Category Visionaries

Sasha Seymore, Co-Founder of Ethos: $34 Million Raised to Build the Adaptive Readiness Platform of the Future

Ethos is revolutionizing training and education with their adaptive readiness platform, which transforms passive learning materials into interactive, engaging lessons. With over $34 million in funding, Ethos has expanded from elite athletics to serving 40+ Department of Defense customers across Air Force, Space Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, while also developing a substantial commercial presence. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Sasha Seymore, Co-Founder of Ethos, about the company's journey from a basketball playbook solution to becoming a critical technology partner for military readiness and corporate training.
Topics Discussed:
 
Ethos' evolution from a sports team training tool to a defense technology company
The AI-powered platform that converts passive materials into interactive "Rosetta Stone-like" training experiences
How Ethos reduced failure rates by 50% at military training facilities, saving millions
The changing perception of defense tech in Silicon Valley
Navigating the complex Department of Defense procurement system
The critical need for modernizing military training technology
Expanding from DoD contracts to commercial applications in life sciences and manufacturing
Ethos' vision for creating comprehensive knowledge and competency mapping systems
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Cross-sector application thinking is powerful: Sasha and his co-founder identified how learning methodologies that worked in athletics could apply to military training and beyond. B2B founders should regularly explore how their core technology could create value in adjacent or seemingly unrelated sectors, as the principles that make a solution effective in one domain often translate to others when properly adapted.
Leverage educational institutions' innovation programs: Ethos used Stanford's "Hacking for Defense" program to validate their solution with real military stakeholders, accelerating their entry into the defense sector. B2B founders should identify and participate in specialized innovation programs that connect startups with enterprise customers for rapid problem validation and relationship building.
Traditional marketing doesn't work in non-traditional markets: For DoD sales, Ethos discovered that LinkedIn ads and conventional outreach failed; instead, credibility came from demonstrating excellence and leveraging senior advisors who understood the ecosystem. B2B founders entering specialized markets should identify the unique information channels and trusted sources that decision-makers rely on rather than applying standard marketing playbooks.
Revenue split strategy between government and commercial: Ethos maintains a 70% DoD and 30% commercial revenue split, with plans to move toward 50/50. Their approach of proving technology in one sector before expanding provides multiple growth paths and resilience against market fluctuations. B2B founders should consider how maintaining presence in multiple sectors can provide both stability and expansion opportunities.
Balance innovation with insider knowledge: When entering complex markets like defense, Ethos found success by pairing their innovative technology with advisors who understood the internal workings and procurement processes. B2B founders need both breakthrough products and industry-specific expertise to navigate specialized markets effectively.
 
//
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
 
//
Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire
Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.
Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM 
 
 

Tal Shahar, CEO & Co-Founder of Atlas Invest: $13 Million Raised to Transform Real Estate Financing

