Category Visionaries

Jordan Gal, CEO of Rally: $6 Million Raised to Build the Future of eCommerce Checkout

 
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 Jordan Gal, CEO & Co-Founder of Rally, a checkout payment platform that's raised $6 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Innovative Checkout Solutions: Rally offers an alternative checkout solution for e-commerce merchants, challenging the standard platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce.
Experience with Competitors: Jordan discusses the impact of competitors like Fast and Bolt on the market and Rally’s strategy to navigate this noisy space.
Post-Purchase Offers: A key feature of Rally is post-purchase offers, enabling merchants to increase revenue without risking the initial sale.
Transition from Bootstrapping to VC: Jordan shares insights on his journey from bootstrapping his previous company to raising venture capital for Rally.
New Market Categories: Rally aims to redefine e-commerce checkout with a focus on headless commerce, offering greater flexibility and customization.
Future Vision: Jordan envisions Rally integrating crypto tokens to provide true ownership to merchants and shoppers, fostering a more engaged network.
 

Chris Strahl, CEO of Knapsack: $7 Million Raised to Build the Future of Design Systems

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Chris Strahl, CEO of Knapsack, a design systems platform that has raised more than 7 million in funding, about his addiction to the more agile side of the business world, and why smaller companies are the way he likes to operate. With Knapsack, he's determined to reset the relationship between business and design, providing an integrated platform for collaboration and coordination which ensures the highest level of efficiency and consistency in the digital design process. The design systems platform category is all about providing the framework to support a whole range of design solutions, whether they come from engineers, designers, or the mind of a visionary CEO, and see them transform into high-quality content.
 
Chris also spoke about the current state of the venture capital market and being a 'wartime CEO, ' the challenges non-digital native companies have in facing an increasing consumer demand for online experiences, and why building a new market category is such an exhilarating but challenging experience. Whether or not Knapsack will emulate the success of design platforms like Canva remains to be seen, but Chris can see a path ahead in that direction, and he's determined to make it. 
 Topics Discussed:
The mundane challenges of modern design, and why most designers end up making the same product several times over
Why collaboration between engineers and designers is a key challenge for building a more efficient design process
The current state of the startup marketplace, and why a good ROI pitch is essential to make any headway with potential investors
How Knapsack is defining a new market category, why it matters and what makes it such a challenging experience
Why Chris isn't done with conversations about defining 'design systems platform' yet, and how the future of the category is still flexible
The shortfalls of some leading design platforms, and why Chris believes Knapsack can do it better
 
Favorite book: 
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Wes Winham Winler, CEO of Woven: $11 Million Raised to Transform How Companies Recruit and Hire Developers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Wes Winham Winler, CEO of Woven, about why a new way of hiring tech developers is needed to keep up with the rapid transformation and growth in the startup space. By putting candidates through rigorous skills testing exercises tailor made to the needs of a specific company, Woven is determined to all but eliminate the mishiring phenomenon and make sure everyone finds themselves in the role that’s right for them.
Wes also explains how a personal experience working with a small team led him to really understand the impact of ineffective hiring, why keeping ‘in-category’ is important for helping potential customers connect with your business, and how pretty much anything can be measured (even if not precisely) to help us all make better business decisions moving forward.
Topics Discussed:
Wes’ experiences in startup culture, and how both positive and negative experiences gave him important lessons to apply with Woven.
How many of us forget that some of the world’s biggest corporate names were once startups too, and how much we can learn from their growth experiences.
Why developing tech solutions, and skill tests in particular, needs effective client communication as much as top-quality programming
How almost anything can be measured to some extent or another, and why establishing measurements can help us make more effective decisions
Why ‘business culture’ can sometimes be a catchall to protect ourselves from legitimate criticism
Why even innovators might be better off staying in an established category to help build new connections with potential customers
 
Favorite book: 
How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business

Jay Bartot, CEO of Zeitworks: $6 Million Raised to Build the Future of Business Process Intelligence

