Venture with Grace

Venture with Grace

By Grace GongBusinessInvesting
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Venture with Grace episodes

  • Pat Casey, ServiceNow CTO & EVP on AI Platforms and Enterprise DevOps

    Pat Casey is the Chief Technology Officer and EVP of DevOps at ServiceNow and one of the company’s founding leaders. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Since joining in the company's earliest days, Pat has played a central role in building the ServiceNow platform into one of the world's leading enterprise software ecosystems. He worked alongside Fred Luddy to create the Glide platform, the foundation of what is now the ServiceNow AI Platform, led the development of the company's high-performance database technologies, and helped drive the integration of AI and large language models across ServiceNow's products. Today, he oversees a global organization spanning engineering, cloud operations, AI, developer productivity, advanced technologies, customer support, and product development, helping shape how enterprises automate and transform their operations at scale.Topics

    • Building ServiceNow AI Platform from Glide to LLM integration transforming enterprise apps
    • From ServiceNow founder 2006 to CTO: scaling 7,000 to 10,000 employees across AI and DevOps
    • AI integration at enterprise scale: LLMs empowering users to solve complex business challenges

    #ServiceNow #CTO #AIPlatform #DevOps #EnterpriseAI

    1 hr 7 min
  • Zeynep Korutürk and Kris Naudts, Firgun Ventures on Quantum Scale-ups

    Zeynep Korutürk and Kris Naudts are the Founding Managing Partners of Firgun Ventures, one of the first venture capital firms focused exclusively on Series A and B quantum technology companies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Zeynep previously spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs, where she co-founded the firm's Technology Initiative, advised technology founders and investors, and became an early investor in pioneering quantum companies including Cambridge Quantum. Kris is a serial entrepreneur, deep-tech investor, and founder of Culture Trip, which he scaled into a global travel platform reaching millions of users and raised more than $100 million in funding. Together, they are building Firgun Ventures to help the next generation of quantum computing, sensing, and communications companies scale from breakthrough research to real-world impact.Topics

    • How Firgun Ventures became first VC firm focused on Series A/B quantum scale-ups globally
    • From Goldman Sachs Tech Initiative and Culture Trip $100M raise to quantum VC partnership
    • What investors get wrong about the quantum opportunity

    #QuantumComputing #FirgunVentures #QuantumVC #DeepTech #CultureTrip

    55 min
  • Arnav Mishra, DOSS Co-Founder and CTO on ERP for Modern Industries

    Arnav Mishra is the Co-Founder and CTO of Doss, a company reinventing ERP software for modern businesses across manufacturing, logistics, construction, agriculture, and other traditionally underserved industries. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before founding Doss, Arnav was a founding engineer at Siteline, where he built critical infrastructure and experienced firsthand the limitations of legacy ERP systems and complex enterprise integrations. Earlier in his career, he held engineering roles at Rubrik, Uber, VMware, and AeroFS, while also serving as a venture partner at Contrary Capital. A computer science graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Arnav is focused on building flexible, AI-native operating systems that replace decades-old enterprise software and bring modern technology to the industries that power the real economy.Topics

    • Bringing modern technology to manufacturing, logistics, and other "dusty" industries
    • Lessons from scaling engineering teams and building products in complex enterprise markets
    • How DOSS rebuilds ERP from first principles for dusty industries like construction and logistics

    #ModernERP #DustyIndustries #DOSS #UXRevolution #TechCommunity

    1 hr 7 min
  • Guy Arazi, Pi Security Co-Founder and CEO on AI-Powered Cloud Security

    Guy Arazi is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pi Security, a cybersecurity company building a new approach to securing AI applications and systems. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before founding Pi, Guy was a senior security researcher at Microsoft, where he led security research initiatives, discovered more than 150 vulnerabilities, founded Microsoft's ransomware detection vertical, and served as technical lead for the MSRC Vulnerabilities & Mitigations team. He was also a founding member of the XCloud Research team at Palo Alto Networks, helping develop advanced cloud threat detection capabilities. With deep expertise spanning vulnerability research, cloud security, ransomware defense, and AI security, Guy is focused on helping organizations secure the next generation of AI-powered products and infrastructure.Topics

    • The emerging security risks facing AI applications and autonomous systems
    • Lessons from discovering hundreds of vulnerabilities at Microsoft
    • Why traditional cybersecurity approaches are struggling in the AI era

    #Cybersecurity #AISecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #CloudSecurity #Startups

    1 hr 3 min
  • Daisy Cai, B Capital General Partner on AI and Technology Investing

    Daisy Cai is a General Partner at B Capital, where she invests in AI and technology companies across the U.S. and Asia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Her portfolio includes category leaders such as Reflection AI, Apptronik, Writer, EvenUp, and Kaon, while previous investments include Profound Bio, which was acquired by Genmab, and GeekPlus, which later went public. Prior to B Capital, Daisy was a Partner at SoftBank Vision Fund and held investing roles at Goldman Sachs and TA Associates. She began her career as a chip architect at AMD, giving her a unique perspective that spans semiconductors, AI infrastructure, enterprise software, robotics, and growth investing.Topics

    • Investing in the next generation of AI, robotics, and autonomous systems
    • What separates breakout AI companies from the rest of the market
    • Lessons from investing through multiple technology cycles at SoftBank and B Capital

