Category Visionaries

Mike Conover, CEO & Co-Founder of Brightwave: $6M Raised to Build the Future of AI-Powered Investment Research

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Mike Conover, CEO and Co-Founder of Brightwave, an AI-powered investment research platform that has raised $6 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Brightwave’s Core Mission: Mike explained how Brightwave leverages AI to expand human cognitive potential. The platform enhances investment research by helping asset managers identify mispriced assets through AI that can analyze far more data than a human can.
AI’s Role in Investment Research: Brightwave’s AI focuses on organizing relevant content like SEC filings, news, and transcripts, helping analysts to synthesize large volumes of information and make informed decisions faster.
The Evolution of AI: Mike’s journey, from building Databricks' first language model, to co-founding Brightwave, highlights how AI’s rapid progress has revolutionized industries, especially with large language models unlocking new capabilities in research and reasoning.
AI in Financial Services: Mike noted that financial firms are rapidly adopting AI, with active asset managers embracing its potential despite limitations. The urgency of staying competitive is pushing firms to adopt AI early, despite its imperfections.
Standing Out in a Crowded AI Market: To differentiate Brightwave, Mike emphasized the importance of product quality over AI hype. By building a tool that works and focusing on high-value synthesis and reasoning, Brightwave sets itself apart from competitors.
The Future of AI Research Assistants: Brightwave’s long-term vision is to build a system that understands and reasons about the structure of the global economy, transforming the speed and accuracy of financial analysis for asset managers.
 
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Nick Soman, CEO & Founder of Decent: $43 Million Raised to Build the Future of Direct Primary Care

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Nick Soman, CEO & Founder of Decent, a healthcare technology company that has raised $43 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Risk and Motivation: Nick secured the domain "Decent" by spending $60,000 from his home equity line, pushing himself to succeed with the venture by leveraging personal risk.
Broken Healthcare System: Healthcare is fundamentally flawed because incentives are built around raising costs rather than reducing them, with insurance companies benefiting from inefficiencies in the system.
Level Funded Health Plans: Decent offers an innovative solution by combining level-funded health plans and direct primary care, allowing even small businesses to self-insure and save up to 40% compared to traditional market rates.
Direct Primary Care Movement: Decent is riding the wave of the growing direct primary care movement, which allows doctors to focus on personalized care for fewer patients while reducing overall healthcare costs.
GTM Strategy Evolution: Initially, Decent struggled with messaging. They shifted from promoting direct primary care upfront to leading with cost savings, which significantly improved their sales success.
Scaling Through Brokers: Instead of bypassing brokers, Decent embraced them, building tech tools to empower them, which proved crucial for scaling and reaching more small businesses.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Vicky Demas, CEO of Identifeye Health: $90 Million Raised to Power the Future of Retinal Imaging

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Vicky Demas, CEO of Identifeye Health, a retinal imaging platform that has raised over $90 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Automating Retinal Imaging: Vicky explains how Identifeye Health is leveraging AI and automation to build a fully automated camera, simplifying retinal screening and addressing access to care.
Founding Journey: The company received initial funding three and a half years ago, with Vicky brought in to reset the company’s vision and direction, thanks to her expertise in AI-driven healthcare solutions from her time at Google X.
Google X Experience: Vicky shares insights into her time at Google X, where the team worked on high-impact healthcare projects using AI, including early work on retinal imaging for diabetic retinopathy.
Rebranding Challenge: Identifeye Health underwent a major rebranding exercise, turning it into an exciting team-driven initiative that created a more accurate and trademarkable brand name.
Tackling Diabetic Retinopathy: Identifeye Health is focused on improving the accessibility and accuracy of diabetic retinopathy screening, aiming to solve the issue of low patient screening compliance with AI-driven simplicity.
Pre-Commercial Stage: The company is in the final stages of commercialization, actively preparing manufacturing and quality management processes to launch their solution.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Geert Van Kerckhoven, CEO & Co-Founder of Oper: $15 Million Raised to Build the Future of Mortgage Tech Across Europe

