Homeroom: Recent Episodes
Cassius Felicella
So far, Homeroom has interviewed over 60 companies with a combined valuation of $6.1 billion. The program was created by Cassius Felicella and spurred out of a problem he was experiencing himself. During graduate school, guest speakers would frequent the university to talk about their lives and how they arrived at where they were today. What became noticeable quite quickly was how little attention was placed on entrepreneurship, technology, and starutps. The solution was clear: create a platform where students can learn about this industry and break into it with ease.
Anish Kaushal is a healthcare investor at Amplitude Ventures. He is also the author of From Here to Here, and blogs at www.anicheperience.com.
Ian Burgess is the co-founder and President of Validere, a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) platform for the energy industry.
Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, he attended the University of Waterloo where he pursued physics. He would later receive a Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard. After completing his student, Ian worked at the Weiss Institute, developing adaptive optical materials for application in colorants, sensing and camouflage.
Abhay Venkatesh is an early engineer at Anduril, a new American defense company. He is also an angel investor and a scout at Greylock.
Pranav Raj is the co-founder and CEO of Chatwoot, an open-source omnichannel customer engagement platform.
Luca Rossettini is the founder and CEO of D-Orbit, an aerospace company with solutions covering the entire lifecycle of a space missions and logistics.
Will Crowe is the co-founder and CEO of HEO Robotics, an aerospace startup that visually monitors space objects for governments and defense.
Dusko Kelez is the co-founder and CEO of Hapi, a stocks and cryptos trading app with zero commissions and no minimums.
Ned Rockson is the co-founder and CEO of SlashAuth, a solution for fine-grained access control in Web3.
Nikhil Aggarwal is the co-founder and CEO of Village, a new type of social media app with the thesis of curating instead of creating.
Blair Robertson is a retired investment banker with over $100 billion in transaction experience. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Smith Business School at Queen's University.
Justin Rosete is an award-winning video game developer, the creator of Samurai Slaughterhouse, and owner of Tab Games.
Tom Baruch is the founder of Baruch Future Ventures, a family office investing in climate-tech startups. Tom also:
- Founded CMEA Capital in 1988 with NEA and 3M, managing $1.2B.
- An Advisor to Breakthrough Energy Ventures and 8VC.
- Created the Climate Ventures course at Stanford University.
We were lucky to have someone as knowledgeable as Tom to come on the program.
Shahin Farshchi is a General Partner at Lux Capital, an industry agnostic multi-stage focused fund. His most notable investments include Aeva, Planet Labs, Relativity Space, Zoox (acquired by Amazon), Mosaic ML (acquired by Databricks), and many others. Recently, Shahin travelled to Capitol Hill and testified to the U.S. House of Representatives on advancing innovations in AI.
Ibrahim Irfan is the co-founder and CTO of Superpowered, an AI copilot and calendar app for your meetings. There are not bots, no audio or video recordings stored, just really good notes. The team launched yesterday on Product Hunt and it's completely free to try. Sign up here 👉 Superpowered download.
Ian Rountree is the founder of Cantos VC, an early stage venture firm investing in world-changing deep-tech startups at the idea stage.
Shuo Yang is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, a firm that funds research and invests in technologies to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. Reach out to Shuo directly at shuo@lowercarboncapital.com
Carlo Cisco is the founder and CEO of SELECT, a new type of black card with a private membership community, exclusive events, savings, and VIP perks with access to over 1.6 million locations. To sign up, visit selectcard.co.
Danielle Strachman is the founder and Managing Partner of 1517, an early-stage fund with a philosophy of investing in young professionals working outside of tracked institutions. Previously, Danielle was a founding team member of the Thiel Fellowship and creator of Innovations Academy, a charter school in San Diego, California.
Arash Afrakhteh is a Partner at Pear VC, investing in enterprise and B2B startups in many verticals including AI/ML, Cloud, and IT infrastructure. Previously, Arash was the co-founder and CTO of Cariden Technologies. In less than 12 years, Cariden bootstrapped to a majority market share, and was acquired by Cisco in 2012.
Sean Whitney is a Principal at Craft Ventures, an early early-stage and growth fund created by David Sacks. The firm focuses on B2B software investing. Previously, Sean worked at Figma as an early employee on the Finance and Business Development team.
Ridge Frank-White is a career coach, a key member of the Internet Archives, the President of the Ulrich and Ruth Frank Foundation, and an old friend. For those interested in 1 on 1 session, contact ridgefrankwhite@gmail.com.
Karthee Madasamy is the founder and Managing Partner of MFV Partners, an early stage venture capital focused on hardware and deep-tech investing. Some of his most notable investments include Waze (acquired by Google), Validity Sensors (acquired by Synaptics), Agility Robotics, and Psi Quantum.
