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 Mark Lehmkuhle, CEO & Founder of Epitel, a brain health technology platform that has raised over $20 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Simplifying EEG Monitoring: Epitel has developed a wearable EEG sensor that makes brainwave monitoring easier for patients. Unlike traditional EEGs, which require extensive equipment and specialist interpretation, Epitel’s sensor offers a streamlined approach to detecting central nervous system disorders, especially seizures. Seizures vs. Epilepsy: While seizures are common, with 1 in 10 people experiencing one in their lifetime, not all seizures indicate epilepsy. Epitel focuses on seizure detection, addressing a broader spectrum of neurological conditions, not just epilepsy. Bootstrapping and Perseverance: Mark shared how the company started in 2008 with a small team and minimal resources, operating out of an artist colony with limited heating and air conditioning. The journey took years of grant funding and regulatory hurdles before reaching commercialization. Regulatory Pathway: Despite being a medical device, Epitel’s technology sits on the lower end of the FDA's regulatory spectrum, allowing them to move relatively quickly compared to more complex devices. They achieved FDA clearance with non-dilutive funding, a strategic milestone that paved the way for institutional investment. Data Collection Challenges: To train their AI, Epitel had to develop their own clean EEG dataset because hospitals typically delete such data post-diagnosis. This created a significant technical hurdle but also underscored the uniqueness of their solution. Future Vision: Mark envisions Epitel expanding beyond seizure monitoring into broader brain health applications. Long-term goals include creating a system for continuous brain health tracking, similar to continuous glucose monitors, potentially detecting early signs of conditions like Alzheimer’s or even alerting to stroke risks.     //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

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 Kristen Valdes, CEO & Founder of B.well, a digital health platform that's raised over $100 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: The Founding Story: Kristen’s personal healthcare struggle with her daughter, who suffered a near-fatal incident due to fragmented medical records, inspired her to build B.well. This experience exposed how broken the system was for consumers, leading her to create a platform that empowers families with tools to manage their own healthcare. System Design Flaws: Kristen believes the healthcare system isn’t "broken" but designed poorly, prioritizing "sick care" over preventative, holistic health. She emphasizes that the system operates as intended, driven by fee-for-service payments, which incentivizes more procedures rather than better outcomes. Value-Based Care: Transitioning to value-based care is critical for improving healthcare outcomes, but it's a slow and challenging process. Kristen estimates it could take another 10-15 years before value-based models dominate. Providers and hospitals need to trust the transition before they fully commit to abandoning fee-for-service models. Consumer Experience Platforms: B.well is a "consumer health experience platform" that focuses on solving the fragmentation of healthcare data. The platform allows users to manage their medical records, receive personalized health insights, and access care across different providers—all through a single mobile interface. Fragmentation and Transparency: Kristen emphasizes that the real challenge in healthcare today is the fragmentation of data. B.well has worked on government initiatives aimed at increasing transparency, from medical records to pricing, in order to drive more innovation and competition in healthcare. Marketing and Category Creation: Kristen shared insights into B.well’s journey in creating a new category—Healthcare Consumer Experience Platforms. Despite the long and difficult process, persistence, thought leadership, and industry collaboration helped B.well succeed in defining this space and gaining analyst recognition from Forrester and Gartner.     //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co      

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 Matthew Kinsella, CEO of Infleqtion, a quantum technology company that's raised over $150 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Quantum technology’s roots at CU Boulder: Infleqtion's journey started with foundational research from Nobel Prize-winning physicists at CU Boulder. They developed ways to control atoms using lasers, which unlocked the ability to isolate and exploit quantum properties for next-gen tech applications. The unexpected career shift: Matthew spent nearly two decades as an investor, never planning to run a company. His deep dive into quantum technology in 2017 led him to invest in Infleqtion, and ultimately to step in as CEO, driven by the technology’s potential to be transformative for humanity and national security. Explaining quantum to grandma: When simplifying quantum technology, Matthew compares it to Newtonian physics but highlights that quantum operates with its own set of bizarre rules, where everything is governed by probabilities, and phenomena like superposition and entanglement defy everyday logic. Commercializing quantum tech: Infleqtion is already selling products like their quantum optical clock, which keeps time 1,000 times more accurately than anything currently available. This tech has wide-reaching implications, from improving GPS accuracy to enabling future quantum computers. The race to quantum supremacy: Quantum computing is still a few years away from reaching "quantum advantage," but Matthew believes that within five years, we’ll see quantum computers outperform classical computers in specific tasks. Meanwhile, quantum sensors and clocks are already delivering commercial value today. Navigating government contracts: Matthew shares that breaking into government procurement is complex and involves building relationships through programs like SBIR grants. Success in this space can be transformative, with multi-year contracts that provide a consistent revenue stream.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

