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BUILDERS
BUILDERS episodes
- Martin Langelo Lien, CEO & Co-Founder of Volt: $6 Million Raised to Build the Future of Messaging Ops
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 Martin Langelo Lien, CEO & Co-Founder of Volt, a messaging ops infrastructure platform that has raised over $6 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Identifying the Problem: Volt was born out of Martin’s personal experience running an SMS marketing company, where he encountered the inefficiencies of managing messaging infrastructure, inspiring him to build Volt.
- Capitalizing on Industry Shifts: The introduction of 10DLC regulations in the SMS space created a compliance burden, providing the perfect opportunity for Volt to offer a streamlined solution to an industry-wide problem.
- Pivoting the Product: Initially focused on analytics, Volt quickly realized that solving the core problem was more valuable than just identifying it, leading to a shift towards a more robust infrastructure solution.
- First-Mover Advantage: Being the first to address the unique challenges of SMS compliance gave Volt a significant edge, with early adopters eager to solve a problem that few others were addressing.
- Category Creation as a Strategy: Martin emphasizes that Volt is more focused on creating a new category—messaging ops—than just building a company, ensuring a long-term, defensible market position.
- Zero-Dollar Marketing Strategy: Volt has achieved significant growth without spending on marketing, relying instead on targeted outreach through LinkedIn and leveraging the pain points of potential customers.
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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
32 min - Funding the Future: Ren Riley, General Partner at Fin Capital
Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — Funding the Future. In today's episode, we're speaking with Ren Riley, General Partner at Fin Capital, a B2B fintech-focused venture firm with over $800 Million under management.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Venture Market Evolution: Ren reflects on the drastic changes in the venture industry over the past 25 years, from the dot-com bubble to today's market challenges.
- Impact of Economic Cycles: He provides insights into how various economic downturns, including the 2000 dot-com crash and the 2008 financial crisis, have shaped venture investing practices.
- Fin Capital's Strategy: Fin Capital is laser-focused on B2B fintech, investing across all stages from pre-seed to public, with a specialized emphasis on eight fintech subsectors.
- Importance of Repeat Founders: Fin Capital only backs repeat founders, emphasizing the value of experience in navigating both opportunities and challenges in the venture landscape.
- State of the IPO Market: Ren discusses the current challenges facing the IPO market, noting the lack of liquidity and the impact on employees and founders within the venture ecosystem.
- Future Outlook for Unicorns: He addresses the uncertain future for many of the 1,500+ private unicorns, highlighting the need for resourcefulness and potential consolidation in the market.
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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
23 min - Ben Albert, CEO & Co-Founder of Upfront Healthcare: $30 Million Raised to Power the Future of Patient Engagement
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 Ben Albert, CEO & Co-Founder of Upfront Healthcare, a patient engagement platform that has raised over $30 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Founding Story: Ben was inspired to create Upfront Healthcare after recognizing the need for better patient navigation and care coordination, a gap he noticed while helping manage his grandfather's healthcare.
- Focus on Broad Patient Engagement: Upfront Healthcare aims to digitally engage and navigate every patient to the care they need, not just high-risk patients, expanding on the work Ben began with his previous company.
- Patient Engagement Landscape: Ben categorizes the patient engagement market into financial and clinical engagement, with Upfront Healthcare focusing on the clinical side to ensure patients receive timely and necessary care.
- Go-to-Market Strategy: Upfront’s GTM approach is built on a direct sales model targeting large health systems, urgent care centers, and specialized services, with a focus on personalizing patient engagement at scale.
- Branding Strategy: Upfront’s branding intentionally stands out from traditional healthcare aesthetics, focusing on a patient-centric approach that reflects the platform’s mission to engage every patient uniquely.
- Market Evolution and Fundraising: Ben notes that the patient engagement space is shifting from point solutions to enterprise platforms, and this evolution has influenced Upfront’s strategy and fundraising success.
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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
21 min - Funding the Future: Roger Luo, Managing Partner at Embedding VC
Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — Funding the Future. In today's episode, we're speaking with Roger Luo, Founder & Managing Partner at Embedding VC, a venture capital firm specializing in AI-driven startups that has raised $15 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Roger's AI Journey: With a PhD in AI and over 15 years of experience, Roger transitioned from leading AI initiatives at companies like Yahoo, Snapchat, and Niantic to launching his own VC fund, focusing on AI startups.
- AI's Exponential Growth: Roger reflects on the rapid evolution of AI, from a niche field with few practitioners to a mainstream technology that is now integral to nearly every industry.
- Embedding VC's Portfolio: Roger highlights Magic School, an AI-driven platform for K-12 teachers, which has grown to over 2 million users in less than a year and raised $15 million in funding.
- VC Differentiation: Roger discusses how his background as an AI operator and researcher enables him to deeply connect with founders, providing value beyond capital by sharing insights from his extensive industry experience.
- Common Founder Traits: Roger identifies key traits of successful founders, including being mission-driven, resilient, and surrounding themselves with smart, committed team members.
- GTM Challenges: Roger emphasizes the importance of achieving product-market fit before scaling go-to-market efforts, warning against the risks of premature scaling.
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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
19 min - Marc Borrett, CEO & Co-Founder of Reactive Technologies: $80 Million Raised to Build the Future of Grid Measurement
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 Borrett, CEO & Co-Founder of Reactive Technologies, a grid measurement platform that's raised over $80 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Semiconductor to Energy Transition: Marc leveraged his experience in semiconductors and telecoms to tackle the complex challenges of the energy transition, drawing parallels between the two industries.
- UK vs. US VC Landscape: The UK venture capital environment in the 90s was less sophisticated and visionary compared to Silicon Valley, focusing more on stable returns for pension funds.
- Creating a New Category: Reactive Technologies is pioneering real-time grid stability measurement, a category that didn’t previously exist, by leveraging telecom principles in the energy sector.
- Engineering Insights: The company discovered that grid stability affects signal transmission, leading them to repurpose their technology for measuring grid stability in real time.
- Building Trust in a Conservative Industry: Success in the risk-averse power industry required Reactive Technologies to demonstrate high technical credibility and prove that their innovations would not destabilize the grid.
- Long Road to Revenue: It took five and a half years for Reactive Technologies to generate meaningful revenue, highlighting the importance of patience and investor support in deep-tech startups.
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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
26 min - Ori Eisen, CEO & Founder of Trusona: $38 Million Raised to Power the Future of Account Takeover Prevention
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 Ori Eisen, CEO & Founder of Trusona, an account takeover prevention platform that has raised $38 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Persistence Pays Off: Ori's relentless pursuit of Frank Abagnale for mentorship and his insistence on John Doerr's presence at a crucial pitch meeting exemplify his "never take no for an answer" attitude.
- Creative Marketing Strategies: Ori emphasizes the importance of standing out in the crowded cybersecurity market by using unconventional and memorable marketing tactics.
- First-Party Data Focus: Trusona's strength lies in using first-party data to verify user identities, which Ori believes is crucial in the age of AI-driven fraud.
- Real Vacation Culture: Ori advocates for founders to take real vacations to recharge and avoid burnout, providing a detailed process for effectively disconnecting from work.
- Security Through Innovation: Ori's development of computer fingerprinting and other technologies showcases his innovative approach to solving complex security problems.
- Challenging Conventional Wisdom: Ori often goes against traditional Silicon Valley advice, focusing instead on what he believes will truly benefit his company and its mission.
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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
40 min - John Golinvaux, CEO & Founder of Fulcrum: $6 Million Raised to Power the Future of Conversion Optimization
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 John Golinvaux, CEO & Founder of Fulcrum, a conversion optimization platform that has raised over $6 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Journey to Founding Fulcrum: John transitioned from running a digital marketing firm to founding Fulcrum after realizing the gap in tools for mid-market companies to track user behavior and drive conversions effectively.
- Focus on Mid-Market: Unlike many startups chasing enterprise clients, John chose to target mid-market businesses due to fewer competitors and easier initial traction.
- Pivots and Learnings: Fulcrum underwent multiple pivots, initially trying to emulate a customer data platform, but later honing in on conversion optimization by leveraging first-party data.
- Balancing Passion and Patience: John emphasizes the need to balance passion with patience, particularly when dealing with potential clients who may not immediately see the value of Fulcrum's solutions.
- Importance of First-Party Data: Fulcrum's strategy centers on the collection and use of first-party data to personalize user experiences and drive conversions, avoiding reliance on third-party data.
