The VentureFizz Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 237: Sean Duffy - Co-Founder & CEO, Omada Health Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

There’s so much going on in the healthcare industry. It is truly a transformative time that spans across the full spectrum whether it’s advancements in medicine, operational improvements, and more, there is obviously no shortage of innovation and an opportunity to make a meaningful impact. Thus, I always get excited when I get a chance to interview an entrepreneur who is scaling a company in this industry. Omada Health has raised over $250M in venture captial funding and they are on a mission to help people make significant, lifelong changes through incremental steps. They are making it possible for people with chronic conditions to achieve long term improvements in their health and we get into the weeds in terms of how they are accomplishing this very meaningful cause. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Sean’s full background story including his time working in the healthcare industry, Google, IDEO, and a side hustle business that still operates today. * His fascination with building out ideas and how it led him down the path of becoming an entrepreneur. * All the details on Omada Health and how they are making a difference in the healthcare industry, push the complexity of their business model. * A look at their Series D round of funding and growth plans ahead. * Hiring advice when scaling your company. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 236: Lori Cashman - Managing General Partner, Victress Capital Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

A disproportionate amount of capital invested into companies does not go to gender diverse teams and it’s a problem. It’s a problem and an issue that I’ve brought up multiple times in this podcast as I hope the continuous awareness of this issue creates a positive impact over time. Based on Lori’s background and the focus on her firm, it was a perfect opportunity to find out if we are making some level of progress in terms of capital fundraising for gender diverse companies. We kick off our interview on this topic and we address a recent report from Pitchbook that shares some positive statistics from this year in terms of company exits, funding activity, and unicorn valuations for women-led startups… but as you’ll hear… there’s still a long way to go. Victress Capital is working to address this issue with a focused on investing in early-stage consumer startups with gender diverse teams. The firm recently announced its second fund and portfolio company examples include companies like Daily Harvest (which was recently valued at over $1B), Droplette, Summersalt, Alyce, and many others. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Lori’s background story and how she transitioned into an investor role, then co-founded a private equity firm called Lineage Capital. * What led Lori and her partner, Suzanne Norris, down the path of starting Victress Capital. * All the details on the firm in terms of the size of their fund, stage of investing, and how they evaluate startups. * Advice on building a consumer company and why you should focus on retention versus paid acquisition. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 235: Billy Libby - Co-Founder & CEO, Upper90 Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

On Upper90’s website you’ll find the following phrase: It’s not how much you raise… it’s how much you own. It’s a very compelling statement that makes a ton of sense, yet every day in the world of tech news, there’s a concentration on the size of the round and company’s valuation. Wouldn’t it be cool if they also reported how much of the company the founders still own? Since the entrepreneurs are the ones taking the most risk, shouldn’t we celebrate their ownership stake instead? Upper90 is working on solving this exact challenge as the firm aims to help founders keep more of their ownership by potentially delaying or even skipping their Series A round of funding. They do this by leveraging alternative forms of financing, like debt, to provide the capital for the company’s growth. The firm is focused on eCommerce and fintech businesses and have been first investors in companies like Thrasio, Clearbanc, and several others. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Common mistakes that founders make as it relates to equity and fundraising. * Billy’s background story in terms of time at Wharton and his experience in the financial services industry which focused on building electronic trading businesses and exchanges. * What led him and his Co-Founder, Jason Finger, down the path of creating Upper90. * All the details on their investment thesis and how their model works. * Hiring advice for founders on building out your initial leadership team for a company. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

How The Great Resignation Will Shape The Future Of Work Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Meisha-ann Martin, Director, People Analytics at Workhuman, joined us to discuss how the great resignation will shape and impact the future of the workforce. As part of this webinar, we covered: * What is The Great Resignation and why does it matter? * Details from Workhuman's survey & Bureau of Labor statistics. * Why are people looking for a new opportunity? * More details on the type of flexibility employees are looking for these days. * Impact on DEI * What can companies do to reduce turnover? * And more!

Episode 233: Ryan Neu - Founder & CEO, Vendr Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

The negotiation dance… some might enjoy it, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most people probably don’t, especially when it comes to purchasing software. It’s like a known fact that if you wait until the end of the quarter, you’ll likely get a better rate versus if you purchase the same product at the beginning of the quarter. It was Ryan’s experience in sales that opened his eyes to this challenge in the industry and realized that there must be a better way. A better way with transparent pricing and a frictionless buying experience which also saves you money. Enter Vendr, the SaaS buying platform that is changing how companies buy and renew SaaS. With over $300+ million in SaaS purchases across over 1,000 suppliers, the Vendr SaaS buying platform enables the world’s fastest-growing companies to purchase SaaS, without friction and at a fair price. The company recently announced a $60M Series A round of funding led by Tiger Global. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Why is it important for entrepreneurs to think big about their business starting day one. * How Ryan transitioned into a career in sales at SCVNGR, then HubSpot where he worked his way into a leadership role and then led enterprise sales at InVision. * All of the details on Vendr including their massive growth, hiring, culture, and funding. * What his experience at Y Combinator taught him. * Advice for entrepreneurs on hiring and structuring their sales team. * And so much more! If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 232: Tiffany Kelly - Co-Founder & CEO, Curastory Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

