Venture with Grace

Calvin Chin is Managing Partner of E14 Fund, the early-stage venture fund affiliated with the MIT Media Lab, where he backs deep tech founders translating frontier research into scalable 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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously, he was Founder & CEO of Transist, an incubator investing across the continents in impact-driven startups, and earlier founded Qifang, China’s first online student loan platform, recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer. A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Fast Company “Most Creative People in Business” honoree, Calvin has spent his career operating at the intersection of research, entrepreneurship, and global capital flows, focused on turning technical breakthroughs into category-defining companies.TopicsTurning frontier research into venture-scale companies from MIT and beyondInvesting across U.S.–China innovation ecosystems: lessons and shiftsWhat actually matters when backing deep tech founders (beyond the science)#VentureCapital #DeepTech #Startups #Innovation #MIT #FrontierTech

Andrew Garvin is Co-Founder and COO of Metronome~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The usage-based billing leader acquired by Stripe enabling AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Confluent, and Anyscale to monetize complex SKUs, hybrid models, and sales-led motions with multidimensional metering—previously Fractional CFO to tech startups/VC funds, advisor to 8VC and Blend, Partner at Hybrid (crowd work platform), CFO at Mithril Capital ($1.4B Peter Thiel fund backing Palantir/Reddit/Auris), Director of Finance at Halcyon Molecular (EM genome sequencing), Principal at Clarium Capital ($8B macro hedge fund); Stanford GSB MBA with enterprise scale playbook.TopicsHow Metronome powers Stripe usage billing without complex engineering buildsGrowing Hybrid enterprise sales during crowd platform category creationAI monetization readiness with multidimensional metering at Stripe scale#UsageBilling #Metronome #Stripe #Fintech #BillingTech

Darren Moffett is Vice President of Sales at LangChain, leading go-to-market for the leading agent engineering platform powering production AI agents for enterprises—previously VP Sales AMER and Area VP Regional Sales at GitLab scaling DevSecOps adoption, Area VP US High Tech at MuleSoft driving enterprise integration leadership in Western Region; UC Davis History BA with proven track record building high-performing sales teams across developer platforms from open source to $100M+ ARR commercial motions. with prior enterprise leadership at Numerify, Cloudera, and xMatters (Area VP scaling incident response communications).~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 20+ year track record scaling DevOps, data analytics, and integration platforms at category leaders, now applying hyperscaler go-to-market expertise to LangChain's agentic AI ecosystem.TopicsHow LangChain scales production AI agents without prototype-to-production gapsGrowing GitLab AMER sales through DevSecOps platform adoption surgeDriving MuleSoft high tech enterprise integration during Western Region expansionDeveloper platform GTM readiness at LangSmith enterprise deployment scale#EnterpriseAI #LangChain #GitLab #MuleSoft #DevTools

Alex Ren is Founding Partner at Fellows Fund ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Backing frontier AI infrastructure with 20+ years across engineering, recruiting, and venture—seed investor in Sycamore Labs ($65M trusted agent OS), investor in Periodic Labs (OpenAI ex-VP science AI), Replit ($3B unicorn), Corgi ($108M AI insurance carrier), Dyna Robotics (DYNA-1 robotics foundation model), Scalar Field (AI trading terminal), BOND (Chief of Staff AI), alongside Abridge, GC AI, MAI Agents, Higgsfield AI, and Evidently; previously led TalentSeer AI recruiting, founded mobile app startup, autonomous vehicle researcher—UCAS Master's operator turned SF ecosystem investor building agentic execution systems.TopicsHow Fellows Fund sources AI breakout winners without traditional VC gatekeepersGrowing Periodic Labs talent exodus from OpenAI Meta DeepMind to science AIRobotics readiness with Dyna Robotics foundation models at $120M+ scale#AIVC #FellowsFund #SycamoreLabs #Robotics #DeepTech

Zach Lloyd is the Founder & CEO of Warp, the modern terminal reimagined for how developers actually work today—bringing structure, collaboration, and AI into a tool that has remained largely unchanged since the VT100 era. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Prior to Warp, Zach was a Principal Engineer at Google, where he led engineering for core products like Google Sheets and contributed to the broader Docs ecosystem used by billions globally. He later served as CTO of TIME and co-founded SelfMade, a venture-backed startup focused on empowering creators. Across roles, his throughline has been clear: building tools that meaningfully improve how people create and operate. With Warp, Zach is tackling one of the last untouched surfaces in the developer stack—transforming the terminal from a static interface into an intelligent, collaborative environment designed for speed, clarity, and AI-native workflows.TopicsReinventing the terminal: from VT100 emulation to AI-native developer workflowsWhy developer tools stagnate—and how Warp rethinks interface, speed, and usabilityEmbedding AI directly into core dev environments vs. layering on copilots#DevTools #Warp #GoogleSheets #DevEx #Terminal

Noam Schwartz is the CEO & Co-founder of Alice, a trust, safety, and security platform purpose-built for the AI era—protecting models, autonomous agents, and user-generated ecosystems from emerging threats. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 is also closely associated with ActiveFence, where he has led efforts to safeguard digital platforms for major technology companies and Fortune 500 enterprises, helping protect billions of users globally. Previously, Noam was VP of Business & Corporate Development at SimilarWeb, where he drove M&A and strategic partnerships, including the acquisition of his own startup, TapDog. Across his career—from founding early UGC platforms to scaling enterprise-grade safety infrastructure—Noam has consistently operated at the intersection of data, platforms, and risk. With Alice, he is now focused on a critical frontier: building end-to-end security and governance layers for AI systems, where model integrity, content safety, and agent behavior must be managed cohesively in real time.TopicsHow Alice secures AI models without fragmented trust safety toolingGrowing ActiveFence client protection during GenAI UGC threat expansionAI safety readiness with serial founder frameworks at enterprise platform scale#AISecurity #Alice #TrustSafety #SimilarWeb #DeepTech

