DealMakers: Entrepreneur | Startups | Venture Capital

In today’s founder spotlight, we’re joined by a rare breed, Adam Schwartz, who has lived the full startup cycle, not once but multiple times, and has done so on his own terms. He is a founder who went from building scrappy marketplaces to scaling a profitable, venture-free company. Adam’s latest venture, Parable, has secured investment from founder-operators: the minds behind HubSpot, Ramp, Vimeo, Superhuman, Squarespace, and more.

Dan Magy’s journey from a sun-soaked surf town in Southern California to building some of the most impactful defense technology in modern warfare doesn’t follow any conventional path. He’s not a coder, nor does he claim to be a technical wizard. But what Dan lacks in technical prowess, he makes up for in vision, grit, and relentless curiosity. Dan’s latest venture, Firestorm Labs has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Harpoon VC, 645 Ventures, Feld Ventures, and Lockheed Martin Ventures.

If you’ve ever done data analysis in Python, there’s a good chance you’ve used Pandas, the groundbreaking open-source library that transformed how data scientists work. But behind Pandas is Wes McKinney’s story of intellectual curiosity, risk-taking, and a relentless drive to build useful tools for others. Wes's latest initiative, Composed Ventures, is a micro venture capital (VC) fund that invests in early-stage data infrastructure, AI, and ML companies, as well as next-generation Python tooling and other related technologies.

When you hear the term self-made, you might think of grit, long nights, and entrepreneurial tenacity. But in Suneera Madhani’s case, it’s a generational story—one forged in gas station aisles, sharpened in corporate boardrooms, and carried forward in billion-dollar exits. Suneera's latest company, Worth AI, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Silicon Valley Bank, Ingeborg Investments, DeepWork Capital, and Florida Funders.

In a world where adult beverages have long been synonymous with alcohol, Bill Shufelt saw something different—a cultural and economic opportunity hidden in plain sight. He successfully navigated the startup ecosystem--scaling, manufacturing, building, and financing his company. Bill's company, Athletic Brewing, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like General Atlantic, Keurig Dr Pepper, Blake Mycoskie, and Lance Armstrong.

Some entrepreneurs build one company. Others become serial founders. Then there’s Vadim Rogovskiy — a rare breed who has built, scaled, sold, shut down, invested, and started all over again. His journey involved switching industries and switching sides on both sides of the table. Vadim's latest venture, Stealth Startup, has developed EVE, an AI assistant that allows humans to focus on high-impact decisions while it handles the rest. AI can filter 80% of noise, 80% of less important threads, conversations, etc., thus extending human capabilities.

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster ride, and few have navigated its twists and turns with as much grit and adaptability as Vikram Shekhawat. His journey is a testament to resilience, learning, and an unwavering vision when building, scaling, and exiting his many startups. Vikram's latest venture, ModalX, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Plug and Play, Panache Ventures, Combine Venture Builders, and Thin Air Labs.

Rami Tamir is no stranger to the startup world. A seasoned entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, he has honed his ability to build, scale, and navigate acquisitions like a veteran baseball player hitting home runs with each venture. Rami's latest venture, Salto, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bessemer Venture Partners, Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures.

In the world of entrepreneurship, few stories embody resilience, vision, and adaptation like that of Colin Wiel. A four-time founder, Colin has built and scaled multiple companies, navigated financial crises, pioneered tech-driven real estate ventures, and is now at the forefront of AI innovation. Colin's latest venture, Qurrent, has raised funding from friends, angels, strategic investors, and venture capitalists.

Molham Aref’s journey as an entrepreneur is nothing short of fascinating. With multiple successful ventures, big exits, and a deep history in AI, his story offers insights into the trials, triumphs, and evolution of the tech world, especially around the rise of AI. Molham's latest venture, RelationalAI, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Madrona Venture Group, Addition, Tiger Global Management, and Menlo Ventures.

In the ever-evolving world of entrepreneurship, few stories stand out quite like Manolo Atala's. A founder from Mexico with an unconventional path, Manolo has navigated industries with precision, leveraging storytelling, trust, and a deep understanding of numbers to build and scale companies. Manolo's latest venture, Fairplay, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Carlos Martin, Carlos Salinas, Nut VC, and DILA Capital.

David Young’s journey to becoming a tech entrepreneur is anything but conventional. His career path took him from studying ancient Greek at Indiana University to Wall Street, and eventually to Silicon Valley, where he founded and scaled successful technology startups, including Joyent. David's latest venture, Federated Computer has attracted funding from top-tier investor, Lightning Ventures.

Rish Gupta has had a long, winding journey filled with unexpected turns, painful challenges, and exhilarating wins. He has built and exited companies and is currently riding the incredible momentum and hype in the artificial intelligence world of AGIs. Rish's latest company, Spot AI, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Redpoint Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and StepStone Group.