Atlas Invest is revolutionizing real estate financing as a marketplace connecting borrowers with institutional investors. With $13 million in funding, the platform provides an alternative to inefficient traditional lending models by offering borrowers quick, simple financing while enabling investors to access what Tal calls "the holy grail of asset classes" - real estate-backed bridge loans. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Tal Shahar, CEO and Co-Founder of Atlas Invest, to discuss his journey from military special forces officer to venture capitalist to founder, and how Atlas is building a platform that delivers superior returns to investors while providing crucial financing for real estate developers.
Topics Discussed:
Tal's experience as an officer in Israeli special forces and how it shaped his approach to entrepreneurship
The transition from venture capital at Deep Insight to founding Atlas Invest
How Atlas addresses inefficiencies in real estate bridge loan financing through technology
The platform's dual-sided marketplace connecting borrowers and institutional investors
Atlas's ability to generate 12% net IRR for investors compared to traditional funds' 8%
Strategies for building both sides of a marketplace business simultaneously
The challenges of securing the first deals that validated the business model
Atlas's approach to brand building and marketing experiments in the real estate space
The evolving vision to become the go-to platform for all real estate financing needs
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Exercise disciplined due diligence in your own ventures: Before leaving his VC position, Tal created a comprehensive due diligence list and spent six months validating Atlas's potential during nights and weekends. B2B founders should apply the same rigorous validation processes to their own ideas that VCs would use, testing assumptions methodically before fully committing resources.
Leverage market disruptions as entry points: Atlas launched during a period of rising interest rates when banks were pulling back from lending, creating an opportunity for new entrants. As Tal explained, "When we started Atlas, it was a crazy market environment... that actually enabled us to step into the market when each side was okay with us not having a lot of the other side." B2B founders should identify and exploit market dislocations that weaken incumbent advantages.
Build marketplaces by continuously balancing both sides: Rather than solving the chicken-and-egg problem once, Atlas constantly rebalances supply and demand. Tal noted, "We're continuously balancing... Sometimes the challenging part is the deal flow, sometimes it's the investors. If it was always only one, maybe it's not the best product-market fit." The shifting nature of the challenge is actually a positive signal for marketplace businesses.
Use white-glove service to win initial customers: For Atlas's first deals, personal relationships and exceptional service were critical. "It was a lot of white glove service... we're selling basically enterprise in a way," Tal shared. The team did "whatever it takes to win it, to make it successful." B2B founders should be prepared to deliver extraordinary service to early customers, especially in high-value transactions where trust is paramount.
Test marketing channels empirically, not based on assumptions: Atlas discovered that LinkedIn performed poorly for their paid campaigns while Meta worked well, contrary to expectations for a B2B financial service. "I'm a big believer of not relying on our assumptions... always using data to make the decision," Tal emphasized. B2B founders should start with small tests across multiple channels, measure results objectively, and periodically retest channels that previously underperformed.
 
 
//
 
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
 
//
Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire
Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.
Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM 
 
 
 

Vahan Petrosyan, CEO & Co-Founder of SuperAnnotate: $53 Million Raised to Build the Future of AI Training Data Infrastructure

SuperAnnotate is revolutionizing how companies manage their AI training data with a comprehensive infrastructure platform. Having raised over $53 million in funding, SuperAnnotate has evolved from a specialized algorithm for autonomous vehicles to a centralized data hub that enables enterprises to collaborate with multiple service providers and internal teams. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Vahan Petrosyan, CEO and Co-Founder of SuperAnnotate, who shared his journey from PhD student to tech founder and unpacked his vision for creating what he describes as "a database for training data" - similar to Databricks but specialized for AI training data.
Topics Discussed:
SuperAnnotate's evolution from algorithm to comprehensive data labeling infrastructure
The journey from academic research to founding a tech startup
How an early contract with an autonomous driving company validated their solution
The strategic pivot from competing with service providers to creating a collaborative ecosystem
The transformation of their go-to-market strategy to create stickier enterprise relationships
SuperAnnotate's focus on building a centralized training data platform for enterprise AI
The importance of automation and "SuperAnnotate agents" for AI data operations
How customizability has enabled SuperAnnotate to support diverse generative AI use cases
 
//
 
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
 
//
Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire
Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.
Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM 
 

Alex Levin, CEO & Co-Founder of Regal AI: $82 Million Raised to Transform Customer Communication with Voice AI

