Category Visionaries

Omar Abou-Sayed, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Vaulted Deep: $8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Carbon Removal

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 Omar Abou-Sayed, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Vaulted Deep, a carbon removal company that has raised $8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Early Career at BP: Omar's career began in 1998 at BP, where he was immediately involved in projects aiming for compliance with the Kyoto protocol, showcasing BP's early commitment to environmental standards.
Diverse Experience: Before his entrepreneurial journey, Omar worked across various sectors within BP, including deepwater operations and international business development, and played a pivotal role in spinning off BP's chemical division into a standalone company.
Transition to Entrepreneurship: After an MBA from Harvard Business School and a stint as an entrepreneur in residence at TPG, Omar ventured into the clean tech and energy services sectors, eventually founding Vaulted Deep based on technology developed by his father.
The Birth of Vaulted Deep: Vaulted Deep emerged from the realization that carbon could be effectively sequestered in organic matter using a technology initially invented for environmental remediation in the oil industry. This idea, however, had to wait for the carbon credit market to mature.
Market Evolution and Strategy: Omar discusses the bifurcation of the carbon market into emissions reduction and carbon removal, highlighting Vaulted Deep's position in the latter as it aims to become the largest, high-quality carbon removal company.
Future Vision and Impact: Looking ahead, Omar envisions Vaulted Deep expanding significantly, driven by the urgency of climate change and the necessity for scalable, durable carbon removal solutions.
 

Arvin Ganesan, CEO of Fourth Power: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Energy Storage

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 Arvin Ganesan, CEO at Fourth Power, a thermal battery energy storage company that has raised over $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Comprehensive Career in Climate Change: Arvin has dedicated his entire career to climate change mitigation, leveraging experiences from government regulatory roles to leading global energy programs at Apple, before becoming the CEO of Fourth Power.
Regulatory Understanding and Market Entry: Arvin emphasizes the complexity of introducing technology in regulated markets like utilities, highlighting his deep understanding of both regulatory frameworks and customer needs as critical to his leadership at Fourth Power.
Transition from EPA to Apple: Arvin's move from the EPA to Apple represented a significant shift from regulatory work to corporate influence in renewable energy, providing him with a unique perspective on driving change from outside the government.
Innovative Approach to Energy Storage: Fourth Power is pioneering in the long-duration battery space by using materials like graphite to store energy, which can power thousands of homes for days and is positioned as a cleaner and more scalable alternative to traditional battery materials.
Challenges and Opportunities in Energy Startups: Arvin discusses the challenges of navigating a startup in a heavily regulated industry and the opportunities that arise from understanding and adapting to these regulations rather than attempting to overhaul them.
Vision for Fourth Power: Looking forward, Arvin shares his vision for Fourth Power to dramatically scale up their operations, manufacturing reliable and cost-effective long-duration batteries that align with market demands and regulatory frameworks, ultimately making renewable energy more accessible and economical.

Quentin Scrimshire, CEO & Co-Founder of Modo Energy: $20 Million Raised to Build the Energy Asset Benchmarking 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 Quentin Scrimshire, CEO & Co-Founder at Modo Energy, an energy asset benchmarking platform that has raised $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Pivotal Shifts: Quentin shared the story of Modo Energy's significant pivot from an initial focus on trading power through battery assets to becoming a benchmarking company for the energy sector.
Strategic Location: Modo Energy's decision to establish its U.S. base in Austin, Texas was influenced by the vibrant technology scene, the lifestyle it offered, and strategic access to the burgeoning renewable energy market fueled by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Survival Through Innovation: Facing near bankruptcy, Quentin and his team bet everything on a new direction for Modo Energy, focusing on publishing performance benchmarks for energy assets—a move that saved the company.
Market Validation: The rapid market validation following their pivot, where initial concept testing with potential customers quickly turned into a profitable business model, illustrating the demand for transparent benchmarking in the energy sector.
Community and Media Strategy: Quentin discussed how Modo Energy invests heavily in media and community, using high-quality video content and large-scale networking events to build brand presence and engage both existing customers and prospects effectively.
 

