Invisible Ink

Invisible Ink

Tired of startup fluff? Invisible Ink cuts through the hype, bringing you power-packed conversations with investors and founders who've built the companies you admire. Forget theory and buzzwords. This podcast is your all-access pass to the real strategies, the tough decisions, and the often unseen struggles that shape successful startups. Each episode zooms in on the specifics of what it takes to get funded, demystifying the process and giving you actionable insights you can apply today. Join us as we unpack the gritty details the hype machine misses, revealing the truth about what investors look for, the mistakes to avoid, and the actionable steps you can take to make your startup unstoppable. Invisible Ink is more than just a podcast – it's your personal mentor in the world of funding. Tune in, level up, and turn your startup dream into a funded reality. Subscribe now! Find show notes and more at https://achiiv.co/category/podcast/

Episodes

August 17, 2025 71 mins
In this episode of Invisible Ink, molecular biologist and biotech entrepreneur Daisy Robinton, founder of Oviva Therapeutics, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to share her journey from academia to leading a women’s health startup.

Daisy turned a personal encounter with gaps in female physiology knowledge—despite holding a PhD— into her mission to address ovarian function as a key driver of women’s healthspan, all the way to a successful ex...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, pricing strategist Joanne Smith, formerly an executive at DuPont and now a leading expert in value-based pricing, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to unpack the science and art of pricing for early-stage deep tech startups.


Check out Joanne's real-world, battle-tested advice and smart, practical strategies, as well as her sharp insights on:
  1. The single biggest pricing pitfall tripping up technical founde...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, Dr. Maria Blehker—founder of Serendipity Capital and expert in behavioral science—joins Shubha Chakravarthy for a deep dive into how startups, particularly in deep tech and mental health, can succeed by blending scientific rigor with human insight and strategic funding.

Check out this episode to hear her practical tips on how you can leverage research-driven insights from behavioral science to jumps...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, Sharon Tal, co-creator of the Where to Play framework and co-author of the book by the same name, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to walk through how startups—especially in STEM and deep tech—can systematically discover and prioritize their best market opportunities.

Sharon draws on over two decades of experience mentoring founders and academic research to explain why many startups fail due to poor market...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, Eileen Tanghal, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Black Opal Ventures, joins Shubha Chakravarthy for a deep dive into how founders can better understand venture capital beyond just fundraising and what truly drives VC decision-making.

Eileen reveals what founders often miss: that VCs are entrepreneurs too, managing their own businesses with investor expectations and partnership dynamics. She outlin...
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In this episode, Hanna Wu, co-founder and CEO of Amplify, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to share her journey building a customer-centric, digital life insurance platform focused on wealth accumulation.

Tune in to listen to the inspiring journey that took Hanna from running her own financial planning firm to founding the company that has been dubbed a future unicorn by TRAC. Check out Hanna's insights on:
  • What it takes to disrupt a le...
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In this episode, Ingrid Bonde Åkerlind joins Shubha Chakravarthy to unravel the complexities of pricing for early-stage startups, especially in the world of SaaS and “XaaS” business models.

Tune in to hear Ingrid's reflections on her unexpected journey into pricing, starting from scratch in a C2C marketplace to making investment decisions with a venture capital firm. Ingrid shares powerful insights about price inertia, customer psyc...
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In this episode, Elise Strobach, co-founder and CEO of AeroShield, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to share her journey from lab discovery to clean tech startup founder. Drawing on her experience as a mechanical engineering PhD at MIT, Elise discusses how a breakthrough in transparent silica aerogels evolved into a venture-backed company tackling one of the world’s biggest energy inefficiencies—heat loss through windows.

Tune in to listen...
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In this episode, Maja Voje, go-to-market strategist, author, and growth expert, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to unpack the real essence of go-to-market (GTM) strategy—far beyond the buzzword.