Shawn Razek is the Co-Founder and CEO of Matterhaul.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where he leads the development of AI agents that automate distribution and manufacturing workflows. Matterhaul’s platform empowers teams to streamline complex processes, reduce friction, and accelerate operations without requiring new software systems. Prior to Matterhaul, Shawn co-founded Xoba, a B2B SaaS startup focused on workplace information discovery, growing the product from 0→1 with paying customers within six months and successfully exiting in 2023. He also served as Product Lead and Product Manager at Stripe, Verkada, and Cisco Meraki, driving full-stack product strategy, cloud platform development, and SaaS licensing models that scaled to millions of users and $30M+ in revenue gains. Shawn blends technical product expertise with startup leadership, helping teams design scalable solutions, launch products globally, and optimize operational efficiency.TopicsHow Matterhaul's AI agents cut distributor costs by automating procurement chaosScaling Stripe Terminal and Verkada sensors through enterprise GTM motionsBuilding Xoba from zero to exit while PM-ing at Verkada full-time#AI #SupplyChain #Matterhaul #StartupLeadership #B2BTech

Dr. Chenxi Wang is Founder and Managing General Partner of Rain Capital~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~A cybersecurity thought leader, investor, and board director, backing early-stage security startups including Claroty, ProjectDiscovery, Ox Security, and JupiterOne. Chenxi has held senior strategy roles at Intel Security and served as Chief Strategy Officer at Palo Alto Networks (Twistlock). She currently serves on boards including MDU Resources Group, advises Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, and founded the Forte Group to advance women in cybersecurity.Topics:​​Evaluating cybersecurity startups: signals that predict enterprise adoptionWhy cybersecurity VC thrives amid market chaos with unbreakable enterprise demandDesigning AI & ML security products for reliability and market fit#VentureCapital #VC #Cybersecurity #AI #WomenInTech

Belsasar (Bel) Lepe is Co-Founder and CEO of Cerby~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where he drives identity security innovation by extending SSO and lifecycle management to nonstandard apps, eliminating password managers and enabling passwordless auth for 100+ global customers with 10x growth post-$40M Series B in 2025. Previously Head of Product at Impira, he led product lifecycle, support, and marketing to deliver 4x revenue growth while pivoting from DAM strategy; before that, as Co-Founder/CTO at Ooyala, he oversaw global tech/product strategy, led 300+ teams across 5 countries managing $70M+ revenue lines in 170+ countries, integrated acquisitions, and achieved $440M+ exits including Telstra's $420M buyout. Starting as a Google Software Engineer on enterprise collaboration and Stanford CS alum, Lepe transitioned from engineering to founder/operator roles, advising Yalo/Impira and investing in LatAm startups.TopicsHow Cerby extends identity security to shadow IT apps without manual offboarding or password sprawlGrowing Ooyala to $420M Telstra exit during late-stage scaling at $440M+ total valuationHow workforce identity platforms are becoming the central control layer for enterprise applications.#Cybersecurity #IdentitySecurity #EnterpriseSaaS #Founders #StartupLeadership

Nicole LeBlanc is a Partner at Woven Capital, based in Tokyo, where she invests in climate technology and mobility transformation across Europe and North America, with a thesis focused on sustainability, urban innovation, and the industrial transition toward a decarbonized economy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~She leads investments in companies such as Corvus Energy, Eleven Labs, Intuition Robotics, and WeaveGrid, and serves on multiple boards supporting the scale-up of next-generation energy and mobility infrastructure. Prior to Woven Capital, she held leadership roles at 2150, Sidewalk Labs (Alphabet’s urban innovation initiative), and BDC Capital, where she built deep expertise in early-stage investing, corporate venture strategy, and portfolio development. Nicole is also a founder and investor in sandpiper.vc, a women-led venture fund, and holds a CPA designation, bringing a disciplined financial lens to her climate-focused investment work.TopicsHow Woven Capital accelerates climate mobility without fragmented supply chainsScaling Sidewalk Labs urban innovation through Alphabet ecosystem partnershipsDecarbonization readiness with Toyota infrastructure at Partner portfolio scale#UrbanInnovation #Hypergrowth #Partner #RenewableEnergy #DeepTech

John Forbes is General Manager of Deep Checks, the world's largest deep tech founder-investor matching platform facilitating $10s of millions and 1000s of meetings—and Principal at Julian Capital writing $750K first checks for deep tech founders (chips, robotics, energy, medtech).~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Prior to venture, John operated across sales, product, and early-stage growth, helping companies reach product-market fit. Through Deep Checks, he has built one of the largest deeptech deal flow networks, enabling thousands of founder–investor connections and accelerating capital formation in highly technical markets.TopicsHow Deep Checks matches deep tech founders without scattered investor outreachScaling Julian Capital $750K first checks through proprietary deal flow advantageProving market pull in deeptech through switching costs and sales signals#DeepTech #VentureCapital #Startups #Fundraising #SeedStage

Shamin Walsh is a Managing Director at BAM Ventures and a longtime angel investor with over 17 years of experience backing breakout consumer companies like Sweetgreen, Flexport, and Sir Kensington’s. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~With a background spanning venture investing, operations, and law, she brings a full-stack perspective to early-stage consumer businesses—combining insight into supply chain infrastructure, manufacturing, and brand building. Previously a partner at an early-stage firm with deep exposure to logistics and fulfillment, she has managed portfolios, served on boards, and helped shape fund strategy, drawing on her foundation as a transactional attorney.TopicsHow BAM Ventures scales consumer startups without supply chain bottlenecksGrowing portfolio companies through 3PL manufacturing operational supportConsumer readiness with legal-operational diligence at MD portfolio scale#ConsumerVC #Investing #Brands #SupplyChain #EarlyStage

Pedro Paulino is Founder and CEO of Tavrn.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Delivering AI-powered medical record retrieval, chronologies, and demand letters streamlining legal/insurance workflows—after Product Manager at PearPop and Kalshi (regulated prediction market); Harvard University alumnus with product expertise scaling complex user acquisition and data workflows across social commerce and fintech.TopicsHow Tavrn automates PI case prep from records to demands without manual paralegal workflowsScaling Tavrn Series A $15M through 45-state adoption at contingency fee firmsReplacing manual workflows with AI-native legal automation at $3B VC market scale#LegalTech #Tavrn #MedTech #LegalAI #Startups #Product

