Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors: Recent Episodes
Burkland
On Startup Success, we discuss what’s working and offer the best advice to scale along with the most important trends in the entire startup ecosystem. You’ll hear interviews with founders and investors who have compelling stories to share, new insights and trends, and conversations from thought leaders and experts who are passionate about sharing the best ideas out there for success Episodes will feature topics such as finance, fundraising, hiring, marketing, sales, along with tools and technologies you can use to help your startup or portfolio company scale.
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 show notes, transcript, and companion article: https://burklandassociates.com/podcasts/why-investors-say-no-to-your-pitch-deck-and-how-to-fix-it
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Carl Fudge & Presentation Mode
01:10 – Carl's Background: Psychology, McKinsey, IDEO & Catching the Startup Bug
02:58 – What Presentation Mode Actually Does
05:50 – How They Help Founders Craft Compelling Pitches
07:50 – Why They Bring in a Trained Actor
11:35 – The Must-Have Components of Every Pitch Deck
13:44 – The "Why Now" Argument Most Founders Overlook
15:30 – Logic vs. Feeling: The Psychology of Investor Decisions
17:09 – The Mac vs. PC Lesson on Selling Features vs. Selling Feeling
19:19 – Less Is More: How Much Detail Should Be on a Slide
20:50 – Shifting the Power Dynamic With Investors
22:50 – Fundraising Advice for AI-Native Startups vs. Non-AI Startups
26:10 – Storytelling: More Than a Fundraising Tool
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Presentation Mode: https://www.presentationmode.co/
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, Serena Williams, and Steve Case, plus a Series A led by Goldman Sachs.
Melissa walks us through how Mahmee built the technology and workforce infrastructure that now has 70 million lives under contract. She also opens up about the fundraising grind and shares her perspective on AI's role in healthcare.
Tune in to hear:
* Strategies for fundraising in this challenging market
* How founders outside the AI space can still leverage AI
* An insider's perspective on where AI should and shouldn't be used in healthcare
* Why core values are key, even at early-stage startups
Melissa’s advice to fellow founders: accept the struggle, and commit to a problem worth solving.
Don't miss this conversation with a founder proving healthcare can be both high-tech and deeply human.
---- Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, on LinkedIn
🔗 Learn more about Mahmee at: https://www.mahmee.com/
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
==== Chapters ====
00:17 – Fundraising for a HealthTech Startup in the AI Era
02:33 – What Is Mahmee? The Platform Closing Gaps in Maternal Care
04:39 – The Inspiration Behind Mahmee: A Mother's Influence
06:09 – Taking the Leap: Building the Founding Team
07:11 – The US Maternal Health Paradox: Spending the Most, Getting the Worst
08:54 – Creating a Healthcare Platform That Adapts to Each Family's Journey
10:00 – Stumbling Into New Opportunities
11:18 – Where Mahmee Is Today: 70 Million Lives Under Contract
16:19 – Where AI Should and Shouldn't Be Used in Healthcare
18:38 – The Fundraising Journey: Pitching Hundreds of Investors
22:20 – Core Values Aren’t Just for Big Companies
25:35 – Parting Advice for Founders: Accept the Struggle
27:33 – Where to Find Mahmee
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 may finally be turning a corner. He explains how the stock market impacts VC cycles, and why founders shouldn't panic over a single bad day in the markets. He also makes the case for why trillion-dollar IPOs — starting with SpaceX, and potentially OpenAI and Anthropic — could unlock more value than all VC-backed IPOs this century combined, recycling enormous liquidity back into the startup ecosystem.
We discuss:
* Why using an AI-generated pitch deck will hurt your chances with VCs
* The good news: 2026 is on track to be a record year in first financings for startups
* The state of interest rates, inflation, and why a Fed cut won't affect your startup in the short term
* AI startups are still dominating VC funding — here's where the opportunities are for everyone else
If you're trying to make sense of where the funding market stands right now, this episode is the shortcut. Steve lays out the macro forces in plain terms, and tells you what it means for your next raise.
====Chapters====
[00:18] Q2 Recap: Geopolitical Volatility and Market Crosscurrents
[02:15] Listener Question: Does the Stock Market Impact VC Cycles?
[05:50] The IPO Market is Back — and It Will Give VCs More Liquidity
[06:16] What the Power Law of VC Means for Founders Right Now
[07:50] Upswing in VC Funding Activity
[07:00] AI Funding Still Dominates
[09:30] Could Be a Record Year for First Financings for Startups
[10:16] The State of Smaller VC Firms and Where Opportunity Still Exists
[12:51] What’s Up with the Economy, Inflation, and Interest Rates?
[16:50] Advice for Founders Heading Into Q3
[18:54] Why AI-Generated Pitch Decks Are Working Against Founders
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Burkland at: https://burklandassociates.com/
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
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 decision to sell, and what prompted her to buy back the company a few years later. She offers an honest look at the tradeoffs of private equity and the factors that can make or break a deal.
Between the exit and the buyback, her work as an angel investor and mentor to early-stage founders led her to co-found Cherub, a platform that connects founders with angel investors they'd never reach otherwise.We discuss:
* The realities of selling to private equity — and what founders often overlook
* What founders need in place before they start raising capital
* How the fundraising landscape for early-stage founders is changing
If you're building your first company, preparing to raise capital, or thinking about an exit, this episode offers hard-earned lessons from a founder who has been on both sides of the table.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Create and Cultivate at https://www.createcultivate.com/
Learn more about Cherub at https://www.investwithcherub.com/
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
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 anxiety around AI, Ahmed believes the upside far outweighs today’s disruption. Faster development doesn't shrink markets; it expands what's possible. In his view, AI isn't replacing human potential. It's amplifying it.
Tune in to hear:
* Why the right VC partner matters more than the biggest check
* The 4 things founders should never delegate
* How to keep investors engaged and informed
* What Arabic’s 22+ dialects reveal about the depth of the AI data gap
With experience at some of the world’s leading companies and now as the founder of an exciting AI startup, Ahmed has valuable insights on today’s startup ecosystem.
Don’t miss this episode for practical, hard-earned advice from a founder who has been in the thick of it since day one.
====Chapters====
00:18 – Meet Ahmed Rashad, Founder & CEO of Perle
01:15 – From Oil Rig to Software: Ahmed's Unlikely Origin Story
02:34 – What Perle Does and the Problem It's Solving
03:35 – Why This Problem Was Personal
04:35 – Use Cases: Healthcare, STEM, and Linguistics
05:02 – The Arabic Language Challenge: 22 Dialects and Counting
07:22 – How the Rapidly Changing AI Landscape Is Impacting Perle
09:16 – Fundraising Advice: The Four Things Founders Should Never Delegate
10:40 – Why the Right VC Beats the Highest Valuation
11:30 – What to Look for in an Investor Relationship
12:09 – How to Communicate Effectively with Your Investors
13:40 – The Reality of the Founder Journey: It's Never a Straight Line
16:36 –Why Ahmed is So Optimistic About AI
18:27 – What Concerns Ahmed About AI
19:47 – The AI Slop Problem
20:53 – Final Advice for Founders: Take Care of Yourself
22:42– Where to Find Ahmed and Learn More About Perle
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Perle: https://www.perle.ai/
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
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 concentrating. Investors are excited, skeptical, and cautious at the same time. AI tools are making it easier than ever to build, but harder than ever to stand out.
We discuss:
* What the AI bubble means for founders raising capital today
* Why many founders confuse fundraising with validation
* "Signal collapse" and why creativity is the next major startup advantage
* Why Jonathan built Hupside to measure human originality in an AI world
If you're building with AI, raising capital, or trying to stand out in a crowded market, this episode is worth your full attention.
---Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Hupside: https://www.hupside.com
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
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 of AI. He also explains how his firm is building AI fluency internally — and why the "defensible moat" question is now front and center in their investment decisions.
We also cover:
* What Volition learned about successful founders after analyzing 100+ founder attributes across its portfolio
* How to build a durable company when engineering is no longer a barrier to entry
* The right way to present your TAM to build credibility with investors
* How investors are using AI to source and evaluate deals
No matter where you are in your fundraising journey, Jim's perspective offers a valuable window into how top investors are thinking right now.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Volition Capital: https://www.volitioncapital.com/
This episode is produced by:
Brenda Hernández Jaimes: Podcast Producer & Talent Coordinator, Ellas Media
Angela R. Chong: Audio Editor & Post-Production Producer, Amplify Podcasts
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 as CEO, and why putting the mission ahead of ego sets great founders apart. And Hadi explains how he’s approached the transition to ensure a successful handoff.
We discuss:
* The moment Tony knew it was time to hand over the CEO role
* How to manage leadership transitions with intention and transparency
* Communicating the change in a way that builds trust and signals strength
* Why global hiring is a competitive advantage in the age of AI
Whether you're navigating growth, thinking about leadership evolution, or rethinking how to build a distributed team, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it really takes to scale—with the right people, in the right roles, at the right time.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Oyster at https://www.oysterhr.com
This episode is produced by Brenda Hernández Jaimes of Ellas Media
Post-Production by Angela R. Chong of Amplify Podcasts
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 FOG Ventures, its venture capital arm. He’s seen firsthand why this new breed of operator is essential in today’s AI-driven world.Casey breaks down how these operators fuel hypergrowth and why early-stage founders should prioritize hiring them. He explains this mindset isn’t learned—it’s in your DNA. Curious, impatient, and energized by ambiguity, scalers are wired differently.
We discuss:
* How AI is reshaping how startups hire and scale, and why adaptable, strategic thinkers matter more than ever.
* The new operational model that is essential to high-growth startups.
* How to spot a scaler on a resume and what signals to look for in the interview process.
* How the office of the CFO and COO has changed and what that means for today's startups.
This episode blends insight and practicality—a must-listen for founders building teams in an increasingly complex landscape.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Fog Ventures at: https://www.fog.ventures/
Learn more about Operators Guild at: https://www.operators-guild.com/
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 flowing to AI companies from a small group of top VC firms.
Steve explores the latest macro forces—oil prices, AI hype, and interest rates—impacting the market and weighs in on whether the economy's resilience will hold.
We tackle the big questions:
* What was fundraising like in Q1 and what is the outlook for Q2?
* What’s on the horizon for interest rates?
* Will AI deals continue to dominate investment activity?
* How can founders prepare for what’s next?
As usual, Steve combines optimism with practical advice: stay focused on what matters, manage runway, know your numbers, and be ready to fundraise at any moment. A grounded reminder that execution still wins, even in uncertain times.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 industries, Marlena now helps founders turn complex products into compelling narratives that resonate with buyers and drive growth. She explains how tighter capital and AI-informed buyers are reshaping startup marketing — and what founders need to do differently today.
We dive into:* Why the traditional startup go-to-market playbook no longer works and what to do instead
* The risks of not clearly defining your market category
* How to develop consistent messaging that builds trust with both buyers and AI search models
* Why shared KPIs are key to aligning teams — from engineering to marketing — around growth
* How to uncover your startup's hidden growth blockers with their Friction Finder tool
This episode offers practical frameworks for founders trying to break through crowded markets and build sustainable traction. If you’re working on refining your positioning, improving your go-to-market tactics, or scaling beyond founder-led sales, this one’s a must-listen.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Check out the Friction Finder tool here https://www.thecompanyadvice.com/friction-finder
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 capital strategies, and how founders can use it to extend runway while minimizing dilution. He also shares a behind-the-scenes look at how lenders evaluate startups, what to expect during due diligence, and the difference between banks and private credit providers — and when to work with each.
Marshall addresses:* What venture debt is and where it fits within your startup’s capital strategy * Common mistakes startups make when pursuing venture debt * What founders should expect during the screening process
This episode is a clear and thorough overview of venture debt financing. If you’re considering venture debt to support your startup’s growth or want to learn more about it, this is a must-listen.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more at www.venturedebtdeals.com
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 business serving Fortune 500 companies.
Joseph breaks down the real problem enterprises face today: not a lack of data, but an inability to turn fragmented data into clear, actionable decisions. Rwazi’s decision AI and its copilot, Sena, help leaders see what’s really happening in the market, understand the impact on their business, decide what to do next, and execute—without guesswork, outdated reports, or expensive consultants.
We discuss:
* How to scale by prioritizing customer acquisition above all else
* Profitability before funding? Rwazi shows it’s possible—and how they did it
* How Rwazi uses AI to turn business decision chaos into growth
* Advice for founders. Why you must build your entire business around the customer
This episode is a must-listen for founders, operators, and investors interested in AI, enterprise SaaS, and building scalable businesses grounded in real customer needs.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Rwazi at https://rwazi.com
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 engaging, accessible, and relevant.
We discuss:
* Unlocking product-market fit by building products with customers at the center
* Staying grounded through the highs and lows of startup life
* Why healthy dissent makes teams stronger
Don’t miss this conversation on entrepreneurship, building products that truly engage customers, and growing companies that do well by doing good.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Goalsetter at https://goalsetter.co/
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 his perspective on the evolving startup ecosystem.
