DealMakers: Entrepreneur | Startups | Venture Capital

Barney Balmforth's journey is a testament to calculated risk-taking, resilience, visionary leadership, and two pivotal lessons: the importance of taking calculated risks and pursuing meaningful endeavors. These values, along with the inspiration to work hard, drove Barney's career in the high-stakes world of tech and biotech startups. His latest startup, Biofidelity, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Agilent Technologies, Octopus Ventures, BlueYard Capital, and SBI Investment.

Mario Schlosser's story resonates with entrepreneurs navigating the complexities of building companies across different cultures, facing financial hardships, navigating board dynamics, and even being fired from their own startups. Mario's latest venture is Oscar Health that has raised funding from top-tier investors like Lakestar, Alphabet, Coatue, Baillie Gifford, and Reinvent Capital.

Jeffrey Wessler’s story is a captivating blend of medicine, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He is a cardiologist and the founder of Heartbeat Health, the largest, countrywide virtual cardiologist practice in the US. Heartbeat Health has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Cressey & Company, 406 Ventures, Echo Health Ventures, Optum Ventures, and Kindred Ventures.

Guilherme Weigert's story is one of remarkable transitions—from growing up in Rio de Janeiro to founding successful companies reshaping the healthcare landscape in Latin America. In this riveting interview, Guilherme talks about pivoting, driving his company, Conexa, from growth to profitability, and navigating the ups and downs of building a business. Conexa has attracted investment from top-tier investors like Vivo Ventures, Endeavor Promessas, Wayra Brazil, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and Goldman Sachs Growth Equity.

Entrepreneurship is a journey filled with successes, failures, and countless lessons. Evan Richardson, founder of Form Health, the national leader in science-based obesity care, offers an insightful look into building and scaling a business based on his experiences and hard-learned lessons from the ventures he's led.

In this engaging interview, Diane Yu, a repeated founder and highly successful entrepreneur, offers valuable insights into her extraordinary journey from a young graduate to a leading force in the technology and finance sectors. From her early days at DoubleClick to her role in building FreeWheel, which Comcast acquired for about $400M, and now her current venture, TidalWave, Diane has consistently focused on innovation, learning, and building strong relationships. TidalWave has attracted funding from top-tier investors like RevTech Labs Capital.

Micha Grueber’s story stands out in the dynamic world of entrepreneurship thanks to the resilience, adaptability, and strategic foresight he has demonstrated. Micha is the founder of 1KOMMA5°, a home electrification company with a vision to revolutionize adopting clean energy. 1KOMMA5° has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, G2 Venture Partners, and b2venture.

When you think of the pioneers in cryptography and cybersecurity, one name that stands out is Dr. Taher Elgamal. He has had an incredible journey spanning decades of innovation, from growing up in Cairo and studying at Stanford to building and selling companies. Today, Taher is an investor in Evolution Equity Partners, a $2B operation deploying capital to upcoming companies like Torq, Protect AI, Cytactic, and Anvilogic.

Kieran Donovan’s journey is a fascinating tale of creativity, resilience, and the unexplored paths of entrepreneurship. His professional experiences have taken him across continents, from New York to London, Hong Kong, and now Singapore, where he co-founded k-ID. Kieran’s company, k-ID, navigates the complex regulatory landscape of kids’ and teenagers’ online privacy and has raised capital worth over $50M from top-tier investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, Z Venture Capital, and Everywhere Ventures.

In the world of entrepreneurship, few stories are as inspiring as that of Ran Shaul, a serial entrepreneur who embodies the resilience, adaptability, and foresight required to build and scale companies on a global level. Ran also offers insights into raising $380M for K Health from top-tier investors like Valor Equity Partners, 14W, Mangrove Capital Partners, GGV Capital, and Comcast Ventures.

Few stories in the world of entrepreneurship depict the perfect blend of grit, vision, and serendipity like Shawn Marcell's. A seasoned entrepreneur with a knack for founding, scaling, and exiting multiple ventures, his story offers a wealth of lessons. Shawn's company, Torus Biosystems, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like David R. Walt and Northpond Ventures.

Tanuj Mohan is no stranger to the world of entrepreneurship. From growing up in India to becoming a successful, repeated founder, his journey is a testament to innovation, perseverance, and a deep understanding of technology. Tanuj's latest company is AirEye, which has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Canaan, USVP, toDay Ventures, and Steve Krausz.

In a rapidly changing world, navigating uncertainty, building scalable solutions, and creating positive social impact are more critical than ever. These were the focal points of the conversation with Maheen Rahman, a trailblazing entrepreneur and finance leader who has raised a balance sheet capability of over $400M. Her company, Infra Zamin. has attracted funding from top-tier investors like InfraCo Asia Investments and Karandaaz Pakistan.

In an era where environmental concerns are more pressing than ever, Daphna Nissenbaum is a shining example of how passion and determination can spark innovative solutions. She is the CEO of TIPA, a company dedicated to solving the world's plastic pollution. TIPA has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Blue Horizon Ventures, Triodos Organic Growth Fund, Horizons Ventures, and Greensoil Investments.

Tomer London, co-founder of Gusto, a company with over 2,500 employees, relates what it means to go from humble beginnings to building a hypergrowth business. His journey is an exciting blend of personal history, entrepreneurial lessons, and hard-earned wisdom. Gusto has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Kleiner Perkins, Sands Capital, Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC, and Cross Creek.