Category Visionaries

James Bates, CEO and Founder of AdviNOW Medical: $24 Million Raised to Build the Future of AI-Powered Healthcare

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with James Bates, CEO and Founder of AdviNOW Medical, an AI healthcare automation company that's raised $24 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
James’ background in the healthcare industry, including experience working in Japan and what it taught him
Why so many physicians spend a significant portion of their time on clerical work and regulatory tasks, rather than delivering care
Burnout and stress in the medical sector, and why freeing up physicians with automation means a higher quality, as well as more quantity, care
How AdviNOW aims to mimic the brain functions of their potential clients in medical care and administration
The future of healthcare in an automation-first economy, and what innovation means for everyone’s medical experience
 
Favorite book: 
Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To

Itzik Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO of PayZen: $240 Million Raised to Build the Future of Affordable Health 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 Itzik Cohen, CEO & Co-Founder of PayZen, a healthcare affordability platform that's raised $240 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Healthcare Affordability Focus: PayZen addresses the growing problem of healthcare affordability by offering solutions that help patients manage their out-of-pocket expenses and ensure healthcare providers get paid.
Innovative Payment Solutions: The platform offers interest-free payment plans and pre-care access cards, simplifying the process for patients and providers, ensuring better financial health for both parties.
Data-Driven Approach: PayZen's solutions are heavily data-driven, focusing on automating processes like charity care and Medicaid eligibility to help patients get the financial assistance they need.
Early Customer Strategy: Itzik emphasized the importance of starting with pilot programs and success-based revenue models to build trust and credibility with early customers in the healthcare space.
Complex Industry Simplification: Despite the complexity of healthcare payments, PayZen's technology integrates seamlessly with existing systems like Epic MyChart, making the process straightforward for users.
Sustained Growth and Innovation: With a vision of becoming a trusted brand in healthcare payments, PayZen aims to expand its solution set, address more use cases, and maintain its innovative edge as it grows.
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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

Kourosh Davarpanah, Co-Founder and CEO of Inato: Over $35 Million Raised to Build the Future of Clinical Trials

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Kourosh Davarpanah, Co-Founder and CEO of Inato, a global clinical trial platform that's raised over $35 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Kourosh’s background coming from a family of doctors, fainting on the sight of blood, and being passionate about math and physics
Why Kourosh finds Airbnb inspiring 
How less than 5% of the patient population have access to clinical trials, why this is a problem, and how Inato helps pharma companies coordinate with hospitals to offer the right trials to their patients
The chicken-and-egg problem of marketplace platforms, and how Kourosh dealt with it
How to build credibility, and the danger of overfitting when working with only one client
 
Favorite book: 
Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos

Kyle Hanslovan, CEO of Huntress: $160 Million Raised to Build the Future of Managed Security

In today's episode of Category Visionaries we speak with Kyle Hanslovan, CEO and Co-Founder of Huntress, a managed security platform that's raised $160 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Kyle’s background in offensive cyber operations, and common misconceptions about government intelligence work
Running a startup in his twenties while having three kids, and the importance – and feasibility – of work-life balance
Why most small- and medium-sized companies are vulnerable to hacker attacks, and how Huntress helps them stay protected
Having investors who want you to pivot to a different audience, and the crucial importance of having one or two co-founders
The importance of visiting Silicon Valley a few times each year, why humility is a strength, and relieving other people’s impostor syndrome
Favorite book: 
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

Andrew Wolfe, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Bloomfilter: $7 Million Raised to Power the Future of Process Mining

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Andrew Wolfe, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomfilter, an AI-driven process mining platform that's raised $7 million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Andrew’s background as a teenage coder in the early days of the Internet
Why the entrepreneur that most inspires Andrew is John D. Rockefeller
How 78% of software products are late, over budget, or don't ship at all – and what Bloomfilter does to help developers identify issues in their processes
Leaving a job with an 8-figure salary in order to pursue something that pays less – but is more rewarding
Having your product placed by analysts in a different category than the one you see it in, and how to fight that
 
Favorite book: 
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

Funding the Future: Neil Thanedar, Founder and GP of Utopic Ventures

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Neil Thanedar, Founder and GP of Utopic Ventures.
Topics Discussed:
Neil's Entrepreneurial experiences in product development for pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and supplement firms
The broken funding model for science-based startups, and how that led to establishing Utopic Ventures
Advocating for early-stage startups, particularly in the biotech sector, to foster scientific innovation and nurture potential founders
Using high-resolution funding and Safe notes for startups to secure initial capital and get started with minimal investment
Future funding interests for Utopic Ventures, from late-stage clinical trials to biotech work

Tom Hacohen, CEO and Founder of Svix: $10.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Webhooks

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 Tom Hacohen, CEO & Founder of Svix, a webhooks as a service platform that has raised $10.5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Military Influence: Tom discusses how his experience in the Israeli Intelligence Corps shaped his leadership style, emphasizing the importance of bypassing traditional hierarchies to expedite critical information flow.
Startup Origins: The inception of Svix came from a real-world need for efficient webhooks, sparked by a conversation in a Slack group that validated the demand.
Product Market Fit: Tom’s cautious approach to claiming product market fit and how continuous feedback and iteration are key to maintaining it.
Customer Empathy: Building extreme empathy with customers, even saying "no" to them sometimes, to ensure the best long-term product decisions.
Consistent Marketing: The focus on consistency in marketing efforts, avoiding one-time flashy campaigns and instead delivering constant value.
Fundraising Advice: The importance of not needing to raise funds to succeed, which provided Tom with leverage and confidence when interacting with investors.

Beck Besecker, Founder and CEO of Marxent: Over $44 Million Raised to Power the Future of 3D Product Experiences

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Beck Besecker, CEO and Founder of Marxent, a 3D product experience platform that's raised over $44 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Beck’s background in finance, tech and marketing, and being a lifelong entrepreneur alongside his brother Barry
Why the entrepreneur who most inspires Beck is his own father, and the time Beck met Neil Armstrong without knowing who he was
Why it’s hard for people to make the right choices when buying parts of their homes like a kitchen, bath or decking project
How Marxent uses AI to allow people to create 3D models that help them choose the right configurable parts for their home
Building the “3D commerce” category, and what Beck has learned from fundraising

Funding the Future: Dan Ahrens, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Left Lane Capital

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Dan Ahrens, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Left Lane Capital.
Topics Discussed:
The current state of the venture capital space, and why contemporary founders are seeking more than simply startup capital
The importance of hustle an independent thinking to running a successful VC
How Left Lane Capital differentiates itself by taking a data-centric approach to making big business decisions
Why new founders need to be well capitalized before embarking on a category creation journey and evangelizing new categories
The future of investment in a capital scarce economy, and why profit-first portfolios are likely to lead the way

Dennis Thankachan, Co-Founder and CEO of Lightyear: Over $18 Million Raised to Power the Future of Enterprise Telecom

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Dennis Thankachan, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear, a telecom operating system platform that's raised over $18 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Dennis’ background in computer science and finance, and starting a bunch of random businesses while in high school and college
What Dennis learned from his time at Goldman Sachs – and what he had to unlearn, and why
Why Dennis believes Stoicism is an important philosophy for founders to learn, and what being happy means to him
How Lightyear helps companies make more efficient decisions about their telecoms providers and equipment
Attracting clients, finding product-market fit, and what Dennis learned from fundraising
 
Favorite book: 
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy