Venture with Grace

Paul Lam is the Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Finance at Bot Auto, where he leads strategy, finance, HR, and administration for the company's Level 4 autonomous trucking business. Since joining, he has helped lead strategic initiatives and fundraising, contributing to over $60 million in capital raised. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 Bot Auto, Paul led corporate development and strategy at TuSimple and spent nearly five years at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), where he led digital infrastructure strategy, co-authored the G20 InfraTech Blueprint and Stocktake, and executed more than $650 million in principal equity and debt investments. His career also includes roles at British International Investment, the World Bank Group, and UBS, where he advised over $2 billion in M&A transactions. Paul has also served as a board member of the UK Digital Twin Hub and on the World Economic Forum's Global Digital Twin Cities advisory committee. He holds a degree from the University of Cambridge and completed executive education at MIT Sloan.TopicsFrom Infrastructure Investing to AI Startups: Scaling Capital-Intensive InnovationThe $650m equity/debt investments playbook for autonomous vehicles and infrastructureBuilding the Business Behind Autonomous Trucking at Scale#AutonomousVehicles #ArtificialIntelligence #Logistics #Infrastructure #VentureCapital

Lena Stocker is an associate at DTCP Growth, where she focuses on growth-stage technology investments across Europe, with a particular emphasis on the DACH region and the Nordics. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 has backed leading AI and enterprise software companies including Groq, Cohere, Quantum Systems, Dash0, Cognigy, Dexory, Neo4j, Zenity, and Resistant AI, while also supporting category leaders such as LeanIX, Signavio, and Pipedrive. Prior to DTCP, Lena was an investor at Northzone, worked as a Strategy Consultant at BCG, and gained venture investing experience at Redstone. She holds a CEMS Master in Management and MSc from HEC Paris and Copenhagen Business School, along with a bachelor's degree from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business and Singapore Management University.TopicsInvesting in Europe's next generation of AI and enterprise software companiesThe journey investing in neo4j graph database and Cohere enterprise AIBuilding category-defining startups across the DACH region and the Nordics#VentureCapital #GrowthEquity #ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseSoftware #Startups

Kai Mak is the Chief Revenue Officer at Together AI, where he leads the company's global go-to-market organization as enterprises and AI-native companies increasingly rely on the platform for the full generative AI lifecycle. Before joining Together AI, Kai was SVP of Global Sales and Customer Success at Webflow, where he led both product-led growth and enterprise sales, helping scale the company's revenue 10x while also serving as interim CMO and leading global customer support. Earlier in his career, he held sales leadership roles at Zeplin, Microsoft, and Xamarin, building enterprise go-to-market teams for developer and cloud infrastructure platforms. Kai brings deep expertise in scaling revenue organizations at pivotal moments of growth across enterprise software and AI.TopicsPowering the Enterprise Evolution From RAG to Intelligent AgentsExploring the GTM playbook for AI-native companies and enterprisesWhat It Takes to Turn AI Innovation into Sustainable Revenue Growth#ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #GoToMarket #SalesLeadership #Startups

Niklas Lindgren is the Co-Founder and CEO of Endra, an AI-native platform purpose-built for MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) engineering. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Endra uses artificial intelligence, simulation, and computational geometry to automate the creation of 3D and 2D models, device placement, conduit routing, and compliance-ready documentation, transforming traditionally manual engineering workflows. The company has raised $75 million in just 13 months, including a $50 million Series A led by a16z, and is working with leading engineering firms such as AtkinsRéalis, Buro Happold, WSP, Hoare Lea, Ramboll, and AFRY. Before Endra, Niklas co-founded Sectragon, a vertical design-build integrator for physical security, and later led the company's expansion into North America as COO and Head of Go-to-Market.TopicsHow AI is transforming MEP engineering and the future of design automationBuilding category-defining vertical AI software for engineering industriesScaling enterprise AI products from early traction to global adoption#ArtificialIntelligence #Engineering #VerticalAI #ConstructionTech #Startups

Zach Aarons is the Co-Founder and General Partner of MetaProp, one of the world's most active early-stage venture capital firms focused on PropTech and the intelligence layer for the real asset environment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Since co-founding MetaProp in 2015, Zach and his team have invested in more than 175 PropTech companies, helping entrepreneurs scale across real estate, construction, insurance, energy, and capital markets. Before MetaProp, Zach was the most active individual angel investor in PropTech, making over 50 early-stage investments while working at Millennium Partners, where he managed large-scale mixed-use real estate developments in Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Earlier in his career, he invested at ENIAC Ventures, founded the travel startup Travelgoat, and began his career in M&A at Solomon Partners. Zach is also the co-author of the Amazon bestseller PropTech 101, an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, and serves on the Investment Committee at Brown University's Van Wickle Ventures.TopicsHow AI is reshaping real estate, PropTech, and the built environmentBuilding and investing in category-defining PropTech startups from seed stageEmerging opportunities in energy transition, GeoAI, data centers, and real asset investing#PropTech #VentureCapital #ArtificialIntelligence #RealEstate #Startups

Bhaskar Sunkara is the Founder and CEO of Bicycle, where he is building AI-powered infrastructure for modern software development. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 the Founding CTO of AppDynamics, leading product development from the company's inception through its $3.7 billion acquisition by Cisco. As CTO and SVP of Product Management, he oversaw product management, engineering, user experience, and field enablement while driving AppDynamics' customer-centric innovation strategy. Before AppDynamics, Bhaskar was a Senior Software Engineer at Wily Technology, where he pioneered dynamic instrumentation technology for Java and .NET, and earlier helped build one of the first J2EE-certified application servers at Pramati Technologies. Throughout his career, he has focused on building enterprise software trusted by the world's largest organizations while advising founders and product teams on scaling technical innovation.TopicsBuilding category-defining enterprise software from startup to billion-dollar exitCustomer-centric product development for enterprise engineering teamsHow AI is transforming software development, observability, and developer productivity#EnterpriseSoftware #ArtificialIntelligence #DeveloperTools #ProductManagement #Startups

Rob Toews is a Partner at Radical Ventures and leads the firm’s Bay Area office. He has led a number of Radical’s investments including Datology, Delphina, Hebbia, Laredo Labs, Muon Space, Reka, Twelve Labs, Unlearn and others still in stealth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 joining Radical, Rob was a principal at Highland Capital Partners, where he led the firm’s AI investment efforts. At Highland, Rob backed Domino Data Lab, Eko, Idelic and StackRox (acquired by Red Hat). Previously, Rob spent several years in the world of autonomous vehicles. He helped lead the strategy team at Zoox, an autonomous vehicle startup acquired by Amazon for $1.3 billion. Before that, he worked on autonomous vehicle policy as a staffer in the White House under President Obama. He started his career in management consulting at Bain & Company. Rob writes a regular column in Forbes about the big picture of artificial intelligence. Rob holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a JD from Harvard Law School (magna cum laude), and an undergraduate degree from Stanford (Phi Beta Kappa).TopicsHow frontier AI companies transition from research breakthroughs to scalable real-world systemsThe intersection of AI investing, autonomous systems, and government policy shaping deployment at scaleWhat separates durable AI companies from short-term hype in foundation models and applied AI#ArtificialIntelligence #AIVentures #MachineLearning #FutureOfAI #DeepTech

Edo Segal is the Chief Technology Officer at Napster Corp. (formerly Infinite Reality), where he oversees R&D, product, and technology operations, driving innovation in frontier AI applications and multi-modal embodied agents. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 a serial entrepreneur, inventor, and technologist with 46 granted patents and five transformative exits across AI, media, and consumer technology. Earlier, he founded and served as CEO of TouchCast, a generative media platform that pioneered interactive and conversational web experiences, which was later acquired by Napster. He is also the CEO of bMuse, an innovation platform supporting media and technology ventures, and was the founder of Kinsa, a health-tech company acquired by Healthy Together, which built predictive disease monitoring systems powered by machine learning and epidemiological models. Across his career, he has worked at the intersection of AI, creativity, and human communication, building systems that expand how people learn, create, and interact with technology.TopicsBuilding multimodal AI systems and embodied agents for real-world applicationsHow generative AI is reshaping media, communication, and creative industriesThe evolution of human-AI collaboration in work, education, and entertainment#ArtificialIntelligence #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #Innovation #AICreativity

Fernando is the CEO of Kauffman Fellows, the leading education and community platform for venture capitalists shaping the future of the industry. ​~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 a co-founder and General Partner at Matterscale Ventures, a venture capital firm launched by former Endeavor colleagues, investing in early-stage Latin startups. ​He is also a co-founder of Columbia University's eLab, a fellowship for global entrepreneurs in edtech/workforce. ​Since 2019, he is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, SIPA, teaching the course Scaling Up in Hard Places: How Entrepreneurs Grow Outside of Silicon Valley. ​Prior to this, as president of Endeavor, he helped the organization expand to 30+ countries, launch Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor Insight, Open, Outliers, and revamp the experience for entrepreneurs, mentors, and the global team.​He is the co-founder of Collective Academy, a top higher-ed school in Mexico, and an advisor to EByC. He lives in New York with his family.TopicsThe future of venture capital and developing the next generation of investorsScaling startups in emerging markets and underserved regionsFrom Endeavor President 30+ countries to Matterscale Latin startups: scaling outside Silicon Valley#VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #EmergingMarkets

Ryan Gavin is EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Slack, where he leads global growth, go-to-market strategy, and commercial operations as the company evolves into the work operating system for the AI 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 Slack, Ryan served as Chief Growth Officer at Convoy, leading the commercial engine of a $650M+ digital freight marketplace, and previously built the AI and machine learning business at Amazon Web Services into a multi-billion-dollar category. Before AWS, he spent nearly two decades at Microsoft, where he helped bring Bing to profitability, scaled it to billions of monthly searches, and led the commercial Surface business. Across enterprise software, cloud computing, AI, and marketplaces, Ryan has built a reputation for creating new categories, scaling growth engines, and helping organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.Topics:Microsoft Bing turnaround to profitability: 5 billion searches and Cortana 145M users playbookLessons from AWS, Microsoft, Convoy, and Slack on scaling adoptionScaling Slack 2.5x revenue with 100K+ customers and 900% AI usage growth#Slack #CMO #EnterpriseAI #AgenticEnterprise #ProductLedGrowth

Sasha Orloff is Founder and CEO of Puzzle building a modern core accounting platform with real-time general ledger automation for provable accuracy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~After founding LendUp which raised over $1 billion in venture capital and debt, he spun out Mission Lane credit card division. Inspired by Muhammad Yunus, he spent years at Grameen Foundation in Honduras, World Bank's CGAP, and Citigroup before launching fintech serving underserved markets. UCSD Applied Math and Economics graduate with Georgetown MBA, he hosts a16z Tech Finance Podcast and lectures at Stanford, Princeton, and Harvard.TopicsHow Puzzle delivers real-time accounting without 30-60 day financial reporting delaysScaling Lendup $1B capital raise through underserved market fintech innovationGrowing Mission Lane credit spinout during Lendup operational transformation#AccountingTech #Puzzle #Fintech #LendUp #RealTimeFinance

Pat Casey is the Chief Technology Officer and EVP of DevOps at ServiceNow and one of the company’s founding leaders. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Since joining in the company's earliest days, Pat has played a central role in building the ServiceNow platform into one of the world's leading enterprise software ecosystems. He worked alongside Fred Luddy to create the Glide platform, the foundation of what is now the ServiceNow AI Platform, led the development of the company's high-performance database technologies, and helped drive the integration of AI and large language models across ServiceNow's products. Today, he oversees a global organization spanning engineering, cloud operations, AI, developer productivity, advanced technologies, customer support, and product development, helping shape how enterprises automate and transform their operations at scale.TopicsBuilding ServiceNow AI Platform from Glide to LLM integration transforming enterprise appsFrom ServiceNow founder 2006 to CTO: scaling 7,000 to 10,000 employees across AI and DevOpsAI integration at enterprise scale: LLMs empowering users to solve complex business challenges#ServiceNow #CTO #AIPlatform #DevOps #EnterpriseAI

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

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

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

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

Dan Mishin is the Founder and CEO of Manifest OS, a company building AI-native infrastructure for next-generation law firms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Previously, he founded June Homes, a technology-driven flexible living platform that scaled to over $50M ARR, $1.3B in assets under management, and profitability while raising more than $70M from investors including SoftBank, Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and others, before its acquisition and transition to Chairman. Earlier, he founded Bear Hostels and later expanded it into a large regional hospitality business across the CIS region, which was ultimately acquired through Planet of Hostels. Across multiple ventures in real estate, hospitality, and AI, Dan has focused on building and scaling capital-efficient, category-defining companies that transform traditional industries through software.TopicsHow Manifest OS powers AI-native law firms for accessible high-quality legal representationFrom Bear Hostels CIS market leader to SoftBank-backed June Homes: hospitality to real estate techScaling marketplace and real estate platforms from 0 → $50M+ ARR#LegalTech #PropTech #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #Scaleups

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

Josh Araujo is the CEO of Forterra, where he leads the company’s mission to deploy autonomous ground vehicle technology at scale.~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since joining in 2021, he helped lead Forterra’s growth from Series A through Series C while developing its Autonomy-as-a-Service business model and serving as COO before becoming CEO. Prior to Forterra, Josh was CFO of OGT Engineering & Construction and spent nearly a decade on Wall Street at Jefferies and Lazard, advising aerospace, defense, and industrial companies on M&A and capital markets transactions. Before entering finance, he served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. His career spans military leadership, investment banking, operations, and executive management, giving him a unique perspective on scaling mission-driven technology companies.TopicsLeadership Lessons Across Military Service, Finance, and Autonomous systemsHow Forterra successfully scaled from its Series A in 2021 to its Series C in 2025From Prototype to Deployment: Building Culture and Alignment in Defense Tech#DefenseTech #Autonomy #Robotics #Leadership #Startups

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

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

Ben Cera is the Founder of Polsia, an autonomous AI platform designed to run companies around the clock by planning, building, and promoting products with minimal human involvement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before Polsia, he was Employee #2 at CloudKitchens, where he co-founded Future Foods alongside Travis Kalanick and helped scale the business across product, operations, strategy, and market expansion. Earlier, Ben co-founded Hutch, a venture-backed 3D rendering and interior design startup backed by Founders Fund and Zillow, and founded multiple consumer technology companies spanning social, location, and mobile products. With a background that spans entrepreneurship, engineering, product development, and quantitative finance, Ben is focused on pushing the boundaries of autonomous AI systems capable of building and operating businesses at scale.TopicsHow Polsia runs 8700+ plus companies autonomously with one founder and zero employeesLessons from scaling Future Foods at CloudKitchens with Travis KalanickFrom Hutch 17 million raised to AI agents: 20 year founder journey to autonomous companies#Startups #Automation #Entrepreneurship #FutureOfWork #SaaS

Chase Lochmiller is Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman of Crusoe, building AI compute infrastructure with 300+ team across engineering, manufacturing, and operations while raising $600M+ from venture/project/credit investors—after General Partner at Polychain Capital, Quantitative Trader at Jump Trading, and Managing Director of Algorithmic Trading at KCG Holdings; serial quant trader-turned-founder scaling mission-critical compute platforms for AI workloads with playbook for capital-intensive deep tech at hyperscale. Previously Chase was a quantitative researcher and trader at Jump Trading and GETCO, where he developed and managed a portfolio of algorithmic trading strategies. Chase holds undergraduate degrees in math and physics from MIT and a masters degree in computer science from Stanford, where he specialized in artificial intelligence. He is currently on the board of CSforAll, an organization whose mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers. As a personal interest, Chase has climbed five of the “seven summits” including Mt. Everest.TopicsHow Crusoe delivers AI compute without grid constraints or energy bottlenecksGrowing Crusoe $600M capital during rapid expansion at AI infrastructure scaleQuant trading readiness with algorithmic systems at Crusoe 300+ team scale#AIInfra #Startups #VC #Compute #Hypergrowth #Founder

