Culture, Talent & Growth

Born from personal adversity and crafted with a spirit of rebellion, Dirtbag Bar is a testament to founder Mark Andrew Gravel’s journey through substance addiction and depression toward a healthier, more fulfilling existence. 

In this episode, we discuss how Mark transformed his battle with addiction and depression into a mission to provide a unique, healthy alternative to the candy bars we know. This single-SKU, chocolatey health ...

Venture Capital is a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape, constantly influenced by market trends, tech advancements, and economic fluctuations. This industry has seen significant shifts, prompting both founders and VCs to adapt their strategies and approaches. 

In this discussion, Comcast Ventures SVP Allison Goldberg, and Executive Director at Estee Lauder New Incubation Ventures, Ryan Piela, share advice for founders seeking inve...

Aaron Luo is the mastermind behind the Spanish delicacy and gourmet food brand, Mercado Famous, and luxury design house, CARAA. In this episode, he shares his entrepreneurial journey and how his diverse background spanning finance, fashion, and food shaped his approach to founding and running his successful ventures. 

We discuss navigating the challenges of expanding your business to international markets, go-to-market branding, ho...

In the realm of food, wellness, and impactful brands, two companies stand out as trailblazers in their respective fields: Krupa Consulting and The Goods Mart. Led by Rachel Krupa, these companies are on a mission to create meaningful change. 

In this episode, we talk about the intricacies of CPG, and Rachel shares profound insights into the essential elements of brand success, understanding your market, the power of building a grea...

In today's rapidly evolving job market, upskilling and reskilling have become crucial for individuals seeking to thrive in their careers. In this episode, we speak with the co-founder of StudentFinance.com, Mariano Kostelec, about recognizing the pressing need to bridge the gap between traditional education and the demands of the job market. 

Through StudentFinance.com, Mariano aims to tackle a common problem; The constant evolutio...

Frame Fitness was co-founded by Melissa Bentivoglio, a leading Pilates and fitness instructor and proprietary Reformer inventor, and her business-savvy husband Lee Belzberg. Frame was put into motion after Melissa noted the shift in the digital fitness world, with group classes like cycling and rowing moving into homes with well-designed, lightweight equipment and a virtually interactive solution. Melissa was inspired to create a d...

A guy walks to a bar and leaves with a sales career. Sounds serendipitous, but Kyle Mendoza’s sales career has been nothing short of extraordinary. After graduating from Chapman University, Kyle intended to pursue a career in industrial organizational psychology, but his lack of internships made it difficult to get started. While feeling down and unemployed after applying for fall internships, he walked into a bar and ended up unkn...

Becoming a CEO is a daunting task in and of itself, but imagine taking on that role as a non-founder. It's a unique and challenging position that comes with its own set of hurdles and obstacles. 

In this conversation with AllTrails CEO Ron Schneidermann, and former CEO of Weedmaps, Chris Beals, we discuss the complexities and difficulties of being a non-founder CEO. From navigating senior leadership to balancing the delicate task o...

In this episode, our panel of seasoned leaders from GitBook, Double Finn, and formerly CB Insights, sit down to discuss the role of the modern COO in fast-growing companies. They share their stories and advice on career mapping, team management, to executing organizational change. Whether you're an aspiring COO or simply interested in the inner workings and nuances of a fast-growing organization, you'll find plenty of valuable insi...

The role of CFO today, 10 years ago, and 10 years ahead look vastly different from each other. In this discussion, our panel of industry experts, current and former execs from CFGI, Brooklyn Boulders, Spinn Inc, Ring, and Made Renovation, dive into what traits and skills a CFO needs in order to adapt to today’s business landscape. 

They share their insights on what cross-functional leadership looks like in the role of CFO, why cash...

Samira Ann Qassim and Indra Sharma join Paul Craven for an insightful discussion on the future of European venture capital. In this episode, we discuss insights on emerging technologies, the changing investment landscape, and leveling the playing field for underrepresented entrepreneurs. Learn how VCs can use their resources to break biases and drive positive change for underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

Here’s What We Discussed

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In this episode, Paul Craven sits down with Frank Hansen of Nordic Secondaries Fund, which was the first and only fund in the Nordics to exclusively invest in secondaries. They discuss the in's and out's of finding investors, maintaining deal flow, and the nature of secondary investments. Frank talks about how his company chooses the founders they invest in and the unique challenges faced when running a secondary fund. 

Here’s What...

In this episode, we sit down with a panel of growth experts that have cut their teeth scaling in foreign markets with hyper-growth companies. We learn that launching in a new market isn’t as simple as copy-pasting your strategies; Localization is critical and foreign markets need to be tailored to. 

We discuss the importance of localization, the best UA channels in Europe, how they differ from the US, strategies that didn’t transla...

In this episode, Estelle Reardon and Anish Shah sit down and talk about their organizations, Slingshot and Ruckus. Slingshot’s goal is to match startups with tech prodigies and is of the ethos that talent, not education or age, should dictate access to opportunity. Estelle and Anish discuss what makes the best hires for startups and why exceptional talent is not just found in good schools and big-shot companies.  

Here’s What We Di...

In this episode, we sit down with Angelo Sasso, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Trade Coffee, to discuss his work with subscription-based companies and his three biggest lessons from working at Trade. He also shares the key characteristics that make a great marketing hire for startups.  

Here’s What We Discussed

• [00:27] Angelo talks about the red thread in his extensive and diverse backgro...

In the last decade, we have seen the perception of value of creators shift dramatically. As brands and companies begin to understand the power and influence creators have in culture and with their audiences, navigating how to establish lasting partnerships has never been more important.

In this episode, Avinash Gandhi, Founder at Partner with Creators, and former Head of Creator Partnerships at Patreon, sits down with Ruckus’ Sr. D...

How does the one of world’s most expansive, diverse, and enduring toy companies, Lego, continue to capture hearts through compelling storytelling? Most marketers have taken the approach of flooding their channels and seeing what sticks. But our screens are oversaturated with ads and offers. James Gregson, Creative Director for Lego’s internal agency, cuts through the noise with a fewer, bigger, and better approach to marketing.

In ...

There’s no denying that Web3 and the Metaverse are the next big frontier in digital innovation. As early-adopters and skeptics alike watch the immersive and transformative technologies change the ways we interact with the world around us, we are also watching new companies and career paths shift the job market as we know it.

Whether you’re looking to hire or get hired, our panelists have been there. Join us live as we sit down with...

We had the chance to sit down and dive deep into what it takes to build lasting community in the wild world of SAAS. Laura Coscarelli, Account Executive at Higher Logic, Victoria Cumberbatch, Operations Specialist formerly at Osmosis, Kerri Williams, Community, Strategy & Engagement Manager at Workday, and Melanie Bond, Director of Community at Nanit shared the importance of setting clear expectations with community members and int...