BUILDERS

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Daniel Erickson, CEO of Viable, a customer experience platform that’s raised over $9 Million in funding, about why an automated software tool for conducting true analyses on your critical data could change everything about the way a business makes its decisions. By taking the power of natural language processing technology to the next level, Viable promises real-time updates about current trends in your market, explanations about why that might be, and even advice for the future to help guide your sales strategy and product development in the right direction.

We also speak about Daniel's career trajectory from engineering to the boardroom and the lessons he had to learn along the way, why a pivot away from pre-product startups to in-market enterprises was the key to Viable’s profitability, and why they have decided not to build analytics tools, but to build out a truly automated analyst itself.

Topics Discussed:

• Daniel’s career from an engineer to CEO, and the lifetime business skills necessary to make the transition

Favorite book: 

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Biju Ashokan, CEO of Radius Agent, a real estate tech platform that’s raised over $19 Million in funding, about why it’s time real estate had access to the tech solutions making waves in other parts of our economy, and Radius Agent plans to be the catalyst for the transformation. Essentially a ‘shopify’ for real estate to make it simpler, safer and more efficient, from humble beginnings as a social media platform to its current iteration as a rapidly-expanding tech startup, Radius Agent has been developing solutions specifically tailored to the needs of its customers.

We also spoke about Biju’s previous proptech startup, why Radius’ social media-first strategy helped it build, and organic community and save significant resources on outbound marketing, and why knowing the profile of your potential clients is absolutely critical to building a market-ready product.

Topics Discussed:

• The current state of the real estate market and why Biju is sure things will soon bounce back stronger than before

Favorite book: 

Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Astrid Atkinson, CEO of Camus Energy, a Grid Management platform that’s raised over $20 Million in funding, about how coming transformation in the critical utilities sector provides opportunities for startups to claim space for themselves and drive change for the better. Developing large-scale software infrastructure to manage the way we produce, distribute and consume energy, Camus Energy is preparing for a future in which decentralization and diversification are the key concepts that need to be accommodated. Utilities might get a bad reputation for being slow-moving and resistant to change, but with disruption on the horizon it’s time to let real-world needs shape what solutions become successful.

We also speak about Astrid’s time in the early years of google and the lessons she brought with her into the startup space, why transformation leaves space for agile startups to compete on an even footing with established industry players, and how engaging directly with potential customers helped Camus Energy define the parameters of their innovative character.

Topics Discussed:

• Astrid’s role in the early years of Google and the vital lessons she learned about the role of individuals in creating global impact

Favorite book: 

Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers (Collins Business Essentials)

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 Andrew Forman, CEO & Founder of Givz, an e-commerce marketing platform that has raised $3 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

• Givz's Core Offering: Givz helps brands replace or enhance discounts with donation incentives, boosting sales and fostering customer loyalty.

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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

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Laura McGee, CEO Diversio, a diversity, inclusivity and equity platform that’s raised $3 Million in funding, about why she believes data holds the key to realizing a genuine diversity agenda and building a better business environment for everyone, regardless of their background. It’s common knowledge today that a more inclusive workforce leads to improved business outcomes, but not many companies out there have really shown themselves able of fulfilling loft commitments made to shareholders and ethics boards. By combining comprehensive experience insights, pain point identification and practical recommendations for action to address problems, Diversio promises a new way of approaching the diversity agenda for the entire business community.

We also speak about Laura’s work in the female entrepreneurship space, how Diversio developed its unique inclusivity metrics, why their systematic problem-solving approach has been a big hit with their growing customer base, and how a scrappy bootstrap start without much capital helped them develop a market-leading product which would propel them to strong growth.

Topics Discussed:

• Laura’s passion for the DEI agenda, both working with Diversio and in her capacity as an expert on womens’ entrepreneurship

Favorite book: 

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Honey Mittal, CEO of Locofy.ai, a design-to-code platform that’s raised $3 Million in funding, about why this critical phase in the process of bringing software to market remains one of a contemporary startup’s most acute pain points, and how an automated solution can help us all build better, faster and more efficiently. There’s no doubt that developers are one of the toughest product audiences out there, with no kind words for sub-par software solutions, so even a cursory look at some of Locofy.ai’s big-name clients makes it clear that they’re on to a winning idea.

We also spoke about Honey’s experiences in the Southeast Asian tech sector, how the unique regional circumstances helped foster a more global perspective on the contemporary tech sector, why design-to-code just makes sense as a software solution, but only for those who can really get the product right, and how online developer communities provide a lot of opportunities to grow, learn, and improve a product offering.

Topics Discussed:

• Honey’s career in the Southeast Asian tech sector, and what we can learn from this strategic region about contemporary concerns in the industry.

Favorite book: 

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Emmanuel Massenez, CEO of Kwali, a food production platform that’s raised over $2.5 Million in funding, about why it’s time for technology to make its mark in the food production space, and how computer vision promises new levels of consistency and customer satisfaction across the board. By compiling real-world insights and feeding critical data back to managers and brand leaders about exactly what they’re doing right and what they need to do to do it better, Kwali helps build long-term strategies to ensure a more effective and efficient delivery process which leaves both staff and customers smiling.

We also speak about Emmanuel’s long-standing love of French philosophy and how it informs a lot of his choices as a leader, why a desire to make more of a positive impact led him to the food production space, and why it might be time to leave those gut feelings behind and let data take the lead in making critical business decisions.

Topics Discussed:

• Philosophy, learning, and why Emmanuel believes there’s nothing new under the sun.

Favorite book: 

Any books written by Friedrich Nietzsche

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with David Brumley, CEO of Mayhem, an automated security testing platform that’s raised over $38 Million in funding, about how a hacker mindset in defensive security can turn the tables on aggressors, and give your cyberdefense the edge in the endless technology arms race. By deploying automated systems to construct a comprehensive map of an enterprise’s existing security landscape, built on an off-the-shelf code, Mayhem identifies exactly where action should be taken to tighten up any potential cracks in your defenses before a disastrous incursion ever occurs.

We also spoke about David’s colorful life before transitioning to a career in the tech startup space, what it was like setting out to disrupt Silicon Valley in the 1990s and how things have changed since then, and why hostility in public discourse is just par for the course when you challenge established industry dogma. Without paying too much attention to the category creation complex, David sees Mayhem as forging its own niche based exclusively on the efficacy of its software solutions.

Topics Discussed:

Favorite book: 

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Ashish Nagar, CEO of Level AI, a contact center software platform that’s raised over $35 Million in funding, about why machine learning might just finally be the customer service solution the market has been searching for. AI has come a long way in recent years, with increasingly sophisticated solutions available to emulate the human experience, and Level AI promises an automated system for analyzing and enhancing the customer service experience, particularly for companies with complex customer service needs in sectors like healthcare, finance and travel.

We also spoke about how AI is shifting from traditional language development models, the challenge of brands competing to differentiate themselves on customer service, and how Level AI manages to stand out in an oversaturated, highly commodified marketplace. 10 years ago the idea of having a meaningful conversation with a machine was the stuff of science fiction, but it looks set now to be the customer service solution of tomorrow.

Topics Discussed:

• How a product-focused background helped Ashish pioneer the customer service AI system

Favorite book: 

Leadership: In Turbulent Times

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 Leena Joshi, CEO & Co-Founder of CloseFactor, a sales tech platform that has raised $4.5 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from the conversation:

• Innovative Use of AI in Sales: CloseFactor aims to automate the research process for salespeople, allowing them to focus on engaging with customers by leveraging advancements in machine learning.