Jim Adler is the Founder and General Partner of Toyota Ventures, the venture capital arm of Toyota, where he leads investments across AI, robotics, mobility, cloud infrastructure, climate, and frontier technologies. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 also serves as Executive Advisor at Toyota Research Institute. Prior to Toyota Ventures, Jim was VP of Products and Marketing at Metanautix, a big data analytics startup acquired by Microsoft, and previously served as VP of Data Systems and Chief Privacy Officer at Intelius. Earlier in his career, he founded VoteHere, a cryptographic online voting company backed by Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Entrust, and began his career as a rocket engineer at Lockheed Martin. Across investing and operating roles, Jim has focused on scaling transformative technologies at the intersection of data, infrastructure, mobility, and privacy.TopicsHow Toyota Ventures invests in AI, robotics, and mobility for sustainable transportationFrom rocket engineer at Lockheed Martin to Toyota Ventures GP: frontier tech evolutionLessons from building and scaling venture-backed infrastructure companies#VentureCapital #Robotics #Mobility #DeepTech #Innovation

Jordan Van Horn is the Co-Founder and COO of Monte Carlo, the data and AI observability platform helping companies like Intuit, Fox, and Roche improve the reliability of their data and AI systems. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Since co-founding Monte Carlo in 2020, he has focused on scaling AI-native go-to-market organizations and operationalizing data quality across enterprises. Previously, Jordan held multiple leadership roles at Segment, where he led global sales expansion across EMEA, APAC, and North America, and earlier held sales leadership roles at Dropbox and Hay Group. At Monte Carlo, he has driven internal AI adoption across GTM teams, helping the company achieve over 80% AI workflow adoption through integrated AI systems and operational transformation.TopicsHow Monte Carlo achieved 80% AI adoption across entire GTM team using unified OSBuilding world's first data and AI observability platform for Snowflake and DatabricksFrom power user AI sprawl to organizational intelligence: compound capabilities at scale#DataObservability #MonteCarlo #AIGTM #DataAI #RevenueOperations

Alex Triplett is Chief Operating Officer at You.com. Before joining You.com in 2026, he served as COO & CFO at Appfire, where he led corporate strategy, product positioning, partnerships, PLG systems, and operational scaling across a 200+ person organization. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~Earlier, at ION, he helped drive revenue growth from $150M to $3B, leading 23 acquisitions totaling $11.7B in enterprise value alongside large-scale financing and integration efforts. Across his career, Alex has focused on scaling complex software platforms through operational rigor, inorganic growth, and product-led expansion.TopicsHow You.com scales AI search and assistant through enterprise GTM motionProduct-led growth, pricing strategy, and GTM execution at scaleLessons from leading multi-billion-dollar corporate development initiatives#AIOperations #YouCom #GTM #MergersAndAcquisitions #EnterpriseAI

Anand Kannappan is the Co-Founder & CEO of Patronus AI, a frontier AI research company building simulation infrastructure and evaluation systems for advanced AI models and agents. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Patronus AI is known for influential benchmarks and research projects including FinanceBench, Lynx, SimpleSafetyTests, and CopyrightCatcher, focused on improving AI reliability, alignment, and performance. Before founding Patronus AI, Anand led applied machine learning and causal inference initiatives at Meta Reality Labs, helping shape experimentation, explainability, and AI platform strategy across large-scale teams. Earlier in his career, he co-founded Kyber Technologies, an AI-driven quant fund later acquired by Dark Forest Technologies. Backed by investors including Lightspeed, Notable Capital, Stanford, and Datadog, Anand focuses on the future of AI agents, simulations, reinforcement learning, and the infrastructure powering frontier AI systems.TopicsHow Patronus AI simulations train frontier models through digital workflow predictionMeta Reality Labs causal inference driving multimillion-dollar strategy shiftsLessons from Meta Reality Labs and applied AI experimentation#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #Startups #AGI

