Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we sit down with Chris Kirsch, Co-Founder and CEO of runZero, a comprehensive cyber asset management solution. Join us as we discuss the challenges and benefits of branding your startup for a better product-market fit, funding, and scaling strategies. Chris also shares practical, real-world tips on the first marketing steps a startup should take. Chris shares his insights on: Branding strategies for...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by serial tech entrepreneur Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder of scaleMatters, a go-to-market optimization platform that helps B2B startups fix inefficiencies in their revenue acquisition funnel. Join us as we discuss the importance of creating an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and honing your messaging to attract your precise target market. Scott shares his insights on: The need for a...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by Justin Rowe, Founder and CMO of Impactable, a Linkedin Ads Agency that specializes in Linkedin Marketing for B2B companies. Join us as we discuss using LinkedIn effectively as a marketing platform. Justin shares his insights on: What sets LinkedIn apart from other social platformsEffective LinkedIn strategiesHow startups and small companies can use LinkedIn for growthRetargeting on...

Startup marketing expert Scott Gelber joins us for an in-depth discussion on how startups can use demand generation and account-based marketing to ramp their revenue pipelines. Scott is the founder of SRG Marketing, a digital marketing and HubSpot agency that helps B2B startups drive revenue and growth with customized demand-generation strategies. We cover: What is demand generation, and how can it help a startup?The need to test and validate different demand-generation strategiesHow...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by David McFarland, Founder and CEO of Coterie, an InsurTech company that simplifies commercial insurance for small businesses and startups. David shares insights for startup founders on: How to derisk your businessThe importance of surrounding yourself with smart people and building a trusted advisory networkThe impact of AI on his businessTips on persevering through turbulent...

In this episode of the Startup Success podcast, host Kate Adams welcomes Adam Nash, the CEO & Co-Founder of Daffy, a not-for-profit platform that empowers people to be more generous more often. Adam discusses various topics related to entrepreneurship and angel investing. He shares his valuable insights on risk management and provides lessons for early-stage founders. Additionally, he delves into the intricacies of the fintech sector and sheds light on what angel investors look for in...

Welcome to another episode of Startup Success, a podcast for founders and investors. Today we are joined by mergers & acquisitions expert Lowell Ricklefs. He shares his insights on the key factors that founders looking for an M&A solution should consider. Lowell also explains the playbook of a typical M&A process and does a deep dive into M&A strategies for SaaS companies. Lowell Ricklefs is the Founder and Managing Director of Traction Advising M&A, a premier boutique...

Today we dive into what it takes to build a successful startup and discuss why recruitment is such an integral part of the process. We’re joined by the fantastic Amy Volas, Founder and CEO at Avenue Talent Partners. Amy helps SaaS startups grow their businesses by hiring the right revenue leaders. Amy is also the Founder of Better Together with Amy Volas, the Co-Founder of Thursday Night Sales, and is an MVP Member of Modern Sales Pros.

Today we are joined by Keith Putnam-Delaney, Co-Founder and CEO of Primer, a hyper-precise lead generation and targeting platform for B2B marketers. Keith shares his insights on sustaining growth in a down market and discusses how customer-centricity can be a positive growth driver. And he mixes in some valuable tips for prospective founders. This episode of Startup Success is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Our guest this week is Sid Puri, Head of Growth-India for Retool. Sid takes us through Retool’s success in growth and product adoption. It’s an excellent conversation on how Retool found this success. We cover finding your customers, pricing, using feedback to iterate, and growing a new market. The conversation even includes employee onboarding and how that contributes to product growth. We cover the common mistakes companies make during onboarding, and how to avoid them. Product strategies...

Unlock the secrets of using your network to supercharge funding, new prospects and growth with this episode of Startup Success! Our guest this week is John Hill, Evangelist at Techstars. John shares his expertise on how founders can build and leverage their network — real actionable advice for startup founders. We'll also hear what Techstars looks for in a startup as well as John’s advice for founders after working with Techstars for over nine years. We discuss: How to not only build your...

Want to know the secret to getting your startup noticed by big publications and industry media sites? You’re going to need Public Relations. In this episode, Nicole Osmer, CEO of Health+Commerce, shares expert advice for startup founders. From creating a strategy to crafting messaging, building relationships with reporters, and handling crisis communications, this episode is packed with actionable tips for any founder looking to improve their PR game. Join us as we discuss:How PR can be...

Today's guest, Krish Ramineni, Co-Founder and CEO at Fireflies.ai and a 2022 Fortune 30 under 30, joins us with his candid advice and insight gleaned from ​his success scaling Fireflies.ai - including two highly successful fundraising rounds. We discuss the importance of knowing when to pivot your ideas and how to use setbacks as feedback. We also delve into the value of discipline in fundraising and the benefits of leveraging existing relationships when seeking funding. We look at...