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Geert Van Kerckhoven, CEO & Co-Founder of Oper, a mortgage tech platform that's raised over $15 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Oper’s Mission: Oper is revolutionizing the European mortgage process by digitizing the journey for both borrowers and lenders. The platform aims to improve the experience from initial contact to final contract, reducing paper-based processes and streamlining mortgage underwriting.
Founding Story: Geert's 20 years of experience in fintech and banking, combined with frustration from a personal mortgage process, inspired the creation of Oper. He saw a clear gap in the market for a modern, scalable solution for mortgage lenders across Europe.
First Customer Acquisition: Within three months of starting, Oper landed its first client who acted as a design partner, enabling the company to generate revenue from day one.
Early Challenges: While securing a first client quickly, the challenge was to avoid building a proprietary solution for just one partner. The focus shifted to scaling the product and acquiring more clients to broaden its market presence.
Go-to-Market Strategy: Oper focuses on enterprise sales with a team of experienced account executives managing relationships with banks. Additionally, they leverage partnerships with system integrators for larger, complex implementations, a key element of their growth strategy.
Marketing Strategy: Geert emphasizes the importance of content marketing. Oper creates in-depth reports and thought leadership pieces that educate the market, helping them scale their knowledge beyond face-to-face meetings.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 
 

Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of OpenPath: $25 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of OpenPath, a payments platform that's raised $25 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
OpenPath’s Unique Approach: OpenPath started as a middleware for merchants, helping them manage checkout processes, accept payments, and mitigate chargebacks and fraud. They’ve now evolved to offer instant direct payments using real-time bank transfers, eliminating fraud and streamlining payment processing.
Evolution of the Product: The initial idea was sparked by a co-founder’s vision. Over time, they saw an opportunity to partner with another payments company, leading to the creation of a new product—real-time, fraud-free bank transfers.
The Fraud and Chargeback Problem: Scott highlighted the pervasive issue of chargebacks in e-commerce, which can cause significant financial strain on businesses. OpenPath's solution drastically reduces these issues by simplifying and securing the payment process.
Seamless Merchant Onboarding: OpenPath has streamlined the process for merchants to integrate its technology, reducing development time and effort. This has enabled even large-scale merchants, like Lululemon, to quickly adopt their platform.
Strategic Sales and GTM Execution: OpenPath built a robust sales pipeline well before their product was fully deployed. By dividing sales into industry verticals, they ensured the product reached the right decision-makers from the start.
Future Expansion Plans: While OpenPath is currently focused on the U.S. market, with all regulatory approvals in place, Scott shared their plans to expand into Europe in the near future, where regulations are slightly more relaxed, making it an easier market to enter.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Yariv Bash, Co-Founder & CEO of Flytrex: $60 Million Raised to Power the Future of Drone Delivery

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Yariv Bash, Co-Founder & CEO of Flytrex, a drone delivery platform that has raised $60 Million in funding. 
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Space to Drones: Yariv’s journey from leading a lunar mission to co-founding Flytrex, transitioning from spacecraft to drone delivery.
Tech Innovation: Flytrex’s unique approach to ensuring food remains fresh during delivery, using straight-line flight paths for speed and efficiency.
Overcoming Regulations: Yariv’s insights into navigating FAA regulations for commercial drone delivery in the U.S. and how they're at the final stage of approval.
Logistical Efficiency: Flytrex’s ability to hire part-time employees with benefits, distinguishing them from competitors that rely on gig workers.
Competing Lean: Flytrex’s strategy for competing against billion-dollar companies by maintaining a lean, efficient business model from day one.
Expanding Beyond Food: Yariv’s vision of scaling Flytrex to deliver not just food but also retail goods like clothing and electronics in under 10 minutes.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Ryan Alshak, CEO & Founder of Laurel: $55.7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Gen AI for Timekeeping

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Ryan Alshak, CEO & Founder of Laurel, a Gen AI timekeeping platform that has raised $55.7 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Laurel's Core Offering: Laurel automates timekeeping for professional service firms like law, accounting, and consulting. By shifting from manual to AI-driven time tracking, Laurel helps users save time and ensures companies bill and collect for all work performed, boosting profits by 4-11%.
The "Aha" Moment: Ryan's inspiration to create Laurel came from his own frustrations as a lawyer, where tracking time in six-minute increments felt dehumanizing and inefficient. He realized a machine should be reminding professionals of their work, not the other way around.
Overcoming Enterprise Resistance: Ryan emphasized that competing with large incumbents in the enterprise space requires not just great technology but also building trust and social proof to overcome buyers' fear of adopting new solutions.
Change Management & Flexibility: Initially, Laurel tried to force users into a new workflow. They pivoted to offer multiple ways to track time—manually, through automation, with timers, or via delegation—meeting users where they are to drive adoption.
Importance of First Principles in AI: Ryan believes incumbents are struggling to adapt to AI because they’re retrofitting it into legacy systems. Building AI-first, Laurel delivers a superior user experience, which Ryan sees as critical to winning in the AI space.
Founder-Led Sales to 8-Figure ARR: Laurel’s journey to $10 million ARR has been driven by a founder-led sales approach, with a small but focused team. Ryan emphasized the unique learning advantages this approach provides, enabling faster product iteration and market fit.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co
 

