Ventures from The Valley

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with embedded finance expert Lars Markull to explore how non-financial companies can unlock new revenue streams by integrating banking services. They unpack successful case studies, common pitfalls, and the future of embedded finance across regions like Europe, the US, and Asia. From choosing the right infrastructure partners to aligning strategy with customer value, this conversation is a must-listen for business leaders, investors, and financial institutions navigating today’s digital economy.
What you will learn:

• How to identify the three critical elements of embedded finance
• Why certain embedded finance implementations succeed while others fail
• The strategic framework for aligning your business for embedded finance integration
• How traditional banks can position themselves as infrastructure providers 
• Why B2B embedded finance currently offers more promising opportunities 
• How to navigate the complex partnership landscape between banks, infrastructure providers, and businesses
• The key factors driving successful embedded finance implementation
• How to assess and select the right banking partners and infrastructure providers e
• Why the customer value proposition must drive embedded finance strategy 
• The future outlook for embedded finance across different sectors 

Lars Markull is an embedded finance consultant and founder of Embedded Finance Review. With over a decade in fintech, spanning roles at Figo (open banking) and Weavr (embedded banking), Lars helps startups and scale-ups navigate the complex landscape of financial infrastructure. He offers hands-on support in selecting the right providers for payments, banking, and lending. Known for deep market research, strategic introductions, and practical insights, Lars empowers companies to build financial products that truly move the needle. Context is everything, and Lars delivers it.

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In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with fintech visionary Brett King to explore how AI, smart contracts, and digital currencies are disrupting global finance. From the decline of traditional banking to the rise of platform-based lending and autonomous finance, King shares bold insights on the future of economic systems. A must-listen for investors and finance professionals navigating the digital revolution reshaping capitalism, regulation, and the very role of money in society.
What you will learn:

- How AI is transforming banking from branch models to personalized agent-driven financial services
- Why smart contracts and stablecoins represent the biggest opportunity in banking 
- How fintech companies are outpacing traditional banks in customer acquisition
- Why China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will lead the next wave of autonomous finance 
- The fundamental shift needed in the US regulatory framework 
- How automation and AI will force a transition from GDP-driven economics to quality-of-life metrics
- Why Visa & Mastercard must adapt faster to the digital financial ecosystem
- The critical role of data aggregation and behavioral analysis in financial services
- Why banks must evolve beyond traditional credit scoring 

Brett King is a world-renowned futurist, bestselling author, and fintech pioneer. Named a Top-10 Global Futurist by Global Gurus, he’s advised the Obama administration, the UAE Prime Minister’s Office, and regulators in 18 countries. King founded Moven, launched two top-ranked podcasts, Breaking Banks and The Futurists, and was inducted into the Fintech Hall of Fame in 2020. Cited by President Xi Jinping, his books Augmented and Bank 4.0 are global bestsellers. His latest book, Branch Tomorrow, releases in September 2025.Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor talks with Jim Pulcrano, IMD Professor and veteran entrepreneur, about the evolving relationship between European and Silicon Valley venture ecosystems. They explore how cultural differences influence startup growth, investment styles, and innovation strategies. From academic institutions to AI's role in venture capital, the conversation offers sharp insights for investors, founders, and educators seeking to bridge global innovation cultures and prepare for the next wave of tech disruption.
What you will learn:

• How European venture capital has evolved to a mature ecosystem today
• Why Silicon Valley's "think big" mentality creates fundamental differences in startup scaling compared to European approaches
• The critical distinction between European consensus-driven and Silicon Valley's disagreement-tolerant business cultures
• How European academic institutions are adapting to foster entrepreneurship
• Why industrial and cleantech startups find better footing in Europe 
• The evolving role of AI in venture capital investment decisions 
  
  

Jim Pulcrano is a distinguished Professor at IMD Business School, bringing over 26 years of expertise in entrepreneurship education and venture development. As both an academic and practitioner, he combines his engineering background with extensive startup experience, having co-founded three companies and served as a key advisor in three others. His work bridges the gap between European and Silicon Valley entrepreneurial ecosystems, particularly through IMD's executive MBA program, where he pioneered the integration of entrepreneurship education focused on developing entrepreneurial mindsets for business leaders, investors, and innovators. 


