The Ivy Podcast

Runa Capital is a $0.5B global venture fund that has invested in 100+ early-stage startups in Fintech, Deeptech, B2B SaaS, Digital Health and Edutech. Seed / Series A. Average check: $1-10M. Notable investments: Mambu ($5.5B valuation), Nginx (acquired by F5 for $700M), Zopa ($1B challenger bank), Pasqal (cold atom quantum computing). Denis' mission is to drive the cross-border investment and collaboration between EU/US and Asian tech companies. He's helping 10+ of the portfolio startups expand into APAC markets and raise funds from Asian investors. He's also looking for promising early-stage Asian startups (Enterprise Software / Fintech / Deeptech) which have an ambition to become global companies.

Alina Abdrakhmanova - managing director of international corporate fund for IT startups “Astana Hub”. Member of National commission for women, family and demographic policies under the supervision of the President of the republic of Kazakhstan , member of steering committee for Q88 Kazakhstan Urbanists Association, member of Qazaq Independent Directors Association. Former: director of KAZGUU Business School, executive director for Q88 Kazakhstan Urbanists Association, independent director at “Science Fund” JSC, CEO and co-founder of IN-VR Ltd (VR startup), CEO and founder of Geneva Business School Kazakhstan campus. Master in finance, doctorate of business administration in urban development. Astana Hub website: https://astanahub.com/

Cary is a CEO at WageScape (formerly Greenwich.HR), they believe that their client's time is best spent creating solutions, not collecting data. They have made it their mission to offer the most comprehensive and up-to-date labor market data, opening doors to efficient, world-changing innovation.

Dmitry is a Founder and CEO at ElectroNeek Robotics.  He is a former physicist (quantum electronics) passionate about science and innovation.

Rachel Lyubovitzky is the CEO and Chairwoman of Setuply. Rachel leads a team of talented professionals who are passionate about transforming brand new clients into the brand ambassadors with seamless onboarding for B2B solution providers and their clients. With 15+ years of experience in the enterprise tech space, she has a proven track record of building and scaling successful enterprise B2B companies, products, and teams in the benefits, insurance, and human capital management, and other domains. Rachel's mission is to eliminate the barriers and challenges that prevent B2B solution providers from realizing the full potential of their deals and relationships. Leveraging my expertise in customer relationship management, social technologies, and strategy Setuply delivers innovative, intuitive, and effective AI-powered onboarding solutions. Rachel is also honored to be a member of the Forbes Technology Council, a vetted professional networking community for leading tech executives, where she shares herinsights and learns from her peers.

Arun is a passionate value investor in the public and private market space. Strong operator (6 years in the startup ecosystem) and finance professional background (10 years in Investment Banking) with a B.S. magna cum laude degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Robin Butler is a Partner at Sturgeon Capital, a London-based VC investing in frontier and emerging market startups that are solving the key problems affecting the day to day lives of businesses and consumers.

Peter is an investor, VC and a partner at Anchorless Bangladesh.

Pedro is an engineer turned manager, with deep experience in the tech world. He got his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley, and hisresearch and publications have received awards both in Europe and in the US. After doing his time as management consultant, Pedro started building companies. First venture was backed by NEA and DFJ and they created tools to help companies sell, and consumers buy, safer and healthier products. These tools are used today by millions of users around the world, and by a diverse set of companies ranging from small companies to large Fortune 500, including the major US retailers. After that Pedro started West to West and the Discoveries Syndicate to help other entrepreneurs succeed in Silicon Valley. He has experience on both sides of the table as operator and investor, and with all the different stages of a venture from idea to growth, through fundraising, product development, engineering management and biz dev. Pedro brings in strong domain expertise in the Green and Digital Health spaces, but more generically strong analytical skills, data, science and technology expertise. He uses all this experience to invest and advise both EU and US startups including TalkDesk (500S), HypeLabs (AngelPad), Prodsmart (500S), Utrust (500S), Agroop (Top Seedrs) and ClimateEarth (UB Berkeley). Global 500 Accelerator: https://500.co/accelerators/500-georgia

Nhi Lê is a Principal at Alpha Intelligence Capital, an entrepreneurs-led, entrepreneurs-invested, global closed-end private venture capital fund. It invests in deep Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technology-based companies.