Entrepreneurship is often a winding road filled with unexpected twists, failures, and ultimately, moments of triumph. Few embody this journey as well as Michael Friedrich, who invested in and led Distalmotion from its infancy. Distalmotion has attracted funding from top-tier investors, such as Revival Healthcare Capital, Venturelab, Kinled Holding, and Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund.

Building a successful company is rarely a linear journey. For Christine Spang, co-founder and CTO of Nylas, the journey has been marked by significant pivots, bold decisions, and relentless perseverance when scaling the business and raising capital. Nylas has attracted funding from top-tier investors like 8VC, Round13 Capital, Spark Capital, and Formation 8.

Entrepreneurship is often about taking big risks, and for Jonah Greenberger, that meant leaving behind a stable job at a global energy giant to venture into an entirely new country, industry, and business model.

From growing up in an academically inclined household to founding Bright, one of Mexico’s leading solar energy companies, Jonah’s journey is a masterclass in bold decision-making, resilience, and strategic execution.

Bright has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sierra Peterson, Ajax Strategies, and Soma Capital.

Every founder’s journey is a unique blend of ambition, resilience, and lessons learned the hard way. Yoseph West embodies this entrepreneurial spirit, having navigated the complexities of building, scaling, financing, and successfully exiting multiple startups. Yoseph's latest venture, Relay, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bain Capital Ventures, Better Tomorrow Ventures, Amaranthine, and Industry Ventures.

In the fast-paced world of startups, few entrepreneurs stand out quite like Henrik Werdelin. With roots in Copenhagen, a foundation in journalism, and a career spanning MTV, startups, and venture capital, Henrik’s story is a testament to embracing curiosity and adaptability. Henrik's latest venture, Audos is an AI-driven software platform and ecosystem designed to empower a new class of entrepreneurs—often individuals or very small teams—to rapidly build, launch, and scale profitable, million-dollar-a-year businesses.

Frederik Fahning’s entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of remarkable. His is a story interwoven with ambition, resilience, business experiences where he faced challenges like almost running out of runway and layoffs, and an unwavering commitment to values. Frederik has co-founde3d Zenjob which attracting funding from top-tier investors like Aragon Global Management, 500 Global, Acton Capital, Atlantic LabsFor, and estay Capital.

Quentin Sannié’s journey is a testament to the power of entrepreneurial vision, resilience, and the ability to adapt across vastly different industries. From his humble beginnings in Versailles to founding innovative companies like Devialet and Genesis, his story is about building dreams. Quentin's latest venture Genesis is the first Global Rating Agency for the ecological health of cultivated soils. Its researchers and engineers have built the first tool to measure the impact of agricultural practices on soils to improve their health, yield and resistance to risks. It is a tool designed and validated by the scientific community, enforceable and...

Saman Farid is no stranger to reinvention. From growing up as a cultural misfit in China to leading groundbreaking ventures in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), Saman's journey is a testament to resilience, curiosity, and a lifelong commitment to solving problems. Saman's latest venture, Formic, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Alumni Ventures, Blackhorn Ventures, Calm Ventures, Chapter One, and FJ Labs.

Steven Galanis, co-founder of Cameo, epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit. His story, steeped in family tradition, innovation, and grit, is a fascinating tale of navigating life's twists and turns to build a hyper-growth company in the talent world. Steven's latest venture, Cameo, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Valor Equity Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Morgan Stanley, and Amazon Alexa Fund.

Zach Dunn’s entrepreneurial story is unique and intertwined with his twin brother, Sam. This blog explores their journey from starting a blog, scaling an agency, pivoting to product development, raising millions, and thriving through a pandemic—all while doing it together as twins. Zach and Sam's company, Robin, attracted funding from top-tier investors like Atlassian Ventures, Tola Capital, Allegion Ventures, and Accomplice. They are also building Rally.

Dominik Senn’s story is one of reinvention and relentless ambition. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1967, Dominik began his career as a competitive skier at just 16 years old. His experiences on the slopes defined his youth and laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit. Dominik's latest project has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Southern Realty Trust.

Alexi Suvacioglu’s entrepreneurial story is about passion, resilience, and calculated risk-taking. Having successfully founded and exited multiple ventures, his journey is a testament to the transformative power of adaptability, teamwork, and vision. Alexi's latest venture, Because, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like 7GC & Co, Khosla Ventures, Almoayed Ventures, and Sprint VC.

When Sami Khoreibi took his first company public at just 26 years old, he marked the beginning of an extraordinary entrepreneurial journey. His story spans industries, continents, and cultures, offering valuable insights into building, scaling, and innovating businesses in dynamic global markets. Sami's latest venture, Wisewell, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like BECO Capital and Digital Rain Venture.

In the ever-evolving world of entrepreneurship, few journeys are as captivating as that of Lárus Ásgeirsson. Born in a small Icelandic fishing community, Lárus has transitioned from a mechanical engineer specializing in geothermal energy to a global business leader.

His latest venture, Laxey, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Blue Future Holding, Farvatn, Kjartan Olafsson, and Kontrari.