Alumni Ventures takes a unique approach to venture capital, investing alongside top-tier firms while drawing capital from a network of individual accredited investors. With more than 11,000 investors, over $1.5B raised, and 1,000+ portfolio companies, the firm has built a powerful ecosystem that benefits both founders and investors.
Tune in to learn:
* What Mike and Alumni Ventures look for when evaluating startups
* Why AI is transformative—but not the only sector worth watching
* Mike’s key advice to founders, summed up in 3 words
* What sets Alumni Ventures apart from other VC firms
Tune in to hear Mike’s perspective on the future of venture capital, why we’re in a golden age of innovation, and how Alumni Ventures leverages its extensive network to help founders succeed.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Alumni Ventures at av.vc
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 fundraising, hiring, and growth. This episode gives founders must-have guidance on what to expect in 2026 and how to tackle the challenges ahead.
We discuss:
* Why Steve predicts a rebound in early-stage funding
* Interest rate outlook for 2026 and what could trigger cuts
* Economic outlook for 2026 and what founders should be watching
* M&A trends and consolidation moves founders can’t afford to ignore
* Why clean books, taxes, and cap tables matter more than ever
For startup founders trying to make sense of the macro noise and wondering what to expect in 2026, this episode delivers grounded perspective, practical advice, and a cautiously optimistic outlook for the year ahead.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 radio that’s saved their clients billions of dollars by empowering workers to communicate and solve problems faster.
We discuss:
* Kevin’s philosophy on scaling with trust and why culture is just as critical as product-market fit
* How they are uniquely positioned to be one of the leading worker products for AI
* The remarkable way Weavix is transforming industrial workplaces and elevating the value of workers
Whether you’re an early-stage founder or a seasoned business leader, Kevin’s passion for solving real problems and lifting people up will leave you rethinking how you approach growth, leadership, and innovation.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Weavix here: https://weavix.com/
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 where advertising funds sustainability, turning water stations into connected platforms that benefit both cities and brands. The company recently raised a $20M Series A, marking a major step in their mission to bring smart hydration to urban centers worldwide.
We discuss:
* How AI has helped to fuel HOPE Hydration’s success
* Their creative strategies for driving consumer adoption
* What it means to operate as a certified B Corp
* How they stay true to their mission while delivering value to investors
Tune in to hear how Jorge and Cristina are blending technology, trust, and purpose to make every refill count—and build a movement toward a more sustainable, hydrated future. And if you’d like a HydroStation in your area, they’d love to hear from you!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about HOPE Hydration at https://www.hopehydration.com/
(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
(00:14:42) Combining Data and Intuition
(00:16:05) Defining Success Up Front
(00:19:18) Tactical Interview Tips
(00:22:29) The Roundtable Decision Process
(00:25:55) Final Words of Wisdom for Founders
In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Lidiya Becker, a seasoned operator and founder of Build It Labs, who’s helped countless startups navigate the challenges of rapid growth. She’s been in the trenches and knows what it really takes to build operational processes and teams that can scale effectively.
Our conversation focuses on teams, and Lidiya walks through her Purpose, People, and Process framework—a simple but powerful way for startups to grow sustainably and build high-performing teams. She also shares must-hear advice on avoiding the hiring mistakes so many founders make, like failing to define the ideal candidate before interviews begin or skipping a rigorous interview process.
We discuss:
* Who to hire at each growth stage of your startup
* How to approach interviews as an investigation, not a vibe check
* Lidiya’s “Hell Yes” rule for hiring
If you’re a founder gearing up to scale or preparing for your next mission-critical hire, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more about Build It Labs: builditlabs.com
Chapters:
00:17 – Introduction
01:00 – Lidiya’s Background
01:44 – Focus of Build It Labs
02:54 – Three Components of Operations
04:12 – The Importance of Getting “People” Right
05:10 – Hiring Across Startup Stages
08:00 – Early-Stage Hiring Challenges
10:13 – Hiring Pitfalls and Structured Interviewing
14:42 – Combining Data and Intuition
16:05 – Defining Success Up Front
19:18 – Tactical Interview Tips
22:29 – The Roundtable Decision Process
25:55 – Conclusion & How to Connect
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 fast, and why she believes “doing the hard things the right way” is the key to long-term success.
She offers candid insights on:
* Her incremental approach to fundraising as a first-time founder
* The realities of hiring and why not everyone is a good fit for startup life
* How scaling consciously can save your startup from chaos
* What it took to recover when rapid growth nearly broke the company
If you’ve ever questioned what it really takes to turn an idea into a thriving company, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about growth, grit, and what it means to build something that lasts.
Chapters:
00:18 – Welcome and Introduction
00:51 – Oriana’s Career Background
03:00 – Inspiration for AOA Dx and Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics
05:00 – From Concept to Funding
07:54 – Current Stage of AOA Dx
08:12 – Challenges Along the Way
09:41 – People-First Philosophy
12:44 – Building a Robust Hiring Process
14:07 – Balancing Learners and Guides in a Startup
15:56 – Scaling Consciously
18:16 – Organizational Systems and Operational Infrastructure
21:02 – Final Words of Wisdom for Founders
23:02 – Where to Find AOA Dx
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about AOA, visit: https://aoadx.com/
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 learned from 25 years in the startup ecosystem, from the failures of his first company to his early bet on AI way back in 2012. And while Recursive Ventures is “all in” on AI, Itamar candidly shares his concerns about its potential risks to society.
We discuss:
* What he looks for when investing in a startup
* His use of “anti-patterns” to teach founders how to avoid failure
* What it takes to build an AI company that will survive the long haul
Itamar’s top advice for founders: jump on the wave first, embrace disruption, pivot quickly, and keep adapting. Founders who last aren’t the ones who play it safe.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Recursive Ventures here, Itamar’s Blog here, and Itamar’s LinkedIn here.
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 clients across industries. Together, they dive into the fundamentals every founder needs to know about building a strong digital presence.
We cover a lot in a short time, including: * How AI and “no-click marketing” are reshaping customer acquisition * Why your website is your #1 asset—even in the age of AI * The smart way to use email marketing to stand out from your competitors * Modern marketing tactics that leverage AI
It’s the kind of conversation you’ll want to bookmark and come back to whenever you need a quick marketing refresher.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about SeedX at seedx.us and at LinkedIn
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 guidance on what founders need to know about the venture capital landscape as we approach the end of 2025.
We cover:* The real story behind the Fed’s recent rate cut—and what’s next * Why the U.S. economy is stronger than headlines suggest * The lagging impact of interest rates and tariffs * What founders should NOT do in this fundraising environment * Smart bets for raising capital right now * How to adapt your pitch deck to today’s market realities
Don’t buy into the hype that venture is broken. Steve reminds us that this industry is inherently cyclical. What feels like a slowdown today is part of a larger pattern. Founders who recognize macro trends, prepare early for their next raise, and aren’t afraid to communicate with their investors will be best positioned for the upswing ahead.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Burkland at burklandassociates.com.
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 decks, go-to-market strategy, and everything in between.
On this episode of Startup Success, we explore how Ivan’s trajectory from startup operator to angel investor to VC shaped his approach to backing founders, and how he’s helping the next generation of LatAm entrepreneurs achieve remarkable growth and gain traction in the US.
We discuss:
* How to make your startup stand out at an early stage
* The power of working with the right VC partner
* LatAm’s startup boom and why their ecosystem is ripe for disruption
Whether you’re a founder, investor, or part of the global startup community, this episode takes you inside an emerging tech scene and reveals a new blueprint for the VC-founder relationship.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about NuMundo Ventures here: https://numundoventures.com/
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 seed raise, Joseph shares his inspiring startup journey and reveals the secret to building a fast-moving, mission-driven team. Joseph’s top advice for founders: build a ridiculous bias to action into everything you do!
Tune in to hear:
- Radical AI’s plan to remove barriers to innovation
- How they deliberately designed a culture that drives them forward
- The payoff of their relentless focus on iteration
This episode is a fascinating listen for any founder as Joseph lays out Radical AI's approach to building a truly revolutionary startup. Plus, if you’re curious about how AI could dramatically change materials development, this interview won't disappoint!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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.
Together, they unpack what really happens after the check clears: from managing investor relationships and board dynamics to building operationally sound companies that can scale. Drawing on frameworks from her book and real-world examples, Julia gives founders clear guidance on how to stay in the driver’s seat—even in the face of strong investor opinions.
Highlights include
How and when to communicate with your investors after the "check clears"
* Productive ways to disagree with your investors and still build trust
* Strategies to get the most value out of your board member’s network & expertise
* The gap most startup books miss—and how After the Idea* fills it
Julia also lays out a strong case for why figuring out the “culture and people stuff” is essential to a startup’s survival.
Whether you’re working towards product market fit, building a team, or navigating early-stage chaos, this is your crash course in leading with intention, not reaction.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Purchase your copy of After the Idea here!
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 the inspiration for his current startup, Highscore. With a lean five-person team, a thriving Discord community of users, and a deeply personal connection to the problem they’re solving, Ian offers an honest and energizing look into early-stage startup life.
We explore:* Highscore’s early pivot that resulted in a win for users and investors * The inner workings of their Alpha launch powered by an active user feedback loop * How complementary co-founders can supercharge a startup * Ian’s take on the gaming industry
Whether you're a founder, a gamer, or just love a good startup story, this episode will leave you inspired by what’s possible when passion meets product-market fit.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more at highscore.com or join the conversation on Discord: discord.gg/highscore
📱 Follow High Score on Twitter/X: @highscore
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 critically, why leaning into customer feedback isn't optional, it's foundational to a startup's success.
Eli walks us through:
* Why your startup’s success hinges on aggregating customer feedback across all channels
* How to drive revenue and prevent churn by staying close to customers’ needs
* Why many startups fail by ignoring negative customer signals
* Critical advice on why CEOs need to meet with customers regularly and assign an owner of customer feedback
Eli doesn't just share important learnings around customer feedback, but also what he has learned founding multiple successful startups. If you're a founder trying to scale, or find product market fit, without losing sight of your customer, this conversation is your blueprint.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Learn more at backengine.ai📫 Contact Eli: eli@backengine.ai
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 and provides expert tips on how to raise and extend capital in today’s market.
We discuss:
* Why the Fed has not cut interest rates yet and when that will change
* How global uncertainty is chilling startup investment
* Smart ways to fundraise (hint: SAFE notes)
The episode also includes actionable advice for founders on how to defend your valuation and present a “buttoned-up investment opportunity” that makes it easier for VCs to say yes!
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn.
🔗 Plus, don’t miss Steve’s blog posts and tools for extending cash runway and strategic planning at burklandassociates.com.
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 startup lifecycle and why founders must learn to delegate! And he offers his take on giving back to your team and your community.
We discuss:
* The importance of “outsourcing the headache”
* Common mistakes founders make when trying to scale
* Why only great things come from networking
* Advice for founders out there who are struggling
Whether you're just starting out or gearing up for a major growth spurt, this episode is packed with wisdom you won’t want to miss.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
🔗 Resources & Tools:
Get the Founder Focus Organizer, Feras’s free newsletter, and info on 1:1 coaching at startupwithferas.com
Connect with Feras on LinkedIn or subscribe to his YouTube channel @StartUpWithFeras
💬 Bonus: Feras offers free 20-minute “Ask Feras” sessions for founders who need clarity. No pitches—just help.
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 productivity platform is helping engineering teams at companies like Ramp, Figma, and Shopify ship code up to 40% faster.
We discuss:
* Graphite’s remarkable user-driven pivot
* How they achieved product-market fit
* The highly responsive and scalable user feedback loop that propels their success
* Pros & cons of using AI in software development
Startup founders – don’t miss this episode packed with lessons on product-market fit, building for a passionate user base, and driving rapid growth in a competitive space.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Explore Graphite at graphite.dev and their AI-powered code review agent at diamond.graphite.dev.
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 explore the full fundraising journey—from building a strong investor pipeline to closing the round—and zoom in on how to make your pitch deck truly stand out.
Nathan breaks down:
* How to craft a compelling narrative that sticks with investors
* Strategies to target the right investors (not “spray and pray”)
* Your pitch deck - the essential slides you must include
* And the #1 mistake most founders make when pitching
Whether you’re pitching VCs or prepping for a demo day, this episode is packed with actionable insights and straight talk from a true fundraising expert.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Foundersuite at https://www.foundersuite.com and Fundingstack at https://fundingstack.com.
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 startup founders.
We dive deep into the questions most founders overlook: * Should you go into business with a close friend * Do you really need a co-founder agreement * Why being “too trusting” is often a bigger issue than distrust * How dividing co-founders into technical and non-technical roles can lead to a power imbalance
Tim challenges common assumptions about trust, communication, and compatibility, offering a fresh take on how to actually work on your co-founder relationship—just like you would a marriage or friendship.
If you’re ready to work on your co-founder relationship, not just your startup, this one’s for you!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
Learn more about Cherrytree visit their website at https://cherrytree.beehiiv.com/
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 done the right way.
Joining us are Matt Blumberg, CEO of Acrolinx, and Mahendra Ramsinghani, the Managing Director of Secure Octane Investments —two of the co-authors of Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors. Together, sharing the operator and investor perspectives, they give practical advice for startup boards and board meetings that you can use today.
