Startup Savant

#45: David Utley, M.D. is the founder and CEO of Pivot, a digital health company helping users eliminate their tobacco use. Pivot has raised over $40 million, and David has over 100 published US patents. David is a seasoned entrepreneur and had previously been a founder at BARRX, which raised $70+ million in VC funding before being acquired in 2012. He has also served on the board of numerous startups and continues to engineer new solutions towards improving health outcomes.

In this episode we dive into: 

• Establishing partnerships with employers and large companies
• Why you may want to consider hiring an experienced CEO
• The power of innovating a neglected space

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

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#44: Jaideep Singh is the founder and CEO FlyFin, a VC backed startup helping automate finances for freelancers and business owners. While he initially began working as a software engineer, he later went on to become a founder of various companies and received an MBA from Wharton. One of his first startups, Spock, worked to create a database of over 1 Billion people to help companies find talent. Jaideep is a serial entrepreneur and says the first step for validating a startup idea involves asking whether you are working on a problem you personally care about.

In this episode we dive into: 

• Why paying taxes can be a challenge for freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs
• How to validate if a business idea is worth pursuing
• Getting your product off the ground in the early stages

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

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#43: Josh Cliffords is the founder and CEO of FreeWater, the world’s first free beverage company. Josh has founded numerous companies, but in 2018, he decided to tackle the world’s water crisis and hasn’t looked back. Josh’s ‘negatively-priced’ business model leverages advertising to make goods and services pay for themselves, and while he is currently focused on growing FreeWater, he has plans to continue expanding this business model into new industries.

In this episode we dive into: 

• Their ‘negatively-priced’ business model
• Disrupting industry juggernauts
• Developing new skills as a founder

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast! 

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#42: Former NFL player turned entrepreneur Parker Graham joins Ethan to discuss his startup Finotta, which offers banks a digital platform geared towards improving their customers’ financial health. Parker details his journey from a professional athlete to a startup founder. He discusses how his first company’s initial failures shaped his approach to creating Finotta and ultimately raising over $3 million dollars from one of his early customers.

In this episode we dive into: 

• Overcoming difficult obstacles as a founder
• Building company culture by establishing values
• The importance of a founder’s pain tolerance threshold

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast! 

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#41: Kyle York is the founder and CEO of York IE. Kyle has advised and invested in 100+ startups and is a board member for several companies. Kyle initially began working in EdTech, and after developing an interest in the tech space, he became the CRO at Dyn, a software company that was later acquired by Oracle. In addition to York IE, Kyle is a co-founder of York Real Estate and York Athletics.

In this episode we dive into: 

• The difference between York IE and traditional VC firms
• The market in approach
• Defining success for yourself
• Vanity metrics & their impact on startups

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast! 

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#40. Matt Blumberg is the Founder and CEO of Bolster, a company working to help startups scale by pairing them with executive talent and board members. In addition to running Bolster, Matt is the author of Startup CEO: A field guide to scaling up your business, and he runs a popular entrepreneurship blog, StartupCEO.com. Matt has worked with many companies throughout the years, and he has continued to write books dedicated to entrepreneurship.

In this episode we dive into:

• What is and isn't the role of a CEO
• How to scale yourself as a leader
• The importance of a balanced board of directors

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

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#38: Anthony Nitsos joins Annaka and Ethan to discuss startup Finances. As a fractional CFO, Anthony works with startups to build their financial systems and ensure that they have the correct figures to make informed decisions. Anthony recommends startups put in the work building a strong financial system in their early stages to help facilitate growth and success.

In this episode we dive into: 

• The value of hiring a fractional CFO
• Common pitfalls for young startups building their financial systems
• Key areas startups need to focus on during the early stages of their company

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

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#38: Alex Song is the CEO and founder of Proxima, which helps brands boost their marketing abilities by using big data and Proxima’s AI-powered software. Alex began his career in finance, but eventually he decided to start his own business. He is no stranger to entrepreneurship and has confounded many companies over the years. While Proxima works to help other companies leverage data to improve marketing, Alex initially built Proxima to help solve problems he had been experiencing with his own ventures. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• Changes in the advertising industry due to iOS 14.5
• The rise of social platforms and how we consume content
• Audience Personas
• How to target your audience in our new digital age

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Transcripts, episode summaries, and more can be found at https://startupsavant.com/podcast!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

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#37:  Ksenia Yudina joins  Annaka and Ethan to discuss her journey founding UNest, a fintech app designed to help families invest in their kids’ futures. Ksenia walks us through the problem she saw with traditional options for families, and she shares her story innovating the finance industry, an industry that is often reluctant to change.

In this episode we dive into: 

• Innovating an industry
• Using direct feedback to create changes
• Acquiring another company
• Fundraising and the doubt that can accompany a new founder

Read the full episode summary at StartupSavant.com/podcast!

Shellye Archambeau serves on the boards of Verizon, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies, and Okta. She previously served as the CEO of MetricStream, a software company focused on risk management and compliance. Her book, Unapologetically Ambitious was chosen by Fortune magazine as the business book of the year. 

In this episode we dive into: 

• Analyzing the risk in order to decide if an opportunity is worth pursuing
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• Finding mentors and establishing connections with mentors
• Why you shouldn't fall in love with your product

Read the full episode notes and summary on Startup Savant! 

Buy Shellye's book here.