Category Visionaries

Armon Sharei, CEO & Founder of Portal: $5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Cell Engineering

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 Armon Sharei, CEO & Founder of Portal, a cell engineering platform that has raised $5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Navigating the IPO Process: Armon shares the intense experience of taking a company public, emphasizing the numerous meetings with investors and the unique challenges posed by COVID-19, including navigating interactions over video calls with limited visibility.
Dealing with Stock Price Fluctuations: He discusses how stock price volatility can impact focus and morale, offering insights into maintaining discipline and guiding a team to stay mission-focused despite the pressures of public market performance.
Public vs. Private Company Dynamics: Armon explains the differences between running a public and private company, highlighting the increased transparency, regulatory burden, and efficiency of financial transactions as some of the factors that influenced his preference for public company leadership.
The Role of Forced Transparency: He reveals how being public reduced the opportunity for "smoke and mirrors" tactics, providing a clearer view of peers and competitors and increasing the efficiency of financial dealings.
Impact of Being Public: Armon appreciates the sharper, more informed nature of public investors and the accelerated pace of financial transactions, though he acknowledges the challenges and paperwork involved.
Motivation for Building and Innovation: Reflecting on his personal drive, Armon attributes his commitment to improving the world to his experiences growing up in Iran and witnessing global disparities, which fuels his work in advancing cell therapies.
 
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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
 

Rina Galperin, CTO & Co-Founder of PVML: $8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Data Access

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 Rina Galperin, CTO & Co-Founder of PVML, a groundbreaking data access platform that has raised $8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Innovative Solution to Data Access: Rina discusses how PVML addresses the challenge of tightly coupled permissions management in traditional data systems, offering a centralized, agnostic approach to data access that eliminates the need for duplicating permissions management across different tools.
From Problem to Solution: The idea for PVML was born out of Rina’s experience at Microsoft, where she encountered the complexities of analyzing sensitive data. This led to the realization that a better solution was needed, culminating in the development of PVML’s unique differential privacy technology.
Customer Acquisition Journey: Rina shares that acquiring the first paying customer took about six months. Their approach involved reaching out cold to potential clients and learning deeply about their pain points and motivations, which helped refine their customer targeting strategy.
Marketing Approach: PVML employs both inbound and outbound marketing strategies, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and email while also engaging in creative tactics like customized client onboarding materials and event-based marketing to differentiate themselves in the crowded data protection space.
Category Creation and Positioning: Rina explains that while PVML is positioned within the data access category, it is redefining this space by focusing on enabling data access rather than restricting it. Their use of differential privacy allows them to unlock data for analysis without compromising privacy.
Hiring and Building a Marketing Team: Rina highlights the challenges of hiring a marketing leader who is both creative and deeply understands the buyer persona. She notes the importance of aligning the marketing team’s skills with the company’s specific needs at various stages of growth.
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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

Matt Loszak, CEO & Co-Founder of Aalo Atomics: $33 Million Raised to Build the Future of Nuclear Energy

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 Matt Loszak, CEO & Co-Founder of Aalo Atomics, a nuclear energy company that has raised over $33 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Recent Funding Milestone: Aalo Atomics recently secured over $33 million in funding, including a $27 million Series A, positioning the company for further growth and innovation in nuclear energy.
Revolutionizing Nuclear Power: The company is developing a 10-megawatt electric nuclear reactor designed to be compact enough for widespread deployment, aiming to revolutionize energy production.
Strategic Market Positioning: Matt discusses how Aalo Atomics is strategically positioning itself in the energy market, focusing on sectors where traditional energy sources fall short.
Scalability and Sustainability: The company’s technology not only aims for scalability but also emphasizes sustainability, addressing critical concerns about energy consumption and environmental impact.
Challenges and Opportunities in Nuclear Tech: Matt shares insights into the unique challenges of bringing nuclear technology to market, including regulatory hurdles and public perception.
Vision for the Future: Aalo Atomics envisions a future where their reactors provide reliable, clean energy on a global scale, transforming the energy landscape.
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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

Nancy Xu, CEO & Founder of Moonhub: $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of AI-Driven Recruiting

