BUILDERS

Gaurav Oberoi, CEO and Co-Founder of Lexion: $35 Million Raised to Build the Future of Contract Management

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Gaurav Oberoi, CEO and Co-Founder of Lexion, a company that has raised $35 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Gaurav’s background in computer sciences and engineering
Why contract management is usually a chaotic area
The main tools Lexion provides to simplify contract management
How Gaurav first had the idea of helping people who are bogged-down with contracts
The reasons behind Lexion’s success, and Gaurav’s vision for the near future
Favorite book:
Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition) (Voices That Matter)

Sammy Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of WurkNow: $15 Million Raised to Power the Future of Staffing

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Sammy Singh, CEO and Co-Founder of WurkNow, a digital staffing platform that's raised $15 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Sammy’s ethnic, geographical and educational background 
How WurkNow gives power to hourly workers, helps staffing agencies recruit, match and place individuals, and makes it easier for those agencies to follow compliance
Sammy’s experiences being an angel investor
What Blockchain has to do with Sammy’s work
Why Sammy prefers to learn from everyone rather than have one major inspirational figure
Favorite book:
The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime

Paul Monasterio, CEO and Co-Founder of Kalepa: $16 Million Raised to Power the Future of Insurance Underwriting

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Paul Monasterio, CEO and Co-Founder of Kalepa, an insurance underwriting platform that's raised $16 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Paul’s background growing up in Venezuela, coming to the US for college, being a nuclear physicist and working in big data analytics
How Kalepa's AI-powered Copilot software enables underwriters to focus their time on the highest ROI opportunities and to quickly evaluate and optimally select risk
Why one of this Paul’s two favorite books is a Norwegian novel
The size of the commercial insurance industry in the world and what percentage of that is using Copilot
Why Paul recommends getting a co-founder when founding a startup
 
Favorite book: 
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Ty Allen, CEO of SocialClimb: $12 Million Raised to Power the Future of Healthcare Marketing

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ty Allen, CEO of SocialClimb, a healthcare marketing platform that's raised $12 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Ty’s background as an entrepreneur, and why starting SocialClimb was less about a lucrative market than a personal passion
The personal experience of healthcare shortcomings that led Ty to the healthcare marketing space
Broader challenges and issues in the healthcare space, and how a lack of information causes problems for all the parties involved
SocialClimb’s offering of marketing ROI for healthcare providers, combined with automated analytics for targeted patient acquisition
The importance of building a diverse team, and bringing people on board with a wide variety of different skills sets
 
Favorite book: 
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

Jack Oslan, CEO and Co-Founder of Diamond Age: $58 Million Raised to Build the Future of 3D Printed Homes

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 Jack Oslan, Founder & Executive Chairman of Diamond Age, a construction robotics platform that has raised $58 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Robotics for Affordable Housing: Diamond Age uses robotics to build affordable, energy-efficient single-family homes with significantly reduced labor.
Speed and Efficiency: Their technology can build homes four times faster than traditional methods, offering substantial cost savings and efficiency improvements.
Target Market: Diamond Age works with large production home builders like Century Communities to address the housing shortage, focusing on high-volume tract housing.
Labor Market Impact: The goal is to replace physically demanding construction jobs with more technology-focused roles, making the industry more appealing to younger workers.
Solving a Personal Problem: Jack was motivated to start Diamond Age after realizing the housing affordability crisis affected even high-earning professionals like his son and daughter-in-law.
Regulatory and Market Adoption: The company's approach aligns with existing building codes, facilitating easier adoption by builders and regulatory agencies.
 

Zach Lloyd, CEO and Founder of Warp: $70 Million Raised to Build a Better Terminal

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Zach Lloyd, CEO and Founder of Warp, a Rust-based terminal that's raised $70 Million in funding, about why writing code in your terminal shouldn’t feel like 1978, and the need for an up-to-date solution for people working at the cutting edge of software innovation.
Topics Discussed:
Zach’s background in software engineering, including stints at some of the biggest names in the tech ecosystem
The real-world pain points which led Zach to address the limitations and usability issues present in existing developer tools
Modernizing the terminal user experience, making it smarter with integrated AI and promoting collaboration between developers
Building a community-oriented business, and the importance of feedback to driving continuous innovation
How Warp rises above the background noise to capture developers’ attention in such a crowded market space
 
Favorite book: 
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Bantam Classics)

Paul Stovell, CEO and Founder of Octopus Deploy: Over $170 Million Raised to Build the Future of Deployment Automation

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Paul Stovell, CEO and Founder of Octopus Deploy, a deployment automation tool for DevOps that's raised over $170 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Paul's background as a software engineer and the influence of other entrepreneurs on his business mindset
Octopus Deploy’s mission to automate software deployments and make the process stress-free for software teams.
How Octopus Deploy differentiates itself from competitors by providing value in one specific area of contemporary business
How Octopus Deploy was able to secure a profitable business model at a very early stage, confounding the startup economy standard
Building a new category around a real-world pain point for contemporary businesses, and where Paul sees the business heading in the future
 
Favorite book: 
Coder to Developer: Tools and Strategies for Delivering Your Software

Mousa Yassin, CEO and Founder of Pixaera: $5.7 Million Raised to Build the Future of VR Safety Training

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 Mousa Yassin, CEO & Founder of Pixaera, an immersive learning platform that has raised $5.7 million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from the conversation:
Pixaera's Mission: Pixaera bridges the gap between gaming and enterprise learning, leveraging high-fidelity 3D gamified experiences to revolutionize traditional training methods.
Value of Gaming in Learning: Mousa highlighted how his gaming experience, particularly in World of Warcraft, equipped him with leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills applicable in the enterprise world.
Safety Training Focus: Pixaera focuses on safety training due to its high stakes and regulatory importance, transforming traditional methods with immersive, engaging experiences that dramatically improve retention rates.
State of VR and Adoption: While VR technology is still evolving, Pixaera's platform works across various devices, with the majority of users starting on computers. VR usage is growing, supported by affordable and advanced headsets like the Quest 2.
Effective Learning Metrics: Pixaera measures success through engagement and retention rates, showing significantly higher results compared to traditional video-based training, proving the efficacy of their immersive approach.
Market Penetration Strategy: By initially targeting large enterprises like BP and Shell, Pixaera established credibility and set a benchmark in the industry, facilitating wider market adoption.
 

Liam Randall, CEO and Founder of Cosmonic: $8.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of WebAssembly

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Liam Randall, CEO and Founder of Cosmonic, a company that has raised $8.5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Liam’s background as a hustler immigrants’ child
How working with something you are passionate about will help you through tough times, and why it’s healthy to keep some discomfort in our lives
Side effects of entrepreneurship which we usually only see when it’s too late
How Cosmonic and WebAssembly are making life easier for developers worldwide
Liam’s tips for successful communication

Philippe Petitpont, CEO and Co-Founder of NewsBridge: €12.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Media Management

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Philippe Petitpont, CEO and Co-Founder of NewsBridge, a cloud media hub platform that's raised €12.5 Million in funding.
Topics Discussed:
Phillippe’s career background, and the unorthodox journey that took him from rocket engineering to management of media content
An overview of NewsBridge’s cloud media hub platform, and its relevance for an industry already saturated with content
Running a company across different continents and timezones, and how to make the new way of working work for you
How NewsBridge overcame initial resistance from journalists to the introduction of AI technology in media
A new media future of automatic video storytelling empowering creators across a whole range of platforms
 
Favorite book: 
Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders