Category Visionaries

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Taj Adhav, CEO of Leasecake, a location management platform that’s raised over $17 Million in funding, about why it’s time the commercial leasing industry got its own version of LinkedIn or Uber, and how Leasecake believes they’ve got what it takes to claim the space. Through empathy and building trust with their clients, Leasecake is able to provide simple, streamlined solutions to some of the sector’s most acute pain points, saving time and money for tenants and property owners alike. We also speak about how Taj’s early experiences in a commercial tenant household helped make him aware of the stress and strains for tenants, how his family felt about him leaving behind a Fortune 500 career to move into the startup space, why he feels that being a great CEO means you never stop learning, and why he’s convinced that Leasecake are leading the way in creating their own category. Topics Discussed: Taj’s career in everything from CPA to Disney Cruises, and why he left it behind to move into the startup space The lessons Taj has learned by doing as leader of his own enterprise, and why it’s all about the people The critical problems and pain points in the commercial leasing sector that form Leasecake’s value proposition for their clients Why trust and empathy are critical for a business that people need to put their trust in to make some very big decisions Why Leasecake’s new approach to leasing puts them in a category all of their own How a more simplified solution respects the efforts users go to when carrying out even simple tasks   Favorite book: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Pratap Ranade, Co-Founder & CEO of Arena, an enterprise decision making platform that’s raised $32 Million in funding, about why rapid advances in AI technology are leaving many enterprises in the dust, and why driving improved institutional learning cycles means a faster, more efficient world for all of us. By delivering rapid learning cycles through data feedback and automated decision making, Area intends to make its mark on the modern economy through the better business choices being made with its tech. We also speak about how Pratap transitioned from physics to startup tech, his first forays as a founder and how they helped him understand what it took to be a leader in business, the history of hierarchy in human organization and how Arena promises that AI can do it better. Topics Discussed: Pratap’s background education in physics and what eventually pushed him to set out on a startup journey Pratap’s first founder experience, and the success and lessons he brought forward to Arena Pratap’s admiration for Steve Jobs as the creator of products with real impact on people’s lives How data can drive innovation and learning through improved learning cycles and more efficient feedback loops The history of hierarchy in human organization and how it might be holding us back Why data is at the heart of keeping large enterprises as agile as their startup contemporaries   Favorite book:  Player of Games by Anne Banks

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 Warren Lebovics, Co-Founder & CEO of Pequity, an employee compensation platform that has raised $19 Million in funding. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Journey to Entrepreneurship: Warren’s transition from product and design roles at LinkedIn and other tech companies to co-founding Pequity with his wife Caitlin. Identifying the Problem: How Caitlin’s experience as a compensation manager at Cruise Automation revealed the inefficiencies in current compensation processes and inspired the creation of Pequity. Core Offerings: Pequity's three main products—Ranges, Offers, and Comp Cycle Management—designed to streamline and improve compensation workflows with a focus on user experience and proactive pay equity. Market Needs and Triggers: Addressing the growing demand for flexible and scalable compensation solutions, especially in light of new pay transparency laws and the limitations of legacy systems and spreadsheets. Competitive Edge: Pequity’s commitment to building a superior product with a user experience akin to B2C applications, setting it apart from competitors and attracting loyal customers. Future Vision: Aiming for widespread adoption of Pequity’s compensation tech in mid-market and enterprise companies to ensure fair pay and compliance with pay transparency regulations.

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Sam Fonoimoana, CEO of Datajoin, a personalization platform that’s raised $3.5 Million in funding, about why data-driven personalization is the future of marketing, and how Datajoin is positioning itself to be a driver and deliverer of that change. By integrating Salesforce pipeline and deal data back into marketing systems like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics or Google Ads, Datajoin provides a closed-loop, 360-degree view of a company’s sales and marketing success, and insight into how they can move forward more effectively in the future. We also speak about what it’s like to be a startup founder from the USA’s most remote state, how Sam came to a career in tech to begin with, the power of personalized marketing to save money and develop strategy for Datajoin’s clients, and why leadership is more about influence than purely your position in a company. Topics Discussed: Being a native Hawai’ian and what that means for Sam as he grows and raises a family while representing his culture What years in data analytics and in finance taught Sam about the solutions needed for modern, digital-native businesses The power of personalized marketing to deliver improved customer experience and save money on a marketing spend How a partnership with Adobe helped Datajoin break through the industry background noise Why Sam believes Datajoin has carved out their own unique niche in a crowded market sector Why a real partnership with clients means more than providing standardized services, and how Datajoin works to make sure every relationship is as beneficial to all sides as possible.   Favorite book:  The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Lukas Gentele, CEO of Loft Labs, a kubernetes management platform that’s raised over $5 Million in funding, about why the way we develop software on the most popular platform out there needs a revamp, and exactly how Loft Labs can promise some truly attention-grabbing ROI by streamlining everything about the kubernetes cluster environment. By spinning up and tearing down developer environments in mere minutes, instead of the hours that most of us have become used to over the years, Loft Labs are creating a unique sub-category in the saturated software development space. We also spoke about Lukas’ career as he transitioned from the service sector to the startup economy, how cloud-native development environments enabled entirely new business models, why Loft Labs believe Kubernetes’ functionality needed to be overhauled, and how their high-speed, sensitive and highly flexible environments promise attention grabbing savings that will ultimately pay for themselves. Topics Discussed: Transitioning from the service sector to the tech startup economy, and what Lukas learned along the way How Kubernetes emerged as the development environment of choice, but why it can still be clunky in practice How Loft Labs’ Kubernetes management platform reduces spin up and tear-down down from hours to mere minutes, delivering massive savings to their clients Why cost-saving companies like Loft Labs actually benefit from an economic downturn Why ease of use and instant integration is one of the most crucial components of Loft Labs’ success Why Lukas considers himself the chief enablement officer as CEO of Loft Labs, and why what excites him most is watching his team grow

