56.210 in the fund from a four star gentlemen, Crystal. 00:25:56.670 --> 00:25:59.710 to folks like Deepak Chopra and the owners of 00:25:59.710 --> 00:26:03.130 the New England Patriots. We have incredible 00:26:03.130 --> 00:26:06.250 people that learned about our mission and decided 00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:08.509 to come alongside us. And as we just talked about, 00:26:08.569 --> 00:26:12.569 it's a risky asset class. They're taking a bet. 00:26:12.950 --> 00:26:14.829 They're investing in us because they believe 00:26:14.829 --> 00:26:17.529 in our mission. And I'm always grateful for that. 00:26:17.630 --> 00:26:20.329 I never forget about that. So just very quickly. 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:24.059 One of my partners, Justin Ahama, a Marine officer, 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:26.900 federal prosecutor for five years, helped scale 00:26:26.900 --> 00:26:29.640 CrossFit when it was just 10 gyms to what it 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:33.900 is today. He was Deepak Chopra's lawyer, incredible 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:36.700 human. I cannot say enough great things about 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:40.700 Lisa real estate investor built a sixty million 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:43.359 dollar real estate portfolio one miss nevada 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:46.240 use that as a platform and ran for congress set 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:48.859 a fundraising record for the state of nevada 00:26:48.859 --> 00:26:52.099 in her congressional run she's a member of ypo 00:26:52.099 --> 00:26:55.980 which is an incredible organization i cannot 00:26:55.980 --> 00:26:58.829 say enough great things about her. Ryan Micheletti 00:26:58.829 --> 00:27:01.430 also served in the military. He built a personal 00:27:01.430 --> 00:27:04.890 equity portfolio of 700 startups. That's how 00:27:04.890 --> 00:27:07.329 many are in his personal equity portfolio. So 00:27:07.329 --> 00:27:10.730 we all bring a very different set of experiences 00:27:10.730 --> 00:27:13.369 and network and resources to the Better Fund. 00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:15.430 I think that really is what makes us successful 00:27:15.430 --> 00:27:18.950 is our very unique and diverse backgrounds. So 00:27:18.950 --> 00:27:23.569 you've mentioned Founders Institute and how to, 00:27:23.670 --> 00:27:25.410 if somebody says, oh, that's interesting. I want 00:27:25.410 --> 00:27:27.450 to dig a little more. Do you have a website for 00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:33.890 that? We do. So it's very simple, fi .co slash 00:27:33.890 --> 00:27:36.289 veteran. When they go to that, they'll see me 00:27:36.289 --> 00:27:38.309 on the homepage. They'll actually see because 00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:41.829 of JP Morgan Chase that all veterans receive 00:27:41.829 --> 00:27:43.950 a fellowship to go through that program for free. 00:27:44.029 --> 00:27:49.119 Again, fi .co slash veteran. And if they want 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:52.119 more about the veteran fund, where do they look? 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:55.559 Yeah, we made our website as easy as possible, 00:27:55.880 --> 00:28:03.079 veteran .fund. And they'll find all of our partners 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:05.059 listed on there. They'll find all of our portfolio 00:28:05.059 --> 00:28:07.319 companies, our thesis. And if there's someone 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.180 listening that has a company looking for investment, 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:14.559 we write $500 ,000 up to $1 .5 million checks 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:16.900 into companies. So if they feel like they have 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:19.160 a great company that kind of fits that mold, 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.819 as I talked about, that's venture backable, that 00:28:21.819 --> 00:28:25.119 has that 100x potential that's building in critical 00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:27.059 technology, I certainly encourage them to go 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:30.500 to our website and apply for funding. It's really 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:32.940 an interesting story and an interesting focus 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:34.839 and niche and I wanted you to talk about your 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.539 partners because in part it drives home this 00:28:37.539 --> 00:28:41.900 idea that this is a bunch of former military 00:28:41.900 --> 00:28:45.079 folk who understand this space, trying to do 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:48.019 good, great limited partners, can bring some 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:51.140 money to the table but can more importantly bring 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:55.099 expertise, guidance. I mean, just because you've 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:57.240 got a great idea on critical technology, you 00:28:57.240 --> 00:28:59.299 may not be skilled in all the things associated 00:28:59.299 --> 00:29:02.380 with scaling it up. And that's part of what I'm 00:29:02.380 --> 00:29:06.059 sure the Venture Fund brings to the table. Yep, 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:08.539 we do. We come alongside our founders and we 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:10.480 make sure that they're successful. Well, I want 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:13.720 to say thanks again, Mike, for taking some time 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.589 to talk about the... Veteran Fund here on Veterans 00:29:16.589 --> 00:29:19.430 Radio. We had to move things around to squeeze 00:29:19.430 --> 00:29:22.789 this in, but I'm glad we did. And I know you've 00:29:22.789 --> 00:29:25.150 got another commitment I got to get you to. So 00:29:25.150 --> 00:29:29.450 again, Mike Sherbakov, thank you for your service 00:29:29.450 --> 00:29:31.289 in the Marine Corps, but more importantly, for 00:29:31.289 --> 00:29:33.789 the focus that you're doing now with the Veteran 00:29:33.789 --> 00:29:36.150 Fund. Jim, thank you for the great work you're 00:29:36.150 --> 00:29:37.630 doing with Veterans Radio. I'm very grateful 00:29:37.630 --> 00:29:40.960 to be here. And I want to thank everybody for 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:44.539 listening to Veterans Radio today. I am Jim Fossone. 00:29:44.819 --> 00:29:47.099 It's been a pleasure to be your host. I'm a Veterans 00:29:47.099 --> 00:29:49.839 disability lawyer at Legal Help for Veterans 00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:56.960 and you can reach us at 800 -693 -4800 or legalhelpforveterans 00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:00.160 .com on the web. You can follow Veterans Radio 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:03.480 on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:07.920 radio shows by visiting us at veteransradio .org. 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:11.559 That's veteransradio .org. We would again want 00:30:11.559 --> 00:30:14.559 to thank our national sponsors, the National 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:18.519 Veterans Business Development Council, nvbdc 00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:23.579 .org. Legal Help for Veterans, a veterans disability 00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:27.640 law firm with a national practice before the 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:31.200 VA can help you on your claims and your appeals. 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:35.579 It can be reached at legalhelpforveterans .com 00:30:35.579 --> 00:30:43.000 or 1 -800 -693 -4800. And PuroClean, a leader 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:47.220 in property emergency services. It's the paramedics 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:51.000 of property damage, providing water damage remediation, 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.500 flood water removal, fire and smoke damage remediation, 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:59.000 mold and biohazard cleanups. You can reach them 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:06.779 at puroclean .com. or 800 -775 -7876. We also 00:31:06.779 --> 00:31:09.700 want to thank our local sponsors. This would 00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:15.539 include the Charles S. Kettles chapter of the 00:31:15.539 --> 00:31:18.779 Vietnam Veterans of America, that's chapter 310, 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:24.019 VFW Graf O 'Hara post 423, the American Legion 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:27.900 Erwin Preskin post 46 in Ann Arbor as well. the 00:31:27.900 --> 00:31:30.779 VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, and certainly 00:31:30.779 --> 00:31:33.900 the National Vietnam Veterans of America Association. 00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:37.200 You can be a sponsor by going to veteransradio 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:41.599 .org, clicking on the About Us in our sponsors, 00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:44.880 and help us out. Keep this program alive for 00:31:44.880 --> 00:31:49.460 the 21 and 22 years. Keep us going for another 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:50.640 20. Thank you.