Ian Kennedy is a former Green Beret now working in venture capital. He has held roles in both the tech and finance world at companies like Rigetti Computing and Bridgewater Associates and is looking to start is his own training school in the future.
Adam Goulburn is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Dimension, a $300 million fund focused on investing in companies at the intersection of medicine and data science. Some of their recent investments include Enveda, Kaleidoscope, and Lamin AI.
Garrett McCurrach is the co-founder and CEO of Pipedream Labs, a company aiming to revolutionize last mile delivery logistics.Â
Jesse Draper is the founder of Halogen, a female founder focused venture capital firm investing in consumer-tech products. Their team is based in Los Angeles.
Chen-Ping Yu is the founder and CEO of Phiar Technologies, Â a company that was recently acquired by Google.
Sam Steyer is the co-founder and CEO of Greenwork, helps climate tech companies get connected to high quality construction partners.Â
Jane Poynter is the co-founder and co-CEO of Space Perspective, a luxury space travel company. Previously, she was the co-founder of World View Enterprises and also a founding member of the Biosphere 2 design team.
Delian Asparouhov is the co-founder and CEO of Varda Space, a company that builds manufacturing vessels to design products in space. He is also a Principal at Founders Fund.
Connect with Varda Space
Website: https://varda.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/varda-space-industries/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VardaSpace
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Palmer McCutcheon is the co-founder and CTO of Sleek, a browser extension that lets you do 1-click checkout from every store on the internet.
Connect with Sleek
Website: https://www.onsleek.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onsleek
Twitter: https://twitter.com/trysleek
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Lena Okajima is the founder of CEO of ALE, a space startup creating the world's first man-made shooting star.
Connect with ALE
Website: https://star-ale.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ale-co--ltd-/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ALE_StarAle
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Mark Mullen is the co-founder and Managing Director of Bonfire Ventures, an early stage investment firm based in Santa Monica. The company focuses early stage B2B SaaS, and have historically outperformed over 90% of venture funds.
Connect with Bonfire Ventures
Website: https://www.bonfirevc.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bonfireventures/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bonfire_vc
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Geoff Lewis is the founder and Managing Partner of Bedrock Capital. Prior to starting his own firm, Geoff worked at Founders Fund and was also the co-founder and CEO of TopGuest. Some of his biggest investments include Lyft, NuBank and most recently Rippling.
Connect with Bedrock Capital
Bedrock's Latest Investment: https://www.bedrockcap.com/letters/rippling-is-built-different
Website: https://www.bedrockcap.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bedrockcap/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bedrock
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Laura Crabtree is the co-founder and CEO of Epsilon3, an OS for spacecraft and complex operations.Â
Connect with Epsilon3
Website: https://www.epsilon3.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/epsilon3inc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Epsilon3Inc
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
James Dorris is the co-founder and CEO of Odys Aviation, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft for major airlines. Using city helipads and local airports, Odys cuts travel time in half.
Connect with Odys Aviation
Website: https://www.odysaviation.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/odys-aviation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OdysAviation
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Kevin Zhang is a Partner at Bain Capital Ventures. As an investor, Kevin investor focusing on early stage financial technology and business software products. Some of his most recent investments include Alloy Automation, Lightning AI, and Hightouch.
Connect with Kevin Zhang
Website: https://baincapitalventures.com/team/kevin-zhang/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinzhang711/Â
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinzhang
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Joel Sercel is the founder and CEO of TransAstra, a company that focuses on orbital logistics. He is the definition of a badass. Having more energy than most 20 year olds, he has forgotten more than I'll ever know. We were incredibly lucky to speak with him about his career at JPL, working as a Cal-Tech professor, and now creating his second company. Joel also served as the founding CTO of Momentus. It was a pleasure to have him on for the longest episode yet!
Connect with TransAstra
Website: https://transastra.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trans-astronautica-corporation/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TransAstra_Corp
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Kris Bennatti is the co-founder and CEO of Bedrock AI. The company that uses NLP to extract red flags from financial statements. Given the average 10K is longer than Shakespeare Hamlet, this tool is incredibly powerful in assessing all contextual statements in financial reports.
Connect with Bedrock AI
Website: https://www.bedrock-ai.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bedrock-ai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BedrockAI
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Matt Gialich is the co-founder and CEO of AstroForge, an asteroid mining company. Building a company is hard, but a feat of this kind is something entirely different. They are one of the select few building this technology, so it was incredibly exciting to hear how he thinks about scaling this type of business. While they are not the first to attempt this, they may be the first to succeed.
Connect with AstroForge
Website: https://www.astroforge.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/astroforge/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ForgeAstro
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Neil Cloughley is the founder and CEO of Faradair Aerospace. His mission exudes the kind of integrity and determination anyone would want to back. It was an honour speaking with him this week to learn about what it’s like building an aviation company in the United Kingdom.
