Category Visionaries

Alisa Valderrama, Co-founder and CEO of FutureProof Technologies: $10 Million Raised to Translate Climate and Weather and Financial Risk with Unprecedented Accuracy

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Alisa Valderrama, Co-founder and CEO of FutureProof Technologies, an insuretech startup that’s raised nearly $10 Million in funding, about why their innovative approach to calculating climate risk is crucial to solving some of the future’s biggest challenges. Having developed an analytical model facilitating insurance underwriting in areas traditional insurers might give a wide berth, they are finally translating environmental risk into financial risk.
We also speak about how surfing in her hometown of San Diego got Alisa started on the path to green business, why until now finance and the environment have been speaking totally different languages, why financializing environmental damage is key to addressing the problem, and why, even with an ideal solution in hand, securing the right go-to-market strategy was still FutureProof Technologies’ biggest challenge.
Topics Discussed:
How a local passion for surfing in her hometown of San Diego led Alisa to take on some truly global challenges
Why traditional insurers struggle to deal with the realities of contemporary climate change risk
The language barrier between environmental and financial risk, and ho it confounds the idea of truly sustainable business
How climate solutions are costed, but why an inability to calculate pollution makes resilience hard to justify from an ROI perspective
Why FutureProof Technology is launching where their need is most acute, targeting the highly vulnerable real estate of Florida’s low-lying coastline
How finding a go-to-market strategy was a real challenge, even with an innovative analytical model in hand
Favorite book: It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness

Ville Herva, CEO of BOLT.works: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Staffing

In today’s episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ville Herva, CEO of Finland-based staffing startup BOLT.works, a technology-first staffing solution reshaping the way people find work and get compensated for doing it. Founded in 2017, BOLT.works has risen quickly to a preeminent position for sectors like construction, challenging established industry leaders for a major market share. Starting out with a vision and building out their technology solution from the bottom up, BOLT.works continues to drive change in both their platform and the people they interact with as they prepare to expand into the wider European market. 
Topics Discussed:
From CTO to CEO, and why Ville's unusual career path made perfect sense for him
Factfulness and optimism, why we might miss some of the positive stories going on in the world
How automation can totally transform the pen and paper staffing industry and why BOLT.works had to build the solution themselves
Why transforming people is biggest challenge in reshaping the industry, and technology is relatively simple by comparison
 
Favorite book: 
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Marcelo Lebre, Co-founder & COO of Remote: Nearly $500 Million Raised to Power the Distributed Workforce of the Future

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Marcelo Lebre, COO and Co-founder of Remote, a global payroll, tax and HR compliance platform that’s raised nearly $500 Million in funding, about how supporting employers to recruit, hire and pay the best talent from across the world is building a better way of working for everyone. Their remote-first offering might have seemed outlandish just a few years ago, but in a post-pandemic economy it has quickly taken this young startup to unicorn status, a growth trend that sees no signs of slowing down any time soon.
We also speak about what it was like growing up as a tech-obsessed kid in a small rural town, how Marcelo’s family responded to his rapid success, why it’s sometimes hard for him to comprehend the scale of what remote has become, why anxiety can be a superpower as much as a ‘super problem,’ and why, at the end of the day, for Marcelo it all comes down to problem-solving.
Topics Discussed:
The origins of remote, from a small village upbringing to a chance double date, and on to become a globally recognised brand
Why working remotely means Marcelo sometimes struggles to get his head around the growth Remote has experienced in recent years
How the COVID-19 pandemic supercharged the remote-work revolution, and how Marcelo’s vision put Remote ahead of the curve
What it felt like to have friends and family recognise Remote’s astounding success
Why Marcelo might call anxiety both a ‘super problem’ and superpower
Why solving one problem after the next is still the main motivation for Marcelo to keep driving Remote forwards

Ken Babcock, CEO of Tango: $20 Million Raised to Help Companies Turn Any Process Into a Shareable How-to Guide