Regal AI is revolutionizing the contact center landscape with its voice AI agent platform that's transforming how businesses communicate with customers. With $82 million in funding, Regal has positioned itself at the forefront of the AI revolution in customer service. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Alex Levin, CEO and Co-Founder of Regal AI, about the company's journey from building tools to optimize human agent performance to pioneering voice AI agents that can handle customer interactions with unprecedented effectiveness.
Topics Discussed:
Regal AI's pivot from optimizing human agent calls to developing AI agents
The economics of AI agents compared to human agents (10-20¢ per minute vs. $1 per minute)
How AI agents achieve 97% containment rates versus the 20-40% traditional benchmark
The challenges of enterprise sales in the contact center space
The evolution of Regal's go-to-market strategy as AI capabilities have rapidly advanced
The future of voice as the primary channel for brand engagement
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Timing your product evolution is critical: Alex emphasizes the importance of not moving too early or too late when pivoting to new technology. "If you invested too early, it was a waste, but if you wait too late then all the first trials with every company would be with another AI provider, not with us," Alex explains. Their decision to wait until LLMs were capable enough before focusing on AI agents prevented them from wasting resources on soon-to-be-obsolete technology while still allowing them to be early in the market.
Enterprise sales requires embracing the process: When moving upmarket, Alex learned that trying to rush enterprise sales leads to poor outcomes. "If you try to rush it in an enterprise environment, which is possible, you're not going to have a good outcome," he shares. B2B founders should understand the sales timeline for their specific industry and be prepared for longer, more complex sales cycles when targeting enterprise customers.
Build foundational technology that transcends AI hype: Regal's advantage came from building deep platform infrastructure before AI agents were ready. "Most of the companies that exist today, all they've ever built is this thing that interacts with the customer, the agent itself, the voice and the LLM, which is relatively trivial actually," Alex explains. By building integrations with customer data systems, decision engines, and channel management tools first, they created a more comprehensive solution that could quickly incorporate AI advances when the technology matured.
Reconsider conventional marketing channels: Alex notes that traditional B2B marketing approaches are losing effectiveness: "A lot of the traditional channels that used to work just don't work or are not efficient anymore. So paid SEM, traditional sponsorships of online content, writing blog posts in some big paper... a lot of these demand gen channels are just highly ineffective." Founders should prioritize breaking through with authentic founder-led storytelling rather than relying solely on conventional demand generation tactics.
The economics of AI can reverse long-standing business practices: Regal AI's solution flips conventional contact center wisdom on its head. As Alex explains, "Instead of calls being the most expensive thing you have, AI calls are the cheapest channel you have. So you lead with those calls and you do as many calls as possible because it's cheaper than any other channel." B2B founders should look for opportunities where AI fundamentally changes the cost structure of traditional business operations.
 
//
 
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
 
//
Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire
Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.
Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM 
 
 

John Lee, CEO & Founder of Safire: $11 Million Raised to Accelerate Defense Electrification Technology

Safire is pioneering advanced electrification solutions for defense applications, transforming how military operations are powered in austere environments. With $11 Million in funding and over $7 million in government contracts secured just this year, Safire is developing revolutionary technology to make batteries safer and more efficient for defense applications. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with John Lee, CEO and Founder of Safire, to learn about the company's journey from a core nanoparticle technology to a full suite of defense electrification products that are changing how soldiers operate in the field.
Topics Discussed:
Safire's revolutionary silicon nanoparticle technology that transforms lithium-ion batteries into "non-Newtonian fluids" that solidify upon impact
The company's evolution from core R&D to developing multiple defense products, including tactical electric dirt bikes, battery-infused body armor, and deployable microgrids
The process of securing government contracts and navigating defense appropriations
The importance of building relationships with end users in the military and understanding their needs
John's background as a Navy contracting officer and former head of government contracts at Palantir
Safire's approach to brand development as part of their path to becoming a unicorn
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Put mission first to attract talent and customers: John's commitment to protecting lives became his driving force after his experience procuring counter-IED jammers that saved soldiers' lives. He explains, "I couldn't really do anything besides, whatever I do, I want to help protect and save lives." This clear mission has helped him attract talent, customers, and investors who share this vision, demonstrating how a compelling purpose can accelerate GTM efforts.
Listen to customer needs before defining your product roadmap: Rather than forcing a single-product strategy, Safire let customer requirements guide their development. As John noted, "We really focused on customer first. And if the customer said, I want you to be just one product company... that may have been okay. But that's not what the customer was asking for." By building solutions to address real military needs, Safire has secured multiple contracts across different applications.
Use government R&D contracts as a runway to production: Safire strategically leveraged Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to fund their early development while creating a path to larger production contracts. John advises, "It's really important to understand... all the effort it takes to go from the R&D contract into production into program of record and [to] prepare for it." He warns against the "if I build it they'll come" mentality that leads many startups to fail.
Invest in lobbying early for long-term ROI: The company prioritized hiring lobbyists immediately after raising their seed round. John revealed, "The $4.5 million contract that we just got awarded last month came from our lobbying efforts... from two and a half years ago. And that was the very first third-party payment I was making as soon as we raised our seed round." This demonstrates how early investment in government relations can deliver substantial returns for defense tech companies.
Brand sophistication matters in defense tech: Breaking with industry norms, Safire invested significantly in professional branding before their Series A. John explains this decision: "Every unicorn status company had a great brand before they became a unicorn status company... When we're walking through four-star generals and three-star generals into our offices, into our skiffs... we want to be trusted and we also want to be seen as a sophisticated, responsible contractor." This approach has helped them stand out in an industry where branding is often neglected.
 
