DealMakers: Entrepreneur | Startups | Venture Capital

Todd McDonald is the cofounder of R3 which is financial innovation firm dedicated to the design and deployment of DLT to build the new operating system for financial services. The company has raised over $120 million from top tier investors including Intel Capital, Temasek Holdings, and 40 other top tier banks.

With his latest company valued at over $2.5 billion, Sweden's very own, Mattias Hjelmstedt, has an impressive record in the tech and gaming world. He's contributed significantly to the global e-sports industry, built a myriad of successful digital platforms, and made lasting impacts on the lives of millions of online users. His startup, Utopia Music, has attracted funding from top-tier investors l...

Kevin Frechette brought his sales experience to the startup world, and has built a highly successful venture in a massive industry. The startup, FairMarkit, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Highland Capital Partners, OMERS Growth Equity, GGV Capital, Insight Partners and ServiceNow.

Diego Caicedo is now championing his third industry in Latin America. He not only took his latest startup through an acquisition, but also bought it back, and raised $100M in capital in the process. The venture, KLYM, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like JP Morgan Chase and International Finance Corporation.

Amar Sawhney has built up an impressive record of startup exits. He’s created billion-dollar companies, sold some, and has taken others public. Now he’s heading up three startups at once. His startup, Rejoni, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Catalyst Health Ventures, Ascension Ventures, Delos Capital, and Sparta Group.

Bob van Luijt has gone from building websites in middle school to raising tens of millions of dollars for his tech startup. The venture, Weaviate, has acquired funding from top-tier investors like Index Ventures, Cortical Ventures, Zetta Venture Partners, and Battery Ventures.

BJ Johnson went from academia to launching a clean energy startup that has already raised $50M for its mission. The venture, ClearFlame Engine Technologies has acquir3ed funding from top-tier investors like Mercuria, Rio Tinto, WIND Ventures, and John Deere.

Jon Sabes is a serial entrepreneur who has built and scaled successful businesses by going public. Now he’s charting a new venture that could be much bigger. His startup, GWG Life, grew to a $500M valuation, with $3B in assets. Jon is now poised to start his next eagerly-awaited company, Longevity Partners.

Doug Brien has gone from success in the NFL to kicking his first business through a billion dollar IPO. Now he’s working on an even bigger vision to bring peace of mind to others, for which he’s already raised $200M. His startup, Mynd Management, has acquired funding from top-tier investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Invesco Real Estate, and Jackson Square.

Alexander Asseily has gone from being born in a war zone to creating breakthrough technologies that we use every day. The companies he’s been involved in have raised over $1B in capital, and he’s not done yet. His startup, Lilium, has attracted funding from top-tier investors Aceville, LGT, Atomico, and Lightrock.

Chase Garbarino has built, sold, and invested in startups since he was in fifth grade. Now he’s taking on the world’s largest asset class. His latest venture, HqO, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like JLL Spark, DivcoWest, Allegion Ventures, and Pagliuca Family Office.

Amar Kendale has already raised $70M for his latest venture. A healthtech startup focusing on a sizable, yet underserved niche, with big potential for impact. His startup, Homeward, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Breyer Capital, Glen Tullman, Human Capital, and Blackstone Group.

Lluís Cañadell chose to look a crisis in the face and turn it into a huge opportunity to leap into business as an entrepreneur. His startup, Treinta, attracted funding from top-tier investors like Rhombuz VC, Goodwater Capital, Luxor Capital, and Sherwin Gandhi.

Now on his third startup, Yannis Niebelschuetz has already raised tens of millions of dollars to scale his global mission of making coaching more accessible for entrepreneurs and their employees. His venture, CoachHub, has acquired funding from top-tier investors like Signals Venture Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures, Partech, and Speedinvest.

Steven Wongsoredjo chose a path and market that everyone else has been overlooking. A $200B TAM that he has already been making great headway in. His app, Super, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like TNB AURA, DN Capital, Dorsal Capital, and Softbank Ventures Asia.

Marcelo Lebre has engineered his way from being turned down for a $20k investment from a startup accelerator to raising half a billion dollars for his growing remote work platform. The venture, Remote, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like 9Yards Capital, Accel, Sequoia, Index Ventures, and SoftBank Vision Fund.

Rishi Mandal knows how to take a startup all the way from being birthed in the garage to being acquired for billions of dollars. The venture, Future, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Fitt Insider, Optum Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, and Trustbridge Partners.

L.D. Salmanson is a repeat entrepreneur who has been through spinoffs, acquisitions, and is now building his biggest company yet. His new venture, Cherre, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Mark Schwartz, Glilot Capital Partners, Trustbridge Partners, and Navitas Capital.

Yanda Erlich has now cofounder four venture backed startups. He’s been an angel investor, and a partner at a venture capital firm. Now he’s going at it again with a company that provides the best development tools for creating the next generation of software. His startup, Weights & Biases, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like NVIDIA, Insight Partners, Felicis Ventures, and Coatue...

Matthew Roberts has brought about one of the biggest revolutions in the coffee and beverage space that we’ve seen since the birth of Starbucks and the frappuccino. His startup, Cometeer, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Greycroft, D1 Capital, Elephant, and Tao Capital Partners.

Tanis Jorge seems to have come up with a magical recipe for consistently starting and selling businesses rapidly. Her last company raised over half a billion dollars through a Series D round. Now, she’s going even bigger with her latest company that aims to give back to the founder community and equip others to scale successful businesses. The venture, Cofounders Hub, has attracted funding from to...

Nick Tuzenko has now raised $170M for his startup which is acquiring ecommerce brands. His venture, Accel Club has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Flyer One Ventures, North Wall Capital, Flashpoint Venture Capital, and Redseed.

Vicente Zavarce has already raised tens of millions of dollars for his LA based startup that is expanding in Latin America, beyond the usual suspects of just Mexico and Brazil. The venture, Yummy, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Y Combinator Continuity Fund, Softbank Ventures Asia, Sovereign's Capital, and Ethos VC.

Svilen Rangelov and his brother have already raised tens of millions of dollars for their tech startup that has reinvented the supply chain. Their venture, Dronamics, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Speedinvest, European Union, Strategic Development Fund (SDF), and Founders Factory.

Gaurav Sharma has already started and sold multiple businesses. His latest venture is shaping up to be his largest venture so far. It has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Amit Agarwal, Allison Pickens, Sequoia Capital, and Base10 Partners.