The VentureFizz Podcast

Grant’s entrepreneurial experience started as a paperboy. He noticed that the real business model of newspaper companies was the ads. This triggered an idea that he could help small businesses with advertising too. Through the encouragement of his dad, Grant started cold calling and learned the great business lesson of what it’s like to get a bunch of “no’s” but when you finally land on that “yes” - it’s the magical word and it is all you need to get started. Unstack is his latest startup and the company just announced $3.1M in funding. The company provides a no-code marketing platform that gives marketers and entrepreneurs the fastest way to launch and scale a business. They already have significant traction and some really exciting plans ahead. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * How to crush your launch on Product Hunt. * Grant’s background story including how he learned online marketing. * All the details on his prior company, Grapevine, an early to market influencer marketing platform that was acquired. * A deep dive into Unstack and how they are competing against the massive incumbents. * Advice on getting involved in angel investing. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Imagine that you’ve worked your way into an executive leadership position with one of the top insurance companies where you are overseeing an organization of hundreds of people generating billions of dollars, yet you realize that you are a builder and there’s an opportunity to build a company around an idea. So what do you do? Do you stay at the safety net of the Fortune 500 company or do you take the risk and start something from scratch? If Ty is a guest on our podcast, you probably know the decision he made and it is a decision that is taking off. Openly is reinventing home insurance with a different approach with an emphasis on tech, an improved customer service experience, and a very smart sales model where they are partnering with independent insurance agents. The company announced $40M in funding back in December and this is fresh off the heels of announcing $15M just 6 months prior. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Ty’s experience at MIT and how he got involved in competitive ballroom dancing. * His career progression at Liberty Mutual where he was most recently EVP and Chief Product Officer. * How he thought through the decision to move on and start a company. * All of the details on Openly and how they are disrupting the insurance industry. * What the future holds for Openly, including their growth and hiring plans. * Advice for senior level executives on the decision of taking a risk to start a company. * And so much more If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

This is an exciting episode because Paul is my first repeat guest on the podcast! I interviewed him about 2.5 years ago for Episode 37 where we spent a lot of time talking about his background and all the details around KAYAK and Lola.com. This time around, we took a slightly different approach. We of course caught up on Lola.com, which as you may remember is focused on helping companies with business travel. We talk about the effects of the pandemic where business trips booked on Lola.com were down 97%. But the real story here is the resiliency of the team. Not only did the team fight against an incredibly tough situation, but they launched a major new product called Lola Spend and expanded their product offering and value for finance teams at companies. We also talk about his latest side product that he’s been working on called Moonbeam which is a new podcast player. Moonbeam is the easiest way to discover great new podcast content. It’s almost like a TikTok for podcasts, plus it has additional features that make it unique in terms of growing an audience, monetization, and other cool features. But then, we spend a lot of time talking about hiring. I was particularly excited about this part because Paul is well known for his hiring practices, as he’s a master in this field. For hiring, we discuss: * His 7 Day Rule - which has been written about many times. It is the timeframe and speed of his process from when he first hears about a candidate to making an offer. * How to qualify and hire talent for remote teams. * His thoughts on building out initial teams within engineering and design. * What job seekers should be thinking about before joining a company. * When is the right time to bring in a company’s first recruiter. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Did you know that rowing works 86% of your muscles? It provides a full-body workout that puts less stress on your joints, yet it’s been an under-rated exercise in terms of popularity. Maybe that’s because of accessibility, as rowing on the water is not as easy to pull off as it is to run and cycle outside and let’s face it, the old style rowing machines in gyms were never really that appealing. Technology has caught up with the needs of consumers where you can have a fully immersive and instructor led experience right in your own home and let’s not ignore how the pandemic has really turned the fitness industry upside down. Well, now rowing is having its moment and Hydrow is leading the charge. Hydrow is the company behind the beautifully designed Live Outdoor Reality rower. In addition, they are a content company that provides classes with world-class athletes which are streamlined live on the water and they are building a massive library of classes.. It’s not a coincidence that Bruce founded Hydrow. As you’ll learn from our conversation, he has been involved in the sport of rowing for many, many years as a rower, coach, and entrepreneur. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * How competition within an industry can help pick each other up. * Bruce’s background growing up including how he got involved in rowing and his career in the sport. * A deep dive into Hydrow in terms of creating their product, producing content, scaling the company, and more. * How they were able to land comedian and actor, Kevin Hart, as a Creative Director and investor in the company. * Advice for founders on building out their initial core team. * A look into the future of the fitness industry. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