In this episode, we discuss:* The purpose of a startup board and its role in your startup’s success * How to put together your board - selecting and recruiting the right directors, and how to change that mix as you scale * Effective board meetings - practical advice - ranging from the agenda to slides to seating arrangements - that will improve your meetings
Whether you’re building your first board, wanting to optimize the one you have, or are looking to greatly improve your board meetings, this episode is a masterclass in getting it right.🛠️
Grab your copy of Startup Boards for even more insights.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 between upstream and downstream problems, the power of thinking like a scientist when iterating, and Arielle’s Lift and Thrust model for balancing team motivation and momentum.
Tune in to learn how to:
* Stop wasting time on the wrong issues and focus on the upstream problems
* Create a culture that propels your team forward even in difficult times
* Move away from the mindset and assumptions that limit your startup’s potential to scale
Don’t miss this episode packed with actionable takeaways on how to successfully navigate the hard decisions and complex challenges that come with leading a startup.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
To learn more about NewPo visit https://www.newpo.io/
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, we sit down with Rick to explore how startups outside of the Bay Area can find support in their community and he gives us an inside look at the fundraising landscape beyond the Valley.
We discuss:* Creative fundraising strategies outside of Silicon Valley * Tactics for leveraging local resources to help scale your startup * How to pick the right accelerator for your startup * Why the lack of easily accessible capital combined with the proliferation of AI could be a perfect storm for innovation
If you're a founder looking to find startup success in your own community, this episode is a must-listen!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
To learn more about PIE visit https://www.piepdx.com/
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 valuations and venture capital
* The latest on inflation and the declining consumer confidence index
* Steps founders can take now to be prepared for what’s next
AI continues to dominate investment conversations, but we’re seeing a shift toward niche AI applications and industry-specific use cases. Meanwhile, economic uncertainty has created a turbulent environment for startups reliant on government grants and regulatory stability, leaving many clean energy, healthcare, and fintech founders in limbo.
Tune in for a deep dive into the forces shaping startup success in 2025, and what founders, investors, and business leaders should watch for in the months ahead -- plus a quick PSA moment on protecting your startup against hackers!
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 intriguing background that spans from her first job as a parole officer to the early days of data protection programs at Facebook and now her work in venture capital, Katharine is a true authority on data privacy. She “gets” the mindset of founders and knows what they need to do today around privacy and data collection.
Katharine offers perspective on:* The big dangers of not prioritizing privacy in the AI era * Why more is not better when it comes to collecting customer data * Does data mapping solve privacy? * What VCs can learn about a founder by how they manage privacy
Founders and VCs – don’t miss this deep dive into a topic that’s becoming non-negotiable in the startup world!
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 fascination with pricing.
And we dive into:* How to get a deep understanding of your market's willingness to pay * The big upside of having pricing and packaging that can evolve as fast as your product roadmap * Why decoupling pricing from the engineering function allows for more creativity around monetization
Whether you're starting a new venture or scaling a business, this episode offers valuable insights on monetization, customer pricing dynamics, and conquering common pricing challenges!
[01:42] Fynn’s First Startup, Pivot, and Acquisition
[05:29] Founding Schematic
[08:00] Challenges and Insights in Pricing and Packaging
[10:00] Schematic's Approach and Early Success
[17:17] Advice for Startup Founders
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 advice on raising a successful seed round
- His careful approach towards scaling and spending money
- Strategies for creating the right company culture and building a high-performing team
- How AI agents like Jetify’s Test Pilot are revolutionizing the software development lifecycle
This episode is packed with valuable insights on navigating the startup ecosystem, leveraging AI, turning your passion into a business, and more! Tune in now to hear Daniel’s journey and his vision for the future of software development!
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 college, he turned his dream into reality by founding Liner, which is now one of the top AI search tools in the world.
Luke shares his incredible journey and highlights his team’s successful strategy for harnessing the power of customer feedback to build a highly engaged and passionate user base that drives growth organically.
We discuss:
* How his team maintains a close connection to customer pain points and heavily relies on user feedback to drive product development
* Liner’s recent $22M Series B funding and their strategy for scaling globally
* Their quick pivot to AI search within a week of ChatGPT’s API original release
Luke’s insights into building a 100% customer-centric team provide invaluable lessons for startup founders at any stage.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 startups and founders
* Advice on preparing for and raising a Series A round
* The current state of the startup ecosystem and why Manish is excited about 2025
* Important areas a startup founder should focus on besides the usual benchmark metrics
This not-to-be-missed episode is packed with actionable advice for startup founders and thought-provoking perspectives on the art and science of venture capital.
Key Moments:
🔹[00:06:05-00:07:42] Nava Ventures’ Investment Philosophy
🔹[00:07:42-00:09:40] Their Pain Points Driven Thesis
🔹[00:09:38-00:11:12] Challenges of Fundraising
🔹[00:11:12-00:12:33] Evaluating Series A Companies
🔹[00:13:33-00:14:55] Venture Capital Misconceptions
🔹[00:14:25-00:15:30] Founder-Investor Relationships
🔹[00:15:30-00:18:24] Building In-House Capabilities
🔹[00:18:32-00:18:50] All Revenue is Not Equal
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 long-awaited resurgence of venture capital activity, the shifts in valuations, and the much-anticipated reopening of exit pathways like IPOs and M&A deals. Steven shares his thoughts on how the incoming administration will impact startups across all sectors, including AI, energy, fintech, crypto, and SaaS.
We discuss:* Why now is the time to prepare for a more favorable fundraising environment * Important tax and regulatory changes founders should have on their radar * The many reasons Steve is optimistic about the 2025 economy * How startups play a critical role in job creation and are essential to economic growth
Whether you're a founder, investor, or startup enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable advice and forward-looking perspectives to help you navigate 2025 and beyond. Don't miss it!
Key Moments:
🔹 [00:02:31] Discussion of the recovering economy post-2024 challenges
🔹 [00:08:16] Regulatory and Policy Impacts
🔹 [00:14:31] Venture Capital Trends
🔹 [00:20:46] The Role of Startups in Job Creation
🔹 [00:26:01] Fundraising Strategies for Startups
🔹 [00:32:41] Advice for Startup Leaders
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 focus on high-value work.
Surojit explains the concept of AI employees and illustrates Ema’s ability to learn, adapt, and evolve to tackle complex, repetitive tasks across enterprises.
We discuss:* The critical safeguards and trust-building features that make Ema a standout in generative AI * The barriers to enterprise AI adoption and how Ema overcame those hurdles * How technology like Ema could make it easier for founders to start companies in the future
Tune in to discover the next frontier of automation that’s fueling a more agile and efficient workplace!
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 fascinating listen that spotlights the broad range of services we use every day that are now powered by AI!
Russ shares:
* How he and his co-founder navigated unexpected twists, including scaling their open source project that went viral on GitHub and pivoting to a business model they were genuinely passionate about
* Why taking the to time learn what customers really want was essential to LiveKit’s success and the lessons there for other founders
* The lightbulb moment when he realized his team was building “core infrastructure for the future of where computing is going”
A must-listen for aspiring and seasoned founders, Russ shares key lessons he learned along his winding path to startup success. Tune in to learn how LiveKit is revolutionizing real-time communication and empowering developers worldwide.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 leverages unsupervised learning and generative AI to create scalable, robust solutions for real-time autonomous vehicle operations.
We explore:
* Helm.ai’s bold approach to fundraising that paid off big
* How Vlad's academic background in applied mathematics helped him create technology that is transforming the automotive industry
* How he knew it was the right time to finally launch his own company
* The technology that got them a foot in the door at major automakers and a sneak peek at Helm.ai’s partnership with Honda
Join us for a deep dive into the challenges and breakthroughs in the autonomous driving field and discover what sets Helm.ai apart from its competitors in this fast-moving space.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 new nutrients that enhance immunity, gut health, and cognitive function.
Laura shares her fascinating journey from a food scientist, who initially didn't even know what a venture capitalist was, to pioneering a new era of nutrition and raising $83 million in funding.
Our conversation touches on:
* Lessons Laura learned from her hard-fought fundraising successes
* The hardest part of being a founder and why it surprised her
* Laura’s methodology for turning her vision into a reality
* The challenges of being a solo founder and starting a company in the biotech space
* The tremendous value of having a mentor and a supportive network
Get ready to be inspired by Laura's incredible story of innovation and persistence as she brings the future of health to life—one protein at a time.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 $60M Series C round.
Anish reflects on how he and his co-founders identified a critical pain point that they knew countless engineers experienced but no one had tried to solve yet. Being “close to the pain” motivated them and was a huge factor in their startup’s fundraising success.
Our expansive discussion touches on:
* What VCs are looking for at Seed, Series A and beyond
* Anish’s experience applying (and getting rejected the first time) at Y Combinator and how persistence paid off
* Why being close to the pain point your product is trying to solve gives founders an advantage
* The engineering challenges that inspired Cortex
In Anish’s words, starting a company is “truly one of the most gratifying and impactful experiences that you can have. It's painful, but it's worth it!”
Don’t miss Anish's story of innovation, resilience, and building a product that’s transforming the way engineers manage complex systems.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 everything they need to know about patents – an often misunderstood and overlooked area. Right off the bat, Jeff dispels the three biggest myths about startup patents (1. Software isn't patentable / 2. If we can't enforce the patent, it doesn't have value / 3. The biggest costs of a patent portfolio are the legal fees). And he explains how startups can take a strategic approach to patent filing that safeguards future innovation and fuels future growth.
We also discuss:* All the key components around patents a founder must know * The value of filing a provisional patent, especially for startups * Why determining the valuation of patents is so tricky * How a good patent attorney’s key role is strategic partner * The strict deadline after which you can never pursue a patent
This episode is truly a must-listen as it gives founders valuable knowledge on patents and patent strategies for ensuring long-term success.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 at Multitudes and a pivotal figure in venture capital, joins us to tackle these topics and to share profound insights on the dynamics that guide VC’s decision making process, how that impacts startups, and why she started her own fund.
Known for her work supporting female founders and investors, Sutian is the founder of Global Women in VC, the world’s largest global community for women in venture capital. Her firm, Multitudes, is built on the thesis that the next generation of innovation will be different than the last, and they invest in and incubate projects that explore the edge of human consciousness.
Join us for this enlightening discussion on the future of investing, the value of diverse perspectives, and the strategic decisions every founder should consider.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 together at Segment, where Jeff came on board early as the fractional CFO.
Jeff and Peter candidly discuss:* How Peter overcame the early stage challenges that almost ended Segment * The struggle to find product-market fit * Jeff’s take on what makes a great fundraising pitch (and why Peter is a natural) * The pricing model that was a game-changer for Segment
Finally, Peter touches on his latest venture Charm Industrial, a carbon removal technology startup that raised $100 million last year and has a long list of renowned US companies as customers.
Tune in for practical advice, insightful stories, and real-world lessons learned from their startup experiences. Whether you're in the early stages of your startup or looking to scale, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 one year ago. Lin, their CEO and Co-Founder, joins us to share the invaluable lessons she’s learned along her journey from leading Meta’s AI platform development team to founding an industry-disrupting startup.
We explore:
* Fireworks AI’s customer obsessed culture and deep belief that “if our customers are successful, we will be successful”
* How their product iterations flowed organically from their customers’ evolving needs
* Why moving fast and prioritizing for speed is key to their success
* Where AI is headed as it becomes more sophisticated and the industry matures
Lin offers advice for founders on everything from how to avoid the “paralysis of analysis” in decision-making to strategies for driving down the cost of AI. Don't miss this insightful conversation with one of the leading voices in AI innovation.
For more information about Fireworks AI, visit fireworks.ai.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 and his knowledge of the startup and venture capital ecosystem runs deep.
He joins us today to discuss the current state of the startup and venture capital ecosystems and what to expect as we progress through 2024.
Steve expands on:
* The macro factors that are making the startup landscape and fundraising more difficult right now
* The pros and cons of using Venture Debt to extend your cash runway
* Why a rigorous due diligence process that addresses all the “Gotchas” is a good thing for your startup
* Finding investors who are allies and who can make your company better
* The value of delegating to subject matter experts so you can stay focused on your product
* The cyclical nature of VC funding and the strategic responses startups can take
Tune in for practical tips on how to survive and even thrive in today’s startup environment.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 founders!
Highlights from our discussion include: * Strategies that increase your odds of securing funding * The parallels between enterprise sales and raising venture capital * The evolution of the founder role from selling the vision to building a team and scaling the company * Ideas on how founders can make the due diligence process more seamless for VCs
This episode is packed with valuable insights for early-stage startup founders looking for a competitive edge.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 discusses how her talent for commercializing cutting-edge research is a perfect fit for her most recent role as a VC.
Misti offers valuable advice for startup founders on a variety of topics, including:
* How to put together a board of directors that will best serve your startup now and in the future
* The often-overlooked impact of branding and business development on a startup's success
* Methods for reining in the conflicting demands of running a fast-growing startup
Tune in for a conversation filled with wisdom, insights, and inspiration!
