Luís Valente is the CEO and founder of iLof, a health tech startup using photonic and AI to gather biological data that will be used to improve clinical trials and drug discovery. Luís has an engineering background and prior to iLof he founded a computer hardware manufacturing company.This episode we dive into: How they are using data to help companies develop treatments for illnesses  such as Alzheimer'sBuilding strong co-founder relationshipsWhat Luis calls "smart money" and choosing the right investorsIterating startup ideas and building your networkFull episode notes at: https://startupsavant.com/podcastConnect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @startupsavant

Joshua Sear is the CEO and founder of Empower, a software platform that targets drivers as their primary customer, taking on the rideshare giants Uber and Lyft.In this episode we dive into: How Joshua created Empower What sets this SaaS startup apart from Uber and Lyft Innovating an established business model and disrupting an industry Finding unorthodox ways to connect and appeal to your target market Read the full episode summary and notes on https://startupsavant.com/startup-savants-podcast/episodes/empowerConnect with us on social (@startupsavant) on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

Andrew Hoag is the CEO and founder of Teampay, a startup working to simplify businesses’ financial processes. Andrew began his career working for the National Science Foundation Internet, and he later went on to work at NASA. Following his time at NASA, Andrew started numerous ventures. Today, he serves as an angel investor for startups and has raised over $21 Million for Teampay.Teampay links: https://www.teampay.co/https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-labs-inc./Episode Notes How Andrew’s own experience and observations led him to create Teampay [1:16]Getting energized to create [3:45]What does Teampay do? [5:01]Acquiring your first customers, using your network, and finding an ideal market [6:20]Constantly changing your messaging and harnessing the power of second and third degree connections to find customers [8:50]“If you aren’t explicit about the culture, the culture will form itself” [12:28]Navigating remote work and building company culture across teams [17:42]All employees want autonomy, purpose, and mastery [18:44]Why Andrew choose to pursue venture capital to fund his company [23:10]If you are looking to raise funding, show that you have paying customers and can build a successful business [28:52]Focus on building a sustainable business and the things within your control [30:42]Integrating with other platforms and the importance of user experience and design [34:41]Getting over the resistance employees have to change and using new tools [37:52]When customers express needs make sure they are quickly addressed [39:55]Andrew’s advice for navigating through an uncertain economy [46:11]Survival is important for ridding out difficult economic times [48:38]Committing fulltime to your startup is important, and this process must be verified before going all in [53:44]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: InstagramTwitterLinkedIn

Troy Bannister is the CEO and founder of Particle Health, a startup working to revolutionize data sharing across the healthcare industry. Troy’s experience with patient care began while working as an EMT. He considered pursuing a career in medicine but ultimately went on to work in the healthcare VC space. Troy’s experience within the healthcare industry showed him the difficulties associated with trying to transfer patient data from one healthcare system to another, and he ultimately decided to create Particle Health in order to innovate the digital healthcare space.Episode Notes From working as an EMT to finding a niche within the virtual health industry [1:10]The problem: Why can’t we easily get medical records from one doctor to another? [3:34]Developing an API that connects hospital systems and allows data to be easily shared [6:06]How Troy quit his job without a plan [7:18]Learning how to jump into the unknown [9:28]Working to understand industry laws and researching how to address this problem [10:17]Zooming into a target market and niching down to focus on one target audience [12:36]Taking a year to fill up your calendar and validate your product [15:27]Building credibility and crafting a winning pitch to receive funding [18:13]Troy’s advice — you need an enormous vision and a realistic plan [21:49]Transitioning to a remote work environment [23:22]How to approach your company during periods of burnout [29:02]Hiring the right people is essential for creating a great company culture [30:33]The growing pains of scaling and learning to build a working structure [33:02]Using OKRs and KPIs to create quantifiable goals [36:12]Many decisions depends on your current mindset, and you need to find out how to achieve the best mindset for making those decisions [39:42]Starting a company was the only thing that was exciting to Troy and allowed him to take the plunge into entrepreneurship [43:35]Troy’s prediction for the future of the healthcare industry [46:15]Scaling to be a healthy business rather than trying to grow at all costs [48:27]As the economy changes and buying cash becomes more expensive, evaluations decrease and become more dependent on revenue [49:27]Entrepreneurship is hard and does not have an off switch [51:55]Troy’s advice for founders — expect things to take at least five times as long as you initially thought [53:32] Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: InstagramTwitterLinkedIn

