Invst Guru

What if your social feed had zero politics, zero toxicity, and 100% joyful animal videos? That's exactly what Ashley Quincey, CEO and founder of Fureelz, is building. In this episode, Ashley shares how a mix of dinner-party conversations about social media's dark side and her own habit of sending animal memes to friends sparked the idea for a short-form video platform dedicated entirely to animals...

Every company sells to people who travel — but almost none of them sell travel. That gap is where revenue quietly leaks out, and it's what Chickie Fitzgerald built Solutionz to capture. Host Jeff sits down with Chickie — on her 13th startup — to unpack how Solutionz plugs into the systems people already use (CRMs, calendars, event platforms, even healthcare and winery sites), so when a user is ins...

What happens when a 34-year corporate veteran watches his sons repeat the same workplace struggles he faced decades earlier — and decides to build the solution? That's exactly where Dr. Deepak Bhootra found himself, and Rise Up At Work was born. In this episode of Invst Guru, Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel sits down with Dr. Deepak to unpack the broken employer-employee contract, why 35% of salespeople leave...

Most founders focus on the pitch deck, the platform, and the marketing — but there's a critical piece of the capital raise puzzle they often overlook: escrow. Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel sits down with Ernesto Maldonado, SVP & Head of the Escrow and Legal Vertical at Enterprise Bank and Trust, to pull back the curtain on the infrastructure that keeps capital raises protected, compliant, and clean. Ern...

What if the future of farming ran on sunlight instead of diesel? Steve Heckeroth, founder of Renewables Inc., has spent 55 years working on alternatives to fossil fuel — from passive solar homes to electric cars to electric tractors. Now he's built the E2T, a remote-controlled, solar-capable electric two-wheel tractor designed specifically for small and community-scale farms. In this episode of th...

The IPO market is rigged — and a 30-year Wall Street veteran is doing something about it. Matt Venturi, co-founder of ClearingBid, joins Fuzzy on the Invst Guru podcast to break down why everyday investors are systematically locked out of IPO pricing, how a patented Dutch auction algorithm creates a true level playing field, and what it would take to completely democratize public markets for retai...

What if you could replace herbicides, spray rigs, and chemical inputs with a fleet of small autonomous robots quietly weeding between crop rows at 3.5 miles per hour? That's exactly what Clint Brauer set out to build — and after seven years, Greenfield Robotics is operating in 16 states with paying customers, backing from Chipotle, and a mission rooted in something deeply personal. Clint's journey...

What if the biggest threat to your family's online safety wasn't a virus or a hacker — but your own Wi-Fi router? Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel sits down with John Wu, CEO and Co-Founder of Gryphon Online Safety, to unpack how a routine internet search by his young daughter sparked a mission to protect families at the network level. What started as a Kickstarter campaign has grown into a company that has so...

What does it take to build a clean energy company when federal policy feels like a moving target? Steve Chan, COO and co-founder of Enterprise Energy, has a front-row seat to that chaos — and a surprisingly clear-eyed plan for navigating it. In this episode, Steve walks Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel through the full lifecycle of community solar and battery storage development: how they identify and lease la...

What happens when a former investment banker looks at Miami's waterfront and decides the real opportunity isn't on land — it's on the water? You get Arkhaus, one of the most visually stunning and conceptually bold startups in the hospitality space today. Sam Payrovi, co-founder and CEO of Arkhaus, joins Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel on Invst Guru to walk through the full story — from a rooftop social club i...

Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we are taking a deep dive into Uncle Waithley's Beverage Company , a brand that is elevating the adult non-alcoholic beverage market with authentic Caribbean flavors and artisanal craftsmanship. As the beverage industry sees a massive shift toward "sober-curious" and alcohol-alternative lifestyles, Uncle Waithley's is filling the gap for a complex, culturally au...

What if your next real estate investment didn't just cash flow — it changed lives? Jeff "Fuzzy" Wenzel sits down with Andrew Tyree, co-founder of Gracious Wellsprings, a women's sober living company based in West Los Angeles that's quietly becoming one of the most compelling impact investment stories in the recovery housing space. Andrew didn't start with a grand plan. He was a real estate agent w...