Alysaa Co is an early-stage investor backing world-class founders building the next generation of healthcare and AI products. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~She focuses on partnering at the earliest stages with teams creating category-defining, best-in-class solutions, and plays a key role in leading healthcare investments across companies like Tandem, Silna, Charta, Loyal, Simile, and MagicSchool. Before venture, Alysaa built and scaled a multi-million-dollar consumer food business during her college years—an experience that shaped her perspective on founder grit and execution. She also writes Cracking the Codes, a Substack exploring themes like scaling student-led businesses and navigating the evolving AI landscape in healthcare.TopicHow BCV backs fintech category leaders without crowded seed competitionHealthcare tech readiness with Charta Health partnerships at Partner scaleGrowing multi-million college business during student entrepreneurship phase - AI landscape in healthcare#FintechVC #HealthcareTech #Startups #VC #EnterpriseSaaS

Sandhya Venkatachalam is the Founder of Axiom Partners, an early-stage venture firm backing AI-native, category-defining startups before they become obvious. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~A former Partner at Khosla Ventures, she has invested in companies like Groq, Fireflies.ai, Forethought, and Helm.ai, and raised a $52M debut fund to double down on high-conviction, non-consensus bets. Known for her contrarian approach, Sandhya focuses on founders with unique visions of how AI will reshape industries—combining deep technical insight with a willingness to move early, often ahead of market consensus.TopicsHow Axiom Partners finds category-defining AI without crowded infrastructure/application consensusScaling Groq inference leadership through earliest Khosla Ventures infrastructure convictionGrowing Fireflies.ai board tenure during enterprise meeting intelligence expansion#AIVC #Startups #VC #EarlyStage #CapacityCrunch #Hypergrowth

Iren Reznikov is a Partner at Vintage Investment Partners~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Specializing in enterprise infrastructure and cybersecurity. She previously led Corporate Development and Venture Investments at SentinelOne, managing its $100M venture arm across Israel and EMEA, and held investment roles at Cisco and YL Ventures. Her portfolio includes category-defining companies like Medigate, Axonius, Vulcan Cyber, and Guardz. Recognized by Fortune and Forbes Israel, Iren brings deep expertise in identifying and scaling high-impact startups across cybersecurity, AI, and enterprise software.TopicsHow Vintage accelerates cyber/AI startups without fragmented LP-GP alignmentScaling SentinelOne $100M venture arm through Israel EMEA infrastructure betsEnterprise cyber readiness with M&A expertise at Vintage $4B portfolio scale#CyberVC #Startups #VC #Cybersecurity #EnterpriseAI #HypergrowthHow this was made

Tyler Carlson is SVP and Head of Product for AppExchange & Ecosystem at Salesforce.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Driving the product vision for AppExchange 2.0 as a modern SaaS marketplace where customers discover, try, buy, and securely install apps, integrations, and agents extending Salesforce products. With over 10 years at Salesforce, he progressed from Principal Solution Engineer to leading strategic partnerships with Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple, Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, and Snowflake for Data Cloud and Generative AI initiatives. Previously spent 5+ years at Model N rising from Associate Consultant to Principal Solutions Consultant in revenue management for life sciences, technology, and manufacturing companies.TopicsHow AppExchange 2.0 enables agent discovery without integration silosScaling Salesforce partnerships with OpenAI Anthropic through GenAI launchesGrowing Agentforce 360 ecosystem during AI-native partner expansion#AppExchange #Salesforce #Agentforce #Ecosystems #Startups

Nancy Xu is VP of AI & Agentforce at Salesforce after selling Moonhub. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The world's first fully autonomous AI Recruiter delivering 3.5x+ ROI for hundreds of enterprises at $100M+ valuation backed by Khosla, GV, Salesforce, and Marc Benioff. Stanford AI Lab PhD and MBA (Knight-Hennessy Scholar, NSF Fellow) pioneering AI agents research under Chris Re with dual undergrad degrees in math and CS. General Partner at Xu Ventures backing Cartesia, Replit, Gecko Robotics, Inception AI, Prism, Ambience Healthcare, and others including exits like Replicate (acq. Cloudflare) and Dorsal (acq. Commure). Named TIME100 Most Influential in AI and co-founder of The Gradient publication.TopicsHow Agentforce scales autonomous recruiting without manual screening pipelinesScaling Moonhub 3.5x ROI through enterprise AI agent adoption to Salesforce exitAI agent research readiness from Stanford lab to enterprise production at $100M scale#AIAgents #Salesforce #Moonhub #XuVentures #Startups #VC

Vihaar Nandigala is Co-Founder of Orange Slice (YC S25). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The AI agent platform inside spreadsheets helping sales teams discover high-intent companies already in-market through real-time signals from websites, news, social, court records, and building permits—raising $5.3M seed led by 1984 Capital/Moxxie Ventures with Paul Graham; built with Michigan sophomore co-founder Kishan Sripada (Bollywood dance team origin story) targeting sales engineers at startups like Novoflow/Pirros; solves core sales timing problem replacing static lists with living, actionable account lists at 23 years old with YC-backed playbook for accessible growth engineering.TopicsHow Orange Slice finds in-market buyers without static lists or growth engineer hiresGrowing Orange Slice $5.3M seed during launch phase with Paul Graham backingAI prospecting readiness with real-time signals at spreadsheet-native scale#AISales #OrangeSlice #YCS25 #SalesProspecting

Eric Schurenberg is the Founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~A nonprofit focused on rebuilding trust between journalists and audiences through research, media literacy programs, and newsroom partnerships. He previously served as CEO of Mansueto Ventures, where he led Inc. and Fast Company through a major expansion into events, video, podcasts, and data, delivering record profitability. A longtime media executive and award-winning journalist, he has held senior roles at Inc., CBS MoneyWatch, Money Magazine, Fortune, and Business 2.0, and is a Loeb Award and National Magazine Award winner. Today, he also serves as Editor-in-Chief at Amplify Publishing Group and a distinguished instructor at the University of Chicago.TopicsHow Alliance for Trust rebuilds newsroom-audience relationships without engagement gapsScaling Inc./Fast Company to profitability through events video podcasts diversificationHow legacy media brands evolved into multi-platform business ecosystems#Disinformation #GrowthStrategy #Founder #Journalism #Trust

