Venture Pill

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we host Tyler Amundsen, CEO and Co-Founder of lightbulb.ai, the AI data analyst that helps businesses make data-driven decisions 10x faster.Tyler grew up in Kansas City and attended the University of Kansas, where he developed a passion for entrepreneurship and connected with some key mentors that propelled him into his current journey building Lightbulb.ai.He envisioned a world where companies don’t need more than 150 people to drive outsized revenues, a world in which AI doesn’t replace people, but rather empowers them to do more with less.In the interview, Tyler provides an AI state of the union and elaborates on how he believes his company will position itself amongst an ever evolving and accelerating competitive landscape.You’ll also hear more about his near term strategy regarding the types of customers Lightbulb will target, and what the future holds for the company.Stick with us for some great advice to the pilgrims looking to start a company, whether venture-backed or not, and a top notch list of resources and other startups for us to keep in mind.Such a blast to have one of our dear friends on the pill finally, and we are honored to help share his story and wisdom with you all. Here it is! Sources:https://lightbulb.ai/https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-amundsen-3051b5142/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have CS Freeland, founder of Texas Venture Alliance, and an incredible ambassador for startups and venture capital in the great state of Texas.In our conversation, you will hear about CS’ background starting several companies and organizations centered around community and advocacy for entrepreneurship.Later, she dives into what she’s currently working on, the Texas Venture Alliance, and some exciting plans on the horizon, including the Texas Venture Crawl.To wrap up the interview, CS tells us about what excites her most about Austin and Texas in general as a startup hub. Stick around to hear some great advice for the Pillgrims looking to get into venture.It was a blast having CS in studio this week, and we are excited to help her spread the word and, as she puts it in the interview, use our voices to foster more entrepreneurial activity in Texas. Here it is!Sources:https://www.csfreeland.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/csfreeland/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have Harry Gestetner and Simon Pompan, co-founders of Fanfix, the revolutionary platform that helps creators monetize their audience and connect with their most loyal fans.Harry and Simon have both had the entrepreneurial bug since childhood, and it was fascinating to hear how that blossomed into starting a successful nonprofit in college, to building FanfixIn the interview, you will hear more about how they came up with the idea, their thesis on the future of the creator economy, and how they differentiate themselves in the competitive space.Stick with us to hear more about their remarkable exit, and some of their recommendations for the Pillgrims looking to get into venture.It was awesome having these guys on and it is our pleasure to share their story, a story that is only just beginning for two of the youngest founders we have had on the Pill.Sources:https://www.fanfix.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-gestetner-802041a1/https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-pompan-a09a966b/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, (2:27) we start things off with a discussion on Thesis, a startup that offers personalized nootropic formulas to enhance performance based on brain chemistry, and its recent $13.5M funding round. (8:03) Next, we talk about Cohere, an AI company that’s creating a ChatGPT-type product geared toward privacy-prioritizing enterprises, and its massive $250M raise. (14:05) From there, we breakdown Duetti’s $32M raise, and how the startup is getting in on the music catalog sales market by providing funding to independent, rising artists in exchange for their music. (19:27) Lastly, we wrap up this week’s dose with a discourse on Healthy.io, a startup that’s developing game-changing technology that will help millions of people detect Chronic Kidney Disease using a smartphone, fresh off its $50M Series D.Sources:https://www.finsmes.com/2023/05/thesis-raises-13-5m-in-funding.htmlhttps://takethesis.com/https://cohere.com/about https://www.ft.com/content/84bfc44e-d1f3-4b83-9986-ed0d958b5f4c https://duetti.co/https://www.billboard.com/pro/tidal-apple-execs-music-financing-firm-indie-artists/https://healthy.io/about-us/ https://www.investorsobserver.com/news/qm-pr/7668628238261655 https://www.axios.com/pro/health-tech-deals/2023/05/03/healthyio-raises-50-m-series-d-smartphone-testing-kidney-disease-ckd-woundsMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we host Ben Topor, Founder and Managing Partner of Titan Capital Partners, an Israeli firm that invests in world-class growth stage tech companies. Here’s the prescription:Ben served as an officer in the Israeli intelligence directorate and Israeli Department of Defense. He’s spent the past decade in senior roles in private equity and investment banking, and has personally led more than 30 transactions. Then, in 2021, he founded Titan Capital Partners, a firm that’s focused on providing growth equity & secondary capital to world-class internet, software, consumer, and financial technology companies. In the interview, you will hear about how his experience has enabled him to find and invest in unique market opportunities in these first couple of years after launching the fund.From there, the conversation moves on to Ben's insights on the Israeli startup ecosystem, as well as what differentiates Israeli founders and some of the challenges facing them today.After that, Ben shares his philosophy on what makes a good investment opportunity and offers unique advice to those looking to get into venture capital.Sources:https://www.titan-capital.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-topor-97707a64/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have Michael Marra, CEO and Founder of Entre, a professional network for the next generation of entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and build. In the interview, you’ll hear about Michael’s early career, and the journey that led him to starting a community for entrepreneurs. You’ll also hear about how he differentiates Entre from existing communities and platforms.Michael also breaks down some of the challenges he has faced in addition to the four areas of the business that he focuses on mastering to stay ahead of the game.Stick with us as Michael provides a glimpse into the future for Entre, tells us about his fundraising plans, and discusses his mindset as a founder.Another energizing in person interview to share with all the pilgrims this week, and with that, here’s our conversation with Michael.Sources:https://joinentre.