    #AI #VentureCapital #Startups #Robotics #EnterpriseAI

    51 min
  • Dan Mishin, Manifest OS CEO on Building AI-Native Legal Firms

    Dan Mishin is the Founder and CEO of Manifest OS, a company building AI-native infrastructure for next-generation law firms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously, he founded June Homes, a technology-driven flexible living platform that scaled to over $50M ARR, $1.3B in assets under management, and profitability while raising more than $70M from investors including SoftBank, Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and others, before its acquisition and transition to Chairman. Earlier, he founded Bear Hostels and later expanded it into a large regional hospitality business across the CIS region, which was ultimately acquired through Planet of Hostels. Across multiple ventures in real estate, hospitality, and AI, Dan has focused on building and scaling capital-efficient, category-defining companies that transform traditional industries through software.Topics

    • How Manifest OS powers AI-native law firms for accessible high-quality legal representation
    • From Bear Hostels CIS market leader to SoftBank-backed June Homes: hospitality to real estate tech
    • Scaling marketplace and real estate platforms from 0 → $50M+ ARR

    #LegalTech #PropTech #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Scaleups

    58 min
  • Nikita Rudin, Flexion CEO on Reinforcement Learning for Humanoids

    Nikita Rudin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flexion Robotics, where he is building humanoid robots powered by large-scale simulation and reinforcement learning. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~He previously spent more than four years at NVIDIA, helping advance high-performance physics simulation and AI training systems for robotics. Nikita earned his PhD from ETH Zurich, where his research focused on deep reinforcement learning for legged robots and contributed to some of the field's most influential academic work. Combining deep expertise in robotics, simulation, and AI, he is focused on making humanoid robots smarter, more capable, and commercially deployable in real-world environments.Topics

    • How Flexion Robotics scales simulation and RL training for agile humanoid robots at production scale
    • Lessons from NVIDIA on building AI infrastructure for robotics
    • The path from robotic demos to commercially valuable humanoid workers

    #Robotics #Humanoids #AI #ReinforcementLearning #EmbodiedAI

    59 min
  • Josh Araujo, Forterra CEO on Scaling Autonomous Defense Systems

    Josh Araujo is the CEO of Forterra, where he leads the company’s mission to deploy autonomous ground vehicle technology at scale.~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since joining in 2021, he helped lead Forterra’s growth from Series A through Series C while developing its Autonomy-as-a-Service business model and serving as COO before becoming CEO. Prior to Forterra, Josh was CFO of OGT Engineering & Construction and spent nearly a decade on Wall Street at Jefferies and Lazard, advising aerospace, defense, and industrial companies on M&A and capital markets transactions. Before entering finance, he served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. His career spans military leadership, investment banking, operations, and executive management, giving him a unique perspective on scaling mission-driven technology companies.Topics

    • Leadership Lessons Across Military Service, Finance, and Autonomous systems
    • How Forterra successfully scaled from its Series A in 2021 to its Series C in 2025
    • From Prototype to Deployment: Building Culture and Alignment in Defense Tech

    #DefenseTech #Autonomy #Robotics #Leadership #Startups

    1 hr 5 min
  • Kevin Peterson, Bedrock Robotics CTO on Embodied AI and Autonomy

    Kevin Peterson is the Co-Founder and CTO of Bedrock Robotics, where he is building advanced embodied AI systems to transform how robots operate in the physical world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously, he led perception for Waymo Via’s autonomous trucking division, working on large-scale real-world autonomy systems for logistics. Before that, he served as an Autonomy Architect at Caterpillar following its acquisition of Marble, a robotics company he co-founded and led as CEO, focused on automating goods movement in industrial environments. Earlier in his career, Kevin was CTO at Astrobotic, where he led engineering for lunar landers and spacecraft systems developed for NASA missions. He holds an MS from Carnegie Mellon University and has spent his career building perception, control, and autonomy systems across self-driving vehicles, robotics, and space exploration.Topics

    • How Bedrock Robotics combines deep Embodied AI with safety for real-world autonomy
    • Lessons from Waymo on perception at scale in autonomous trucking
    • Designing robotics systems for industrial automation and logistics

    #Autonomy #EmbodiedAI #SelfDrivingCars #SpaceTech #DeepTech

    1 hr 12 min
  • Rasmus Holst, Zensai CEO on Human Success Operating Model

    Rasmus Holst is the CEO of Zensai, the Human Success platform helping organizations improve learning, performance, and employee engagement in the age of AI. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Since becoming CEO in 2022, he has led the company's transformation from LMS365 into Zensai, growing revenue from roughly $14 million ARR to more than $30 million, completing multiple acquisitions, launching the Human Success category, and scaling the business toward the $100 million milestone. Prior to Zensai, Rasmus served as CRO at Wire, where he led the company's enterprise go-to-market expansion from zero to hundreds of customers, and previously held COO, GM, strategy, and product leadership roles across Huddle, Syniverse, MACH, and Oracle. Over a global career spanning Europe and the United States, he has helped build and scale technology businesses across SaaS, communications, enterprise software, and workforce technology.Topics

    • How Zensai Human Success replaces traditional HR with learning and performance at AI scale
    • Scaling Zensai from 14 million to 30 million ARR through three acquisitions and category creation
    • Leadership lessons from operating across countries and Silicon Valley

    #Leadership #FutureOfWork #HumanSuccess #Startups #EnterpriseSoftware

    1 hr 9 min

About Venture with Grace

From the publisher's feed

I host a top VC podcast called Smart Venture Podcast (SVPpro.com). Past guests include C-level/VPs of Google, Meta, Amazon, Sephora, Dunkin' Donuts, Chipotle, Pepsi, Instagram, Deloitte, Reddit, Lyft, etc. Managing Partners of top funds (many were featured on the Forbes Midas List) and unicorn founders (founders of Craigslist, Square, Loom, Cruise, etc.) Venture with Grace is my new spin-off series that features top LPs, GPs, solo GPs, Angel Investors, top AI founders, and other experts in tech and business to cover specific domain expertise.