Vijay Krishnan, Turing Co‑Founder: Advancing SuperintelligenceVijay Krishnan is the Co‑Founder of Turing.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Turing is a company at the forefront of advancing and deploying superintelligent systems. With over two decades of experience in machine learning and AI, Vijay has built large‑scale intelligent platforms and research‑driven products that connect, optimize, and accelerate human and machine collaboration.Before Turing, he co‑founded Rover (acquired by Revcontent), where he scaled its flagship AI recommendation platform Flipora to 40M users through deep personalization and search relevance modeling. Earlier, as Senior Data Scientist at Yahoo, he led applied ML efforts across ads, search, and personalization spanning billions of users. Vijay holds a Stanford MS in Computer Science (AI) and a B.Tech from IIT Bombay and is widely cited in NLP, deep learning, and data mining.Topics:Advancing and deploying superintelligence in the real worldFrom large‑scale ML systems to autonomous AI platformsTuring’s evolving approach to integrating advanced AI into development and decision workflowsLessons from scaling AI‑driven products like Rover and Turing#Superintelligence #AI #Startups #MachineLearning

Stefan Weitz is the co-founder and CEO of HumanX, the world’s preeminent AI conference. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Venture-backed and aligned with enterprise needs, HumanX helps turn inspiration into action. An 18-year Microsoft veteran, he led technologies used by over a billion people worldwide, and later helped grow and exit North America’s 2nd largest independent eCommerce company. A best-selling author, multi-patent holder, and GP at SilverCircle, he’s invested in 31 startups since 2021.TopicsHow HumanX transforms AI inspiration into enterprise action without strategy gapsScaling Bing 4x market share through search platform and global product launchesGrowing Radial $250M revenue 7x during growth phase to $850M BPost acquisition#ProductLeadership #eCommerce #Hypergrowth #Founder #BigData

Sri Viswanath is the Founder & CEO of Sycamore and former CTO of Atlassian. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where he led the company’s cloud transformation and scaled engineering through hypergrowth from $500M to $2.5B+ in revenue. With leadership roles across Groupon, VMware, and Sun Microsystems, and board experience at Splunk and SendGrid, Sri has spent decades building and scaling complex enterprise systems. Today, he’s focused on a new frontier with Sycamore—creating the trusted infrastructure layer that enables enterprises to deploy, govern, and orchestrate AI agents with security, oversight, and continuous learning built in from day one.Topics:How Sycamore deploys trusted AI agents without governance gaps or deployment frictionScaling Atlassian 5x from $500M to $2.5B through cloud engineering transformationAI infrastructure readiness with enterprise security built-in at Sycamore launch scale#EnterpriseAI #Startups #VC #CloudScale #AIAgents

Amit Zavery is president, chief product officer, and chief operating officer at ServiceNow.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 leads the company’s AI platform, products, engineering, cloud infrastructure, and user experience while overseeing enterprise-wide operations, digital technology, and security to drive disciplined execution from idea to impact. Previously vice president, general manager, and head of platform at Google Cloud, he helped grow the business from $7B to over $41B in annualized revenue by defining product strategy and scaling its application platform, and before that served as executive vice president and corporate officer at Oracle, leading a 4,500+ person global organization across cloud infrastructure, middleware, Java, and analytics that generated more than $6B annually. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in Information Networking from Carnegie Mellon University.Topics:What Amit learned scaling Google Cloud from $7B to $41B in revenue and how that shapes his product playbook todayIntegrating AI across ServiceNow’s cloud platform to enhance customer experience and operational efficiencyLeading a 4,500-person global engineering team generating $6B+ annually#AIPlatform #EnterpriseAI #ProductLeadership #CloudComputing

Katie Burke is Chief Operating Officer at Harvey 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~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where she oversees people, workplace, communications, business technology, and customer engagement—after 11.5 years at HubSpot scaling as Chief People Officer and VP Culture leading global recruitment, D&I (20% women in leadership increase), and employee experience to #1 Glassdoor Best Place to Work amid 34% revenue growth and post-IPO expansion across countries. Katie is also a board member at the Boston Red Sox Foundation and previously served on the board of Paycor with early marketing leadership at Athletes' Performance launching Core Performance wellness for Intel/Google/Walgreens and Glover Park Group doubling revenues while promoting Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. Culture innovator turned ops leader with playbook for remarkable workplaces at unicorn scale.TopicsHow Harvey scales AI adoption without fragmented people ops and siloed teamsHow culture, hiring, and leadership systems become growth drivers as companies scale globally.Transitioning from Chief People Officer to COO and building operational foundations for AI-native startups.#PeopleOps #HarveyAI #HubSpot #Paycor #Startups #HRTech

Div Garg is Founder and CEO of AGI, Inc., ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The AI neolab designing everyday AGI with universal assistants that act across devices as naturally as humans—topping industry benchmarks for mobile-use (AndroidWorld) and computer-use (OS World), backed by Anthropic, Menlo Ventures, Charlie Songhurst (Meta Board), Songyee Yoon (HP Board), Ali Rowghani (ex-YC MD), and frontier AI lab leaders. Co-founder/CEO of MultiOn (hottest '24 consumer AI agent, first Computer-Use pioneer, $30M+ Series A from General Catalyst/Amazon/Samsung), Stanford CS adjunct faculty who created/taught CS 25: Transformers United (1M+ YouTube views with Hinton/Vaswani/Karpathy), first software engineer/AI Lead at Collaborative Robotics (Sequoia/Bezos), NVIDIA 3D Diffusion PhD intern, Cornell CS alum—bridging research to production AGI.Topics:How AGI Inc builds on-device superintelligence topping AndroidWorld/OS World benchmarksPioneering MultiOn as 2024's hottest AI agent before spinning out AGI Inc with elite backersFrom Collaborative Robotics first engineer to everyday AGI that books flights without errors#AGI #AIAgents #MultiOn #StanfordCS #Transformers