Drawing from her extensive experience advising startups and corporates alike, Maja reveals her tested GTM framework, rooted in experimentation, structured thinking, and real market insights. She breaks down the six mission-critical elements of GTM...
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What if the way we think about building a business is fundamentally flawed? In this epsiode, Heidi Neck, a leading voice in entrepreneurship education, shares actionable insights from her extensive research and experience, emphasizing that "organizations are not entrepreneurial, people are".

Whether you're navigating a high-growth startup or seeking to instill innovation within an established company, you'll gain practical tools. Le...
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In this captivating episode, we sit down with Maria L. Maccecchini, a force of nature in the world of biotech, to explore her inspiring journey from a Ph.D. scientist to a successful entrepreneur.  Maria shares her passion for developing innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and the realities of navigating the complex terrain of funding, clinical trials, and FDA approvals.


Check ...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, we talk with deep tech expert Dr. Tanya Ramond, an expert in taking deep tech startups to market. check out Tanya's insightful and actionable insights on:
  1. Why commercializing deep tech is challenging
  2. The one mindset shift technical founders  must make to succeed
  3. How to leverage the biggest element of your technical education to drive your startup's success
  4. A simple approach to mastering new skills
  5. H...
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In this episode, Patricia Liu, an MIT-educated computer scientist turned angel investor and Stanford lecturer, shares her diverse career journey—from consulting at Accenture to working in Michelin-starred kitchens and now teaching pitch decks to startup founders.

Patricia shared her  takes on the common threads across her careers, the core elements that stay constat regatdless of what endeavor you're engaged in. Check out her though...
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In this episode of Invisible Ink, Eva Doss, president and CEO of The LaunchPlace, discusses her work in venture development, managing a portfolio of 27 startups, and supporting early-stage companies through every part of their startup journey.

Listen to Eva's experiences as she shares her journey in building The LaunchPlace, including her insights on:
  1. Why your cap table is the linchpin in your fundraising story
  2. How to stay on top ...
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In this episode, Liz Sigety, chair of Fox Rothschild's Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practice, shares her expertise in working with startups, her role as a co-founder of the Delaware Crossing Investor Group, and her extensive experience as an angel investor.

Tune in to hear Liz's thoughts on funding mechanisms for early-stage companies, how to pick the right funding vehicle, the differences between SAFEs and convertible not...
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In this conversation, Vicki Knott, CEO of Crux OCM, shares her entrepreneurial journey from oil and gas to starting her own company. Vicki describes her background and how she met her co-founder, Roger Shirt, and how they developed the idea for Crux OCM.

Tune in to listen to her facscinating journey as she shares her thoughts on:
  1. The power of cross-pollinating ideas - origin story of an innovative startup
  2. The difference between w...
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Join us for a fascinating conversation with Kameale C. Terry, Co-founder and CEO of ChargerHelp! In this conversation, Kameale shares her entrepreneurial journey in the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector, detailing her transition from supporting EV drivers to founding her own company focused on enhancing charging reliability. Tune in to find out:
  1. How to transform life circumstances into entrepreneurial opportunity
  2. The single b...
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In this episode, Tasneem Dohadwala, a venture capitalist in early-stage medical device investment, shares her insights on navigating the venture capital landscape and the unique challenges within the medical devices space.

Check out this information-packed conversation to learn more about:
  1. The categories of med-tech ventures, and how they differ
  2. Why large markets have outsize importance in med-tech relative to other verticals
  3. What ...
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In this episode, Brianna McDonald, an experienced early-stage investor, shares key insights from her two-decade journey in the startup world, emphasizing the significance of a well-crafted capitalization strategy for founders. Brianna discusses the importance of not falling in love with the product alone, instead focusing on the executive team's execution and the market potential.

She highlights the misconceptions around fundraising...
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Named one of Inc. Magazines Top 100 Female Founders of 2020, Colette Courtion is a distinguished and award-winning consumer marketer, inventor (24 issued patents), and business leader steeped in brand building, marketing, strategic planning, and finance with leading consumer product, retail, and medical device companies.

She is the founder of Joylux, the leading menopausal intimate health company with Halle Berry, the acclaimed actr...
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