Category Visionaries

Funding the Future: Courtney Lipkin, Partner at Susa Ventures

In today's edition of Funding the Future, we speak with Courtney Lipkin, partner at Susa Ventures, a seed fund based in San Francisco.
Topics Discussed:
Courtney’s background growing in the Bay Area, studying international relations, and making her way into tech and venture capital 
Why Courtney sees herself as better at venture than she would be at founding her own company
Why Courtney loves working with founders and creative designers, and why her favorite book is a biography of Leonardo Da Vinci
The history of Susa Ventures, and the characteristics that set it apart from other funds
Why Courtney doesn’t think Silicon Valley is dying at all, and what a typical day is like for a venture capitalist
 
Favorite book: 
Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson

Funding the Future: Sabrina Paseman and Simon Lancaster, General Partners at Omni Venture Labs

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Sabrina Paseman and Simon Lancaster, General Partners at Omni Venture Labs, about the future of deeptech investment and globally-important innovation. 
Topics Discussed:
The path both Sabrina and Simon took into the venture capital world, and why they both feel they’ve found their place
The rise of the deeptech economy, and why Omni Venture Labs focuses on its application in the industrial manufacturing space
Omni Venture Lab’s love of finding new founders and supporting their business growth from the bottom up
Advice for innovative founders about prioritizing patents versus establishing a moat through ongoing product development
Why contemporary companies need to priorities a clear path to profitability to gain attention from potential investors

David Berry, CEO and Founder of Valo: Over $500 Million Raised to Build the Future of Drug Discovery

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with David Berry, CEO and Founder of Valo, an AI for drug discovery and development company that's raised over $500 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
David’s background in the healthcare space, and how getting bitten by the entrepreneurial bug led him away from a career in medicine
Valo’s mission and their unique approach to developing new generations of drugs
The immense cost and poor efficiency associated with the traditional approach to developing and discovering new medicine
How data integration and AI technologies have supercharged the drug development process, and the prospects for innovation in the year to come
Regulatory considerations and building a working relationship with the FDA
Starting a unicorn company, and the challenges and responsibilities that come with it
 
Favorite book: 
My Years with General Motors
Leaders Eat Last

Sivan Tehila, Founder and CEO of Onyxia: $5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Cybersecurity Performance Management

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Sivan Tehila, Founder and CEO of Onyxia, a cybersecurity performance management platform that's raised $5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Sivan’s background, including her time as Head of Information Security in the Israeli military and in the civilian defense industry
Why cybersecurity professionals are often seen as blocking the business, and how this pushed Sivan to start Onyxia
The reasons why companies have a hard time managing security programs, and how Onyxia makes this easier for them
Building a new category, and the need to educate the market
How important it is to build relationships with investors

Thomas Millay, CEO at DemandJump: Over $25 Million Raised to Power the Future of Content Strategy

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 Thomas Millay, CEO of DemandJump, a marketing strategy platform that's raised over $25 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Evolution of Tech and Marketing: Tom reflects on the significant changes in the tech industry over 40 years, highlighting the transition from slow development cycles to agile methodologies and the impact of cloud computing on startup costs.
The Shift in SEO Strategy: DemandJump focuses on improving search engine rankings by helping clients understand what content to develop and how to structure it, moving away from traditional keyword strategies to a more holistic topic-based approach.
Impact of Google's Algorithm Changes: DemandJump capitalized on Google's shift towards prioritizing quality content and user experience, leading to the development of their unique content strategy software.
Capital Efficiency in the Midwest: Based in Indianapolis, DemandJump benefits from a conservative approach to capital, leveraging a lower cost of living and a dedicated workforce to drive growth.
Raising Prices for Value Capture: Tom discusses the strategic decision to raise prices, ensuring that DemandJump captures a fair share of the economic value provided to customers, which led to increased average contract values.
Future Vision as a Thought Leadership Platform: DemandJump aims to evolve from a content strategy platform to a comprehensive thought leadership strategy platform, helping clients distribute various types of content across multiple channels.
 
