Backed by
The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders
10M+
Monthly Reach
1M+
Impressions
Top 5%
Global VC Podcast
50k+
Global Community
Billion Dollar Moves is the first and largest traveling venture capital podcast-meets-live show, taking you inside the boardrooms and behind the scenes with unicorn founders, funders, and the power players shaping the future.
Filmed live across global innovation hubs—from Silicon Valley to Singapore—it’s where capital meets conviction, and the conversations catalyze action.
Trusted by governments, family offices, and institutional investors, Billion Dollar Moves doesn’t just talk about the future—it helps build it.
Lead, build, and invest better.
Join us as we hit the streets globally to uncover billion dollar ventures of unicorn founders & funders.
In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome.
Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies.
From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond.
Whether you’re chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder.
Billion Dollar Moves is proud to be part of the Hubspot Podcast Network with 10 million downloads a month as a group.
From a North Dakota childhood shaped by reinvention to a $100M exit and a $35M investing run, Anne Mahlum’s story is a masterclass in conviction, resilience, and ownership.
In this powerful episode, the founder of Back on My Feet and solidcore pulls back the curtain on the defining moments that shaped her rise. In this episode, you’ll learn:
- The unconventional decisions that shaped Anne’s rise
- What conviction looks like when the stakes are high
- Lessons from scaling solidcore far beyond virality
- How to turn adversity into fuel — not fear
- The ownership mindset every founder, investor, and leader needs to hear
Whether you’re a founder, operator, or investor, Anne’s philosophy is a blueprint for betting on yourself — loudly, unapologetically, and with full skin in the game.
Timestamps / Key Takeaways
0:00 – Intro
01:42 – North Dakota beginnings and how her father’s gambling addiction shaped her drive
03:40 – From running to purpose: The birth of Back on My Feet
05:51 – Reinvention & “This is my next thing” — solidcore
09:09 – “I went all in”: turning down the $75K offer & fighting against lawsuits while scaling
12:49 – Bootstrapping to 25 studios; the first PE deal with nearly $60M valuation
15:24 – “I wanted $100M and I did it,” — the exit from solidcore
18:43 – Growing $35M from the $100M; Anne’s investment playbook
23:03 – Billion Dollar Questions with Anne Mahlum
25:37 – Recap: conviction, ownership, and leadership that lasts
About Anne Mahlum
Anne Mahlum is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and keynote speaker. She founded Back on My Feet in 2007 — a nonprofit that uses running and community to help individuals experiencing homelessness achieve self-sufficiency.
In 2013, she launched solidcore, a boutique fitness company; she bootstrapped it with her life savings (~US$175,000), scaled it to over 100+ studios, raised more than US$200 million, and eventually sold her shares in 2023.
A self-made entrepreneur with a net worth exceeding US$100 million, Anne is now focused on investing, advisory work, writing, and speaking on leadership, boldness, and social change.
FOLLOW ANNE:
https://www.instagram.com/annemahlum
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-mahlum
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Billion Dollar Moves Podcast | The Top Global VC Podcast for Founders & Funders | Backed by HubSpot Podcast Network
In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome. Hosted by Sarah Chen-Spellings, award-winning entrepreneur, investor, and venture insider, Billion Dollar Moves pulls back the curtain on the strategies, stumbles, and breakout moments that define the world’s most iconic companies.
From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond.
Whether you’re chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder.
This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook.
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast Website | Watch on Youtube | Join the Community
FOLLOW SARAH:
In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome.
In venture, every move can make—or break—a billion-dollar outcome.
Panu Maulaheimo
- "We've worked with Sarah & her team to promote investing in and from Helsinki, leveraging ad spots and a sponsored series of episodes showcasing our nation's best unicorn founders and funders. Sarah's compelling storytelling combined with her targeted reach has resulted in an oversubscribed program for international investors. This was our second year working with her, and we are excited to continue working with her."
Monsha’at
- "Sarah Chen-Spellings brought her signature energy and commanding presence to Biban 2024, making her the ideal host and moderator alongside the Shark, Robert Herjavec. Her deep insights into investing in innovation and women-led ventures resonated powerfully with our audience of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and global investors. With her polished media expertise and natural ability to engage across cultures, she elevated the event, ensuring impactful takeaways and amplifying our reach across platforms. We were honored to have a globally renowned name join our stage, and we are excited to continue to work with her to drive entrepreneurship in our country and beyond."
Ann Cairns
- "We at Mastercard are delighted to be working with Beyond the Billion to address the massive gender venture funding gap holding women innovators back. Too much of our world was designed without women in mind and without women involved. Shelly, Sarah, and their team have done an excellent job of raising awareness about this issue and creating a network of VCs pledged to do more by investing in female-founded startups to address the problem. Working with our team, they seamlessly created an impactful dialogue based on Mastercard's gender balance narrative."
Why Our Sponsors Love Working With Us
This show is about unfiltered conversations about success, failure, fear and courage, in the pursuit of the next big thing in tech and venture.
From boardroom power plays to investor backchannels, you’ll hear the untold stories behind iconic companies like YouTube, Canva, and Vimeo, and go inside the minds of those moving capital at firms like Sequoia, Lightspeed, and beyond.
Whether you’re chasing your first $10M—or your next billion—this show is your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered, no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder.
This isn’t just another business podcast. This is your billion-dollar playbook.
Your front-row seat to how the smartest founders and funders win. Think raw, unfiltered,no-BS insight—designed to help you move faster, smarter, and bolder.
Disclaimer
This podcast is an expression of personal opinion and does not represent the opinion of the host Sarah Chen-Spellings (SCS) as an investor personally, her firm Beyond The Billion (BTB) or any company discussed. These discussions are for informational purposes only, including any mention of securities or venture funds; and does not constitute any investment, legal, tax advice. SCS or BTB may hold currently, or in the future, direct or indirect interests in the featured companies or funds. No guarantee of any kind is implied or possible where projections of future conditions are attempted.