It’s 2021 - Happy New Year to everyone! We are kicking off the new year with an amazing episode, as my guest is Paul Liberman, President, Global Technology and Products & Co-Founder of DraftKings. The story of DraftKings has all the twists and turns of a Hollywood movie. It has the classic beginning of three co-founders looking to radically transform an industry, but this story is not a linear path. Along the way, there were so many obstacles to overcome which we discuss like regulatory changes, raising massive amounts of venture funding, a fierce battle against the competition for market share, scaling to a public offering, and more! We also have a deep discussion about their tech and platform, which is incredibly complex and it operates at a massive scale. In addition, we also cover: * A fun recent story featuring Michael Jordan, who was recently announced as a special advisor to the company’s board of directors. * Paul’s background story, including immigrating to the US from Russia at a young age * His experience at Vistaprint where he met Jason Robins and Matt Kalish, the two other co-founders of DraftKings. * A look into DraftKings’ culture and hiring plans ahead. * Hiring advice at different stages of a company * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

This is episode #200...yes, we are at another milestone episode! Three years ago we kicked off The VentureFizz Podcast to bring you the amazing stories from leading entrepreneurs and investors. It’s been a blast and I want to say thank you to Alex, who made it happen initially, Dan, who is our podcast editor, and of course a special shout-out to all of our amazing guests! For Episode 200, I’m really excited to share with you my interview with Helen Greiner, CEO of Tertill. Helen is a legend in the tech industry and one of the co-founders of iRobot which brought robots into our homes with the Roomba. At this point, I can’t imagine not having our Roomba… it’s a game changer. Helen’s next company, CyPhy Works, revolutionized the drone industry and now as CEO of Tertill, she is looking to tackle another domestic chore and it's one that is dreaded, in my opinion, way more than vacuuming and that is weeding. I think I was scared as a kid and if a robot can take away this task, then please sign me up! In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * What Helen envisions for the future of robotics & drones. * Her background growing up, including how R2D2 was her inspiration, plus her time at MIT. * The story of iRobot - from the early days of the company, to bringing the Roomba to market, and building a pillar tech company to an IPO. * The details on CyPhy Works and how they helped pushed the drone industry forward. * Why she joined Tertill and how the product works, which is brilliant. * Advice for founders on building a company centered around innovation. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

"Let’s schedule some time to meet” is a common phrase that you’ll hear multiple times a day. Sounds simple, but it’s not, especially the more people who are involved. It starts an endless amount of back & forth to coordinate schedules. It’s a problem that affects everyone and there have been attempts to solve this problem with things like online scheduling tools, but no one has gotten it right. There has to be a better way and that is exactly the way of thinking that led Nash down the path of starting Undock. The company is on a mission to connect the world’s calendars and dramatically change the future with predictive scheduling. Undock recently announced $1.6M in funding from investors like Lightship Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Lerer Hippeau, Arlan Hamilton of Backstage Capital, and many more. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Why startups should think bigger when it comes to launching products and advice on planning a launch event. * Nash’s background, including his time as a music producer and then moving into the role as CEO at Viper Box. * A deep dive into Undock and how the product works, plus some insights about the bigger vision of the company. * Hiring advice for startups. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

The world needs more risk takers, big thinkers, and problem solvers that are willing to take on the really hard problems that need to be solved. As you’ll hear from this interview, the world needs more Eden’s. She started her first company in high school which was focused on improving energy and water access in the developing world. She left Princeton to pursue an opportunity as a Theil Fellow as the program was just beginning and Eden is now building a company that is taking an innovative approach to mobile app testing. Her company is called Mobot and they are using robots (real robots) to test mobile applications. This was a problem that she witnessed firsthand as a Product Manager and decided to build a company around solving this problem. The company is backed by leading investors like Primary Venture Partners, Newark Venture Partners, Bling Capital, RRE Ventures, and Y Combinator. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Words of encouragement to others on taking risks and starting a company. * Eden’s background growing up and the creation of her first company, SunSaluter and the progress she made building it. * The story behind her decision to leave Princeton to become a Thiel Fellow. * A deep dive into Mobot and how they are taking a much more effective approach to mobile testing. * Why she decided to build a company as a solo-founder. * Advice on getting traction from the media. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Starting a business is hard. Starting a business during a pandemic is even harder. Let’s put another layer on top… starting an events business where people are in person during a pandemic… well, timing is everything. But, the best entrepreneurs persevere and find another way and it’s sometimes when you are forced to pivot that ends up being the game changing move for success. Ian is a serial entrepreneur who sold his last company and his latest startup is Kindred, a venture backed professional network built to prepare executives for the future of socially responsible businesses. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The business of doing good, and why doing the right thing can help companies thrive. * Ian’s background growing up and his experience working in the early days of the internet. * The creation of Deep Focus, an ad agency that was focusing on the evolution of advertising through social media and other emerging channels. * All of the details on Kindred in terms of the background story of the company and how they evolved the business. * Kindred’s current business model and the benefits of their platform for companies and members. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

It’s incredibly rare for a co-founder to remain as CEO at a company for as long as Art has, especially when the company has been involved in multiple financing rounds from venture capital and private equity firms, which says a lot about Art’s leadership style and his ability to stay focused. A key part of this focus is being the best solution for a specific industry. In Bullhorn’s case, it is building the best software to power staffing firms. One might think that being focused on what one might call a narrow industry would be a mistake, but it’s this focus that has allowed the company to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue with over 10,000 customers. The company recently announced a new strategic investment from Stone Point Capital to power the next phase of the Bullhorn’s growth. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The secrets to his parents' achievement of raising 3 very successful children who are all in the tech industry. * Art’s foundational years studying mathematics at Tufts University and his first jobs out of college. * All the details on the early days of Bullhorn and how he got started building the company with his two co-founders. * How they scaled the company and worked with multiple investors successfully. * Advice for founders on how to integrate an acquired company into your culture. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

