The VentureFizz Podcast

Welcome to Episode 115 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Isa Watson, Founder and CEO of Squad. Isa is one of those guests that just makes you go “wow” when you hear about their background. Whether it’s how she skipped two grades in school or the story about how she built her own computer from a young age. Or, how about her experience as a chemist, a VP on Wall Street, and a classical pianist, and this was all before taking the entrepreneurial journey. Squad is the name of her company, which she calls “social media 2.0.” It’s a social community for millenials and gen-z, who are looking to move beyond screens and share real-life experiences together. The company has raised $3.1M to date, via a seed round that was led by Harrison Metal. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Isa’s upbringing including stories of how her parents instilled a foundation of knowledge and curiosity. -A walk through her professional and academic history, which spans across various industries and the top academic institutions in the world. -How she became an entrepreneur, and what made her take the leap. -The details on Squad, including the story on how the product pivoted and her vision for the company moving forward. -The meaning of the word “sacrifice” for an entrepreneur. -How she’s so successful with PR despite having no formal PR strategy. -And so much more. It’s summer and no doubt, it’s hot out there. However, it's not as hot as the VentureFizz Job Board. It is on fire! You’ll find hundreds of job opportunities at some of the fastest-growing tech companies across the NY tech scene. Go to venturefizz.com/jobs to start exploring. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 114 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Ryan Boyko, Founder and CEO at Embark. You are probably familiar with the DNA testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry. I actually tried out Ancestry and was really surprised with my results, as certain parts of my heritage were very different than I originally thought. Embark is a venture-backed company that is providing a similar service except for dogs. So, I was excited that Embark offered to test our family dog, Stella, as part of this podcast interview. What’s cool about Embark is that you are not only able to determine or confirm your dog's breed, but a key part of their testing is to help discover if your canine has any underlying health conditions. Embark provides the most comprehensive DNA testing in the market which tests for over 170 genetic health conditions. Before making an investment, most VC’s usually ask the question of “Why this team?" and "Why now?”, and as you’ll hear from my discussion with Ryan, he and his brother spent an extraordinary amount of time building what is a very defensible foundation in terms of the technology and what they are able to provide with this service. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Ryan background, including his time with Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard. -How Ryan and his brother, Adam, gained an interest in dog genetics and the details behind all their research. -The story of how Embark was built over time and how their testing works. -A walk through Stella’s (our family Cavapoo) test results. -Advice for scientists who are looking to commercialize their research and start a company. -The things he didn’t expect when he first started running a business. -Plus, a lot more. Embark announced a $10M Series A round of funding back in April from a very impressive list of investors and I have some good news for you. They are hiring aggressively, so if you are interested in working at Embark, you can go to their BIZZpage on VentureFizz to see a list of their openings. Go to venturefizz.com/embark for all the details. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 113 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Nitesh Banta, Co-Founder & CEO at B12. Nitesh is deeply rooted in the tech industry as both a serial entrepreneur and investor. We actually go way back, as I remember connecting with him while he was a VC at General Catalyst. He was co-founding a new, first of its kind, student-led VC firm called Rough Draft Ventures. Fast forward, this initiative that is still powered by General Catalyst, has gone on to make a massive impact with over 150 investments in early stage startups. Today, Nitesh is back as an operator with his next startup called B12. It is a venture-backed company that has a human-assisted AI platform called Orchestra. The current use case of their technology is focused on building websites that are a fraction of the price of hiring an agency and a lot less work than a DIY site. In addition to building out B12, he is still very active in the startup community as a mentor and an angel investor. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Nitesh’s passion for outer space. -How he became a Venture Capitalist and what’s the hardest part about being a VC. -His experience at General Catalyst and the story behind the launch of Rough Draft Ventures. -B12 and all the details behind its platform. -What he looks for when making an angel investment, and advice for others looking to be an angel investor. -Common mistakes entrepreneurs make when trying to raise capital. -Plus, a lot more. Are you hiring? If the answer is yes, then you should definitely consider adding a BIZZpage on VentureFizz. Is our employment branding and hiring solution that helps you engage with our very targeted audience of professionals in the tech scene. It is an incredibly cost-effective solution used by all stages of companies, from early startups to larger publicly traded companies. If you are interested in learning more, please send an email to info@venturefizz.com. