The Startup Line

In this episode, I sit down with Mackenzie and Nolan, a couple and former bankers who decided to leave finance after running into a problem they couldn’t ignore. Long hours, no time to eat, and a daily habit of grabbing protein bars that claimed to be “healthy” — but didn’t feel that way.When Mackenzie started experiencing constant bloating, they took a closer look at what was actually inside the bars they were eating. What they found: overly processed ingredients, fillers, and products built for convenience, not health. After searching for a cleaner alternative and coming up empty-handed, they made a bold decision — to build their own.That decision became Hol Health Club.We talk about the leap from banking to building, what it’s like starting a company with your partner, and how a simple personal pain point turned into a mission to rethink functional nutrition for people with demanding lives.If you’ve ever felt stuck choosing between convenience and feeling good — this one’s for you.

In this episode, I sit down with Saba, co-founder of Tiny Dinner — a global, invite-only dinner party community redefining what real-world connection looks like. We talk about the art of hosting in your home, building trust-first micro communities, and why “friends of friends” is the most powerful social graph of all.Saba shares how Tiny Dinner grew from intimate NYC gatherings into a global, values-driven movement — with founding members, a personal invitation model, and dinners that stay free and intentional. We explore community building vs. virality, the power of personal invitations, social wellness, organic growth, and why not everything should scale like tech.If you’re curious about modern hospitality, community design, or building IRL relationships in an increasingly digital world, this one’s for you.Saba: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabaahmed1/

Tejpal Singh, co-founder of OpenBlock Labs, is building the infrastructure layer for the on-chain world. In this episode, we dive into how OpenBlock reached the #1 spot on Terminal Bench, the vision behind their OB-1 agent, and what it takes to pioneer AI-powered research tools for developers. We talk about what it means to build in public, why speed matters more than perfection, and how the next wave of software might be written — not by humans, but by agents.Tejpal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejpal-singh-260013303/Daljeet: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daljeetvirdi/OpenBlock Labs: https://www.openblocklabs.com/

Andrea never planned to build a healthcare company. But after years of struggling with endometriosis and realizing just how reactive and fragmented the women’s health system is, she felt compelled to take action. While at Harvard Business School, Andrea founded Lyv Health — a female-focused longevity platform designed to help women get to the root cause of their symptoms, access preventive care, and navigate aging with confidence.In this episode, Andrea shares her deeply personal health journey, the gaps she discovered in women’s healthcare, and why she chose to build Lyv Health despite not coming from a medical background. We explore the challenges of reimagining longevity with a female-first lens, what it means to build trust in healthcare as a founder, and Andrea’s vision for helping women live healthier, longer lives.Andrea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreagcorleto/Lyv Health: https://www.lyvhealth.co/On The Line (Founder's Club Waitlist): https://tinyurl.com/otlwaitlist

Ethan’s story is one of reinvention. Born in Queens and raised in New York, he began his career in corporate finance before taking the leap into startups—becoming CFO of a crypto gaming company by his late twenties. But the grind came with a cost: by October 2023 he was 85 pounds heavier and pre-diabetic. A small moment—struggling to tie his shoes on a Manhattan sidewalk—became the wake-up call that shifted everything.Ethan stepped back to focus on his health, rebuilding from simple, consistent habits like drinking a glass of water each morning. Along the way he found community through pickleball and running (he’s now training for the NYC Marathon). That journey inspired him to launch WeFit Labs: a social fitness platform that rewards consistency over intensity, connects to wearables, and uses gamified challenges and real-world community to keep people accountable.In this episode of The Startup Line, we dive into:Ethan’s path from corporate finance to startupsThe health scare that forced a resetWhy small wins matter more than quick fixesHow community drives accountability and lasting changeThe vision for WeFit Labs as the go-to social fitness platformEthan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-noblesala/WeFit Labs: https://www.wefitlabs.com/