Connect with Faradair
Website: https://www.faradair.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/faradair-aerospace/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/faradair
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Jordan Noone is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Embedded Ventures, KittyCAD, and Relativity Space. Now a venture capitalist, his team Embedded are invest in  pre-seed and seed stage startups focused in space operations, digital engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Described as the "skunkworks of Venture Capital", their goal is to remove the traditional barriers, and grant access to the investment opportunities Jordan would have wanted access to prior to becoming fund managers.Â
Connect with Embedded Ventures
Invest: https://angel.co/v/back/embedded-ventures-opportunity-fund
Website: https://www.embedded.ventures/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/embedded-ventures/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmbeddedVC
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Norris Tie is the co-founder and CEO of Exosonic. The company is developing a new standard for travel with our low-boom supersonic jet capable of cruising at Mach 1.8 overland and comfortably carrying 70 passengers. It will enable people to fly anywhere in half the time at prices comparable to a business class ticket today.
Connect with Exosonic
Website: https://www.exosonic.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exosonic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlyExosonic
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Natasha Baker is the founder and CEO of SnapEDA, the Internet's first electronics design library. Each year, over 1 million professional engineers rely on SnapEDA to design faster. Some of their biggest customers include Google, Facebook, and Samsung. They're building over 192,000 unique products, including medical devices, satellites, drones and much more.
Connect with SnapEDA
Website: https://www.snapeda.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snapeda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SnapEDA
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Praying for Exits is the creator of the popular Venture Capital satire page on Instagram. This was by far my favourite conversation.
Connect with Praying for Exits
Website: https://www.prayingforexits.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prayingforexits/
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Oliver Gunasekara is the co-founder and CEO of Impossible Mining. In 2020, Oliver founder the company to provide responsible seabed mining and refining of battery metals, enabling the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Impossible Mining is building underwater robotics vehicles which collect battery metals from the seabed without harming the environment as well as using bacteria to refine battery metals without generating tailings.
Connect with Impossible Mining
Website: https://impossiblemining.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impossible-mining/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImpossMining
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Alisha Fredriksson is the co-founder and CEO of Seabound, a company building carbon capture equipment for ships. They are the only way for existing ships to reduce up to 95% of carbon dioxide emissions and meet new global regulations. With ships emitting over 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas every year, companies like Alisha's have the potential to change the world, The team based in London was recently backed by Chris Sacca's Lowercarbon Capital.Â
Connect with Seabound
Website: https://www.seabound.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seabound/
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Max Liben is the co-founder and CTO of H3X Technologies, a company building the lightest electric motors in the world for aviation and regional air mobility. Their motors will enable long range flights for electric aircraft that are currently not possible.
Aviation is the fastest growing sector of greenhouse gas emissions. Today, it represents 5-10% of total human climate impact, but is expected to grow to 25-50% by 2050. Current electric propulsion systems are too heavy for long flights to be feasible. H3X is trying to change this. Their goal is to become the world’s leading supplier of aviation grade electric propulsion systems to enable a large-scale revolution in aircraft electrification and regional air mobility. The team has received over $6 million in funding, and $300 million in LOI's.
Connect with H3X Technologies
Website: https://www.h3x.tech/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/h3x-technologies/
Connect with Homeroom
Website: https://www.homeroompodcast.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeroomtalks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeroomtalks
Ibrahim Irfan is the co-founder and CTO Superpowered.
Ibrahim returns to Homeroom to discuss the early days of building his company, crazy experiences at Y Combinator, and habits he's routinely used to maximize output. Mental health around founders is something rarely talked about, so this episode is dedicated to just that.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Superpowered
Website: https://superpowered.me/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/superpowered-d56c
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperpoweredApp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpoweredapp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superpoweredapp/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Greg Baker is a Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures.
Before transitioning into venture capital, Greg was the founding CEO at SafePlug for over 15 years. Given his experience on both sides of the table, we were curious to get his take on the industry and what it takes to succeed. In this episode, Greg gives his opinion on first time funds, traits to look for in a founding team as well as which part of the world and industry he is most optimistic about.Â
Connect with Greg Baker
Bio: https://www.av.vc/people/greg-baker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregebaker/Â
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Scott Johnston is the CEO of Docker.
Beginning his career in 1989 as an engineering intern, Scott has over 30 years of experience working in tech at places such as Sun Microsystems, Netscape, Loudcloud and Alloy Ventures. With such a track record comes wisdom, and we were very curious what advice Scott would have if he were to do it again. Today, we discuss how the Silicon Valley landscape has changed since the 90's, what to think about in your career development, and when it makes sense to start your own venture.