When Nadia Tedeschi was working as a nursing assistant, a patient looked up at her through tears and said, "Nobody should have to live like this." That moment sent her to her garage — and eventually to the forefront of one of the most overlooked problems in modern healthcare. Nadia is the founder of Mylo Medical , a startup on a mission to replace the bedpan — a device that hasn't been reinvented...

What if the cloud isn't the answer? That's the bold bet Michael Cioni is making. With over 25 years in the film and television industry — and credits on blockbusters like Avatar , Gone Girl , and Pirates of the Caribbean — Michael has spent his career being the person willing to take the punches to usher in technology that Hollywood wasn't ready for. Now he's doing it again. In this episode of Inv...

This episode examines Bumbo Distribution USA, the company behind the well-known Bumbo Floor Seat and a growing portfolio of infant seating and safety products. Unlike many startup crowdfunding stories, Bumbo operates as an established consumer brand with national retail distribution. Products already appear in Target, Walmart, and Amazon stores across the United States. The company reported about...

Most ready-to-drink cocktails taste great on the label and disappointing in the glass. In this episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “Fuzzy” Wenzel sits down with Larry, co-founder of World’s Best Cocktail , to talk about turning a passion sparked by Netflix’s Drink Masters into a quality-first consumer brand. After testing nearly 100 pre-made cocktails and finding most of them undrinkable, Larry part...

Buying a distressed property is one thing. Buying a distressed distillery is something else entirely. In this episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “Fuzzy” Wenzel sits down with Justin Meccia , owner of Hidden Lake Grill & Distillery , to discuss how he acquired one of Montana’s oldest distilleries and is now rebuilding it from the ground up. Justin shares how he purchased the assets of Whitefish...

In this episode, we examine World’s Best Cocktails Inc., a U.S. beverage company operating in the premium ready-to-drink cocktail sector. Led by mixologist Tao Zrafi, known for his appearance on Netflix’s Drink Masters, the company is positioning itself at the high end of the growing RTD category. We break down the company’s asset-light model, which relies on third-party co-packers and integrated...

Electricity costs keep rising. The power grid is under pressure. And more homeowners are asking the same question: is there a better way? In this episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “Fuzzy” Wenzel speaks with Deep Patel , founder of GigaWatt , about how solar power and battery storage are changing the way consumers think about energy. After nearly two decades in the solar industry, Deep explains how...

Silicon Prairie Holdings is building what management describes as a vertically integrated Capital Technology platform. By combining broker-dealer and transfer agent functions under one umbrella, the company seeks to internalize key layers of private capital formation. In this episode, we examine: • Why private capital markets often operate through fragmented service providers • What changes when a...

The beverage aisle is crowded, but every so often a product makes you stop and ask a simple question. Why hasn’t this existed before? In this episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “fuzzy” Wenzel sits down with Adam N. Lazar , founder of Asarasi Sparkling Tree Water , to explore how tree water became the foundation of a modern, better-for-you beverage brand. Adam shares the origin of Asarasi, why tree...

Independent films live and die by clarity. Clear tone. Clear audience. Clear plan. In this lightning round episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “fuzzy” Wenzel speaks with Mark Elias , creator of We Could Be Heroes , about how the film is being built from a creative and financial standpoint. Mark walks through the core idea behind the project, why the story leans character-first rather than spectacle,...

Harmony Baby Nutrition is developing specialized pediatric nutrition products designed with human milk as a biological reference point. In this episode, we examine how formulation science, clinical expertise, and regulatory standards shape product development in infant and toddler nutrition. The conversation covers why standard formulas fail for some families, how hypoallergenic products are desig...

Starting a brand from zero is hard. Buying one with decades of recognition comes with a very different set of challenges and opportunities. In this episode of Invst Guru , host Jeff “fuzzy” Wenzel sits down with Ryan Fernandez , owner of Bumbo , to unpack the decision to acquire one of the most recognizable baby products in the world and what it really takes to rebuild, protect, and grow a legacy...

In this episode, we examine PopCom, a company developing software designed to add analytics and operational insight to vending machines and kiosks. The conversation focuses on the problem PopCom says it addresses in unattended retail, how its software platform is positioned, and why management has shifted away from hardware ownership toward a software-focused model. We also discuss the company’s o...