Value Drivers

In this episode, we interview Alex Smereczniak, a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Franzy, a franchise discovery and acquisition platform, and former CEO of 2 U Laundry and Laundry Lab. Alex shares his journey of growing 2 U Laundry/Laundry Lab to over 30 locations and his decision to hire a CEO and move to a board position. This transition allowed him to focus on his idea for Franzy, which he ...

Peter Ho welcomes Julian Lange, an experienced CFO who has guided companies from startup to IPO, including scaling Marley Spoon and leading VC fundraising for Aiven. Currently CFO at Upvest, Julian brings strategic financial leadership and a passion for team development.

Julian's Career Journey: Julian shares his background, starting with 10 years in the corporate world at General Electric ...

The interview with Alex Lee, CEO of Truewind, explores how his company uses artificial intelligence to streamline accounting processes for accounting firms. Truewind is presented as a "digital staff accountant" that utilizes AI to perform accounting tasks with greater efficiency and predictability.

Lee's background is in aerospace engineering, having worked at Boeing on the 777X program. He...

Nate Helbach, founder and CEO of Neutral, discusses his company's mission to redefine real estate development through sustainable practices and a focus on tenant wellness. Neutral aims to construct mixed-use and multifamily developments that achieve carbon neutrality.

Inspiration and Background: Nate was inspired to start Neutral by the lack of differentiation and sustainability in typical ...

In this episode of Value Drivers, we welcome Dan Hilton, the CFO of BluMetric (Ticker: BLM), a Canadian environmental consulting and water technology company. Dan shares his extensive experience spanning over 30 years in both startup and established technology firms. He discusses his varied career, which includes serving on both public and private company boards, involvement in the Canadian artificial heart pro...

Anatoly (“Toly”) Kvitnitsky, founder and CEO of AI or Not, an AI detection startup, was interviewed on the Value Drivers podcast. Kvitnitsky's background includes a decade in fraud and KYC protection, followed by a stint as a VC at a major financial institution, which ultimately led him to start AI or Not in late 2023. His motivation stemmed from the realization that generative AI, while ...

Dr. James Min, founder and CEO of Cleerly, is interviewed about his journey from a medical background to entrepreneurship. Dr. Min, a cardiologist by training, spent 15 years at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Cornell Medical College. He discusses the development of the coronary CT angiogram, a tool that allowed his team to learn about vascular biology and the causes of heart attacks. This led to a clinical ...

The podcast features a conversation with Praful Saklani, the CEO of Pramata, a company focused on simplifying contract management using AI. Saklani shares his extensive entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his early involvement in the internet world in the mid-1990s after graduating from Swarthmore College with a degree in Economics and Political Science. He describes how he saw the potential of the internet...

Welcome to Value Drivers, the podcast exploring the forces driving value creation in today’s business landscape. Today’s guest is David Cohen, CFO of Tour24, a proptech company transforming the multifamily rental market with its self-guided tour platform.

Sam Miller, founder and CEO of Kasheesh, shared his entrepreneurial journey and insights into the company's payment solution. After studying economics at the University of Maryland, Miller embarked on a career path in the startup world.  Miller has a rich history of success in the startup world, having founded and exited two companies before taking a position at Dreamit V...

Vlad Panchenko, the founder of Portal AI, joins Peter Ho this week and shares his journey from his roots in Ukraine to the heart of Silicon Valley, highlighting his four companies and his evolving entrepreneurial vision.  The discussion explores Panchenko's entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of the gaming industry, the impact of AI on businesses, and the vision behin...

Conor Tierney, CFO of AEye, a lidar sensor company, discusses his career journey, the lidar technology and market opportunity, AEye’s business model and financial strategy, and his advice for those starting their careers.

In this episode, we speak with Itzik Cohen, CEO of PayZen, a fintech company transforming healthcare affordability. Drawing on his experience as a professional basketball player, Cohen shares how teamwork, leadership, and focus are central to both sports and business. PayZen’s mission is to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for patients while solving revenue challenges for healthcare providers.

Episode Summary

Patricia Sagastume, the head of Finance at Limble, shares her entrepreneurial journey with us. Rooted in a family of entrepreneurs, Patricia’s story is one of grit and growth, as she recalls her early days at a software escrow company that prepped her for greater ventures. Alongside her brother, she co-founded Limble, a computerized maintenance management software powerhouse that has grown from a bootstrapped s...

Join us for a conversation with Kjirstin Breure, the President and CEO of Hydrograph, as she takes us through the journey of Hydrograph from its early phase at Kansas State University to becoming a publicly traded entity with operations in the US and UK. Kjirstin shares her path from working in various tech startups to becoming the founding team member at Hydrograph. She elaborates on the properties of graphene...