Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors
Startup Success is a podcast for founders and investors, featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs and investors. Each episode covers essential topics like finance, fundraising, marketing, sales, and operations. Listeners hear compelling stories, new trends, and insights from thought leaders who have practical experience. The goal is to help startups and portfolio companies scale effectively.
Episodes
Will AI Replace Salespeople? Why Fast-Growing Startups Are Still Hiring Reps
AI was supposed to replace salespeople. Connor Heggie, Co-Founder and CTO of Unify, is betting on the opposite. He joins us to talk about how AI can make sales reps better, and why the fastest-growing AI companies are still hiring them.Connor's background is in machine learning, with stops at Helm and Scale AI. A side project on personalized product reviews showed him how AI could pull useful insi
How Real-World Experience Helps Founders Spot Market Gaps
Cortney Woodruff, Co-Founder and CEO of Assemble, is bridging the gap between college and industry after living the problem himself. Tune in to hear how founders can stand out beyond traditional networks and pedigrees, why real-world experience helps founders spot what others miss, and what he'd tell any founder who feels like they're starting without a map.Full show notes and transcript: https://
How to Build a Category Leader When No One Sees the Problem
Kameale Terry set out to fix EV chargers everyone insisted weren't broken. Today, she’s CEO and Co-founder of the startup ChargerHelp, the undisputed category leader in reliability-as-a-service for EV chargers. She joins Kate to share what it takes to scale, her path to a successful Series A, how AI has been instrumental in the company's growth, and her infectious enthusiasm for building!Full show
How to Stand Out to Investors in an AI-Saturated Market
Medha Agarwal, General Partner at defy.vc, joins Kate to share how founders can stand out to investors in an AI-saturated market, what she looks for before writing a check, why founder-market fit matters, and how AI is reshaping everything from startup defensibility to pricing models. She also offers a look at how devy.vc supports founders well beyond capital.Full show notes, transcript, and compa
Why Investors Say No to Your Pitch Deck (And How to Fix It)
Our 150th episode is a big one. Kate sits down with Carl Fudge, Founder and CEO of Presentation Mode, who's helped startups raise over $1 billion in venture capital. Carl reveals why most pitch decks fall flat, the "why now" argument nearly every founder overlooks, and why logic alone isn’t enough to win investors over. Tune in to hear lessons from years spent helping founders get to “yes.”Full sh
How Do Healthtech Founders Win Over Investors?
Winning over investors as a healthtech founder requires fortitude, relentless pitching, and the ability to tell a hard "no" from a "not right now."In this episode, Kate sits down with Melissa Hanna, co-founder and CEO of Mahmee, a healthcare platform transforming how families experience pregnancy and postpartum care. Melissa pitched 500 to 1,000 investors before landing backers like Mark Cuban, Se
Q2 2026 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Steve Lord, COO and Chief Knowledge Officer at Burkland, for our quarterly update. Steve joins us to break down what's happening in the funding landscape, what founders should have on their radar, and where things are headed next.Steve unpacks a busy Q2 marked by geopolitical volatility, shifting interest rate expectations, and a VC market that
Selling a Startup, Buying It Back, and Changing How Founders Raise: A Founder's Story
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Jaclyn Johnson, founder of Create & Cultivate and co-founder of the angel investing platform Cherub, for a conversation about scaling a business, navigating an exit, and the future of early-stage investing. Jaclyn shares how she built Create & Cultivate into a multi-million-dollar, bootstrapped company, why she made the difficult decisio
Lessons From the Front Lines of Building an AI Startup
Ahmed Rashad started his career on an oil rig, taught himself to code, and went on to build and sell a company. After stops at Oracle, MIT, McKinsey, Amazon, and Scale AI, he founded Perle to solve a problem he kept running into: the AI data gap.Perle builds specialized training data for AI models in fields like medicine and linguistics — the niche areas where general AI struggles.Despite the anxi
Beyond the AI Bubble: What Founders Need to Know Now
Jonathan Aberman has seen the startup world from nearly every angle: VC lawyer, investor, business school dean, and innovation policy advisor. Now he's a founder himself, building Hupside, an AI company focused on measuring "original intelligence."That 360-degree perspective of the startup ecosystem makes his take on the current AI moment especially valuable. The market is noisy. Capital is concen
What Investors Look for in the AI Era
What does it actually take to be investment-ready in today's market? In this episode, Kate sits down with Jim Ferry, Partner at Volition Capital, a growth equity firm known for backing high-growth, founder-owned, capital-efficient businesses.Jim reveals what he looks for in a founding team, the most common mistakes he sees in pitch decks, and how the bar for raising capital has changed in the age
