BUILDERS

By Front Lines MediaBusiness Entrepreneurship

BUILDERS episodes

August 15, 2024Robert Cowart, CEO & Co-Founder of ElastiFlow: $8 Million Raised to Power the Future of Network Performance and Security Analytics
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 Cowart, CEO & Co-Founder of ElastiFlow, a network performance and security analytics platform that's raised $8 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Network Dependency: Robert emphasizes the critical role of network infrastructure in today's world, impacting commerce, healthcare, entertainment, and social interactions.
Genesis of ElastiFlow: The company started as an experiment to see how new data platforms like Elasticsearch could improve network observability, leading to a successful GitHub project.
Community's Role: The initial success and growth of ElastiFlow were significantly boosted by a loyal community built around the GitHub project, highlighting the importance of community-led growth.
Market Entry and Growth: ElastiFlow quickly transitioned from community support to paying customers, even before launching their beta product, showcasing the power of having a dedicated user base.
Building a Marketing Strategy: Initially relying on inbound marketing, ElastiFlow has now invested in outbound sales and marketing, including paid ads and content creation, to increase brand awareness and drive growth.
Future Vision: The company aims to continue enhancing network observability, adding more context to network traffic records, and ensuring comprehensive support for hybrid IT environments.
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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
24 min
August 13, 2024Anthony Jules, CEO & Co-Founder of Robust AI: $42 Million Raised to Build the Collaborative Mobile Robots Category
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 Anthony Jules, CEO & Co-Founder of Robust AI, a robotics company that has raised over $42 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
From MIT to Sapient: Anthony shares his journey from MIT grad school to co-founding Sapient Corporation, growing it from 3 to 4000 employees and taking it public.
Early Tech Scene: He reminisces about the tech scene in the early '90s, the pre-Internet era, and the challenges of building tech companies without today's information flow.
Vision of the Internet: Anthony discusses the early days of the Internet and how recognizing its potential for transactions was a pivotal moment for his career.
Robotics and AI at Google: He recounts his time at Google, the excitement of working on cutting-edge projects, and his decision to leave due to the mismatch in scale and focus.
Founding Robust AI: Anthony details the serendipitous meeting with co-founders Rodney Brooks and Henrik Christensen, leading to the creation of Robust AI.
Navigating COVID: The early years of Robust AI were defined by the pandemic, pushing the team to innovate remotely and pivot their focus in response to evolving needs.
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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
36 min
August 12, 2024Funding the Future: Clancey Stahr, Managing Partner of GoAhead Ventures
Welcome to another episode of Funding the Future. In today's episode, we're speaking with Clancey Stahr, Managing Partner at GoAhead Ventures, a venture capital firm that has raised $180 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Founding Journey: Clancey founded GoAhead Ventures in 2015, starting with initial legwork in 2013 while still a student at Stanford. He collaborated with his co-founders to connect Japanese corporations with US startups, eventually pivoting to venture capital.
Early Fundraising: The first fund was raised in 2014, totaling $6 million from a partner in Japan and three US angels. The focus was on the team's potential rather than a specific idea, leveraging the Stanford network.
Investment Thesis Evolution: Initially emulating top Silicon Valley VCs, the firm evolved its thesis in 2020 with a focus on video submissions for founder pitches. This streamlined the evaluation process, making it easier to compare founders and identify the best investments.
Video Submissions: GoAhead Ventures receives 60-80 video submissions per week, reviewing over 3,000 annually. The submission process includes a brief introduction and a three-minute elevator pitch, with a one-in-ten chance of leading to a first meeting.
Decision-Making Speed: The firm has honed its decision-making process, providing founders with a yes or no within three days of video submission and offering a signable agreement within 24 hours of a live pitch.
Focus on Fundraising: GoAhead Ventures prioritizes helping portfolio companies raise additional capital, recognizing that every company needs money and that this is an area where they can add significant value.
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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
August 06, 2024Cole Riccardi, CEO & Founder of Authentic: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Captive Insurance
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 Cole Riccardi, CEO & Founder of Authentic, an insurance technology company that has raised $16 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Authentic’s Captive Insurance Model: Cole introduces Authentic’s unique offering in the insurance market - a captive insurance platform that enables entities like franchisors and vertical software companies to create their own insurance programs.
Simplifying Captive Insurance: Cole explains captive insurance in simple terms, making the concept accessible and highlighting Authentic’s role in simplifying the process for small business networks.