As a Founder, it’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day chaos of growing your startup. Often, you end up taking shortcuts and sacrificing the well-being of yourself and your team — to the detriment of your company as a whole. Our guest today, AJ Yawn, Founder & CEO at ByteChek shares detailed suggestions on how to build a strong company culture and how you, as a founder, can optimize your mental health to set yourself up for success. Join as we discuss: -- Why focusing on culture...

In today’s episode, Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO of Embarc Collective, joins us to discuss the critical areas early-stage startups must pay attention to for success. Lakshmi makes a strong case for listening to data and why starting a company is similar to a scientific experiment. Lakshmi also shares how founders are tapping into Florida's economy to start and grow their companies and how Embarc Collective helps startups in their unique journey. Join us as we discuss: Critical priorities for...

As a Founder, staying focused is key to achieving your startup’s success. In today’s episode, Kirin Sinha, Founder, and CEO, at Illumix, joins us to discuss how Founders can stay focused on their product, team and path and not get distracted by the ever-changing macro-environment. Join us as we discuss: How to work through and test your product hypothesis as a FounderToday’s challenging macro environment and how to adjust Understanding your phase of fundraising and how to tailor your...

Today’s guest Dan White, the Co-Founder, and CMO at Clean Crop Technologies joins the show to discuss how he has overcome the challenges hardware startups face by finding product fit early and owning the manufacturing process. This episode is a must-listen for anyone involved in a hardware startup. Join us as we discuss: Challenges for hardware startups and how to solve for them including product fitWhy getting close or owning your manufacturing proces can be a huge competitive advantage...

Rithvik Venna, Co-Founder & COO at OROS and member of the Forbes 30 under 30, joins us to discuss how a climb up a mountain in the Swiss Alps inspired a major change in outdoor apparel which led to groundbreaking innovation in material technology. OROS used Kickstarter to gather initial funding and test their concept and then went on to raise a successful seed and Series A round, and non-dilutive funding from the government for their innovation in material tech. Rithvik walks us through...

Creating a healthy work environment is vital to building a successful startup. A key part of that is empowering employees by giving them a safe space where they know their voice is heard. Claire Schmidt, Founder & CEO of AllVoices, joins us to discuss the importance of establishing feedback loops for employees. Feedback loops help build strong teams, reinforce cultural values, and improve productivity. Join us as we discuss:  Employee Feedback Loops - what they are & how to set...

Product led growth drives customer retention and expansion through the value of your product.  Today’s guest, Shannon Curran, Director of Content and Brand Strategy at OpenView VC, shares today’s key principles for product lead growth and how to build a community for a competitive advantage. Shannon also discusses who your first marketing hire should be and how to build out your marketing function. This is a must listen for founders wanting more insight on product fit and marketing.  We...

It’s a very special 50th episode of Startup Success!   Jeff Burkland, Founder and CEO of Burkland joins the show to discuss his in-depth experience working with startups as a fractional CFO and as a founder himself. Jeff shares common mistakes he has seen startup founders make in his consulting work and shares areas that helped with success. As a founder, Jeff also shares how a company’s success and growth comes down to the core values the company has. Core values lay out the expectations...

Benefits play an integral role in retaining and attracting employees, but for startups watching their cash runway, providing a strong benefit offering can be challenging. Alex X Frommeyer, Founder & CEO of Beam Benefits, joins us to discuss how startups can maximize their employee benefits within their budget. As a founder who has guided Beam from its early stage through its Series E, Alex also shares advice on building a strong culture which also plays an integral role in creating a...

Solo-founders can face major challenges, but our guest, Nathan Marz, Founder and CEO of Red Planet Labs, shows there are many advantages as well. Nathan has met the challenges with full force. From his days founding and scaling Backtype which was acquired by Twitter, to his success leading Red Planet Labs, he shares lessons learned and some excellent insight and advice for solo founders - and all founders out there!    We discuss: How to build momentum when fundraising The challenges and...

From the football field to the board room, our guest is a former Super Bowl winning NFL player who now sits as a Managing Partner at Next Play Capital, a minority owned investment platform focused on investing in top-tier venture funds and venture backed companies with a focus on championing minority voices.  Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker, Ryan Nece, has a unique perspective towards identifying and fostering great founders and startups in the competitive VC marketplace. Ryan also...

Moving to Silicon Valley in 1998, our guest has served his time in the trenches of startup land. With several successful startups behind him, including the successful sale of E-Nor, now he’s dedicated to sharing his knowledge and experience so other founders don’t suffer the “same wounds and scars.”   Feras Alhlou is a highly sought-after mentor, advisor, and consultant to startups. He has also recently launched the YouTube channel, Start Up with Feras  In this lively and informative episode,...