Ventures from The Valley

What if sending money across borders could become instant, reliable, and almost free? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Josiah Senu, founder of Zuba a fintech company building what Josiah describes as the world’s most reliable bank. Josiah shares his journey from a British-Nigerian upbringing to Harvard Law School, fintech, payments, and building fina...

What happens when AI stops being just a tool… and becomes a relationship? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski speaks with Eugenia Kuyda — founder of Replika and Wabi — about the future of emotional AI, AI companions, consumer technology, and the next wave of human-computer interaction. Eugenia shares the deeply personal story behind Replika, how the loss of her best f...

What if you could build a multi-million dollar SaaS company… without a sales team or paid ads? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Robin Alex, co-founder of HighLevel — an AI-powered business platform serving 70,000+ agencies and over 1 million businesses worldwide. Robin shares how HighLevel scaled from early struggles and high churn to becoming one of...

How do you build companies worth hundreds of millions - and aim for a trillion-dollar venture platform? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with serial entrepreneur Daniel Dippold. Daniel is a 3x founder with over $300M in collective startup value, a Cambridge machine learning graduate, and an angel investor in 60+ startups since 2020 with multiple unicorn i...

What actually drives venture capital decisions - data, FOMO, or storytelling? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Stephane Nasser, Co-Founder & CEO of OpenVC - a free fundraising platform that has facilitated over $1 billion in startup funding for 25,000+ founders since launch. We unpack how early-stage fundraising really works, why most founders make the same avoidabl...

What if aging isn’t inevitable — but a solvable problem? And what if the biggest opportunity in healthcare isn’t treating disease, but preventing it entirely? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Omri Amirav-Drory, General Partner at NFX, to explore one of the most ambitious frontiers in venture capital: longevity, biotech, and the intersection of biology and technology. Om...

Most people think disruption is about technology. In reality, it’s about winning inside chaos, regulation, and imperfect systems — before the rules catch up. In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, I sit down with Lane Kasselman, President of Blockchain.com and one of the earliest executives at Uber, to unpack what it truly takes to scale category-defining companies in the most regulated envi...

Most founders believe venture capital is a game of who can raise the largest round. But the real game is different: pick the right market, build something defensible, and create a business that doesn’t burn through capital just to stay alive.   Jeff Weinstein is a partner at FJ Labs, one of the world’s most active early-stage investors. The firm has backed more than 1,000 companies with over $500...

What makes China’s innovators and entrepreneurs so relentlessly driven, and how is their ecosystem mindset redefining global innovation, investment, and AI development? In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , host Victor Orlovski talks with Mark Greeven , Professor of Management Innovation and Voice on China Innovation, and Dean at IMD Business School , to unpack the mindset that is powering...

In this special episode of Ventures from the Valley , guest host Austen Legler interviews Victor Orlovski, the show’s usual host, for an insider’s look at eToro’s $4B IPO journey. Victor shares key lessons on market timing, organizational readiness, and strategic storytelling. From essential fintech metrics to brand-building and talent retention, this episode offers a masterclass in preparing a co...

What does it take to spot the next big breakthrough in blockchain?  In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , host Victor Orlovski sits down with Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, to uncover how his team evaluates more than 500 companies every month to identify and support the startups shaping the future of Web3. From navigating unpredictable market cycles to supporti...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , host Victor Orlovski sits down with embedded finance expert Lars Markull to explore how non-financial companies can unlock new revenue streams by integrating banking services. They unpack successful case studies, common pitfalls, and the future of embedded finance across regions like Europe, the US, and Asia. From choosing the right infrastructure part...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with fintech visionary Brett King to explore how AI, smart contracts, and digital currencies are disrupting global finance. From the decline of traditional banking to the rise of platform-based lending and autonomous finance, King shares bold insights on the future of economic systems. A must-listen for investors and finan...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , host Victor talks with Jim Pulcrano, IMD Professor and veteran entrepreneur, about the evolving relationship between European and Silicon Valley venture ecosystems. They explore how cultural differences influence startup growth, investment styles, and innovation strategies. From academic institutions to AI's role in venture capital, the conversation of...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , hosts Victor and Tom talk with Inaki Berenguer, a three-time founder and managing partner at LifeX Ventures. Inaki shares his journey from small-town Spain to building and exiting three startups, including CoverWallet. He unpacks strategies for startup growth, selecting the right investors, and navigating co-founder dynamics. The conversation also prov...

Welcome to this episode of Ventures From The Valley . Join hosts Victor and Tom as they sit down with NetGuardians co-founders, Joël Winteregg and Raffael Maio, to explore their 15+ year journey from university spin-off to fintech success. They discuss navigating pivots, raising over $40M, scaling internationally, and ultimately selling their company. Whether you're a founder, investor, or fintech...

Welcome to Ventures From The Valley . In this episode, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Mor Assia, Co-founder and Managing Partner of iAngels, to uncover the secrets behind one of Israel’s top venture capital success stories. From managing $500M in assets to reshaping Israeli VC, Mor shares her journey of balancing innovation, family, and the future of AI in investing. Tune in for insider insig...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Ilya Strebulaev, The David S. Lobel Professor of Private Equity and Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Together, they discuss: Why venture capital shows a clear indication of alpha What factors have made Silicon Valley the epicenter of venture capital The emergence of new innovation hubs...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Damián Scavo, CEO and CIO of Streetbeat. Together, they discuss:  How AI is transforming personal and corporate financial decision-making The increasing dominance of algorithmic and HFT in financial markets Will professional traders survive the AI revolution? What the US fintech can learn from the UK and Asia Why toke...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Jim Kolchin, a serial entrepreneur and founder of iWallet. Together, they discuss:  Early lessons in entrepreneurship from Jim’s Soviet days How Silicon Valley and successful exits sharpened Jim’s approach The shift from hardware to software and SaaS as scalable business models The challenges of changing consumer habi...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, our host Victor Orlovski is joined by Dr. Mohammad Rasouli, Founder and CEO at AIx2, and Philipp Reineke, Co-founder and COO at AIx2. Together they discuss:  The competitive landscape of AI research The evolving role of AI in venture capital Future trends in AI Predictive capabilities The intersection of AI and alternative investments Dr. Mohammad Rasou...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley , our host, Victor Orlovski , is joined by Spencer Gerrol , Founder and CEO of SPARK Neuro , a company on a mission to transform the future of brain health. Spencer has dedicated his career to translating theoretical science into real-world applications using biometric technologies. Join us as we dive into Spencer's career journey as a businessman, his p...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, our host, Victor Orlovski, is joined by Michael Pechatnikov, Co-Founder and CTO of a Stealth Startup. Together, they touch on the following topics: Michael's entrepreneurial journey and experiences with starting and selling companies The realization that working and building companies is his passion Michael's venture into managing wealth and exploring i...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, our host Victor Orlovski is joined by Alex Mashrabov, founder and CEO of Higgsfield AI. Together they ask the big questions including:  Can you run a GenAI business without VC Investment?  Which is better, closed-loop models or open source? How can your business challenge an already-crowded market? Should AI be regulated? Alex is the CEO of Higgsfield A...

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, our host Victor Orlovski is joined by Alex Freedland, co-founder and CEO of Mirantis. Together they discuss: Alex’s beginnings in America as a young soviet immigrant His business ventures, including Mirantis The threats and opportunities of Open Source technologies The future of Blockchain and Crypto Alex Freedland co-founded Mirantis in 2011, and was t...