Growth Investor with GrowthCap‘s RJ Lumba

In this episode, we speak with Lorien Gabel, Co-founder and CEO of Figment, the leading provider of blockchain infrastructure. The company has raised over $150 million and is backed by Thoma Bravo, B Capital, Two Sigma, and other notable investors. Figment provides comprehensive staking solutions for over 250 institutional clients. The world’s largest asset managers, custodians, exchanges, foundations, and token holders leverage Figment’s infrastructure and APIs to earn staking rewards. Staking is a process in which token holders can earn rewards by helping to secure a blockchain network. Before Co-Founding Figment, Lorien was both a serial entrepreneur and corporate executive.  Along with his brother, Lorien founded three companies - 1) pingg.com, which was acquired by 1800-Flowers, 2) Bird on a Wire Networks, which was acquired by AT&T Canada and 3) Interlog, one of Canada’s first commercial ISPs, which was acquired by a large multinational telecommunications provider. Lorien also spearheaded the exponential U.S. growth of UK-based tech company MessageLabs as Global VP Business Development, ran a division of Fortune 500 company Micron, and has served on the advisory board of a number of start-ups. Lorien supports The Murph Challenge. To learn more about the annual event click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Joanne Yuan is a Partner at Turn/River Capital, a firm notorious for its innovative approach to scaling tech companies. She shares insights from her childhood experiences in her father's computer shop, highlighting the grit required for bootstrapped companies. Joanne discusses Turn/River's unique, data-driven venture capital strategies tailored for B2B software, and the collaborative culture that fuels growth. She also emphasizes the importance of empowering women in investing and nurturing supportive communities in private equity.

In this episode, we speak with Matt Aston, President and CEO of GPRS, who has built his company from an idea to over $160 million in annual revenue. GPRS or Ground Penetrating Radar Systems is the nation’s largest company specializing in the detection of underground utilities, video pipe inspection, and the scanning of concrete structures. Matt founded GPRS in 2001 and the company has grown to be a great success in its market. Its 99.8%+ accuracy rating on over 250,000 projects leads the industry.  The company has worked on some of the largest and most significant construction projects in the country. GPRS is backed by CIVC Partners. Matt supports LifeWise Academy. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Marcelo Gigliani, Managing Partner of Apax Digital, where he is focused on growth equity investments in the software, internet, and technology-enabled services areas. He serves as a member of the Apax Digital Fund Investment Committee and the Apax Inclusion & Diversity Council. Apax Digital partners with exceptional founders and leadership teams of innovative SaaS, internet, and tech-enabled services companies worldwide to unlock their maximum potential. The firm has 35 years of tech investing experience and typically invests $50-$200 million per partnership. Marcelo joined Apax in 1999 and co-founded Apax Digital in 2017. Marcelo has led a number of the Apax Funds’ digital deals, including Accurate Background, Boats Group (BoatTrader), Dealer.com, idealista, MetaMetrics, Solita, SoYoung, Trader Corporation (AutoTrader Canada), and Wizeline. Marcelo supports BUILD NYC.  To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Devyn Smith, the CEO of Arbor Biotechnologies, which is an early stage life sciences company pushing the boundaries of biodiscovery.  Arbor has raised over $200 million dollars and is backed by Temasek and other notable investors. Devyn also serves as Chairman of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and advises multiple biotech companies. Previously, he was Chief Operations Officer and Head of Strategy at Sigilon Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company, and before that he was Head of Operations and Strategy, Medicinal Sciences at Pfizer. Arbor’s platform employs a diverse set of technologies and techniques – including artificial intelligence, genome sequencing, gene synthesis and high-throughput screening – for accelerating the discovery of proteins for improving human health and sustainability. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Robert Collins of Partners Group, where he serves as Co-Head of Private Wealth, Head of the firm’s New York Office and a member of the Global Executive Board. Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over $200 billion in private equity, private debt, private real estate, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients. The firm seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. Partners Group is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. Robert leads Partners Group's US private wealth and defined contribution practice and is President, Portfolio Manager and Member of the Board of Managers of Partners Group Private Equity (Master Fund). He also chairs Partners Group (USA)’s Investment Committee. Robert joined the firm in 2005 as a member of the Private Equity investment team and has 23 years of industry experience. Robert supports LUNGevity Foundation.  To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Andy Byrne, CEO and Co-founder of Clari. Clari is a platform that uses AI and machine learning to support sales teams by integrating with their existing CRM systems. Thousands of sales, marketing, and customer success teams at leading companies, including Okta, Adobe, Workday, Zoom, and Finastra, use Clari’s execution insights to make their revenue process more connected, efficient, and predictable. The company is backed by Blackstone, Silver Lake, Sapphire Ventures, Tenaya, Bain Capital, Sequoia and other notable investors. Prior to Clari, Byrne was a founding executive at Clearwell, which he helped grow from pre-product and pre-revenue in 2005 to an $80 million annual revenue run rate until its acquisition by Symantec in 2011. Andy supports Rise Against Hunger. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.  

In this episode, we speak with Mike Palmer, CEO of Sigma Computing. Sigma is a cloud-native analytics platform that uses a familiar spreadsheet interface to give business users instant access to explore and get insights from their cloud data warehouse. It requires no code or special training to explore billions of rows, augment with new data, or perform “what if” analysis on all data in real⁠-⁠time. Mike joined Sigma in 2020 and brought with him more than two decades of experience in the technology industry, developing and delivering solutions for the enterprise at startups and Fortune 500 companies. Mike supports Teach For America. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Juan Marcos Hill, a Partner at Stride Consumer Partners, which is a private equity firm that focuses on investing in the next generation of great consumer brands. Founded in 2019, Stride’s unique approach brings together a fully integrated team of successful investors working alongside seasoned operators to help high-growth and disruptive consumer products and services businesses hit their stride. The Stride Consumer team has worked with the founders and teams of Brew Dr, drybar, Essentia, First Aid Beauty, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Simms Fishing Products, Tatcha, Urban Decay, and Yasso, among other brands. Juan Marcos’ passion for founder-led business began at an early age on his family’s coffee farm in El Salvador. Growing up in a family business cultivated his desire to understand the challenges of growing a business and the people behind them. Before joining Stride, he was with Castanea and Bain & Company. Juan Marcos supports Glasswing International. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

In this episode, we speak with Blair Greenberg of Bregal Sagemount, a leading growth-focused private capital firm with more than $5.5 billion of capital raised. The firm provides flexible capital and strategic assistance to market-leading companies in high-growth sectors across a wide variety of transaction situations. Bregal Sagemount has invested in over 60 companies in a variety of sectors, including software, financial technology and specialty finance, digital infrastructure, healthcare IT, and business and consumer services. The firm has offices in New York, Dallas, and Palo Alto. Blair Greenberg is a Partner and member of the investment committee at Bregal Sagemount. Blair also serves on the boards of DentalXChange, Open Lending Corporation, and Scorpion Enterprises and has previously served on the boards of Accela, Align Financial Holdings, Discovery Data, and Irth Solutions. Blair is a Board Member at Per Scholas, a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for more than 25 years, unlocking the potential for individuals, communities, and employers through rigorous training for careers in tech. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.