//
 
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
 
//
Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire
Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role.
Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM 
 

Jeremy Becker, Co-Founder & CRO of Cloverleaf AI: $3.5 Million Raised to Transform Government Data Into Sales Intelligence

Cloverleaf AI is revolutionizing how companies access and leverage public government meeting data, turning hours of meandering discussions into actionable sales intelligence. With $3.5 million in funding, the govtech startup helps enterprises identify early-stage opportunities in state and local government contracts by applying AI to analyze thousands of public meetings. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Jeremy Becker, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Cloverleaf AI, to explore how his childhood experiences attending local government meetings with his father inspired a solution that's changing how businesses engage with government procurement.
Topics Discussed:
How Cloverleaf AI uses machine learning to extract valuable insights from public government meeting recordings
The challenges of finding and tracking government opportunities without AI assistance
Why state, local, and education (SLED) markets represent their strongest differentiator
The impact of federal deregulation on state-level government contracting opportunities
Cloverleaf's successful pursuit of enterprise clients, including a recent deal with one of the world's five largest companies
GTM Lessons for B2B Founders:
Focus relentlessly on your beachhead market: Jeremy identified choosing government contracting as their sole focus as their most critical decision. "We tried to boil the ocean...but you just limit yourself so much in what you can learn about your process and how much more repeatable you can get with things if you get smaller." Initially targeting multiple verticals (government affairs, government contracting, political strategy), Cloverleaf found its sales velocity was 5x higher in government contracting than other segments.
Translate technical capabilities into customer-centric language: Cloverleaf struggled initially with messaging until they shifted from generic promises like "we'll drive revenue" to more relationship-focused language that resonated with their audience: "Government sales are about building relationships and being proactive. Let us help you get into the room a little bit earlier." This translation of technical capabilities to customer-centric outcomes was crucial for market penetration.
Leverage unique data assets in your marketing: Rather than generic content marketing, Cloverleaf uses its proprietary government meeting data to deliver unique insights and analysis that potential customers can't get elsewhere. Their strategy of offering free licenses to journalists and educational institutions creates organic distribution channels while building credibility through third-party validation.
Conduct thorough procurement discovery upfront: After a 16-month sales cycle with a major enterprise client, Jeremy emphasized the importance of procurement discovery: "Always better discovery, specifically better procurement discovery from the start would have been a pretty big game changer." Understanding organizational structures, decision-makers, and internal processes early prevents "false summits" where you think the deal is closing only to discover new layers of approval.
Validate market selection with sales velocity metrics: When deciding which market to focus on, Cloverleaf analyzed their existing client base using sales velocity (combining cycle time and deal size) rather than looking at individual metrics in isolation. This comprehensive view revealed that government contracting opportunities closed 5x faster than government affairs deals, providing clear direction for their go-to-market strategy.
 
//
 
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

Kathy Hannun, Founder & CTO of Dandelion Energy: $175 Million Raised to Democratize Geothermal Energy for Home Heating and Cooling

Dandelion Energy is revolutionizing residential heating and cooling through geothermal technology, transforming what was once a luxury product into a mainstream, accessible solution for homeowners across America. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Kathy Hannun, Founder and CTO of Dandelion Energy, who spun the company out of Google X after recognizing geothermal's potential to disrupt the traditional home heating and cooling market. With $175 million in funding, Dandelion has evolved from direct-to-consumer retrofits to focusing on partnerships with home builders, dramatically reducing installation costs while maximizing scalability.
Topics Discussed:
Dandelion's origin as a spinout from Google X's moonshot factory
The transition from a direct-to-consumer retrofit model to partnering with homebuilders
How geothermal technology works and why it provides superior heating and cooling
Innovations that made geothermal systems accessible to average homeowners
The challenges of managing supply-demand dynamics in a construction-based business
Financing strategies that made zero-money-down installations possible
The development of Dandelion's brand identity and naming process
The impact of government incentives on adoption rates (up to $30,000 in some markets)
Future vision to make geothermal a standard option considered by major homebuilders
 