João (Joe) Moura is the Founder & CEO of CrewAI, an open-source platform for orchestrating multi-agent AI systems and autonomous workflows. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 nearly two decades of engineering and leadership experience, João previously served as Director of AI Engineering at Clearbit, where he helped turn AI initiatives into a major revenue driver through large-scale vector databases, AI infrastructure, and production ML systems. Earlier in his career, he led distributed engineering teams at companies including Toptal and Packlane, specializing in remote collaboration, developer productivity, and scalable software systems. A longtime builder across AI, data science, and developer infrastructure, João is now focused on advancing practical agentic AI systems that enable enterprises and developers to deploy collaborative AI agents in real-world production environments.TopicsHow crewAI multi-agent orchestration enables enterprise AI workflows at scaleScaling Clearbit AI from zero to profit driver through vector DB innovationBuilding 40+ engineer remote teams across time zones with 70% efficiency gains#AgenticAI #OpenSource #MachineLearning #DeveloperTools #EngineeringLeadership

Ali Tamaseb is a General Partner at DCVC, a deep-tech venture firm managing billions in assets and investing across AI, robotics, biotech, crypto infrastructure, energy, materials, cybersecurity, and frontier science. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 founder, investor, and author, Ali previously built and scaled a hardware startup to millions in revenue before joining DCVC, where he has backed category-defining companies including MosaicML, Chainlink, Freenome, Rigetti, Recursion, and Planet. He is also the founder of Super Founders Club, a network of accomplished entrepreneurs behind more than $100B in enterprise value, and the author of the bestselling book Super Founders, which analyzes the patterns behind billion-dollar startups. With a background spanning machine learning research, patents, and deep technical entrepreneurship, Ali focuses on identifying exceptional founders building highly technical, world-changing companies.TopicsDeep-tech investment rulebook: rockets, quantum, AI infra, biomed at frontierFrom hardware startup CEO to VC: lessons scaling millions in revenueThe future of compute, infrastructure, and industrial innovation#VentureCapital #DeepTech #Entrepreneurship #FrontierTech #Innovation

Jerry Liu is the Co-Founder & CEO of LlamaIndex, the AI infrastructure company building tools that help developers connect LLMs with enterprise data, documents, and knowledge systems. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Under his leadership, LlamaIndex has become a leading framework for retrieval, agentic workflows, and production AI applications, including LlamaParse, its advanced document parsing and OCR platform for transforming complex enterprise files into LLM-ready context. Prior to founding LlamaIndex, Jerry was a Machine Learning Engineering Manager at Robust Intelligence and a Research Scientist at Uber AI, following earlier machine learning roles at Quora and Two Sigma. With a background spanning applied AI research, ML systems, and developer infrastructure, Jerry focuses on enabling reliable, scalable AI agents powered by real-world enterprise data.TopicsHow LlamaParse achieves agentic OCR for complex enterprise documents at scaleBuilding LlamaIndex from open-source RAG framework to enterprise AI platformUber AI residency to LlamaIndex CEO: document intelligence for LLMs journey #AI #LlamaIndex #AgenticAI #MachineLearning #DeveloperTools #LLMs #Startups

Siadhal Magos is the Co-founder and CEO of Metaview, the AI company focused on recruiting. Metaview’s Agentic Recruiting Platform uses AI agents to handle sourcing, application review, interview notes, reporting, and the admin recruiters hate — helping 5,000+ companies including Brex, ElevenLabs, Affirm, Airtable, and Replit hire more effectively.~~~~~~~~~~~~~This episode is brought to you by Nebius — the ultimate cloud for AI innovators.Nebius provides AI infrastructure you can count on, combining reliability and speed with flexibility and engineering support unmatched by hyperscalers.AI leaders like Meta, Shopify, and Higgsfield already partner with Nebius to run their AI workloads. Plus, venture-backed startups can save up to $150,000 on compute costs when they apply for access. Visit nebius.com or nebius.com/startups to learn more~~~~~~~~~~~~~Before founding Metaview, Siadhal was a product leader at Uber, where he experienced the challenges of hiring at scale firsthand. His background spans product leadership, operational scale, and building consumer technology products.TopicsWhy “superpowered recruiters” don’t automatically create superpowered recruiting organizations and why orchestration is the next mission. Insights from the AI Hiring Alignment Report on improving hiring decisionsBuilding great products from Uber to Metaview#Hiring #Recruiting #HRTech #ProductManagement #FutureOfWork