David Zhu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Reevo.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Building an integrated platform that connects the full revenue journey from first customer touch to closed deal, while running Zhu Ventures as General Partner backing era-defining companies—after scaling DoorDash from $700M Series C to $75B IPO as Head of Engineering across New Verticals (grocery/alcohol/retail), Money (payments/compliance), Platforms (identity/developer tools), and Enterprise (Drive/Work solutions) leading 200+ engineers, plus Head of Growth/Engineering at OpenStore ($40M revenue, $970M Series B valuation), Cisco NEMO founder, and Acer/iGware engineering leader through $395M acquisition. Serial scale-up operator turned founder/VC with playbook for 100x company transformations. Earlier in his career, he founded and led engineering within Cisco’s incubation unit and was part of iGware, which exited for $395M.Podcast TopicsHow Reevo Eliminates Fragmented GTM Stack Inefficiencies Through Integrated Revenue PlatformsTips from Managing 200+ Engineers Across Platforms as DoorDash Scaled from $700M Startup to $75B Public CompanyDesigning the Financial Infrastructure Behind Marketplaces#SalesTech #Reevo #DoorDash #OpenStore #Startups #VC

Kathy Ross is the CEO of Sequoia One.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Leading all aspects of the PEO business to drive growth, retain clients, and enhance employee engagement. With deep expertise in revenue growth, sales operations, margin expansion, digital transformation, and service operations, she has built a reputation for operational excellence across HR technology, occupational health, and total compensation services. Kathy’s prior leadership roles include Senior VP at Paylocity, Division VP at Abbott, and executive positions at ADP and ARAMARK. She is a Cornell University alum with an MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management and an active member of C200 and Exceptional Women Alliance.TopicsHow Sequoia One helps VC-backed startups optimize comp/benefits during hypergrowthScaling Paylocity client operations across 3,000 employees through digital transformationPEO strategies that reduce people spend while boosting retention for tech scaleups#HRTech #SequoiaOne #Paylocity #Abbott #StartupHR

David Kwon is a Partner at Abstract, a $1.8B AUM venture capital firm and early partner to category-defining companies including xAI, SpaceX, Solana, Rippling, and Cognition. He focuses on frontier AI and next-generation software investments, helping lead backing for high-growth companies such as Polymarket, Decart, Hedra, and Socket, alongside multiple stealth ventures. Previously, he led enterprise software investing at Greycroft, backing breakout companies including Extra Card, ZenBusiness, and MNTN that later reached unicorn status, and began his career at Stripes investing in growth-stage software and consumer companies. Berkeley Economics BA and Forbes 30 Under 30 VC, David spots technical excellence traditional funds miss, bridging research to unicorn trajectories.TopicsHow Abstract sourced xAI SpaceX and Cognition before trillion-dollar narratives too shapeLessons carried from Stripes and Greycroft into early-stage investing, and how late-stage metrics inform seed and Series A convictionSpotting Polymarket Hedra and Vapi when AI agents were fringe ideas#VentureCapital #VC #AbstractVC #xAI #Polymarket

Brian Powers is Co-Founder and CEO of Markups.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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where Agent Marko—the AI contract colleague—negotiates MSAs, NDAs, DPAs from your inbox with zero software installs, creating custom playbooks from your precedents for perfect redlines and analysis in minutes while integrating with existing CLMs and folders. Previously, Brian co-founded TemperPack, scaling it to $100M+ in revenue and earning recognition as Forbes 30 Under 30 and EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Mid-Atlantic). With a background in investment banking at Moelis & Company and a Wharton School finance degree, he blends operational scaling, AI product strategy, and legal tech innovation to transform how enterprises handle contracts efficiently.TopicsHow Agent Marko negotiates contracts from inboxes without CLM migrations or trainingLessons from scaling TemperPack to $100M+ in sales and operational growth through enterprise sales and sustainability tailwindsWhy AI agents beat legal ops teams at routine agreements while lawyers focus on strategy#LegalTech #AIContracts #MarkupsAI #VentureWithGrace #LegalAI

Andrew Felbinger is Partner at Urban Innovation Fund.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Backing 60+ seed startups solving urban challenges with capital and regulatory expertise—scoring exits like codeSpark, DropCountr, Electriphi (Ford acquisition), and Jiffy while building leaders in climate, mobility, govtech, and proptech. Wharton MBA valedictorian and Seton Hall 4.0 grad, he was Head of Finance & Biz Ops at Grain Technologies (YC W20), earlier Senior Associate at UIF, Acquisitions Associate at Castellan Real Estate Partners, and Barclays AVP building fixed-income trading—now Techstars mentor and founding angel at Vitalize Venture Capital.Podcast TopicsScaling Grain Technologies ops during YC while sourcing fund's next decade of unicornsWhy boring urban infra like permitting and payments creates trillion-dollar opportunitiesTransitioning from Barclays trading to seed investing in tomorrow's city infrastructure#VentureCapital #PropTech #ClimateTech #GovTech #UrbanInnovationFund

Mek Stittri is the CTO of Stuut, an AI-driven accounts receivable automation platform backed by top VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Khosla Ventures. ~~~~~~~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 VP at GitLab and with deep experience from leadership roles at VMware, he is a seasoned technology executive, startup advisor, and board member who guided complex engineering transformations to enhance performance, collaboration, and efficiency. Known for aligning technology strategy with business goals, fostering high-impact global teams, and delivering results like $6M in annual savings through resource optimization at GitLab, Mek champions AI integration, operational excellence, and talent development to help companies achieve sustainable growth in competitive markets.Topics: AI-Driven Platform ScalingEngineering Org TransformationResource Optimization Strategies#AI #EngineeringLeadership #CTO #SaaS #Fintech #AIPlatforms #GitLab #VMware #Startups #VentureCapital

