Inside Startup Investing with Chris Lustrino

Read our Macrovey deal analysis (closed) on Kingscrowd Robotics hype is everywhere—but who actually makes robots work on real warehouse floors? In this episode, Chris sits down with Macrovey Director of Business Development Matt Labinski to unpack how Macrovey designs fully autonomous, material-handling systems that act like a warehouse “Robotics OS.” We start with what Macrovey is and isn’t (00:0...

Read our deal analysis on Paladin Paladin Power CEO Ted Thomas—a U.S. Navy veteran with 20+ years in energy storage and the named inventor on multiple U.S. patents for stackable batteries and integrated power systems—joins Inside Startup Investing to explain how he helped pioneer integrated storage and why Paladin’s patented, fire-safe, all-in-one system can make true home energy independence prac...

Victory Hemp turns hemp seeds into clean protein, healthy oils, and even xylitol with a solvent-free, patented process built for every aisle. At 00:00 we define what “hemp food” really is; by 01:20 we outline Victory Hemp’s B2B product stack; at 03:00 we unpack the solvent-free patent and why taste/clean label matter. Around 05:00 we hit functionality (emulsifying, gelling, egg replacement). At 06...

Most flour today is milled for shelf life, not flavor or nutrition. Cairnspring Mills set out to flip that script. Co-founder & CEO Kevin Morse explains how the company created a premium craft flour category by contracting regeneratively grown, higher-margin grains directly from farmers and stone-milling to retain flavor and nutrients, winning over top chefs and bakeries nationwide. We cover the g...

Founded in 2013, Crowd Street helped popularize online access to commercial real estate. Now CEO John Imbriglia is steering a 2.0 strategy: an institutional-grade private markets platform spanning private equity, private credit, venture capital, and CRE—with lower minimums, improved IRA flows, and heavy investment in education, diligence, and UX. John details Crowd Street’s scale to date (~300K me...

MoviePass became a cultural phenomenon—then imploded under new ownership. Founder Stacy Spikes bought the brand out of bankruptcy for ~$140K, relaunched, and delivered profitable 2023 and 2024—now unveiling Mogul, a fantasy-sports-style game for movies that could 10x ARPU versus subscriptions. In this episode, Spikes recaps the original data behind movie subscriptions (111% lift in theater attenda...

BabyQuip helps families travel lighter by delivering clean, vetted baby gear—like cribs, car seats, and strollers—right to your hotel or vacation rental. CEO Fran Maier (co-founder of Match.com) shares how the company hit its first profitable quarter and keeps growing through strong word of mouth and a new Vrbo partnership that puts BabyQuip in front of more travelers. The team is also expanding b...

Early detection saves lives, but today’s tools are often invasive, slow, or used too late. In this episode, Breath Diagnostics CEO Ivan Lo explains how a non-invasive breath test can detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with disease—positioning breath as a first-line screen for early-stage lung cancer and potentially pneumonia and TB. We cover the science (why breath can capture nea...

Most older adults want to age in place , but families and caregivers can’t be there 24/7. wisdom.io uses edge computing + radar + computer vision to detect falls and anomalies without wearables—keeping data inside the home and only sending alerts. CEO Cathy Minter shares: • Market reality & unmet needs in home care • Tech stack, privacy, and why edge > cloud for seniors • B2B2C go-to-market (home-...

In this episode, we catch up with Justin Giuffrida , CEO and co-founder of Citizens Coffee , to hear how the company’s Australian-style café model is performing as it scales beyond New York into Texas . The update? Citizens is thriving. After record openings in Houston , the team has now launched Austin , which became the best-performing opening in company history—hitting profitability in just six...

In this episode, we talk with Rob Creighton, founder and CEO of Windlift, a deep tech company developing airborne wind energy systems and tethered flight platforms that can both generate power and serve as elevated sensing platforms for defense and commercial applications. Windlift’s core platform is a tethered winged UAV—a cross between a quadrotor and a high-lift airfoil—that can autonomously fl...

In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy McCool , founder and CEO of HEVO , a company building wireless charging systems for electric vehicles . Think of a garage-floor charging pad —pull in, align, and your car charges automatically. HEVO has been solving the physics, standards and automotive integration work for over a decade , and now stands at the front line of commercial adoption. HEVO is und...

