Shane Ray Show

The PeaceTech GTM Accelerator is officially open! 

In this episode, Shane breaks down everything - why it exists, who it's for, and what founders can expect from 12 weeks of go-to-market training, advisor access, and a Demo Day pitch in front of 20+ VCs on July 30th.

This is a free, zero-equity accelerator headquartered one mile from the Pentagon in Arlington, VA. Only 6 spots. The waitlist is already moving.

If you're a founder building software to reduce violent conflict - apply below now. 

https://forms.gle/hcXJzh6oTgwdvnHu5 


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If you want to get your brand in front of PeaceTech founders building the next generation of national security - we have limited partnership opportunities available. Reach out to Shane directly at [email protected].

In this episode, you'll hear from Adam Chen, CRO at FinStrat.

FinStrat has helped more than 300 founders and supported startups that have raised $480M+ in capital.

Shane and Adam break down the patterns behind predictable B2B revenue.

If you’re a founder trying to close enterprise customers or raise venture capital, this episode will save you months of trial and error.

Most founders think sales is about pushing harder.

The best founders know it’s about asking better questions and uncovering the truth. 

✅ What you’ll learn:

• The signals that show a deal is moving forward
• Why founders should send consistent outbound messages
• How to identify the internal change agent inside a company
• How respectful curiosity beats aggressive selling every time
• Why mapping decision makers dramatically increases close rates
• The simple outreach structure that removes pressure from sales

This episode is packed with practical advice for founders building.

🎧 Hosted by Shane Ray Martin - investor at B Ventures, founder of the PeaceTech Accelerator, former startup founder, LinkedIn Top Voice in Negotiation, author, and certified peace mediator helping founders build technologies that predict, prevent, and manage conflict.

🔗 Connect with Adam Chen and FinStrat:

FinStrat: https://finstratmgmt.com/

Adam Chen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamschen

Innovators and Investors Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@finstratmgmt

Can money help end wars?

Most investors never ask that question.

Marcel Smits has spent 25+ years working in conflict zones across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. After years on the ground, he noticed a major problem:

Peacebuilders create stability.
Then investment arrives.
But without the right safeguards, money can sometimes undo the peace that was just built.

So Marcel is building something new.

Peace Finance.

In this episode we talk about:

• The rise of PeaceFinance.org
• What peace-positive investing actually means
• Why the market for peace finance could reach $40B+
• Why finance and peacebuilding rarely talk to each other
• New funds and financial instruments designed to stabilize fragile regions
• How PeaceTech startups and global development finance could work together

We also debate a hard question:

Can technology truly be “peaceful”… or is every technology dual-use?

If you care about venture capital, global stability, investing, or PeaceTech, this conversation will challenge how you think about money and conflict.

Learn more: PeaceFinance.org




Podcast Timestamps

00:00 Intro: Why peace finance matters
00:21 Marcel’s background working in conflict zones
01:40 The frustration that led Marcel to create Peace Finance
02:55 The core idea: What if finance could contribute to peace?
03:40 What PeaceFinance.org is building
05:15 What “peace-positive investing” actually means
06:35 Finance for Peace vs PeaceFinance.org explained
09:15 Why the peace ecosystem is fragmented today
10:05 Shane’s vision: PeaceTech as a $100B industry
11:55 Marcel on the potential of PeaceTech
12:50 Why safeguards matter when building peace technology
15:00 The big debate: Can technology ever be neutral?
17:00 Governance vs technology in conflict environments
19:10 Will regulation slow down PeaceTech innovation?
20:20 Marcel’s view: Standards should guide, not stop innovation22:00 Examples of Peace Finance standards
23:50 How inclusiveness and trust shape peace technology

Opportunity Section (Investors / Market)

25:45 Major institutions adopting peace finance
26:00 African Development Bank applying a peace lens to investments
27:50 New peace funds being created
28:10 $50M humanitarian development peace fund in Somalia
28:40 New financial instruments: Orange Peace Bonds
29:40 Growing interest from impact investors
31:10 Market size: $30B–$40B peace finance opportunity
33:20 How Marcel will know the market is working

Ecosystem Opportunity (Important for Your Audience)

35:10 How PeaceTech and Peace Finance could work together
37:10 The bridge between startups and large funds
38:30 Why peace tech startups and development funds need each other

Closing


40:05 Where to find Marcel and PeaceFinance.org
41:00 Final thoughts: why most people want peace

🚀 PEACETECH COMMUNITY PERK

Get Carta for free (with free onboarding) 👉 https://app.carta.com/launch/create-account/?ir=corps-launch-hero1%2F&utm_medium=ChannelReferral&utm_source=peaceventures&PID=peaceventures

It’s free up to your first $1M raised.

