Growth Capital Podcast

👤 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 59 👤 What happens when the skills that built the company start to limit its growth? In this episode of Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Jason Putnam, CEO of Vetty, to explore one of the most challenging transitions in building a company: transitioning from founder-led control to scalable leadership. Jason shares hard-earned lessons from...

🏷️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 58 🏷️ Most B2B SaaS leaders treat pricing as a number to optimize—when in reality, it’s one of the most powerful strategic levers in the business. In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Daniel Balcauski, Founder & Chief Pricing Officer of Product Tranquility, to unpack why pricing is less about math and more about str...

🌴 Growth Capital Podcast — Special Episode (Part 2) 🌴 What does rest look like for founders, CEOs, and private equity leaders who spend their lives building and scaling businesses? In the final episode of our 2-part Year-End Series, we step away from balance sheets and boardrooms and into something just as important: reset, perspective, and time away. In Founders Reset: Favorite Vacation Spots o...

📖 Growth Capital Podcast — Special Episode (Part 1) 📖 What do today’s founders, operators, and investors actually read when the stakes are high? In the first part of our special year-end two-part episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon breaks down the most recommended books of 2025, based on insights shared by private equity leaders, CEOs of PE-backed companies, and startup founders...

🌿 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 57 🌿 What if the fastest way to scale a services business isn’t adding headcount or waiting on referrals—but strategically buying the capabilities you need? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Bart Davis, Co-Founder & CEO of 512 Financial, a rapidly growing Austin-based firm offering fractional accounting, finance, HR,...

💼 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 56 💼 What really changes when a founder moves from a scrappy, bootstrapped operation to a venture-backed, high-growth company? In this episode, Justin Dixon sits down with Jeff Majka, Founder of The Security Bulldog, to unpack the mindset shift, execution challenges, and strategic demands that come with raising outside capital. The Security Bulldog is an AI-dri...

🌉 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 55 🌉 What does it really take to turn a great idea into a real, functioning business? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Zackary McKibbon, CEO & Founder of Vellora. AI. This next-generation AI-driven sales platform automates the administrative tasks that hold teams back. Zack shares how he moved from raw inspiration t...

👥 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 54 👥 In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Ron Ondechek Jr., Founder & Managing Director of South Highland Ventures, to unpack how his firm is redefining what business succession looks like for the next generation. Ron shares how his partnership with Novastone Partners has created a first-of-its-kind model that pair...

📘 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 53 📘 In this episode, Marc Pickren, CEO of Springbot, shares with Justin Dixon how he’s rewriting the rules of leadership — scaling an AI-powered marketing platform through creative deal structures, non-dilutive capital, and relentless operational discipline. Marc has built a reputation as a multi-time turnaround CEO, leading companies from chaos to clarity. He...

⚡ Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 52 ⚡ In crowded markets, being “better” isn’t enough — you have to be different. In this episode, Otherwise Brewing Co-Founder and CEO Aaron Gervais joins host Justin Dixon to unpack how he built one of the only gluten-free beer brands in the U.S. — and turned a small niche into a scalable business opportunity. Aaron shares how he identified a white space in a...

🪖 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 51 🪖   What happens when leadership, discipline, and service meet entrepreneurship? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Patrick Flood, Founder & CEO of Owners in Honor, a nonprofit helping veterans transition from military service to business ownership through acquisition. A 26-year Army veteran and former Green B...

🏗️ Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 50 🏗️ Private equity isn’t just about capital—it’s about connection. In this episode, Justin Dixon sits down with Rob Regan, Principal of Business Development at Boyne Capital, to explore why the most successful investors put people first. Rob’s journey—from military intelligence and diplomacy to private equity dealmaking—reveals how trust, empathy, and discipli...

🌊 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 49 🌊 Artificial Intelligence has evolved through three distinct eras—from logic-based systems to today’s data-hungry LLMs. But are we truly getting smarter, or just scaling bigger? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Peter Voss, Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientist at Aigo.ai, to explore the next frontier: Cognitive AI—m...

👥 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 48 👥 What happens when founders actually listen to their customers? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Gaurav Gupta, Founder & CEO of Squanto—a gig marketplace app for live entertainment. What started as a simple tipping and discovery app for street performers quickly evolved into something bigger. Through countl...

📊 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 47 📊 When does a founder really need a CFO—and how can fractional or interim finance leadership change the trajectory of a business? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Salvatore Tirabassi, Founder & Managing Director of CFO Pro+Analytics, to explore how founders, family-owned businesses, and PE-backed companies c...

🤖 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 46 🤖 What’s hype, what’s real, and where does AI actually deliver ROI? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Jeff Torello, Founder & CTO of Sinjun AI, to unpack the reality of AI adoption for small and mid-sized businesses. From the pitfalls of early adoption to the promise of Agentic AI, Jeff shares how leaders can dist...

🏆 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 45 🏆 What does it take to risk everything — and still push forward? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Amy Bett, Co-Founder & CEO of Melo, a sparkling kava beverage disrupting the non-alcoholic drinks market. Amy shares how a personal struggle with alcohol inspired her to create an alternative, how a family crisi...

🔗 Growth Capital podcast - Episode 44 🔗 What does it take to walk away from a high-paying, stable career—and step into the uncertainty of entrepreneurship? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Mark Stern, Founder & CEO of Custom Box Agency, an experiential marketing firm based in Austin, Texas. Mark shares how a dream (or premonition) pushed him to...

🔁 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 43 🔁 In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Alexander Harmsen, Founder & CEO of PortfolioPilot, to explore how AI is disrupting the financial advisory industry and reshaping how people invest, plan, and build confidence in their financial future. Originally built as a personal side project after exiting his first com...

👤 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 42 👤   What if the strongest growth advantage isn’t found in automation — but in staying human? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Brian Von Ancken, founder and CEO of the Wellness Growth Mastermind, a community for leaders in the wellness industry. What started as an “accidental” mastermind has grown into a trusted hub f...

🏢 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 41 🏢   Static dashboards. Siloed tools. Endless logins. What if you could connect every app you use, ask it a question, and get the answer instantly — in plain English? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Mikael Lemberg, Founder & CEO of mybizz, an AI-native platform that unifies thousands of business applications...

🔋 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 40 🔋 What happens when an oil & gas user sets out to electrify one of the most overlooked parts of aviation? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Nick Holland, Co-Founder & CEO of VIRV, to explore how an outsider’s perspective uncovered a massive opportunity: bringing swappable batteries and electrons-as-a-service t...

💡 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 39 💡 What happens when your product is good—but not good enough? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Trevor Lee, Co-founder & CEO of Myko AI, to unpack the hard-earned lessons behind one of the smartest pivots in early-stage tech. Originally a financial modeling tool, Myko is now an AI-powered platform helping fie...

🧩 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 38 🧩   What does it really take to launch a medical device company without outside funding? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Téa Phillips, Founder & CEO of ATS Innovations, to share her remarkable journey from engineering student to first-time founder—and what it meant to risk everything to build a product that coul...

📉 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 37 📉   Is venture capital always the right move? Or is it just a shortcut to pressure, burn, and misalignment? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with four-time founder and prolific angel investor Adam Spector, now Founder & CEO of Chore, a bootstrapped startup helping founders offload the back-office work that slows...