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In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, hosts Victor and Tom talk with Inaki Berenguer, a three-time founder and managing partner at LifeX Ventures. Inaki shares his journey from small-town Spain to building and exiting three startups, including CoverWallet. He unpacks strategies for startup growth, selecting the right investors, and navigating co-founder dynamics. The conversation also provides a forward-looking take on how AI transforms science and healthcare, offering powerful insights for founders and investors navigating today’s tech-driven world.
What you will learn:

• How academic excellence can translate into entrepreneurial success
• The evolution of startup building across three successful ventures 
• Why choosing the right investors matters and the three key values they should bring 
• The importance of building a strong company culture 
• How AI is transforming healthcare and scientific research
• Why distribution channels and pricing power are crucial for capturing value in AI-driven businesses
• Why the speed of building valuable companies is accelerating in the AI era
  
  

Inaki Berenguer is Managing Partner at LifeX Ventures, a $100M fund investing at the intersection of AI and science. A serial entrepreneur, he founded and led three startups to successful exits: CoverWallet (acquired by Aon), Contactive (acquired by Fuze), and Pixable (acquired by SingTel). He also cofounded Agentero and iPronics. Inaki has held roles at Microsoft Strategy, McKinsey & Co., and conducted research at Intel and NEC Labs. A Fulbright Scholar and 14-time marathoner, he holds a PhD from Cambridge, an MBA from MIT, and degrees from UPV and Columbia University. He’s passionate about scaling innovation globally.


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Welcome to this episode of Ventures From The Valley. Join hosts Victor and Tom as they sit down with NetGuardians co-founders, Joël Winteregg and Raffael Maio, to explore their 15+ year journey from university spin-off to fintech success. They discuss navigating pivots, raising over $40M, scaling internationally, and ultimately selling their company. Whether you're a founder, investor, or fintech enthusiast, this episode offers key lessons on strategic decision-making, co-founder dynamics, and sustainable growth. 
What you will learn:

• How to build and maintain a successful co-founder relationship through trust 
• The evolution from university spin-off to market leader in banking fraud prevention
• Why Swiss startups might need to look beyond their domestic market 
• How to navigate fundraising rounds totaling €50M while maintaining founder control 
• The "Transparency with Strategy" framework for leading teams 
• How to transition from a fundraising-focused mindset to business growth orientation 
• The importance of establishing robust sales operations 
• Why having multiple contingency plans (Plan B, C) is crucial for startup survival 

Joël Winteregg and Rafael Vega are the co-founders of NetGuardians, a Swiss-based fintech company specializing in AI-powered fraud prevention and anti-money laundering solutions for banks. As technical founders with engineering backgrounds, they built NetGuardians from a university research project in 2007 into a leading financial crime prevention platform. The company has successfully expanded from Switzerland into the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions, leveraging its innovative behavioral analytics technology to protect financial institutions. With over 15 years of partnership, Joël (CEO) and Rafael (Strategy Lead) have navigated multiple pivots, fundraising rounds totaling approximately $50 million, and ultimately led NetGuardians to a successful private equity acquisition. 
Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Welcome to Ventures From The Valley. In this episode, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Mor Assia, Co-founder and Managing Partner of iAngels, to uncover the secrets behind one of Israel’s top venture capital success stories. From managing $500M in assets to reshaping Israeli VC, Mor shares her journey of balancing innovation, family, and the future of AI in investing. Tune in for insider insights on building a thriving investment platform and navigating the Israeli startup ecosystem like a pro.
Together, they discuss:

• Early Years: Growing Up in Israel's Tech Ecosystem
• Founding iAngels: Democratizing Venture Capital in Israel
• Building a $500M Investment Platform
• The Art of Board Membership & Founder Relations
• Israel's Startup Ecosystem: Challenges & Opportunities
• Balancing Family Life & Venture Capital Leadership
• AI's Impact on Business & Society 
• Key Takeaways: Innovation, Leadership & Future Growth

