Think. Build. Launch. with MARL Startup Studio: Recent Episodes

MARL Startup Studio & ROC Vox Podcast Network

Accelerating the scale of good ideas.
All things innovation, mentorship, and deal flow.

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Nicholas Mohnacky is serial entrepreneur fervently dedicated to leveraging technology and innovation. As the CEO and co-founder of bundleIQ, he's pioneering a revolutionary approach to content consumption and knowledge sharing, aiming to revolutionize how individuals comprehend the world's intricacies. His mission involves breaking down paywalls that restrict access to invaluable information, envisioning an AI-powered marketplace for democratizing content.

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Rohit Sharma is a distinguished technocrat, author, and entrepreneur with a 20-year tenure in the fields of Machine Learning (ML) and Electronic Design Automation (EDA). He is renowned for founding AI Technology & Systems and for his significant contributions to the domain, including the development of the advanced characterization software 'guna' and the deepC Compiler. Sharma's expertise spans AI accelerators, AIoT, EDGE AI, and VLSI modeling, and he's an acclaimed author of bestsellers on machine intelligence and VLSI cell characterization. And if all of these things did not keep him busy enough he serves as an adjunct professor at California Science and Technology University.

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Max Montrey is CEO and co-founder of SportsTrace, a sports technology startup that uses AI to turn video into ways for athletes and coaches to succeed. Max's work in software and technology has spanned several verticals including finance, healthcare, e-commerce, information security, and cloud operations.

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Rachna Dayal is currently managing a Health Tech VC fund called Sugati Ventures that focuses on medical devices and Health Tech Platforms. Some key accomplishments include successfully managing a P&L of $350 million dollars, leading a global commercial launch for groundbreaking pharmaceuticals for depression/suicidal drugs, and successfully leading a technology startup in the Bay Area for three years. Rachna has extensive board and governance experience across startups and nonprofit organizations.

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Bhushan Mishra is a maestro at building data science teams and developing products and has been the driving force behind the technology at Fleksa. His venture revolutionizes the restaurant sector with a unified Restaurant Operating System, seamlessly blending offline and online dining avenues. Through Fleksa, he's not just reducing operational expenses but also amplifying revenue and patron satisfaction, ushering in a contemporary wave of tech-fueled dining.

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Srinivas Pai is a construction professional with over 13 years of experience in real estate and infrastructure development before starting up. He is a strong proponent of lean thinking in construction and is always on the lookout for promising opportunities to transform construction, making it faster, smarter, and more efficient. In his current role as Co-Founder and CEO at Pace Robotics, he guides the product development team with his industry expertise and builds connections with the industry to generate interest and pilot projects that can eventually lead to sales and growth.

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Brian Smiga is a Partner at Alpha and advises Pritzker Group Venture Capital. He founded Preclick, licensed by major retailers, and was CEO of both 3Path and 1ClickCharge. In the 1990s, he founded Portfolio Software and Actioneer, licensing software to tech giants. He began his career at Booz & Co and holds degrees from Swarthmore College and Trinity College, Dublin. Brian founded TEDxAsburyPark and serves on the Roothbert Fund board.

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Abdul Kasim is CEO and Co-founder of DisplayRide, a startup focused on delivering safety solutions for the mobile Gig economy, while also crowdsourcing public data that is valuable in several market opportunities. He previously co-founded and led Critical Links, which was focused on education technology, and deployed its solutions in over 30 countries. Abdul has a graduate degree from MIT and is also a published author.

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Jennifer Sertl & Yash Hemaraj partner at Benhamou Global Ventures and Arka Venture Labs talk about how to build a thriving startup ecosystem and some key characteristics of a fundable founder.

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Jennifer Sertl talks about Innovation Square Downtown Rochester with Evan Gallina of Gallina Development Corporation.

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Jennifer Sertl discusses building a fundable company with Circle Optics' Founder Zak Niazi and COO Ian Gauger. Circle Optics was just recognized as one of Pepperdine Graziadio Business School's Most Fundable Companies®.

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Jennifer Sertl and NextCorps President Jim Senall discuss the importance of outside investment for Rochester's startups and the importance of downtown as an entrepreneurship hub.

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Jennifer Sertl and Fernanda Sesto discuss the inequity in VC money available to female founders and the importance of role models to engage more young women into the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

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Jennifer Sertl and Zack Marshall discuss how important immersion in strategy is and bringing value back to your home community.

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Jennifer Sertl and Rochester Institute of Technology's Robert Mostyn talk about the evolution of gaming from a cottage industry to being a pervasive part of everyday culture.

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Jennifer Sertl speaks with Matt Foley from NextCorps about SaaS, learning from failure and the rise of no-code applications for startups.

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Episode 13: Cross Regional Entrepreneurship

Jennifer Sertl and Olivia Goldstein of Upstate Venture Connect discuss customer discovery and the role leaders have to amplify the regional startup ecosystem.

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Jennifer Sertl and Maureen Ballatori of 29 Design Studio & Metro Collective discuss the importance of cross-pollination for innovation and the role coworking spaces have in entrepreneurship.

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Jennifer Sertl and Jessica Karr of Coyote Ventures discuss female founders and innovating for women's health.

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Jennifer Sertl and Hélène Thibieroz of We Grow Green Tech discuss sustainability and the importance of reverse engineering supply chains due to resource scarcity.

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Jennifer Sertl and MGV Capital's Founder Mariano Gonzalez talk about the future of funding and increasing access to captial.

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Jennifer Sertl & Brendan Maxwell discuss the importance of customer discovery as fundamental to successful business for both startups and mature businesses.

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Jennifer Sertl and Upstate Venture Connect's Nasir Ali about tipping points in Upstate New York entrepreneurship.

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Amir Khan & Prakash Goswami are investing in Rochester first time founders and students with MARL Startup Studio #ThinkBuildLaunch program.

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Ebony Miller-Wesley, Director, Center for Urban Entrepreneurship (CUE) at Rochester Institute of Technology shares her journey to create impact.

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Jennifer Sertl & Lalit Gautam, CEO of Sensegrass, discuss the importance of solving real world problems and strengthening your network locally, nationally and internationally.

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Jennifer Sertl & Impel's President and Chief Strategy Officer Michael Quigley talk about reverse engineering market strategy and how to know when the time is right for a name change.

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Jennifer Sertl & Michael Thaney talk about Start Up Grind Rochester and how to get the most out of networking.

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Jennifer Sertl, Think.Build.Launch. Podcast Host share key elements of the MARL Startup Studio program and why she is happy to be a part of it.