The Genesis of Authentic: The inspiration behind Authentic stemmed from Cole’s background in financial services and a personal connection to the insurance industry, spotting a niche for a more efficient insurance offering.
Early Challenges and Customer Feedback: Discussing the initial phase of building Authentic, Cole talks about the importance of market research, conversations with potential partners, and the positive feedback that helped refine the product.
Marketing Philosophy and Target Customer: Cole shares Authentic’s strategy of focusing on service excellence to stimulate word-of-mouth within niche markets and discusses the importance of accurately identifying their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Navigating Regulatory Challenges: Cole touches on the regulatory landscape for captive insurance, detailing Authentic’s strategic approach to navigating these challenges and securing a competitive edge in the insurance technology space.
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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
August 06, 2024Umaimah Khan, CEO & Co-Founder of Opal Security: $32 Million Raised to Build the Future of Identity Security
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 Umaimah Khan, CEO & Co-Founder at Opal Security, a data-centric identity security platform that has raised $32 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Background and Start: Umaimah initially aimed to be a math professor before transitioning to cryptography and ultimately catching the startup bug. Her experience at various startups, especially with scaling security and compliance systems, directly influenced her founding of Opal Security.
Early Days of Opal Security: The first three months of Opal Security involved intense research and discussions to shape the product’s architecture, deeply influenced by Umaimah’s background in cryptography and her prior startup experiences.
Unique Challenges of Identity Security: Umaimah views identity security as one of the last great enterprise frontiers, difficult to solve due to constant technological evolutions that outpace the ability of security protocols to adapt.
Marketing Philosophy: Opal Security aims to cut through typical marketing noise by directly demonstrating the tangible value of their products to customers, contrasting with the complex and often opaque marketing strategies prevalent in the security sector.
Approach to Scaling Adoption: Umaimah emphasizes the importance of user-friendly product design even in complex enterprise environments, drawing parallels to Slack’s transformation of IRC into a tool accessible beyond engineering teams.
Vision for the Future: Looking ahead, Umaimah sees Opal Security playing a critical role in shaping the future of access and authorization as technological landscapes and regulatory environments evolve, potentially impacting how identity security is approached globally.
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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
24 min
August 06, 2024Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blockchain Payments
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 Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto, a blockchain payments platform that has raised $16 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Origins of Fipto: Patrick identified significant gaps in international payments during his previous fintech experience. This realization led to Fipto's founding in 2022, aiming to merge traditional payment best practices with blockchain technology.
Building the Platform: Fipto's journey to its first paying customer involved significant investment in product and tech, including building a core banking system and obtaining necessary licenses in France and Luxembourg.
API-First Approach: Fipto initially focused on API solutions but developed a platform to better sell and demonstrate these APIs. Their ultimate goal is to integrate with third-party systems like treasury management systems.
Market Education and Adoption: Educating the market on blockchain's benefits, such as speed, transparency, and cost-efficiency, has been crucial. They target early adopters and payment service providers while anticipating broader corporate adoption as regulatory clarity improves.
Fundraising Insights: Patrick emphasized the importance of securing a lead investor to set the terms of the funding round, which simplifies and accelerates the fundraising process.
Geographic Focus: Identifying ideal customer profiles and key payment corridors, particularly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, has been vital for Fipto's go-to-market strategy.
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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
15 min
August 06, 2024Barry Lunn, CEO & Founder of Provizio: $11 Million Raised to Power the Future of Vehicle Safety
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 Barry Lunn, CEO & Founder of Provizio, a vehicle safety platform that's raised over $11 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Company Focus: Provizio is developing radar-based active safety technology aimed at predicting and preventing automotive crashes, providing a safer path toward autonomous vehicles.
Industry Experience: Barry's extensive background in high-frequency electronics and radar, especially in aerospace and defense, influenced his pivot to focus on solving car crash problems in the automotive industry.
Autonomous Vehicle Insights: Barry appreciates the progress of companies like Waymo but emphasizes the need for broader adoption and regulatory support to significantly reduce vehicle crashes.
Regulation and Safety: Barry is a strong advocate for regulation in automotive safety. He highlights recent developments like FMVSS 127, which mandates active safety technology in all new vehicles by 2029.