In this episode of The Startup Line, I sit down with Victoria Ho, Co-Founder of Khalo, a modern food brand reimagining Ayurveda and gut health for today’s kitchens. What began as a personal journey of healing and connection has grown into a company bringing ancient traditions into modern homes through spice blends and cooking bases.Victoria shares how she went from studying English literature at Berkeley to scaling CPG brands, co-founding a popcorn company from scratch, consulting for Nestlé, and ultimately co-creating Khalo with Ankita and Jesal. We dive into the lessons of building with empathy, navigating the gritty realities of scaling food products, aligning with the right partners, and holding integrity at the core of every business decision.We also explore the bigger picture—why passion alone burns out, how food is a love language that connects us to our families and cultures, and how Khalo is making Ayurveda approachable for anyone looking to improve their gut health and daily rituals.If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to grow a purpose-driven food brand, balance storytelling with operations, or reimagine ancient traditions in a modern context, this episode is for you.Relevant Links:Khalo: https://www.khaloworld.com/Ankita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankitasankla/Victoria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriajho/Jesal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesaltriv/

In this episode of The Startup Line, I sit down with Alisha, co-founder and CCO of Self-Serve, an AI-powered front desk platform transforming the hospitality experience. What began as late-night conversations with friends about hotel frustrations has grown into a fast-scaling startup now in beta testing with boutique luxury hotels.Alisha shares how she and her co-founders—friends from high school turned collaborators across BU, Northeastern, and CMU—went from idea to LLC, landed early VC funding, and built a 20+ person team while still in college. We dive into building trust with co-founders, pitching investors as young founders, integrating with hotel PMS systems, and navigating the balance of academics with startup life.If you’ve ever wondered how Gen Z is reimagining industries through technology—or what it takes to bring a hospitality tech idea from napkin sketch to real-world rollout—this episode is for you.Alisha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisha-mehta2024/Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharma1/Kush: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kushagramallick/

Mehul always knew he wanted to be a founder. Instead of taking the safe route into big tech, he teamed up with his sister to launch Koyal.ai — an AI platform turning audio into video and unlocking a new way for creators to share stories. What started as a bold idea has already caught the attention of Grammy award–winning artists in India and is pushing the boundaries of what content creation can look like.In this episode, we dive into the hustle behind building Koyal.ai — how Mehul landed his very first customer, the clever marketing tactics he used to stand out, and how his network helped the platform spread. We also explore the future of AI-driven storytelling, why betting on yourself early matters, and what it really takes to turn vision into momentum.Koyal.ai: https://koyal.ai/Mehul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehul-agarwal-a274a0287/Gauri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gauri-agarwal/

Patrick Samy didn’t always know he’d end up in health tech. He started his career at Skype, co-founded Span Health to tackle preventative health, and scaled it to an acquisition by Eight Sleep. But after selling his first company, Patrick knew he wasn’t done building.In this episode, we dive into his journey from engineer to founder, what he learned about finding product–market fit the hard way, and how family health scares inspired him to start his new company, Hale. We talk about the challenges of selling in preventative health, why personalization is the missing link in diagnostics, and what it really takes to start again after an acquisition.Check out Hale: https://www.joinhale.com/Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricksamy/

What happens when a third-culture kid with a global palate reimagines the snacks of his childhood? For Kartik Das, the answer is Doosra—bold, joy-packed Indian flavors with an unexpected twist. In this episode, we dive into the layers behind the name (“Doosra” means different, second, and—if you’re a cricket fan—a curveball), how Kartik blends nostalgic Indian spices with sweet indulgent elements, and the journey from Queens farmers markets to store shelves across the country.We talk about embracing cultural identity, turning food into a bridge between worlds, and why joy—not just disruption—is at the heart of every bite.Check out their website! https://www.eatdoosra.com/Kartik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daskartik/

Siddharth and Vignesh didn’t set out to build a robotics company—but over dumplings in San Francisco, they decided to apply to Y Combinator and figure it out along the way. In this episode, we hear how Pivot Robotics went from vague ideas and dusty factory visits to landing a pilot contract off a 3D render. We talk about navigating pivots, selling into legacy industries, raising money without overthinking valuation, and why automating dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs just might be the future of American manufacturing.Check out their website! https://www.pivotrobotics.com/Siddharth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthgir/Vignesh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vignesh-rajmohan/