Category Visionaries

Jeremy Pease, CEO of Hivelocity: $200 Million Raised to Build the Future of Hybrid Cloud MSP

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 Jeremy Pease, CEO of Hivelocity, a hybrid cloud MSP that's raised over $200 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Technological Evolution: Jeremy discusses the evolution from basic hardware setups to advanced, highly automated bare metal solutions, and the increasing influence of AI on data center design.
Company Overview: Hivelocity offers a comprehensive suite of services, including bare metal solutions, private cloud, VPS hosting, and retail colocation, aimed at supporting hybrid cloud journeys.
Acquisition Strategy: The company has grown through strategic acquisitions, integrating seven companies over the past three years, and emphasizes the importance of quick integration and synergy realization.
Integration Success: Effective integration of acquisitions, including the rapid merging of ticketing, billing, and communication systems, has been key to Hivelocity's successful growth.
Market Focus: Hivelocity targets mid-market customers, providing both high-touch customer service and advanced automation, a space often overlooked by competitors focusing on enterprise or hyperscale markets.
Brand Transition: The company is transitioning to the Hivelocity brand to better reflect its comprehensive hybrid cloud services, aiming for a unified and streamlined customer experience.
 
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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

Alex Sambvani, CEO & Co-Founder of Slang AI: $20 Million Raised to Power the Future of Voice AI for Restaurants

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 Alex Sambvani, CEO & Co-Founder of Slang AI, a voice AI tool for restaurants that's raised $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
From Robotics to Voice AI: Alex’s journey began in high school with a passion for automation and robotics, eventually leading him to work on voice AI features at Spotify.
Finding Product-Market Fit: Initially targeting various verticals, Alex’s team discovered a significant opportunity in the restaurant industry, particularly for managing reservations and common inquiries.
Live Demo of Slang AI: Alex demonstrated Slang AI’s capabilities by calling a restaurant and making a reservation, showcasing the seamless integration with reservation systems and high guest satisfaction.
Evolving AI Acceptance: Initially cautious about marketing their product as AI, Slang AI now embraces the AI label, benefiting from the increasing acceptance and curiosity about AI technology.
Niche Focus for Rapid Growth: By specializing in restaurants that take reservations, Slang AI has been able to deliver a highly tailored solution, enhancing the guest experience and operational efficiency.
Lessons in Fundraising: Alex shared key insights on navigating the fundraising landscape, emphasizing the importance of targeting the right investors who have a track record in your space and stage.
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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

Robert Thelen, CEO & Founder of Rownd: $3.3 Million Raised to Build the Future of App Onboarding

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 Robert Thelen, CEO & Founder of Rownd, an app onboarding platform that's raised $3.3 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
The Onboarding Problem: Robert highlights that nearly half of users drop off during the onboarding process of apps, leading to substantial losses in potential user engagement and revenue.
The Aha Moment: After joining Y Combinator, Robert identified that many CEOs were struggling with user growth due to high drop-off rates at the login and sign-up stages, sparking the creation of Rownd.
Customer-Centric Development: The first three to six months involved close interaction with early customers to understand and solve their pain points, a practice that continues to drive product development at Rownd.
Pain Point Pricing Strategy: Rownd focuses on solving significant pain points and charges a premium, ensuring they provide high value and targeting customers who truly need their solution.
Consumer-Focused Market: Rownd primarily serves B2C companies where user friction can drastically impact user retention, such as in competitive industries like health and wellness.
Stress Management Skills: Robert’s military background has equipped him with exceptional stress management skills, which he applies in high-pressure situations in the startup environment.
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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
 

Robert Cowart, CEO & Co-Founder of ElastiFlow: $8 Million Raised to Power the Future of Network Performance and Security Analytics