Connect with Docker
Website: https://www.docker.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/docker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/docker/
GitHub: https://github.com/docker
Twitter: https://www.docker.com/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Dalal Alghawas and Nick Sardjono are the Program Director and Program Associate respectively at Big Idea Ventures.
A food-tech accelerator with offices in New York, Paris and Singapore, Big Idea Ventures has been investing in cellular agriculture products at the seed and early stage for the last 4 years. Some of their biggest investors include Tyson Foods and Temasek. In this episode, we speak about how Big Idea originally got started, what they look for in applicants, and how they're moving forward through 2022. Given recent changes in the market, having an investors perspective is pivotal when it comes up and coming sectors.
Connect with Big Idea Ventures
Website: https://bigideaventures.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/big-idea-ventures
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigideaventures/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigideaventures_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigideaventures
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Daan Luining is the co-founder and CEO of Meatable.
Having worked on the first meatless burger under Professor Mark Post, it's safe to say Daan has been in cellular agriculture since the beginning. In the episode, we talk about how public opinion has changed, new innovations in the space, and where he sees the most interesting research being done. Food tech is here to stay, but when and where it will strike hottest is still to be determined.Â
Connect with Meatable
Website: https://meatable.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/meatable
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/itsmeatable/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmeatable/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsmeatable
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Brandon Toushan is a consultant at McKinsey.Â
Undergrad is truly a special time in anyones life. Whether it's the ability to dive deep into projects with no immediate payoff or finding friends to party with, this is a time to figure out who you are and what you want to be. Yet with all this evolution, there's a type of pressure hoisted on people to figure it all out. That can be challenging which is why we have Brandon joining us. In this episode, we'll hear his story about dropping out, to having recently finished his Masters and now working his dream job.
Connect with Brandon Toushan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-toushan/
GitHub: https://github.com/BrandonToushan
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Dan Altschuler Malek is a Managing Partner at Unovis Asset Management.
Passionate about all things food and startups, Dan began his career as an entrepreneur in Mexico City, later opening a restaurant as well as managing a creative agency. He joined Unovis in 2018 and now sits on the board of 5 different food-tech companies. In this episode, we discuss career experience, how founding teams are assessed by his team, and what he feels is counter-intuitive about investing.Â
Connect with Dan Altschuler MalekÂ
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaltschuler/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/daltschuler
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Heather Payne is the founder and CEO of Juno College.
Raising venture capital is often seen as a rite of passage in the startup space. You incorporate, gain a handful of customers, and then hit the road to speak with investors to raise a round of funding. But is this something you should actually do? Why. even though most businesses are not venture fundable still go down that path. This week, we speak with Heather about just that, and how it may be the best decision ever to permanently bootstrap.
Connect with Juno College
Website: https://junocollege.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/juno-college-of-technology
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/junocollege/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junocollege/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/junocollege
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
David Breslauer is the co-founder and CTO of Bolt Threads.
There is so much that goes into building a company it's hard to keep track of all the moving parts. When it comes to particular industries like biomaterials, they often get overlooked by other domains like software and hardware. But David managed to circumvent all of this! In the last 12 years, he's created a billion dollars business, has partnered with household appeal names like Adidas and Lululemon, and received investment from top tier VC's like Founders Fund. It was an honour and privilege to have him on the program!
Connect with Bolt Threads
Website: https://boltthreads.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bolt-threads
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bolt-threads/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boltthreads/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boltthreads
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Chris Grouchy is the co-founder and CEO of Convictional.
It goes without saying creating a business is an incredibly challenging task. Hiring employees, scaling, and raising money is an entirely other traumatic endeavour. In this episode, Chris tells us his incredible story of adversity, what he did to overcome toxic mindsets, and how he grew Convictional to what it is today. This episode truly demonstrates just how important ones mindset is.
Connect with Convictional
Website: https://www.convictional.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/convictional
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convictional/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/goConvictional
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Prashanth Balasubramanian is the co-founder and CEO of Lastbit - rebranded to Striga.
Looking back on our catalogue, we realized how myopic and focused it was on one specific ecosystem in tech. Great companies know no boarders and it was an honour to speak with Prashanth about his journey to Estonia and how it compares to building a company in the United States. From how hiring is conducted, to smaller things like taking breaks during the day, we wanted to know all the details!
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Lastbit (rebranded to Striga)
Website: https://striga.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/striga
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/striga/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lastbitpay
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Brett Thompson is the co-founder and CEO of Mzansi Meats.
In the last few years, food-tech has bloomed into a global phenomenon with companies all over the world creating new ways to build a more sustainable food supply. Based in South Africa, Brett explains his goals behind animal husbandry alternatives, what barriers there are to overcome, and what he's most excited about in the future.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Mzansi Meats
Website: https://www.mzansimeat.co/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mzansi-meat
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mzansimeatco/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mzansimeatco
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Ali Abramovitz is the co-founder and CEO of Chorus.