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 will learn about the potential for outsized returns in this is a large, underserved, rapidly growing market.
We also discuss:* The critical importance of managing every penny of your available cash, especially in this market * Stasia’s advice for founders on securing funding * The pivotal role of a CFO at a startup
Join us for this fascinating conversation and discover how RH Capital is a driving a paradigm shift in women’s healthcare.
Visit RH Capital at rhcapital.vc to learn more about their mission and investment criteria. Startups pioneering change in women’s health are encouraged to submit a pitch via the Pitch Us form on their website.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 intentionally building for middle or low income Americans - the 80% of families who power our economy. Impact specifically looks for compelling ideas that use tech to solve big social challenges, accelerate upward mobility, and generate strong returns.
We also discuss:
* How AlleyCorp combines incubation and early-stage investment to build category-defining companies
* Real-world examples of how their portfolio companies are impacting a wide range of human needs, such as health equity and economic security
* Their new philanthropically funded ENG(INE) program that pairs nonprofits with a team of engineers to build tech that advances social & economic opportunity
* Tanya’s advice for founders on the importance of having a North Star, hiring amazing people, and how to pick the right investors
Don't miss this episode packed with insights and inspiration for anyone interested in the world of venture capital and impact-driven investing.
For more information on AlleyCorp and to stay updated with their latest ventures, visit allycorp.com and follow them on LinkedIn. Nonprofits interested in applying for ENG(INE) can learn more at nonprofitengine.org/
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 due diligence is a good thing for startup founders (despite the potential headaches), make this a not-to-be-missed episode!
Highlights:* Why due diligence is more stringent now and how founders should approach it * His advice on what founders need to be transparent about, including past failures * Josh details the rigorous process VCs go through in evaluating startups * How to build strong relationships with your investors and why it’s important
Josh's dedication to supporting founders shines through, making this episode a must-listen for anyone navigating the world of startups and venture capital. Tune in to learn more about Freestyle and the secrets to startup success.
Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 receive care. He also gives us a peek into the challenges of entrepreneurship, including the highs and lows of fundraising and the importance of building a strong company culture.
We discuss:
* The 3 things Vivante Health is doing right that sparked investors’ interest
* The power of transparency, accountability, and collaboration in building a mission-driven organization
* How his startup is using pattern recognition to improve patient outcomes
* Bill’s hard-won advice for dealing with obstacles that arise along the startup journey
Tune in for valuable insights from an inspiring founder who built a successful startup from the ground up.
----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 in a solid legal foundation early on. From entity formation to IP protection, equity structuring to commercial agreements, Charu highlights the critical areas where legal counsel plays a pivotal role in minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities for startups.
We discuss:* The importance of working with legal counsel from an early stage to avoid costly cleanup and delays during fundraising or M&A due diligence * Common pitfalls of opting for shortcuts like free online legal templates (hint: it may cost you more in the long run!) * Actionable advice for startup founders around building a network of supportive partners
Tune in to gain valuable insights from Charu Satia and learn how to lay the groundwork for your startup's success with strategic legal counsel.
Silicon Legal Strategy specializes in corporate transactional work, serving as trusted advisors throughout the entire lifecycle of startups. To learn more about their laser focus on helping entrepreneurs succeed, visit: www.siliconlegal.com.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 incredible Q1, her startup plans to leverage the lessons they learned around pivoting, listening to customers, and the power of organic marketing to reach even great levels of success.
Our conversation covers:* The importance of user-centric design and staying agile enough to adapt quickly * Aavia’s innovative and hugely successful approach to growth marketing through organic, education-driven content on social * Why perseverance and grit are key to navigating the ups & downs of the founder’s journey * Her lightbulb moment of realizing that data-driven, science-backed insights could shine a light on an under-researched, under-funded area of health and potentially help half the world’s population
Tune in to hear how Aavia is revolutionizing health and empowering people with ovaries to take control of their well-being, one cycle at a time.
To learn more about Aavia and download the app, visit their website at aavia.io or find them on the App Store. Connect with Aavia on social media for educational content and updates on Instagram and TikTok (@aavia.io).
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 Bonfire Ventures’ investment approach, which prioritizes building long term relationships with founders.
Our conversation also covers:
* Advice for founders, including how to make a positive first impression on investors
* Increased deal flow, more competitive rounds, and other positive trends Jennifer is currently seeing in the market
* What Jennifer and her firm look for in startups
* Jennifer’s extraordinary experience as a Kauffman Fellow
* The latest on LA’s tech scene
Tune in for the latest on the evolving startup ecosystem and real-world advice for founders in the midst of their startup journey.
For more information about Bonfire Ventures and to connect with Jennifer, visit their website or reach out on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 seed and early-stage companies that in turn have created thousands of jobs and impacted the lives of millions.
He joins us to share his motivation for founding a VC firm, his investment philosophy, and his perspective on today’s startup landscape.
Our conversation delves into:
* John's advice for founders
* What his firm looks for in early stage startups
* The significance of resilience and adaptability for early-stage founders
* His current fascination with applied AI, including drones, robotics, and financial services tech
This episode provides valuable insights and practical advice for early-stage founders navigating the challenging yet promising startup world.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 raising $63 million for their fund.
Discussion highlights:
* How their unique backgrounds converged in a shared vision for funding impactful innovation in healthcare
* Their passion for building a future where automation/AI drives down costs, making healthcare more accessible
* Why we are now on the cusp of a massive wave of evolution in the healthcare industry
* Black Opal Ventures’ portfolio, ranging from next-gen wearables to novel solutions for diagnosing lung cancer
* Where Founders in this space should be focused and their thoughts on how to achieve success
The episode gives listeners a captivating glimpse into the journey of two visionary leaders shaping the future of healthcare.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 through the noise.
Our guest, Juntae DeLane, is a sought-after strategist, thought leader, and the Founder + Chief Strategist at Digital Delane, a full-service digital marketing agency. He also founded the Digital Branding Institute and has spoken around the world on the practice of digital branding.
Juntae walks us step-by-step through what it takes to build a successful brand and convert customers in today’s ever-shifting market.
We discuss:
* The new rules of SEO and how to align content with Google's latest algorithm
* Why credibility & trustworthiness are key to your content creation strategy
* How a CRM system can multiple the efforts of small teams
* Why personal branding is especially important for founders
* His assertion that today all brands are built on social
Juntae wraps up with insights he learned along his founder’s journey … "Being a successful founder really starts from within. It takes something on the inside that keeps you going. You have to ask yourself if you have that grit."
Don’t miss this incredible episode packed with the best digital branding and marketing advice out there!
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 “apocalyptic” fundraising conditions— an incredible accomplishment!
Suzanne dives into her VC journey and shares Zelda’s focus on backing serial entrepreneurs, a unique strategy that leverages her well-established founder network and deep industry knowledge.
We discuss:
* Her framework for selecting startups to fund
* What she looks for in a founding team
* Why a "no” from an investor may actually mean "not yet”
* Her advice for early-stage founders
* Lessons she’s learned from founders on tenacity, team dynamics and transparency
Join us in this enlightening conversation with Suzanne Fletcher as we explore her investment philosophy and valuable advice for entrepreneurs.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 Sherwood Partners, Andrew Kitirattragarn, helps founders navigate the best possible route through the wind down journey. He was inspired to do this work after going through a difficult wind down himself at the CPG startup he co-founded, Dang Foods. Andrew has learned that if the wind down is done well, a founding team can gain a sense of closure (and not failure) at the end of the process.
Andrew emphasizes that doing even just a small amount of advance planning when your startup is not in immediate financial distress, can alleviate the risk of having to act hastily or haphazardly if the worst happens.
He shares valuable insights on:
* Why planning for a wind down at 12 months left of cash runway is key
* The empowering and positive aspects to the process that can leave in you a stronger financial position
* How preparing for the worst case scenario can reduce your concerns
* Support & resources to help you come out the other side ready for the next big thing!
This is a much-needed conversation that we hope gets the ball rolling for important talks with your team!
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 startup founders, we were intrigued and wanted to dedicate an episode to their work.
Today, we are thrilled to sit down with Lisa Mikkelsen, Head of Global Human Capital at Flourish Ventures, who shares her firm’s mission to create a systemic change in the global fintech sector and their unique holistic approach to working with startups. Lisa details the work Flourish is doing to redefine the culture of venture capital to focus more on empowering founders and prioritizing their well-being and mental health.
Our far-reaching discussion covers:
– Why it’s important for VCs to offer more than just financial support to founders
– How to get past the perceived power imbalance between founder and investor
– Why the skill of empathy is key to startup success
– The warning signs of founder burnout (from a VC's perspective)
– The benefits of cultivating a strong founder/VC relationship
– What founders should look out for when vetting investors
Don't miss this frank conversation about the complexities of founder mental health and the role venture capital firms can play in supporting them.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 all those burning questions.
Steve and Ardy join us to share their unique perspective and key predictions for the new year. They break down what really happened in 2023 from a data perspective and then share their outlook for the macroeconomic landscape and fundraising market in 2024. Plus Ardy gives a simple overview of tax considerations for founders to keep in mind in 2024 like R&D tax credits and sales tax.
The episode wraps up on a positive note, urging Founders to prepare for an upswing in venture activity. This short but important episode is a must-listen for any founder who wants to be prepared for 2024.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 big impact on B2B SaaS and where he sees the industry headed. He highlights the shift towards high quality consumer-like user experiences in enterprise software and the changing dynamics of the buyer's journey in the SaaS space. Jim also delves into how to build a strong B2B SaaS brand and how founders can win B2B sales in this challenging market.
We also discuss:
– How AI can really shine as a communications tool
– Jim’s experience taking over as an “outsider CEO” from a founding startup team
– Leadership decisions he had to make in the 2023 climate and the advice he has for other founders facing similar challenges
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 fundraising and the importance of data-driven decision-making.
Hear more about:
* How professional first creators are transforming traditional marketing
* The “uphill battle” of fundraising for a digital media startup in a tough environment
* How adapting to market changes can modernize an entire industry
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 around credit scores and financial inclusion.
We also deep dive into all things Puzzle, an autonomous accounting software designed to provide real-time financial insights. Sasha explains how the platform is built to facilitate data-driven decisions, which are critical for capital and resource allocation in any company.
We also discuss:* How major shifts in the market can lead to startup success * What Founders need to know about accounting and financial decision making * A good framework for making decisions as a startup founder
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 emphasizes the need to highlight the benefits of their products rather than diving into technical features. He also provides practical tips, such as striking a balance between visuals and text, adapting to different audiences, and crafting a compelling narrative.
The conversation also dives into:* Focusing on Benefits over Features & how challenging this can be for the technical gurus * Overcoming blind spots of defensiveness * Utilizing empathy to adapt the pitch for different audiences * The importance of networking and the power of finding comradery in Founder groups
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 influenced his unique take on coaching. He helps founders break free from self-imposed barriers and empower their teams to drive the business forward.
As a founder himself, Jason knows the challenges that come with taking intelligent risks in the entrepreneurial world. He emphasizes the importance of aligning your startup's value proposition with your personal goals and highlights how founders often hinder their own success by not allowing their teams to shine.
Our conversation dives into:
* How Founders can “get out of their own way” and empower their teams
* Navigating the relationship with your Co-Founder
* The benefits of investing in employee growth & development
* Creating alignment around your startup’s mission & company values
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!
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 current fundraising market and advises founders on how to approach fundraising in this environment.
Gaurav Bhasin has vast expertise in valuations, mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, strategic partnerships, and business strategy, he’s also a Forbes Council Member and frequent contributor to Crunchbase News. You can find two recent articles on Gross Profit Margin and what to do when A Strategic or PE Firm Wants to Buy Your Company.
Join us as we discuss:
* How a founder should approach PE interest and a potential investment
* Tactical M&A advice on all the aspects of a deal
* Today's fundraising market and how to navigate it
* Advice for early-stage founders
Gaurav is the Managing Director at Allied Advisers; a global technology advisory firm. Gaurav’s clients range from startups with dreams to capture the world, to a vertical SaaS client whose last valuation was 1.5 billion dollars.
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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, the CRO of Burkland, here on LinkedIn!
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 game evolution, the metaverse concept, the impact of AI on their processes, and the importance of building joy into company culture.
We discuss:
* The pivot from crypto to AR at Jadu
* Monetization strategies in the AR space
* Are we at a plateau with Moore’s law regarding game development costs?
* What should “impact" mean at a startup?
Natalie Testa is the Vice President of Finance at Jadu, a fast-growing startup that develops next-gen augmented reality games for mobile. With over ten years of experience in finance and operations, Natalie has a proven track record of driving organizational improvement and leading successful and high-achieving teams.
Jake Sally is the COO at Jadu and is an Industry-leading, Emmy-nominated producer, public speaker, and champion of independent artists dedicated to building the pipeline, vernacular, and stories of the next-generation content ecosystems for audiences worldwide.