Alisa Pospekhova is the CEO and founder of Kindroot, a supplement company fusing the benefits of herbs into a lozenges that taste like candy. Alisa has a background in global brand marketing, and she used her marketing skills to develop the vision for her company. Alisa always wanted to start her own company, and she developed Kindroot to revamp the lozenges industry, an industry that has seen relatively few changes in the past. When she struggled to find partners willing to manufacture her product, she brought her vision to life and manufactured it herself.Episode Notes Alisa’s story traveling and the inception of Kindroot [1:08]What are Adaptogens? [4:30]After hearing “No” numerous times, Alisa decided to make her own product and launch it herself using a commercial kitchen [6:35]Staying organized, scheduling activities, and being hyper focused allow Alisa to run her business while still working a traditional nine-to-five job [11:19]Making the leap to working on your startup full time [13:00]Building a large partnership with a retailer can be a large turning point for a company [17:43]What pushed Alisa over the edge to start her first business, Kindroot [18:49]Combining two industries to create a new, unique product. “Make a tiny tweak to something that is already existing” [21:36]Starting a company without any co founders [24:16]Creating a network of entrepreneurs to help problem solve and combat loneliness [27:00]Reach out to brands, find other entrepreneurs, and be open to serendipitous interactions [28:59]The importance of confidence and how to build the confidence needed to start a startup [30:59]Determining the best marketing strategy for your product [35:37]Take the time to find your brand’s identity before brining other onboard to help [38:00]Finding your first customers and using feedback to shape the brand [48:43]Using old-school marketing and partnerships to get Kindroot out to new audiences [50:52]Be intentional with your marketing budget [53:36]How Kindroot got a partnership with Target [54:41]Alisa’s advice — Find something as an outlook and stick to it [1:04:08]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: InstagramTwitterLinkedIn

James Avery is the founder and CEO of Kevel, which helps users launch their own custom ad platforms. After working as a consultant, James saw an opportunity to build a platform that helps businesses take control over their advertisements. Although it began as a side project, Kevel now works with brands such as Klarna, Ticketmaster, and Yelp.Episode NotesFrom consulting to building a software focused on advertising [1:02]Creating the systems needed to allow a company to thrive and prosper in the digital age [3:15]The mindset required to construct a sustainable, growing company [6:40]James’s story securing Kevel’s first big client [9:42]Kevel’s decision to transition to remote teams  [14:31]Building a positive work environment and cultivating company culture while remote [20:44]Kevel’s approach to advertising — keep it reasonable, seamless, and useful [25:28]The shifts in the advertisement industry and the importance of targeting [27:53]Jame’s advice for business owners that want to understand advertisement prices and determine their CAC (customer acquisition cost) [34:37]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: InstagramTwitterLinkedIn

Jules Miller is a partner at Mindset Ventures, an international venture capital firm that invests in early-stage enterprise software companies. Prior to working in venture capital, Jules also founded her own company and worked at a variety of startups. She has an extensive background in blockchain and has been in the venture capital space for quite some time.Full Show NotesEpisode Notes From founder to venture capitalist [1:12]Angel investors vs venture capitalists … what's the difference? [3:38]Why did Jules decide to become a VC investor after creating her own startups? [4:18]Funding a diverse group of founders and working to create change in the VC industry [6:01]Growth and people — the two most important qualities Jules focuses on when funding projects [8:03]Venture capitalists focus on different business stages and each developmental stage of a startup carries different levels of risks [10:48] If you are not planning to grow 200% to 300% a year, reconsider seeking out VC funds  [13:42]Most VCs will want a seat on the company’s board, so be prepared to give up influence in your company if you choose to seek VC funding [14:36]VCs invest in startups that scale quickly and need to make quick decisions. Overinvolved CEOs may struggle with this [15:41]The coaching and mentorship relationship between a founder and the VC firm [18:13]How to pitch to VC firms on the first meeting — Hint: be concise [20:41]Jule’s investment committee will pay attention to the five Ts: team, TAM, technology, traction, and terms [23:02]Investors typically want 10x on their revenue over five to ten years [26:21]Fit matters. Good ideas may not be funded for various reasons [28:29]People problems and team dynamics can be reasons startups do not succeed in the initial stages [30:12]Ask questions! Both VCs and founders need to ask each other questions and assess fit [33:08]Don’t take rejection personally, and learn from rejection [36:41]Tech industries and software businesses with strong margins are hot right now [39:55]Focus on the relationship you are trying to form with the VC firm and engage the audience [43:48]Pivoting is still possible as the company grows, and there are always options [46:22]How the pandemic changed the locations of startup hubs (Hint: You don’t need to live in NYC or Silicon Valley to succeed) [49:50]Jules’s word of advice “If you can show growth, you can raise venture capital” [52:52]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: Instagram TwitterLinkedIn