Andy Freivogel, CEO & Co-Founder of Science On Call: $4.4 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tech Support For Restaurants

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 Andy Freivogel, CEO & Co-Founder of Science On Call, a restaurant tech platform that has raised $4.4 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Origin of "Science On Call": The company's name reflects its evolution from a boutique IT consultancy to a tech support platform, emphasizing its 24/7 availability and responsiveness to restaurant technology needs.
Platform Agnostic Approach: Science On Call supports various tech stacks across different restaurant brands, providing a unique service by being completely platform-agnostic. This flexibility allows them to service any restaurant's tech support needs regardless of the underlying systems they use.
Impact of the Pandemic: Launching right before the COVID-19 pandemic provided unique growth opportunities. With restaurants shifting rapidly to off-premise dining, the demand for seamless technology solutions surged, positioning Science On Call to meet these critical needs.
Automation and Scalability: Andy highlights the company’s focus on automation to solve common IT issues in restaurants, which improves efficiency and allows restaurant staff to focus more on customer service rather than tech troubleshooting.
Cultural Alignment and Branding: The company's branding, which includes elements like a gorilla and a Nokia phone, resonates with the gritty, vibrant culture of the restaurant industry, emphasizing their connection and understanding of the sector they serve.
Customer-Centric Sales Strategy: Transitioning from a broad outreach strategy to a more targeted, buyer-centric approach significantly improved their go-to-market strategy, enhancing customer acquisition and satisfaction.

Edward Wu, CEO & Founder of Dropzone AI: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of AI SOC Analysts

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 Edward Wu, CEO & Founder of Dropzone AI, a next-generation cybersecurity platform that has raised over $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
AI-Powered Security Analysts: Dropzone AI is leveraging advancements in generative AI to replicate the decision-making processes of human cybersecurity analysts, enhancing the speed and accuracy of threat detection and response.
Addressing the Talent Gap: Edward highlighted the significant talent shortage in cybersecurity, with a global deficit of 4 million professionals. Dropzone AI's technology aims to mitigate this by automating routine security tasks, freeing human analysts to focus on more complex and critical threats.
Early Challenges and Opportunities: Starting in February 2023, Edward's prior experience in cybersecurity allowed him to identify the inefficiencies in security operations centers (SOCs) and inspired him to develop a solution that reduces the burden of voluminous security alerts on analysts.
Customer Acquisition Strategy: Dropzone AI's approach to landing their first paying customers involved identifying early adopters within the cybersecurity community who shared a vision for the potential of AI-driven security.
Marketing and Messaging: Without a formal background in marketing, Edward developed an effective communication strategy by immersing himself in industry expos and trade shows, learning to craft messages that accurately convey the capabilities and benefits of Dropzone AI's technology.
Transparent and Accessible Product Demos: In an industry often shrouded in secrecy, Dropzone AI stands out by offering ungated, interactive demos on their website, fostering transparency and building trust with potential customers by allowing them to experience the technology firsthand.

Matteo Bogana, CEO & Co-Founder of Cleafy: $12 Million Raised to Build the Future of Online Fraud Prevention

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 Matteo Bogana, CEO & Co-Founder at Cleafy, an online fraud prevention platform that has raised $12 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins of Cleafy: Matteo was inspired to start Cleafy after being told that solving certain cybersecurity problems was scientifically impossible. Their breakthrough in real-time content verification on web pages sparked the company's inception.
Early Challenges: The initial years for Cleafy were tough due to the premature market for their technology. Matteo and his team struggled to gain the first customer, working hard to create market conditions favorable for their product.
Customer Traction: Gaining the trust of early customers was difficult, especially as a new entity competing against established companies. Building credibility took significant effort through meetings and consensus building.
Customer Base Evolution: Today, Cleafy targets mid to large financial institutions with structured fraud management teams, indicating a shift from startups to more established entities.
Differing Approaches to Startups and Corporates: The messaging for startups, particularly fintechs, differs as they typically understand and value integrated cybersecurity and fraud management solutions more quickly than traditional banks.
Marketing Philosophy: Cleafy’s marketing strategy involves creating trust through knowledge sharing, leveraging their Clifi Labs to provide insights and threat intelligence directly to potential customers and at high-profile security events.

Avi Cohen, CEO & Co-Founder of Entrio: $11 Million Raised to Build the Responsible Tech 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 Avi Cohen, CEO & Co-Founder of Entrio, a responsible tech adoption platform that has raised $11 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins in Intelligence and Public Sector: Avi's background in Israeli intelligence and his exposure to cutting-edge technology significantly influenced his career path, steering him toward applying this knowledge in the business world.
From Public Sector to Entrepreneurship: Initially focused on a career in the public sector, Avi's experiences with technology and innovation at grad school and his interactions with tech founders shifted his path toward entrepreneurship.
Identifying the Real Problem: Initially aiming to connect financial institutions with innovative tech, Avi and his co-founder discovered the real challenge was not in acquiring new tech but in efficiently utilizing existing technologies.
Shifting Focus to Internal Efficiencies: Entrio pivoted from exposing banks to new technologies to helping them optimize and manage the tech they already possessed, addressing the deeper issue of internal tech stack complexity.
Speeding Up Adoption for Immediate ROI: By creating a data lake that includes all potential technology solutions, Entrio minimizes the integration time for banks, allowing them to see benefits in days rather than months.
The Birth of a New Market Category: Entrio has carved out a new category in tech adoption, focusing on helping organizations adopt and manage technology more responsibly, which is critical in regulated industries like banking.

