Tod Francis is the founder of the world-renowned investment firm Shasta Ventures. He made early investments in companies like Canva, Tonal, ClassDojo, LiquidSpace, Task Rabbit, Mint and more. About 15 years ago Tod started on a journey to understand why and how great memories and connections are formed between kids and their parents. He surveyed over one thousand young adults, analyzed that data, and developed a framework for memory making and building meaningful connections. He has presented his findings to standing-room-only conferences, parents groups, and more! We talk about his findings on today's episode and what you can do right away to build lasting memories with your kids. Tod is a husband and the father of two adult children. In today's conversation we discussed:  Growing up without a father How losing a child motivated him to focus on every moment The research behind building meaningful connections The Pyramid of Connection and its different stages Tear-jerking stories from Tod's research What parents can do right now to change their thinking on memory making and connection — Where to find Tod Francis - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todfrancis/ - Shasta Ventures: https://www.shasta.vc/bio/tod-francis/   Where to find Adam Fishman - Newsletter: https://startupdadpod.substack.com/ - Newsletter: https://www.fishmanafnewsletter.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/ — In this episode, we cover [1:49] Welcome [2:28] Tod's childhood [3:52] Growing up without a Dad [4:47] What is life like now? [6:28] Did child loss change your priorities as a dad? [8:49] Why did memory making matter to you as a dad? [12:24] The research behind connection [18:51] The Pyramid of Connection [33:56] How do parents get out of the bottom layer? [39:44] Making memories with adult kids [42:36] Parting thoughts [44:12] How are his sons involved in this project? — Show references: Survey Monkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/ Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/ Mint: https://mint.intuit.com/ Shasta Ventures: https://www.shasta.vc/ Canva: https://www.canva.com/ Tonal: https://www.tonal.com/ Class Dojo: https://www.classdojo.com/ Liquid Space: https://liquidspace.com/ Task Rabbit: https://www.taskrabbit.com/ — For sponsorship inquiries email: [email protected]. For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com  Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/