Javad Mostofizadeh is Partner at WilmerHale's San Francisco.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~A corporate practice, advising top venture capital, growth equity, and private equity funds—from seed to late-stage—on fund formation, structuring, operations, investor relations, partnership agreements, tax issues, and strategic lifecycle management for US and international clients including opportunity funds, fund-of-funds, and SPVs. Returning to WilmerHale after Partner roles at Latham & Watkins (Silicon Valley) and Gunderson Dettmer (fund formation/tax), Javad brings 15+ years counseling elite Bay Area funds through market cycles with deep relationships across the innovation economy.TopicsHow top VC funds structure seed-to-late-stage vehicles amid AI infrastructure frenzyNegotiating LP terms when elite investors demand side letters and co-invest rightsOperating multi-stage funds through down markets and $100B+ follow-on rounds#VentureCapital #FundFormation #PrivateEquity #WilmerHale #VCFunds

Patrick Thompson is Co-Founder and CEO of Clarify.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The AI-native CRM platform automating pipeline management, outreach, and follow-ups for early-stage startups—replacing fragmented tools with autonomous agents that let sales teams focus on selling. Three-time founder who co-founded Iteratively (acquired by Amplitude for $5.4M where he became Director of Product), built Atlassian's Jira growth team as Design Manager, and led design at Syncplicity—now angel investor in 15+ startups including Warp, CoScreen (Datadog acquisition), Inflection.io, Reforge, Revefi, and Limited Partner at Madrona/Ascend.vc/Essence VC with Community Access Fund. Seattle-based lifelong learner, photographer, and yogi balancing startup life with family.Topics:How Clarify's AI agents eliminate manual CRM busywork so founders can focus on customersBuilding Iteratively from zero to Amplitude acquisition then leading product post-exitWhy early sales teams need autonomous focus not dashboards and deal stages#CRM #AIAgents #Clarify #Amplitude #Atlassian

Henry W. (Lifan Wang) is Co-Founder and COO of Kaon (prev. FlowGPT).~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The AI-native content platform backed by DCM, Goodwater, and B Capital—scaling FlowGPT.com to 5M DAU in 6 months as the world's largest prompt platform with Google/HuggingFace hackathons, FlowStudio (text-to-film engine, Product Hunt #1 & Golden Kitty nominee), and Emochi (10M+ users, fastest-growing AI content platform). Ex-Amazon Software Development Manager (5+ years), Berkeley Haas MBA, Henry drove SEO/organic growth, content supply chains, and AI infra strategy while building creator communities that turned viral prompts into billion-impression businesses.TopicsHow FlowGPT hit 5M DAU in 6 months through creator-led prompt hackathons with GoogleBuilding FlowStudio from zero to Product Hunt Golden Kitty as the first text-to-film AI engineScaling Emochi to 10M users blending paid ads with organic creator supply-demand networks#ConsumerAI #FlowGPT #AIPrompts #ProductHunt #AIContent

Byron Ling is Partner at Twelve Below.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Twelve Blow is an NYC seed/pre-seed VC firm ($160M AUM) backing breakthrough software-enabled businesses with high-conviction 10-15% ownership stakes—leading investments in Ro, Papa, K Health, Mirror (LULU acquisition), Italic, Osmind, Mantra Health, Odyssey Energy, Accrue Savings, Croissant, Campus, Truehold, Solstice, Health Universe, Conduit Health, Rondah AI, Barnwell Bio, VoiceOps, and Arya. NYC ecosystem veteran since Gilt Groupe operator days (2010), Byron honed thesis at Primary Venture Partners and Canaan Partners before co-founding Twelve Below with Taylor Greene (ex-Collaborative Fund/Lerer Hippeau) to nurture founders through product-market fit with hands-on strategy and networks. Wharton MBA holder focused on consumer health, healthcare infra, fintech, energy, SMB, and consumer.Topics:Why NYC remains the underrated hub for healthtech fintech and consumer startups despite SF dominanceBuilding breakthrough companies through product-market fit with hands-on networks from day zeroSpotting defensible software moats in complex markets like healthcare infrastructure and energy#SeedInvesting #VentureCapital #ConsumerHealth #HealthcareInfrastructure #EarlyStage

Brooke Motta is CEO and Co-Founder of RAD Security~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Clawkeeper by Rad Security is a purpose-built security platform for OpenClaw AI agents that hunts down leaked secrets, weaponized skills, hidden backdoors, and supply-chain implants before attackers can hijack your agents, exfiltrate sensitive data, or turn your AI into an entry point for full-scale compromise.Topics: Why OpenClaw agents are a new attack surfaceHow Clawkeeper hardens OpenClaw by defaultContinuous defense: from static scans to runtime protection#Clawkeeper#OpenClawSecurity#AISecurity#AgentProtection#RadSecurity

Stu Smith is an Investor at Scribble.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The early-stage VC fund ($250M AUM) founded by OpenAI/Meta/Twitter/Instagram/a16z builders, writing $750K-$1.5M checks at Pre-Seed through Series A—after co-founding Coughdrop Capital where he backed pre-launch winners like Superhuman, Lattice, Mercury, Varda, and Magic Patterns across 100+ investments. Serial operator who co-founded/scaled Racket (Greycroft/Foundation backed audio platform to 100K+ users), led WarnerMedia's 55-person digital creator division, built Omaze's global partnerships with Disney/HBO/NBA/adidas/UNICEF, scaled Teespring's $50M+ entertainment business, and started managing Phish/Dave Matthews Band at Red Light Management—blending music industry talent-spotting with VC pattern recognition.Topics:How Scribble spots Pre-Seed winners like Coughdrop's Superhuman and Lattice before product launchWhat traditional media and music experience teach about launching and marketing digital products.How Stu evaluates and backs founders before products exist, including patterns across companies like Superhuman and Lattice.#Superhuman #Lattice #Mercury #Racket #WarnerMedia