John Li, CEO & Co-Founder of Vimcal: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Calendar Productivity

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 Li, CEO & Co-Founder at Vimcal, a calendar productivity tool that has raised $7 Million in funding.
Most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins of Vimcal: Initially focused on augmented reality, John and his co-founder pivoted from their original concept to address the pressing needs they personally experienced with calendar management during fundraising periods.
The Pivot to Calendar Productivity: The shift to developing Vimcal was sparked by the challenges of scheduling investor meetings efficiently without relying on impersonal booking links.
Initial Product Traction: Despite its early bugs, Vimcal quickly gained traction within the founder community for its unique 'slots' feature, demonstrating the importance of solving a specific, relatable problem.
Targeting Executive Assistants: Vimcal recognized executive assistants as a critical user base, leading to the development of specialized tools to streamline their heavy calendar management workload.
Innovative Marketing Campaigns: The campaign featuring Sarah Rafferty from "Suits" illustrates Vimcal’s creative approach to engaging its target audience and increasing brand visibility.
Future Goals: John envisions Vimcal becoming an essential tool within large organizations, leveraging its EA product to gain entry and expand throughout Fortune 500 companies.

Nick Hegeman, CEO & Co-Founder of Paintjet: $17 Million Raised to Build the Future of Commercial Painting with Robotics

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 Hegeman, CEO & Co-Founder at Paintjet, a commercial and industrial painting technology company that has raised nearly $17 Million in funding.
Most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins in Painting: Nick describes how he entered the painting industry, noting a lack of innovation over the last 50 years, which has created ripe opportunities for disruption, particularly through robotics and AI.
Transition to Technology: Starting with a franchise, Nick gained essential insights into the painting industry’s labor shortages and operational challenges, which informed his approach to introducing technology solutions.
Robotic Integration: Paintjet’s technology focuses on heavy industry applications, where robotics can efficiently handle large, repetitive tasks, significantly improving productivity and safety.
Customer-Centric Business Model: Paintjet doesn't sell its technology but charges per square foot painted, aligning with how customers already budget for projects. This model simplifies the transition to automated solutions for clients.
Marketing Strategy Shift: Initially, Nick avoided using the term "robot" to prevent alarming potential construction industry clients. Over time, as the market became more receptive to technological solutions, Paintjet shifted to openly promote its robotic innovations.
Future Vision and Expansion: Looking forward, Nick discusses the potential to broaden Paintjet’s scope beyond painting to other construction-related tasks, leveraging the company’s expertise in robotics to offer more comprehensive solutions.
 

Josh Knauer, Co-Founder of Reseed: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Carbon Credits for Farmers

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 Josh Knauer, Co-Founder at Reseed, a carbon credits platform for farmers that has raised over $5 Million in funding.
Most interesting points from our conversation:
Early Online Innovation: Josh began his entrepreneurial journey by founding one of the first e-commerce sites for natural products in the mid-90s, long before the widespread acceptance and understanding of online shopping and natural products.
Pioneering Data Integration: After selling his first company, Josh founded a data integration platform that synthesized diverse data sets for enhanced decision-making in various sectors, demonstrating his foresight in the value of interconnected data long before it became a norm in tech.
Visionary Environmental Impact: With Reseed, Josh taps into the underutilized potential of agricultural carbon credits, aiming to transform how the world views and values the carbon sequestration potential of farming.
Empowering Farmers: Reseed’s model not only addresses climate change but also aims to improve the economic stability of farmers globally by providing them with additional revenue streams through carbon credits.
Challenging Conventional Investment Wisdom: Josh has taken a unique approach to funding by focusing on aligning with investors who share a mission-driven focus, challenging the conventional venture capital route that many startups take.
Future Aspirations: Looking forward, Josh envisions a future where investments in ecosystem services, supported by solid data and profitability, become a cornerstone of both environmental sustainability and financial portfolios globally.