When It’s Time for Founders to Step Down as CEO
In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate sits down with Tony Jamous, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Oyster, and Hadi Moussa, the company’s newly appointed CEO, for a refreshingly honest conversation on scaling a global company— and knowing when it’s time to bring in new leadership.Tony shares the personal journey behind one of the hardest decisions any founder can make: stepping aside a
Why Founders Need “Scalers” on Their Early Teams
Casey Woo, CEO & Founder of Operators Guild and GP & Founder of FOG Ventures, joins us on Startup Success to discuss how scaling a startup has changed and why founders need “horizontal generalists,” or scalers, on their early teams.After helping scale several high-profile startups, Casey built Operators Guild, a global community for the operators who thrive in early-stage chaos, and later
Q1 2026 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem
What does the startup landscape look like right now—and what to expect in Q2?In this episode of Startup Success, Steve Lord, Chief Knowledge Officer and COO at Burkland, returns for his quarterly breakdown of the venture capital ecosystem. Together, we unpack what shaped Q1 2026 and why fundraising remains an uphill battle for many founders since it is highly concentrated, with most capital flowin
The New Startup Go-To-Market Playbook
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate sits down with Marlena Sarunac, co-founder and fractional CMO at The Company Advice, a marketing firm for startups. They help startups clarify their category, sharpen their messaging, and build go-to-market strategies that actually convert. After leading marketing from Series A to Series B at Particle Health and driving go-to-market across highly technical
Venture Debt: The Essential Guide for Founders
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate sits down with Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals and a venture lending leader with two decades of experience, including 16 years at Silicon Valley Bank, helping founders fund growth with less dilution.Drawing on real-world case studies, Marshall breaks down what venture debt really is, why it has become an increasingly important part of startup c
Profitability Before Funding: How One Startup Did It
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate sits down with Joseph Rutakangwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Rwazi, a decision AI platform that helps enterprise teams drive growth. Joseph shares his remarkable journey—from growing up in multiple countries and finding his unique niche in global market intelligence, to building Rwazi without outside funding and scaling it into a multi-million-dollar ARR busines
A Case Study on How to Build a Mission-Driven Startup
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate talks with Tanya Van Court, Founder and CEO of Goalsetter, an award-winning financial education platform transforming how people learn about money.Inspired by a personal financial setback and her leadership experience at Nickelodeon, Discovery, and ESPN, Tanya built a mission-driven startup that closes a critical knowledge gap by making financial education
Venture Capital, Reimagined: A Conversation with Mike Collins
VC pioneer Mike Collins built his firm around his passionate belief that venture capital investing shouldn’t be limited to a select few. In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate sits down with Mike Collins, Founder and CEO of Alumni Ventures, to discuss how one of the most active VC firms in the world is redefining access to venture investing, along with his advice for today’s founders and hi
2026 Outlook: The Startup Ecosystem
We’re kicking off 2026 with a returning favorite: Steve Lord, Burkland's COO and Head of Knowledge Share. He joins us to unpack what really happened in 2025—and what founders should be paying attention to now for 2026.In this wide-ranging conversation, we dive into the economy, interest rates, inflation, tariffs, market volatility, and venture capital, and what it all means for startups navigating
How to Build Product-Market Fit Without Sacrificing Culture
From power washing in Kansas to translating 30 languages in real time—Kevin Turpin’s entrepreneurial journey is anything but ordinary.In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Kevin Turpin, CEO and founder of Weavix, for an inspiring conversation on the power of solving a problem close to your heart and leading with integrity.Hear how Kevin and his brothers built Walt, a groundbreaking smart
Purpose-Led Growth: How this Startup Built Revenue & Social Impact
Where innovation meets purpose—HOPE Hydration is proving that sustainability can be both smart and scalable. In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate sits down with HOPE Hydration co-founders Jorge Richardson and Cristina Gnecco, the visionary team behind smart water refill stations designed to make clean drinking water universally accessible—and free. HOPE Hydration is pioneering a model whe