GTM Lessons for B2B Founders:
Pivot When Your Business Model Shows Structural Flaws: Kathy recognized fundamental challenges in their direct-to-consumer retrofit approach that threatened long-term viability. Rather than forcing a flawed model, they pivoted to a B2B strategy targeting homebuilders, which cut installation costs by more than 50% while enabling greater scalability. Kathy explained, "The business model we had in the past, it was flawed... I was pretty anxious about what the future looked like in that business model. Whereas in this home builder business, it just really addresses many of the weaknesses of our old business model."
Borrow Go-To-Market Strategies from Adjacent Industries: Dandelion's initial success came from applying solar industry financing models to geothermal, making expensive systems affordable through zero-money-down financing. Kathy shared, "We really just stood on the shoulders of the solar industry... it allowed us to offer a zero money down product which was also half of our customers used." By adapting proven strategies from adjacent sectors, B2B founders can accelerate adoption of new technologies.
Adapt Marketing Strategies to Current Realities: Kathy initially received advice from solar industry veterans suggesting community events and farmer's markets for customer acquisition. While applying this advice, she quickly discovered digital ads were far more cost-effective. As she noted, "In retrospect, I realized the solar industry kind of came of age before digital ads were such a big deal. And so all the advice I had gotten was a little bit out of date." B2B founders should consider the context and timing when applying historical industry advice.
Address Technology Limitations That Constrain Market Size: When Dandelion discovered that standard water well drilling rigs were too large for many residential properties, they developed smaller specialized equipment that instantly doubled their addressable market. Kathy recalled, "For half the homeowners that said yes to us, yes, I want to buy geothermal from you, we had to say actually nevermind, because your house cannot accommodate a giant water well rig on the yard." Identifying and solving technical barriers that limit adoption can dramatically expand market reach.
Leverage Mission-Driven Status for Marketing Advantages: Dandelion's environmental mission generated media coverage and public interest that traditional HVAC companies couldn't access. Kathy observed, "Starting a company that is mission driven like Dandelion has been a big advantage because we get a fair amount of press coverage and people are inherently somewhat interested in the thing that we're doing." B2B founders working on solutions with broader positive impacts should leverage this narrative advantage in their marketing strategy.
 
//
 
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

Sercan Esen, CEO & Co-Founder of Intenseye: $93 Million Raised to Transform Workplace Safety Through AI-Powered Computer Vision

Intenseye is revolutionizing industrial safety by connecting to existing camera systems in manufacturing facilities and using AI to detect unsafe conditions in real-time. Having raised $93 million to date, the company has developed a platform that runs over 120 AI models analyzing 50+ safety use cases at manufacturing sites globally. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we spoke with Sercan Esen, CEO and Co-Founder of Intenseye, about his journey from software engineer to category-creating founder, and how his company is addressing the staggering problem of workplace fatalities – 2.4 million people losing their lives annually in industrial accidents.
 