Siobhan was part of the early team at Communispace, now known as C Space, which was a big win for the Boston tech scene. The company scaled aggressively and was acquired by Omnicom in 2011. Siobhan joined MassChallenge in 2016 as its Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to CEO last year. MassChallenge is a global, zero-equity accelerator that was established in 2009, shortly after the financial meltdown. Needless to say, the economy was in a very tough spot and the outlook was bleak for startups. It took two visionaries - John Harthorne and Akhil Nigam - with a bold belief that they could create an accelerator that would award $1M to startups. There were definitely skeptics out there, including myself, but they pulled it off and the impact has been extraordinary. MassChallenge has over 2,400 alumni startups that have raised over $6.2B in funding and have gone on to generate over $3B in revenue and create over 157,000 jobs! In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Siobhan's background and how she got involved with Communispace. * The full lifecycle story behind the growth of Communispace to its acquisition and beyond. * A deep dive into the history of MassChallenge and how the program operates. * Advice for founders when applying to MassChallenge and how they decide which companies to accept. * And so much more.

Did you know that resumes have been around for over 500 years, yet why is it that resumes haven’t really evolved? Sure, maybe a LinkedIn profile is a digital version of you… but companies generally look for a copy of your resume when you apply to a job. Paul has built a career largely focused on pushing the industry forward with a better way, as he was the founder of a company that was early to use video for job interviews. His latest company is Filtered.ai, which is helping companies solve a very hard problem and that is hiring engineers. Sure, you could look at a resume with lots of technical buzzwords, but how can you be sure that the individual is qualified to tackle the work that needs to be done? Filtered.ai is focused on helping companies make the shift to skill-based hiring, as it is focused on determining an engineer’s true ability versus the words listed on a resume. Not only is it more effective and efficient, but it is also making the hiring process unbiased, which is also important for helping companies build a diverse workforce. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Tips for non-technical founders on hiring engineers. * His background, including his professional basketball career in China. * Paul’s entry into entrepreneurship with PangeaConnect and being early to market and the decision to step away from the business. * All the details on Filtered.ai and how it all works. * Experience raising money during the pandemic. * And so much more.

Digital asset management is not a new term, but the number of assets that are being generated by companies is exploding, which in return makes it very challenging to collaborate and keep tabs of everything. Take VentureFizz, we have videos, audio files, images and more spread throughout Google Drive, Dropbox, Canva, multiple hard drives, and probably several other spots that I’m forgetting. Air is taking on this problem head on, as they are building the collaboration platform for your team’s visual work. The company just announced a $12M Series A round of funding led by Tiger Global. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The belief that every company and individual is a media company. * Shane’s background growing up in Toledo and his decision to attend Stanford where he met his co-founder, Tyler Strand. * His prior company, Swap Mobile, and his experience as an investor and what these experiences taught him. * All of the details on Air in terms of the founding story to where the company and platform is today. * What it was like fundraising during the pandemic. * Advice for founders on building their initial core team. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

The Fintech industry has been blowing up over the past few years with lots of innovative advances and solutions. From digital products geared towards consumers like Robinhood and Lemonade which logged a very successful IPO back in July. To more of the foundation tech layer with platforms like Stripe for online payments and Plaid that was acquired by Visa for a reported $5.3B. Alloy is right in the sweet spot of this rapidly growing Fintech industry, as they are providing the identity operating system for the financial services industry and the company just announced a $40M Series B round of funding. Fraud detection has always been a challenge for banks, but the problem has only grown more severe due to the pandemic which has definitely shifted consumers’ behavior. Their solution makes it easy for financial services companies to quickly and safely onboard and manage more customers. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The explosion of the Fintech industry and what the future holds for financial services. * Laura’s background including her original interest in law school to how she ended up as the first employee at a Fintech startup. * A deep dive into Alloy and how their platform is helping financial institutions with a much needed solution. * What it was like raising venture capital during a pandemic. * Advice on building a diverse team * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

It’s incredibly impressive to see what Edward has accomplished throughout his career. He’s a serial entrepreneur, board member, and an investor in over 200 companies… and he’s still in his twenties. His latest company is called Conduit, which he founded with Sree Kolli. Conduit is creating a highly curated and value added marketplace with the goal of connecting the best operator investors and founders who are building the next generation of startups around the world. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * The importance of building a network even at a young age. * Edward’s background and his decision to move from France to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania. * His early entrepreneurial pursuits. * How he got into angel investing and the details on what he targets for making investments. * A deep dive into Conduit in terms of how it all works and how it is differentiated in the marketplace from other platforms. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.