How to Build High-Performing Teams at Every Stage of Your Startup
(00:00:00) How to Build High-Performing Teams at Every Stage of Your Startup
(00:00:17) Introduction
(00:01:00) Lidiya’s Background
(00:01:44) Focus of Build It Labs
(00:02:54) Three Components of Operations
(00:04:12) The Importance of Getting “People” Right
(00:05:10) Hiring Across Startup Stages
(00:08:00) Early-Stage Hiring Challenges
(00:10:13) Hiring Pitfalls and Structured Interviewing
(00:
A Startup Story on How to Manage Rapid Growth
What does it take to build a biotech startup tackling one of the toughest challenges in women’s health? In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, Founder and CEO of AOA, whose company is pioneering a novel approach to detecting early-stage ovarian cancer.Oriana shares her journey to founding AOA, the mission-critical lessons she learned from scaling her team too fas
AI, Risk, and Why Most Startups Don’t Make It
On this episode of Startup Success, Kate sits down with Itamar Novick, Founder and General Partner of Recursive Ventures, who has been named one of Business Insider’s Top 100 Global Seed Investors for five years running. Unlike many VCs, Itamar brings a unique operator’s perspective, having helped scale Life360 from pre-seed to IPO and been part of multiple major exits. He reflects on what he’s le
Startup Marketing 101: Digital Strategy in the Age of AI
Most founders know they need marketing to build their business—but few know where to start.In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate sits down with Jacqueline Basulto, Founder & CEO of SeedX, a full-service digital marketing agency helping startups scale with clarity and strategy.Jacqueline shares her path to launching SeedX, and how she’s grown the company to a 65-person team supporting c
Q3 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem
With Q3 behind us, the headlines continue to be pessimistic—but Steve Lord, Burkland's COO and Head of Knowledge Share, says the story is more complicated and less alarming.Steve joins us at the close of each quarter for an update on the startup ecosystem. This quarterly episode is another must-listen, providing a much-needed reality check, insights into the current state of the economy, and guid
A New Take on the VC-Founder Relationship
Ivan Montoya is a venture capitalist with a fresh perspective on the typical VC–founder relationship. He and his firm, NuMundo Ventures, take an unusually hands-on approach with pre-seed and seed-stage founders—providing a level of support typically reserved for Series A and B stage startups.They often form close bonds with founders even before investing, actively helping with fundraising, pitch d
Insights for Success from a World-Changing AI Startup
Materials development touches all startups—driving technological progress and innovation across every industry. In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Joseph Krause, Co-Founder & CEO of Radical AI, a groundbreaking startup that's accelerating the discovery of new materials by using AI to transform the traditionally slow and costly R&D process.Fresh off a $55M s
After the Round Closes: How to Leverage Your Investors
In this episode, host Kate Adams sits down with Julia Austin—Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, startup advisor, executive coach, and author of After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. With decades of experience leading teams at Akamai, VMware, and DigitalOcean, Julia brings tactical wisdom and deep empathy to the messy, high-stakes realities of startup life.To
When Passion Meets Product-Market Fit
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Ian Bateman, co-founder and CEO of Highscore, a startup on a mission to bring more games to more people—especially long-neglected Mac users—by enabling PC games to work on any device.Ian shares his startup journey—from building a tech startup in college that led to a successful acquisition, to turning his lifelong frustration as a Mac gamer into
Using Customer Feedback to Drive Product Market Fit & Growth
Most founders say they value customer feedback—but few know how to truly hear it, let alone act on it. On today’s episode, we are excited to welcome serial founder and CEO Eli Portnoy of Backengine.ai, a platform revolutionizing how businesses capture and act on customer feedback. With over $66M in successful exits behind him, Eli shares the lessons only repeated startup journeys can teach—most cr
Q2 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem
With Q2 in the rearview mirror, we welcome back one of our most popular guests, Steve Lord, COO & Head of Service Delivery at Burkland. Steve joins us for a macro view of the startup and VC ecosystem—and the message is clear: uncertainty still reigns.From geopolitical instability to unpredictable trade policies and inflation, Steve breaks down what founders and investors need to know right now
What to Stop Doing Today: Real Talk with a Startup Coach
We’re thrilled to welcome back Feras Alhlou—seasoned entrepreneur, startup coach, and co-founder of Start Up With Feras—for another insightful episode of Startup Success.In this candid conversation, Feras dives into what it really takes to build and scale a successful startup. He shares hard-earned lessons from his own journey, including how to focus on what matters most during each phase of the s
