Inside the Glass Box: Recent Episodes
Steve Gribben
Insights on business management, capital raising, and commercial disruption from top executives within up-and-coming companies and the investors that are funding them.
Meet Hany Syed, Founder and CEO of athleta-ed.
Learn how his innovative online-education company is partnering with elite universities to deliver curriculum on the business of sports—and simultaneously develop a sport-oriented VC ecosystem for its students.
Meet Rick Burnett, Founder and CEO of LaneAxis.
In this episode, Rick discusses how algorithms that help anticipate a carrier’s patterns could help to eliminate the 30% of empty trucks traveling our roads each day.
Meet Scott Kim, Co-Founder CEO of NeoFect USA.
In this episode, Scott discusses how his medical device company is using advanced software design and gamification to assist stroke survivors to regain the use of their hands.
NeoFect Highlights:
· Founded by eight entrepreneurs
· Initially funded by the South Korean government
· Raised $40MM+ since inception
· Products now commercialized; sales scaling around the globe
· Software being developed by developers with deep gaming backgrounds
Meet Rick Barnett, CEO of Rep-Lite.
In this episode, Rick discusses his company's unique approach to helping medical device companies drive sales.
Rep-Lite helps the likes of startups to Fortune 50 companies de-risk the sales process, all while gaining maximum market exposure.
Meet Mark Restelli, Co-Founder of CannTrade.
In this episode, Mark discusses CannTrade's plan to bring reliability to the supply chain in the cannabis industry.
CannTrade Highlights:
· 2018 general launch, 2020 launch of hemp market
· Over 1,100 supply contracts closed
· Over 1,300 users in California alone
Meet Ambuj Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of Fortanix.
In this episode, Ambuj discusses has his data security company went from concept to powerhouse in just four years—with over 100 security patents, software in over a billion devices, and enterprise clients such as PayPal.
Discussion Highlights:
· Raising capital from a strategic partner (Fortanix includes Intel in its investor base)
· Running marketing collaborations with industry leaders such as Google and IBM
· Operating in the highly competitive landscape of data security
Meet John Limbocker, CEO if Internet Dominators.
In this episode, John discusses several innovative digital marketing strategies for companies looking to scale.
· Find out the difference between Geofencing and Crowd Targeting.
· Learn the fundamentals of Marketing Funnels
· Learn why SEO may not be where you want to spend your marketing dollars
Meet Robert Ziner, Founder and CEO of Canadian Industrial Hemp Corporation (CIHC).
In this episode, Robert discusses how hemp can now be used as a lighter, more durable, less costly and more sustainable replacement for plastic.
CIHC Highlights:
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CIHC's founder, Robert Ziner, previously developed an AI system that can optically scan lumber products to determine the most optimal use for each piece of material. He is now applying this same technology in the industrial hemp space.
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CIHC aims to be the low-cost producer for all qualities of biocomposite pellets to make biocomposite products
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CIHC is seeking funding to develop an initial manufacturing plant in Canada, and then four more plants throughout North America
Meet Mike McLaren, CEO at Cycle Energy Industries.
In this episode, Mike discusses why he chose take his Canada-based energy company public in the United States.
Meet Ryland Taniguchi, CEO of Ryco Capital.
In this episode, Ryland discusses:
· The Law of Attraction
· The importance of Geographic Proximity to Capital
· Why it's essential to know tour Target Investors
Meet Joshua Otten, CEO of Ronin Content Services.
In this episode Joshua discusses why building a brand based on “ingredients” alone is no longer relevant.
Ronin Content Services Highlights:
· Ronin owns the OTT (Over The Top) network Social Club TV
· Social Club TV controls the world’s largest cannabis content library, distributed on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Prime, and Pluto TV
· Ronin also creates original content through which brands can be discovered
Doug Cole, CEO of American Battery Metals Corporation
In this episode, Doug discusses his 25+ years of experience as a CEO of small cap issuers and the challenges associated with financing public companies with convertible debt.
Meet David Uffer, Partner at Alira Health.
In this episode, David discusses what public companies are seeking in medical technology company acquisitions, and what MedTech management can do to enhance enterprise value.
Alira is a clinical and regulatory consulting firm, as well as an M&A advisor in the healthcare industry.
Meet Peter Hernandez, President of Douglas Elliman Western Region and Founder of Teles Properties.
In this episode, Peter discusses how his former company Teles Properties became a major player in luxury real estate within just a ten-year time span after starting during the Great Recession.
Other topics covered:
· Why do so many of the most successful luxury agents operate under the umbrella of a major brand?
· Would it be possible to build Teles (with over $3 billion in sales) in today’s environment?
· Is today’s real estate agent being disrupted out of existence, or actually becoming more relevant?
Meet Jacob Bates, CEO of CommonGrounds Workplace
In this episode, Jacob discusses how the office building of the future will likely transition from a fixed asset into an ecosystem.
CommonGrounds’ Vision for the Future:
· Both physical and digital security will be prioritized within the office environment
· Offices will house hubs for last mile delivery
· Flexible satellite locations will be plug-and-play extensions of enterprise-level headquarters
Meet Ken Robbins, Founder and CEO of Response Mine Interactive.
In this episode, Ken discusses why most middle market companies should focus on hiring the right marketing manager internally before searching for an agency or agencies.
Response Mine Interactive Highlights:
· Data Driven Digital Marketing Agency
· Clients include large enterprise retail and service companies such as Staples, HomeDepot and Terminix
· Founded in 2001
Meet Kevin Iudicello, Partner at Realization Capital Partners (RCP)
Realization Capital Partners is primarily a second market investor that focuses on providing liquidity to other early stage private equity and venture capital investors.
RCP Highlights:
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Seeking Tech Companies with $15MM+ in revenue (not necessarily profitable)
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Direct Investments of $5MM - $15MM
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Can go as high as $80MM - $100MM with co-investment from limited partners
Meet Alyssa Rapp, CEO of Surgical Solutions.
In this episode Alyssa discusses:
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operating a healthcare business on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic;
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understanding the differences between running venture-capital-backed startup vs. a private-equity-backed operating company; and,
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balancing the multifaceted life of a mom, wife and executive.
Alyssa is an accomplished author, Stanford Lecturer and CEO of a 200+ employee company. She also previously co-founded and operated the Silicon Valley startup Bottlenotes.
Her recent book is titled, "Leadership & Life Hacks: Insights From A Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur & Executive."
Meet Ike Kavas, Founder and CEO of Ephesoft.
In this episode, Ike talks about waiting for the right time to raise venture capital funds.
Ephesoft automates data collection for hospitals, insurance companies and financial services firms. Clients include the IRS, First Republic Bank and USAA. Ephesoft now has 1,000 customers across 53 countries.
Meet Greg Shepard, Founder and CEO of BOSS Capital.
Greg is an accomplished investor and entrepreneur in the AdTech/MarTech space.
· He previously sold two of his companies to Ebay in a transaction worth over $900MM
· He recently sold one of his portfolio companies with only $2.2MM in revenue for $48MM+
· He is a regular contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur
Social media branding and marketing expert Frank Aziz discusses various online marketing strategies for advertising your offering portal.
Frank has over 20,000,000 views on his LinkedIn content, a social media branding and sales training course used by dozens of major corporations, and an intimate understanding of the capital raising process based on past client experiences.