Christopher M. Schroeder

I am a great admirer of European/Global ecosystem leader Nicolas Colin and his astounding program unleashing entrepreneurs https://www.thefamily.co/

I usually prefer to be the interviewer, but we had a wonderful back and forth on his podcast touring a very new globalism - in investment, entrepreneurs, innovation, market size - we Americans are still processing. Worth 30 minutes or so.

https://europeanstraits.substack.com/p/investing-across-the-world-w-chris

Investing Across the World w/ Chris Schroeder. Stripe. Consulting. IPOs. Digital Government. Today: Chris Schroeder is my guest in this week's podcast. My "Sifted" column about Stripe. Essays from the past week.

It is hard to articulate the multiplier impact of having a company succeed massively - and what that means psycologically to others who come next, and what lessons are learned by those who were on the journey.

It was called the “PayPal Effect” in Silicon Valley - as hundreds of startups were spun out of that success, with people like Reid Hoffman, Max Levchin, and Elon Musk.

We now will talk about the “Careem Effect,” or “Mercado Libre Effect” or “Grab Effect” and more around the world.

https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/the-careem-effect-and-the-rise-of

Thanks to Ray Dargham, Venus Kaassamani and the great Step Conference team for hosting this amazing discussion with me on Clubhouse.

The Careem Effect and The Rise of the Next Generation of Scale-up Tech Companies in MENA and Beyond Five Lessons From the Front Lines of Growth

For a hopeful look at astounding talent building things in the Middle East join tomorrow! https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/PNyGokVZ

The Careem Effect: 2nd Generation of MENA Founders - Step Thursday, February 25 at 7:00pm EET with Venus Kaassamani, Ray Dargham, Christopher Schroeder, Hadeer Shalaby, Noor Sweid. The domino effect of Careem’s success in the MENA Region.

This is a mind blow:

“If one thing was clear, to a person and region: people want to make unobvious connection with people they cannot easily find. They seek, overall, learning, wonder, connectedness and respect.”

https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/the-global-reach-and-revolution-that

The Global Reach and Revolution That is Clubhouse If you haven’t subscribed to Rest of World yet, stop reading and do so now. It is the newest and best journalistic operation reporting on stories across rising markets from Asia to South America. It covers culture, society, politics, technology and more - with astounding storytelling, rich reporti...

This is an extraordinary group on this panel, and have unique experience and insight into a very new Middle East and great global opportunity. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/building-a-viable-middle-east-venture-capital-industry/. I will moderate.

Building a viable Middle East venture capital industry - Atlantic Council A conversation about boosting the venture capital industry in the Middle East to drive sustainable funding for startups.

There’s much western coverage how the Arab Uprisings failed. It is for others, especially in the region, to decide how they reflect upon it; it is deeply personal. What is also true is the incredible hope among the rising generation. I meet them building daily. And they inspire.

May I end the week with two brief, hopeful observations shared with me representing dozens I heard?

I spoke to many entrepreneurs, investors and journalists around the globe and there was plenty of surprise, anger, confusion and even occasional schadenfreude. But consistently there was a reminder that our institutions and democracy did well.

One consistent theme from a South American entrepreneur: “This was a hard week, but fwiw I saw chaos in your Capitol building followed by a Constitutional process ratifying a democratic election transitioning power. In the same day. Not many places this would happen.”

One professor from Jordan: “Normal citizens mobilized in Georgia and had win - no one was thrown in jail or called in agents of a foreign country as often happens in the world today. The system did not allow anyone silenced. This almost exclusively happens in democracy.”

It is easy, maybe even at times justified, to gravitate to what divides us. But there is an opportunity to unite in the great deal of what we share and in a renewed confidence that, overall, our institutions are sound, and democracy is a great thing.

The wonderful mentor and soul, Emile Cubeisy, was a pioneer in the new era of innovation and startups in Jordan and the Middle East. He was a believer in the best within any individual. And he put action where his words were. What a loss. What a beautiful life.

My 2020 reading list:

https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/how-and-what-i-read-in-2020-coping

2021 recommendations appreciated!

