Homeroom Podcast

Max Liben is the co-founder and CTO of H3X Technologies, a company building the lightest electric motors in the world for aviation and regional air mobility.

Greg Baker is a software investor and Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures.

Scott Johnston is the CEO of Docker.  Beginning his career in 1989 as an engineering intern, Scott has over 30 years of experience working in tech at places such as Sun Microsystems, Netscape, Loudcloud and Alloy Ventures. With such a track record comes wisdom, and we were very curious what advice Scott would have if he were to do it again. Today, we discuss how the Silicon Valley landscape has changed since the 90's, what to think about in your career development, and when it makes sense to start your own venture.  Connect with Docker Website: https://www.docker.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/docker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/docker/ GitHub: https://github.com/docker Twitter: https://www.docker.com/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Dalal Alghawas and Nick Sardjono are the Program Director and Program Associate respectively at Big Idea Ventures. A food-tech accelerator with offices in New York, Paris and Singapore, Big Idea Ventures has been investing in cellular agriculture products at the seed and early stage for the last 4 years. Some of their biggest investors include Tyson Foods and Temasek. In this episode, we speak about how Big Idea originally got started, what they look for in applicants, and how they're moving forward through 2022. Given recent changes in the market, having an investors perspective is pivotal when it comes up and coming sectors.  Connect with Big Idea Ventures Website: https://bigideaventures.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/big-idea-ventures LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigideaventures/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigideaventures_/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bigideaventures We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Daan Luining is the co-founder and CEO of Meatable. Having worked on the first meatless burger under Professor Mark Post, it's safe to say Daan has been in cellular agriculture since the beginning. In the episode, we talk about how public opinion has changed, new innovations in the space, and where he sees the most interesting research being done. Food tech is here to stay, but when and where it will strike hottest is still to be determined.  Connect with Meatable Website: https://meatable.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/meatable LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/itsmeatable/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmeatable/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsmeatable We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Brandon Toushan is a consultant at McKinsey.  Undergrad is truly a special time in anyones life. Whether it's the ability to dive deep into projects with no immediate payoff or finding friends to party with, this is a time to figure out who you are and what you want to be. Yet with all this evolution, there's a type of pressure hoisted on people to figure it all out. That can be challenging which is why we have Brandon joining us. In this episode, we'll hear his story about dropping out, to having recently finished his Masters and now working his dream job. Connect with Brandon Toushan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-toushan/ GitHub: https://github.com/BrandonToushan We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Dan Altschuler Malek is a Managing Partner at Unovis Asset Management. Passionate about all things food and startups, Dan began his career as an entrepreneur in Mexico City, later opening a restaurant as well as managing a creative agency. He joined Unovis in 2018 and now sits on the board of 5 different food-tech companies. In this episode, we discuss career experience, how founding teams are assessed by his team, and what he feels is counter-intuitive about investing.  Connect with Dan Altschuler Malek  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaltschuler/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/daltschuler We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Heather Payne is the founder and CEO of Juno College. Raising venture capital is often seen as a rite of passage in the startup space. You incorporate, gain a handful of customers, and then hit the road to speak with investors to raise a round of funding. But is this something you should actually do? Why. even though most businesses are not venture fundable still go down that path. This week, we speak with Heather about just that, and how it may be the best decision ever to permanently bootstrap.  Connect with Juno College Website: https://junocollege.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/juno-college-of-technology LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/junocollege/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/junocollege/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/junocollege We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