The world of sports and media has been radically changing. Not to date myself, but I remember back in college, it seemed like ESPN was continuously on. It was our go-to for breaking news and SportsCenter gave us the scores and highlights from the day prior. Now, you go to Twitter and other social media outlets if you need to find out what happened or to catch the highlights from a game. As part of this evolution, athletes are building their own personal brands and engaging with their fans through social media. Even college athletes can now earn money from their name, image, and likeness. Tiffany’s experience in the sports industry gave her a front row view of where things were heading. She discovered a need in the market to build a company around this trend. If athletes are now content creators, they need an easy way to create this content and once they build up a following, they need an easy way to monetize it. Thus, Curastory was born. A video creation and monetization platform that is initially targeting athletes, but the company certainly has ambitious plans to eventually grow to other categories. Curastory recently announced a new $2.1M round of funding which included Lightspeed, Techstars, Randi Zuckerberg, and others. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * A discussion around the evolution of sports and media. * Tiffany’s background growing and how she discovered the world of sports analytics. * All the details on her role as part of the Sports Analytics team at ESPN and the origination of the Fan Happiness Index. * The aha moment that led Tiffanny down the path of starting Curastory and the company’s progress to date. * Advice for diverse founders on raising capital. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 231: Lars Albright - Co-Founder & CEO, SessionM Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Lars is a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, as he has built companies to capitalize on the growth of mobile adoption. It’s a fun discussion and a nice trip down mobile memory lane, like remember when you would get billed by your mobile carrier if you purchased a ring-tone? Not only has Lars had successful exits but his last two companies have been acquired by two world-class organizations: Apple and Mastercard. Thus, he shares some great stories, including some insights into the negotiation process with Steve Jobs, which does not disappoint! For Mastercard, the acquisition has been a massive success, as the company is rapidly expanding this division in Boston with a new 25,000 sq ft state-of-the-art office space in Post Office Square and the Data & Services team is hiring across the board. They are also investing back into the local tech ecosystem through various charitable initiatives such as TUGG, Build Boston, Girls4Tech with the Red Sox Foundation, and more. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * A discussion around the key factors that Lars looks for when deciding to go all-in on an idea for a business. * His background growing up and the details on his first startup which was a photo-sharing app and how he later get involved with the team at m-Qube. * All the details around Quattro Wireless and how the company disrupted the mobile web. * Building SessionM and the tough decision to pivot a successful business which led to its ultimate acquisition by Mastercard. * Lars’ experience as an investor and how it benefits him in terms of learning. * Hiring advice for building out your team at an early-stage company. And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 230: Ankith Harathi - Co-Founder & CEO, Macro Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

It’s a Zoom world that we are living in these days as it relates to meetings. Yes, Zoom became a verb and the company experienced insane levels of growth from the pandemic… but let’s face it, the future of work has also changed with most companies embracing remote work and the world of online meetings are here to stay. So, if this is the way of the world, shouldn’t your online meeting experience and profile look a lot more personalized and meaningful? Ankith thinks so and the company just launched their new Zoom client for creatives where you can remove the barriers to true self expression and bring the full you. Macro raised over $4M last year with tier-A investors. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Tips for running a successful and inclusive online meeting. * Ankith’s background and his experience with a startup before going back to school to pursue an MBA/MS at Harvard, which is where he met his Co-Founder, John Keck. * A deep dive into the creation of Macro and the different iterations of the product to where it is today. * A product demo of Macro where he shares lots of the core features, which you can also find on YouTube. * Why a company should have three different versions of their pitch deck when raising funding. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 229: Natalya Bailey - CTO & Co-Founder, Accion Systems Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

I’m excited that there is a renewed interest in space and new goals that seem aggressive, like traveling to Mars for example. But as we’ve witnessed in the past, when the most brilliant and ambitious people work on a challenge, the improbable becomes probable. Natalya is one of these pioneers, who as a child dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She actually applied to NASA twice but was unfortunately denied. Instead, she is using her brilliant mind to build a company in the space industry, which has turned out to be perfect timing because of this renewed interest in space and also the rapid growth of the satellite industry. According to The Hustle, there are about 6,000 satellites in orbit and that number is expected to grow to 50,000 by 2030. Accion Systems is redefining space mobility with the world’s most advanced ion electrospray in-space propulsion systems. To put it simply, the company has built ground breaking technology which helps satellites maneuver while in orbit. The company recently announced a $42M Series C round of funding led by Tracker Capital. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * A discussion around the space industry, the mission to Mars, and civilian space travel. * Natalya’s academic career which ultimately led her down the path to pursue her PhD studies at the MIT Space Propulsion Lab. * The full founding story of Accion Systems with her Co-Founder, Louis Perna, and all the details on their revolutionary product. * How they went about getting traction and raising capital. * Lessons learned from building a company in the space industry. * Natalya’s role as an investor with XFactor Ventures which invests in female funded companies. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Episode 228: Sara Zulkosky - Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Recast Capital Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

For this podcast, I’ve interviewed lots of Venture Capitalists, who talk about their portfolio of investments in companies, but where does this capital come from? When a VC firm announces it’s latest fund of $100M or $1B, who is providing this capital? Well, It’s typically pension funds, university endowment funds, family offices, or high net worth individuals. The investors in these funds are called Limited Partners or LP’s for short and they are the end client for a VC that is ultimately expecting a return on the capital that has been allocated to a fund. Thus, I was excited to speak with Sara, who has a lot of experience in the venture industry as an LP and her current firm Recast Capital is a fund of funds, meaning she has raised her own fund that in return provides capital to VC firms. The firm’s strategy is to invest in and empower emerging managers in venture with a focus on diverse partnerships. The goal of the firm is to provide exceptional returns by investing in diverse emerging venture managers. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Is the VC industry making progress in terms of having more diversity? * Sara’s educational background and her experience joining an early stage startup and how her career progressed over this period of time. * How Sara transitioned into the investment side of the equation and her experience at CNF Investments & Greenspring Associates. * What led Sara and her Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Courtney McCrea, down the path of starting Recast Capital and how they go about making investments into VC funds. * Details on how the VC industry works and how to get a venture capital fund started. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

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