The VentureFizz Podcast

This is a first! This episode is one of two interviews that we recorded live at Startup Boston Week at Suffolk University which was a ton of fun and maybe it is something that I should do more often. Material Impact is a deep tech VC firm that was founded by Carmichael Roberts and Adam Sharkaway. The firm is investing in companies that are powered by material science that solve enduring, large-sca...

Steve is an operator turned venture capitalist. After a very successful run at General Catalyst, he joined Juxtapose earlier this year as a Partner to focus on building innovative B2B companies. Juxtapose is an investment firm that partners with experienced entrepreneurs to build category-defining technology companies. The firm has developed over twenty companies over the last 25 years including T...

It’s nice to get paid, but what happens behind the scenes for each payroll cycle is actually very complex. There’s a plethora of different tax calculations, remittance, filling, plus the movement of money between companies and employees. Yet, it would probably make sense for lots of companies to offer payroll as an add on service to their existing business. That’s where Check comes in. Check is a...

Syncro is an all-in-one professional services automation (PSA) and remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform for managed service providers (MSPs). The company is backed by Mainsail Partners, a growth equity firm. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * How having a broad range of experience across different functional areas helped position Emily into a CEO role. * Emily’s background stor...

Fintech Sandbox is a nonprofit that helps fintech startups build great products. Founded in 2014, Fintech Sandbox provides critical data access and development resources to FinTech entrepreneurs around the world. It’s a 6-month program where startups can get apply anytime, as the application process is rolling and there are no deadlines to get involved and another big part of what makes this progr...

Kumospace is a venture backed virtual office space platform that provides immersive and interactive virtual spaces for hosting team meetings, and social gatherings. Charge Ventures is a venture capital firm based in New York that invests in pre-seed / seed early stage tech ventures. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The details on Brett’s advice around raising capital which is a process...

‍Column Tax’s mission is to democratize access to tax and finance advice to improve people’s lives. The company is building the infrastructure and APIs to power year-round income tax products for all mobile banking and fintech companies. Column Tax is venture backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Felicis, Not Boring, Core Innovation Capital, and South Park Commons. In this episode of our podcast, we co...

Blackbird. AI helps organizations detect and respond to threats that cause reputational and financial harm. Powered by their AI-Driven Narrative & Risk Intelligence Constellation Platform, organizations can proactively understand risks and threats to their reputation in real-time. The company recently announced its $20M Series B round of funding led by Ten Eleven Ventures. In this episode of our p...

Tropic provides data, tools and services to automate SaaS procurement for tech-forward companies, saving them money and time. The company has raised $65M since August 2021 and Insight Partners led its most recent round of funding. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * A very open and honest conversation with David about his history with addiction and how he overcame it and ultimately channel...

I’m so excited to announce that with this episode we have hit a new milestone and that is #300 episodes of The VentureFizz Podcast!!! Did you know that my first interview was published 5 years ago, so I am blown away to reach this milestone. Starting a podcast is not necessarily hard, but keeping up with it is certainly one of the trickiest parts. I believe that the key criteria for a successful,...

In challenging markets, like we are in right now, companies in the tech industry need to think hard about pricing of their product. Should you discount your product or think through other options like usage based pricing or credit burn down pricing. Kate and I start our conversation around the different pricing options and key points that you need to think about because these decisions can have a...

Becoming an influencer for a particular topic is very challenging. It’s hard to build up a following at scale. It requires a lot of work in terms of building up an effective content, social media, and speaker strategy to build up engagement. As a serial entrepreneur, not only was I interested in learning about Larry's journey around building companies, but I was also interested in learning how he...

The world of cybersecurity gets a lot of attention in companies and enterprises, but when you look at what’s happen with consumers, the numbers for cybercrime and identity theft are staggering. Here are some stats: According to a report from the FBI, Americans lost more than $10B last year to cybercrime. According to the FTC, there were 1.1 million reports of identity theft in 2022. 71% of Veteran...

The business of doing good. It is an area where companies can build a profitable organization while doing something that is socially responsible. Companies like TOMS and Patagonia are great examples. For JC, she had a successful career, but it lacked fulfilment and she finally hit a breaking point where it was time for a change. From taking the entrepreneurial leap and build a responsibly farmed f...

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase - data is the new oil. It makes sense as it is data and of course other techonogical advancements that are powering the growth and use of AI in different industries. But even with all the buzz about AI, data has been the key differentiating factor for companies and a strategic advantage for years and years. It has been a key component for Scott’s success in the ret...

If you’ve listened to this podcast in the past, you probably know that I’m an avid fan of tech history. There’s nothing like a legendary founding story of a company that completed disrupted an industry. Well, I have an amazing episode today that is going to cover a lot of ground at several ground-breaking, platform shift companies. I’m talking about the stories of legendary companies or products l...

It is hard enough to build a startup in a heavily regulated industry like healthcare, but what do you do when your biggest competitor who is publicly traded files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection? It can be discouraging… or it can be an opportunity. In the case of DynamiCare Health, it is hopefully an opportunity… an opportunity to build a world class company that is helping to improve the liv...

Rember when you needed a full tech team to launch a simple brochureware website? Now you can just jump on Wix or Squarespace and spin up a well designed, responsive website in seconds. The rise of the no-code movement has helped increase the pace and usefulness of technology and it has transcended into lots of other applications and use cases. It’s a win - win, as business users can create applica...

When you have an idea to start a company that monopolizes your thinking, it’s probably a good sign to take that leap of faith into the entrepreneurial waters. In the case of Bobby, he had wanted to start his own company for a long time and he finally had that idea that he couldn’t shake from his head. It was his years and years of experience in the fintech industry and trends around BNPL (Buy Now...

The career path to a CEO position at a tech company is not linear. If you look at the background of CEOs, there are many different roads. It could be operations, product management, marketing, or other functional areas. In Frank’s case, he ran several teams including sales and professional services. Some might believe that the CEO’s role is to be the Chief Decision Making Officer, but as Frank sha...

There are so many companies that have been born out of the mobile revolution and some of these companies, while looking back, seems so obvious. But, in the early days of mobile - I’m talking pre-iPhone, pre-App Store days, it was the risk-takers like Rodger who set out to solve really difficult problems that set the stage for the future. Whether if it was leveraging mobile phones for microfinance...

It’s impressive when an entrepreneur builds a company from scratch that ultimately scales, but I think it is even more impressive when you can combine a strong social mission to a company that scales, as well. This is what Rodney and his Co-Founder, Travis Holoway, have built with SoLo Funds, a leading community finance platform focused on underserved communities. It’s a marketplace where you can...

Fate, luck, destiny… whatever you call it, it seems very apparent that all three founders of Bevi were meant to build a company together. They all shared a common interest in sustainability, a desire to build a company, and experience in a field that had water at its core. Eliza grew up sailing and was always interested in ocean stewardship which led her down the path of evaluating different ideas...

What do the following brands have in common? Casamigos, Skims, Fenty Beauty, Aviation Gin, and Beats by Dre. Well, they all have a celebrity as a co-founder. While celebrities can land a lucrative endorsement deal, it pales in comparison to what the outcome can be if you own part of a company that is successful. The pairing of a brand with a celebrity founder just makes sense as one of the core in...

It goes without saying, but we need more capital going towards female founded companies. While we still have a long way to go, there has been some progress in this regard with dedicated funds like XFactor Ventures. The fund, which is focused on pre-seed and seed investments, was launched in 2017 by Flybridge with Anna as a Co-Founder with a strategy of having women founders invest in other women f...