Jeremy McCool is back on Inside Startup Investing, and a lot has changed since his last appearance.

HEVO builds wireless charging for electric vehicles — hardware and software — and it's chasing that market from an unusual angle. Rather than selling a charging pad direct to consumers, HEVO is working to become a tier one supplier to the automakers themselves, so the receiving technology comes built into the vehicle straight off the production line. Get that right, and the automaker becomes the distribution channel.

In this conversation, Chris Lustrino and Jeremy dig into what the last year actually produced: roughly $2 million raised, five to six live automaker programs, and signed agreements with fleet partners including Autolane and STEER Tech. Jeremy also lays out the fleet math that makes wireless charging compelling — roughly $40,000 in ten-year per-vehicle operating cost for wireless versus $150,000–$175,000 for plug-in — and explains why the company's licensed polyphase technology, co-developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, may put HEVO in the lead position if the German automakers converge on a single universal design.

Chris also gets put on the spot — by his own guest — to explain why Kingscrowd Capital invested in the first place.

In this episode:

•   What HEVO does, and why it sells to automakers instead of consumers

•   Chris's investment thesis: founder alignment, market timing, and the de-risking power of an OEM partnership

•   The last twelve months: $2M raised, strategic investor interest, and why institutional clean tech capital went quiet

•   Fleet economics — 3–5x savings per vehicle over ten years for last mile logistics

•   Autolane and STEER Tech: autonomous vehicles that dock and charge themselves

•   Why warranty validation is the gate that only an automaker can open

•   Hardware pricing: ~$250 on the vehicle side, ~$1,200 for the grid-side charger, 11–22 kW, bidirectional

•   The revenue ramp: a couple hundred thousand this year, high six figures next, tens of millions by the end of the decade

•   Stellantis, its 13 brands, its EV rollback — and why HEVO says it's still in the saddle

•   The Oak Ridge polyphase license and the German standards play

•   Jeremy's message to investors weighing a 15-year overnight success

Guest: Jeremy McCool, Founder & CEO, HEVO

Host: Chris Lustrino, Founder & CEO, Kingscrowd

HEVO is currently raising on Wefunder. Learn more at wefunder.com/hevo.

Research HEVO and other startup investment opportunities at kingscrowd.com.

Inside Startup Investing is the only podcast where you can invest in every guest. If you like what you hear, subscribe so you never miss a portfolio founder interview.

Disclosure: Kingscrowd Capital is an investor in HEVO. This episode is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Investing in early-stage companies is risky and you may lose your entire investment.

Rejuvenate Bio CEO Dan Oliver joins Chris Lustrino to discuss the company’s gene therapy platform for aging-related disease. A spinout from George Church’s lab at Harvard Medical School, Rejuvenate Bio is developing therapies designed to change gene expression profiles associated with aging rather than edit or replace a patient’s underlying genome. Dan explains how the company uses viral delivery to help the body produce beneficial proteins over time.

The conversation explores Rejuvenate Bio’s dual strategy across animal health and human health. Dan explains why dogs offer both a meaningful commercial market and a scientifically useful path for developing aging-related therapies, especially because dogs age faster than humans and owners increasingly view pets as family members.

Chris and Dan also discuss Rejuvenate Bio’s partnerships with animal health companies, its development and commercial milestone agreements, its recently closed round backed by Merck Animal Health, the FDA approval process for veterinary products, and the company’s long-term plan to generate first-in-human clinical data that could create major partnering, acquisition, or public market opportunities.

Avadain CEO Brad Larschan joins Chris Lustrino to discuss the company’s effort to commercialize one of the most promising materials in advanced manufacturing: graphene. Brad explains what makes graphene so powerful, why it has been difficult to manufacture at scale, and how Avadain is working to create a technical pathway for large, thin, defect-free graphene production.

The conversation explores the potential applications of graphene across aerospace, drones, critical minerals, building materials, energy storage, and other industrial use cases. Brad also outlines Avadain’s capital-light strategy of licensing its production technology to established chemical and advanced materials companies rather than manufacturing graphene itself.

Chris and Brad discuss the company’s pilot plant, commercialization risks, recently completed $5 million crowdfunding raise, and long-term vision for building recurring royalty revenue from graphene production.

Influence Mobile founder and CEO Daniel Todd joins Chris Lustrino to discuss how the company built Rewarded Play into a major rewards platform for mobile gaming. Influence Mobile helps game developers acquire and retain high-value players by offering rewards to users who discover, play, and spend inside mobile games.

Daniel explains how his decades of experience in internet advertising and rewards programs led to the company’s current model, why older women are among the most valuable mobile gaming audiences, and why mobile gaming’s scale is often underestimated. The conversation also covers Influence Mobile’s $28 million revenue base, its Android success, upcoming iOS expansion, white-label opportunities, and the long-term vision for a broader rewards ecosystem.