Meditation is like eating healthy: it's easy to start or try, but hard to remain consistent. Chrous is solving that issue by building a community around practicing. Whether it be a group sessions or private lessons, the platform has you covered. Ali's story of creating the company is incredible too, having been a star college athlete and hedge fund analyst before moving into the startup space.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Chorus
Website: https://chorusmeditation.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/chrous
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chorus-meditation/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chorussleep/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Molly Alter is a Partner at Index Ventures.
The Venture Capital industry is not one to make job postings. Role are highly exclusive and to be successful in the space is even harder. So how exactly do you stand out and break out from the competition? Through her experience, Molly explains that while there is no easy route in, there are things in your control that can make this career path more achievable.Â
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Molly Alter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/molly_alter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-alter-3ab1159a/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Reza Azizian is the co-founder and CEO of Ferveret.
Given the rise of big data, complications that can occur in data centres are massive. The answer to this is making the cooling far more efficient. By doing so, centres can run at a maximum level of output for longer period of time. If you think this a hard problem, you're right. However, the sign of someone's true intelligence is their ability to explain complex problems in simple terms, and that's exactly what Reza did in our program. He is one of the smartest and most humble people we've ever met.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Ferveret
Website: https://www.ferveret.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ferveret
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ferveret1
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ferveret/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Gary Amaral is the co-founder and CMO of Breadcrumbs.
He brings over 2 decades of sales and marketing experience to the table. His outlook on life was particularly refreshing, noting it was simply a series of inflection points that if taken advantage of correctly could turn out life changing results. Advice on how to think about imposters syndrome was also incredibly helpful.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Breadcrumbs
Website: https://breadcrumbs.io/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/breadcrumbs-io
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breadcrumbsio/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breadcrumbsIO/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breadcrumbsIO
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Ismael Belkhayat is the co-founder and CEO of Chari.
One of the biggest privileges in running operating a podcast is ability to connect with people around the world. Ismael is a proud Moroccan founder, and a serial entrepreneur. As he touches on in the episode, there is no cookie cutter formula for starting a startup, and often, the hardest part is taking that first step. In North America, we frequently take for granted our tech space and overlook other amazing savants in business. Through his years of experience, Ismael is the embodiment of always finding a way to win.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Chari
Website: https://chari.co/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/chari-ma
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/charimaroc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chari.maroc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charimaroc
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZnbXttRLbUbfPe2M6bxDhA
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Joyce Zhang is the co-founder and CEO of Alariss.
We touch on two very important topics pertaining to the journey of a company: how to prevent founder conflict, and how to approach product development. Both are items that occur in the early days of company building, so it was vital to touch on them. In the next 20 minutes we’ll be hearing from Joyce’s experiences and how she grew the team to where it is today.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Alariss
Website: https://alariss.com/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2gtQVwM11vkP1mkUI756Y2?si=ea0be2451f344f52
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/alariss-global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alariss/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alarissglobal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlarissGlobal/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Aleksandra Medina and Katrin Kaurov are co-founders of Frich.
The fin-tech space has grown an incredible amount in the last few years, and we wanted a firsthand explanation on how build a company in the space. We’re going to be covering a number of topics in this episode, including how to learn from failures in the early days, how to fundraise, and some of the subtle nuances founders may want to know about the venture capital space.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Frich
Website: http://www.getfrich.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/frich-c962
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frichmoney/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frichmoney/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Seth Rosenberg is a Partner at Greylock.
We got the chance to sit down with him and speak about networking and how to break into new industries. It is a personal favourite of ours given how much advice and perspective he has for young professionals! It was a pleasure having him on the program.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Seth Rosenberg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SethGRosenberg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethrosenberg/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Paul Dix is the co-founder and CTO of Influx Data.
Paul is an industry veteran and a man of many accomplishments. Having created the company in 2013, it has amassed thousands of customers and is now 200 employees strong. Given his experience as a CTO and understanding of programming, we asked what advice he had for non-technical people.
Many people see learning to code as an impossible task, especially if you’re not a technical person. But as Paul Dix points out, anyone can do it! It all depends how motivated you are by the frustration. In other words, just starting is half the battle. It can be overwhelming given how much information there is out there and how can all look and sound the same to begin with. Here are some clear goals you can aim for when first trying languages out!
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Influx Data
Website: https://www.influxdata.com/
GitHub: https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/canix
Twitter: https://twitter.com/influxdb
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/influxdb/
Slack: https://influxcommunity.slack.com/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Janelle Tiulentino is the co-founder and CTO of Talendrop.
