How do you create a verticalized data company that provides accurate and real-time information without completely changing the existing user experience infrastructure?In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Jonny Simkin, the Co-founder and CEO of Swiftly, talk about the process of building a govtech data platform. Swiftly is a big data platform that helps public transit agencies improve operational performance, service reliability, and real-time passenger information.Listen in to learn about the value of verticalized data companies and the importance of them developing sticky long-term solutions. You will also learn the importance of using existing infrastructure and data to improve user experience without completely changing things when creating a data platform.What You Will Discover:·       [00:49] How Jonny got interested in public transit after discovering the technology opportunities in the transport industry.·       [02:53] When the transportation technology revolution happened and how Swiftly rethought the entire data flow for riders.·       [09:29] How they use existing infrastructure and data to improve riders’ experience without completely changing things.·       [13:23] Why Swiftly pivoted to a data company to make it easy and scalable for app developers to access accurate information.·       [15:34] The value delivered by verticalized data companies and the importance of developing sticky long-term solutions.·       [19:19] The importance of investing in producing the most accurate and complete information to benefit everything downstream.·       [20:48] Why changing people’s behavior is harder than naturalizing data to make it meaningful.  ·       [22:36] How they overcame the fear of messing up to navigate the public sector procurement.·       [24:44] Random questions with Jonny!Memorable Quote:·       “If the data you’re producing is not accurate and does not add a substantial amount of value, it does not matter how good your application layer is.”- Jonny [19:28]Connect with Jonny:·       Website: https://www.goswift.ly/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathansimkin/

James McManus, visionary behind Family First, discusses the journey of scaling a treatment center for teens facing mental health and substance abuse disorders. Topics include bootstrapping a business, building a strong network, overcoming challenges, luck and hard work, recapitalization, scaling a non-tech company, resource perspectives, a book recommendation, and hindrances to productivity in adolescent treatment.

Kyle and I have known each other for quite some time, having served together on the board at Allbound. We once attempted to recruit him as CEO, but he politely declined. Perhaps he felt it wasn't the right moment, or maybe it was because the company was a complete disaster. However, it appears that he has now taken that leap and is currently serving as the chief executive officer at SmartAction- a conversational AI platform for call centers. This is a must listen. You can watch/listen to the pod on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.What does it take to take up and succeed in a CEO role? What skills are needed to let go of your fears and bet on your capabilities to lead an entire organization?In this episode of The Capital Stack, Kyle Johnson talks about his transition from his 25+ years career in go-to-market to a CEO role. Kyle is a technology co. board member, investor, and chief executive officer at SmartAction, an artificial intelligence-based voice self-service provider.Listen in to learn how past experience in leadership and team trust allowed Kyle to transition from a CRO to a CEO. You will also learn about the power of a genuine relationship with your team as a leader, delegating and investing in developing your team’s skills.What You Will Discover:·       [00:57] How Kyle’s career journey and skills development allowed him to become a CEO.·       [03:34] The doubts he experienced fitting into the CEO role and moving to a new company.·       [05:48] The impact he desired to make in his career and drive for company culture by taking on the CEO role.·       [07:12] He explains the tech services SmartAction offers to end-users as a SaaS platform company.·       [13:38] How past experience in leadership and team trust allowed him to transition from CRO to CEO.·       [17:03] The importance of instilling genuine relationship notions in your team and customers as a leader.·       [19:32] Learning how to delegate ad trust your team as a leader to have time to prioritize yourself.·       [21:08] How to evaluate your team for strengths and weaknesses to understand where you need to develop more.·       [24:12] Random questions with Kyle – his morning routine, diet, and book recommendations.Memorable Quote:·       “Building genuine relationships with people is one of the most important things you can do as a leader.”- Kyle [14:32]Connect with Brian:·       Website: https://smartaction.ai/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylegjohnson/Books Mentioned:·       Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed to by Ferdinand Fournies  ·       Coaching for Improved Work Performance by Ferdinand F. Fournies  