Licensing Model: Provizio’s licensing model allows for widespread adoption of their technology by automotive suppliers, ensuring better performance and lower costs while turning potential competitors into customers.
Long-Term Vision: Barry envisions Provizio’s technology becoming ubiquitous in vehicles worldwide, likening its necessity to that of seat belts, with a goal of having it in millions of cars within the next five years.
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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
August 06, 2024Deon Nicholas, CEO & Co-Founder of Forethought: $92 Million Raised to Power the Future of Customer Support with AI
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 Dan Lorenc, CEO & Founder of Chainguard, a software supply chain security platform that has raised $250 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Focus on Open Source Security: Chainguard aims to provide a secure source for open source code, addressing the risks associated with the widespread use of open source software in modern applications.
Industry Recognition Post-SolarWinds: The importance of software supply chain security became mainstream after the SolarWinds breach in December 2020, highlighting vulnerabilities in the software development process.
Founding Story: Inspired by the increasing attention on software supply chain security, Dan and his co-founder Matt decided to leverage their experience at Google to address these challenges, officially launching Chainguard in October 2021.
Initial Funding and Market Timing: Chainguard was founded during a peak period for venture capital investment, enabling them to secure initial funding quickly and focus on exploring market needs.
Strategic Pivot: Early on, Chainguard experimented with multiple products before pivoting to focus on the one with the greatest demand, resulting in a successful transition and growth in revenue.
Marketing and Awareness: Chainguard invested heavily in brand awareness through social media, PR, and content creation, aiming to be recognized as a leader in the software supply chain security space.
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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
August 06, 2024Dan Lorenc, CEO & Founder of Chainguard: $250 Million Raised to Power the Future of Software Supply Chain Security
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 Dan Lorenc, CEO & Founder of Chainguard, a software supply chain security platform that has raised $250 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Focus on Open Source Security: Chainguard aims to provide a secure source for open source code, addressing the risks associated with the widespread use of open source software in modern applications.
Industry Recognition Post-SolarWinds: The importance of software supply chain security became mainstream after the SolarWinds breach in December 2020, highlighting vulnerabilities in the software development process.
Founding Story: Inspired by the increasing attention on software supply chain security, Dan and his co-founder Matt decided to leverage their experience at Google to address these challenges, officially launching Chainguard in October 2021.
Initial Funding and Market Timing: Chainguard was founded during a peak period for venture capital investment, enabling them to secure initial funding quickly and focus on exploring market needs.
Strategic Pivot: Early on, Chainguard experimented with multiple products before pivoting to focus on the one with the greatest demand, resulting in a successful transition and growth in revenue.
Marketing and Awareness: Chainguard invested heavily in brand awareness through social media, PR, and content creation, aiming to be recognized as a leader in the software supply chain security space.
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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
August 06, 2024Justin Dearborn, Founder & CEO of Praia Health: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Consumer Experience in Healthcare
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 Justin Dearborn, Founder & CEO of Praia Health, a healthcare technology platform that has raised $20 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
Consumer-Centric Healthcare: Justin explains how Praia Health is creating a digital journey for patients that mirrors consumer experiences outside of healthcare, aiming to enhance convenience and personalization.
Telehealth and Digital Adoption Post-Covid: The pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth and digital solutions in healthcare, with patients increasingly choosing providers based on their digital experiences.
Founding Story and Unique Incubation: Praia Health was incubated at Providence Health System's Digital Innovation Group, which identifies technology gaps, builds solutions, and then spins them out as separate companies.
Go-To-Market Strategy: Praia Health employs both direct and indirect strategies, targeting innovative health systems and partnering with established companies to enhance existing investments in patient engagement.
Sales Process in Healthcare: Selling to health systems is complex and lengthy, involving numerous stakeholders and stringent security assessments, but Praia Health's mature platform simplifies implementation and integration.
Fundraising Challenges: Fundraising in the current climate is challenging, but Praia Health successfully secured funding from notable venture firms with healthcare system LPs, emphasizing the importance of showing a strong ROI.
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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

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Welcome to BUILDERS — the show about how founders get new technology adopted.

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BUILDERS

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