Kawana T. King is a Senior Technology Advisor and Counsel at Google LLC, where she supports Google’s advertising business. In her role, Kawana leads a global team and advises on a wide array of complex technology, privacy, advertising, media and consumer protection matters. She also negotiates deals with some of the world’s largest companies utilizing Google’s technology and advertising solutions. Kawana’s expertise in the areas of technology, privacy, advertising and media stem from her diverse professional experience and background. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Kawana started her career as a litigation associate at Proskauer Rose, LLP, an international law firm, where she represented clients in false advertising, media, technology and intellectual property matters. Kawana also worked with The New Press, a nonprofit publishing house, where she was chiefly responsible for reviewing, negotiating and drafting a wide range of licensing agreements and other contracts touching practically every aspect of the business. In 2011, Kawana joined the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips. While at Manatt, Kawana established herself in the fields of technology, media, and advertising; and she was often the lead advisor to several Fortune 500 companies on technology and privacy matters, key marketing and advertising campaigns, and on compliance with federal and international regulations. At Google, Kawana is a “go-to” advisor on a number of high-stakes matters and is recognized by her colleagues and clients as a true partner and thought leader. Google has featured Kawana in The Keyword, Google’s official blog spotlighting powerful, dynamic female Googlers. Kawana also received Google’s inaugural NYC Site Citizenship Award in 2019 for her active role in various social impact efforts, including Tech Exchange, Google’s applied computer science residency program for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Kawana’s work in the tech field has also been recognized outside of Google. In March 2018, Kawana was invited to be a featured speaker at the African American Women in Tech Conference hosted by the Internet & New Tech Subcommittee of the New York State Assembly. Kawana also received a Proclamation in recognition of her work in the tech field and her community efforts. Kawana is a Brooklyn native, born and raised in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant (“Bed-Stuy”). Prior to law school, she attended Howard University, graduating summa cum laude with degrees in political science and sociology. Kawana continues to reside in Bed-Stuy where she is active in various community affairs and initiatives, particularly in the areas of community development and criminal justice reform. Kawana serves on the Board of Directors for the Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy and chairs the Nominating and Board Governance committees. She is also a member of the Collective of Concerned Black Professionals, for which she is the chair of the organization’s Criminal Justice and Policing Committee.

Denis is a Principal at I2BF Global Ventures, a New York seed stage VC. He focuses on startups transforming boring industries like Manufacturing, Construction, Logistics, Utility, and others with frontier tech such as SaaS, ML & computer vision, AR/VR. IoT & wearables, RPA & Automation, etc. Over his career at I2BF he invested in 10+ portfolio companies and he has 1 exit so far. Show notes: Space blog: https://spaceambition.substack.com SpaceTech services: spaceambition.org Ask VC Website: https://www.askvc.org Ask VC YouTube: https://youtube.com/@askvc Twitter: https://twitter.com/zadenis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-kalyshkin-b634592a

Siya Raj Purohit is the Global Edtech & Workforce Development Lead at AWS and a General Partner at Pathway Ventures. She’s an operator-investor in the Edtech and Future of Work sectors who helps grow & invest in companies that drive economic mobility through innovative models of earning, learning, and community building. Siya was previously an early employee at Udacity & Springboard and an investor at GSV Ventures. She published a book on America's jobs-skills gap during college and is an alum of the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University.

Bharat is Co-Founder & CEO of Pippin Title. Pippin Title offers comprehensive title search across all 50 states. We take pride in being responsive and helpful no matter what your needs may be. Our cloud based software allows title insurance brokerages, lenders, and attorneys to manage their workflows efficiently and effectively, saving them time, money, and hassle.