How and What I read in 2020 -- Coping With and Coming Out of Covid My reading this year fell into places I wanted to dig into more deeply in this astounding year of Covid and endless election, and where I plan to aim my attention the minute we are released to travel and act in the physical world again. The categories were: American History/Stories; American Founder...

Retail is a multi trillion dollar per year world across rising markets, and over 90% of it moves through small mom and pop retailers. They’ve done business the same way for centuries, and have too few opportunities to create the purchasing power, have access to the best tools of data and logistics, access to credit or basic banking. Until now.

Here are the take aways from astounding founders I hosted in a webinar of B2B market places from Jakarta to Karachi to Nairobi and beyond (and link to recording included). They share similar challenges and opportunities and ways to change their worlds. The ramifications are nothing short of a new way people buy and sells goods across billions of consumers. Their societies will never be the same.

https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/next-billion-dollar-opportunity-revolutionizing

Next Billion Dollar Opportunity: Revolutionizing Global Retail and Society In Unexpected Places (How About from Kenya, Pakistan and Indonesia?)

Today and for 100 days, I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening right now. Day 38: My friends’ Parag Khanna and Ayesha Khanna daughter Zara has written a sensational book and web experience, based on her travels with her Dad from Scotland across Eurasia. This free ebook is an immersive, engaging, and entertaining romp through the history, culture, and monuments of most of the world from the British Isles to the Far East. I learned a ton when I meet Zara and in this collection. If you know anyone young person, especially 14-18, they (and you) will be inspired!

Zara's Travels Zara’s Travels: From Scotland to Singapore No kid has seen the world like Zara Khanna. With more than fifty stamps in her passport before the age of 11, Zara has been on a wild South African safari, hiked to the majestic Tiger’s Nest monastery in Bhutan, and camped in yurts in Mongolia–always ...

“Gen. Yeager’s companion hung his socks outside to dry, a decision that tipped off the Germans to their presence. The N***s fired into the cabin, forcing the pair to jump out the back window and into a creek. Gen. Yeager realized his companion had been shot in the knee and amputated part of his leg. He carried the injured man into Spain and eventually met up with British forces at Gibraltar. Gen. Yeager returned to England determined to fly again, even though regulations prohibited anyone aided by members of the underground from going back on duty. The measure was designed to protect the operatives’ identities should any American be captured by Germans on subsequent missions.

Pursuing a return to combat duty, Gen. Yeager climbed his way up the Air Force hierarchy, “being passed around among colonels and generals” who “enjoyed meeting a very junior officer who refused to go home,” he said in his autobiography. With the help of a sympathetic two-star general, Gen. Yeager secured a meeting with Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander.

“I just wanted to meet two guys who think they’re getting a raw deal being sent home,” Eisenhower told Gen. Yeager and another pilot who had evaded capture in Holland, Gen. Yeager recalled in his book.
The War Department granted Eisenhower the power to return the pilots to the skies. For his wartime service, Gen. Yeager received the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal.”

Chuck Yeager, test pilot who broke sound barrier, dies at 97 For his prowess in flight, he became one of the great American folk heroes of the 1940s and 1950s.

We must pause and walk in each other’s shoes in these astounding days as much as we can. This captured stunningly the lens of Syrian refugees in the time or Covid: https://newlinesmag.com/dispatch/homeschooling-without-a-home/

Homeschooling Without a Home | Newlines Magazine The pandemic has taken a toll on refugee life far beyond surviving the actual disease. How do you stay home when you barely have one? Or study online when you don’t have wi-fi or a smart device? The expectations are insurmountable.

Thanks to Sarabeth Berman and the American Journalism Project she runs, local news isn’t dead - but it needs our support and is essential to your democracy. Her op.ed. In the Los Angeles Times could not be more timely and important. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-12-04/local-newspapers-closing-pandemic-democracy

Op-Ed: How the death of local news has made political divisions far worse More than a quarter of the country’s newspapers have closed since 2005. In places that lost a local paper, voters have become more polarized.

Join next week on Dec 7 for Aspiration & Resilience: Arab Youth and the Covid-19 Era. I'll be speaking about start-ups & entrepreneurship and what the market holds for jobs. Sign up here for free: https://bit.ly/36o4kTl

Aspiration and Resilience: Arab Youth & The COVID-19 Era Like much of the world, the economy of the Middle East region has taken a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Unemployment has been a top issue among young Arabs, and they are looking beyond traditional government and private sector jobs, but COVID-19 has made that more difficult.

