Great Entrepreneurs with RJ Lumba

In this episode, we speak with Irina Denisenko, Co-Founder and CEO of Knox Systems, a government cloud security and compliance company helping SaaS and AI providers meet FedRAMP requirements so they can sell into U.S. federal agencies. FedRAMP is the cybersecurity standard required for cloud software to handle sensitive government data. Knox shortens the path by bringing companies into its FedRAMP...

In this episode, we speak with Hans Keirstead, Chairman of the Board at Immunis, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing stem cell-derived biologics to address age-related diseases and immune dysfunction. Immunis’ investigational therapy, IMM01-STEM, is a stem cell-derived secretome designed to modulate immune health and improve muscle mass and function, with initial clinical work focuse...

In this episode, we speak with Jamie Hale, CEO and Co-Founder of Ladder, an insurtech company focused on making life insurance faster and easier to purchase online. Ladder offers a digital application experience built around speed and simplicity, with real-time underwriting that can result in on-the-spot coverage and a process designed to be completed from home. Jamie co-founded Ladder in 2015 aft...

In this episode, we speak with Ryan Stroker, Founder and CEO of Avenue One, a technology platform that connects institutional debt and equity capital with local real estate operators investing in single-family rental housing. Avenue One uses data, analytics, and underwriting technology to support acquisitions, financing, renovations, and asset management, enabling institutions to deploy capital mo...

In this episode, we speak with Brad Stroh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Achieve, a digital personal finance company focused on helping consumers manage, reduce, and resolve debt. Achieve operates a multi-product platform that includes debt resolution, personal loans, home equity lending, and financial education tools designed to support consumers across different stages of financial health. The compan...

In this episode, we speak with Mike Suiters, Co-Founder and CEO of Positive Development, a provider of developmental therapy for children with autism. Founded in 2020, the company offers a comprehensive model that integrates speech, occupational, and mental health therapies, serving more than 1,000 families nationwide.  Positive Development has become the nation’s largest provider of developmental...

In this episode, we speak with Renaud Laplanche, Co-Founder and CEO of Upgrade, a consumer fintech company offering credit, banking, and payment products designed to help customers manage debt more effectively. Since launching in 2017, Upgrade has helped more than 7.5 million consumers access over $42 billion in credit through personal loans, credit cards, and checking accounts. The platform focus...

In this episode, we speak with Snejina Zacharia, Founder and CEO of Insurify, a virtual insurance agent that uses AI and real-time integrations to help consumers compare, purchase, and manage their insurance policies. Insurify partners with hundreds of carriers and serves tens of millions of quotes each year across auto, home, pet, and renters insurance. Its platform enables consumers to receive a...

In this episode, we speak with Doug Ricket, Founder and CEO of PayJoy, a mission-driven credit provider operating across emerging markets. PayJoy serves customers who lack formal credit history by using patented secured-credit technology, point-of-sale financing, and credit cards designed to open a pathway into the modern financial system. The company has deployed more than $3 billion to over 17 m...

In this episode, we speak with Melbourne O’Banion, Co-Founder and CEO of Bestow, an insurtech company that builds the software infrastructure life insurers use to digitize operations, launch products, and modernize underwriting and policy administration. Bestow partners with major carriers, providing technology and data solutions that streamline processes from origination through back-end administ...

In this episode, we speak with Taylor Matthews, Co-Founder and CEO of Farther, a wealth management firm that combines experienced advisors with advanced technology to deliver a more comprehensive service for high-net-worth clients. Farther has grown quickly, now managing over $5 billion in assets through more than 100 advisors serving thousands of clients nationwide. Taylor co-founded Farther in 2...

In this episode, we speak with Andrew Feldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Cerebras Systems, a company developing high-performance AI compute infrastructure for training and inference. Cerebras is known for its Wafer Scale Engine—currently the largest processor built for AI—and for its CS-3 systems, which can be clustered into some of the world’s largest AI supercomputers. Enterprises, research institut...