* Keep an eye out for Jadu’s first mobile AR Fighting Game – launching this fall! *
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors hosted by Kate Adams. Today, we are joined by Maria Gutierrez Peñaloza from Nido Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in Latin American startups. Maria shares the inspiration behind Nido, their investment philosophy, and their commitment to supporting diverse teams. She also gives a great overview of the current market conditions in Latin America and the tremendous opportunities for tech startups in that region. Join us as we discuss:
* The cross-border startup ecosphere in Latin America
* Advice for early-stage founders from the VC perspective
* Fundraising in today’s economic climate
* How building a diverse team contributes to startup success
Maria Gutierrez Peñaloza is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Nido Ventures, a cross-border venture capital firm focused on Fintech, B2B Marketplaces, and SaaS startups in Latin America. Since its founding, Nido has backed incredible companies like Sellrs, Morado, Yuno, Palenca, and Cheaf. Maria is also a member of several venture capital communities, including MoVi and Global Women in VC.This podcast is a must-listen-to learn more about the Latin American startup ecosystem and for tips from a VC for early-stage founders.
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors, hosted by Kate Adams. Today we are joined by Miles Cole, Co-Founder and CEO at Follow. Miles shares how his founding team took the time to build their product and initial customer base with savvy strategies every founder can learn from. He candidly discusses their challenges in building the app and the importance of user experience. We discuss:
* Shrewd moves Miles and his founding team made that every founder could learn from
* Challenges in developing the app and how they overcame them
* Their strategy in building an initial user base and why it’s been so successful
* Fundraising strategies that allowed Follow to raise all their capital pre-launch
Miles Cole is a tech entrepreneur and founder of several startups, including Invictus Technologies and Atomic. His latest company, Follow, is an app that enables users to follow top financial influencers and automatically copy their investment trades in real time.
This podcast is a must-listen if you're interested in hearing a fascinating story on an app that could change investing as we know it.
**Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by David J. Muchow, the author of “The 7 Secret Keys to Startup Success” and Managing Partner at Muchow Law, a firm providing expert legal counsel to startups and other specialized clients. Join us as we discuss how to avoid what David refers to as startup suicide.
David shares some of the secret keys he outlines in his book; practical advice on what not to do in a startup – lessons that founders usually learn the hard way once the mistakes have already been made.**
Join us as we discuss:
* Intellectual property and other legal considerations that are important from day one
* Common mistakes that can kill your startup and how to avoid them
* How to steer clear of potential issues in co-founder partnerships
David is a corporate lawyer, serial entrepreneur, and investor who helps companies grow from startup to exit strategy. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, as well as a founder of and General Counsel to a variety of foundations. He was previously a founder and CEO of SkyBuilt Power, the world’s first solar/wind plug-and-play pre-packaged systems for military, intelligence, and commercial customers.
Take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your entrepreneurial journey and increase your chances of success!
With 2,800 employees in over a hundred different countries and more than $300M in ARR, Deel is an incredible success story. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with their COO, Dan Westgarth, for this episode of Startup Success.
Dan shares his insights on global hiring and onboarding strategies, as well as best practices for building a successful team and maintaining a strong company culture.
Join us as we discuss:
* How startups can leverage the trend of hiring globally
* The importance of getting onboarding right
* How to build a global workforce
* Advice for early-stage founders around scaling & pivoting
Deel is the all-in-one HR platform for global teams. Dan is also the founder of Expansion Capital. Prior to his current role, he was the General Manager - North America at Revolut.
Don't miss this informative and engaging episode!
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we sit down with Chris Kirsch, Co-Founder and CEO of runZero, a comprehensive cyber asset management solution. Join us as we discuss the challenges and benefits of branding your startup for a better product-market fit, funding, and scaling strategies. Chris also shares practical, real-world tips on the first marketing steps a startup should take.
Chris shares his insights on:
* Branding strategies for startups
* Rebranding for a better product market fit
* The journey from bootstrapping to Series A funding
* Marketing insights for early-stage founders
Chris Kirsch co-founded runZero with Metasploit creator HD Moore. Chris started his career at an InfoSec startup in Germany and has since worked at companies like PGP, nCipher, Rapid7, and Veracode. He is passionate about OSINT and Social Engineering.
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by serial tech entrepreneur Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder of scaleMatters, a go-to-market optimization platform that helps B2B startups fix inefficiencies in their revenue acquisition funnel. Join us as we discuss the importance of creating an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and honing your messaging to attract your precise target market. Scott shares his insights on:
* The need for a well-defined ICP at early & growth-stage startups
* Reducing your customer acquisition costs
* Identifying bottlenecks in your sales pipeline
* Aligning your messaging with your customer's needs
**Scott Stouffer is a 5X CEO and a 3X Founder. He took his first company (Visual Networks) public in 2001 and grew it to a peak market cap of $3 billion. Since 2011, Scott has focused on early and growth-stage tech companies, building quantitative data and process models that uncover waste, inefficiency, and friction in the customer acquisition function.
With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!**
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by Justin Rowe, Founder and CMO of Impactable, a Linkedin Ads Agency that specializes in Linkedin Marketing for B2B companies. Join us as we discuss using LinkedIn effectively as a marketing platform. Justin shares his insights on:
* What sets LinkedIn apart from other social platforms
* Effective LinkedIn strategies
* How startups and small companies can use LinkedIn for growth
* Retargeting on LinkedIn to enhance the ROI of other paid channels
* Marketing advice for early-stage founders and small businesses
Justin Rowe is an expert on using LinkedIn to build a robust network and open up endless growth opportunities for B2B companies. He is passionate about helping businesses and companies grow and scale through effective marketing and being a partner in their success.
With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!
Startup marketing expert Scott Gelber joins us for an in-depth discussion on how startups can use demand generation and account-based marketing to ramp their revenue pipelines. Scott is the founder of SRG Marketing, a digital marketing and HubSpot agency that helps B2B startups drive revenue and growth with customized demand-generation strategies. We cover:
* What is demand generation, and how can it help a startup?
* The need to test and validate different demand-generation strategies
* How account-based marketing can help in growing the revenue stream
* Inbound vs. outbound strategies and deciding what works for you
* Advice for early-stage founders
**Scott Gelber has spent over six years working for early-stage SaaS startups growing the demand generation functions of the businesses, before founding his own company. Scott has worked with companies across multiple industries like Construction, Corporate Governance, Cap Table Software, and Supply Chain, and developed customized and effective strategies to help them grow quickly.
With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!**
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by David McFarland, Founder and CEO of Coterie, an InsurTech company that simplifies commercial insurance for small businesses and startups.
David shares insights for startup founders on: * How to derisk your business * The importance of surrounding yourself with smart people and building a trusted advisory network * The impact of AI on his business * Tips on persevering through turbulent times
David McFarland spent over eight years as an actuarial consultant before launching Coterie. As an actuarial, he saw a clear market gap wherein almost half the small businesses in America were not adequately covered. Four years on, Coterie has helped reimagine how insurance plays for small businesses by providing simple and speedy service in the commercial insurance space.
With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!
In this episode of the Startup Success podcast, host Kate Adams welcomes Adam Nash, the CEO & Co-Founder of Daffy, a not-for-profit platform that empowers people to be more generous more often.
Adam discusses various topics related to entrepreneurship and angel investing. He shares his valuable insights on risk management and provides lessons for early-stage founders. Additionally, he delves into the intricacies of the fintech sector and sheds light on what angel investors look for in startups.
Join them as they:
-- Talk about managing risk at startups and valuable insights for founders
-- Discuss the landscape and future trends in the fintech sector
-- Evaluate the value drivers angel investors look for when investing in startups
-- Share Adam’s favorite Steve Jobs story from his Apple days (A must-listen-to for all founders)!
Adam Nash is a 32-year veteran in the business world and has helped drive growth and innovation at companies like eBay, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Wealthfront. Adam is a proven advocate for developing products that go beyond utility to delight customers. He is also a successful angel investor, investing in over 129 startups.
With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!
Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by mergers & acquisitions expert Lowell Ricklefs. He shares his insights on the key factors that founders looking for an M&A solution should consider. Lowell also explains the playbook of a typical M&A process and does a deep dive into M&A strategies for SaaS companies.
Lowell Ricklefs is the Founder and Managing Director of Traction Advising M&A, a premier boutique M&A firm focused on B2B SaaS companies in North America and Europe. He has over twenty years of experience in the M&A space and is also an angel investor. He mentions that SaaS acquisition is about strategic positioning, fit, and knowing the corporate buying process. With such an impressive portfolio, we’re honored to have him on the show to share some of his invaluable wisdom with us!
Today we dive into what it takes to build a successful startup and discuss why recruitment is such an integral part of the process. We’re joined by the fantastic Amy Volas, Founder and CEO at Avenue Talent Partners. Amy helps SaaS startups grow their businesses by hiring the right revenue leaders.
Amy is also the Founder of Better Together with Amy Volas, the Co-Founder of Thursday Night Sales, and is an MVP Member of Modern Sales Pros.
Today we are joined by Keith Putnam-Delaney, Co-Founder and CEO of Primer, a hyper-precise lead generation and targeting platform for B2B marketers.
Keith shares his insights on sustaining growth in a down market and discusses how customer-centricity can be a positive growth driver. And he mixes in some valuable tips for prospective founders.
This episode of Startup Success is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
In this episode, Kate Adams is joined by Sid Puri, the Head of Growth-India for Retool. Sid takes us through how Retool achieved hyper levels of growth and product adoption and his experience scaling a team from 5 to 300 employees.
The conversation is packed with practical advice for startup founders on how to create a successful go-to-market strategy and much more, including:
-- How to reach new customers
-- Pricing - how to get it right
-- Product strategies that lead to early adoption and growth
-- Breaking into a new market - how Retool grew its market in India
-- Where onboarding can play a role in scaling
Listen in for an inspiring conversation filled with valuable insights!
Unlock the secrets of using your network to supercharge funding, new prospects and growth with this episode of Startup Success!
Our guest this week is John Hill, Evangelist at Techstars. John shares his expertise on how founders can build and leverage their network — real actionable advice for startup founders. We'll also hear what Techstars looks for in a startup as well as John’s advice for founders after working with Techstars for over nine years.
We discuss:
-- How to not only build your network but leverage it for real needs (funding, prospects, knowledge share & more)
-- John's advice for where founders should focus their attention
-- Actionable steps to take today to maximize your network
-- How Techstars evaluates startups
Want to know the secret to getting your startup noticed by big publications and industry media sites? You’re going to need Public Relations.
In this episode, Nicole Osmer, CEO of Health+Commerce, shares expert advice for startup founders. From creating a strategy to crafting messaging, building relationships with reporters, and handling crisis communications, this episode is packed with actionable tips for any founder looking to improve their PR game.
Join us as we discuss:
* How PR can be the key to startup success
* Developing your company’s PR and communications strategy
* Getting your stories picked up by building rapport with reporters
* How to navigate crisis communications
Today's guest, Krish Ramineni, Co-Founder and CEO at Fireflies.ai and a 2022 Fortune 30 under 30, joins us with his candid advice and insight gleaned from his success scaling Fireflies.ai - including two highly successful fundraising rounds. We discuss the importance of knowing when to pivot your ideas and how to use setbacks as feedback. We also delve into the value of discipline in fundraising and the benefits of leveraging existing relationships when seeking funding. We look at product-led growth — and how it can be incredibly successful. Finally, we'll provide tips and strategies for finding top talent in a slowing job market and offer guidance on effectively navigating these challenging times. Tune in for actionable insights and practical advice to help you succeed in today's challenging environment.
Join us as we discuss the following: * Being disciplined when fundraising and utilizing existing relationships * Driving sales through product-led growth * How to hire and fundraise in today's economic climate * Knowing when to pivot and treating every setback as feedback
As a Founder, it’s easy to get lost in the day-t0-day chaos of growing your startup. Often, you end up taking shortcuts and sacrificing the well-being of yourself and your team — to the detriment of your company as a whole.
Our guest today, AJ Yawn, Founder and CEO at ByteChek shares detailed suggestions on how to build a strong company culture and how you, as a founder, can optimize your mental health to set yourself up for success.
Join as we discuss: * Culture — why focusing on it early pays off with your team
* The 32-hour work week and the impact it has had on ByteChek’s culture and productivity
* The importance of self-care — mental well-being and other healthy habits for founders
* Ideas for a winning morning routine to set your day up for success
In today’s episode, Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO of Embarc Collective, joins us to discuss the critical areas early-stage startups must pay attention to for success. Lakshmi makes a strong case for listening to data and why starting a company is similar to a scientific experiment. Lakshmi also shares how founders are tapping into Florida's economy to start and grow their companies and how Embarc Collective helps startups in their unique journey.
Join us as we discuss:
* Critical priorities for early-stage startups
* How to identify blind spots as founders
* Florida and Tampa’s startup scene and the opportunities there
* Embarc Collective - how they work with startups and why their model is so successful
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
As a Founder, staying focused is key to achieving your startup’s success. In today’s episode, Kirin Sinha, Founder, and CEO, at Illumix, joins us to discuss how Founders can stay focused on their product, team and path and not get distracted by the ever-changing macro-environment.