This is a beautiful tribute by Lina Sergie to a courageous hero who gave voice and action to thousands and more Syrians during this brutal sin. I cannot believe it’s been two years.

https://newlinesmag.com/essays/revolutionary-wit/

Revolutionary Wit | Newlines Magazine No one escaped Raed Fares’ brutal criticism: U.S. presidents, Russia, Iran, the United Nations – everyone who was witnessing the Syrian war and doing nothing to stop it.

“Some Republicans will resist working with Biden. Some Democrats will object that this bipartisan agenda would deflate their expectations. Actually, the voters already did that. But Biden will need to pay special attention to those voting groups, including African Americans, who delivered his victory. Past presidents who wanted to get results have always needed to endure assaults from their flanks. Biden will have to decide whether he wants to lead a cause or leave a record. Like the good politician he is, Biden should line up with the United States’ voters.”

Must and balanced read and reality check by one of the most experienced voices in Washington, Bob Zoellick:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/13/heres-how-biden-can-work-with-gop-controlled-senate-make-real-progress/

Opinion | Here’s how Biden can work with a GOP-controlled Senate and make real progress A shrewdly political administration should look to broaden its coalition by embracing policy innovation, regardless of the source.

I spent last night with our former Presidents, and feel resolved this morning no matter what comes:

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” Harry S Truman

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” Bill Clinton

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” Abraham Lincoln

“We are either a United people, or we are not. If the former, let us, in all matters of general concern act as a nation, which have national objects to promote, and a national character to support.” George Washington

“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
Theodore Roosevelt

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” Ronald Reagan

“But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Barak Obama

“Down the long lane of the history yet to be written America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals.” Dwight Eisenhower

“Our nation is the enduring dream of every immigrant who ever set foot on these shores, and the millions still struggling to be free. This nation, this idea called America, was and always will be a new world – our new world.” George HW Bush

“The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice.” John Adams

Today, and for 100 days, I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening right now. Day 36: the multiplier impact on getting to talent early, and how the global economy will look utterly different in a decade:

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/investing-in-girls-education-can-boost-developing-nations-gdp-citi-2020-10-1029728823

Investing in getting girls through high school in developing countries could boost GDP by 10%, a Citi study shows | Markets Insider Investing in education within developing nations to help girls complete high school could boost economic growth in those countries by an average of 10%, according to a new research report by Citi and children's rights organisation Plan International released on Tuesday.

Today would be the great executive Paul Wojcik’s birthday. I miss him every day. His lessons as a great CEO and character live with me every hour.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thank-you-paul-wojcik-christopher-m-schroeder

Thank you, Paul Wojcik You likely didn’t know Paul Wojcik, and I have little doubt he ever gave a second’s thought to who did or didn’t. Paul was for many years the CEO of Bureau for National Affairs, or BNA — one of the legends in business information services few also know unless you need it.

34 years ago today was one of the most memorable moments in World Series history. I was there:

Bill Buckner 1986 World Series Game 6 "Between the Legs" - YouTube Bill Buckner misses a routine ground ball that led to the Mets winning Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Today, and for 100 days, I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening right now. Day 35: nearly half of the youth in the Middle East are excited to build something never there before. https://www.wamda.com/2020/10/cent-arab-youth-plan-start-business-says-arab-youth-survey

Forty per cent of Arab youth plan to start own business Frustration with struggling economies, government corruption and lack of job opportunities is pushing young Arabs towards entrepreneurship...

My views on the tremendous global startup growth accelerating out of Covid with Facebook’s Dianna Yau and her Podcast: the Emerging Markets Startups. With 85% of the world living in rising markets, localizing products and market understanding has never been more required and is the ultimate competitive advantage. I

You can listen to this episode on:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/jokcR37ulxU
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/34SkLFb
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3iNF9fK
Google podcast: https://bit.ly/3lxY0gH ..and all other podcasting apps...

