Podcast episode
Episode 225 – Marks on the Market: Celebrating America 250 & Entrepreneurial Spirit in the AI Era | Donna Harris
In this America 250 special edition of Marks on the Market, Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush sit down with Donna Harris — founder and CEO of Builders and Backers, venture investor, and co-author of the redemptive investing playbook at Praxis — for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of American entrepreneurship, the limits and promise of venture capital, and how the AI revolution is democratizing who gets to build.
All opinions expressed on this podcast, including the team and guests, are solely their opinions. Host and guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as specific investment advice for any individual or organization.
Episode Notes
What does America’s greatest competitive advantage look like in the age of AI? Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush bring Donna Harris — founder and CEO of Builders and Backers, veteran venture investor, and co-author of the redemptive investing playbook at Praxis — into this America 250 special edition of Marks on the Market to answer exactly that question.
Donna challenges the assumption that venture capital is the default path for founders, explains why startups are creating a third fewer jobs than 15 years ago despite record startup rates, and makes the case that AI has permanently lowered the barrier to entrepreneurship. For faith-driven investors, her framework for identifying who actually wins in the AI era — not which model, but which people — offers a clear-eyed investing lens for a moment that demands one.
The episode closes with a conversation about “re-risking” from a faith perspective. Luke draws from Luke 7 and John 6, and Donna reflects on Moses, Elijah, and Jeremiah — reminding us that God has always done his greatest work through broken, obedient people willing to step off the sidelines.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction — America 250 & Marks on the Market
02:01 Welcome & Opening Commentary from Luke Roush
02:35 Meet Donna Harris — Builders and Backers
03:30 The Venture Capital Model: What We’ve Gotten Right (and Wrong)
06:50 VC as Jet Fuel: Luke on Power Law Dynamics and Appropriate Use
08:03 Donna’s Counsel to Founders: VC Should Not Be the Default
10:00 Builders and Backers: Getting America’s 62% Off the Sidelines
15:41 The Faith Aligned Institutional Investing Summit & “Get in the Game”
16:31 How Storytelling Gets Entrepreneurs Off the Sidelines
19:21 The Heart of the American Experiment — Henry Kaestner’s $5 T-Shirt
20:24 Re-Risking: The Praxis Concept and What It Demands
21:21 Donna’s Personal Re-Risking Story — Downtown Detroit to Builders and Backers
23:52 The AI Job Loss Narrative: What We’re Getting Right and Wrong
25:48 AI as Entrepreneurial Renaissance: Unbundling and Rebundling Every Industry
29:37 Luke on Barriers to Entry and the Speed of Disruption
31:46 Conscious Storytelling, AI Literacy, and the Skills Society Needs
35:35 Investor Counsel for the AI Era: Bet on People, Not Models
38:25 What Excites Donna Now: ER Nurses, Dog Breeders, and Everyday Builders
41:05 The New MVP: Build, Learn, Rebuild for $20
43:10 Abundance, America’s Birthday, and God’s Economy
44:40 Donna’s Scripture — God’s Book of Broken People
46:01 Luke’s Scripture — The Alabaster Jar and Five Loaves
48:20 Closing & How to Connect with Builders and Backers