Value Drivers

In this episode of Value Drivers, we welcome Dan Hilton, the CFO of BluMetric (Ticker: BLM), a Canadian environmental consulting and water technology company. Dan shares his extensive experience spanning over 30 years in both startup and established technology firms. He discusses his varied career, which includes serving on both public and private company boards, involvement in the Canadian artifi...

  Anatoly ("Toly") Kvitnitsky, founder and CEO of AI or Not, an AI detection startup, was interviewed on the Value Drivers podcast. Kvitnitsky's background includes a decade in fraud and KYC protection, followed by a stint as a VC at a major financial institution, which ultimately led him to start AI or Not in late 2023. His motivation stemmed from the realization that generative AI, while benefic...

Dr. James Min, founder and CEO of Cleerly, is interviewed about his journey from a medical background to entrepreneurship. Dr. Min, a cardiologist by training, spent 15 years at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Cornell Medical College. He discusses the development of the coronary CT angiogram, a tool that allowed his team to learn about vascular biology and the causes of heart attacks. This led...

  This interview with Brodie Sutherland, CEO of Tocvan Ventures (Ticker: TOC), provides insights into the company's operations, the mining industry, and Sutherland's leadership philosophy. Tocvan Ventures is a publicly traded natural resource company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. Sutherland, a geologist by training, shares his journey from a field...

The podcast features a conversation with Praful Saklani, the CEO of Pramata, a company focused on simplifying contract management using AI. Saklani shares his extensive entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his early involvement in the internet world in the mid-1990s after graduating from Swarthmore College with a degree in Economics and Political Science. He describes how he saw the potential o...

  Piotr Tomasik, co-founder and COO of TensorWave, was interviewed on Value Drivers. Tomasik discusses his journey into AI, his entrepreneurial background, and the founding of TensorWave. He grew up in the Bay Area, and moved to Las Vegas to attend UNLV for computer science. He was drawn into the startup world after being recruited by a professor into a green energy company. He then worked for a p...

  In this episode of Value Drivers, Peter Ho sits down with Andy Hamilton, a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-Founder of When, a company revolutionizing the employee offboarding experience. Andy shares his journey from real estate tech to founding When after personally experiencing the challenges of navigating health insurance and limited support during a layoff from Expedia. The conversatio...

Welcome to Value Drivers, the podcast exploring the forces driving value creation in today's business landscape. Today's guest is David Cohen, CFO of Tour24, a proptech company transforming the multifamily rental market with its self-guided tour platform. About David Cohen: David Cohen has over 35 years of experience in finance and investment. Before Tour24, he held leadership positions in investm...

Sam Miller, founder and CEO of Kasheesh, shared his entrepreneurial journey and insights into the company's payment solution. After studying economics at the University of Maryland, Miller embarked on a career path in the startup world.    Miller has a rich history of success in the startup world, having founded and exited two companies before taking a position at Dreamit Ventures. His experience...

Vlad Panchenko, the founder of Portal AI, joins Peter Ho this week and shares his journey from his roots in Ukraine to the heart of Silicon Valley, highlighting his four companies and his evolving entrepreneurial vision.   The discussion explores Panchenko's entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of the gaming industry, the impact of AI on businesses, and the vision behind Portal AI.   Panchenko's...

Conor Tierney, CFO of AEye, a lidar sensor company, discusses his career journey, the lidar technology and market opportunity, AEye's business model and financial strategy, and his advice for those starting their careers. Originally from Ireland, Tierney began his career working for PwC in the Silicon Valley during the early 2000s. He gained valuable experience working on IPOs, carve-outs, and fin...

In this episode, we speak with Itzik Cohen, CEO of PayZen, a fintech company transforming healthcare affordability. Drawing on his experience as a professional basketball player, Cohen shares how teamwork, leadership, and focus are central to both sports and business. PayZen's mission is to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for patients while solving revenue challenges for healthcare...

Episode Summary In this episode, Daniel Beck, founder and CEO of 401Go, discusses his approach to simplifying retirement planning for small businesses. Drawing on his diverse experience across industries, Daniel explains how 401Go automates 401(k) plan setup, making it easier for small businesses to manage compliance and offer competitive employee benefits. The conversation highlights how automati...