Join us as we discuss:
- How to work through and test your product hypothesis as a Founder
- Today’s challenging macro environment and how to adjust
- Understanding your phase of fundraising and how to tailor your pitch to the current fundraising climate
- Leading your team through today’s murky market
- Using competitive advantages and not worrying about competitors to maximize growth
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Today’s guest Dan White, the Co-Founder, and CMO at Clean Crop Technologies joins the show to discuss how he has overcome the challenges hardware startups face by finding product fit early and owning the manufacturing process. This episode is a must-listen for anyone involved in a hardware startup.
Join us as we discuss:
- Challenges for hardware startups and how to solve for them including product fit
- Why getting close or owning your manufacturing proces can be a huge competitive advantage and how to do this effectively
- The importance of customer insights and feedback and why it is so important for hardware startups
- The future of AgTech and exciting possibilities in improving the supply chain
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Rithvik Venna, Co-Founder & COO at OROS and member of the Forbes 30 under 30, joins us to discuss how a climb up a mountain in the Swiss Alps inspired a major change in outdoor apparel which led to groundbreaking innovation in material technology. OROS used Kickstarter to gather initial funding and test their concept and then went on to raise a successful seed and Series A round, and non-dilutive funding from the government for their innovation in material tech. Rithvik walks us through the reasons for their success and provides tips and advice throughout the episode.
Join us as we discuss
- How to expand your target market for optimal scaling
- Non-dilutive government funding for your startup that increases shareholder value
- The other benefits of government funding around innovation and expanding uses cases/target market
- How to Build a Strong Founding Team and Why this is Important
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Creating a healthy work environment is vital to building a successful startup. A key part of that is empowering employees by giving them a safe space where they know their voice is heard.
Claire Schmidt, Founder & CEO of AllVoices, joins us to discuss the importance of establishing feedback loops for employees. Feedback loops help build strong teams, reinforce cultural values, and improve productivity.
Join us as we discuss:
- Employee Feedback Loops - what they are & how to set up
- The Power of Feedback for building a winning team culture
- Putting employees first - the key to a healthy workplace
- Advice for founders on fundraising and finding balance
This discussion with Claire Schmidt was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Claire on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairecschmidt/ or visit https://www.allvoices.co/.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Product led growth drives customer retention and expansion through the value of your product.
Today’s guest, Shannon Curran, Director of Content and Brand Strategy at OpenView VC, shares today’s key principles for product lead growth and how to build a community for a competitive advantage. Shannon also discusses who your first marketing hire should be and how to build out your marketing function. This is a must listen for founders wanting more insight on product fit and marketing.
We discuss:
- Your first marketing hire and how to build out your marketing team
- Ways to create and build product-led growth
- Growth model where product usage drives customer retention and expansion
- How to build a customer community for a competitive advantage
- OpenView’s 11 Product Led Growth Principles for the New Age
This discussion with Shannon Curran was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Shannon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran-55332942/ or visit https://openviewpartners.com
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
It’s a very special 50th episode of Startup Success!
Jeff Burkland, Founder and CEO of Burkland joins the show to discuss his in-depth experience working with startups as a fractional CFO and as a founder himself. Jeff shares common mistakes he has seen startup founders make in his consulting work and shares areas that helped with success. As a founder, Jeff also shares how a company’s success and growth comes down to the core values the company has. Core values lay out the expectations of employees, how decisions, especially difficult ones can be made and how as your company grows, you learn to delegate your everyday responsibilities to those you bring in to scale with.
We discuss:
- Learning and adjusting from mistakes as CEO
- Success through core values and making difficult decisions
- Accommodating your company’s scale with your responsibilities
- Elevate/delegate - tying your ability to scale with the founder’s responsibilities
This discussion with Jeff Burkland was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jburkland/ or visit https://burklandassociates.com/
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Benefits play an integral role in retaining and attracting employees, but for startups watching their cash runway, providing a strong benefit offering can be challenging. Alex X Frommeyer, Founder & CEO of Beam Benefits, joins us to discuss how startups can maximize their employee benefits within their budget. As a founder who has guided Beam from its early stage through its Series E, Alex also shares advice on building a strong culture which also plays an integral role in creating a winning employee team.
We discuss:
- How startups can use benefits to attract and retain employees without breaking their budget
- Strategies for dealing with current and future workplace challenges
- Developing Employee Culture - a key is setting and communicating expectations
- Advice for founders in today’s perilous landscape
This discussion with Alex Frommeyer was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Alexon LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexfrommeyer/ or visit https://www.beambenefits.com/
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Solo-founders can face major challenges, but our guest, Nathan Marz, Founder and CEO of Red Planet Labs, shows there are many advantages as well. Nathan has met the challenges with full force. From his days founding and scaling Backtype which was acquired by Twitter, to his success leading Red Planet Labs, he shares lessons learned and some excellent insight and advice for solo founders - and all founders out there!
We discuss:
- How to build momentum when fundraising
- The challenges and advantages of being a solo founder
- Tactical advice on leading a remote development team
- Other practical tips for growth Nathan has learned first-hand
This discussion with Nathan Marz was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Nathan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanmarz/ or visit https://redplanetlabs.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
From the football field to the board room, our guest is a former Super Bowl winning NFL player who now sits as a Managing Partner at Next Play Capital, a minority owned investment platform focused on investing in top-tier venture funds and venture backed companies with a focus on championing minority voices.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, Ryan Nece, has a unique perspective towards identifying and fostering great founders and startups in the competitive VC marketplace. Ryan also shares some unique insight for founders and investors on how to find success.
We discuss:
- How Ryan's history in the NFL has led to his success as a VC
- What makes a good investment and the importance of values
- The traits of a successful founder and some important questions to ask yourself
- His mission to get more minority voices heard by VCs
This discussion with Ryan Nece was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Ryan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-nece-abb07b8/ or visit https://www.nextplaycapital.com/
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Moving to Silicon Valley in 1998, our guest has served his time in the trenches of startup land. With several successful startups behind him, including the successful sale of E-Nor, now he’s dedicated to sharing his knowledge and experience so other founders don’t suffer the “same wounds and scars.”
Feras Alhlou is a highly sought-after mentor, advisor, and consultant to startups. He has also recently launched the YouTube channel, Start Up with Feras
In this lively and informative episode, we’ll discuss:
- Being a leader vs being a manager
- How pivoting quickly leads to growth
- Failing fast and moving forward
- Pioneering remote work for a startup
- The importance of giving back as a founder
This discussion with Feras Alhlou was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Feras on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferasalhlou/.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
In the early stages of a startup, much is riding on the strengths of the founding team. There is critical importance on creating a marketing function, placing members in the correct function and generating the most accurate buyer persona.
Without, and you’ve got a monster of a business on your hands.
Jeff Reynolds is the president of Reynolds + Myers as well as an investor, acclaimed writer of The Monster That Ate Marketing, and Y Combinator alum. He’s leveraging his tech and marketing background to superpower both legacy businesses and startups.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to set-up your startup’s marketing function correctly
- Why generating the correct buyer persona is critical & how to do it
- Practical suggestions for a successful scalable marketing team
- Best practices from The Monsters That Ate Marketing
- Why founders should embrace modern marketing to reduce chaos
This discussion with Jeff Reynolds was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinkjeffthink/, or visit JeffReynolds.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
In this episode, Alejandro Lozano, Founding Principal at Newtype Ventures, delves into the current market conditions and what founders can expect to see around fundraising: lower valuations, less favorable terms, and other ramifications. Alejandro shares advice on how founders can use these changing conditions to their advantage.
We discuss:
- How to fundraise and approach VCs in this market
- What the rest of 2022 could look like for valuations
- Lower tech salaries, less favorable terms, and other predictions for this year
- Why and how this environment is actually a huge opportunity for founders
This discussion with Alejandro Lozano was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Alejandro on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-lozano-80914129/ or visit newtypeventures.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
You may not know this but the government issues all sorts of grants and funding for startups in many sectors — sectors and products that would surprise you. This non-dilutive funding is an excellent option for many founders because the government does not take equity or intellectual property, and they can play a strong role in technology adoption.
In this episode, Kevin Cammack, CEO at Aegis Creek, shares his experience and expertise of working closely with startups to secure funding from the government.
We discuss:
- How to utilize government grants & other non dilutive funding for you startup
- Ideas for selling to government agencies that can generate big wins for your startup
- Helping founders build sustainable business models
This discussion with Kevin Cammack was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Kevin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kcammack/ or visit https://aegiscreek.com/.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
If you’ve gone through it, you know—there’s a lot of issues with the fundraising experience.
And if you haven’t gone through it, you likely have a lot of questions about what you should do, who you should talk to, and how to get it all right.
Jason Furtado, Founder of Shoobx, has answers. After countless conversations with founders, lawyers, and investors, he has a 360-degree view of the fundraising process.
He explains how to standardize your process, organize your documents, and bring together all the necessary parties, and how you can use technology to do so.
We discuss:
- How to avoid pitfalls in the fundraising process
- How to organize and standardize the process
- Fundraising success stories
-
The value of mentors
Resources mentioned during the podcast:- How To Fix The Broken Fundraising Process for Entrepreneurs
This discussion with Jason Furtado was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Jason on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jasonfurtado or visit shoobx.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
- How To Fix The Broken Fundraising Process for Entrepreneurs
The downturn that has dominated the new cycle doesn’t bring a lot of positivity and can have investors and founders feeling nervous.
However, the financial flux doesn’t need to be a negative. Sean Jacobsohn, Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, sees the positives within the changing market and how it can benefit companies with less competitors in a niche space.
In this special episode, Burkland’s Founder and CEO, Jeff Burkland, talks with Sean about strategies for startup success, trends and outlooks for the future.
- Sean’s philosophy on why a strong go-to-market strategy is critical
- The current startup landscape and how investors are reacting
- How high valuation is affecting fundraising’s demand environment
- Why a downturn can be a positive for founders in a niche market
This discussion with Sean Jacobsohn was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Sean on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanjacobsohn/ or visit https://www.nvp.com/.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
We’ve heard the news, we’ve seen prices going up, watched volatility in the markets and tracked other economic indicators.
Chances are, there is a downturn and possibly a recession on our horizon.
That doesn’t mean it’s time to panic. There are simple, actionable steps you can take now to prepare your startup to get through a downturn and build the best possible outcome for the future.
In this special episode, Burkland’s Steve Lord, CFO Fintech Practice Lead, and Daniel Rosenbaum, Burkland Consulting CFO, give candid advice on preparing for a downturn and a reminder that this has happened before with companies making it through by taking the necessary actions.
We discuss:
- The upcoming downward trend or recession
- How to prepare your startup for the future - actionable steps you can take now
- Best practices for the three “C’s”: cash runway, communication and contingency planning to survive a downturn or recession
This discussion with Steve Lord and Daniel Rosenbaum was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Steve on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenblord/ and Daniel at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-rosenbaum-b908ab4/ or visit burklandassociates.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
No matter what industry you’re in, one thing is true of every startup: They need funding.
While venture capital may be the first thing that comes to mind, another powerful method for getting founders funded is angel investing.
And whether you’re a founder yourself or an investor looking to broaden your portfolio, angel investing is not to be overlooked.
Today, we’re speaking with Haley Bryant, GM at Golden Wok and Venture Partner at Hustle Fund, about all the ins and outs of angel investing and how to get started with this exciting avenue for securing capital.
Join us as we discuss:
- The risks and rewards in angel investing
- How to find the 100x investments
- How Haley’s passion for supporting founders from underrepresented communities translates into angel investing
- Why you need to create feedback loops
This discussion with Haley Bryant was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Haley on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/haleymbryantor.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
David Cowan, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, believes in a proactive investment approach.
Unlike other VCs, David doesn’t let the deal flow dictate where to invest. Instead, like other partners at Bessemer Venture Partner, he delves into research, attends conferences, and talks to experts on the bleeding edge of innovation to identify where there are new opportunities to make a difference in the world.
With his investments, he has set his sights on big, future-defining topics such as climate change, quantum computing, space, sustainable agriculture, and cybersecurity. And as of a few weeks ago, 34 of those companies have reached IPO.
Special co-host Marc Zablatsky, Managing Director of the CFO Practice at Burkland, joins the show to chat with David about his investment philosophy and what he’s seeing in the startup landscape.
We discuss:
- The growing collaboration between governments and startups
- The immense power and potential applications of quantum computing
- 7 areas of innovation to combat climate change
- A uniquely proactive approach to investment
- David’s new mockumentary Bubble Proof
This discussion with David Cowan was taken from our show Startup Success. Find David on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/davidjcowan or visit bvp.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
The startup journey is full of ups and downs, and to navigate them, founders need to have grit and resilience.
Joshua Wöhle led one start up, Super Awesome, to a succes sful acquisition by Epic Games and is the CEO and Co-Founder of another, Mindstone Learning. He shares how to navigate growth issues, the challenges of being a founder and why continuous learning is an important part any successful startup founder’s journey.
We discuss:
- Details around Joshua’s “super” acquisition and what he learned from the process
- Continuous learning - why it is important and how to succeed at it
- The importance of immediate feedback loops
- What makes a good startup founder for the long-term
This discussion with Joshua Wöhle was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Joshua on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/joshuawohle, on Twitter at @JoshuaWohl e or visit mi ndstone.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Employees want more.