How a User-Driven Pivot Led to Product-Market Fit
In this episode, we sit down with Merrill Lutsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Graphite, a breakout startup redefining code review for the AI era. Originally built solely as an internal code review tool, Graphite unexpectedly attracted a huge amount of interest from the developer community, prompting the team to pivot their startup to focus entirely on that tool.Today, Graphite’s AI developer productivit
Pitch to Deck to Close: Mastering Fundraising
If you’re a founder gearing up to raise capital, this episode of Startup Success is your ultimate fundraising playbook. We’re joined by Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite and Fundingstack, and host of the How I Raised It podcast. Nathan has helped hundreds of startups navigate every stage of the fundraising process—and he’s sharing his top strategies to help you maximize your next raise.We explor
Navigating Co-Founder Dynamics
What makes a co-founder relationship thrive—or fall apart? In this episode of Startup Success, we’re joined by Tim He, Founder of Cherrytree, a company helping startup co-founders navigate the tricky terrain of working together. Tim draws on his personal experience co-founding a startup with four friends and explains how that journey led him to launch a newsletter and private coaching practice for
Your Startup Board: How to Make it a Game Changer
What makes a startup board really effective? How do you build one that will truly benefit your startup? How do you conduct board meetings that are helpful and not just a quarterly scramble to put together a deck? In this episode of Startup Success, we dive deep into a topic we’ve never explored before: the real role and power of a startup board. Your board can be a game-changer for your startup—if
Think Like a Scientist: Smarter Decision-Making for Founders
In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Arielle Lechner, Executive Coach and Founder of NewPo, to discuss the crucial role of decision-making and leadership in early-stage startups. Arielle, a mentor for TechStars and former startup operator, shares insights on how founders can move faster, avoid burnout, and create a thriving company culture.We dive into how founders can distinguish betwee
Strategies for Startups Outside Silicon Valley
Finding startup success outside of Silicon Valley is possible – it just requires some ingenuity.We couldn’t think of anyone who knows more about this topic than Rick Turoczy.With three decades of experience supporting founders, Rick Turoczy, GM and Co-founder of PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment), is the ultimate connector and an expert at helping startups turn ideas into reality. In this episode
Q1 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem
Join us for a Q1 update! Kicking off 2025, many anticipated a return to the "good old days" of economic optimism, but the reality has been more complex. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Steven Lord, Burkland’s COO, to get a pulse on the startup ecosystem and the broader economic landscape as Q1 comes to a close.We discuss:What’s going on with interest rates?Trends in startup va
Data Privacy Considerations that Startups Can’t Ignore
In this episode of Startup Success, we explore the data privacy considerations that all founders need to address, not ignore, with Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures. Katharine fully understands all the priorities and stresses founders face, so she lays out a clear roadmap for them with small, actionable steps they can take now that will help them down the road with privacy.With an
Unlocking Growth: How Startups Can Optimize Pricing & Packaging
Pricing and packaging can make or break a startup, yet many founders struggle to get it right. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Fynn Glover, Co-Founder and CEO of Schematic, to explore his journey from startup founder to pricing and packaging expert. Fynn shares lessons from his first startup—how a pivot led to an acquisition, the challenges of scaling, and what sparked his fas
From Pain Point to Passion to Thriving Startup
In this episode of Startup Success, we are joined by Daniel Loreto, founder of Jetify, who dives into his journey from working at tech giants like Google, Twitter, and Airbnb to launching his own startup. Daniel shares how his passion for accelerating software development led to the creation of Jetify and how AI is transforming the way developers bring ideas to life.Highlights:Daniel’s candid advi
A Customer-Driven Startup Success Story
There is no getting around the power of customer feedback in building a successful startup.In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Luke Kim, founder and CEO of Liner, an AI-powered search tool revolutionizing the way researchers, students, and knowledge workers find reliable information. As a child during the dot-com boom, Luke dreamed of one day starting his own company. Right out of
Lessons from a VC on Series A and More