In this episode, we speak with Melissa Solis, CEO of Inbenta, an AI customer experience platform used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide. Founded in 2005, Inbenta offers a suite of Conversational AI tools—including Chat, Search, Assist, Knowledge, and Learn—that help enterprises automate user interactions, improve support workflows, and serve customers across 100+ languages. Melissa brings mor...

In this episode, we speak with Alex Bouzari, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of DataDirect Networks (DDN), a company specializing in large-scale data infrastructure for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. DDN has supported over 500,000 GPUs and has enabled tens of exabytes of data across enterprise AI, analytics, and research workloads. Its technology underpins critical operation...

Today, we speak with Andrew Adams, Founder and CEO of Headway, a platform building a new mental healthcare system by making it simple for therapists to accept insurance and for patients to find affordable care. Andrew comes to the problem first as a patient and then as a builder, grounding the company’s mission in lived experience and a focus on practical fixes to cost and access. Founded in 2019,...

This episode is brought to you by The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Jean-Louis Warnholz, Co-Founder and CEO of Future, a fintech building the most rewarding way to pay in the sustainable economy, incentivizing consumers to make climate-friendly purchases and support the shift toward a low-carbon futur...

This episode is brought to you by The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Alex Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Truewind, an AI-powered platform that automates bookkeeping and financial modeling for accounting firms. By focusing on complex accrual accounting tasks—such as prepaid expenses, fixed assets, and defer...

This episode is brought to you by The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Pushkar Mukewar, Founder and CEO of Drip Capital, a fintech transforming trade finance and facilitation for small and medium-sized businesses. Drip provides working capital solutions that allow exporters and manufacturers to access cr...

This episode is brought to you by The Software Report, a leading information source on software companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Prem Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of Humanly, an AI-powered recruiting platform that helps hiring teams streamline sourcing, automate candidate screening, and simplify interview scheduling, while keeping essential conversations truly human-driven. Prem brings o...

This episode is brought to you by The Healthcare Technology Report, a leading information source on healthcare technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Vicky Demas, Founder and CEO of identifeye HEALTH, a company leveraging AI-driven retinal imaging to quickly and non-invasively detect diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular risk, and early neurodegeneration. Vicky brings over two dec...

This episode is brought to you by The Healthcare Technology Report, a leading information source on healthcare technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Nima Roohi Sefidmazgi, CEO and Co-Founder of Blooming Health, a SaaS-enabled marketplace helping community organizations and social workers deliver essential services—from food and housing to transportation and prescription support....

This episode is brought to you by The Software Report, a leading information source on software companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Anis Bennaceur, Co-Founder and CEO of Attention, an AI-native sales platform that turns conversations into insights and automates CRM updates, follow-ups, and real-time coaching. Anis is a self-taught coder and product builder with experience leading growth...

This episode is brought to you by The Financial Technology Report, a leading information source on financial technology companies and solutions. Today, we speak with Max Goldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Carefull, an AI-powered financial safety platform helping families protect aging loved ones from fraud, scams, and money mistakes.  Max is a seasoned product leader with a track record in building an...

In this episode, we speak with Andrei Georgescu, Co-Founder and CEO of Vivodyne, a biotechnology company accelerating drug discovery by testing treatments on lab-grown 3D human tissues. Andrei co-founded Vivodyne in 2020 after recognizing the limitations of animal testing in predicting human outcomes. He brings deep expertise in tissue engineering, robotics, and AI, with prior work that includes s...

In this episode, we speak with Kimberlie Le, Co-Founder and CEO of Prime Roots, a sustainable protein company using koji fungi mycelium to craft meat and seafood alternatives that nourish both people and the planet. A lifelong food lover and the daughter of a chef, Kim studied agricultural microbiology at UC Berkeley and became a passionate food systems innovator. She’s a member of the Institute o...