In this new era of work, people are looking for transformation—to contribute to work that is bigger than themselves—and to keep them, employers must create a culture that clearly defines the mission and purpose of the company.
Gabrielle Bosché, Co-Founder of The Purpose Company and President of The Millennial Solution, helps people discover their purpose. She talks about the role purpose plays in employee fulfillment - both for attracting and retaining talent - and shares other insights into the millennial workforce.
We discuss:
- How purpose makes you a better employee and helps build better companies
- Why purpose is the key to attracting and retaining better talent
- How to work with the millennial generation
- What most companies get wrong about onboarding and modeling behaviors
Resources mentioned during the podcast:
- The Purpose Factor
- Keep Them Longer
- 7-Figure Purpose Facebook Group
This discussion with Gabrielle Bosché was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Gabrielle on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/gabriellebosche or visit purposecompany.co.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Unless you’ve been through the startup journey before, it's difficult to know how, and just as importantly, when to acquire capital.
With the right amount of capital from the right investor at the right time, you can significantly influence your company's growth.
Carlos Antequera, and his firm, Novel Capital, help entrepre neurs solve that riddle.
In this episode, Carlos shares how his early startup experiences led to the discovery of a gap in the funding ecosystem, and why revenue-based financing is an actionable alternative route for startups. Plus, he shares insights and advice for other founders on the startup journey.
We discuss:
- The challenges startups face in acquiring capital to grow
- The gaps in the financial structure ecosystem
- How revenue-based financing works
- Other emerging trends in the startup ecosystem
This discussion with Carlos Antequera was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Carlos on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/carlosantequera or visit novelcapital.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
What will the future of work for startups look like?
Increasingly, the workforce will be made up of freelancers. In fact, it’s predicted that 60% will be freelancing by the end of 2023.
To succeed in this new era of work, startups will need to foster a flexible workforce DNA—or risk becoming obsolete.
Shahar Erez, Co-Founder & CEO at Stoke Talent, shares how startups should establish a freelance strategy, and how his company makes it easier to manage a freelance workforce.
We discuss:
- Why & How the future of work is evolving
- Building a Talent Cloud to develop a hiring pool and recruit faster
- Benefits and improved ROI of using Freelancers
- How to establish a freelance strategy
- How Stoke can help
This discussion with Shahar Erez was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Shahar on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/shaharer or visit stoketalent.com.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
As a startup scales, there’s a difficult transition that entrepreneurs must make—from founder to CEO. Not making that adjustment can spell trouble for both the leader and the company as a whole.
Educating us on how to navigate that transition is Alex Frommeyer, Founder & CEO of Beam Dental. He explains how early struggles led him to realize he needed to become a better leader and shares the lessons he learned while making the transition from successful founder to effective CEO.
We discuss:
- How Alex’s poor leadership nearly led to the demise of his company
- Why it’s essential to transition from founder to CEO
- Two best practices for transitioning from founder to CEO
- Why defining your vision and culture makes everything else easier
Mentioned during the podcast:
- What Makes a Successful Founder Into An Effective CEO? 5 Lessons From Someone Who’s Been Through the Pitfalls
This discussion with Alex Frommeyer was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Alex on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/alexfrommeyer or visit beam.dental.
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts or find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
A lot has changed in the consumer startup market over the last couple of years. For one, SaaS enterprise investors who had dipped their toes into the consumer space are now starting to back away.
But venture funding isn’t the only way to grow a consumer brand and startup.
In this episode, we’re joined by two experts in the consumer startup space, Alexa Binns, Partner at Halogen Ventures, and Marc Zablatsky, CFO and Managing Director of Burkland’s Consumer Group.
They highlight some alternative financial avenues that are available to consumer startup founders, why it’s so important for CPG to have a firm grasp on margins and inventory, and how to properly pitch investors on not only the brand, but the business.
We discuss:
- How investment in consumer brands and startups has changed
- How you grow a CPG brand and startup today
- How equity and debt are intertwined in CPG
- The potential in the ecosystem around food tech and sustainable foods
This discussion with Alexa Binns and Marc Zablatsky was taken from our show Startup Success.
Find Alexa on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/alexabinns or visit halogenvc.com. Find Marc on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/marczablatsky or visit burklandassociates.com.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
In 2021 no single industry received more investment than financial services and most predict that 2022 will be another banner investment year for the Fintech sector.
To guide you through the opportunities and challenges, special guest host Steve Lord,Burkland’s Fintech Practice Lead, welcomes Travis Hedge, Co-Founder at Vouch Insurance (YC S19). The two discuss the Fintech startup sector, how the influx of talent impacts the industry, why you should look at your company through the lens of de-risking your business, and how the best investors support Fintech startups.
We discuss:
- The trends in Fintech for 2022
- The growing appeal of the Fintech sector
- The importance of de-risking your business
- How the best Fintech investors provide value to the business
This discussion with Travis Hedge was taken from our show Startup Success. Reach out to Travis on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/travishedge and visit vouch.us for more information.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
When you’re in the throes of startup life, it can be tempting to assume you know it all and go it alone.
But according to Neil Sequeira, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Defy, that’s a one-way ticket to ruin.
As a startup founder, you have incredible resources at your disposal to obtain some much needed advice and perspective—from investors, from mentors, and from other founders and other companies.
In this episode, Neil talks about how to build meaningful partnerships and tap into the collective knowledge of your ecosystem and offers a wealth of valuable advice for founders and entrepreneurs.
We discuss:
-
How Defy approaches partnerships with founders
-
What’s on Defy’s radar for 2022
-
How founders can build a good rapport with the board of directors
-
Some general advice for startups and founders
This discussion with Neil Sequeira was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Neil on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/neil-sequeira-76739a40 or visit defy.vc.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Before Alek Koenig launched Settle, he wanted to be sure of two things: Was he solving an actual problem and was he the right person to solve it?
Those two questions were key to ensuring product-market fit and founder-market fit, and ultimately, key to finding investors.
It turns out Settle is solving a major pain point for startups in desperate need of working capital, and with his extensive background in credit risk and lending, he was the right man for the job.
In this episode, he shares how he developed the product, how it solves a critical need for most startups, and how he navigated a successful Series B funding round.
We discuss:
- The importance of interviewing customers to uncover pain points
- Why you should look at your company and yourself through the lens of an investor
- How Settle attracted the first 30 customers
- Advice for hiring and choosing the right investor
This discussion with Alek Koenig was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Alek on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/alek-koenig and visit settle.com.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Not too long ago, companies in deep tech and healthcare were often overlooked for funding in favor of companies focused on consumer products and business innovation.
Lu Zhang, Founder & Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, has worked to change that. As a solo founder of a medical device company, she has a unique perspective on how to lead a deep tech/healthcare company to a successful exit.
Special guest host Jeff Burkland, Founder & CEO of Burkland, returns to chat with Lu about her experience as a startup founder, how her fund chooses companies to support, and her quest to bring more female and minority voices into businesses and startups.
We discuss:
-
Why Fusion Fund focuses on tech and timing in early stage investments
-
How Lu leverages a CXO network for funding decisions
-
The benefits of fostering cognitive diversity on your team
-
Initiatives to empower female leadership in the boardroom
This discussion with Lu Zhang was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Lu on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/luzhangvc, email her at luzhang@fusionfund.com or visit fusionfund.com.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
The founder is the only thing that matters in investing.
That’s according to Jack Greco, Founder at Cupule Ventures. Located in Buffalo, New York, he is one of the most active angel investors in the state.
Jack has been using his vast resources to invest in companies focused on making the world a better place in some way. For him, the decision always comes down to the character and creativity of the founder.
In this episode, he shares stories from his experiences as an angel investor, his philosophy on sustainability, and his advice for early-stage startups.
We discuss:
-
What Jack looks for in investments
-
His experience collaborating with Techstars on a project
-
Jack’s investment thesis centered around sustainability
-
Advice for up-and-coming founders
Mentioned during the podcast:
- Sign up for Buffalo Bridge
This discussion with Jack Greco was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Jack on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jacklgreco.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
While CMO of another startup, Angela Ferrante struck upon an exciting idea born from a common pain point: Was there a way to make B2B testimonial content more engaging by using high-quality video customer interviews?
She took that classic lightbulb moment and spun it into the highly successful startup Laudable (YC S21).
In this episode, she’s sharing her hard-earned wisdom with us.
She offers valuable advice on how to navigate early startup life, how Y Combinator works, how to fundraise, and more.
Join us as we discuss:
-The pain point that launched Laudable
-The process of getting into Y Combinator
-Demo Day and the remote fundraising experience
-The importance of staying grounded and focusing your energy as a founder
This discussion with Angela Ferrante was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Angela on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ferrante/ and visit laudable.com for more information.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Recently, it was reported that cyber criminals are monitoring deal flow announcements and targeting affiliated startups. Moreover, according to stats, 50% of successful cyber attacks target small businesses.
Needless to say, cybersecurity needs to be a top priority for startups these days.
Brian Fritton, CEO & Founder at Havoc Shield, joins the show to talk about what you should be doing to protect your business.
We discuss:
-Why investing in cybersecurity is vital to the success of your business
-Why startups struggle with cybersecurity
- How security helps startups prevent revenue leaks and win business from enterprise clients
-How Havoc Shield works with startups to stand up a cybersecurity strategy
-His experience working with Techstars
This discussion with Brian Fritton was taken from our show Startup Success. Reach out to Brian at brian@havocshield.com or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/bfritton and visit havocshield.com for more information.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Most startup founders share a potent passion and an infectious enthusiasm for whatever their project is about. It’s that drive that propels them and their business forward.
But at a certain point, running a business requires more than simply passion and love. It requires strategic planning and business development—and that’s when today’s guest usually enters the picture.
Glenn McMahon, Managing Director at Portage Point Partners, joins the show to share how he helps founders scale their business and prepare for early funding rounds.
We discuss:
-The benefits of having a “thought partner”
-The importance of evolving and expanding your offering
-Being patient and selective when choosing investment partners
-Why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help
This discussion with Glenn McMahon was taken from our show Startup Success. Reach out to Glenn at gmcmahon@pppllc.com or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/glenn-mcmahon-127a00128 or visit portagepointpartners.com.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
The most challenging aspect of fundraising is telling a story around the numbers.
Most founders excel at communicating their passion and communicating the need their product is solving for, but it’s communicating the financials and the business dynamics—the FP&A—that often trip them up.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a software platform that could help you out with this?
David Greenbaum thought the same thing while shepherding his previous startup, Boost Media, through fundraising rounds.
There wasn’t a platform at the time centered around financial models, so he built one—OnPlan—where he serves as CEO.
Topics covered:
-Combining the strengths of spreadsheets with engineering best practices
-3 reasons to develop financial models
-Why agility is the one true competitive advantage for startups
-The value of thinking backwards and generating scenarios
This discussion with David Greenbaum was taken from our show Startup Success. Contact David at david@onplan.co or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/davidgreenbaum and visit onplan.co.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Statistics show that by the time most women gain enough experience, sufficiently develop their expertise or their networks, they tend to reach a family-planning milestone in their personal lives.
This, combined with the fact that women still carry most of the child-rearing responsibilities in traditional family settings around the globe, correlates with the low number of female founders in the business world.
Andrea Ippolito, CEO & Founder of SimpliFed, joins us today to look deeper into this and discuss:
-
What other factors might be holding women back from starting their own companies
-
Her next-level Crunchbase articles and advice on approaching parental leave for all founders
-
The ups and downs of her unique journey as a female founder
-
The solution-oriented approach she’s taking with Women Entrepreneurs Cornell
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
-
Andrea’s first article on Crunchbase
-
Andrea’s follow-up article
This discussion with Andrea Ippolito was taken from our show Startup Success. Reach out to Sarah on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakippolito/ or visit https://simplified.us for more information.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
“If we can make venture capitalists reflect society, then we can make the people who get funded reflect society as well.”
That is the thesis statement behind Diversity VC, an international nonprofit aiming to make the venture capital industry more inclusive.
In this episode, Sarah Millar, Principal at City Light Capital and the Head of the US Diversity VC, joins the show to discuss how Diversity VC came about and how organization is helping firms embrace and implement DEI policies with an eye towards a more equitable future.
We discuss:
-
The origin of Diversity VC & Why It Matters
-
The Diversity VC Standard - An Action Plan the VC firms in the US can take
-
The Future VC Program - An Internship Program for Portfolio Companies
-
A Diversity Resource Library & Research on Current Diversity Funding
This discussion with Sarah Millar was taken from our show Startup Success. Reach out to Sarah at sarah@diversity.vc or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/sarah-c-millar and visit diversity.vc for more information.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
It’s early days at your startup.
As far as People Operations is concerned, you’ve probably considered your first tactical steps around payroll and tax compliance in every state where you have employees. But have you thought about the workforce policies you should be pursuing from a strategic standpoint right now in today’s challenging work environment?
Sara Schrage, Managing Director of Strategic People Operations at Burkland, joins the show to share what HR strategies startups should be focused on in today’s challenging Covid work environment.