In this episode of Startup Success, we're joined by Manish Patel, founding partner at Nava Ventures and self-described accidental venture capitalist. Manish shares his fascinating journey into venture capital, including the challenges and rewards of running a Series A-focused fund and his firm’s thesis-driven approach to investing.We discuss:What Manish looks for when investing in Series A startup
Venture Capital and Economic Trends: What Startups Need to Know for 2025
The Trump 2.0 era will reshape the startup landscape. Is your startup prepared for what’s next?In this insight-packed episode of Startup Success, we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Steven Lord, Burkland’s Managing Director of Service Delivery and Chief Learning Officer. Steve dives deep into the state of the startup ecosystem as we close out 2024 and enter a pivotal year.We explore the lo
Reimagining the Future of Work with AI Employees
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Surojit Chatterjee, the CEO and founder of Ema, a generative AI platform poised to transform the future of work. With a career spanning high-level roles at Google and Coinbase, Surojit shares his journey from building billion-dollar businesses to creating Ema’s Universal AI Employee, designed to automate tedious tasks and empower employees to fo
The Story Behind the AI Startup Powering Services You Use Every Day
In this episode of Startup Success, we dive into the incredible entrepreneurial journey of Russ d’Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit, a startup that evolved from a pandemic side project into an open-source development stack that powers real-time AI. The wildly varied use cases for LiveKit’s technology range from voice conversations with ChatGPT to saving lives on 911 emergency calls.It's a fascinat
A Fascinating Look at a Groundbreaking AI Startup
In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Vlad Voroninski, CEO and co-founder of Helm.ai, an AI software startup that is developing the world's safest and most advanced autonomous driving systems at scale. Vlad gives us a fascinating look into Helm.ai's innovative approach to addressing previously unsolved problems in the self-driving car space, detailing how his company l
Building a Revolutionary Biotech Startup: The Challenges & Surprises
What if the powerful nutritional compounds in breast milk could be harnessed to improve the health of people of all ages? Today, we’re sitting down with Laura Katz, CEO and founder of Helaina, a groundbreaking biotech startup that’s pushing the boundaries of what food can do for health. Helaina’s technology platform replicates functional proteins found in the human body, making them available as n
A Founder Gets Candid About Fundraising & What Fueled His Startup’s Success
What if your inspiration for starting a company came from solving a problem you experienced first-hand as an engineer at a tech giant like Uber? In this episode, we welcome Anish Dhar, Co-Founder and CEO of Cortex, to share his incredible journey from an engineer at Uber to founding Cortex, the internal developer portal that addresses a massive gap in engineering processes and recently raised a $
What Every Founder Must Know about Patents
For startups, even software startups, figuring out what is worth patenting is one of the most important moves a founder needs to make.That’s where our guest today comes in. Jeff Schox, Founding Partner and Patent Attorney at Schox Patent Group, is a patent expert who’s helped hundreds of very successful startups navigate this rocky terrain.Jeff joins us to give startup founders a basic primer on e
Insights from a VC on Fundraising and the Power of Diversity
We explore some weighty questions on this episode of Startup Success, including:What would the world look like if half the venture capital dollars were in women-led funds? Is VC funding the golden ticket or just another hurdle for startups? How do we overcome the biggest limiting factor to success – ourselves?Why is the bulk of venture capital still not in the hands of women?Sutian Dong, Partner a
The Story Behind the $3.2B Acquisition of Segment - from the Co-Founder's & CFO's Perspective
To celebrate the 100th episode of Startup Success, we have two exceptional guests: Peter Reinhardt, CEO and co-founder of Charm Industrial (and the former co-founder/CEO of Segment), and Jeff Burkland, CEO and founder of Burkland.Peter and Jeff take us behind the scenes of Segment, the hugely successful startup that was acquired by Twilio for $3.2 billion in 2020. They recount their time working t
Scaling AI: How Fireworks AI is Transforming the Industry
In the rapidly evolving world of AI, standing out requires more than just innovation; it demands leadership and a clear vision. Enter Lin Qiao, the driving force behind Fireworks AI, who is redefining the limitations of speed, value and scale in generative AI.With a $52M Series B secured earlier this summer, Fireworks AI has quickly become a major player after launching their public platform just
The State of the Startup Ecosystem
Amid high interest rates and election uncertainty, navigating the startup landscape has never been more challenging. Fortunately, our special guest, Steve Lord, is here to offer a broader perspective that may help ease your mind.As a member of Burkland’s Leadership Team, Steve serves as Managing Director of Service Delivery and Chief Knowledge Officer. Steve has been in the trenches for a while an