Emerging Markets Startups - How emerging market startups are beating Silicon Valley's tech giants 85% of the world’s population or 6 billion people live in emerging markets. Thus growth for Silicon Valley’s tech giants is often synonymous with building for emerging markets. Building products for the next billion requires a deep understanding of local cultures. And in recent years, the local ...

Today and for 100 days I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening now. Day 34: “My students have every right to learn as much from technology as their privledged counterparts do.”

Covid hits, your community has no reliable access to electricity let alone data, computer access itself is limited. But everyone has a mobile device and whatsapp. What do you do? An amazing young teacher creates a “whatsapp school” - 150 kids fully in attendance, communicating with each other, having parents involved and creating agency. In rural Pakistan.

Watch this four minute video, and then watch it again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZAnjY5P4HA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0_G6xsxX1dnCk24i6admKsiG2ez-jODy8-ZizGrcqq0khElDStK7T4vqg

I salute Teach For All

A Teacher's Resolve Creates a WhatsApp School Moving forward with faith and determination, even on day 57. Fellow Rabiah describes how she and her co-Fellows Fajarna Huda and Sannia Salman, leaned into t...

I’ve been thinking a ton about this subject. How the hell can innovation thrive if the mega companies have ever larger moats built on enormous customer bases, a ton of capital, multiple products they can offer at impossibly low cost, and ever better data and machine learning to engage customers ever more targeted?

I reflected on some learnings from my trip last fall to China and some shifts there recently. Most of us have never heard of Pinduoduo or XiaoHongShu - they are enormous eCommerce companies there than never should have had a shot to get out in front of Alibaba of JD. Both are now multi billion dollar companies and growing like wild fire. They innovated on a new kind of social engagement. They innovated on rethinking what it means to be “niche.” And they, too, now have a ton of data and world class data scientists.

Innovation is hard to squash. My reflections:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/game-over-lessons-from-china-big-tech-may-less-we-think-schroeder/?published=t

Game Over? Lessons from China: Big Tech May be Less Invincible Then We Think When I was in China last fall, I had a nagging thought meeting with some of the most successful tech companies across multiple sectors. The largest companies are so large – and had such reach and engagement among often hundreds of millions of customers – that it was hard to see any white space a...

Today and for 100 days I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening now. Day 33: Really stop and think about this - a headline that would have been fantasy a decade ago:

Africa declared free of wild polio in 'milestone' Nigeria is now rid of wild polio having had more than half of global cases less than 10 years ago.

It is the most powerful discussion on polling I have read in years and has made me rethink elements of our electorate significantly. His backstory is amazing as he is a far left whiz kid pollster fired for saying things the left didn’t want to hear and must be heard:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/07/david-shor-cancel-culture-2020-election-theory-polls.html

David Shor’s Unified Theory of American Politics A socialist data scientist (and supposed cancel-culture victim) details all he learned from eight years at the apex of Democratic consulting.

"Truth is so obscured in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” — Pascal

Discussing startups navigating in The Middle East and globally for CNN International today.

We have never not had an election, including during War time. We have always problem solved to ensure we have elections to the best of our abilities. My friends John Tien, Jeff Eggers, Wes Moore - among others who have served our country - lay out all our collective responsibility. And, as they show, it’s not that hard...

https://medium.com//so-many-americans-have-sacrificed-for-our-democratic-ideals-its-time-to-do-our-part-aa75f9cf2345

So many Americans have sacrificed for our democratic ideals. It’s time to do our part. by Greg Behrman, Mary Beth Bruggeman, Jeremy Butler, Emily Núñez Cavness, Jen Easterly, Jeff Eggers, Nathaniel Fick, Zachary Iscol, Wes…

‪We will not see his likes again, and we’ve never needed him more than today. What an astounding life of service to our country.

Brent Scowcroft, key national security adviser to two presidents, dies at 95 The retired Air Force lieutenant general played key roles in nuclear strategy, the end of the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War.

My latest. Turkey's Peak Games was bought by Zynga last month - one of the largest acquisitions in 2020 so far. Will Turkey make the right choices unleashing more?