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 Robert Cowart, CEO & Co-Founder of ElastiFlow, a network performance and security analytics platform that's raised $8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Network Dependency: Robert emphasizes the critical role of network infrastructure in today's world, impacting commerce, healthcare, entertainment, and social interactions.
Genesis of ElastiFlow: The company started as an experiment to see how new data platforms like Elasticsearch could improve network observability, leading to a successful GitHub project.
Community's Role: The initial success and growth of ElastiFlow were significantly boosted by a loyal community built around the GitHub project, highlighting the importance of community-led growth.
Market Entry and Growth: ElastiFlow quickly transitioned from community support to paying customers, even before launching their beta product, showcasing the power of having a dedicated user base.
Building a Marketing Strategy: Initially relying on inbound marketing, ElastiFlow has now invested in outbound sales and marketing, including paid ads and content creation, to increase brand awareness and drive growth.
Future Vision: The company aims to continue enhancing network observability, adding more context to network traffic records, and ensuring comprehensive support for hybrid IT environments.
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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
 
 

Anthony Jules, CEO & Co-Founder of Robust AI: $42 Million Raised to Build the Collaborative Mobile Robots Category

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 Anthony Jules, CEO & Co-Founder of Robust AI, a robotics company that has raised over $42 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
From MIT to Sapient: Anthony shares his journey from MIT grad school to co-founding Sapient Corporation, growing it from 3 to 4000 employees and taking it public.
Early Tech Scene: He reminisces about the tech scene in the early '90s, the pre-Internet era, and the challenges of building tech companies without today's information flow.
Vision of the Internet: Anthony discusses the early days of the Internet and how recognizing its potential for transactions was a pivotal moment for his career.
Robotics and AI at Google: He recounts his time at Google, the excitement of working on cutting-edge projects, and his decision to leave due to the mismatch in scale and focus.
Founding Robust AI: Anthony details the serendipitous meeting with co-founders Rodney Brooks and Henrik Christensen, leading to the creation of Robust AI.
Navigating COVID: The early years of Robust AI were defined by the pandemic, pushing the team to innovate remotely and pivot their focus in response to evolving needs.
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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
 

Funding the Future: Clancey Stahr, Managing Partner of GoAhead Ventures

Welcome to another episode of Funding the Future. In today's episode, we're speaking with Clancey Stahr, Managing Partner at GoAhead Ventures, a venture capital firm that has raised $180 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Founding Journey: Clancey founded GoAhead Ventures in 2015, starting with initial legwork in 2013 while still a student at Stanford. He collaborated with his co-founders to connect Japanese corporations with US startups, eventually pivoting to venture capital.
Early Fundraising: The first fund was raised in 2014, totaling $6 million from a partner in Japan and three US angels. The focus was on the team's potential rather than a specific idea, leveraging the Stanford network.
Investment Thesis Evolution: Initially emulating top Silicon Valley VCs, the firm evolved its thesis in 2020 with a focus on video submissions for founder pitches. This streamlined the evaluation process, making it easier to compare founders and identify the best investments.
Video Submissions: GoAhead Ventures receives 60-80 video submissions per week, reviewing over 3,000 annually. The submission process includes a brief introduction and a three-minute elevator pitch, with a one-in-ten chance of leading to a first meeting.
Decision-Making Speed: The firm has honed its decision-making process, providing founders with a yes or no within three days of video submission and offering a signable agreement within 24 hours of a live pitch.
Focus on Fundraising: GoAhead Ventures prioritizes helping portfolio companies raise additional capital, recognizing that every company needs money and that this is an area where they can add significant value.
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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

Cole Riccardi, CEO & Founder of Authentic: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Captive 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 Cole Riccardi, CEO & Founder of Authentic, an insurance technology company that has raised $16 Million in funding. 
 
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
 
Authentic’s Captive Insurance Model: Cole introduces Authentic’s unique offering in the insurance market - a captive insurance platform that enables entities like franchisors and vertical software companies to create their own insurance programs.
Simplifying Captive Insurance: Cole explains captive insurance in simple terms, making the concept accessible and highlighting Authentic’s role in simplifying the process for small business networks.
The Genesis of Authentic: The inspiration behind Authentic stemmed from Cole’s background in financial services and a personal connection to the insurance industry, spotting a niche for a more efficient insurance offering.
Early Challenges and Customer Feedback: Discussing the initial phase of building Authentic, Cole talks about the importance of market research, conversations with potential partners, and the positive feedback that helped refine the product.
Marketing Philosophy and Target Customer: Cole shares Authentic’s strategy of focusing on service excellence to stimulate word-of-mouth within niche markets and discusses the importance of accurately identifying their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Navigating Regulatory Challenges: Cole touches on the regulatory landscape for captive insurance, detailing Authentic’s strategic approach to navigating these challenges and securing a competitive edge in the insurance technology space.
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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

Umaimah Khan, CEO & Co-Founder of Opal Security: $32 Million Raised to Build the Future of Identity Security

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 Umaimah Khan, CEO & Co-Founder at Opal Security, a data-centric identity security platform that has raised $32 Million in funding.
 