In the heart of a quiet French village, a young girl stared at the night sky, dreaming of the stars and the mysteries of space. That girl, Eloa Guillotin, would grow up to co-found Beyond Aero, a groundbreaking company building hydrogen-electric planes, redefining the future of aviation.

Beyond Aero has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bpifrance, Y Combinator, Initialized Capital, and Female Funders Found.

Mark Heynen has successfully navigated the startup ecosystem several times, running the entire gamut from building, scaling, and funding companies to exiting them. His journey demonstrates the power of resilience, learning from failures, and successfully pivoting to adapt to market conditions.

Mark's latest venture is Knapsack, and he reveals what it means to build a rocket ship in the current environment. The company has Alphabet, Ascend Venture Capital (Seattle), FiDi Ventures, and Gradient Ventures.

In the fast-paced world of tech entrepreneurship, Daniel Lee stands out with a remarkable story of resilience, innovation, and vision. Co-founder of Nooks, an AI-powered platform transforming the productivity of sales teams, Daniel recently announced a $43M funding round, bringing the total raised to $70M. Nooks' top-tier investors include Kleiner Perkins, Lachy Groom, Stifel Venture Banking, and Tola Capital.

In the entrepreneurship world, stories often begin in predictable places: classrooms, tech hubs, or corporate boardrooms. Casper Henningsen’s tale, however, takes us to the soccer field.

As a former professional soccer player in Denmark’s top league, Casper pivoted from the high-stakes world of elite sports to the equally demanding landscape of business and startups. His startup, GetWhy has attracted funding from investors like PeakSpan, Arbejdernes Landsbank, Stig Holledig, and SwiftScale.

Sverre Dueholm’s entrepreneurial journey traces his remarkable successes and resilience in building and scaling not just the company but also the product and people. He talks about flying solo and prioritizing work over a social life, eventually learning to create the optimum balance. Sverre's latest venture is Comundo, where he successfully instituted a four-day workweek, achieving higher productivity and creativity levels. It has attracted funding from top-tier investors like People Ventures and Likeminded.vc.

Mary Lou Jepsen is an award-winning, trailblazing technologist, entrepreneur, and creative thinker whose career has spanned some of the most groundbreaking technological advancements–from building holographic video systems to creating the world’s first $100 laptop. Mary Lou's latest company, Openwater, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bold Capital Partners, Khosla Ventures, Plum Alley Investments, and Collab Fund.

Thomas Laurent's story is one of resilience, adaptability, and learning through experience. From his early days in Lyon, France, to leading Micropep Technologies as a pioneer in sustainable agriculture, he has gained valuable insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation. Thomas' latest venture, Micropep, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Corteva Agriscience, Sofinnova Partners, Denis Lucquin, and Sparkfood.

Sergio Fogel’s entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of adaptability, resilience, and innovation. Born in Uruguay and later traversing the world for education and business, Sergio has built and scaled multiple ventures. The latest venture is dLocal, a fintech unicorn valued at $18 billion at its peak. It has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Alkeon Capital, General Atlantic, Tiger Global Management, and D1 Capital Partners.

In the world of entrepreneurship, visionaries like Bradley Bostic repeatedly navigate the challenges of building, scaling, financing, and exiting companies. His story is about relentless innovation, learning from setbacks, and a deeply personal mission to revolutionize healthcare. This interview traces Brad’s journey to building Health Cloud Capital and the challenges he handled along the way. The company has invested in companies like DecisionRx, hc1, 3Aware, and Covance.

Shawn Weidmann’s story is one of transformation, resilience, and thoughtful decision-making. He is a fantastic operator-turned-entrepreneur who successfully raised $90M+ for his company, Zephyr, and scaled it to 300 employees. In this insightful interview, Shawn explores the key moments that shaped his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and raising funding in challenging markets from investors like Elda River and The Pritzker Organization.

Richard Socher, an AI pioneer and accomplished entrepreneur, has a story that exemplifies innovation, resilience, and the ability to transform cutting-edge technology into impactful businesses.

Richard has had an exceptional journey founding and scaling AI-driven companies like MetaMind and You.com. His latest venture You.com has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Marc Benioff, Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, Gen Digital, and SBVA (formerly Softbank Ventures Asia).

The entrepreneurial path is rarely a straight line, and for Brian O’Kelley, it’s been a winding road of remarkable successes, humbling failures, and surprising turns. He has built multiple companies, one of which was incredibly successful and culminated in a $1.6B exit. Brian's latest venture, Scope3, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Room40 Ventures, Google Ventures, Craft Venture, and Venrock.

David García Aceves, born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, embodies resilience and innovation. His story traces his journey through building two companies that didn’t quite work out before creating a new rocket ship, drawing valuable lessons from his failures. David's latest venture, Digitt, has raised funding from top-tier investors like Clocktower Ventures, Gilgamesh, New Stack Ventures, FJ Labs, and Treville.