Startup Success: A Podcast for Founders & Investors

In this episode of Startup Success, we welcome Jaclyn Chen , Co-Founder and CEO at Benepass , a platform that solves real-world pain points for both employees and employers in the benefits space. Jacyln dives into her experience working with Y Combinator early on and how she approached fundraising during very different economic climates. And she shares some truly great advice for fellow startup fo...

Dr. Misti Ushio, Managing Partner at Digitalis Ventures, joins us in the studio today. Misti’s entrepreneurial journey took flight with the formation of TARA Biosystems, a groundbreaking startup that developed “heart-on-a-chip” technology.  From raising $20 million in venture financing to navigating the complexities of scaling a biotech startup, Misti shares the highs and lows of her journey and d...

Our guest today is Stasia Obremskey, Co-Founder and Managing Director at RH Capital, an impact-first venture capital fund that invests in the future of women's health. Stasia provides an in-depth look at the types of innovations RH Capital is passionate about and shares examples of how their portfolio companies are dramatically improving health outcomes, affordability and health equity. Listeners...

We’re thrilled to have Tanya Beja, General Partner at AlleyCorp, in studio for the latest episode of Startup Success. Join us for a fascinating conversation about their unique approach to investing and incubating that will strike a chord with startup founders looking to make a positive impact on society. Tanya introduces us to AlleyCorp Impact, a fund dedicated to backing founders who are intentio...

In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Josh Gilbert , CFO of the VC firm Freestyle , who unravels the intricacies of venture capital investing. Josh offers an insider's perspective on the role of VC firms in the startup ecosystem and sheds light on the inner workings of how they operate. His insights on the current state of the startup/VC landscape, along with why the renewed focused...

Join us in this enlightening episode as we sit down with Bill Snyder , the CEO and Founder of Vivante Health . Propelled by a recent $31M Series B round, his company is on a mission to revolutionize digital health, starting with chronic GI conditions.  Bill shares the founding story of Vivante Health and how their innovative platform transforms the way patients suffering from digestive health issu...

Today we dive  into the world of legal strategy for startups with Charu Satia, startup attorney and Partner at Silicon Legal Strategy. With more than a decade of experience under her belt, Charu provides invaluable insights into the array of key legal issues startup founders need to be aware of from inception to exit. Charu explains why it makes sense to bet on your startup's success by investing...

Our guest today, Aagya Mathur, has an inspiring story to tell. She transformed her personal health challenges into a startup that empowers people to improve their overall quality of life. In this episode, Aagya, Co-Founder & CEO at Aavia, shares how she brought her idea to fruition with help from MIT and then recently was accepted into the Mayo Clinic and ASU MedTech Accelerator. After an incr...

The tech ecosystem in Los Angeles may not grab headlines like Silicon Valley, but over the past decade, it has gained some serious momentum and a several major VC players have emerged. Our guest today is Jennifer Richard, Principal at Bonfire Ventures – one LA’s top B2B venture firms. Jennifer discusses what she’s excited about in the tech sector right now, why she’s optimistic about 2024, and Bon...

Even though the success rates for startups today are sobering, there is reason to be optimistic. As our guest today, Venture Capitalist John Frankel  sees it: "Cycles happen. We've gone through a downturn and I think we're now at an inflection point. We’re already starting to see some companies raise money at high valuations." John founded ff Venture Capital in 2008 and has since funded over 150 s...

In today's episode, we have two VCs in the studio, Dr. Tara Bishop and Eileen Tanghal, co-founders of Black Opal Ventures, who discuss their strategic focus of supporting startups that are driving innovation at the intersection of technology and healthcare. We explore the genesis of Black Opal Ventures and how the duo, who met as freshman 30 years ago at MIT, took a leap of faith, ultimately raisi...

No matter what industry you’re in, your audience is savvier than ever about digital branding and marketing. The tactics that worked 5 years ago no longer apply. And this makes growing your business and driving sales more challenging than ever. That's why today, we're excited to sit down with a true digital marketing and branding expert to delve into strategies that will help your startup break thr...