I am speaking to the founders of IntelyCare this week on Capital Stack- one of the largest most funded ($171M) software companies charged to solved the nursing shortage crises in the United States. This is an incredibly informative episode on the current and upcoming emergency in the healthcare workforce. Did you know fifty percent of nurses leave the bedside within the first two years of practice? There are fundamental issues why this happens, including the profession’s unfair reimbursement models. How, then, do we solve the nursing shortage? In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Rebecca Love and David Coppins discuss the nursing shortage, why nursing as a profession is failing, and the fundamental issues that need to be looked at. David is the Co-Founder & CEO, and Rebecca is the Chief Clinical Officer at IntelyCare, a healthcare workforce management platform with an AI-based float pool management and per-diem matching technology. Listen in to learn the importance of investing in nursing to not only retain nurses in the profession but also to attract those who left. You will also learn how the government can change the reimbursement models, and the market can become nurse friendly to tackle the nursing shortage significantly. What You Will Discover: • [01:24] Understanding the contributing factors to the nursing shortage facing the country. • [04:01] They explain how they’re changing the working environment for nurses to enjoy their profession. • [10:50] The fundamental conversation that needs to happen to understand why nursing is failing. • [18:07] The unfair reimbursement model that undermines nursing and why it needs to end. • [27:01] The questions hospital boards need to ask to investigate the system and improve things for nurses and patients. • [37:00] How staffing organizations created value by investing in models that worked for nursing during the pandemic. • [43:58] How to connect with IntelyCare to understand how they’re tackling the markets. Memorable Quote: • “In 2020, it was the only meaningful increase in nursing salaries in the history of this country when nursing salaries went up by 3.26%.”- Rebecca Love [41:07] Connect with Rebecca & David: • Website: https://www.intelycare.com/ • Rebecca’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalovenursing/

This week, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brian Portnoy, a renowned expert in behavioral finance and author of bestselling books like "Geometry of Wealth" and "The Investors Paradox." We delve into the fascinating idea that the game of investing has been solved, with the new frontier being the pursuit of funded contentment instead of chasing alpha. Tune in to the podcast available on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify to catch the insightful conversation.Do you understand the psychology of money? What does true wealth mean to you? Getting a healthy money mindset is difficult because our brains aren’t wired that way, but with the right help, you can work to achieve it.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Brian Portnoy, a leading expert on the psychology of money, best-selling author, and has over 20 years of experience as an investor and educator in the hedge fund and mutual fund industries. He is also the founder of Shaping Wealth, a learning technology company focused on promoting financial well-being.Listen in to learn how Brian and his team use the geometry of money to teach money managers soft skills so they can have a better relationship with their clients. You will also learn about the four sources of contentment mental model and how financial advisors use it to frame better questions about what’s important to people.What You Will Discover:·       [02:24] Brian on how he accidentally fell into a career in the psychology of money.·       [05:15] The reasons why money triggers people and makes it harder for society to talk about it.·       [10:53] How his idea of wealth as a mindset versus rich as a number led to an opportunity to train money managers.·       [12:51] The soft skills they teach financial advisors to enable them to have better conversations with their clients.·       [16:48] He explains the relationship between wealth managers and their clients.·       [20:04] The business challenge between delivering the type of advice people want and figuring out scale.·       [22:30] Why he’s excited about building the leading platform for human-centric financial advice and experimenting with different technologies.·       [26:10] The four sources of contentment mental model – connection, control, context, and competence.·       [29:00] Random questions with Brian – book recommendations, writing process, and more!Memorable Quote:·       “Money is hard because our brains didn’t evolve to solve these problems and now, we live in a world of never-ending financial supermarkets, twenty-four-seven financial media, and trying to resist the siren calls dopamine hits that come from the money world.”- Brian [16:20]Connect with Brian:·       Website: https://www.shapingwealth.com/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianportnoy/Books Mentioned:·       Geometry of Wealth by Brian Portnoy  ·       Investors Paradox by Brian Portnoy  