Hill Road Pictures’ Frank Peluso and Bob Vanech join Chris Lustrino to discuss So I’m the Crazy One, an upcoming R-rated comedy built around a creator-driven film finance model. Frank shares his Hollywood background, including work with Nick Cassavetes, while Bob explains how his experience in digital media, YouTube networks, and equity crowdfunding shaped the film’s financing strategy.

The conversation explores how Hill Road is combining independent film production, content creator casting, audience ownership, Reg D and Reg CF fundraising, and direct-to-consumer monetization. Frank and Bob argue that creator audiences can help both fund and market films, while giving investors a more understandable product than many traditional startup opportunities.

Key Highlights

Lumida Wealth founder and CEO Ram Ahluwalia joins Chris Lustrino to discuss how the company is building an AI-powered wealth management platform for sophisticated investors. Ram frames Lumida as a next-generation investing platform designed to combine the best parts of brokerage accounts, financial advisors, market intelligence, and AI-powered portfolio tools into one experience.

The conversation explores why traditional 60/40 portfolios may not fit the next generation of investors, how Lumida uses AI agents and factor models to surface investment ideas, and why Ram believes investors increasingly want more control, better insights, access to pre-IPO opportunities, and a stronger sense of community.

Chris and Ram also discuss Lumida’s growth, revenue traction, customer profile, business model, and long-term vision for an AI wealth advisor that can eventually understand an investor’s full financial picture, goals, risk tolerance, and portfolio needs.

TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky joins Chris Lustrino to discuss how the company built a global waste management business around recycling the products most local systems reject. Tom explains why many materials are technically recyclable but economically unattractive for traditional recyclers, and how TerraCycle solves that gap through brand-funded programs, paid zero-waste boxes, and commercial recycling services.

The episode digs into the business mechanics behind TerraCycle’s model, including partnerships with major CPG brands, consumer adoption, processing facilities, and the economics of hard-to-recycle items like coffee capsules, razors, and cigarette butts. Tom also discusses TerraCycle’s profitability, dividend history, acquisition strategy, and why he believes waste remains one of the least innovative large industries.

Resources

Doroni Aerospace founder and CEO Doron Merdinger joins Chris Lustrino to discuss the realities of building a flying car company and why he believes electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles will become a major new category of transportation. Doron shares how a lifelong fascination with aviation and emerging drone technology inspired him to launch Doroni nearly a decade ago and pursue the vision of making personal flight accessible to everyday consumers.

The conversation explores Doroni's progress toward commercialization, including FAA-certified prototype flights, evolving regulatory frameworks, production plans, and the company's growing preorder base. Doron explains how Doroni's vehicle is designed to fit inside a garage, charge similarly to an EV, and operate under the FAA's new sport aircraft regulations, potentially lowering barriers to personal flight.

Chris and Doron also discuss infrastructure needs, manufacturing challenges, safety systems, funding requirements, battery technology, and what widespread adoption of flying cars might realistically look like over the next decade. The episode offers a candid look at one of the most ambitious sectors in transportation and the hurdles that remain before flying cars become part of everyday life.

Chris Lustrino sits down with Chris Graebe, founder of IPO Deal Hunter and one of the longest-tenured private market investors in the equity crowdfunding ecosystem. Together they discuss the state of startup exits, liquidity events, IPOs, and what investors should be looking for when evaluating private companies. Drawing from years of experience and several successful outcomes, Graebe shares how he identifies founders, evaluates opportunities, and balances short-term liquidity plays with long-term moonshot investments.

The conversation explores BeatBox Beverages' acquisition by Anheuser-Busch, one of the largest crowdfunding-backed exits to date, and the lessons investors can learn from backing strong founders in highly competitive industries. Graebe also discusses recent IPO successes including Starfighters Space and Premier American Uranium, highlighting how new pathways from Reg A and Reg CF offerings to public markets are creating liquidity opportunities for retail investors.

Whether you're interested in startup investing, crowdfunding, IPOs, or building a diversified private market portfolio, this episode provides an insider's perspective on where liquidity is emerging and how investors can position themselves for future opportunities.

This week on Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino sits down with Rebecca Kacaba, co-founder and CEO of DealMaker, one of the leading platforms powering retail capital raises for private companies.

Rebecca discusses the growing influence of retail investors across private markets and IPOs, why companies like SpaceX, Reddit, Gemini, and others are increasingly allocating shares to retail participants, and how community ownership is becoming a strategic advantage for modern brands.

The conversation explores DealMaker's unique approach to capital formation, helping companies build and own their own investor communities rather than relying solely on marketplace traffic. Chris and Rebecca also discuss repeat issuers, investor engagement, liquidity opportunities, sports ownership, regulatory developments, and the long-term future of retail investing.

If you want to understand where private markets, equity crowdfunding, and retail ownership are heading over the next decade, this is a must-listen episode.

Highlights include...