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 Nancy Xu, CEO & Founder of Moonhub, an AI recruiting platform that's raised over $10 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
The Genesis of Moonhub: Nancy's background in AI and her experience at Stanford inspired her to address inefficiencies in the recruiting industry, particularly the lack of technology in recruiting agencies.
Early Days: For the first six months, Moonhub operated as a recruiting agency, allowing Nancy and her team to deeply understand the processes and pain points that recruiters face daily.
AI’s Impact on Recruiting: Nancy believes AI is one of the most significant technological breakthroughs, on par with the invention of electricity and the internet. Moonhub leverages AI to automate and enhance recruiting workflows.
AI Adoption Challenges: Recruiters and hiring managers recognize the need to adopt AI but are often hesitant due to concerns about the technology. Moonhub addresses this by combining AI with human recruiters, offering a hybrid solution that eases adoption.
AI Evolution in Real-Time: Nancy shared how the perception of AI has shifted drastically in the past few years, from being a niche concept to a mainstream technology that everyone is talking about.
Moonhub’s Unique Approach: Unlike fully autonomous AI solutions, Moonhub provides an AI-powered recruiting platform supported by human recruiters, offering clients the best of both worlds in a familiar and trustworthy format.
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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

Colin Luce, CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Tokenization

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 Colin Luce, CEO & Co-Founder at Basis Theory, a payments tokenization platform that has raised over $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Understanding Tokenization: Colin explains how Basis Theory is redefining tokenization for data security, focusing on developer-friendly tools that simplify complex compliance and security challenges.
The Klarna Experience: Colin shares insights from his time at Klarna, highlighting lessons learned from scaling a European fintech giant in the U.S. market and the challenges of adapting to a different ecosystem.
Founding Basis Theory: The "aha" moment for Basis Theory stemmed from the frustration Colin observed in merchants dealing with high payment processing costs and the lack of flexibility in existing systems.
Vertical vs. Horizontal Focus: Colin discusses the strategic decision to initially focus on payments as a vertical before considering broader applications of their technology in other sectors like healthcare.
Go-To-Market Strategy Evolution: Basis Theory shifted from a broad, horizontal approach to a more focused, vertical strategy, emphasizing the importance of a top-down sales motion in achieving early traction.
Outbound Sales Success: Despite the rise of PLG (Product-Led Growth), Colin highlights the continued relevance and success of outbound sales for deep infrastructure products like Basis Theory.
 
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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

John Kim, Co-Founder & CEO of Paraform: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Recruiting with a Marketplace for Specialized Talent

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 John Kim, Co-Founder & CEO of Paraform, a recruiting platform that's raised $5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Unplanned Fundraising Success: Paraform's $5 million seed round was closed in a single day, driven by the success of a key hire for a major client, which led to a warm introduction to investors.
Innovative Recruiting Marketplace: Paraform connects companies with specialized recruiters to fill difficult roles, leveraging the recruiters' deep networks and experience in niche areas.
Pivoting to Professional Recruiters: The company initially experimented with a bounty-based referral system but pivoted to a professional recruiter model to scale more effectively and align incentives better.
Effective Outbound Strategy: Paraform's growth is fueled by a strong outbound engine, inspired by Retool's operator playbook, which emphasizes quality in prospecting and targeted messaging.
Growth Metrics: The company has seen significant growth, including a 10x increase in revenue year-over-year and thousands of recruiters joining the platform, with 200+ companies served so far.
Future Vision: John envisions Paraform expanding globally, moving upmarket to serve larger enterprises, and diversifying its product lines and supply-side offerings beyond just recruiters.
 
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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

Etrit Demaj, Co-Founder of KODE Labs: $38 Million Raised to Reimagine the Building Experience

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 Etrit Demaj, Co-Founder at KODE Labs, a real estate IoT platform that has raised $38 million.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
The Early Vision for KODE Labs: Etrit and his co-founders saw a gap in the real estate market for a scalable, cloud-based operating system for smart buildings, which led to the founding of KODE Labs in 2017.
Bootstrapping and Belief: KODE Labs operated without outside capital until 2022, relying on the founders' belief in the transformative potential of cloud-based smart building platforms and their own financial resources.
Landing the Empire State Building as a Client: In 2022, KODE Labs secured the Empire State Building as a client, showcasing their platform's ability to meet the high standards of iconic properties committed to ESG and smart building initiatives.
Evolution of Go-to-Market Strategy: The company’s GTM approach evolved from a local focus to a regional and then national strategy, driven by initial success and feedback from their first 50 buildings.
Pioneering the Smart Building Category: KODE Labs is redefining the smart building category by transitioning what was traditionally on-premises to the cloud, making large-scale deployments globally feasible and cost-effective.
Building a Channel Partner Network: One of the most significant strategic decisions was creating a channel partner program, enabling global scalability through certified partners who can implement and build on the KODE Labs platform independently.
 