Patricia Sagastume, the head of Finance at Limble, shares her entrepreneurial journey with us. Rooted in a family of entrepreneurs, Patricia's story is one of grit and growth, as she recalls her early days at a software escrow company that prepped her for greater ventures. Alongside her brother, she co-founded Limble, a computerized maintenance management software powerhouse that has grown from a...

Join us for a conversation with Kjirstin Breure, the President and CEO of Hydrograph, as she takes us through the journey of Hydrograph from its early phase at Kansas State University to becoming a publicly traded entity with operations in the US and UK. Kjirstin shares her path from working in various tech startups to becoming the founding team member at Hydrograph. She elaborates on the properti...

Jessica Gomez, the founder and CEO of Rogue Valley Micro Devices, takes us on a journey from Long Island to Southern Oregon, where she and her husband carved out a niche in the competitive semiconductor industry. We unpack the world of MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) and their broad applications in consumer electronics, automotive, and defense sectors. Jessica sheds light on what it means...

Ernest Popescu, the founder and CEO of Metrobloks, shares his career trajectory from the worlds of automotive and aerospace to pivotal roles at AWS and Facebook. Ernest's expertise in data center development offers invaluable insights into capacity planning and the drive behind Metrobloks. Metrobloks is on a mission to revolutionize urban, underserved markets by delivering scalable and standardize...

What drives someone to leave the corporate world and embrace the uncertainty of startups? Hear Fran Brzyski 's story from his days at JP Morgan, where he felt boxed in, to his thrilling adventures across multiple startups like Rocket Trip. Fran shares the highs and lows of founding Hark, a platform transforming customer engagement with asynchronous video and audio communication, drawing inspiratio...

Adrienne Prentice, the founder and CEO of Keep Company, joins us to share her transition from attorney to leadership coach and entrepreneurship. Through her personal journey, Adrienne provides deep insights into the significant challenges faced by working parents and caregivers, highlighting the tough choices between career aspirations and family obligations. Drawing from her experiences at law fi...

Lesya Arnold, the founder and CEO of A Players Recruiting, walks us through her career journey that began at the tender age of 12 in Ukraine. By 17, she was already a tech recruiter, and her move to the US only amplified her impact. Lesya shares her experiences navigating cultural differences between Ukrainian and American recruiting practices, emphasizing the importance of personalized candidate...

Can smaller consulting firms ever compete with the giants like BCG and McKinsey? Today, we dig into the unconventional paths and creative approaches that smaller firms leverage to carve out their own space in the consulting world. Join us as we welcome back Mayank Mittal, a tech industry executive and the author of "The Art of Building Great Products," who shares his journey from a large consultin...

Jordan Wright, CEO of Atomic Financial, provides insights into the company's evolution and strategic focus. Atomic emerged from Wright's previous venture, Unbill, with a mission to revolutionize consumer banking. Central to their business model is a per-transaction fee structure aimed at facilitating seamless account switching for major banks, ensuring they become primary financial providers by au...

  In this episode, Jeff Thornburg, founder of Portal Space Systems, shares insights on revolutionizing the space industry. From the shift towards commercial space companies like SpaceX to the importance of aligning with customer needs, Thornburg emphasizes the value of strong relationships and operational efficiency. He discusses the need for maneuverable spacecraft in a crowded space environment...

  Ayden Syal, CEO of MOGL, discussed his transition from finance to running a startup focusing on influencer marketing for athletes. He explained the impact of NCAA rule changes allowing athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) since July 2021. Athletes can now engage in sponsorships, endorsements, and more to leverage their audience and receive compensation. The landscape is evo...

In this episode, Sabrina Matucci-Johnson, CEO of Daré Bioscience (Ticker: DARE), shares insights on advancing women's health products in the biotech industry. She discusses the challenges and strategies for successful commercialization, including leveraging partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, utilizing non-dilutive funding like grants, and the unique approach of using a reverse merger for...