From Idea to Series B: The Making of a Successful Startup
In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Jaclyn Chen, Co-Founder and CEO at Benepass, a platform that solves real-world pain points for both employees and employers in the benefits space.Jacyln dives into her experience working with Y Combinator early on and how she approached fundraising during very different economic climates. And she shares some truly great advice for fellow startup found
The Intersection of Science & Startup Entrepreneurship w/ Dr. Misti Ushio
Dr. Misti Ushio, Managing Partner at Digitalis Ventures, joins us in the studio today. Misti’s entrepreneurial journey took flight with the formation of TARA Biosystems, a groundbreaking startup that developed “heart-on-a-chip” technology. From raising $20 million in venture financing to navigating the complexities of scaling a biotech startup, Misti shares the highs and lows of her journey and di
Behind the Scenes at an Impact-First VC Fund
Our guest today is Stasia Obremskey, Co-Founder and Managing Director at RH Capital, an impact-first venture capital fund that invests in the future of women's health.Stasia provides an in-depth look at the types of innovations RH Capital is passionate about and shares examples of how their portfolio companies are dramatically improving health outcomes, affordability and health equity. Listeners w
Innovating for Impact: AlleyCorp's Approach to Venture Capital and Social Change
We’re thrilled to have Tanya Beja, General Partner at AlleyCorp, in studio for the latest episode of Startup Success. Join us for a fascinating conversation about their unique approach to investing and incubating that will strike a chord with startup founders looking to make a positive impact on society.Tanya introduces us to AlleyCorp Impact, a fund dedicated to backing founders who are intention
An Inside Look at How a Venture Capital Firm Operates
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Josh Gilbert, CFO of the VC firm Freestyle, who unravels the intricacies of venture capital investing. Josh offers an insider's perspective on the role of VC firms in the startup ecosystem and sheds light on the inner workings of how they operate.His insights on the current state of the startup/VC landscape, along with why the renewed focused on
Unveiling the Future of Digital Health with Vivante Health
Join us in this enlightening episode as we sit down with Bill Snyder, the CEO and Founder of Vivante Health. Propelled by a recent $31M Series B round, his company is on a mission to revolutionize digital health, starting with chronic GI conditions. Bill shares the founding story of Vivante Health and how their innovative platform transforms the way patients suffering from digestive health issues
Legal 101 for Startups
Today we dive into the world of legal strategy for startups with Charu Satia, startup attorney and Partner at Silicon Legal Strategy. With more than a decade of experience under her belt, Charu provides invaluable insights into the array of key legal issues startup founders need to be aware of from inception to exit.Charu explains why it makes sense to bet on your startup's success by investing i
The Power of User Feedback, Agile Product Pivots & Organic Marketing
Our guest today, Aagya Mathur, has an inspiring story to tell. She transformed her personal health challenges into a startup that empowers people to improve their overall quality of life.In this episode, Aagya, Co-Founder & CEO at Aavia, shares how she brought her idea to fruition with help from MIT and then recently was accepted into the Mayo Clinic and ASU MedTech Accelerator. After an incre
Positive Trends in the Startup Ecosystem
The tech ecosystem in Los Angeles may not grab headlines like Silicon Valley, but over the past decade, it has gained some serious momentum and a several major VC players have emerged. Our guest today is Jennifer Richard, Principal at Bonfire Ventures – one LA’s top B2B venture firms.Jennifer discusses what she’s excited about in the tech sector right now, why she’s optimistic about 2024, and Bonf
A VC’s Optimistic Outlook on Today’s Startup Landscape
Even though the success rates for startups today are sobering, there is reason to be optimistic. As our guest today, Venture Capitalist John Frankel sees it: "Cycles happen. We've gone through a downturn and I think we're now at an inflection point. We’re already starting to see some companies raise money at high valuations."John founded ff Venture Capital in 2008 and has since funded over 150 see
How Venture Capital is Helping to Innovate Healthcare
In today's episode, we have two VCs in the studio, Dr. Tara Bishop and Eileen Tanghal, co-founders of Black Opal Ventures, who discuss their strategic focus of supporting startups that are driving innovation at the intersection of technology and healthcare.We explore the genesis of Black Opal Ventures and how the duo, who met as freshman 30 years ago at MIT, took a leap of faith, ultimately raisin
The Steps for Building an Incredible Digital Brand
