Electrifying Growth

Ever wonder what separates a good leader from a great one, especially when it comes to scaling companies with purpose and people in mind? In this episode of Electrifying Growth, Chris Sugden sits down with Ray Lane , former President and COO of Oracle, longtime board member at Carnegie Mellon, and a partner at venture firm GreatPoint Ventures . With experience at IBM, Oracle, and Kleiner Perkins,...

Chris Sugden , Managing Partner at Edison Partners , discusses the mindset shift from growth at all costs to profitable expansion. Drawing from real-time boardroom conversations and Edison's Growth Index data, Chris explains how founders are navigating the new cost of capital and adjusting strategies to stay in control. From pricing models to retention metrics, he walks through what defines a dura...

John Hope Bryant , Chairman, and CEO of Operation Hope , brings a powerful vision to Electrifying Growth, shaped by years of championing financial literacy and economic inclusion in America. Recognized by leaders across the nation, John understands the challenges at both the grassroots and boardroom levels that influence opportunity. The conversation highlights America's unique position in the wor...

Chris Sugden , Managing Partner at Edison Partners , shares a clear message for growth-stage CEOs in 2025: focus on what you can control, and build for durability. In this solo episode, Chris breaks down insights from Edison's annual meeting and latest Growth Index report to explain why sustainable, cash-efficient businesses are outperforming those chasing headline valuations. From managing invest...

Cam Doody , co-founder of Brickyard , has built his career by focusing on grit and strategic thinking. His path began with Bellhop, a service that redefined moving, and later evolved into Brickyard, a venture studio dedicated to supporting real builders. Brickyard's model stands apart from most early-stage firms, emphasizing focus, commitment, and the hard work needed to scale sustainably. Cam tal...

Personal brand building isn't just for influencers. It's a reality every founder faces, whether they like it or not. In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, unpacks the relationship between personal branding and company growth. Chris explores what it really means for founders to have a "brand," how it can either support or stunt a business, and why ego often becomes a s...

Dee Choubey , Founder and CEO of MoneyLion , has spent the last 12 years building one of fintech's most recognizable platforms. But his path wasn't linear. It was shaped by market shifts, strategic pivots, and a deep commitment to using technology to empower everyday consumers. What started as a fintech lender became a multi-product platform, offering everything from banking and investing to educa...

Raising capital isn't always the win it seems. In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, challenges the belief that funding fuels innovation. He explores how too much capital can create inefficiencies, dilute focus, and lead to valuation-driven decision-making that hurts more than it helps. Chris shares insights from decades of investing in bootstrapped and capital-effici...

This re-release of Electrifying Growth brings back an essential conversation with host (at) Chris Sugden from Edison Partners and (at) Amy Kadomatsu, Former CEO and Board Member of Comply, a leader in regulatory technology (RegTech) helping firms navigate compliance with confidence. Amy's career journey is a masterclass in resilience, leadership, and transformation. From investment banking to entr...

A well-structured board can be a game-changer for CEOs, but too often, it's an underutilized resource. In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, challenges the conventional thinking around boards and shares how CEOs can turn them into a strategic advantage. Chris breaks down why independent directors often provide more value than investor-heavy boards, how to avoid the co...

Steven Raucher, CEO and Founder of RapidDeploy, knows what it takes to build, scale, and successfully exit a company. But his journey wasn't just about financial success, it was about impact, resilience, and staying true to the mission. 8 years ago, Steven set out to transform public safety technology, determined to make emergency response faster and more effective. He faced the brutal realities o...

Lorne Brown, Edison Director Network Member and Founder of Lenora Health, has built and sold companies, created markets, and now he's tackling one of the biggest problems in the U.S.—corporate healthcare.   A longtime entrepreneur, Lorne founded Operative, a leading digital advertising platform, before selling it to private equity and launching Front Stage Ventures, a venture studio designed to sc...

This re-release of Electrifying Growth brings back an essential conversation with host Chris Sugden from Edison Partners and Megan Glover, co-founder and CEO of 120Water, a trailblazing platform tackling water quality and compliance issues across the U.S. Originally launched in 2016, 120Water started with a simple idea: direct-to-consumer water testing kits to empower households. Under Megan's lea...

