Category Visionaries

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Neil Thanedar, Founder and GP of Utopic Ventures. Topics Discussed: Neil's Entrepreneurial experiences in product development for pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and supplement firms The broken funding model for science-based startups, and how that led to establishing Utopic Ventures Advocating for early-stage startups, particularly in the biotech sector, to foster scientific innovation and nurture potential founders Using high-resolution funding and Safe notes for startups to secure initial capital and get started with minimal investment Future funding interests for Utopic Ventures, from late-stage clinical trials to biotech work

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Tom Hacohen, CEO & Founder of Svix, a webhooks as a service platform that has raised $10.5 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Military Influence: Tom discusses how his experience in the Israeli Intelligence Corps shaped his leadership style, emphasizing the importance of bypassing traditional hierarchies to expedite critical information flow. Startup Origins: The inception of Svix came from a real-world need for efficient webhooks, sparked by a conversation in a Slack group that validated the demand. Product Market Fit: Tom’s cautious approach to claiming product market fit and how continuous feedback and iteration are key to maintaining it. Customer Empathy: Building extreme empathy with customers, even saying "no" to them sometimes, to ensure the best long-term product decisions. Consistent Marketing: The focus on consistency in marketing efforts, avoiding one-time flashy campaigns and instead delivering constant value. Fundraising Advice: The importance of not needing to raise funds to succeed, which provided Tom with leverage and confidence when interacting with investors.

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Beck Besecker, CEO and Founder of Marxent, a 3D product experience platform that's raised over $44 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Beck’s background in finance, tech and marketing, and being a lifelong entrepreneur alongside his brother Barry Why the entrepreneur who most inspires Beck is his own father, and the time Beck met Neil Armstrong without knowing who he was Why it’s hard for people to make the right choices when buying parts of their homes like a kitchen, bath or decking project How Marxent uses AI to allow people to create 3D models that help them choose the right configurable parts for their home Building the “3D commerce” category, and what Beck has learned from fundraising

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Dan Ahrens, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Left Lane Capital. Topics Discussed: The current state of the venture capital space, and why contemporary founders are seeking more than simply startup capital The importance of hustle an independent thinking to running a successful VC How Left Lane Capital differentiates itself by taking a data-centric approach to making big business decisions Why new founders need to be well capitalized before embarking on a category creation journey and evangelizing new categories The future of investment in a capital scarce economy, and why profit-first portfolios are likely to lead the way

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Dennis Thankachan, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear, a telecom operating system platform that's raised over $18 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Dennis’ background in computer science and finance, and starting a bunch of random businesses while in high school and college What Dennis learned from his time at Goldman Sachs – and what he had to unlearn, and why Why Dennis believes Stoicism is an important philosophy for founders to learn, and what being happy means to him How Lightyear helps companies make more efficient decisions about their telecoms providers and equipment Attracting clients, finding product-market fit, and what Dennis learned from fundraising   Favorite book:  A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Amir Taichman, Founder and CEO of Unity SCM, a supply chain operations platform that's raised over $13 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Amir’s background in big data, and the biggest lesson he learned from his time in the Israeli Defence Forces How Amir started his first company with a high school friend, and why he gave his investors their money back after a week Why Amir admires founders who don’t do a lot of PR, and why it’s important to have and give support to other founders The fragmentation of crucial data in the supply chain industry, and how Unity makes it easy for supply chain operators to get all the data they need The advantages of being an outsider, the power of conversation, and how to navigate company lows

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Dr Thomas Oakley, CEO of Feedback PLC, a medical imaging technology company that's raised £20 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Dr Thomas’s background as a clinical radiologist and employee of the UK’s National Health Service Who is Tim Specter, and why Dr Thomas finds him an inspiring entrepreneur How patient data is siloed across different hospitals and teams, and how Feedback creates a common view of a patient across a number of different people The origin story of Feedback, why they decided to go public, and the challenges of being CEO of a public company Regulatory burdens of being a public company, and how not to get distracted by valuations    Favorite book:  Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Michael Bamberger, CEO and Founder of Tetra Insights, a qualitative research and insights platform that's raised $7 Million in funding.  Topics Discussed: Michael’s background as a self-taught web developer with experience in finance The tech scene in Boulder, Colorado, and what it’s like to live and work there Who’s the entrepreneur Michael most admires, and the two books that most impacted Michael professionally and personally How Tetra Insights helps companies extract the most value from thousands of hours of video and audio data to inform decision-making Michael’s strategy that landed Tetra its first paying customers, and how to rise above the noise of competition Favorite book:  The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Wyatt Smith, CEO & Founder of UpSmith, a workforce productivity platform that has raised $3.3 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: From Farm to Tech: Wyatt's journey from a cattle ranch in Alabama to founding UpSmith, highlighting the value of hard work and entrepreneurship learned from his father. Identifying the Problem: Understanding the skilled worker shortage and the need for a solution that addresses both supply and demand in various industries. Early Insights and Pivot: How initial attempts to match gig workers with employers led to the realization that starting with the job was key to effective upskilling. Innovative Business Model: UpSmith’s model of sourcing, screening, training, and deploying new technicians in less than 90 days, with a focus on aligning incentives through productivity-based pricing. Scalable Solutions: The importance of focusing on scalable, repeatable solutions that can expand across multiple states and sectors. Future Vision: Wyatt's goal to expand UpSmith's impact beyond the US and into other sectors like healthcare and logistics, creating meaningful work opportunities worldwide.  

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Travis Howerton, Co-Founder and CTO of RegScale, a continuous compliance automation platform that's raised over $21 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Travis’s background, including his 20 years in compliance in the United States’ nuclear weapons program, and transitioning from the public to the private sector The number one misconception people have about nuclear reactors and weapons Why compliance is an enormous hindrance for companies, and how RegScale uses AI and automation to make it easier for them  Travis’s approach to content marketing, and how he got 300,000 thousand downloads of his software Why Travis would advise his past self to grow RegScale more slowly   Favorite book:  Good to Great