BUILDERS

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

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

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

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Alexa Berube, Co-founder of Reposite, a travel tech startup that’s raised $13.5 Million in funding, about why a seamless workplace/marketplace solution for group booking of events is long overdue. The days of long email chains and arduous phone calls are a thing of the past with Reposite’s comprehensive approach to connecting clients with the vendors and operators who make their events happen.

We also speak about how Alexa never planned to find herself in sales, how starting off in the events space gave her the inspiration for Reposite, why the group bookings realm of events planning is still way behind the times, and how Reposite established a sales flywheel that keeps their marketing mostly inbound.

  Topics Discussed:

• Alexa’s career trajectory, and how it led her to take the plunge into founding her own startup

Favorite book: 

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

On today’s episode of Category Visionaries podcast, we speak with Michael Patrick Gibson, co-founder and General Partner of 1517 Fund. In the interview, we cover a wide range of topics, including the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the failure of paper-based institutions, and the future of science and technology in solving society's biggest challenges.

Key topics discussed:

• The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank 

Additional Resources: 

https://twitter.com/William_Blake 

Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University 

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Josh Snowhorn, CEO of Quantum Loophole, a data center developer that’s raised over $200 Million in funding, about why laying the groundwork for building the critical data infrastructure driving our data economy puts them in a category without competition, and with great potential for growth into the future. Making sure the land, power, water, and other accouterments for building a data center are all in place ahead of time, Quantum Loophole gets things up and running at a scale and speed unrivaled in the industry. 

We also speak about Josh’s 24 years in the technology sector, moving between a string of early tech companies and eventually landing in the data center development space, how a lucky choice to start remotely helped Quantum Loophole be better prepared for the coming covid pandemic, the transformation of the tech sector by learning-through-doing, and what it’s like to be in a market category without any competition.

Topics Discussed:

• Josh’s quarter century in the tech sector, what he’s learned and how trial by fire became his established strategy

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Alisa Valderrama, Co-founder and CEO of FutureProof Technologies, an insuretech startup that’s raised nearly $10 Million in funding, about why their innovative approach to calculating climate risk is crucial to solving some of the future’s biggest challenges. Having developed an analytical model facilitating insurance underwriting in areas traditional insurers might give a wide berth, they are finally translating environmental risk into financial risk.

We also speak about how surfing in her hometown of San Diego got Alisa started on the path to green business, why until now finance and the environment have been speaking totally different languages, why financializing environmental damage is key to addressing the problem, and why, even with an ideal solution in hand, securing the right go-to-market strategy was still FutureProof Technologies’ biggest challenge.

Topics Discussed:

• How a local passion for surfing in her hometown of San Diego led Alisa to take on some truly global challenges

In today’s episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ville Herva, CEO of Finland-based staffing startup BOLT.works, a technology-first staffing solution reshaping the way people find work and get compensated for doing it. Founded in 2017, BOLT.works has risen quickly to a preeminent position for sectors like construction, challenging established industry leaders for a major market share. Starting out with a vision and building out their technology solution from the bottom up, BOLT.works continues to drive change in both their platform and the people they interact with as they prepare to expand into the wider European market. 

Topics Discussed:

• From CTO to CEO, and why Ville's unusual career path made perfect sense for him

Favorite book: 

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Marcelo Lebre, COO and Co-founder of Remote, a global payroll, tax and HR compliance platform that’s raised nearly $500 Million in funding, about how supporting employers to recruit, hire and pay the best talent from across the world is building a better way of working for everyone. Their remote-first offering might have seemed outlandish just a few years ago, but in a post-pandemic economy it has quickly taken this young startup to unicorn status, a growth trend that sees no signs of slowing down any time soon.

We also speak about what it was like growing up as a tech-obsessed kid in a small rural town, how Marcelo’s family responded to his rapid success, why it’s sometimes hard for him to comprehend the scale of what remote has become, why anxiety can be a superpower as much as a ‘super problem,’ and why, at the end of the day, for Marcelo it all comes down to problem-solving.

Topics Discussed:

• The origins of remote, from a small village upbringing to a chance double date, and on to become a globally recognised brand

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ken Babcock, CEO of Tango, a how-to guide building platform that's raised $20 Million in funding, about why cumbersome knowledge exchange practices might be the main thing holding businesses back in 2023, and why Tango is determined to overhaul the entire space. By providing automated tools for the production and distribution of detailed tutorials from ‘star-performing’ staff, Tango is helping people learn, grow, and innovate together better than ever before.

We also speak about exactly why the knowledge exchange space as it stands is in dire need of an upgrade, why Tango has no problem with problem awareness in their market, how PLG just made logical sense for a product addressing the pain points of ordinary team members, and how working at uber through some tough times helped Ken map his own business decisions moving forward

Topics Discussed:

• Ken’s pre-Tango career, from dropping out of Harvard Business School to spending a few years at Uber, and the lessons he learned moving forward