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
 
Background and Start: Umaimah initially aimed to be a math professor before transitioning to cryptography and ultimately catching the startup bug. Her experience at various startups, especially with scaling security and compliance systems, directly influenced her founding of Opal Security.
Early Days of Opal Security: The first three months of Opal Security involved intense research and discussions to shape the product’s architecture, deeply influenced by Umaimah’s background in cryptography and her prior startup experiences.
Unique Challenges of Identity Security: Umaimah views identity security as one of the last great enterprise frontiers, difficult to solve due to constant technological evolutions that outpace the ability of security protocols to adapt.
Marketing Philosophy: Opal Security aims to cut through typical marketing noise by directly demonstrating the tangible value of their products to customers, contrasting with the complex and often opaque marketing strategies prevalent in the security sector.
Approach to Scaling Adoption: Umaimah emphasizes the importance of user-friendly product design even in complex enterprise environments, drawing parallels to Slack’s transformation of IRC into a tool accessible beyond engineering teams.
Vision for the Future: Looking ahead, Umaimah sees Opal Security playing a critical role in shaping the future of access and authorization as technological landscapes and regulatory environments evolve, potentially impacting how identity security is approached globally.
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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
 

Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blockchain 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 Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto, a blockchain payments platform that has raised $16 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins of Fipto: Patrick identified significant gaps in international payments during his previous fintech experience. This realization led to Fipto's founding in 2022, aiming to merge traditional payment best practices with blockchain technology.
Building the Platform: Fipto's journey to its first paying customer involved significant investment in product and tech, including building a core banking system and obtaining necessary licenses in France and Luxembourg.
API-First Approach: Fipto initially focused on API solutions but developed a platform to better sell and demonstrate these APIs. Their ultimate goal is to integrate with third-party systems like treasury management systems.
Market Education and Adoption: Educating the market on blockchain's benefits, such as speed, transparency, and cost-efficiency, has been crucial. They target early adopters and payment service providers while anticipating broader corporate adoption as regulatory clarity improves.
Fundraising Insights: Patrick emphasized the importance of securing a lead investor to set the terms of the funding round, which simplifies and accelerates the fundraising process.
Geographic Focus: Identifying ideal customer profiles and key payment corridors, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, has been vital for Fipto's go-to-market strategy.
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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

Barry Lunn, CEO & Founder of Provizio: $11 Million Raised to Power the Future of Vehicle Safety

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 Barry Lunn, CEO & Founder of Provizio, a vehicle safety platform that's raised over $11 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Company Focus: Provizio is developing radar-based active safety technology aimed at predicting and preventing automotive crashes, providing a safer path toward autonomous vehicles.
Industry Experience: Barry's extensive background in high-frequency electronics and radar, especially in aerospace and defense, influenced his pivot to focus on solving car crash problems in the automotive industry.
Autonomous Vehicle Insights: Barry appreciates the progress of companies like Waymo but emphasizes the need for broader adoption and regulatory support to significantly reduce vehicle crashes.
Regulation and Safety: Barry is a strong advocate for regulation in automotive safety. He highlights recent developments like FMVSS 127, which mandates active safety technology in all new vehicles by 2029.
Licensing Model: Provizio’s licensing model allows for widespread adoption of their technology by automotive suppliers, ensuring better performance and lower costs while turning potential competitors into customers.
Long-Term Vision: Barry envisions Provizio’s technology becoming ubiquitous in vehicles worldwide, likening its necessity to that of seat belts, with a goal of having it in millions of cars within the next five years.
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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