In this episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Suresh Mathew, the Founder and CEO of Sedai, an autonomous cloud management platform that's raised over $18 Million in funding, about why automated microservices can make major impacts on almost any enterprise deploying them. Suresh shares his background and how he left his job at eBay, PayPal to start Sedai in 2019, before the pandemic. Suresh also shares his belief that starting a company during the pandemic was actually a blessing in disguise, and what he learned during that challenging time.  Suresh talks about the origin story of Sedai, why it's always better to focus on the problem statement instead of the cool solution, the success Sedai has achieved in the autonomous cloud management market category, and what the next few years might look like.  Topics Discussed: Suresh's career, from major industry names to the fresh new startup space Automation across the industry, from self-driving cars to microservice management How founding a company during the COVID pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise Why Suresh believes it's always better to focus on a strong problem statement, rather than a shiny solution The future of automation as it transforms from an industry buzzword into a new norm   Favorite book:  Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Jeong-Suh Choi, CEO of Bobidi, an AI training platform that’s raised nearly $6 Million in funding, about why inclusive AI needs to be developed together, and how Bobidi’s global network is making it happen. By field-testing AI programs with the audiences they’re intended to serve, Bobidi is helping make the machine learning of tomorrow more effective, efficient, and sensitive. We also speak about what Choi learned from years at Facebook and eBay, what it was like moving to the US in a time of economic turbulence, the outline of AI in the future and the choices we need to make about it, and Choi’s automated meal service nonprofit, Meal Forward. Topics Discussed: Choi’s career with some of the biggest names in tech, and what lessons he brought forward to his own startup journey How he felt moving to the US in 2009, on the tail end of his financial crisis The past, present and future of AI as a concept, and increasingly a reality in our daily lives The shortcomings in cultural sensitivity still plaguing some AI systems, and how Bobidi hopes their global network of contributors can address them How ‘bug bounties’ can help improve AI software for all of us Choi’s automated meal service nonprofit MealForward, and how the pandemic connected Choi with the charity sector   Favorite book:  Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Chetan Venkatesh, CEO of Macrometa, a developer tool which has raised $38 Million in funding, about why the next generation of global connectivity is going to be so much more than just a ‘better cloud,’ and how Macrometa’s disaggregated network is able to process data faster, better, and more securely. Through the Global Data Network platform, their solution can return data based services in a fraction of a second, giving clients a critical advantage over the competition. We also speak about Macrometa’s organic development of a category-creating solution, the current weaknesses in our global cloud development system they hope to address, why more data brings more potential but also more exposure to potential risk, and why Chetan still believes that for a tech startup, nothing still beats the Bay Area. Topics Discussed: Macrometa’s astonishing speed, delivering data-based services in the blink of an eye Current weaknesses and limitations of the existing ‘cloud based’ global network Why the pressure on data infrastructure is only set to increase as every more people go online to work, shop and socialize Why whatever the haters say, Chetan still sees more potential in the Bay Area than any other startup space How Macrometa organically developed their category-creating solution, and why Chetan believes most life-disrupting innovations are completely unexpected Why Chetan is excited for Macrometa’s growth in the years to come, and hopes demand for their solution stays high   Favorite book:  The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Curtis VanWalleghem, CEO of Hydrostor, an energy storage tech company that’s raised $322 Million in funding, about why storage is an essential part of the stability needed to support a rapid green transformation, and how Hydrostor’s innovative ‘air, rock and water batteries’ fit in. Cheaper and more resilient than other energy storage solutions, Hydrostor have demonstrated the value of their technology at ever larger scales, and look set to establish a leading market position in a global movement to better energy. We also speak about how hard it can be to start your own business, how Curtis kept moving forward through tough times, the challenge of bringing a long-term vision to market during uncertain times, how we need to rethink our relationship with energy, and why, ultimately, Curtis sees hope in tomorrow’s energy transformation. Topics Discussed: Curtis’ road to CEO of Hydrostor, and the challenges of betting everything on starting your own business The innovative technology and the heart of Hydrostor’s energy storage solution Why a long term vision can be a challenging prospect to bring to a marketplace focused on short term returns Why investing in truly game-changing technologies can be a real leap of faith to envision a different world The future of the global green energy transition, and why every solution helps The true scale of what it means to restructure our entire energy system in just a fraction of the time it took to build   Favorite book:  Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Nicholas Rudder, Co-founder and CEO of Sphere, a corporate education platform that’s raised $5 Million in funding, about why a better approach to career-advancement might be just around the corner, and what it is about Sphere’s comprehensive training and review services that make them ideally suited to provide it. By charting a participant’s progress through the interactive training sessions and into the post-education workplace to monitor critical ROI, Sphere is putting power back into the hands of people to take control of their learning experience. We also speak about Nicholas’ move to San Francisco from his home country of Australia, what it meant to find himself in the tech startup Mecca, why the corporate education space has been so stagnant for so long, and why Sphere’s unique offering helps provide skills and guidance long after the classes come to an end.   Topics Discussed: The current state of the Australian startup economy, and why Nicholas sees great potential in its future Why Nicholas felt his formal business education was missing something critical, and how this led him to the idea for Sphere Why the upskilling economy is in need of innovation, and why Sphere is the right player to provide it Sphere’s unique system to chart education ROI from beginning to end, giving people more power over the skills which might shape their future Why interactive education sessions are the ideal environment for most learners, and how Sphere makes it happen The PLG strategy which Sphere has used to gain a foothold in the market, and why a good customer experience can be its own dividend