Deep Singh is the CEO of Credilinq.AI. He is pioneering alternative financing for businesses in Asia and around the world to democratize their business lending experience.

Olzhas Zhiyenkul is a CEO at Paladigm Capital and Investbanq. He's a fund manager, entrepreneur and an early-stage impact investor with over 10 years of experience in asset management, venture capital, financial inclusion, insurance, brokerage, investment strategy, financial modelling, anti-money laundering and due diligence.

Vyom Upadhya is the Executive Director for Digital at MDVIP in Boca Raton, FL. A Goldman Sachs and Charles Bank backed company, MDVIP operates a network of 1,200 physicians serving over 380,000 patients across the United States with personalized, preventative primary care medicine. As a senior technology executive, Vyom leads multiple teams with multi million dollar budgets focused on delivering a technology enabled healthcare experience. During his tenure, he has led company wide strategic initiatives, managed enterprise partnerships, and has been recognized both as an employee of the year and a culture champion. During Vyom’s 20 year career, he has held leadership roles in engineering, product development, strategy, implementation, sales and management consulting. Outside of MDVIP, Vyom focuses on providing fractional CIO and CTO advisory services to mid market firms looking to drive growth and value from technology. From Georgia Tech to Florida International University, Vyom holds a Bachelors in Computer Engineering, a Masters in MIS, and an MBA focused on Finance and Entrepreneurship. Most recently, Vyom has taken on the role of President at the Society of Information Management’s South Florida chapter. Our chapter is executing against a vision of helping build better CIOs and CTOs, ultimately leading to a technology “leadership” hub in South Florida.

Yerjan is CEO and Founder of Clockster. Clockster is a company that specializes in providing advanced staff management tools for the F&B, Retail, and Hospitality sectors. Their comprehensive suite of solutions is specifically designed for blue-collar workers and includes features such as shift scheduling, attendance tracking, payroll management, communication channels, and recurring task assignment.

Iz-Lynn is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manager. She is responsible for steering BHG Retail REIT’s strategic direction alongside the Board, and delivering the overall business plans with the support of the management team. The Asia Corporate Excellency & Sustainability (ACES) named Iz-Lynn as one of Asia’s Most Inspiring Executives in 2022 for her stellar management, operations-savviness and investor relations. Prior to driving the REIT’s listing, lz-Lynn headed Beijing Hualian Department Store Co., Ltd’s (the “Sponsor”) Mall Management Operations and was based in Beijing. In this capacity, Iz-Lynn oversaw active mall management of this Shenzhen-listed group’s nation-wide portfolio of properties. She was also part of the senior management team responsible for directing the Sponsor’s future strategic development. From 2005 to 2013, lz-Lynn held various positions in Far East Organization. She was the Assistant Director of the Retail Business Group where her primary responsibility included maximizing the business performance of the flagship asset Orchard Central, while her concurrent role as Vice-President (Retail Consultancy) involved the exploration of international new-to-market brands to the retail portfolio. In the Hospitality Business Group, comprising hotels and serviced residences, she was responsible for the delivery of the business unit’s operational and service excellence. During her tenure, lz-Lynn also concurrently held the position of the Head of Service Quality at the group’s corporate level. Iz-Lynn began her career with Singapore Airlines where she had varied roles which enhanced her exposure to different aspects of airline operations. She became Singapore Airline’s first female Station Manager and was entrusted to manage overseas stations’ airport operations in Frankfurt, Copenhagen, New York and Hong Kong. lz-Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom and she completed the General Management Programme at Harvard Business School. Iz-Lynn was also the case protagonist in Harvard Business School Case Study “Iz-Lynn at Far East Organization”.

Jason is a Partner and founding member at new early stage venture capital firm Aksara Ventures. Before Aksara Ventures he held growth and product roles at various startups and was at VC firm Monk’s Hill Ventures before starting Aksara Ventures. He graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Aksara Ventures is on a mission to discover startups with the potential to change the way we function in the future. They look to back the bold ideas and resolute operators at the edge of breaking out.