Mor Assia is a high-tech entrepreneur and Co-founder of iAngels, a leading platform empowering global investors to access Israel's thriving startup ecosystem. With over a decade of experience in corporate strategy, M&A, and tech innovation, she bridges the gap between cutting-edge Israeli startups and international angel investors. A respected mentor and advocate for Israeli technology, Mor’s mission is to create transparent, customizable venture portfolios while inspiring the next generation of investors to shape the future of Israeli innovation actively.
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In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Ilya Strebulaev, The David S. Lobel Professor of Private Equity and Professor of Finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Together, they discuss:

• Why venture capital shows a clear indication of alpha
• What factors have made Silicon Valley the epicenter of venture capital
• The emergence of new innovation hubs across the U.S. and globally
• What impact will AI have on investment trends
• The future of venture capital
  
  

Ilya is a renowned expert in venture capital, private equity, and entrepreneurial finance. As the Founder and Faculty Director of the Stanford GSB Venture Capital Initiative, he leads research and education focused on the venture capital ecosystem and innovation. Ilya's work, published in major academic journals and featured in outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, has earned him numerous awards, including the GSB MBA Distinguished Teacher Award. He is also the co-author of The Venture Mindset, a bestseller on launching new ventures and fostering innovation.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, instructions on how to do this are here.

This episode is brought to you by R136 Ventures.

Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Damián Scavo, CEO and CIO of Streetbeat.

Together, they discuss: 

• How AI is transforming personal and corporate financial decision-making
  
  
• The increasing dominance of algorithmic and HFT in financial markets
  
  
• Will professional traders survive the AI revolution?
  
  
• What the US fintech can learn from the UK and Asia
  
  
• Why tokenization is the next big thing in fintech
  
  
• When will AGI hit our lives?
  
  
• Will AGI be free for all or controlled by a few?
  
  

Damián has over 20 years of experience in tech, finance, and big data. In his role, he is reshaping the investment world by leveraging AI to make financial intelligence accessible to all. Streetbeat empowers individual investors and financial institutions with personalized strategies and advanced AI tools for smarter, data-driven decisions. With a strong background in algorithmic trading and big data, Damián has raised over $25 million and holds 15 patents.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, instructions on how to do this are here.

This episode is brought to you by R136 Ventures.

Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, host Victor Orlovski sits down with Jim Kolchin, a serial entrepreneur and founder of iWallet.
Together, they discuss: 

• Early lessons in entrepreneurship from Jim’s Soviet days
• How Silicon Valley and successful exits sharpened Jim’s approach
• The shift from hardware to software and SaaS as scalable business models
• The challenges of changing consumer habits and succeeding in the payment space without external funding

Jim Kolchin is the CEO and Co-Founder of iWallet, a thriving payments platform he’s bootstrapped to multimillion-dollar revenue. With over 25 years of experience in the appliance and HVAC industries, Jim brings deep expertise in hands-on business and technology. He’s a member of the Forbes Los Angeles Business Council and an active shareholder in Partsable.com, a company revolutionizing appliance and HVAC parts distribution.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, instructions on how to do this are here.
This episode is brought to you by R136 Ventures.
Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

In this episode of Ventures from the Valley, our host Victor Orlovski is joined by Dr. Mohammad Rasouli, Founder and CEO at AIx2, and Philipp Reineke, Co-founder and COO at AIx2. Together they discuss: 

• The competitive landscape of AI research
• The evolving role of AI in venture capital
• Future trends in AI
• Predictive capabilities
• The intersection of AI and alternative investments

Dr. Mohammad Rasouli is the Founder and CEO of AIx2, a company that empowers alternative investment funds through cutting-edge generative and predictive AI. Their advanced technology enhances due diligence, uncovers direct opportunities, and delivers sharp market insights, all aimed at driving higher alpha and ROI. In addition to his role at AIx2, Dr. Rasouli is a Research Scholar at Stanford University.


Philipp Reineke, Co-founder and COO of AIx2, is also pursuing a PhD at Stanford University. His dissertation focuses on the study of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, positioning him at the forefront of research in this emerging field.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, instructions on how to do this are here.
This episode is brought to you by R136 Ventures.
Ventures from The Valley is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so