George Wang is an exceptional healthcare investor who is in the know about the burgeoning startups in the healthcare industry. If I have ever have a question about healthcare IT investing George is on my shortlist on who to call. The man knows what he is talking about - this is a must listen if you want to know where the puck is going.There are many old and new opportunities in the healthcare tech space that investors are tapping into to make a difference for all stakeholders. These include digital health, value-based care, and specialty pharma sectors.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have George Wang, an investor at AV8 Ventures, a firm backing early-stage start-ups focused on healthcare, enterprise, financial services, and deep-tech.Listen in to learn how necessity and preexisting huddles have brought about recent innovation in the digital health space. You will also learn about specialty pharma software, its exciting advantages, and why it makes sense in healthcare. What You Will Discover:·       [01:51] George on how he transitioned from healthcare consulting to venture capital.·       [06:44] He describes AV8’s thesis-driven strategy and their interest in the digital health, value-based care, and specialty pharma sectors.·       [11:00] The three main reasons why he gets allocation with ease.·       [15:52] The differences and similarities between healthcare VC froth and VC froth.·       [18:17] The recent innovation in the digital health space was brought about by necessity and preexisting huddles.·       [22:42] Understanding specialty pharma software, its exciting advantages, and why it makes sense in the healthcare sector.·       [27:39] He explains how the sketchy side of healthcare drove ambulatory infusion growth. ·       [33:44] Random questions with George!Memorable Quote:·       “Each healthcare specialty could be its own industry in itself because there are so many nuances and players.”- George [08:22]Connect with Benji:·       Website: https://av8.vc/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-wang-65618988/·       Book Mentioned: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I love me some Eva Ho. This remarkable individual embodies greatness. In this week's discussion, we delve into the transformative journey from investor to operating a venture capital firm. She emphasizes the significance of building a strong community, embracing risk, and embracing unwavering conviction.What does it take to build community and relationships in the business of supporting others? Community in the founder industry is about creating opportunities that benefit more people than just those in the tech ecosystem.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Eva Ho, a General Partner at Fika Ventures, an LA-based seed fund that invests in founders solving meaningful, systemic problems through data, related AI-enabled technologies, and automation. She is also a serial entrepreneur, founder, and active in the non-profit sector.Listen in to learn how Fika nurtures community and builds trustworthy investor relationships within the industry. You will also learn the importance of building a good LP relationship and taking into considering all fundraising stages of to have a good fund.What You Will Discover:·       [01:50] Eva shares her journey with Fika, what they deal with, and how they’ve expanded.·       [04:47] How Fika works to service founders and build a community that benefits others.·       [09:23] She explains how Fika builds trustworthy investor relationships within the industry.·       [15:42] Some of the lessons she’s learned running a venture capital firm, plus how she has evolved.·       [20:15] Why she believes repeat founders should show up with something when asking for funding.·       [24:03] Why she’s involved with a lot of non-profit work to keep herself grounded, coming from the world of high finance.·       [28:02] The importance of considering all the fundraising stages to have a good fund.  ·       [33:47] Understanding the challenges of an LP’s work and the importance of respecting the position.·       [37:48] The deal sourcing, picking, and winning process, plus what makes a good picker.·       [40:50] How Fika works as a team to decide on deals by actively agreeing and disagreeing.Memorable Quote:·       “Picking is very critical, and most firms are still figuring it out and evolving.”- Eva [44:25]Connect with Benji:·       Website: https://fika.vc/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evaho1/

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Benji Koltai, the co-founder and CEO of Galley. Based in San Diego, Galley is an impressive company that, unfortunately, slipped under my radar. A few years ago, we sold another food service data company, Attribytes, to Syndigo, so missing out on Galley was truly regrettable. In this captivating episode, we delve into the world of vertical SaaS and data. Trust me, you don't want to miss it! Tune in to the podcast on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify for an enriching experience.Imagine a software committed to efficiently transforming kitchens and the work of everyone working in kitchens. A better food industry means better quality of life not only for workers but also for consumers.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Benji Koltai, Co-Founder and CEO at Galley Solutions and former software engineer bringing change to the foodservice industry. Galley Solutions is a unique culinary operating system focused on transforming how food professionals work, improving their decision-making, and driving efficiency in the global food system.Listen in to learn about the benefits of a bottoms-up approach to forecasting, inventory management, and food lifecycle in commercial kitchens as opposed to the traditional tops down approaches. You will also learn how to properly adjust to the changing investor market to stay alive and keep growing the business as a leader.  What You Will Discover:·       [02:09] Benji shares his origin story and journey to building a unique culinary operating system.·       [09:06] The benefits of a bottoms-up approach in commercial kitchens as opposed to the previously tops down approaches.·       [12:23] He shares Galley’s ideal clients, plus how they make their ERP-like system simpler for their clients.·       [15:33] How they handle data to support the user better and avoid inconsistencies and errors.·       [18:44] How experience and a solid customer base have enabled them to build a rich and robust product.·       [21:33] How they’re focusing on food service companies where the demand for their product is.·       [24:18] The changes happening in the food service industry and where Galley focuses.·       [27:48] The importance of digitizing food service companies to enable consumer transparency.·       [28:36] How they adjusted to the changing investor market to stay alive and keep growing the business.·       [30:20] How to let go of your ego and reframe the mind to hold your business separate from yourself.·       [32:55] Benji’s book recommendations and some random questions!Memorable Quote:·       “As the population grows, capacity grows, and the quality increases, we’re going to rely more and more on food service companies to feed us, and we’re also going to demand that transparency that we were getting by making our own foods from those food service companies.”- Benji [27:50]Connect with Benji:·       Website: https://www.galleysolutions.com/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjikoltai/Book Recommendations:·       So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport·       Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0 by Jim CollinsMastering Leadership by Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams

Hosting this podcast was quite challenging for me, as I consider myself a novice when it comes to science. Vivas, a leading authority in battery technology and sustainability in Silicon Valley, has an impressive track record. Having raised over $20M and being incubated out of Chamath Palihapitya's family office, Social Capital, his expertise is unquestionable. We dive deep into the emergence of battery technology, de-globalization, and driving the cost of energy down to zero. You can watch and listen to the podcast on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.What are the ins and outs of investing in clean energy technology and hard tech products? The hard tech products industry is a high-requirement industry that takes time to scale, unlike the soft tech industry, and requires committed and patient investors.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Vivas Kumar, the CEO and Founder of Mitra Chem. He’s a business leader and engineer with significant global executive and commercial experience across the electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery industries. Mitra Chem is innovating and commercializing iron-based cathode materials to enable mass-market electrification in transportation and energy storage.Listen in to learn about the role of the government in the success of platform technology, plus the economic benefits of cheap energy. You will also learn about the difficulty of getting hard tech products out in the world at scale and becoming a category-defining company.What You Will Discover:·      [01:18] Vivas explains the three things Mitra Chem is doing in the battery industry.·      [03:13] The benefits of iron-rich cathode materials over nickel-rich ones in today’s battery market.·      [07:04] The role of the government in the success of platform technology, plus the economic benefits of cheap energy.·      [10:47] The three products in Mitra Chem’s portfolio, plus the qualification process to help them go commercial.·      [15:39] Vivas’s interest in sustainability technology, plus his “trial and fire” approach to the industry.·      [18:44] The difficulty of getting hard tech products out in the world at scale and becoming a category-defining company.·      [20:37] He describes the investors who’ve chosen to invest in Mitra Chem’s possibly 10-year journey.·      [22:59] Mitra Chem’s single-minded focus towards generating cash flow in the next five years.·      [24:50] Random questions with Vivas!Memorable Quote:·       “Getting hard tech products out in the world at scale in a way that makes you become a category-defining company is a very long process in this industry.”- Vivas [19:11]Connect with Vivas:·      Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivaswathkumar/·      LinkedIn:https://www.mitrachem.com/

What does it take to build a successful direct-to-customer e-commerce business? To build and scale a business that mostly deals with bulky items online, you must focus on brand visual representation, product design, and a genuine interest in the industry.In this episode of The Capital Stack, we have Nick Arambula, the Co-Founder & CEO at Neighbor and former executive at bedding brand Tuft & Needle. Neighbor is a Phoenix-based outdoor furniture company bringing a unique perspective of sophistication, design, and distinctive customer service to the outdoor furniture category.Listen in to learn how to build and scale a direct-to-consumer business model that captures value with a much leaner team. You will learn about the ups and downs of being a founder and the importance of being intentional to do a good job.What You Will Discover:·       [02:20] The three reasons why Nick and his partners started Neighbor and specialized in outdoor furniture.·       [07:22] How they’re building a reasonably sound business model by capturing value with their products.·       [10:23] The strategy that has allowed Neighbor to scale with a much leaner team.·       [12:25] He describes their mechanism of bringing customers and generating sales online.·       [17:34] The importance of having a physical presence to compete and scale your retail business properly.·       [19:04] How they approach product bundling and build a flat-packing strategy for easier shipping.  ·       [24:56] How they raised capital and through the storm of a non-profitable year for retail.·       [27:11] Nick compares his role as an executive at Tuft& Needle and as the founder at Neighbor.·       [32:35] Why it would be wrong for an investor to underwrite Neighbor as Tuft& Needle.·       [35:51] Random questions with Nick!Memorable Quote:·       “There are categories in retail where you have to have a physical presence for your business to scale in a way that you can compete with some of the incumbents in the space.”- Nick [17:49]Connect with Nick:·       Website: https://www.hineighbor.com/·       LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-arambula-90775726/