Pulkit Agrawal, CEO & Co-Founder of Chameleon: $15 Million Raised to Build the Product Adoption Category

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Pulkit Agrawal, CEO & Co-Founder of Chameleon, a product adoption platform that has raised $15 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
The Power of Onboarding: Pulkit shared how Chameleon was born from a personal experience with user onboarding, and how a simple project to revamp onboarding boosted user retention significantly.
Evolution of Positioning: Initially focused on user onboarding, Chameleon later embraced the broader category of product adoption platforms, inspired in part by market trends and competitive positioning.
Category Challenges: Pulkit discussed the struggle of accepting and operating within an existing category, like "Digital Adoption Platforms," and how Chameleon aims to differentiate itself while playing in that space.
PLG Misconceptions: Many companies fail with product-led growth (PLG) because they think of it as an all-or-nothing shift. Pulkit emphasizes the importance of small, iterative changes and learning from current users for PLG success.
Sophisticated Sales Process: Pulkit highlighted the shift from convincing companies to adopt new tools to winning customers over from competitors, which requires a more sophisticated sales process and depth of product knowledge.
Content-Led Growth: Pulkit underscored the value of high-quality content in driving inbound growth and how he has taken a hands-on approach to produce valuable, expert-level material, like a comprehensive guide on Digital Adoption Platforms.
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co

Saman Farid, CEO & Founder of Formic: $60 Million Raised to Build the Future of Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS)

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Saman Farid, CEO & Founder of Formic, a robotics platform that has raised over $60 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
On-demand robot workforce: Formic provides factories with robots that can work on an hourly basis, aiming to solve labor shortages by making robotic solutions more accessible.
COVID and labor shortages: Saman founded Formic during the pandemic, driven by supply chain disruptions and the unfilled jobs crisis in manufacturing, which showed a need for better automation solutions.
From VC to founder: Saman transitioned back to being a founder because he believed in the massive potential of robotics. He saw a $10 billion opportunity in automating manufacturing tasks and felt compelled to take the leap.
Robustness over cutting-edge tech: Formic focuses on reliability, prioritizing proven, dependable robotics technology that can run two shifts daily without downtime, over pursuing the latest but less mature advancements.
Unique business model - "Pay for Productivity": Formic guarantees performance and productivity, only charging clients for the output they get, which has been a game-changer in driving faster adoption of robotics.
Scaling with $250M in financing: Formic uses a sophisticated capital stack to finance deployments, which allows them to offer a "try before you buy" model, making robotics more affordable and less risky for manufacturers.
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co

Avi Singer, CEO & Founder of Showd.me: $4.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Compliance Training

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Avi Singer, CEO & Founder of Showd.me, a compliance training platform that has raised $4.5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Pivoting to Compliance Training: Initially, Showd.me focused on peer-to-peer learning, but Avi pivoted the business to online compliance training in 2016 after realizing the compliance industry had a consistent, recurring need that wasn’t being addressed well.
Moving from ‘Nice to Have’ to ‘Need to Have’: Avi strategically shifted from the "nice-to-have" social learning market to the "need-to-have" compliance space, ensuring a steady demand due to regulatory requirements.
Capturing Existing Demand: Avi shared how Showd.me doesn’t need to create demand, as compliance is mandatory. Their focus is on providing a better product and understanding customer pain points to differentiate from competitors.
Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital: Avi has largely bootstrapped Showd.me, appreciating the flexibility it offers in building a sustainable business without the pressures of constant fundraising.
Client Referrals as a Key Growth Strategy: Rather than relying heavily on outbound marketing, Avi emphasized the importance of client referrals and maintaining strong relationships with existing customers, which have been a primary driver of growth.
Scaling with Fundamentals in Place: Avi expressed his focus on scaling Showd.me without compromising the quality of the product or the company culture, emphasizing that a strong foundation is key to long-term success.
 
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Sponsors:
Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership.
www.FrontLines.io
The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. 
www.GlobalTalent.co