Andy McLoughlin is Managing Partner at Uncork Capital (formerly SoftTech VC).~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The SF seed-stage firm ($500M+ AUM) backing B2B software innovators like LaunchDarkly (unicorn), Human Interest (unicorn), Tailscale, Crossbeam, Fountain (unicorn), Coder, Mutiny, Focal Systems, Torii, Sym, Nuon, and more—focusing on unsexy productivity tools, dev infra, security, and applied AI that let every business operate like tech giants. Huddle co-founder who raised $80M+ and drove US expansion before 2017 acquisition, prolific angel in 40+ startups including Intercom, Postmates (Uber $2.65B), Pipedrive (Vista $1.5B), Calm, Bugsnag, Tray.io—plus Founders Pledge and GBx co-founder, Sheffield Economics BA, OBE honoree, Kauffman Fellow.Topics:How Andy McLoughlin helps early-stage founders grow their teams, culture, and processes while preserving startup agility.Patterns across investments in LaunchDarkly, Tailscale, Human Interest, and Crossbeam that reveal what drives durable competitive advantage. Why overlooked software infrastructure, developer tools, and operational platforms often deliver the biggest long-term returns.#VentureCapital #VC #SeedStage #B2B #DevTools

Zack Reneau-Wedeen is Head of Product at Sierra.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where Zack Reneau-Wedeen builds next-generation enterprise AI agents powered by advanced context engineering and voice capabilities. Zack Reneau-Wedeen previously led product and design at CoinTracker and served as Head of Product, Crypto at Robinhood. Earlier, Zack Reneau-Wedeen spent seven years at Google as the founding PM for Google Lens and Google Podcasts, contributing across Search video, Knowledge Graph, Motion Stills, and Google Docs to help shape products used by billions. Alongside operating roles, Zack Reneau-Wedeen is Founder of Radish Workshop, prototyping open-source AI tools including Yuzu (Next.js localization), OpenZeppelin.com, and CodeSheets.com. Zack Reneau-Wedeen holds degrees in Computer Science and Economics from Yale and an MBA from Harvard, bringing a rare blend of consumer-scale product intuition and enterprise AI execution.Topics:Launching Google Lens and Podcasts from zero to billions as founding product managerAI product evaluation in production: metrics, guardrails, and continuous improvement systemsFrom Google-scale consumer products to enterprise AI: transferable product guidelines and where they break#AIAgents #SierraAI #GoogleLens #ProductManagement

Camille Moore is President and Co-Founder of Third Eye Insights Inc., ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Toronto-based branding agency transforming service businesses, trial lawyers, surgeons, medical spas, and enterprises into unforgettable brands through strategic storytelling, digital infrastructure, and social media mastery—while hosting Art of the Brand, the #1 podcast for business owners on branding and strategy with her viral frameworks downloaded worldwide. Known as "The Internet's Favourite Branding Expert," Camille bridges boardroom decision-makers with Gen Z trends, offering 1:1 consulting, Social Media Masterclass, and free Substack/YouTube resources that turn posting into measurable brand equity for clients who want growth assets, not burdens.Topics:Lessons from branding multinational corporations down to solo practitioners with the same playbookFrom positioning to pipeline, how strong narrative architecture translates into measurable revenue impact-Signal vs. noise in social metrics: which indicators predict long-term brand equity#MarketingOps #GrowthStrategy #FounderBrand #MarketingLeadership #BrandEquity

Robert Scoble is Founder/CEO of Unaligned~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 launched Matic Robots from his home garage while chronicling Silicon Valley's bleeding edge in robots, holodecks, BCIs, and spatial computing through his legendary Scobleizer blog—first to spotlight Tesla, Uber, Siri, Instagram, Flipboard, and Cloudera before they exploded. Tech media icon who transformed Microsoft's developer relations via Channel 9 (praised by The Economist), evangelized Rackspace through Zuckerberg/Hsieh interviews, ran Fast Company TV and PodTech's video networks, served as Infinite Retina CSO for AR/VR strategy, and authored eight books on technology's future, Robert remains the ultimate insider spotting tomorrow's unicorns today.Topics:Lessons from humanizing Microsoft at Channel9 and Rackspace through raw founder storiesWhy spatial computing with robots BCIs and holodecks will redefine human experienceBrain-computer interfaces, holodecks, and immersive interfaces: what’s real vs. hype#ArtificialIntelligence #SpatialComputing #Robotics #FutureOfWork #StartupEcosystem

Jake Stauch is Founder and CEO of Serval~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~The AI-native ITSM platform automating IT, HR, finance, and legal workflows—recently hitting $1B valuation after $75M Series B from Sequoia (total $127M raised) and 5x revenue growth. Previously, he was Director of Product at Verkada and Founder/CEO of NeuroPlus, a Forbes 30 Under 30-recognized startup creating brain-controlled video games for ADHD therapy. Jake blends deep product and AI expertise with entrepreneurial experience in building high-impact technology solutions that combine AI, human-centered design, and operational efficiency.Topics:Insights from brain-controlled games at NeuroPlus to automating enterprise helpdesks at ServalBalancing human oversight with autonomous IT decision-making.Integrating AI into complex operational workflows without disrupting legacy systems.#EnterpriseAI #Startups #Forbes30Under30 #SiliconValley #EnterpriseTech

Shay is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Greenfield-Partners.~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Greenfield-Partners focuses on SaaS, healthcare and Ai managing over $1B across cybersecurity, AI, infrastructure, and SaaS. He leads Greenfield's investments BigPanda (AIOps), Coralogix (observability), VAST Data, Capitolis, Silverfort, Torq, Mixtiles, floLIVE, Exodigo, and exits including Avanan (Check Point acquisition) and Guardicore ($600M Akamai sale). Prior to Founding Greenfield, Shay was a senior advisor to TPG Growth. Originally from Tel Aviv and for the last 25 years in NYC, Shay spent the early years of his career operating and maturing early growth technology companies. He then joined Thylacine Capital to lead the alternative investing activity. Shay has an undergraduate degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University and an EMBA from Columbia Business School.Topics:How Greenfield Partners turns Series B startups into unicorns using the proprietary G2M growth playbookWhy AI and cybersecurity remain the hottest growth sectors despite market turbulenceLessons from leading investments in BigPanda Coralogix and VAST Data through explosive scale#AIOps #SaaS #GrowthInvesting #AI #Cybersecurity