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 Vinay Jain, Founder of MadMen AI, an AI and marketing platform that's raised $4.5 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: MadMen AI helps brands create winning ads every week while saving on testing costs: By analyzing past ads and competitor data, the platform generates creative strategies that deliver better ROI for SMBs, improving metrics like ROAS and profitability. MadMen AI’s unique creative ‘brain’ continuously evolves: The platform acts like an ad agency, utilizing data from past ads, competitors, and customer input to consistently optimize creative strategies in a dynamic feedback loop. Built for ease of use for busy SMB marketers: MadMen AI simplifies the ad creation process by mimicking the services of an agency, but without the overhead. Users input key data like brand assets and competitors, and the platform generates optimized ads. Two customer types are key for MadMen AI: One type handles media operations in-house but uses MadMen AI for creative generation, while the other outsources the entire ad process, including budget management, to the platform. Delivering measurable results for SMBs: One case study highlighted how MadMen AI helped an online education client go from losing $500 a month on ads to generating $30,000 a month in profit, thanks to data-driven creative optimization. The future of MadMen AI includes expansion into video, UGC, and new ad platforms: While the current focus is on Meta image ads, the company plans to extend its capabilities to video ads, Amazon, LinkedIn, and more.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

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 Marc Minor, CEO & Co-Founder of Higharc, a home building cloud platform that's raised over $80 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Building a CAD System for Home Builders: Higharc's platform is designed to revolutionize homebuilding by enabling builders to design homes in 3D, estimate materials, and generate blueprints—all from one system, reducing inefficiencies and modernizing a traditionally outdated industry. Origin Story Rooted in Personal Frustration: Marc's personal struggles while building his own home exposed the inefficiencies in the industry, leading him to apply his background in 3D printing and digital manufacturing to homebuilding, creating a platform that brings data-driven insights into the construction process. A Unique Co-Founding Team: Marc didn’t know his co-founders before launching Higharc. Instead, he recruited top experts from fields like CAD systems, architecture, and video gaming, building a strong and diverse team to tackle the complex challenges of homebuilding software. Creating the Home Building Cloud Category: Higharc aims to roll up various point solutions used in homebuilding into a comprehensive platform, replacing outdated systems like AutoCAD and transforming the fragmented industry with a vertical SaaS approach. Go-to-Market Strategy Centered on Customer Trust: Higharc’s GTM strategy focuses on building deep trust with customers through successful implementations and long-term support. This creates organic demand rather than relying on top-down sales or marketing blitzes. ABM and Personalization in Marketing: Higharc’s marketing team uses an aggressive account-based marketing approach, personalizing landing pages and software demonstrations for individual prospects, providing them with a hands-on experience of how Higharc can solve their specific business problems.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

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 Matt Theurer, CEO & Co-Founder of HyperSpectral, an AI-powered spectral intelligence solution that's raised $8.5 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: AI-Driven Pathogen Detection: HyperSpectral combines AI and spectroscopy to rapidly detect pathogens in food systems, offering a faster, cost-effective alternative to current methods like PCR. Pandemic Inspiration: The inefficiencies of COVID-19 testing inspired Matt to explore new ways of detecting pathogens, realizing that similar issues existed in food safety. Broad Applications Beyond Food: While the initial focus is food safety, the technology has broad applications, including human health (detecting antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and materials provenance. Outsider Perspective as a Strength: Coming from outside the traditional microbiology field allowed Matt and his team to question established practices, leading to more innovative solutions. Creating a New Category: HyperSpectral is positioning itself as a category creator in "spectral intelligence," leveraging physics and AI to solve real-world problems. Navigating Market Focus: Despite the many potential use cases, HyperSpectral prioritized food safety due to fewer regulatory hurdles and a clear market need, which informed their GTM strategy.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co