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Jay Bartot, CEO of Zeitworks, about why so many startups put the cart before the horse when it comes to process automation. Zeitworks has established process discovery as a key component of its business model, to make sure they know exactly what their clients need before they start developing automated solutions for the more mundane needs underlying every business.
Jay also talks about his extensive experience in the startup space, how the tech investment environment has changed since the infamous ‘.com crash,’ and why the proliferation of AI technology can’t quite keep up with how fast the buzzword is spreading through the industry. He prefers the term ‘machine learning’ to help people understand the real processes going on behind the ‘black box’ of automated technology solutions.
Topics Discussed:
Jay’s years in the startup space, transitioning to being a founder, and the lessons he brings forward to the modern tech investment sector
Why automation can help free up talented people from the grind of repetitive, mundane business tasks which dominate so much of their day
Why the modern technology ecosystem is different from the ‘.com era,’ and why most companies these days are putting their business priorities first
Why data propriety is a critical consideration for any business operating in the tech sector, and why a lack of knowledge can come back to bite you eventually 
Why discover is a critical component of business process automation, and why Zeitworks’ commitment to the details puts them ahead of the competition
Why Jay is more comfortable using the term ‘machine learning’ than ‘AI,’ given how saturated the marketplace is right now
How machine learning technology is poised to drive the economy of the future, and how Zeitworks is preparing to take full advantage of its meteoric rise
 
Favorite book: 
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Rob Leslie, CEO of Sedicii: $4 Million Raised to Build the Future of Data Privacy Infrastructure for an Online World

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Rob Leslie, CEO of Sedicii, about how security in cyberspace doesn’t always mean sacrificing privacy, and why we all need an alternative to sharing our vital data online. By pushing innovation in the field of verification technology, fragmenting critical data and deploying a range of customer-orientated solutions, Sedicii is on a mission to deliver a safer, more secure digital infrastructure for the economy of the future.
Rob Also shared his wisdom on the secrets of building an effective startup, the differences and similarities between working in Japan compared to the West, and why he really believes in the power of the technology his team are working on to change our relationship with privacy, and make sure that a sense of safety and a promise of security don’t have to be mutually exclusive
 Topics Discussed:
The challenge of ensuring security in an open marketplace without sacrificing sensitive data
Rob’s formative years in Japan and how they helped him learn about different ways of doing business
How a single bad experience led Rob to focus on verification and privacy as two key aspects of the cybersecurity movement
Why we shouldn’t need to share our sensitive data just to conduct a secure transaction
How fragmenting critical information across multiple secure sites can help prevent hacking
Why Sedicii is determined to build the ‘plumbing’ for a security-native digital future where privacy is guaranteed for all

Tony Jamous, CEO of Oyster: $220+ Million Raised to Build the Global Employment Platform (GEP) Category

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Tony Jamous, CEO of Oyster, about how remote working is bringing the world together, building new opportunities and making a dent in one of our greatest collective challenges - global inequality. Oyster’s seamless, red-tape-free solution for any company to hire anyone, anywhere, is more than just a revenue stream, it’s a mission-based company determined to lead the way toward a better future of work for us all.
We spoke about Oyster’s extraordinary funding success, the impact of the pandemic and the importance of timing, and how personal experiences building a global company led him to appreciate the challenge of hiring across borders. A self-proclaimed ‘future of work activist,’ Tony wants to see a world where barriers and borders to productivity are eliminated, allowing people to optimize their skills in their communities and end the cycle of brain drain afflicting much of the world.
 Topics Discussed:
The future of a truly global economy, and why bureaucracy hurts us all, in the long run,
How Tony became a ‘future of work activist’ and what it means to run a mission-based company
Why global talent can become the basis of a global community, and why borders build inequality into our society
The importance of like-minded investors, and why a mission is everything when founding a company to drive real change
Why learning and leadership go hand in hand, and why every first-time founder needs a good coach
Target market resonance and the challenge of positioning a revolutionary company in a saturated market
Why global work will soon become ‘future work,’ and how Oyster is positioning itself to get ahead of the curve
 
Favorite book:   
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box

Eduardo Silva, CEO of Calyptia: $5 Million Build the Future of Data Observation

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Eduardo Silva, CEO of Calyptia, about the future of data observation in a fully automated economy, and why a surplus of information can create as many challenges as it solves. Calyptia’s mission is to simplify data observation and give decision-makers access to the most valuable insights possible, ultimately helping everyone do better business on a daily basis.
Eduardo explains a little about his journey in the data space, the process of transitioning from engineer to entrepreneur, community, connectivity, and collaboration in the open-source economy,  and the pros and cons of operating a remote company spread across several different countries.
Topics Discussed:
Learning and leading - Eduardo’s journey from an engineer to entrepreneur, and how commercial complexity added a new level of understanding to his technical skill set
Why observability is crucial to unlocking the power of data, and why so many companies miss the mark with their analysis
The digital logistics of collecting and analyzing data from so many different sources
How simplifying observation gives everyone access to the best possible decisions, and what it takes to get there.
Why the world is bigger than silicon valley, and the pros and cons of running a tech platform from Costa Rica

Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ibrahim, CEO of Neo.Tax, about the future of everyone’s least favorite aspect of doing business, and why it just makes sense for computers to take care of the number crunching. Positioning themselves as more than just a solution for tax challenges, but an optimization tool to make sure every enterprise works within the tax framework that best suits their needs and structure.
Ibrahim explains a little about why automation has been so slow to penetrate the world of accounting and taxes, but why a labor shortage in the sector now likely makes it inevitable, why political deadlock can have real-world impacts across all industries when regulations are hamstrung by infighting, and how Neo.Tax is working on a winning strategy to level the playing field, and drive business to a better relationship with tax
Topics Discussed:
Ibrahim’s first-hand experience with tax challenges and why he decided to build-out the solution himself.
Why tax optimization is about so much more than just filing, and how every business could benefit from an automated accountant
Why politics causes problems for entrepreneurs when it affects how regulations are drafted and introduced
How a few well-trained engineers can work out a way through all the complexity built into hundreds of years of tax policy
The aging industry of accounting, and why a labor shortage might be about to supercharge the drive towards automation 
Why computers taking care of the numbers might actually be a boon to accountants’ careers, and why there’s so much space for new skills to be introduced
How tax automation outmaneuvers the competition by being more than just a filing system, and why good taxes can become a real revenue boost

Alon Grinshspoon, CEO of echo3D: $9 Million Raised to Build the Next Generation of Integrated 3D Cloud-Integrated Infrastructure

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Alon Grinshpoon, CEO of echo3D, about the virtual reality revolution, the almost unlimited potential of fully immersive technology, and why a supporting infrastructure is so important to make it happen. echo3D have positioned themselves as a 3D-native technology cloud solution for technology companies to develop VR applications at scale, retaining flexibility and function without getting left behind in a fast-moving marketplace.
From curing cybersickness to fixing rendering quality for 3D video experiences, solutions to the VR problems of tomorrow are a rapidly emerging industry at the very cutting edge of our digital future, whatever tools might end up emerging as the face of all this new technology, and echo3D’s integrated cloud platform might just be the glue which holds it all together behind the scenes.
Topics Discussed:
Being a self-declared ‘certified nerd,’ and a true believer in the potential of cloud technology and VR
How the metaverse spread across the world, and why it's emerging between big tech and the youth technology market
Why VR is the next technology you don’t realize you need, and how websites, social media and smartphone applications prove the model
How a stint supporting VR surgery led Alon to rethink flexibility in 3D infrastructures
Why echo3D targets the technology developers who can build out applications at scale, and need the cloud support to realize that vision
Cyber sickness, rendering issues, and why the VR revolution offers a whole range of business opportunities
Why oversaturated buzzwords are still a boon for people really pushing the industry forward
 
Favorite book: 
The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley

Steven Greene, CEO & Co-Founder of Standard Practice (Previously Nibble Health): $8 Million Raised to Bring the Fintech Revolution to the World Healthcare Payments

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 Steven Greene, CEO & Co-Founder of Standard Pracice (previously known as Nibble Health), a B2B healthcare payments platform that's raised $8.5 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Inspired by Personal Experience: Steven shared how a personal healthcare emergency and an unexpected $8,000 medical bill led him to realize the need for more accessible healthcare financing solutions, inspiring the creation of Nibble Health.
Innovative Healthcare Financing: Standard Practice offers zero-interest, zero-fee financing for medical expenses as an employee benefit, providing a healthcare safety net that removes financial barriers to care.
Focus on Employers: By partnering with employers, Standard Practice enables companies to offer their workforce flexible healthcare payment options, improving employee retention, productivity, and overall financial wellness.
Seamless Integration: The platform runs on Visa rails, allowing employees to use their Standard Practice card anywhere Visa is accepted, without the need for complex integrations with healthcare providers or payroll systems.
Attributable ROI: Steven highlighted how Standard Practice can help employers save significantly on healthcare costs by encouraging employees to switch to high-deductible health plans, demonstrating a clear ROI for the program.
Long-term Vision: Beyond healthcare financing, Steven envisions Standard Practice evolving into a comprehensive healthcare operating system that helps patients make better care decisions and navigate the healthcare system more effectively.
 
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