Reuben Swartz is the founder and CEO of Mimiran, a CRM (customer relationship manager) specifically designed for solo consultants. Reuben worked as a consultant himself and wanted a tool for managing clients. Although these tools were abundant for large enterprises, he could not find a tool that met his needs and was made for a one-man team. So, Reuben built the tool himself and created Mimiran. Episode Notes Reuben’s story creating his own business [1:00]“There's a right tool for the right situation” so you don’t need to compete with the multimillion dollar companies [3:31]The power of being authentic rather than mimicking other successful companies in the industry. Focus on helping others rather than selling [5:40]What is a CRM? [8:48]Reuben’s anti-CRM is a tool entrepreneurs can use to easily track and manage sales and marketing information [12:10]Situate yourself in the market so that you can dominate a particular niche [18:45]If there isn’t a tool out there that does it all, create it yourself [22:40]Narrowing your target audience and listening to their needs will help you create the best solution for the group you serve [32:35]Build a feedback loop with your customers to drive changes and establish priorities [35:12]Attempting to balance a new startup while starting a family [36:16]Pick an easy problem to solve [41:18]The decision to work as a one-man team [43:01]Mimiran is a lifestyle business. Reuben’s family is his number one priority and his business is number two. [46:38]How is Mimiran funded? You don’t need to be a unicorn business to find success and be happy [46:48]The danger of prioritizing money and prestige rather than finding joy in the work you do [48:43]Stop selling and focus on connecting and solving problems with others [51:34]Talk to the people who are most likely to buy what you are selling. Don’t try to attract everybody [58:02]Potentially creating a CRM customized for individual niches [1:00:25]Reubens advice for entrepreneurs “find a niche and become the go-to person in that niche” [1:05:02]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on  YouTube!Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

Devon Copley is the founder and CEO of Avatour, a company working to share real places in real time without the need for travel. While at Nokia, Devon worked on a similar product bringing VR technology to cameras. However, Nokia ended up scrapping the project and making cuts to the team. Devon, having had experience working at a variety of startups, chose to continue pursuing his vision for VR technology and created Avatour.Episode Notes Finding the right cofounder to partner with can be essential to success [4:11]A clear division of responsibilities is key to an effective partnership [10:15]                                                                                        From prototyping a VR product to building a business [13:22]VR and spacial communicators allow Avatour users to feel like they are physically present in the space, which can be useful for audits and inspections [16:47]Listening to customers to better understand feedback and uncover use cases. Avatour’s main use cases include presenting “show” and investigating “look” [21:31]Working with multiple verticles and finding the balance between going broad and going deep with customer discovery [25:28]Following the customers’ needs and desires to keep up with current demand [30:46]Marketing to adapt to shifting landscapes, develop leads, and establish the brand [34:44]Focusing on the problem in order to build awareness, showcase the solution, and generate traction [39:11]The startup survivor bias — startups that receive press are those that survived, and we rarely hear from startups that failed [48:16]There are opportunities to grow your business and succeed, but it’s important to define success and remind yourself that your own self worth is not tied to your business’s success [53:21]You don’t necessarily have to get VC backing to grow an enterprise [57:12]Develop a strategy and be able to clearly and succinctly explain your company [1:02:14]Devon’s philosophy on creating an efficient management structure: he provides the goal and removes blockers that the team encounters [1:03:01]How to pay bills and survive during the initial phase of a startup? [1:05:18]Devon’s advice — “If you’re looking to get rich, there are much better ways to get rich than starting a startup” [1:09:41]Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com. Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on social media: Instagram TwitterLinkedIn

Rachel Cossar is the CEO and founder of Virtual Sapiens, a SaaS platform that serves as a communication coach helping customers better use nonverbal communication techniques. Rachel previously worked as a professional rhythmic gymnast before becoming a professional dancer. While working as a ballerina, Rachel sustained an injury that forced her to give up dancing and find a new path. She later used the skills she learned as an athlete and dancer to create Virtual Sapiens. Learn more about Virtual Sapiens and watch Rachel's Ted Talk on Reinvention.Episode Notes From athlete to business owner, how Rachel found her current path [2:10]Wielding the power of physicality to promote communication [3:48]Implementing AI technology to scale and maintain quality over a virtual format [8:00]Changing the model of coaching “we’ll come to you!” [10:32]From a virtual perspective, having good lighting, good posture, and a neat room is important for showing body language and posture [18:00]Visual cues are important but all types of communication rely on context specific to the conversation [22:11]How a bad virtual setup can lead to misunderstandings [26:03]How Rachel moved on from a life-changing injury [30:33]Rachel’s advice for reinvention — you have to go through the grief and assess what you learned during transitional phases [33:41]Turbulent times can help guide your future [39:12]Virtual Sapien’s pre-seed funding round using a SAFE (simple agreement for future equity) [41:28]Finding a cofounder and creating a business as a nontechnical cofounder [45:38]Feeling the weight of being a solo entrepreneur — the particular moment Rachel knew she needed to get a cofounder [49:01]Urgency can be a motivator [51:21]Scaling the company by using B2B pilots to introduce companies to Virtual Sapiens [52:45]Tryout Virtual Sapien’s Google Chrome extension Sidekick [54:40]Entrepreneurship can feel like a lonely road, so be sure to surround yourself with others [57:01] Get more exciting entrepreneur content and podcast exclusives on StartupSavant.com.Watch Startup Savant founder interviews on YouTube and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.