In this episode, we speak with Groomit co-founders Sohel Kapadia and Lars Rissmann about building a mobile, on-demand pet grooming platform designed for convenience, quality, and scale. Unlike typical marketplace models (e.g., Rover/Wag), Groomit vets groomers, provides fully outfitted mobile vans , manages logistics/technology, and delivers a consistent standard of service —for both pet parents a...

In this episode, Maxwell Salzberg, co-founder and CEO of BackerKit, shares how his team built the infrastructure behind rewards crowdfunding—and why they’re now operating their own crowdfunding platform with a distinct focus on community, continuity, and creator success. BackerKit started by solving the most painful and underappreciated part of rewards crowdfunding: the post-campaign chaos of fulf...

In this episode, Chris speaks with Alex Wright-Gladstein, founder & CEO of Sphere, the company behind the Sphere 500 Climate Fund—a low-fee, index-like mutual fund for 401(k)s that excludes fossil fuel companies and is now available on Fidelity and Schwab. Alex explains how her team navigated years of audits, platform approvals, and AUM thresholds to unlock real adoption within the retirement ecos...

David Webb’s Yarnhub pulls 400 million annual views for cinematic WW2 stories—no ad spend required. On Inside Startup Investing he details how that captive audience now funds a historically accurate video-game, why the company’s CPMs beat integration ads, and the path to 3–5 billion monthly views across multiple channels. If MrBeast can sell burgers, Yarnhub can sell history. Listen in and judge w...

On this week’s Inside Startup Investing , Dr. Nicole Paulk—founder & CEO of Siren Biotechnology—details her AAV gene-therapy “FedEx truck” that can deliver anti-tumor cytokines directly to brain cancers. Early animal data show 86 % complete responses; the FDA has signaled a fast-track path for Siren’s first-in-human trial set for 2026. With analog comps like Keytruda earning $30 B a year, Siren’s...

In this episode, Chris speaks with Hiten Sonpal, CEO of Rise Robotics, a company developing an energy-efficient alternative to hydraulic systems. Using a patented belt-based actuator technology called Beltdraulic™,  Rise delivers the same power as hydraulics — but with significantly more energy efficiency, lower weight, and no fluid leaks. Their tech also supports built-in sensing, enabling AI and...

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Ryan Duey, co-founder and co-CEO of Plunge , the cold therapy and sauna brand that has quietly scaled to $80M+ in annual sales with minimal outside funding.  Ryan breaks down how a garage-built idea during COVID turned into a high-growth wellness hardware business with over 40,000 customers, including a fast-growing B2B channe...

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing , Chris Lustrino interviews Sharon Samjitsingh, co-founder and CEO of Health Care Originals, a respiratory health startup using wearable technology and predictive AI to help asthma and COPD patients avoid flare-ups before they happen. Sharon shares her personal journey as an asthma patient and how that experience — paired with her background managing $15...

  In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino sits down with Dr. Zwade Marshall, founder and CEO of Doc2Doc Lending , to explore how a physician-turned-founder built a fintech company by solving a deeply personal problem — the financial barriers doctors face early in their careers. Zwade shares how Doc2Doc raised $21M almost exclusively from fellow doctors, built a flexible underwr...

Brad Larschan, CEO of Avadain, joins Chris Lustrino to share how his company is transforming one of the world’s most promising materials—graphene—into a commercial product ready to reshape advanced manufacturing. Brad unpacks the science behind graphene’s extraordinary properties, how Avadain’s licensing model is unlocking large-scale industrial use, and why their patented production method positi...

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino sits down with Ariane Valle and Turner Hoff, the founders of Vegetable + Butcher, a handcrafted meal delivery company redefining what it means to scale a food brand with integrity. From navigating conflicting diets at home to building a customer-first experience grounded in transparency and nutrition, Ariane and Turner share the operation...

Tune in to this episode of Inside Startup Investing as we explore the innovative world of agricultural drones with Arthur Erickson, founder and CEO of Hylio . Discover how a fascination with drones turned into a business that's transforming agriculture through technology. Key highlights include: Origins and Evolution: Journey through Hylio's transition from a small startup experimenting with drone...

Join us on this episode of Inside Startup Investing as we dive into the fascinating journey of Shannon Edgar, founder and CEO of Stormalong Cider. Discover how a spontaneous move led to the birth of a unique cider brand that respects tradition while innovating for today's market. Key highlights include: Unexpected Beginnings: Learn how Shannon transitioned from the music industry to founding a cid...