This episode is dedicated to showing just how important working hard is and how it can pay off. Janelle's life began in a small town, later moving to study at Stanford and is now working in Silicon Valley. We’re reminded by her remarks just how important it is to focus on the process and not the results. Everyone has a non-linear path unique to them, and the sooner we embrace that fact, the more successful we’ll be.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Talentdrop
Website: https://www.talentdrop.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/canix
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Talentdrop_Inc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talentdrop/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Ibrahim Irfan is the co-founder and CTO Superpowered.
A Canadian entrepreneur, he dropped out of the University of Waterloo to pursue his startup and was recently part of the W21 batch at Y Combinator.
Now residing in Toronto, we spoke at length as to what those early days were like, whether you should drop out, and the hard questions you should ask yourself before starting a company. Like many other founders we’ve interviewed, the path to entrepreneurship for this week's guest wasn’t always clear cut. What made the co-founder of Superpowered Ibrahim Irfan choose this path was not only the support of his network, but a desire to work on hard problems.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Superpowered
Website: https://superpowered.me/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/superpowered-d56c
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuperpoweredApp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpoweredapp
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superpoweredapp/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Elena Ponte is the co-founder and CEO of Zumo Labs.
The team you build is the company you build, and where that starts is with finding the right co-founder(s). Although one of the most important steps, it is often overlooked by other hotter topics such as securing funding or how to find product market fit.
But without the basics covered, the other steps just won’t matter.
Elena is a lawyer by trade, having worked in private practice as well as public policy positions at the United Nations. Her education is equally impressive, having recently received her LLB at the University of Washington. In our episode today, we talk about her unique take on how to build these relationships and the hard questions to ask upfront. For young professionals, we also discuss what employees should look for in a founding team.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with ZumoLabs
Website: https://www.zumolabs.ai/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zumo-labs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZumoLabs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zumolabs/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcU2Z8ArljfDzfq7SOz-ytQ/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Catherine Casuga is an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures.
She is an incredibly accomplished women, having spent close to 10 years recruiting and assembling world class teams at Google that worked on products we know and love like Google Earth and Google Maps. However, even with so much success, she revealed in our call how much she questioned whether her situation was just an anomaly or simply the product of good luck.
“At times, I didn’t even know how I ended up here, how I got this job, or why these people even believed in me” she said.
Imposters syndrome is incredibly difficult to deal with and it’s also one of the most common things high achieving individuals feel – always wondering if your best is good enough.
This is why we’re talking about it. Regardless of where you are in your career, realize that you’re not alone, and it will always be something that comes up from time to time. The goal shouldn’t be to avoid the feeling at all costs, but rather how address it in an effective manner so it doesn’t hinder your performance or life in other ways.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Catherine Casuga
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oneco0lcat
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinecasuga/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Fehintolu Olaogun is the co-founder and CEO of CredPal.
CredPal is an emerging fin-tech startup in Lagos, Nigeria. Our episode covers multiple topics, including the technology ecosystem in Africa, as well as recent milestones made by the team. Their team has received funding from Visa, Google, and Y Combinator. We feel incredibly lucky he's joining us on the program today.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with CredPal
Website: https://credpal.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/credpal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CredPal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credpal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/credpal
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Avisha Mehra is the Director of Executive Talent at Khosla Ventures.
Such topics related to culture and diversity are incredibly important to discuss and should be taken seriously for good reason. It was a pleasure to have someone as qualified as her speak to us about what her team has been doing to create a more inclusive Silicon Valley.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Avisha Mehra
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MehraAvisha
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avishamehra/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Preeti Shrimal is co-founder and CEO of Chaos Genius.
Many people see Silicon Valley as the haven of all thing’s technology. Preeti however is an example of how exceptional founders can be all over the world. Growing up in a small town in India, we talk about her non-linear path to entrepreneurship. She is a prime example of no matter where you find yourself, you can create a company that will change the world for the better.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Chaos GeniusÂ
Website: https://www.chaosgenius.io/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/chaos-genius
GitHub: https://github.com/chaos-genius
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaosgenius/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Austen Allred is the co-founder and CEO of Lambda School - rebranded to the Bloom Institute of Technology.
Lambda School is an online program that helps you break into the tech industry by teaching you how to code - and get your first software engineering job. Lambda is free until you get hired. In this episode, we discuss Austen own story of entrepreneurship and how his early beginnings molded him into who he is today.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Lambda School (rebranded to Bloom Institute of Technology)
Website: https://lambdaschool.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lambda-school
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lambdaschool
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/lambdaschool/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lambdaschool/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Brittani Dunlap is the co-founder and CEO of BrightReps - rebranded to FlowEQ.
Who is this non-male, non-technical, non-Ivey league founder? How did she not only get accepted to YCombinator but also lead rounds in raising money with prestigious venture capital firms like Tri-Valley and Roble Ventures? Why is she successful and how can you outsmart your imposters syndrome to be successful too? Let Brittani tell you her secrets.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with BrightReps (rebranded to FlowEQ)Â
Website: https://hello.brightreps.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/brightreps
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brightreps
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightreps
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Stacey Hronowski is the co-founder and CEO of Canix.
Given the complexities of regulation in the cannabis industry, Stacey and her team is solving this problem by providing an all in one ERP for all the daunting compliance required. In this episode, we dive into her personal takes on courage, motivation, and how to assemble a world class team.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Canix
Website: https://www.canix.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/canix
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getcanix/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getcanix/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getcanix
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. Â
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Kris Bennatti is the founder and CEO of Bedrock AI.
Bedrock AI is a software company that uses artificial intelligence and neuro-linguistic programming to extract red flags from financial statements. She is a Canadian entrepreneur with a background as a chartered accountant, and is an avid programmer and statistician.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Bedrock AI
Website: https://bedrock-ai.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bedrock-ai
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AiBedrock
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bedrock-ai/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Courtney McColgan is the founder of CEO of Runa.
Runa is a cloud-based payroll and human resources software for Latin American businesses. While most people are enamoured by the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, Courtney was the opposite. Growing up in this environment, she always longed a broader perspective. Having worked throughout Asia, she is now building her current company in Mexico City!
Connect with Runa
Website: http://runahr.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/runa-hr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/runahr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/runahr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runahr/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. Â
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.Â
Ali Jiwani is the co-founder and CEO of Rally Video.
A Canadian entrepreneur, Ali began Rally Video as a response to the lack of social interactions we were all experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. If Zoom is video for business, Rally is video for fun. We talk about all things startup related including some of the tougher questions related to being a founder.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Rally Video
Website: https://www.rally.video/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rallydotvideo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/rallydotvideo/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rallydotvideo
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Eve Halimi is the co-founder and CEO of Alinea.
Alinea is an investing app for the next generation of finance. Their program explains how each company makes money, how they treat their stakeholders, and their environmental impact. We discuss Eve's story in depth beginning with her experience coming from France to the United States. In addition, we talk about what she's learned from her previous ventures that has allowed her to succeed in her current role today.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Alinea
Website: https://alinea-invest.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/alinea-34ff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alineainvest_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alineainvest/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alineainvest/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Anada Lakra is the co-founder and CEO of BoldVoice.
It’s always a painful moment when you realize your English is not good enough. You try to listen, to repeat, but can’t. It sucks, but BoldVoice is here to solve it that. This platform helps non-native English speakers to improve their speaking skills through its speech and accent coaching app for iOS and Android devices. In this episode, we talk to Anada about her journey as an immigrant and what ultimately led to BoldVoice being created. We also dive into content recommendations for career progression and advice for immigrants looking to break into the tech space.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with BoldVoice
Website: https://www.boldvoice.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/boldvoice
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boldvoiceapp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boldvoice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boldvoiceapp/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Laura Hackney is the co-founder and CEO of AnnieCannons.
AnnieCannons is a company that help victims human trafficking and gender based violence to become computer programmers. Being the first non-profit on the program, we discuss this domain and how it differentiates from the private sector. Given the company's ambitious mission statement, Laura also touches on what it takes to be successful and how to stay level-headed both through the good and bad times.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with AnnieCannons
Website: https://anniecannons.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/anniecannons
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anniecannons
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anniecannons/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieCannons/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Kelly Kinnard is an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures.
In this episode, we talk about her career journey and how she broke into the Silicon Valley tech space. She has previously worked alongside the President of Oracle, and in the Venture Capital space at Riviera Partners and Battery Ventures.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Kelly Kinnard
Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/kelly-kinnard
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelly_kinnard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellykinnard/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
This episode continues our conversation with Arthur Cockfield, Associate Dean of the Queen's University Law School.
In Part 2, we discuss the transition of technology into the legal realm, including articles written by GPT-3, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the court system.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Arthur Cockfield
Website: http://arthurcockfield.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-cockfield-7a14725/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Arthur Cockfield is the Associate Dean at the Queen’s University Law School.
He is currently a tax law scholar and policy consultant for the Government of Canada. In Part 1, we speak about his transition out of corporate law into academia, and his ambitions as a father. Additionally, we hear first hand what Silicon Valley was like at the start of the internet boom, having interacted with name-worthy characters like Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Mark Andreessen.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Arthur Cockfield
Website: http://arthurcockfield.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-cockfield-7a14725/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
This episode continues our conversation with Dylan Lenz, co-founder and CEO of Naborly.