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 112 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Anant Agarwal, Founder and CEO of edX & Professor at MIT. Anant is the very definition of a serial entrepreneur. Over the course of his career, he has founded five companies including Tilera Corporation, Virtual Machine Works, and others. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, he is also a professor at MIT, where he teaches electrical engineering and computer science. edX is a non-profit company that is changing the world by bringing education to the masses through its open source, online learning platform. Founded by Harvard & MIT, edX is home to more than 20 million learners, the majority of top-ranked universities in the world and industry-leading companies. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Anant’s background including running a chicken farm as a teenager and what that taught him. -A journey through his experience as an entrepreneur and the companies he founded. -The story of edX, its evolution, and the massive scale of its platform. Current plans for hiring and growth at edX. -What areas of education are still ripe for disruption. -And so much more. Whenever someone asks me who are the fastest growing tech companies in Boston or New York City, I simply direct them to our BIZZpages. From there, you can do a virtual tour of each tech scene and explore over 280 companies! Each BIZZpage tells you everything you need to know from a high level like the details on the company, culture, job openings, leadership team, and more! Go to venturefizz.com/bizzpages to start exploring! Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 111 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Todd Garland, Founder of BuySellAds. BuySellAds is an adtech company that builds scalable revenue programs for companies with captive audiences. Todd has built the company by bootstrapping it from day one. There are no tricks to their business model. It is a marketplace that aims to find audiences who are passionate and match up advertisers who are interested in advertising their product or service to these audiences. The goal is to add value to the web with contextually relevant ads for consumers. Here’s a fun fact about BuySellAds that you might not know. Remember the website Digg, the popular news sharing website from the early Web 2.0 era of user-generated content? The site was founded by Kevin Rose, who infamously appeared on the cover of BusinessWeek representing this new wave of Silicon Valley founders. Well, did you know that Digg was acquired last year buy BuySellAds? It’s true. I find it fascinating that a Boston company owns this piece of internet history. At the beginning of our podcast, we get into lots of the details behind this acquisition. Although the site is not nearly as popular as it once was, I’m really curious to see what they do with it - stay tuned! In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Todd’s background growing up in Maine and his experience as an early employee at HubSpot. -The origin story of BuySellAds. How it went from being a side project generating over a million dollars in revenue to becoming his full-time job, and the challenges of building the first versions of the product. -How he built out the marketplace in terms of supply and demand. -Why he’s decided to bootstrap his company over raising outside capital. -Speculation on the future of AdTech. -Advice for founders looking to acquire companies. -Plus, a lot more. We just published the July edition of Career Forward. It has over 120 of the hottest jobs across the Boston tech scene. There are positions listed across all levels of experience and all functional areas like sales, product management, software engineering, and more. Go to venturefizz.com/careerforward to start exploring. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 110 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Jonathan Bensamoun, Founder and CEO at Fi. Did you know that 10,000,000 dogs are lost in the U.S. every year? That’s an insane number and if you own a dog, you probably consider that dog to be a member of your family. I know I do. And like any other family member, you want to make sure your dog is given the best care, attention, and security possible. That’s where Fi’s Smart Dog Collar comes in. It’s a collar that tracks your dog’s location 24/7 and it also tracks steps to make sure your dog is getting enough exercise. The company has raised $10M to date, including a $7M Series A in March led by RRE Ventures. Jonathan is a serial entrepreneur, who started his career in the technical ranks as an engineer before transitioning into product management. His first company called Pins was acquired by Square. His new company, Fi, is on a mission to keep dogs safe and healthy with a device that has many benefits and improvements as compared to other products in the market. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Jonathan’s background and how he made the transition to product management. -What led him to start his first company Pins and how he built out his network in the Bay Area? -All the details behind Fi and how his dog Thor was the inspiration. -How the Fi collar works, plus what makes it such a game-changer. -A deep dive into hardware development. -What makes a great product manager. -Advice for founders looking to raise capital for a hardware company. -Plus, so much more. Ok - quick side note. Have you checked out our YouTube channel? You’ll find videos from our podcast, plus lots of other interviews with founders and our very popular Inside: series, which gives you an inside look at a functional area in one of the fastest growing tech companies. Go to youtube.com/venturefizz to check it out. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 109 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed the Founders of Wistia, Brendan Schwartz and Chris Savage. Wistia is a company that creates video software for growing businesses and they’ve helped over 500,000 of them. What is truly amazing about the Wistia story is how the business has grown with a very limited amount of outside capital and they have gone on to build one of the marque B2B software brands in the industry. Here’s a very random fun fact that I have to share about Wistia. You know when you go to the team section of a company’s website. Then you mouse over the photo and it switched over to a different picture? Well, Wistia invented this style and in the early days of the company their team page went viral and ended up landing them a bunch of customers. It is a simple, yet effective example of their creativity and over the long-term, their approach to content marketing is probably one of the best examples out there. If one word could sum up this episode it would be transparency which is a trait that I admire about Brendan and Chris. They share lots of stories about getting the business off the ground, to all the trials and tribulations, and lots of amazing advice. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Brendan and Chris’ background story prior to starting Wistia. -All the details about how they founded Wistia and started to gain traction. -A cool story about how they had to make a hard decision by saying “no” to HBO as a potential customer and why that decision ended up being an important one for their future. -Why they didn’t take on traditional venture capital to fund the growth of the business and what led them down the path of taking on $17M in debt financing last year. -How they have built a strong culture that is centered around transparency. -Plans for future growth. -Plus, a lot more. Ok - quick side note… This is exciting because you have two options for catching this episode. You can either listen to the audio from your favorite podcast app or, for this special episode, you can watch the full video of this interview! The video version is classic, as the background from one of their in-house studios at Wistia looks like a Blockbuster store with real VCR movies in the background. Don’t miss it! Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 108 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Chris Litster, CEO at Buildium. Chris had a goal of being a CEO of a company, and his experience at Constant Contact put him on the right path to make this professional goal a reality. He held multiple leadership roles over the 10 years he spent at the company and saw the business grow at a hypergrowth pace. Chris is actually one of the growing number of CEO’s that was part of the team that scaled Constant Contact to an IPO and acquisition by Endurance International Group for $1.1B. Chris joined Buildium originally as its Chief Customer Officer before moving into the CEO position about a year ago. Buildium is the property management solution for real estate professionals, and the company has been growing aggressively. Its platform services over 16,000 customers in more than 50 countries, totaling over 1.8 million residential units under management. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Chris’ background and how he got involved in the tech industry. -The story of Constant Contact and how they scaled the company. -The details on Buildium and their market opportunity, plus growth plans. -Advice for others looking to become a CEO. -When a startup should think about getting a board of advisors. -Plus, a lot more. Is your company hiring? If yes, then you might want to add a BIZZpage subscription. It is our employment branding and hiring solution that helps to keep your company top of mind for our targeted audience of professionals in the tech industry. A BIZZpage subscription includes an employment branding page, unlimited postings to our Job Board, access to our exclusive content series, and more. Send an email to info@venturefizz.com for more details. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 107 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Christine Schindler, Co-Founder and CEO at PathSpot. Even from an early age, Christine is the type of person who has always tried to connect the dots and come up with solutions. Whether it was figuring out how to turn off her lights without having to get out of bed as a child or recognizing the need to help promote STEM education and engineering careers for girls or building technology that helps protect us from foodborne illnesses, there’s no doubt that she is a problem solver who takes action. Her current company, PathSpot, is working to address the 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses a year. The company’s hand scanner ensures that food-handling team members are in compliance with a positive food sanitation culture. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Christine background and her experiences across multiple areas. -What led her down the path of starting Girls Engineering Change. -All the details on PathSpot and how their product works. -Advice for founders on getting the most out of their Techstars experience. -How to determine whether or not to accept advice from mentors. -Plus, a lot more. Did you know that we have a YouTube channel? We started it early this year and it is rapidly growing with lots of great content from our podcast interviews and video series. Go to youtube.com/venturefizz to subscribe, so you don’t miss out! Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 106 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Chase Garbarino, Co-Founder and CEO of HqO. Entrepreneurship is core to what Chase is all about professionally. It is in his DNA that even stems from his childhood years. I was excited to interview him to learn more about his history of building companies, including one that you might have heard of and maybe even read today, that being BostInno. It is a story of how he became an accidental media entrepreneur and scaled it to the point of an acquisition by American City Business Journals. His latest company is HqO, a tenant experience platform that connects people to places, experience, and each other. They fall under the PropTech segment of the tech industry, which is one of the fastest growing areas. HqO company recently announced a $6M new round of funding from several notable investors. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -His background and the early companies he founded. -The full story of BostInno in terms of how it got started, raised funding, scaled, and exited. -All the details behind HqO, including its business model and plans looking ahead. -Advice on how to communicate a company’s pivot with investors. -Lessons learned from raising capital. -Plus, a lot more. Did you know that you can get customized job alerts delivered to your inbox every day? It’s a great way to keep informed of the over 4,000 jobs listed on VentureFizz and have jobs from a specific category sent directly to you. Don’t let that career-defining opportunity pass you by, go to venturefizz.com/email to sign up. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 105 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Zak Normandin, Founder and CEO of Iris Nova. Zak is a serial entrepreneur with a deep background in building successful consumer products. It was his first company, Little Duck Organics, that taught him about the CPG industry and how the whole ecosystem works. This organic snacks & cereal company was a success as its products were distributed to over 10,000 stores worldwide including major retailers like Whole Foods, Target, and others. This time around, his new company is selling direct to consumers and they are disrupting a $1 trillion dollar market. The company is called Iris Nova, which is building a platform to launch new brands. However, it is the technological innovations that are core to its strategy and their ability to differentiate themselves in a very crowded market. For example, its first brand is DIRTY LEMON, a high-end beverage line that is the first to be sold via text message in a method that they are calling conversational commerce. Its next offering is called The Drug Store, which is a conceptual retail experience where customers pay for drinks on an honor system. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Zak’s experience in the U.S. Coast Guard, and what that taught him about entrepreneurship. -The background story on Little Duck Organics and how he navigated through the ecosystem and ultimately land distribution at Whole Foods. -The details on Iris Nova, DIRTY LEMON, and The Drug Store… and how they are disrupting the beverage industry and changing consumer buying habits through technology. -Why Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands unit invested in the company, plus other VC firms and notable names like Tim Armstrong, Gary Vaynerchuk, Kate Hudson, Alex Rodriguez, and others. -Advice for entrepreneurs looking to start a food or beverage company. -Plus, a lot more. Did you know that we’ve published over 30 interviews with leading entrepreneurs and investors across NY tech? Thank you so much for listening. We have several more episodes coming soon, but if there is someone that you think we should be interviewing, we are always up for suggestions. Just send them to info@venturefizz.com. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 104 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Chris Lynch, CEO and Executive Chairman of AtScale. Chris is a serial entrepreneur and operator who has a tremendous track record at building successful tech companies like Vertica, Acopia Networks, Arrowpoint Communications, and others. He also co-founded and was a General Partner at Accomplice, a VC firm where he led investments in early-stage companies. He’s back into an operating role with AtScale, the global leader in data warehouse virtualization. The company has raised $120M in funding, including a $50M Series D round which was announced this past December and led by Morgan Stanley. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Chris’ background and what his paper route taught him about entrepreneurship. -A walk through the different companies and his experience as an investor. -All about his current company AtScale, including what the company does, the story of how he got involved, and what the plans are for the Boston office. -How he learned to manage and build sales teams. -Advice for founders trying to build out their go-to-market sales strategy. -His charitable work with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and why it means so much to him. -Plus, a lot more. Is your company hiring? If the answer is yes, then you might want to consider adding a BIZZpage for your company. It is our employment branding and hiring solution that helps keep you company top of mind with our targeted audience of professionals in the tech industry. A subscription includes a BIZZpage for employment branding, unlimited postings to our Job Board, access to our exclusive content series, and more. If you are interested in additional details, please send an email to info@venturefizz.com. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 103 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Nigel Eccles, Co-Founder and CEO at Flick. Nigel is a serial entrepreneur with a tremendous track record. If you are a fan of football, you are probably very familiar with the TV ads from his previous company. He’s a Co-Founder and former CEO of FanDuel, one of the leading companies that emerged in the daily fantasy sports category. The company raised over $400M in funding and was acquired Paddy Power Betfair just over a year ago. His latest startup, Flick, is focused on building communities around podcasts. The app allows audiences to engage and communicate on a much deeper level with the content, the creators, and other members of the community. The company has raised over $4M to date. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -The game of Shinty, the coolest stick-and-ball sport you probably haven’t heard of. -Nigel’s decision to take a major risk at an interesting stage of his life and start his first company called Hubdub, the precursor to FanDuel. A deep dive into the history of FanDuel, including the story behind its founding, where the name came from, how it scaled over time, and lots more. -What it was like running a hypergrowth company. -All the details behind his current startup Flick. -Advice on finding a co-founder. -How to build a consumer product, as well as the acquisition strategies behind it. -Plus, a lot more. The VentureFizz Job Board is blowing up! There are so many amazing opportunities to check out across the hottest tech companies in NYC. You’ll find positions at all levels of experience across all job functions like product, engineering, sales, marketing, customer success, UX, and more. Go to venturefizz.com/jobs to start searching. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 102 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed David Delmar Sentíes, Founder of Resilient Coders. Some people wish for change, while others take action. David is in the “take action” category. He calls himself a Workforce Equity Activist, which means he is passionate about both economic opportunity and economic equity. Resilient Coders is a coding bootcamp that trains people of color for careers as software engineers and connects them with jobs. One might think that he has a passion for coding, but that is not the case. Coding is actually the megaphone, as it provides the window of opportunity for his students to pursue a high-growth career building software. Students participate in a 14-week program which teaches them coding skills in various languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. Lots of companies are employing graduates of Resilient Coders like Wayfair, Wistia, R Studio, Digitas, and many others. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -David’s background and how he got involved in the tech industry. -What it means to be a “Workforce Equity Activist.” -What led David down the path of starting his own coding bootcamp. -All about Resilient Coders, including its mission to use coding to make social change. -Advice on Implementing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. -Plus, a lot more. If you have been enjoying The VentureFizz Podcast, then please leave us a 5-star review on iTunes. The more reviews we have, the more that people will discover these amazing stories about entrepreneurs across the Boston and New York entrepreneurial ecosystems. Thanks in advance—we appreciate it! Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!

Welcome to Episode 101 of The VentureFizz Podcast, the flagship podcast from the leading authority for jobs & careers in the tech industry. For this episode of our podcast, I interviewed Alex Iskold, Managing Partner at 2048 Ventures. Alex is a serial entrepreneur with a proven track record of success. Recently, he was the Managing Director for Techstars New York, where he ran the program for five years. Alex is now onto the next chapter in his career. He has launched an early stage venture capital firm called 2048 Ventures with his Partner, Paul Sethi. The firm recently announced a $27M fund which will be used to invest in exceptional first-time entrepreneurs or repeat founders with a first-time founder mindset, which is a term that he explains during our interview. Another important strategy for this firm is the fact that they will be taking a location agnostic approach. In this episode of our podcast, we cover lots of topics, like: -Alex’s background story going back to when he immigrated to the US when he was 19, and his early positions on Wall Street. -His experience as a serial entrepreneur and the companies he founded. -How he got involved in Techstars, and what that experience taught him after running the program, plus some practical advice for getting into this top accelerator. -All the details on 2048 Ventures and what they are targeting for investments. -The questions that entrepreneurs should ask investors. -What is the “magic moment” that a company should be looking for? -The current state of the NY tech scene. -Plus, a lot more. Brex, the corporate credit card for startups, is the sponsor for this week’s podcast. Brex founders Henrique and Pedro built a payments business in Brazil, but kept getting rejected for a corporate credit card when they were in Y Combinator. So they decided to build Brex, with instant online sign-up, no founder liability required and limits 10 to 20 times higher than standard cards. It is a must-have for entrepreneurs. Sign up for Brex at brex.com and get card fees waived by entering the code “fizz” during signup. Lastly, if you like the show, please remember to subscribe to and review us on iTunes, or your podcast player of choice!