The VentureFizz Podcast

Episode 423 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Sasha Hoffman, Partner at Remus Capital. I first met Sasha over ten years ago, when she was the Chief Operating Officer at Piaggio Fast Forward. VentureFizz helped cover the launch of Gita, the cargo carrying robot named Gita. Thus, this interview was long overdue and I was excited to interview Sasha as her career has been so prolific. Chapters: 00:0...

Episode 422 of The VentureFizz Podcast features David Fialkow, Co-Founder & Managing Director of General Catalyst. Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, philanthropist, and Oscar winner - those are just a few of the words that describe David’s legendary career. As you’ll hear from this interview, he emphasizes the importance of storytelling, which he originally learned from filmmaking, but it goes bey...

Episode 421 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Harris Stolzenberg, Partner at Pear VC. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn and in my travels, I love discovering individuals who are local to the Boston area but are perhaps working for a meaningful company that is headquartered elsewhere. This is what happened when I stumbled on Harris’ profile - I stopped and thought to myself… wait, Pear has an inv...

Episode 420 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Megan Lanham, CEO & Co-Founder of Rithmm. The betting industry has exploded over recent years. Apps like Kalshi now make it possible to bet on pretty much anything, like what companies will go public this year or where the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding will take place… but, let’s face it… this industry is driven by sports betting. Last year,...

Episode 419 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Chip Hazard, General Partner at Flybridge. Before we get into the details of Chip’s career, I have to call out a random fun fact: Chip is the only VC with his own action figure, yes – it’s true. There’s a DreamWorks animated movie called Small Soldiers. The lead character is named Chip Hazard, voiced by Tommy Lee Jones. As you’ll hear in this episode...

Episode 418 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Jeff Glass, Co-Founder & CEO of Hometap. Jeff’s track record is pretty amazing, yet he is incredibly humble. As both an entrepreneur and an investor, he has…in my opinion… earned a spot as one of the top builders in the Boston tech ecosystem. While success always requires the right market timing and a great team, you also need a leader who truly thri...

Episode 417 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Rob Hughes, Co-Founder of Koo Capital. If you haven’t met Rob yet… you should. He is one of the personalities behind the Boston tech scene and he is doing his part to bring the extra energy and buzz that is brewing in addition to initiatives like the Massachusetts AI Coalition. We need more Rob’s, as he has a big personality and it’s only fitting tha...

Episode 416 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Colin Raney, Co-Founder & CEO of Ray. Here’s a "did you know - fun fact” for you. Studies show that 90 minutes of strength training a week adds four years to your lifespan! Who knew??? At least I didn’t, until I was doing research for this podcast. I have to admit, I have a pretty good workout routine while I’m home between cardio and lifting dumbbel...

Episode 415 of The VentureFizz #podcast features Parker McKee, Partner at Pillar. “When you work really hard… good things come out on the other side.” - Parker McKee. Parker is a perfect example of this mindset - a mantra that I firmly believe in. When Parker has a goal in his sights, he’s going to put in the time to get there. He’s proven this time and time again, and the results speak for themse...

Episode 414 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Lou Shipley, CEO, board director, lecturer, investor, and now author. Every company has an entrepreneur behind it. It sounds obvious, but we often fall into the trap of thinking those founders are all 20-somethings building tech startups. The data says otherwise. Research from MIT Sloan found that the average age of a successful, high-growth founder...

Episode 413 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Scott Savitz, Founder and Managing Partner of Data Point Capital and Founder & former CEO of Shoebuy.com which is now known as Shoes.com. In my opinion, Boston doesn’t give itself enough credit, especially when it comes to consumer brands. It’s the home to consumer icons like Bose, SharkNinja, Dunkin, TJX, and many more. But if you look at the footwe...

Episode 412 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Nick Leonard, CEO & Co-Founder of VoiceRun. Is voice finally having its moment? For years, it felt like the "promised land" that never quite arrived. But things are different in 2026, in many ways, and from what I’ve noticed is a shift in consumer behavior where voice is becoming the primary interface.  Maybe it’s because the technology is so much be...