Topics discussed :
-Remote-first workforce strategies
- mid-level management burnout and challenges and how to address them
-Setting company goals early on
Resources mentioned during the podcast:
-Contact Sara and her team at hello@burklandassociates.com
This discussion with Sara Schrage was taken from our show Startup Success. Find Sara on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/saraschrage.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
It’s easy for CEOs and founding teams to get caught up in the minutiae of growing a startup and lose sight of building a robust finance function.
But if you design it well from day one, it can free up the bandwidth for you to tackle the more complex issues that crop up during the startup journey.
In this episode, special guest host Steve Lord, Head of Burkland’s CFO, Fintech, and Knowledge Share Practice, speaks with the founding team from Mosaic about how to effectively build out a finance function, including the people and resources needed to make it successful.
Our guests are:
-Bijan Moallemi, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
-Joe Garafalo, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
-Brian Campbell, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer
Topics covered:
-How and when startup founders should build out a finance team
-How the tech stack should develop alongside finance
-The challenges of systems integration
This discussion with Bijan Moallemi, Joe Garafalo, and Brian Campbell was taken from our show Startup Success. The Mosaic founding team can be found on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bijanmoallemi/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-garafalo-b3492a27/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcampbell89/
And on their website:
mosaic.tech
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Not everyone can become a successful founder, but a successful founder can come from anywhere. The increasing number of amazing businesses sprouting up throughout the United States is prompting venture capitalists to seek out new ventures all over the country.
In this episode, special guest host Jeff Burkland, Founder & CEO of Burkland, returns! He talks with Andy McLoughlin, Partner at Uncork Capital, about why this shift is occurring and what it means for the future of the startup ecosystem.
Topics covered:
-What makes a good founder
-Helping startups navigate the changing landscape
-Silicon Valley becoming more of a mindset than a place
-Deciding on a remote, in-office, or hybrid model
-Pitching on zoom
This discussion with Andy McLoughlin was taken from our show Startup Success. Andy can be found on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymcloughlin/. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
There’s a multitude of new developments regarding fintechs — both on the company side as well as on the VC side.
To break it all down, today’s episode features Steve Lord, Fractional CFO, Fintech Practice Lead, and Chief Learning Officer at Burkland. He talks about recent fintech developments and what they mean for venture capital.
Topics covered:
-The growing demand for data and reporting
-Changes to financial and accounting reporting
-Fintech influence on the VC community
-A greater emphasis on cybersecurity
-The widening geographical reach of VC backing
This discussion with Steve Lord was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
In order to truly understand SaaS companies, you need to go beyond standard financial metrics, such as revenue and operating income, and dive into SaaS metrics.
In today’s episode, Debbie Rosler, Fractional CFO at Burkland, shares her thoughts on how startups should leverage top SaaS metrics.
The audio for today’s episode comes courtesy of a previously recorded webinar hosted by the Female Founders Alliance. JP Ferro, who handles Ecosystem Partnerships at Burkland, assisted the presentation.
Debbie discusses:
- The top 10 SaaS metrics - and well explained
- How often you should track each metric
- Which metrics are most relevant by startup stage
- B2B vs. B2C SaaS metrics
Check out the SaaS Metrics Simplified Webinar.
This discussion with Debbie Rosler was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
For a lot of investors, Silicon Valley is still the center of the world. But more and more, venture capital is drifting outside of the 100-mile radius of Palo Alto into emerging tech markets.
Jonathan Tower, Managing Partner at Catapult, joins the show to explain how his venture firm approaches investments beyond Silicon Valley.
He shares:
- The epiphany behind Catapult
- How Catapult sets up scouts in emerging markets
- Current trends in seed-stage venture capital and tech
- Advice for founders
Visit Jonathan’s blog and follow him on Twitter for more insights.
This discussion with Jonathan Tower was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Anupam Rastogi transformed his passion for building and scaling startups into a career in venture capital over a decade ago. He’s currently a Partner at Emergent Ventures, which focuses on seed and early-stage ventures, and he joins us in this episode to offer a VC-perspective into the startup ecosystem.
We discuss:
- Emerging themes across the startup landscape
- Finding the right startups to invest in
- What early-stage VCs look for in a founding team
- Remote work - the multi-hub model
- Advice for early-stage founders
This discussion with Anupam Rastogi was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
In startup life, cash is king. That’s why it’s essential to ensure you’re avoiding tax penalties and legal fines. One issue you might not have fully considered is employing out-of-state remote workers.
To break down all the implications of having a remote workforce, we talk with two Burkland experts, Brian Lahargoue, with HR Services, and Ardy Esmaeili, Head of Tax Services.
Topics covered:
- Legal implications for having remote workers
- Tax implications for having remote workers
- Managing culture and mental wellness remotely
- Where remote work is headed
This discussion with Brian Lahargoue and Ardy Esmaeili was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
The investment environment is tilted in favor of startups right now. And that means there’s a high likelihood you’ll be able to raise capital — in fact, it’s as high as it’s ever been before.
In this episode, special guest host Jeff Burkland, Founder & CEO of Burkland, talks with his friend, Sid Trivedi, Partner at Foundation Capital, about the partnership between entrepreneurs and investors.
Topics covered:
- How investors evaluate startups
- Building culture in a remote environment
- What sets apart the Bay area ecosystem
- Advice for evaluating investor fit
This discussion with Sid Trivedi was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Some entrepreneurs wait too long to pivot their business to more fertile ground. Not Munjal Shah, CEO and Co-founder at Health IQ.
In all of his ventures, he has found immense value in avoiding a narrow, locked-in view of his business. And in this episode, he talks about the importance of pivoting early if the data points towards a more sustainable business.
What we talked about:
- Early startup successes with Like.com and Andale
- The power of pivoting early
- Finding a mission in life with Health IQ
This discussion with Munjal Shah was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
If you take a look at any major investment publication, you’ll see that 2020 was a great Fintech fundraising year. Despite the pandemic, the VC community is excited for all of the new innovation in this space.
Colin Kennedy, who just joined Ramp as Chief Business Officer, stops by in this episode to discuss how this accelerated momentum in Fintech has changed the space and whether it is here to stay moving forward.
Some topics we discuss:
-What direction is FinTech heading in the near future?
-Accelerated trends in Fintech due to the pandemic
-CFO and Head of Finance engagement with FinTech
-Fintech consolidation and breadth of new product offerings
This discussion with Colin Kennedy was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Hiring is always a major consideration for startups. But with the added challenges of last year, what does the hiring landscape for startups look like today?
Jamie Ceglarz, Founder & Executive Recruiter for Guild Talent, joins us to talk about hiring trends and how to attract top talent in today’s competitive hiring environment.
What we talked about:
-
Why the competition for top talent is increasing
-
Hiring remote vs. hiring local
-
The leadership recruiting process
-
How to attract people to your company
Get in touch with Jamie by email: jamie@guildtalent.com
This discussion with Jamie Ceglarz was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
It’s the dream of every startup — to get acquired by a big internet company. But what is that experience really like?
Marko Gargenta, Founder of PlusPlus.co, joins us to share what he learned when his previous startup, Marakana, was acquired by Twitter. He also shared other insights from his extensive startup career.
Some topics we cover:
-3 reasons why Marko agreed to let Twitter acquire Marakana
-The importance of having a support network — like a founders group
-Getting involved with startup groups like StartX and Sand Hill Angels
-How building a startup with investors differed from building one without
Want to reach out to Marko?
-Follow him on Twitter
-Follow him on LinkedIn
This discussion with Marko Gargenta was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorit
Fintech is at the cusp of revolutionizing markets across the world, but specifically legacy markets. Breaking into these legacy markets is proving to be a competitive landscape rich with opportunity to provide value to consumers.
The great news is all of this value should translate into a much better consumer experience. Because ultimately, everybody is fighting for the same consumer and they want to make sure their experience is superior compared to the competition.
In this episode, we talk about this and more with Dmitry Norenko, CEO and Founder of upSWOT and Igor Ulis, Chief Digital Officer of Liberty Lending and Managing Partner at Common Ocean. We also covered:
- VC landscape in fintech broken down by stages, valuations, etc
- How fintech evolving currently and where will it be in the future
- Defining strategic shifts in the fintech landscape as of now
For the entire interview, tune in to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Find Dmitry Norenko on LinkedIn or at https://upswot.com/. Find Igor Ulis on LinkedIn or https://www.commonocean.co/.
Plotting a path for growth and success can be especially tough for women-owned startups.
They have to deal not only with the usual hurdles of starting a business but also with challenges unique to women entrepreneurs.
Virginia Almendarez, a startup coach and Senior Entrepreneur Success Manager at IFundWomen, stops by in this episode to discuss how women entrepreneurs can build the confidence and support necessary to overcome these challenges.
Some topics we discuss:
- The unique challenges women entrepreneurs face
- Ways to approach fundraising
- How to hone your pitch to potential investors
- The startup landscape in 2021
Check out these resources mentioned during the podcast:
- IFundWomen of Color
- Upcoming IFundWomen Workshops
- Follow @IFundWomen on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse
- Check out The IFundWomen Show streaming on social platforms
This discussion with Virginia Almendarez was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Startup Success in your favorite podcast player.
Imagine a scenario where you pitch your SaaS startup to potential investors. How would you prove to them that your company can build a profitable and sustainable business over time?
If revenue models weren’t included in your answer, your pitch isn’t as strong as it could be.
In a recent episode of Startup Success, we talked with Jonathan Cochrane, Director of Product Management at SaasOptics, and Debbie Cohen Rosler, Fractional CFO at Burkland, about how revenue modeling can convey the story of your business to investors and help you plan for the future.
What we talked about:
- How revenue modeling helps SaaS startups
- How seasonality complicates revenue modeling
- The challenges of working with large enterprise customers
- Revenue reporting pitfalls to avoid
Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:
- How to Forecast Revenue for Your SaaS Startup Ebook
This discussion with Jonathan Cochrane and Debbie Cohen Rosler was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
Denver is shaping up to be a hotspot for American startups. COVID has accelerated Denver’s tech scene and it one of the most talked about tech hubs right now.
It's 33% cheaper to build a business in Denver than it is Silicon Valley. Plus, Denver has the talent to lead your startup, a moderate political climate and an excellent infrastructure.
Here's what you need to know about growing your startup a mile high.
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate Adams talks with Kendra Haberkorn and JP Ferro. Kendra is head of talent at Range Ventures and JP serves as accelerator and incubator relationship manager at Burkland.
JP and Kendra discussed:
- All the details on Denver’s startup market
- What the talent scene looks like in Denver
- How to network in the Denver startup community
- What Denver has to offer outside the startup ecosystem
This discussion with Kendra Haberkorn and JP Ferro was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Most early-stage companies don't have the resources to bring HR in house. If you have fewer than 50 employees, full-fledged HR is just not realistic.
But employing the right initial best practices can provide incalculable benefits during the early days of your company.
In this episode of Startup Success, Kate Adams talks with Moses Balian and Keely Aguayo. Moses serves as an HR consulting manager at JustWorks, and Keely leads Burkland's HR people operations practice.
Moses and Keely discussed:
- Where you must start with your HR function
- The nitty gritty of working with remote teams across state lines
- How to attract & retain talent in this market
- Real tactical hacks to mitigate the risks of non-compliance
This discussion with Moses Balian and Keely Aguayo was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
Let’s talk about debt.
Specifically, venture debt.
Venture debt is debt financing that has traditionally been used by startups alongside equity financing as a way to provide more capital to the balance sheet in order to extend their runway. Today startups use debt financing much more strategically and for different uses and stages. We take a closer look in this episode of Startup Success, Brian Henleyand Marc Zablatsky talk all about:
- How venture debt differs from a financing round
- The right time for a startup to look at incorporating debt financing
- The difference between early and late stage startup venture debt
- How Debt Financing for startups has dramatically changed in the past five years
- What startup founders should be looking at when considering venture debt
This discussion was taken from our show Startup Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.
President Trump has approved the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, which provides stimulus support and more clarification around PPP and funding.
In this episode of StartUp Success, host Kate Adams chats with Steve Lord, head of Burkland’s New York office and Fintech Practice, and Ardy Esmaeili, head of Tax Services at Burkland, outline the bill’s parameters and discuss the updates made to the PPP program, new PPP parameters and important tax ramifications. This is a must listen for any startup or business impacted by COVID.
Here's what they discussed:
- A break down of the PPP provisions in the bill
- New PPP eligibility criteria
- How this round of loans differs from the last one
- How to obtain a second PPP loan
- Clarifications and changes to tax credits
This discussion was taken from our show StartUp Success. If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
Burkland began with a mission to help startup founders accelerate their dreams. Founders can focus on innovating while Burkland takes care of the finance. We work with the best CFOs, accountants, tax advisors, venture capitalists, startup service providers and founders. They hold excellent insight, tips, and best practices on scaling, and knowledge of the entire startup ecosystem.
We want to help them share what they know with you.
If you want to hear more episodes like this one, check us out on Apple Podcasts.
If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, you can find every episode here.