Topics Discussed:
Intenseye's origin story and mission to save lives in manufacturing
How the platform transforms existing cameras into "24/7 safety supervisors"
The challenge of creating a new category in industrial safety
Building an account-based marketing engine from scratch
The evolution from a proof-of-concept to an enterprise-ready solution
Scaling from single facility deployments to managing 100+ site implementations
How real-time detection differs fundamentally from traditional EHS platforms
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Learn directly from your customers on category creation: "We came up with those category names. We named those use cases and main categories and we expanded them under like 50 new use cases too... So I would say the number one thing that we do really well is relying on our customers, our users on the front lines, and how they use our platform and operationalize and what they call it." Sercan emphasized the importance of letting your customers help shape how you define and communicate about your new category, rather than imposing terminology on them.
Immerse yourself in your customer's world: Sercan personally visited over 50 manufacturing facilities in the first two years and even worked production lines to understand the environment. "I was making ice creams for a week, cars for another week. And I was working right next to frontline teams to learn more." This deep immersion helped Intenseye build a solution that truly addressed the realities of their customers' environments rather than creating a theoretical solution from a distance.
Iterate your go-to-market motion with the help of early customers: The Intenseye team originally envisioned a self-serve, product-led growth model but quickly realized enterprise sales was the right approach. Sercan recalls: "I remember my first call with the procurement leader from a largest customer and he was challenging me and I said, 'Look, this is the first time I'm doing this. Can you tell me how you guys want to buy this? You tell me and I will just figure this out.' And he gave me amazing insights." This willingness to learn from customers shaped their land-and-expand strategy and pricing model.
Deeply understand stakeholder concerns to drive adoption: When implementing computer vision in industrial settings, Sercan's team anticipated potential resistance and built solutions proactively: "We are always aggressively cautious about the implementation of computer vision technology because immediate reaction might be 'Hey, this is Big Brother...' But these are all wrong. We spend a lot of time with unions, frontline teams, building anonymization around blurring the entire body at the camera level, thumbnail level, and everything... to earn their trust, earn their hearts and minds."
Create targeted marketing content that demonstrates your exact solution: Rather than generic marketing, Intenseye built a video engine that could analyze customer video footage using their AI, showing precisely how their system would work in a prospect's actual environment. "I posted on LinkedIn, promoted in the region where I know that account could see our video... I remember couple hours later it was a meeting booked from the VP of Healthcare Safety with a note: 'Hey, I'm really interested about this solution.'" This approach of showing exactly how you solve the specific problem has become the foundation of their marketing strategy.
 
//
 
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

Erik Braund, CEO & Founder of Katmai: $30 Million Raised to Build the Future of Virtual Work

Katmai is reinventing remote work through its innovative virtual office platform that creates spontaneous, natural interaction in a digital environment. With over $30 million in funding, Katmai has developed proprietary 3D audio-video technology that allows teams to work together in a virtual space that mimics the benefits of physical offices while maintaining the flexibility of remote work. In this episode of Category Visionaries, we sat down with Erik Braund, CEO and Founder of Katmai, to learn about his journey from audio-video production to building a deep tech startup that's challenging conventional remote work tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Topics Discussed:
Katmai's origin as an accidental pandemic pivot from Erik's audio-video production business
The acquisition of early prototype technology and building a specialized team of engineers
The technical challenges of creating a browser-based 3D environment with live audio-video
Katmai's approach to product development through careful beta testing and customer feedback
The transition from deep tech R&D to commercial product and go-to-market strategy
The tension between maintaining stealth mode while gathering essential user feedback
Katmai's expansion from enterprise customers to consumer-facing experiences
The philosophical approach to remote work that focuses on spontaneous interaction
 
GTM Lessons For B2B Founders:
Prioritize real-world functionality over pitch decks: Erik emphasized that for complex, visual products like Katmai, traditional pitch materials didn't work. "We didn't even have a deck for series A because they don't work. The deck doesn't work. You've got to just see it or see a video of it." B2B founders with experiential products should prioritize creating functional demos over traditional marketing materials.
Build around natural behavior patterns: Katmai succeeded by mapping digital interactions to natural in-person behaviors. "We map everything one-to-one of what would it be like to sit next to each other at a table and show each other laptops and have a conversation and then look over the shoulder." Founders should design products that feel intuitive by mimicking familiar real-world interactions rather than creating entirely new behavioral patterns.
Balance technological innovation with methodical rollout: As a deep tech investment, Katmai spent years on R&D before broader release. "Had I known how to frame it on day one, I would have pitched it as a deep tech investment... we're going to be heads down for like two more years, just hashing this out, making it work." B2B founders working on fundamental innovations should set appropriate timelines and expectations for both investors and customers.
Transform scheduled meetings into spontaneous conversations: Katmai's core value proposition addresses meeting fatigue. Erik shared customer feedback: "Katmai turns next week's 30 minute meeting into today's 5 minute conversation." B2B founders should identify where their product can eliminate friction in workflows rather than simply digitizing existing processes.
Implement gradual adoption strategies: Recognizing behavior change is difficult, Katmai recommends an "office hours" approach to adoption. "Take your stand up that you were going to do with your remote team and do it in Katmai. Maybe that's once a week, maybe it's every day... then don't leave when the meeting's over." B2B founders should create clear, incremental adoption pathways that don't require customers to immediately abandon existing tools.
//
 
