Category Visionaries

Greg Fallon, CEO of Geminus: $12 Million Raised to Help the Industrial Sector Prepare for the Energy Transition

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Greg Fallon, CEO of Geminus, an industrial AI optimization platform that's raised $12 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Greg’s background in mechanical engineering, being a lifelong nerd and having a passion for innovation
Geminus’ goal of making machines more efficient 
How increasing the efficiency of big plants and equipment can positively impact the environment
Strategies Greg uses to cut through the noise in the AI industry
3 important lessons Greg learned from fundraising
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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

Ben Goldin, CEO and Founder of Plumery: $4.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Engagement for Banks

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ben Goldin, CEO and Founder of Plumery, a digital engagement platform for banks that's raised $4.5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed: 
Ben’s background as a nerdy teenager in Lithuania and his career in tech for banking
CEOs that inspire Ben, and two books that are important to him
How Plumery helps mid-to-small size banks all over the world build delightful customer experiences and stay relevant and innovative
Ben’s strategies for standing out from the competition
Why Ben’s advice to his past self starting out would be “don’t be too serious”
 
Favorite book: 
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

Khaled Naim, Co-Founder and CEO at Onfleet: $42 Million Raised to Power the Future of Last-Mile Delivery

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 Khaled Naim, CEO & Founder of Onfleet, a last mile delivery solution that's raised $42 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Early Inspiration: Khaled's firsthand experience with inefficient location communication in Dubai inspired the creation of Onfleet.
Pivot to Last Mile Delivery: After realizing the challenges with their initial product, Addy, Khaled and his co-founders pivoted to solving the last mile delivery problem, identifying a significant market need.
Customer-Centric Product Development: Onfleet’s initial product iterations were based on direct feedback from early paying customers, highlighting the importance of listening to customer needs.
Trust Building: Despite early technical challenges, Onfleet's commitment to reliability and customer satisfaction helped build trust with mission-critical operations.
Competitive Positioning: Onfleet differentiates itself through superior product quality, user-friendly interfaces, and a strong focus on customer support, positioning it as a premium solution in a crowded market.
Future Vision: Khaled envisions Onfleet as the hub for all things last mile delivery, integrating various delivery modes and expanding support for driver sourcing, payments, and financial products.

Melodie van der Baan, Co-Founder and CEO at Max Retail: $10 Million Raised to Help Retailers Sell Unsold Inventory

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Melodie van der Baan, Co-Founder and CEO at Max Retail, an excess inventory solution that's raised $10 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed: 
Melodie’s background founding two companies and working in the retail industry without having an education in it 
Who’s the founder (and co-worker) that most inspires Melodie, and what book she buys for every single person who works for her
The origin story of Max Retail, and how it helps independent retailers and brands sell excess merchandise to customers they wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach
The importance of Melodie’s husband in her journey, and why her advice to any founder is to pick the right life partner
Why Melodie loves fundraising
 
Favorite book: 
The Greatest Salesman in the World

Tony Migliore, Founder and CEO of Moova: Over $18 Million Raised to Build the Future of Last-Mile Logistics

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 Tony Migliore, CEO & Founder of Moova, a last-mile logistics platform that's raised over $18 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Innovative Logistics Solutions: Moova optimizes last-mile logistics by tapping into unused vehicle capacity and providing real-time routing, significantly reducing emissions and improving efficiency.
Extensive Footprint: Moova operates in nine countries across Latin America, making it the largest logistics technology provider in the region. The company is planning to expand globally, including to the US and Europe.
Unique Market Approach: By focusing on same-day delivery and licensing their technology to other logistics companies, Moova addresses the most challenging aspect of logistics and scales efficiently.
Strong Company Values: Moova's success is driven by its core values of growth, positivity, speed, innovation, and continuous learning, which are deeply embedded in its culture and hiring practices.
Strategic Fundraising: Tony emphasizes the importance of choosing the right investors who understand the market and add value beyond capital, a strategy that has contributed to Moova’s substantial growth and success.
Long-Term Vision: Tony aims to make Moova the obvious choice for optimizing logistics in an innovative and sustainable way, striving to turn their technology into a global standard.
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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 Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure

In today's episode of Category Visionaries we speak with John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy, a payment orchestration platform that's raised over $27 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed: 
John’s background as a marine biologist who’s worked in payments for decades and helped start other companies, including PayPal
John's most admired individuals, and sci-fi books that have influenced him
Why payments are a problem area for online retailers, and how Gr4vy helps them manage payments with ease and flexibility
The current payment landscape, and why trying to sell a payment system to a company’s payments team is the wrong move
Why it’s important to pick VCs that you like as people, and why John would advise his past self to grow his company slower
 
Favorite book: 
The Culture (9 book series)

Trenor Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Socially Determined: $34 Million Raised to Build the Social Risk Intelligence Category

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Trenor Williams, CEO and Co-Founder of Socially Determined, a social risk intelligence platform that's raised $34 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed: 
Trenor’s background, including his time working in restaurants and bars, and his career as a family practice physician
The founder that most inspires Trenor, and a book that really impacted Trenor’s thinking
How Socially Determined takes 800 data elements to analyze healthcare access and health risks for 270 million individuals in the US, helping health plans make better decisions
The challenges of selling long-term solutions and the importance of establishing relationships 
Lessons from fundraising, and what advice Trenor would give to his younger self when starting out
 
Favorite book: 
The Working Poor: Invisible in America

Joshua Riedy, CEO and Founder of Thread: $20 Million Raised to Power the Future of Energy Grid Maintenance

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Joshua Riedy, CEO and Founder of Thread, an autonomous inspection platform that's raised roughly $20 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed: 
Joshua’s background, meeting his Thread co-founders while creating software for FedEx, and getting funded by Microsoft’s Brad Smith
The tech ecosystem in North Dakota, where Joshua is from and operates
Why The Revenant is a book that influenced and inspired Joshua
The origin story of Thread, and how it empowers front-line workers to diagnose problems in the energy grid infrastructure in a safer and more efficient way
Getting a first customer that will only pay when you prove yourself, and working with celebrity investors 
Favorite book: 
The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge

Gabriel Bayomi, CEO and Co-Founder of Openlayer: $4.8 Million Raised to Power the Future of Machine Learning Testing

In today's episode of Category Visionaries we speak with Gabriel Bayomi, CEO and Co-Founder of Openlayer, a debugging workspace for machine learning that's raised $4.8 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Gabriel’s background as a Brazilian student of engineering, moving to the US, and working on Apple’s then-secret Vision Pro project
Why Henrique Dubugras is Gabriel’s greatest inspiration as a CEO
Why it’s hard to test machine-learning software, and how Openlayer makes that easier to do
What Gabriel learned from his time at Y Combinator, and why it’s important to be humble and ask for help
The current AI landscape, marketing, and why product-market fit is not an absolute
Favorite book: 
From Impossible to Inevitable: How SaaS and Other Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue

Wade Arnold, CEO and Founder of Moov: $77.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Embedded Payments

In today's episode of Category Visionaries we speak with Wade Arnold, CEO and Founder of Moov, an embedded payments platform that's raised $77.5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Wade’s background across several companies, and his frustration at payment platforms that are built on top of outdated infrastructure
The entrepreneurs and authors that most inspire Wade
Why less than 8% of SaaS companies have payments integrated into their platforms, and how Moov helps them change that
The roller-coaster of being an entrepreneur, including getting too excited and taking premature decisions
Why the one piece of advice Wade would give to his younger self goes against what every startup book says
 
Favorite book: 
WTF? What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us