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmarra1/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have Katie Castillo-Wilson, founder and CEO of TapOnIt, the multi-image business texting platform based out of beautiful Davenport Iowa.Katie and her sister, Sara, started the business in 2015 when text message marketing was only just getting off the ground.They have since evolved the business into a SaaS which offers self service to small businesses in addition to more comprehensive solutions for mid to large businesses.In the interview, you will hear about Katie’s background and how TapOnIt has grown into the company it is today, including a major pivot in 2020 due to the pandemic.Stick with us as she breaks down what it has been like as a woman founder building a business out of Iowa, not a combination we’re typically used to in venture.Tune in to hear Katie’s valuable advice to females looking to get into venture, some of her go-to entrepreneurship resources, and a scrumptious woman-founded startup out of Iowa to keep your eye out for.It was a blast to have Katie on this week’s dose. Honored to call her our newest Pillgrim. Sources:https://taponit.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwilsonqc/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, (2:17) we start things off with a discussion on Bach, a platform that helps plan bachelorette trips and group travel experiences, and its recent $9M Series A. (7:24) Next, we talk about Axios HQ, a tech spinoff of the prominent news company Axios, and how it secured a $20M Series A to develop its AI technology that helps users sharpen their writing. (13:08) From there, we break down Blank Street Coffee’s $20M investment round, and how the popular coffee chain plans to scale its weekly subscription program and explore food options. (20:53) Lastly, we wrap up the episode with a discourse on Halter, the New Zealand-based SaaS provider of solar powered, GPS-enabled cow collars that help farmers better manage their livestock. Their “cowgorithm” technology landed them a $79.5M Series C. Sources:https://www.thebach.com/https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/09/bach-an-app-for-planning-bachelorette-trips-and-group-travel-experiences-raises-9m/https://www.axios.com/about https://www.axios.com/2023/03/24/axios-hq-raises-20-million-software-aihttps://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2023/March/Blank-Street-closes-$20m-to-scale-beverage-subscrihttps://www.fastcompany.com/90867251/blank-street-coffee-raises-20-million-from-general-catalyst-and-tiger-globalhttps://www.startupdaily.net/topic/funding/kiwi-agtech-halter-plants-nz85-million-series-c-for-its-cow-collars/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have Max Albert, founder and CEO of AppStop, one of the leading mobile game studios focused on advergames.In the interview, you will hear about all things advergames (games that enable companies to seamlessly integrate ads into digital gaming) and how AppStop is leading the charge in this gaming and advertising revolution.Max gives us several exciting examples of advergames including his favorites developed by AppStop, and he also gives a glimpse into what the future holds for his company and advergames at large, including his fundraising plans by the end of this year.It was such a blast having Max on this week’s dose, and we are honored to welcome him as our newest Pillgrim. Next year it’ll be a live SXSW podcast showcase.Sources:https://appstop.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-albert-4b0b02a9/https://twitter.com/maxvwalberthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsjZgAdUnYsDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now, for this week’s prescription:On this week’s dose, we have part 2 of our SXSW street interview compilation.(1:34) First, you’ll hear from Rajiv Kapoor, Founding Partner of Chai Angels, a pre-Series A fund that invests in female-led businesses across industries to develop a model for female-friendly VC at scale. Rajiv is a strategic investor and entrepreneur who aims to bring a breath of fresh air to Venture Investing by unlocking the power of female investors.Since 2017, Chai Angels has invested in 50 women founders and counting!(7:42) Next, we were able to interview Jay Estefani Castillo, Founding Principal of m]x[v Capital, a venture capital firm investing in the future of B2B cloud. In her role, Jay does a little bit of everything; investment team, deal flow engine, fund research, portfolio company support, and investor relations. She also heads strategy and operations at Gynger, a fintech start-up incubated out of the fund, where she heads strategy and operations. Jay talks to us about one of her highlights from SXSW.(9:38) From there, we interview our dear friend who does it all, Sully. Tune in to hear about what he’s working on, and stay tuned for a mind blowing magic trick. Magic-loving Pillgrims will be delighted. You’ll even see Sully flex his skills as an interviewer in this one. There’s nothing this guy can’t do. (13:03) Then, you’ll hear from Marty Emale, Co-Founder of Bidspot, an Austin-based SaaS startup that helps owner-operators, specifically small trucking companies, make profitable decisions faster. Marty discusses some of the biggest challenges facing Bidspot and how they’re working to overcome them, and gives us a glimpse into the company's horizon. Looking forward to staying in touch with Marty!(17:11) After that, you’ll hear from Pat Hustad, Co-Founder of SnapAds. He shares a little about his background and the journey that led him to founding SnapAds. Pat discusses the biggest challenges facing his startup, and his main goals for SXSW 2023. He even caught some time hang ten while he was down in Texas.(21:21) To wrap up part 2 of our SXSW street interview special, we spoke with Wolfgang Kerler, Founder of 1E9 and tech journalist in Germany. Tune in to hear his thoughts about Austin, SXSW, and the venture capital ecosystem in Germany. Once again, thank you to all of the folks who stopped and chatted with us on the loud, vibrant streets of Austin amidst their busy schedules going from event to event. It was an awesome experience!Sources/Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajiv-kapoor-82439a/https://www.chaiangels.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayestefani/https://www.mxv.vc/https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-solomon-9472a8156/https://workweek.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinemale/https://bidspot.io/#https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-hustad/https://www.linkedin.com/in/wolfgang-kerler-96054116b/https://1e9.community/