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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

Michael Ioffe, CEO & Co-Founder of Arist: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Autonomous L&D

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 Michael Ioffe, CEO & Co-Founder of Arist, a message-based learning platform that has raised over $16 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Arist's Origin Story: Arist began as a solution to deliver education in war zones with limited internet and laptop access by leveraging text message-based learning, which later evolved into an enterprise solution.
Effective Learning Model: The company discovered that bite-sized, conversational learning delivered over time significantly improves retention and behavior change, compared to traditional methods like lengthy video courses.
The LMS Problem: Michael explains why traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) are outdated, focusing on compliance rather than effective learning, and how Arist aims to meet learners where they are by integrating into tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Targeting the Next-Gen Learning Leaders: Arist focuses on innovative L&D leaders who are open to modernizing corporate learning, rather than trying to convert legacy leaders resistant to change.
Fast Time-to-Value: Arist differentiates itself by offering a near-instant time-to-value, where potential clients can build and experience a course within 15 seconds, a stark contrast to the months-long implementation of traditional systems.
Future Vision for Learning: Michael envisions a future where 80% of Fortune 500 companies use Arist for the majority of their learning, moving away from static LMS systems to more dynamic, autonomous learning experiences.
 
 
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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

Tuck Hauptfuhrer, CEO & Co-Founder of EarnBetter: $4.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of AI-Powered Job Search

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 Tuck Hauptfuhrer, CEO & Co-Founder of EarnBetter, an AI-powered job search platform that's raised $4.5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Job Search Revolution: EarnBetter is leveraging AI to assist job seekers with resume writing, cover letter drafting, interview preparation, and job tracking—all for free. Tuck emphasizes that the job search is a challenging, unpaid task, and EarnBetter aims to ease this burden by providing comprehensive support.
Origin Story: The idea for EarnBetter was born out of Tuck's experience at Credit Karma, where he saw that financial struggles were often tied to career stagnation. The realization that most people navigate their job search alone inspired him to create a free, AI-powered platform to support job seekers.
Consumer Focus: Drawing from his experience at Credit Karma, Tuck underscores the importance of being consumer-centric. EarnBetter is committed to providing a 100% free service, driven by user feedback and focused on solving real problems for job seekers.
Manual Beginnings to AI Integration: Before any code was written, the EarnBetter team manually helped job seekers to validate their approach. The introduction of generative AI has since accelerated their ability to automate these processes, but the mission to provide free, comprehensive job search support remains unchanged.
Business Model Innovation: EarnBetter's business model mirrors the win-win approach seen at Credit Karma. The platform remains free for job seekers, while employers pay for access to qualified candidates. This model supports the company's commitment to offering free services, which sets them apart from competitors.
Future Vision: Tuck envisions EarnBetter not just as a job search tool, but as a long-term career partner. The goal is to build a marketplace that enhances the hiring process for both employers and job seekers, raising the industry standard for support provided to job seekers.
 
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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

Adam Weinstein, CEO & Co-Founder of Writ: $3.8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Business Intelligence

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 Adam Weinstein, CEO & Co-Founder at Writ, a Business Intelligence platform that has raised $3.8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
BI Market Positioning: Adam discusses how Writ operates in the BI market, focusing on the divide between operational reporting and traditional enterprise-governed dashboards.
Category Creation in BI: Writ is navigating the BI market with the intention of making "operational reporting" a more prominent category, even though it's not yet widely recognized.
Strategic Labeling: Despite aspirations to differentiate, Adam acknowledges that labeling Writ within the BI market is necessary for attracting investment, as that’s where the money currently flows.
Future of Operational Reporting: Adam shares plans to make "operational reporting" a more recognized and valued concept within the BI landscape, potentially creating a new subcategory.
Balancing Innovation and Market Expectations: Adam touches on the challenges of balancing innovative ideas with market realities, especially when communicating value to potential investors.
Market Strategy Evolution: Adam hints at Writ's evolving market strategy, suggesting that the current BI market positioning might shift as the company grows and the category of operational reporting gains traction.
 
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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