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 Mike Conover, CEO and Co-Founder of Brightwave, an AI-powered investment research platform that has raised $6 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Brightwave’s Core Mission: Mike explained how Brightwave leverages AI to expand human cognitive potential. The platform enhances investment research by helping asset managers identify mispriced assets through AI that can analyze far more data than a human can. AI’s Role in Investment Research: Brightwave’s AI focuses on organizing relevant content like SEC filings, news, and transcripts, helping analysts to synthesize large volumes of information and make informed decisions faster. The Evolution of AI: Mike’s journey, from building Databricks' first language model, to co-founding Brightwave, highlights how AI’s rapid progress has revolutionized industries, especially with large language models unlocking new capabilities in research and reasoning. AI in Financial Services: Mike noted that financial firms are rapidly adopting AI, with active asset managers embracing its potential despite limitations. The urgency of staying competitive is pushing firms to adopt AI early, despite its imperfections. Standing Out in a Crowded AI Market: To differentiate Brightwave, Mike emphasized the importance of product quality over AI hype. By building a tool that works and focusing on high-value synthesis and reasoning, Brightwave sets itself apart from competitors. The Future of AI Research Assistants: Brightwave’s long-term vision is to build a system that understands and reasons about the structure of the global economy, transforming the speed and accuracy of financial analysis for asset managers.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

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 Nick Soman, CEO & Founder of Decent, a healthcare technology company that has raised $43 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Risk and Motivation: Nick secured the domain "Decent" by spending $60,000 from his home equity line, pushing himself to succeed with the venture by leveraging personal risk. Broken Healthcare System: Healthcare is fundamentally flawed because incentives are built around raising costs rather than reducing them, with insurance companies benefiting from inefficiencies in the system. Level Funded Health Plans: Decent offers an innovative solution by combining level-funded health plans and direct primary care, allowing even small businesses to self-insure and save up to 40% compared to traditional market rates. Direct Primary Care Movement: Decent is riding the wave of the growing direct primary care movement, which allows doctors to focus on personalized care for fewer patients while reducing overall healthcare costs. GTM Strategy Evolution: Initially, Decent struggled with messaging. They shifted from promoting direct primary care upfront to leading with cost savings, which significantly improved their sales success. Scaling Through Brokers: Instead of bypassing brokers, Decent embraced them, building tech tools to empower them, which proved crucial for scaling and reaching more small businesses.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

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 Vicky Demas, CEO of Identifeye Health, a retinal imaging platform that has raised over $90 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Automating Retinal Imaging: Vicky explains how Identifeye Health is leveraging AI and automation to build a fully automated camera, simplifying retinal screening and addressing access to care. Founding Journey: The company received initial funding three and a half years ago, with Vicky brought in to reset the company’s vision and direction, thanks to her expertise in AI-driven healthcare solutions from her time at Google X. Google X Experience: Vicky shares insights into her time at Google X, where the team worked on high-impact healthcare projects using AI, including early work on retinal imaging for diabetic retinopathy. Rebranding Challenge: Identifeye Health underwent a major rebranding exercise, turning it into an exciting team-driven initiative that created a more accurate and trademarkable brand name. Tackling Diabetic Retinopathy: Identifeye Health is focused on improving the accessibility and accuracy of diabetic retinopathy screening, aiming to solve the issue of low patient screening compliance with AI-driven simplicity. Pre-Commercial Stage: The company is in the final stages of commercialization, actively preparing manufacturing and quality management processes to launch their solution.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co  

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 Geert Van Kerckhoven, CEO & Co-Founder of Oper, a mortgage tech platform that's raised over $15 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Oper’s Mission: Oper is revolutionizing the European mortgage process by digitizing the journey for both borrowers and lenders. The platform aims to improve the experience from initial contact to final contract, reducing paper-based processes and streamlining mortgage underwriting. Founding Story: Geert's 20 years of experience in fintech and banking, combined with frustration from a personal mortgage process, inspired the creation of Oper. He saw a clear gap in the market for a modern, scalable solution for mortgage lenders across Europe. First Customer Acquisition: Within three months of starting, Oper landed its first client who acted as a design partner, enabling the company to generate revenue from day one. Early Challenges: While securing a first client quickly, the challenge was to avoid building a proprietary solution for just one partner. The focus shifted to scaling the product and acquiring more clients to broaden its market presence. Go-to-Market Strategy: Oper focuses on enterprise sales with a team of experienced account executives managing relationships with banks. Additionally, they leverage partnerships with system integrators for larger, complex implementations, a key element of their growth strategy. Marketing Strategy: Geert emphasizes the importance of content marketing. Oper creates in-depth reports and thought leadership pieces that educate the market, helping them scale their knowledge beyond face-to-face meetings.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co