2025 is here, and with it comes a mix of cautious optimism and strategic challenges for entrepreneurs and business leaders. In this solo episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, dives into his perspectives on the evolving business landscape, offering actionable advice for the year ahead. Chris explores the renewed optimism in sectors like FinTech, spurred by regulatory shifts an...

In this episode, Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, is joined by Jim Dicso, Founder and Managing Partner at Shoreline SAAS Advisory, and Patrick O'Keefe, Founder at Moher Advisory, to share their wisdom on transforming sales into a structured and scalable process. Together, they share their wisdom on how founders and early sales teams can build scalable go-to-market strategies with...

Booms, busts, and the "messy middle" - Chris has seen it all. In this solo episode, host Chris Sugden, Managing Partner at Edison Partners, shares his journey of over 25 years from auditor to operator to investor. His operator-first approach and hands-on perspective have helped countless businesses scale effectively, bridging the gap between financial acumen and the human dynamics of entrepreneurs...

How can limited partners play a more strategic role beyond capital? Michelle McKinnon, a senior portfolio manager in alternative investments at Loews Corporation, sits down with Chris Sugden to share how to think about the role investors can play in helping companies grow.  Together, Chris and Michelle dive into the nuances of being an effective limited partner. From their conversation, you'll und...

Can you drive growth without losing sight of the human side of business? Shane Kim, Founder, Baleon Capital and Fingercheck Board Member, says yes. With over 20 years in growth equity, he's built his investment approach around empathy and connection—putting people first. From his early days as an analyst to co-founding Baleon, Shane has focused on fintech and healthcare, navigating market cycles a...

In this episode of Electrifying Growth, we explore how leadership transitions can amplify growth in founder-led companies. Joel Kohn, founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Fingercheck, shares his journey of bootstrapping his HR and payroll software company. Now, with CEO Dan Kazan on board, Fingercheck is ready to take on its next growth phase with fresh perspectives and a scalable vision. Joel an...

Are you wanting to grow, but wondering if your leadership team is aligned for success? This re-release of Electrifying Growth dives into the critical link between leadership and company performance, especially in high-growth environments. Our guest is Julie Moore, Director at YSC Consulting, part of Accenture's leadership and culture group. With over a decade of experience in leadership strategy,...

What if I told you the most effective growth equity partners prioritize relationships and empathy over everything?  Meet Barry Conlon, CEO and founder of Overhaul, a supply chain security and visibility solutions leader. With over three decades of experience, Barry brings a distinct blend of strategic thinking, hands-on leadership, and empathy to the conversation. His military service experience i...

Yusuf Qasim , President of the Payments Optimization Business at Zelis , is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over 20 years in healthcare. In their conversation, Chris Sugden , Managing Partner at Edison Partners , and Yusuf discuss his journey from starting his first business at 16 to co-founding and leading successful companies in the healthcare payments sector. In this episo...

Panos Adamopoulos , the Founder and CEO of Seismos Inc. , is an experienced entrepreneur and CEO passionate about high-growth ventures. In today's conversation, we explore Panos's entrepreneurial journey, his service to his country, and the future of digitization in the infrastructure in the United States, especially something as important as the oil and gas industry. Host Chris Sugden , Managing...

David F. Eisner is a Wall Street executive, high-growth CEO, and entrepreneur with a remarkable journey from lawyer to banker at Jefferies & Company, where he helped grow the firm's market cap from $100 million to $2 billion, to starting his own company with Idealab. David brings a wealth of experience that stretches from hands-on entrepreneurship to navigating roles at high levels of government....

Louise Hill is the founder and CEO of UK GoHenry , a pioneering app that focuses on providing financial education to children. Under her leadership, GoHenry has grown to serve over 2 million users in the US and the UK, merged with Acorns to expand into Europe, and acquired Pixpay in 2022. Louise, a top female fundraiser and influential advocate for financial education, has raised over $100 million...