A Triumph and Avoiding Potential Tragedy in Turkey If, as the saying goes, success has many fathers/mothers and failure is an orphan – no surprise the European venture community has rallied to take credit for the gaming juggernaut, Zynga, acquiring Peak Games last month for $1.8 billion.

We are inundated in podcasts and webinars, but the Endeavor team’s recent series Endeavor Presents: Leading Through Crisis has consistently been superb. Longtime Endeavor mentor and astounding backer of tech companies, Brad Feld joined me in a wide ranging conversation — from his and Ian Hathaway amazing must-read new book The Startup Community Way and deeply personal wisdom for all of us navigating COVID as leaders and human beings wrestling the pressures that have compounded our lives: youtu.be/umO1EPag-3c

Endeavor Presents: Leading Through Crisis featuring Brad Feld and Chris Schroeder In this strategy session, longtime Endeavor Mentor Chris Schroeder interviews Techstars Co-founder and Foundry Group Managing Director Brad Feld. Not only ha...

Today and for 100 days I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening now. Day 31: Space exploration led by women; Space exploration being led from the Middle East.

The woman leading UAE's mission to Mars The UAE's Hope probe will study the planet's weather and climate, in order to learn about its past.

Tomorrow, July 22, at 11:00 AM Eastern, I’m joining AEI in moderating an extraordinary chat with Brad Feld, one of the legendary venture investors and supporters of tech ecosystems here and around the world. He and Ian Hathaway have written a superb book, The Startup Community Way: Evolving An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem coming out next week. It is the best overview of what, well supported, can be built in innovation and entrepreneurship anywhere. This is not about what is the next Silicon Valley, but how business and policy leadership can unleash this talent on its own terms where they are.

Please join us: https://www.aei.org/events/global-shifts-in-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-in-a-post-covid-19-world/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTnpZd09HRXpPREEzTjJKaiIsInQiOiJTVkhcLzFhQlBSVUE0c0xlanc3cUpjNGNVdjBiOFYxSHlSNElzZ3QrdXB6M2hSK3pFVnBhOVlvdnF4bFJMc1NONnp0UmxMcjErUER1Z3h6cXp2VTg2YjJVcXdGdDlsZldMOWtZdyt0VWM2ekJcL0R4QnZBWVFKdjRxZG9PXC8zZUFMdiJ9

And you can pre-order their book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Community-Way-Entrepreneurial-Ecosystem/dp/1119613604

The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Today and for 100 days I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening now. Day 30: Politicians who deliver — and should be watched.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-07-13/rhode-island-s-gina-raimondo-leads-the-way-on-covid-19-response

And the Littlest State Shall Lead the Way on Covid-19 Governor Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island shows how effective competence during a crisis can be.

My latest which digs into a wonderful new book (you can pre-order) by Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway. It’s one of the best I’ve seen, and very specific in data and great stories, of how rising entrepreneurship/innovation ecosystems from Indianapolis to Lagos can thrive. Founders, investors, C-Suite execs and policy maker alike should read this as they plan on the news worlds long in process and accelerated by Covid.

It is, in fact, a play book for the 21st century economy (though they don’t like that I call it a playbook, it is... 🙂 )

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-tipping-point-innovation-everywhere-must-read-book-schroeder

Also on substack: https://christophermschroeder.substack.com/p/the-new-tipping-point-in-innovation

The New Tipping Point in Innovation Everywhere - (And a Must-Read New Book for Getting it Right This Time) “[Tipping Points] are a dam breaking. Up until one moment, the dam holds the water back. Then it doesn’t....” — Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway. A few years ago I was invited to give a speech at a large global gathering and asked to focus on what has been unleashed — for the economies and socie...

Today and for 100 days I will post something astoundingly hopeful happening now. Day 30: Must read new play book for a new generation changing their worlds here and globally:

The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem The Startup Community Way: Evolving an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

If you have insomnia, a long work out or just want an unapologetic globalist view on innovation coming, this with me and the Young China Watchers this past week is interesting and a tour of my brain. And call for a new global co-authorship.

Webinar: Technology, Economy, And the Future of Entrepreneurship On July 8, 2020, Young China Watchers Beijing hosted this webinar with Christopher M. Schroeder, tech media entrepreneur, global venture capitalist and CEO. Du