- All-In Approach: John has personally invested in Fulcrum, balancing financial risks with his belief in the company’s mission and potential for long-term success.
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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
22 min - Jeremy Pease, CEO of Hivelocity: $200 Million Raised to Build the Future of Hybrid Cloud MSP
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 Jeremy Pease, CEO of Hivelocity, a hybrid cloud MSP that's raised over $200 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Technological Evolution: Jeremy discusses the evolution from basic hardware setups to advanced, highly automated bare metal solutions, and the increasing influence of AI on data center design.
- Company Overview: Hivelocity offers a comprehensive suite of services, including bare metal solutions, private cloud, VPS hosting, and retail colocation, aimed at supporting hybrid cloud journeys.
- Acquisition Strategy: The company has grown through strategic acquisitions, integrating seven companies over the past three years, and emphasizes the importance of quick integration and synergy realization.
- Integration Success: Effective integration of acquisitions, including the rapid merging of ticketing, billing, and communication systems, has been key to Hivelocity's successful growth.
- Market Focus: Hivelocity targets mid-market customers, providing both high-touch customer service and advanced automation, a space often overlooked by competitors focusing on enterprise or hyperscale markets.
- Brand Transition: The company is transitioning to the Hivelocity brand to better reflect its comprehensive hybrid cloud services, aiming for a unified and streamlined customer experience.
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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
25 min - Alex Sambvani, CEO & Co-Founder of Slang AI: $20 Million Raised to Power the Future of Voice AI for Restaurants
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 Alex Sambvani, CEO & Co-Founder of Slang AI, a voice AI tool for restaurants that's raised $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- From Robotics to Voice AI: Alex’s journey began in high school with a passion for automation and robotics, eventually leading him to work on voice AI features at Spotify.
- Finding Product-Market Fit: Initially targeting various verticals, Alex’s team discovered a significant opportunity in the restaurant industry, particularly for managing reservations and common inquiries.
- Live Demo of Slang AI: Alex demonstrated Slang AI’s capabilities by calling a restaurant and making a reservation, showcasing the seamless integration with reservation systems and high guest satisfaction.
- Evolving AI Acceptance: Initially cautious about marketing their product as AI, Slang AI now embraces the AI label, benefiting from the increasing acceptance and curiosity about AI technology.
- Niche Focus for Rapid Growth: By specializing in restaurants that take reservations, Slang AI has been able to deliver a highly tailored solution, enhancing the guest experience and operational efficiency.
- Lessons in Fundraising: Alex shared key insights on navigating the fundraising landscape, emphasizing the importance of targeting the right investors who have a track record in your space and stage.
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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
30 min - Robert Thelen, CEO & Founder of Rownd: $3.3 Million Raised to Build the Future of App Onboarding
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 Robert Thelen, CEO & Founder of Rownd, an app onboarding platform that's raised $3.3 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- The Onboarding Problem: Robert highlights that nearly half of users drop off during the onboarding process of apps, leading to substantial losses in potential user engagement and revenue.
- The Aha Moment: After joining Y Combinator, Robert identified that many CEOs were struggling with user growth due to high drop-off rates at the login and sign-up stages, sparking the creation of Rownd.
- Customer-Centric Development: The first three to six months involved close interaction with early customers to understand and solve their pain points, a practice that continues to drive product development at Rownd.
- Pain Point Pricing Strategy: Rownd focuses on solving significant pain points and charges a premium, ensuring they provide high value and targeting customers who truly need their solution.
- Consumer-Focused Market: Rownd primarily serves B2C companies where user friction can drastically impact user retention, such as in competitive industries like health and wellness.
- Stress Management Skills: Robert’s military background has equipped him with exceptional stress management skills, which he applies in high-pressure situations in the startup environment.
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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
28 min
About BUILDERS
From the publisher's feed
Welcome to BUILDERS — the show about how founders get new technology adopted.
Each episode features a founder on the front lines of bringing new tech to market, sharing how they broke into their industry, earned early believers, built credibility, and unlocked real technology adoption.
BUILDERS is part of a network of 20 industry-specific shows with a library of 1,200+ founder interviews conducted over the past three years.
For the full network, visit FrontLines.io.
Brought to you by:
www.FrontLines.io/FounderLedGrowth — Founder-led Growth as a Service. Launch your own podcast that drives thought leadership, demand, and most importantly, revenue.