Episode 411 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Madeleine Smith, CEO & Co-Founder of Civic Roundtable. We all know that building a startup is incredibly hard. But building a startup for the government sector? Many would say that’s insanely hard. The reputation of slow-moving bureaucracies, limited budgets, and legacy tech is enough to scare off most founders. However, where others see obstacles, e...

Episode 410 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Paul Holder, CEO & Co-Founder of OnRamp.us. I’ve been working with startups since 1998—that’s nearly 28 years now! Since the beginning, I’ve noticed the massive impact that startups can have on one's career. Take Paul… who joined an early-stage startup called Troops, which was later acquired by Salesforce. During his tenure there and at a software co...

Episode 409 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Ilia Papas, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Band and Blue Apron. Do you know what the enchilada factor is? Probably not… unless you were part of the Blue Apron team that created a national brand and one of the pillar companies in the meal-kit food delivery category that ultimately went public. In this interview, Ilia shares the inside look at t...

Episode 408 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Matt Fates, Partner at Innospark Ventures. Did you know that the first modern venture capital firm was started right here in the Boston area? It’s true. Back in 1946, Georges Doriot founded the American Research and Development Corporation (ARDC), marking the birth of an industry that has fueled the entrepreneurial dream for nearly 80 years. Matt Fat...

Episode 407 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Seth Rosen, Founder & CEO of CustomMade. A common theme that you’ll hear throughout this interview is the importance of resiliency. Sure - the media loves the story of the latest company that has achieved $100M ARR in a month (I’m obviously kidding), but the overwhelming majority of businesses are a grind. It’s about taking a bunch of punches, gettin...

Episode 406 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Bill Simmons, serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Orbit.me and DataXu. I’m going to use the cliché: Bill actually is a rocket scientist. His background is in aerospace engineering, he holds a PhD from MIT, and he worked on 13 space missions. In addition, he was part of a major Government competition for simulating options for space travel to Mars....

Episode 405 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. The terms 'narrow' and 'growth' seem to contradict each other, yet in Ed’s mind, the two concepts go hand-in-hand. Based on his experience, true scaling doesn't always mean adding new products or wildly expanding into new industries. It can be a huge challenge to say "no" to new opportunities when the goal is increased...

Episode 404 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Ben Sesser, CEO & Co-Founder of BrightHire. Well this is a first… It’s common to time my podcast interview around a milestone for a company like a funding announcement. But, this is the first time that in the span between my interview with the founder to the publishing date that the company announced its acquisition. Last week, BrightHire announced t...

Episode 403 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Nick Ornitz and Shannon Kay, Co-Founders of Topline Pro. Make something people want is the motto behind Y Combinator. It sounds simple, yet so many founders miss this fundamental requirement. Topline Pro is a perfect case study in getting it right. They didn't fall victim to early false positives; instead, they listened, experimented, and successfull...

Episode 402 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Aaron Sekhri, CEO & Co-Founder of Le Walk. Most apps are trying to get you to stare at your phone and create a stickiness factor for doomscrolling. Yet, Le Walk wants you to look up and take in the world. If you have ever experienced a group tour for a museum or some other historical location, it can be a crap shoot and for me, even with the best tou...

Episode 401 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Nicole Phillips-Bastian of Qatch. This episode was recorded live at Startup Boston Week at Suffolk University which is the third year that I’ve hosted it onsite. Thank you to Stephanie Roulic for the invitation, as it’s a lot of fun and great to be involved in such a meaningful conference. And, since it was hosted live, this episode is audio only and...

Episode 400 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Rylan Hamilton, CEO & Co-Founder of Blue Water Autonomy. Episode 400! It’s another milestone episode. On November 2, 2017, I published the first episode of The VentureFizz Podcast. My first 11 episodes were an experiment where I interviewed talent acquisition leaders. Christina Luconi was my first guest. Thank you Christina! After seeing the potentia...

Episode 399 of The VentureFizz Podcast features Luisa Herrmann, Founder & CEO of AINovva. This episode was recorded live at Startup Boston Week at Suffolk University which is the third year that I’ve hosted it onsite. Thank you to Stephanie Roulic for the invitation as it’s a lot of fun and great to be involved in such a meaningful conference. And, since it was hosted live, this episode is audio o...