In Part 2, we discuss the differences between Canada and the United States, both culturally and in a business context. Dylan also speaks to his experience hiring with hiring, and the metrics he cares about most.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Naborly
Website: https://www.naborly.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/naborly
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naborly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naborly/Â
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Dylan Lenz is the co-founder and CEO of Naborly.
In Part 1, we discuss his upbringing and how it made him the person he is today. From a rural town just outside of Edmonton in Canada, we talk about how an optimistic and deterministic attitude created a complex that allowed him achieve incredible things. Raised by a single mother on welfare, he is a serial entrepreneur, having started two businesses with successful exits and now operates a credit bureau for the renting generation. He is a prime example of no matter where you start in life, with the right mindset and outlook, you can achieve anything.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Naborly
Website: https://www.naborly.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/naborly
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naborly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naborly/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Ian Burgess is the co-founder and President of the Validere.
A technical founder, he received his PhD from Harvard in Applied Physics in 2012 before beginning entrepreneurial endeavours. In this conversation, we speak about the future of tech and its potential impact on our lives in both positive and negative fashions.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Validere
Website: https://validere.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/validere-technologies
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Validere_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/validere/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Sohrab Haghighat is the co-founder and CEO of SpaceRyde.
Their team is the first company in over 2 decades to receive a launch permit from the Government of Canada. His incredible domain expertise is reflected in his previous roles and education, having worked at MERL and Cruise, as well as obtaining a PhD from the University of Toronto in Aerospace Engineering.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with SpaceRyde
Website: https://www.spaceryde.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spaceryde/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Space_Ryde
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkwaVkwEST4pt7O-6_JVFg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceryde/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Rowan Cockett is the co-founder and CEO of Curvenote.
Curvenote is the Google Docs for scientists and engineers. He is a serial entrepreneur, having founded 3 successful startups and led teams at unicorns such as Seequent ($1.05B exit in 2021). He also holds a PhD in Computational Geophysics from the University of British Columbia.Â
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with CurvenoteÂ
Website: https://curvenote.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/curvenote
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curvenote/
GitHub: https://github.com/curvenote
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Justin Bailie is the co-founder and CSO of Rose Rocket.
In this episode we speak about the Transportation Management Software (TMS) systems, but more importantly mindset. Coming from humble beginnings, Justin talks about his life before Rose Rocket, views on risk, and mentality when it comes to never giving up. Â
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Rose RocketÂ
Website: https://roserocket.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/rose-rocket
Twitter: https://twitter.com/roserocketapp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rose-rocket/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Farzi Yusufali is a co-founder and CEO of Stratum AI.
Stratum is an AI software for mining companies as an alternative to kriging. In this episode, we discuss mindset and perspective as an immigrant founder, deep tech, and her interactions with investors and regulators in the sector.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Stratum AI
Website: https://www.stratum.ai/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/stratumai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratumai/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Sarah Landstreet is the founder and CEO of Georgette Packaging.
Based in Waterloo, her company provides carbon neutral packaging for ambitious businesses. In our conversation, we discuss the Canadian regulatory environment with CPG’s, misinformation in the market, and what their experience at YC was like. Sarah blogs at www.knowyourpackaging.com.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with Georgette Packaging
Website: https://www.georgettepackaging.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/georgette-packaging
Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgettepack
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgette-packaging-inc-/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgettePackaging/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Colin Chartier is the co-founder and CEO of LayerCI - rebranded to Webapp.
In this episode, we talk about the biggest things to consider when starting a company, productivity management, and advice for non-technical people. Prior to his startup, Colin was the CTO of ParseHub and a triple major graduate in computer science, statistics, and applied mathematics from the University of Toronto.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with LayerCI (rebranded to Webapp)
Website: https://webapp.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/webappio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/webappio/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/webappio
GitHub: https://github.com/apps/webappio/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Chen Wang is the co-founder and CEO of Nototo.
Throughout this episode, we talk about the creative beginnings of his company and the mindset necessary to succeed in the startup world. Being recently backed by both YC and Podium, Chen discusses his experience with both organizations.
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with NototoÂ
Website: https://www.nototo.app/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NototoApp
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Colin Bramm is the co-founder and CEO of Showbie.
In this episode, we discuss his domain expertise in education, how he views achievements and milestones, as well as his talks with Apple's executive team. Â
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with ShowbieÂ
Website: https://www.showbie.com/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/showbie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/showbie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShowbieApp
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/showbieapp
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish.
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.
Andrew Dolinski is the co-founder and CEO of Jetdocs.Â
In this episode, we discuss his experience at YC, lessons learned from iterating software, and the importance of finding the right co-founder. Â
Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella.
Connect with JetdocsÂ
Website: https://jetdocs.io/
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/jetdocs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jetdocs/
We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. Â
For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.