Chris Degnan is the former Chief Revenue Officer at Snowflake.~~~~~~~~~~~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 helped scale the Data Cloud across multiple public clouds and global enterprise clients. He iis a seasoned enterprise tech executive and board advisor, with 15+ years in building and scaling go-to-market organizations. Chris Degnan co-founded Noname Security and has advised ICONIQ, Giga, Factory, Watershed, PointFive, and Clumio, guiding companies on GTM strategy, revenue scaling, and operational excellence. With deep experience in enterprise sales, product commercialization, and board governance, Chris combines hands-on execution with strategic insight for founders and leadership team plus author of MakeItSnowBook.com detailing Snowflake's playbook, Chris guides founders on sales culture, hiring grit, and durable revenue scale after prior leadership at EMC, Aveksa, Informatica, and Clumio.Topics: Why customer-obsessed GTM motions beat product hype for trillion-dollar enterprise outcomesBoard-level insights on scaling revenue teams for hypergrowth without losing operational rigor.Lessons from deploying mission-critical cloud products in regulated enterprise environments.#EnterpriseSaaS #GTMStrategy #RevenueOps #CloudScale #BoardLeadership

Anand Raghavan is the Chief Product Officer at Snorkel 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~~~~~~~~~~~Where he leads product strategy for programmatic AI and enterprise ML systems. Previously VP of AI Products and Engineering at Cisco and co-founder/CPO of Armorblox (acquired), Anand has spent two decades building AI-native security and data platforms from zero to enterprise scale. His career spans founding engineering roles at Blue Jeans Network (acquired by Verizon), AI/ML leadership at Medallia and ThoughtSpot, and early infrastructure work at NVIDIA. Anand brings a rare end-to-end perspective on shipping production AI—from model pipelines and human-in-the-loop systems to secure enterprise GTM.Topics:Building Snorkel AI's data foundation for custom enterprise models beyond the usualArchitecting programmatic data pipelines for production-grade AI systemsHow Cisco's AI Defense and Canvas redefine secure enterprise genAI at global scale#ProductLeadership #Cybersecurity #Analytics #Founder #SiliconValley

Shay Levi is Co-Founder and CEO of Unframe.~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~The enterprise AI platform delivering turnkey solutions for observability, data extraction, intelligent agents, and modernization—enabling Fortune 500s to deploy custom AI use cases in hours without data sharing, fine-tuning, or rigid vendor lock-in, achieving millions in ARR within year one. Serial entrepreneur fresh off co-founding Noname Security as CTO, scaling it to the first API security unicorn in 18 months ($40M ARR) before Akamai's $500M acquisition—backed by LSVP, Insight, Cyberstarts—Shay built on Unit 8200 elite engineering roots, Facebook senior engineering, ironSource R&D leadership, and early exits with Meme/Vidoplay (Somoto acquisition).TopicsEngineering-driven GTM: bridging technical rigor with business scaleTranslating elite intelligence R&D into commercial cybersecurity solutionsWhat serial founders learn about AI infrastructure after perfecting API security at scale#Startups #Founder #AIAgents #Hypergrowth #UnicornExit

Fatimah Hussain is a powerhouse creator with 200M+ views, 200K followers, and 50M likes across TikTok and Instagram in the education and early-career space. She is the founder of Fatimah’s Guide, an all-in-one mentorship platform connecting top college students with ambitious high schoolers. Fatimah is an EECS student at the University of California, Berkeley and has partnered with F500s including Adobe, Notion, and Microsoft to deliver practical study, productivity, and career content.She’s currently building Finnie with Chloe Hughes, a tool that automates scholarship discovery by analyzing a user’s Common App PDF. Previously, she founded Workout Wizard, a computer-vision fitness app that won Contra Costa Shark Tank and was featured on FOX, KRON4, and AOL, as well as Perky 3D Prints, a customizable 3D-printed toys venture—demonstrating a repeat founder who builds, ships, and scales products for her generation. Her work sits at the intersection of creator-led growth, AI products, and education access at scale.Topics:Building a creator-led user acquisition engine that converts audience → product usersDesigning AI-powered mentorship platforms with strong supply-demand liquidityBalancing UC Berkeley EECS, content creation, and a startup while avoiding burnout#GenZ #CreatorEconomy #Mentorship #Startups #WomenInSTEM

Deepak Prasad is a Director at Qualcomm Ventures, leading US investments across early- to growth-stage tech companies with expertise in sourcing, deal execution, and portfolio management, drawing on over five years of investment experience. As a founding team member at GPO Fund, he drove enterprise tech deals like MapAnything (acquired by Salesforce), built on prior roles at Unilazer Ventures investing in consumer successes such as Lenskart, and positions at The Carlyle Group and Soros Fund Management. A Columbia Business School MBA graduate with a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Engineering from VJTI Mumbai, Deepak combines technical depth with investing passion, while enjoying travel, hiking, snowboarding, and tennis outside work.Topics - Qualcomm Ventures' playbook for US early-stage tech dealsWhat “long-term technical advantage” actually looks like in venture diligenceUnderwriting cloud-to-edge startups with long enterprise adoption cycles#VentureCapital #QualcommVentures #DeepTechInvesting #CloudToEdge #EnterpriseTech

Sarah Klingman is Founder and CEO of Mostest, the New York-based platform reimagining event planning with AI-powered curation, professional-grade vendor matching, transparent pricing, and end-to-end execution support that eliminates research rabbit holes and vendor ghosting for hosts, while connecting vendors to serious clients and enabling brands to scale community events effortlessly. Drawing from nearly five years at adidas—rising to Sales Director, pioneering the SPEEDFACTORY-powered Lifestyle Exclusive Creation partnership with Foot Locker to let consumers drive footwear trends, and managing Foot Locker as Key Account Manager—plus Lifestyle Key Account Manager at Under Armour, Sarah applies retail partnership mastery to make unforgettable events accessible on any budget and timeline.Topics:Building a consumer-focused product strategy with AI-powered event curation and reliable vendorsLessons from adidas and Under Armour on turning partnerships into explosive community and brand growth-Transitioning from corporate leadership to startup founder#ConsumerTech #BrandInnovation #ProductStrategy #StartupLeadership #Partnerships