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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

David Johnson, CEO of Dexai Robotics: $12 Million Raised to Power the Future of Kitchen Automation

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with David Johnson, CEO of Dexai, a kitchen robotics platform that's raised over $12 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
David’s background, including his PhD in physics, and how growing up on mother-cooked meals inspired his hobby as a chef
The man who invented the helicopter, and why he’s an inspiration for David
What David was like as a teenager, and why the idea of starting a company never scared him
How Dexai uses robots to allow chefs in commercial kitchens to avoid the boring, repetitive tasks of large-scale cooking
The challenges of working in kitchen automation, and what advice David would give to his earlier self starting out
 
Favorite book: 
One Hundred Years of Solitude

Kaycee Lai, CEO and Founder of Promethium: $34.5 Million Raised to Make Building Data Products Easy

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Kaycee Lai, CEO and Founder of Promethium, a data fabric platform that's raised $34.5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Kaycee’s background, including his time as a Federal Reserve analyst
Why Martha Stewart is the CEO Kaycee admires the most, and why his favorite book is a classic 19th-century French novel
The difficulties companies have in leveraging data, what data fabric is, and how Promethium uses data fabric to help companies overcome those obstacles
The data industry: its current state and trends, and its future
Why marketing is less important than educating prospects and being transparent about your product, and why fundraising is not really a numbers’ game
 
Favorite book: 
The Count of Monte Cristo

Michael Guirguis, Co-Founder and CEO of SESO: $30 Million Raised to Power the Agriculture Workforce of the Future

 
In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Michael Guirguis, Co-Founder and CEO of SESO, a workforce management platform for the agriculture industry that has raised nearly $30 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Michael’s background in labor policy, his internship in the White House, and why he switched from the public to the private sector
What Michael admires in Ryan Peterson, and why Michael likes a massive book about Gengis Khan
Why the biggest problem in agriculture is access to labor, and how SESO streamlines the process of hiring and managing agricultural employees
What an H-2A visa is, why it’s crucial for the US agricultural sector, and how SESO helps farmers take advantage of it
Disrupting a market, and the importance of focus and speed
 
Favorite book: 
Gengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Luke Hansen, CEO and Founder of CompanyCam: $38 Million Raised to Build the Future of Visual Communication for Contractors

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 Luke Hansen, CEO & Founder of CompanyCam, a visual communication platform for contractors that has raised $38 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Embracing Uniqueness: Luke's mustache is more than a quirky feature; it’s a branding strategy. He believes that being memorable is often more important than being slightly better, as it helps occupy a unique space in customers' minds.
Visual Communication for Contractors: CompanyCam simplifies the organization of job site photos by automatically sorting them using GPS, providing an Instagram-style feed that improves communication and project management for contractors.
Market Understanding: Initially self-funded through a family roofing business, Luke discusses the challenges of convincing investors about the significance of visual tools for contractors and the importance of having a real solution to a real problem.
Product-Driven Growth: Luke emphasizes the importance of having the best product that solves a real problem. This focus on quality has driven significant referral-based growth and user adoption.
Balancing Life and Business: Building a tech company in Nebraska offers unique advantages, such as lower costs and a balanced lifestyle, while also presenting challenges like limited access to SaaS industry expertise.
Future Vision: Luke envisions CompanyCam mediating the homeowner-contractor relationship, leveraging AI to enhance how contractors interact with their data, transforming it into actionable insights and efficient project management.
 
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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

Shariq Siddiqui, Co-founder and CEO of Veeve: Over $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of Shopper Engagement

In today’s episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Shariq Siddiqui, Co-founder and CEO of Veeve, a shopper engagement platform that's raised over $10 Million in funding.
Topics discussed:
Shariq’s humble background in Pakistan, getting a full scholarship to study in the US, and creating his first app so he could stay in the US
The valuable skill Shariq learned during his time as a server in an NYC restaurant
Why Satya Nadella is a CEO Shariq admires
What pushed Shariq to create a smart shopping cart, and the details of how the cart works to make life easier for both shopper and shop-owner 
Creating an ecosystem for his product and getting big companies to give it a chance