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ken Babcock, CEO of Tango, a how-to guide building platform that's raised $20 Million in funding, about why cumbersome knowledge exchange practices might be the main thing holding businesses back in 2023, and why Tango is determined to overhaul the entire space. By providing automated tools for the production and distribution of detailed tutorials from ‘star-performing’ staff, Tango is helping people learn, grow, and innovate together better than ever before.
We also speak about exactly why the knowledge exchange space as it stands is in dire need of an upgrade, why Tango has no problem with problem awareness in their market, how PLG just made logical sense for a product addressing the pain points of ordinary team members, and how working at uber through some tough times helped Ken map his own business decisions moving forward
 
Topics Discussed:
Ken’s pre-Tango career, from dropping out of Harvard Business School to spending a few years at Uber, and the lessons he learned moving forward
The problem with contemporary how-to approaches, whether they be document based or screen recordings
How, despite being hugely problem aware, many of Tango’s potential clients don’t know what to google when they might need some help
Why PLG made perfect sense for a product that has virality built in through the distribution of learning tools
Why Tango stayed away from a feature heavy ‘additive’ approach to developing their solution, keeping things simple and easy to communicate
The role of tech influencers in product development, and how they helped Tango get things right

Sebastian Schüller, Co-founder of HiPeople: $7 Million Raised to Develop Data-Driven Augmentation for Hiring Teams

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Sebastian Schüller, Co-founder of HiPeople, a hiring intelligence platform that’s raised over $7 Million in funding, about why decisions driven by data are such an important part of contemporary business, and how HiPeople are bringing the power of analytics to the recruitment and hiring process of firms all over the world. With a twin offering of automated candidate screening tools to make sure every business makes the right choice, and critical post-hiring analytics to provide insights on how those new hires are doing, HiPeople promises better outcomes for the people at the very heart of good business.
We also speak about the current state of the Berlin startup economy, Sebastian’s career in tech and how it led him to put people at the heart of his startup, how humans got left behind in the data revolution and why it’s time they caught up, and how a relatively unknown startup like HiPeople managed to land a major name brand right out of the gate.
Topics Discussed:
Sebastian’s career in tech, and how he gradually became aware of the challenges with hiring people in the modern economy
Why surfacing and objectifying data has always been a central part of what Sebastian does
How the hiring process got left behind by the data revolution transforming how we do business, and what HiPeople plans to do about it
The twin offering of pre- and post- hiring analytics to drive better business outcomes for everyone
The current state of the Berlin startup space, and how it’s changed since the pandemic 
Why HiPeople has always been a global company, offering what businesses need to whoever needs it
 
Favorite book: 
High Output Management

Paul Kim, CEO of Notifi: $12 Million raised to Build the Future of Web3 Communication Infrastructure

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Paul Kim, CEO of Notifi, a Web3 communication infrastructure platform that's raised over $12 Million in funding. 
Topics Discussed:
From multinational enterprise to energetic startups, how experience working with the big boys gave Paul valuable lessons for his own company
Why customer obsession is still absolutely critical, even in a technology-focused market
How Notifi field tested software solutions with hacker communities first, before engaging with major market players
Why web3 mass adoption is inevitable, and what businesses need to do to get involved
The current missing link in the web3 system, and how Notifi plans to plug the gap
Why Paul elected to sacrifice short-term adoption from crypto-purists to focus on the major market space of mass adoption

Vivian Wang, CEO of Landed: $8 Million Raised to Solve the Restaurant Labor Shortage

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 Vivian Wang, Founder & CEO of Landed, an end-to-end recruiting platform that has raised over $8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Landed's Mission: Landed aims to empower blue-collar workers by providing them with better job opportunities, financial tools, and educational resources.
Customer Experience Focus: The platform addresses the inefficiencies in the current recruitment process for hourly workers, offering tailored job matches and reducing manual tasks for employers.
Impact on Employers: Landed saves employers over 15 hours of manual processes by automating candidate sourcing, vetting, and interview scheduling.
Category Creation: Vivian emphasizes the creation of a new category, the "livelihood economy," focusing on jobs, finances, and education for blue-collar workers.
Adaptation During COVID-19: Despite launching just before the pandemic, Landed quickly adapted by targeting sectors like grocery stores and quick-service restaurants, demonstrating resilience and customer focus.
Growth and Traction: Landed works with nearly 400 companies, including major brands like Panera and Chick-fil-A, and has seen rapid revenue growth since its launch.
 

Raj De Datta, CEO & Co-founder of Bloomreach: $450 Million to Build the World’s Leading Commerce Experience Cloud

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Raj De Datta, CEO and Co-founder of Bloomreach, an e-Commerce experience platform that's raised $450 Million in funding, about why, in a world where we all live digitally, it’s time to bring the e-Commerce experience up to the standards we’d expect from traditional shopping. By providing personalized advertising to engage digital customers, and then a seamlessly integrated pathway to the products that caught their attention, Bloomreach is making e-commerce a more rewarding experience for everyone involved, and helping the brands behind it reach new levels of growth and engagement.
We also speak about what the post-financial crisis startup economy of 2009, why hard times can actually be a benefit in the long run, how years of trials and tribulations with Bloomreach taught Raj the central importance of perseverance, and how his singular vision on a more enjoyable experience of a digital world eventually carried Bloomreach to the top.
Topics Discussed:
The story of a startup cycle, Bloomreach’s trials and tribulations from a strong start to uncertainty and back again to the top
Why money is only one thing you need to  build a successful business, and easy access to capital is no guarantee of success
Why what leaders need more than anything is clarity of vision, but how Raj found catharsis in sharing his uncertainty during a difficult time
How Raj envisioned a digital shopping experience long before e-Commerce came to dominate the market
How Bloomreach’s cultural playbook puts strong teams at the heart of their business model
Why Raj wants to share his story to encourage other founders in the space, and why, for him, it’s always ‘day’

Dilpreet Sahota, CEO of Trek Health: $3 Million Raised to Help Mental Health Providers Accept Insurance

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 Dilpreet Sahota, CEO & Founder of Trek Health, a health tech startup that has raised $3 Million in funding.
 
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
 
Inspiration Behind Trek Health: Motivated by personal experiences and frustrations in healthcare, Dilpreet founded Trek Health to streamline healthcare payment processes.
 
Significant Pain Point: Current healthcare billing relies on a 40-year-old infrastructure, leading to inefficiencies and high administrative costs.
 
Target Market: Trek Health focuses on provider groups, ranging from small practices to venture-backed startups, to simplify their revenue cycle management.
 
Specialization in Behavioral Health: By concentrating on behavioral health providers, Trek Health tailors its platform to address specific challenges in this segment.
 
Automation Goals: The company aims to automate 90% of transaction processing, significantly reducing manual input and administrative burden.
 
Impact on Competition: By enabling easier setup and operation of provider groups, Trek Health fosters competition in healthcare, benefiting patients with more choices.
 

Michel Tricot, CEO of Airbyte: $181 Million Raised to Build the Future of Data Integration

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Michel Tricot, CEO of Airbyte, an open source data integration platform that’s raised over $180 Million in funding, about how their open source, future-proof solution is helping businesses everywhere extract tangible value from the data they are all now producing. Developed over several years alongside an open source community of engineers, Airbyte have made sure they address real pain points for their partners by learning as much as possible about the problem space from those working right at the coal-face.
We also speak about why Michel believes the demise of the Bay Area startup sector has been greatly exaggerated, how his lifelong passion for data has carried through to all his big business decisions, why data now determines success for most businesses in the modern economy, and how building trust with customers in your industry is a great investment in future growth.
Topics Discussed:
Michel’s lifelong love of data, and how toys translated into cutting-edge software solutions
Moving to San Francisco, and why the ups-and-downs of investment cycles don’t change the fundamental innovation present in the Bay Area
Why collecting data is ultimately about getting a big-picture view of what’s going on, regardless of what sector you operate in
How Airbyte went about learning as much as possible about the problem space they were getting into before making any big decisions
Why Airbyte went with PLG, and managed to successfully leverage their community for great market growth
How the open-source success of Airbyte provides a model for other budding tech businesses to facilitate organic innovation both within and without
 
Favorite book: 
High Output Management