Junghee Ryu is the Founder & CEO of RLWRLD, and Carl Choi is President of U.S. operations, together leading the company’s mission to build robotics foundation models and the infrastructure required to bring physical AI into real-world industrial environments. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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~~~~~~~~~~~~~RLWRLD is developing vision-language-action systems and robotics foundation models designed for dexterous manipulation, enabling robots to perceive, reason, and execute complex tasks across manufacturing and logistics. Junghee, a KAIST PhD and serial deep-tech founder of Olaworks (acquired by Intel) and FuturePlay, brings deep expertise in AI systems, venture building, and robotics research. Carl, a former Partner at Alumni Ventures with prior operating roles across enterprise strategy and corporate development, leads U.S. expansion, partnerships, and go-to-market execution across robotics, AI, and industrial automation. Together, they are building the full stack for physical AI—from foundation models to real-world deployment infrastructure—bridging research breakthroughs with scalable industrial adoption.TopicsBuilding robotics foundation models and vision-language-action systemsTurning physical AI into deployable industrial infrastructureHow RLWRLD RFM achieves human dexterity for factory automation#Robotics #AI #PhysicalAI #DeepTech #Automation #IndustrialAI #Startups

Robin Daniels is the Chief Business & Product Officer at Zensai, where he leads marketing, product, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy for the company’s AI-powered human performance platform built for the Microsoft ecosystem. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 veteran operator across some of tech’s most recognizable growth companies, Robin has held executive leadership roles at Matterport, WeWork, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Box, Veritas, and Vera, building expertise across category creation, product innovation, growth strategy, and organizational leadership. Beyond operating roles, he is an advisor and LP at firms including byFounders and Stage 2 Capital, supporting AI-native startups on scaling revenue and go-to-market execution. Originally from Copenhagen and shaped by more than two decades in the U.S. and UK tech ecosystems, Robin is also the author of The Human Success Playbook, focused on how humans and AI can work together inside modern organizations.TopicsHow Zensai AI doubles performance in Microsoft ecosystems at global scaleLessons from scaling companies through IPOs and hypergrowth phasesThe future of human performance, leadership, and AI collaboration at work #B2B #Leadership #EnterpriseSoftware #Startups #FutureOfWork

Mathias Biilmann is the CEO and Co-Founder of Netlify, the modern web development platform used by millions of developers and thousands of enterprises to build, deploy, and scale composable web applications. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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 longtime developer tools entrepreneur and open-source contributor, Mathias is widely recognized for pioneering the Jamstack movement and helping redefine how modern websites and applications are built. Before founding Netlify in 2014, he created products including BitBalloon and Webpop, focused on simplifying web publishing and developer workflows. Today, he continues to shape the future of front-end cloud infrastructure, composable architecture, and AI-powered developer experiences, helping teams build faster, more scalable applications across the modern web ecosystem.TopicsBuilding Netlify and pioneering the Jamstack movementThe evolution of composable architecture and front-end cloud infrastructureHow AI is reshaping developer workflows and web development #WebDevelopment #Jamstack #DeveloperTools #CloudInfrastructure

Mada Seghete is the CEO and Co-Founder of Upside, a revenue intelligence platform helping B2B companies understand and optimize what drives deal outcomes across marketing, sales, partnerships, and customer success. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~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, she co-founded Branch, the mobile deep linking and measurement platform, where she served as CMO and helped scale the company to over $100M+ in revenue. Born in Romania, she studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell and earned her M.S. and MBA from Stanford. Today, she focuses on building AI-native revenue systems for modern go-to-market teams while also investing in and supporting women founders through XFactor Ventures and community initiatives including a global founders retreat.TopicsHow Upside attribution turns B2B revenue chaos into predictable winsScaling Branch from mobile deep linking to $100M+ enterprise dominanceBuilding women founder retreats that drive venture outcomes at scale#RevOps #RevenueIntelligence #WomenInTech #B2B #FounderCommunities

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