Today, we have a remarkable guest in our studio, Suzanne Fletcher , the founder and general partner of Zelda Ventures . Suzanne’s career as an investor spans 20 years including a stint at StartX, Stanford’s startup accelerator & founder community, where she helped over 900 founders raise early-stage capital. In 2023, she launched Zelda Ventures and raised $33M for her new fund in spite of “apo...

Startup wind downs are not something founders usually think about until there is no other option. But for founders who find themselves in that position, juggling all the elements of a wind down (aka going out of business) can be tricky both logistically and psychologically. However, if you approach it the right way, there can be positive legal and financial implications. In his role of VP at Sherw...

Startup founders are some of the most committed, hardworking, innovative people in the world. But even in the best of times, they exist in a pressure cooker. And the relentless stress can sometimes lead to burnout. Nevertheless, mental health has historically been a taboo topic in the venture capital and startup community. So when we heard about the work Flourish Ventures is doing to support start...

Happy New Year! Now, onto the million dollar question: “What to expect in 2024?” For Founders, topics like will the fundraising market improvel, the impact of an election year, and the macroeconomic landscape are front and center. Today’s guests are Steven Lord, the Managing Director of Service Delivery & Chief Learning Officer and Ardy Esmaeili, the Managing Director of Tax Practice, tackle a...

If you're looking for an uplifting conversation on the intersection of SaaS and AI, look no further. Jim Gochee’s passion for B2B SaaS is real and inspiring! Jim is the CEO of Blameless, a SRE platform that empowers engineering and DevOps teams to improve reliability through better incident management, retrospectives and analytics. Jim joins us to talk about how recent innovations in AI are having...

Today’s guest, Griffin O'Brien , CEO of Estate Media , shares his journey from a traditional media background to founding a unique startup and video-first platform for real estate. We explore how Griff and his co-founders are changing the real estate industry with a tech forward media company that leverages the latest in digital. Additionally, Griff provides insights into the challenges of fundrai...

Accounting as a superhero? It may sound far-fetched, but after this conversation, you’ll completely understand! Today’s guest is Sasha Orloff, Co-Founder & CEO of Puzzle. He shares his experiences in the startup ecosystem, highlighting his passion for solving problems and enabling people to do their best work. He discusses his journey into entrepreneurship, and his impressive work with startup...

A critical component to the fundraising process is the pitch deck. Effective pitching is crucial for startup founders who often need to convey their ideas and products to investors, partners, and stakeholders. Today’s guest is Neil Thompson, Founder of Teach the Geek, who gives incredible suggestions on how to improve the pitch deck and presentation style of the traditional technical founder. Neil...

Leadership Coaches seem to be a dime a dozen in this workforce landscape. There are plenty of “coaches” out there who market themselves as experts but do not have the clout to back them up. That’s not the case with our guest today, Jason Weeman , the Founder of Refine Talent Development . Jason is a Certified Professional Coach whose senior-level experience at LinkedIn, Upwork & Apple has infl...

In this episode, we start by diving into the complexities founders face when navigating private equity (PE) interest. Next, we discuss M&A activity and areas that are critical for founders to address. Founders will learn what they should be looking for around both PE and M&A deals. Our guest, Gaurav Bhasin of Allied Advisers , shares helpful tactical advice. He also sheds light on the curr...

Welcome to Startup Success , the podcast for startup founders and investors. Today’s special episode is guest-hosted by Steve Lord , Managing Director of Burkland's CFO Practice and FinTech Group. Join us as Steve welcomes Natalie Testa and Jake Sally of Jadu , an independent AR studio. The engaging conversation touches on the challenges and opportunities of working in a startup, the company's AR...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success , a podcast for founders and investors hosted by Kate Adams. Today, we are joined by Maria Gutierrez Peñaloza from Nido Ventures , a venture capital fund investing in Latin American startups. Maria shares the inspiration behind Nido, their investment philosophy, and their commitment to supporting diverse teams. She also gives a great overview of the cu...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success , a podcast for founders and investors, hosted by Kate Adams. Today we are joined by Miles Cole , Co-Founder and CEO at Follow . Miles shares how his founding team took the time to build their product and initial customer base with savvy strategies every founder can learn from. He candidly discusses their challenges in building the app and the importan...