No matter what industry you’re in, your audience is savvier than ever about digital branding and marketing. The tactics that worked 5 years ago no longer apply. And this makes growing your business and driving sales more challenging than ever.That's why today, we're excited to sit down with a true digital marketing and branding expert to delve into strategies that will help your startup break thro
What a Seasoned VC Looks for in Early-Stage Startups
Today, we have a remarkable guest in our studio, Suzanne Fletcher, the founder and general partner of Zelda Ventures. Suzanne’s career as an investor spans 20 years including a stint at StartX, Stanford’s startup accelerator & founder community, where she helped over 900 founders raise early-stage capital.In 2023, she launched Zelda Ventures and raised $33M for her new fund in spite of “apocal
Startup Wind Downs: How to Come Out on Top
Startup wind downs are not something founders usually think about until there is no other option. But for founders who find themselves in that position, juggling all the elements of a wind down (aka going out of business) can be tricky both logistically and psychologically. However, if you approach it the right way, there can be positive legal and financial implications. In his role of VP at Sherw
Making Founder Mental Health & Well-Being a Priority & Why It is Important
Startup founders are some of the most committed, hardworking, innovative people in the world. But even in the best of times, they exist in a pressure cooker. And the relentless stress can sometimes lead to burnout.Nevertheless, mental health has historically been a taboo topic in the venture capital and startup community. So when we heard about the work Flourish Ventures is doing to support startu
Beyond the Headlines: What Founders Need to Know About 2024's Economic Outlook
Happy New Year! Now, onto the million dollar question: “What to expect in 2024?” For Founders, topics like will the fundraising market improvel, the impact of an election year, and the macroeconomic landscape are front and center. Today’s guests are Steven Lord, the Managing Director of Service Delivery & Chief Learning Officer and Ardy Esmaeili, the Managing Director of Tax Practice, tackle a
Why the Intersection of B2B SaaS and AI is So Exciting
If you're looking for an uplifting conversation on the intersection of SaaS and AI, look no further.Jim Gochee’s passion for B2B SaaS is real and inspiring! Jim is the CEO of Blameless, a SRE platform that empowers engineering and DevOps teams to improve reliability through better incident management, retrospectives and analytics.Jim joins us to talk about how recent innovations in AI are having a
How a Media Startup is Revolutionizing an Entire Industry
Today’s guest, Griffin O'Brien, CEO of Estate Media, shares his journey from a traditional media background to founding a unique startup and video-first platform for real estate. We explore how Griff and his co-founders are changing the real estate industry with a tech forward media company that leverages the latest in digital. Additionally, Griff provides insights into the challenges of fundraisi
Mastering Your Startup's Financials with Real-Time Accounting
Accounting as a superhero? It may sound far-fetched, but after this conversation, you’ll completely understand!Today’s guest is Sasha Orloff, Co-Founder & CEO of Puzzle. He shares his experiences in the startup ecosystem, highlighting his passion for solving problems and enabling people to do their best work. He discusses his journey into entrepreneurship, and his impressive work with startups
Pitch Perfect: Mastering the Art of Startup Presentations w/ Neil Thompson
A critical component to the fundraising process is the pitch deck. Effective pitching is crucial for startup founders who often need to convey their ideas and products to investors, partners, and stakeholders.Today’s guest is Neil Thompson, Founder of Teach the Geek, who gives incredible suggestions on how to improve the pitch deck and presentation style of the traditional technical founder. Neil
Unlocking Your Leadership Potential w/ Jason Weeman
Leadership Coaches seem to be a dime a dozen in this workforce landscape. There are plenty of “coaches” out there who market themselves as experts but do not have the clout to back them up. That’s not the case with our guest today, Jason Weeman, the Founder of Refine Talent Development.Jason is a Certified Professional Coach whose senior-level experience at LinkedIn, Upwork & Apple has influen
Navigating the PE and M&A Landscapes: Insights for Founders
In this episode, we start by diving into the complexities founders face when navigating private equity (PE) interest. Next, we discuss M&A activity and areas that are critical for founders to address. Founders will learn what they should be looking for around both PE and M&A deals. Our guest, Gaurav Bhasin of Allied Advisers, shares helpful tactical advice. He also sheds light on the curre
Building the Future of AR Gaming: A Conversation with Natalie Testa and Jake Sally of Jadu
Welcome to Startup Success, the podcast for startup founders and investors. Today’s special episode is guest-hosted by Steve Lord, Managing Director of Burkland's CFO Practice and FinTech Group. Join us as Steve welcomes Natalie Testa and Jake Sally of Jadu, an independent AR studio. The engaging conversation touches on the challenges and opportunities of working in a startup, the company's AR gam
