Homeroom Podcast

Ibrahim Irfan⁠ is the co-founder and CTO of ⁠Superpowered⁠ , an AI copilot and calendar app for your meetings.

Elena Ponte is the co-founder and CEO of Zumo Labs . The team you build is the company you build, and where that starts is with finding the right co-founder(s). Although one of the most important steps, it is often overlooked by other hotter topics such as securing funding or how to find product market fit. But without the basics covered, the other steps just won’t matter. Elena is a lawyer by tra...

Catherine Casuga is an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures .  She is an incredibly accomplished women, having spent close to 10 years recruiting and assembling world class teams at Google that worked on products we know and love like Google Earth and Google Maps. However, even with so much success, she revealed in our call how much she questioned whether her situation was just an anomaly or...

Fehintolu Olaogun is the co-founder and CEO of CredPal . CredPal is an emerging fin-tech startup in Lagos, Nigeria. Our episode covers multiple topics, including the technology ecosystem in Africa, as well as recent milestones made by the team. Their team has received funding from Visa, Google, and Y Combinator. We feel incredibly lucky he's joining us on the program today. Homeroom is hosted by C...

Avisha Mehra is the Director of Executive Talent at Khosla Ventures . Such topics related to culture and diversity are incredibly important to discuss and should be taken seriously for good reason. It was a pleasure to have someone as qualified as her speak to us about what her team has been doing to create a more inclusive Silicon Valley. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Avi...

Preeti Shrimal is co-founder and CEO of Chaos Genius . Many people see Silicon Valley as the haven of all thing’s technology. Preeti however is an example of how exceptional founders can be all over the world. Growing up in a small town in India, we talk about her non-linear path to entrepreneurship. She is a prime example of no matter where you find yourself, you can create a company that will ch...

Austen Allred is the co-founder and CEO of Lambda School - rebranded to the Bloom Institute of Technology . Lambda School is an online program that helps you break into the tech industry by teaching you how to code - and get your first software engineering job. Lambda is free until you get hired. In this episode, we discuss Austen own story of entrepreneurship and how his early beginnings molded h...

Brittani Dunlap is the co-founder and CEO of BrightReps - rebranded to FlowEQ . Who is this non-male, non-technical, non-Ivey league founder? How did she not only get accepted to YCombinator but also lead rounds in raising money with prestigious venture capital firms like Tri-Valley and Roble Ventures? Why is she successful and how can you outsmart your imposters syndrome to be successful too? Let...

Stacey Hronowski is the co-founder and CEO of Canix . Given the complexities of regulation in the cannabis industry, Stacey and her team is solving this problem by providing an all in one ERP for all the daunting compliance required. In this episode, we dive into her personal takes on courage, motivation, and how to assemble a world class team. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect wit...

Kris Bennatti is the founder and CEO of Bedrock AI . Bedrock AI is a software company that uses artificial intelligence and neuro-linguistic programming to extract red flags from financial statements. She is a Canadian entrepreneur with a background as a chartered accountant, and is an avid programmer and statistician. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Bedrock AI Website: http...

Courtney McColgan is the founder of CEO of Runa . Runa is a cloud-based payroll and human resources software for Latin American businesses. While most people are enamoured by the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, Courtney was the opposite. Growing up in this environment, she always longed a broader perspective. Having worked throughout Asia, she is now building her current company in Mexico City! Conne...

Ali Jiwani is the co-founder and CEO of Rally Video . A Canadian entrepreneur, Ali began Rally Video as a response to the lack of social interactions we were all experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. If Zoom is video for business, Rally is video for fun. We talk about all things startup related including some of the tougher questions related to being a founder. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius F...

Eve Halimi is the co-founder and CEO of Alinea . Alinea is an investing app for the next generation of finance. Their program explains how each company makes money, how they treat their stakeholders, and their environmental impact. We discuss Eve's story in depth beginning with her experience coming from France to the United States. In addition, we talk about what she's learned from her previous v...

Anada Lakra is the co-founder and CEO of BoldVoice . It’s always a painful moment when you realize your English is not good enough. You try to listen, to repeat, but can’t. It sucks, but BoldVoice is here to solve it that. This platform helps non-native English speakers to improve their speaking skills through its speech and accent coaching app for iOS and Android devices. In this episode, we talk...

Laura Hackney is the co-founder and CEO of AnnieCannons , a non-profit that helps victims human trafficking and gender based violence to become computer programmers. Follow Laura on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/LHack47 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-hackney/

Kelly Kinnard is an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures . In this episode, we talk about her career journey and how she broke into the Silicon Valley tech space. She has previously worked alongside the President of Oracle, and in the Venture Capital space at Riviera Partners and Battery Ventures . Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Kelly Kinnard Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com...

This episode continues our conversation with Arthur Cockfield , Associate Dean of the Queen's University Law School . In Part 2, we discuss the transition of technology into the legal realm, including articles written by GPT-3 , and the impact of artificial intelligence on the court system. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Arthur Cockfield Website: http://arthurcockfield.com/...

Arthur Cockfield is the Associate Dean at the Queen’s University Law School . He is currently a tax law scholar and policy consultant for the Government of Canada. In Part 1, we speak about his transition out of corporate law into academia, and his ambitions as a father. Additionally, we hear first hand what Silicon Valley was like at the start of the internet boom, having interacted with name-wor...

This episode continues our conversation with Dylan Lenz , co-founder and CEO of Naborly . In Part 2, we discuss the differences between Canada and the United States, both culturally and in a business context. Dylan also speaks to his experience hiring with hiring, and the metrics he cares about most. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Naborly Website: https://www.naborly.com/ C...

Dylan Lenz is the co-founder and CEO of Naborly . In Part 1, we discuss his upbringing and how it made him the person he is today. From a rural town just outside of Edmonton in Canada, we talk about how an optimistic and deterministic attitude created a complex that allowed him achieve incredible things. Raised by a single mother on welfare, he is a serial entrepreneur, having started two business...

Ian Burgess is the co-founder and President of the Validere . A technical founder, he received his PhD from Harvard in Applied Physics in 2012 before beginning entrepreneurial endeavours. In this conversation, we speak about the future of tech and its potential impact on our lives in both positive and negative fashions. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Validere Website: https...

Sohrab Haghighat is the co-founder and CEO of SpaceRyde . Their team is the first company in over 2 decades to receive a launch permit from the Government of Canada. His incredible domain expertise is reflected in his previous roles and education, having worked at MERL and Cruise , as well as obtaining a PhD from the University of Toronto in Aerospace Engineering. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Fel...

Rowan Cockett is the co-founder and CEO of Curvenote . Curvenote is the Google Docs for scientists and engineers. He is a serial entrepreneur, having founded 3 successful startups and led teams at unicorns such as Seequent ($1.05B exit in 2021). He also holds a PhD in Computational Geophysics from the University of British Columbia.  Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Curv...

Justin Bailie is the co-founder and CSO of Rose Rocket . In this episode we speak about the Transportation Management Software (TMS) systems, but more importantly mindset. Coming from humble beginnings, Justin talks about his life before Rose Rocket, views on risk, and mentality when it comes to never giving up.   Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Rose Rocket  Websit...

Farzi Yusufali is a co-founder and CEO of Stratum AI . Stratum is an AI software for mining companies as an alternative to kriging. In this episode, we discuss mindset and perspective as an immigrant founder, deep tech, and her interactions with investors and regulators in the sector. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella . Connect with Stratum AI Website: https://www.stratum.ai/ Crunchbase: htt...