David Breslauer is the co-founder and CTO of Bolt Threads. There is so much that goes into building a company it's hard to keep track of all the moving parts. When it comes to particular industries like biomaterials, they often get overlooked by other domains like software and hardware. But David managed to circumvent all of this! In the last 12 years, he's created a billion dollars business, has partnered with household appeal names like Adidas and Lululemon, and received investment from top tier VC's like Founders Fund. It was an honour and privilege to have him on the program! Connect with Bolt Threads Website: https://boltthreads.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bolt-threads LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bolt-threads/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boltthreads/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/boltthreads We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Chris Grouchy is the co-founder and CEO of Convictional. It goes without saying creating a business is an incredibly challenging task. Hiring employees, scaling, and raising money is an entirely other traumatic endeavour. In this episode, Chris tells us his incredible story of adversity, what he did to overcome toxic mindsets, and how he grew Convictional to what it is today. This episode truly demonstrates just how important ones mindset is. Connect with Convictional Website: https://www.convictional.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/convictional LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convictional/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/goConvictional We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Prashanth Balasubramanian is the co-founder and CEO of Lastbit - rebranded to Striga. Looking back on our catalogue, we realized how myopic and focused it was on one specific ecosystem in tech. Great companies know no boarders and it was an honour to speak with Prashanth about his journey to Estonia and how it compares to building a company in the United States. From how hiring is conducted, to smaller things like taking breaks during the day, we wanted to know all the details! Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Lastbit (rebranded to Striga) Website: https://striga.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/striga LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/striga/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lastbitpay We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Brett Thompson is the co-founder and CEO of Mzansi Meats. In the last few years, food-tech has bloomed into a global phenomenon with companies all over the world creating new ways to build a more sustainable food supply. Based in South Africa, Brett explains his goals behind animal husbandry alternatives, what barriers there are to overcome, and what he's most excited about in the future. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Mzansi Meats Website: https://www.mzansimeat.co/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/mzansi-meat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mzansimeatco/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mzansimeatco We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Ali Abramovitz is the co-founder and CEO of Chorus. Meditation is like eating healthy: it's easy to start or try, but hard to remain consistent. Chrous is solving that issue by building a community around practicing. Whether it be a group sessions or private lessons, the platform has you covered. Ali's story of creating the company is incredible too, having been a star college athlete and hedge fund analyst before moving into the startup space. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Chorus Website: https://chorusmeditation.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/chrous LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chorus-meditation/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chorussleep/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Molly Alter is a Partner at Index Ventures. The Venture Capital industry is not one to make job postings. Role are highly exclusive and to be successful in the space is even harder. So how exactly do you stand out and break out from the competition? Through her experience, Molly explains that while there is no easy route in, there are things in your control that can make this career path more achievable.  Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Molly Alter Twitter: https://twitter.com/molly_alter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-alter-3ab1159a/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Reza Azizian is the co-founder and CEO of Ferveret. Given the rise of big data, complications that can occur in data centres are massive. The answer to this is making the cooling far more efficient. By doing so, centres can run at a maximum level of output for longer period of time. If you think this a hard problem, you're right. However, the sign of someone's true intelligence is their ability to explain complex problems in simple terms, and that's exactly what Reza did in our program. He is one of the smartest and most humble people we've ever met.  Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Ferveret Website: https://www.ferveret.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ferveret Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ferveret1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ferveret/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Gary Amaral is the co-founder and CMO of Breadcrumbs.  He brings over 2 decades of sales and marketing experience to the table. His outlook on life was particularly refreshing, noting it was simply a series of inflection points that if taken advantage of correctly could turn out life changing results. Advice on how to think about imposters syndrome was also incredibly helpful. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Breadcrumbs Website: https://breadcrumbs.io/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/breadcrumbs-io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/breadcrumbsio/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breadcrumbsIO/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breadcrumbsIO We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Ismael Belkhayat is the co-founder and CEO of Chari. One of the biggest privileges in running operating a podcast is ability to connect with people around the world. Ismael is a proud Moroccan founder, and a serial entrepreneur. As he touches on in the episode, there is no cookie cutter formula for starting a startup, and often, the hardest part is taking that first step. In North America, we frequently take for granted our tech space and overlook other amazing savants in business. Through his years of experience, Ismael is the embodiment of always finding a way to win. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Chari Website: https://chari.co/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/chari-ma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/charimaroc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chari.maroc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charimaroc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZnbXttRLbUbfPe2M6bxDhA We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Joyce Zhang is the co-founder and CEO of Alariss. We touch on two very important topics pertaining to the journey of a company: how to prevent founder conflict, and how to approach product development. Both are items that occur in the early days of company building, so it was vital to touch on them. In the next 20 minutes we’ll be hearing from Joyce’s experiences and how she grew the team to where it is today. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Alariss Website: https://alariss.com/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2gtQVwM11vkP1mkUI756Y2?si=ea0be2451f344f52 Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/alariss-global LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alariss/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alarissglobal/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlarissGlobal/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Aleksandra Medina and Katrin Kaurov are co-founders of Frich. The fin-tech space has grown an incredible amount in the last few years, and we wanted a firsthand explanation on how build a company in the space. We’re going to be covering a number of topics in this episode, including how to learn from failures in the early days, how to fundraise, and some of the subtle nuances founders may want to know about the venture capital space. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Frich Website: http://www.getfrich.com/ Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/frich-c962 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frichmoney/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frichmoney/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.

Seth Rosenberg is a Partner at Greylock. We got the chance to sit down with him and speak about networking and how to break into new industries. It is a personal favourite of ours given how much advice and perspective he has for young professionals! It was a pleasure having him on the program. Homeroom is hosted by Cassius Felicella. Connect with Seth Rosenberg Twitter: https://twitter.com/SethGRosenberg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethrosenberg/ We talk to founders and entrepreneurs! We're in the business of learning and want to look at everything startup related. Our hope is to show just how significant this segment of business is to the world, and the things it can accomplish. For all inquiries, please email homeroomtalks@gmail.com.