Plus, through our partnership, you get:

✅ Waived onboarding
✅ 25% off your first year after you raise

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Should you raise VC right now?

You’ll hear from the GOAT of VC, Peter Walker at Carta. He leads Insights at Carta and works with data from 50,000+ startups across 160 countries.

You’ll hear what’s really happening in venture today:

• Does geography still matter?
• Are solo founders actually at a disadvantage?
• What do fewer deals and more capital concentration mean for founders?
• How many seed companies truly make it to big outcomes?
• Is the exit market recovering or still frozen?

Most importantly, we answer the question:

Is raising VC still rational?

If you’re building, thinking about fundraising, or deciding whether to bootstrap, this conversation will help you think clearly and act smarter.

Let’s make peace profitable! 

If you're a PeaceTech founder, send me a note: [email protected]

Aman Verjee is legendary.

→ CFO at two unicorns
→ Wrote PayPal’s first S-1
→ Helped CEOs through multiple IPOs

He has also deeply studied tech bubbles.

We talked about:
• Why bubbles start with people, not products
• Why every bubble feels “new” but never is
• What 2008, tulips, and crypto all have in common
• What to build in 2026 when markets are uncertain
• How the best investors stay calm when others panic

Grab a copy of his book "A Brief History of Financial Bubbles" today! 

About the book: https://www.bigbubbletrouble.com/the-book
Pre-order: https://www.bigbubbletrouble.com/

Can AI actually help end war, or is that just a nice idea?

In this episode, Shane Ray Martin sits down with Simon Horton, author of The End of Conflict: How AI Will End War and Help Us Get On Better. Simon has spent 20 years teaching negotiation and conflict resolution across 25 countries, including work with major banks and the British Army.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why Simon believes AI can help end war 
• The Libya story: AI-supported public dialogue, live on TV, and what changed after
• Why deliberative tech may become normal in government and big decisions
• Where Shane sees the biggest opportunities: AI for negotiation and misinformation
• What PeaceTech founders should build if they want adoption inside real workflows

Simon also gets super honest. He does not fully trust Big Tech, and he explains why power and incentives matter. Shane shares his take too, and why PeaceTech founders have a unique shot to build profit-driven companies led by people who actually care about peace.

Grab a copy of Simon's book: theendofconflict.ai/buy-the-book

2026 will be the greatest year in PeaceTech history.

This podcast shares an imperfect, but actionable framework to 10x PeaceTech in 2026.

Shoot me a DM on LinkedIn or email at [email protected]

I’ve met 200+ PeaceTech founders in the last 12 months.

The one thing preventing PeaceTech today from scaling massively is high-quality founder-led sales. We see this as a huge opportunity! 

This episode walks you through Part 1 of the PeaceTech B2B system to find buyers, run sales calls, and close $25k+ paid pilots.

If you want the full system, get the 5-module (+3 bonuses) course. 

It is 99 USD until Jan 1. First 10 founders get a one-on-one call with me.

👉 Get it here: community.peacerise.global/p/the-b2b-sales-system-for-peacetech-founders/register

Avi Yashin built Subconscious AI to fix a big problem: slow market research testing and bad data.

In this episode, he shows how AI can measure demand without surveys, recruit synthetic respondents, and deliver insights in minutes.

You’ll learn:

• How AI predicts consumer behavior  
• Why synthetic respondents beat long, expensive surveys
• How CMOs use AI to test messages, prices, and product ideas fast
• Why this tech could change both business and PeaceTech

If you want faster insights and smarter decisions, this one’s for you.

👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn and tell me your #1 takeaway: linkedin.com/in/shaneraymartin

Follow Avi and his company at: subconscious.ai 

In this special episode, Caleb Morato interviews me! 

I'll share the truth about my negotiation failures, some insights about my faith, and how teamwork often matters more than winning at all costs. 

✅ What you’ll hear:

• The $75K Microsoft deal that went sideways
• How failure built character and wisdom
• Why faith shapes every good negotiator

🎧 Hosted by Shane Ray Martin, investor, author, and peace mediator.

👉 Follow Caleb: linkedin.com/in/cm53
👉 Follow Shane: linkedin.com/in/shaneraymartin