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

Caleb Avery, Founder & CEO of Tilled: $40 Million Raised to Build (and dominate) the PayFac as a Service Category

Tilled has pioneered "PayFac as a Service," creating a new category in the payments space that allows vertical software companies to embed payments within their platforms without becoming registered payment facilitators themselves. With over $40 million in funding, Tilled offers an alternative to industry giants like Stripe, providing better economics while maintaining high-quality developer tools. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Caleb Avery, Founder and CEO of Tilled, about his journey from solo founder to category creator, the challenges of competing with established players like Stripe, and how he's built a successful business by identifying and serving an underserved segment of the market.
Topics Discussed:
Tilled's origin story and Caleb's two-year journey as a solo founder before finding product-market fit
The process of creating and defining the "PayFac as a Service" category
How Tilled positions itself against industry giants like Stripe
Effective content marketing and thought leadership strategies on LinkedIn
The power of speaking at industry conferences to build credibility
Leveraging a mixed strategy of inbound marketing, digital advertising, and channel partnerships
Tilled's vision to expand beyond payments into comprehensive embedded fintech solutions
 
GTM Lessons for B2B Founders:
Create your own category when existing ones don't fit: When Caleb realized that existing terms like "PayFac in a box" didn't accurately describe Tilled's offering, he invented "PayFac as a Service." This new category clearly communicated their value proposition and differentiated them from competitors. He explains, "The concept behind PayFac as a Service was really resonating with these vertical software companies that were saying, 'I don't want to go be a registered PayFac, I want all of the benefits as though I'm becoming a registered payment facilitator with 5% of the effort.'"
Educate the market on your category through content: Tilled invested heavily in education through LinkedIn posts, blogs, ebooks, and speaking engagements to establish their category. Caleb notes, "Over a period of three or four months, we started introducing this concept of PayFac as a Service...by the time we actually launched the fundraising process, some of the early investors that I talked to were like, 'Oh, yeah, we've heard of that category.'"
Leverage fellow founders for early validation: Even without a product, Caleb reached out to other founders to validate his ideas. "Other founders are very willing to help founders, especially in the early stages where I had nothing to sell them...I was shocked by the response rates that I was getting." This approach helped validate assumptions about pricing, product features, and contractual terms before launch.
Balance personal and professional content for thought leadership: Caleb's LinkedIn strategy combined educational content about payments with personal stories about entrepreneurship and family life. "I think by allowing people to understand who I was as a person, it made me more approachable for some of the companies that were coming to us and saying, 'Hey, we're not ready to make a switch, but we are curious.'"
Apply to speak at industry conferences: Caleb was surprised by how many speaking opportunities were available simply by applying. "It just shocks me how few founders that I know are willing to go apply for those speakerships, but it's really an incredibly easy thing for them to go do." These speaking engagements provided valuable opportunities to reach ideal customers and establish credibility.
Run targeted "conquest" campaigns against market leaders: Tilled runs specific digital advertising campaigns targeting pain points with competitors, using long-tail keywords like "Why is Stripe customer service so bad?" This strategy drives quality leads from customers already experiencing problems with the dominant player in the market.
Embrace channel partnerships in B2B SaaS: Unlike many competitors, Tilled welcomes referrals from ISOs, agents, and payment consultants. "We're one of the few folks in our space, which is still bizarre to me, that embraces a channel strategy...it's been an incredibly lucrative strategy...it's still 30 plus percent of the deal flow for Tilled."
 
//
 
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