Q1 Snapshot: The Startup Ecosystem

Join us for a Q1 update! Kicking off 2025, many anticipated a return to the "good old days" of economic optimism, but the reality has been more complex. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Steven Lord, Burkland’s COO, to get a pulse on the startup ecosystem and the broader economic landscape as Q1 comes to a close.We discuss:What’s going on with interest rates?Trends in startup valuations and venture capitalThe latest on inflation and the declining consumer confidence indexSteps founders can take now to be prepared for what’s next AI continues to dominate investment conversations, but we’re seeing a shift toward niche AI applications and industry-specific use cases. Meanwhile, economic uncertainty has created a turbulent environment for startups reliant on government grants and regulatory stability, leaving many clean energy, healthcare, and fintech founders in limbo.Tune in for a deep dive into the forces shaping startup success in 2025, and what founders, investors, and business leaders should watch for in the months ahead -- plus a quick PSA moment on protecting your startup against hackers!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we explore the data privacy considerations that all founders need to address, not ignore, with Katharine Tomko, Partner at First Ascent Ventures. Katharine fully understands all the priorities and stresses founders face, so she lays out a clear roadmap for them with small, actionable steps they can take now that will help them down the road with privacy.With an intriguing background that spans from her first job as a parole officer to the early days of data protection programs at Facebook and now her work in venture capital, Katharine is a true authority on data privacy. She “gets” the mindset of founders and knows what they need to do today around privacy and data collection.Katharine offers perspective on:The big dangers of not prioritizing privacy in the AI eraWhy more is not better when it comes to collecting customer dataDoes data mapping solve privacy?What VCs can learn about a founder by how they manage privacyFounders and VCs – don’t miss this deep dive into a topic that’s becoming non-negotiable in the startup world!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

Pricing and packaging can make or break a startup, yet many founders struggle to get it right. In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Fynn Glover, Co-Founder and CEO of Schematic, to explore his journey from startup founder to pricing and packaging expert. Fynn shares lessons from his first startup—how a pivot led to an acquisition, the challenges of scaling, and what sparked his fascination with pricing.And we dive into:How to get a deep understanding of your market's willingness to payThe big upside of having pricing and packaging that can evolve as fast as your product roadmapWhy decoupling pricing from the engineering function allows for more creativity around monetization Whether you're starting a new venture or scaling a business, this episode offers valuable insights on monetization, customer pricing dynamics, and conquering common pricing challenges![01:42] Fynn’s First Startup, Pivot, and Acquisition[05:29] Founding Schematic[08:00] Challenges and Insights in Pricing and Packaging[10:00] Schematic's Approach and Early Success[17:17] Advice for Startup Founders----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

In this episode of Startup Success, we are joined by Daniel Loreto, founder of Jetify, who dives into his journey from working at tech giants like Google, Twitter, and Airbnb to launching his own startup. Daniel shares how his passion for accelerating software development led to the creation of Jetify and how AI is transforming the way developers bring ideas to life.Highlights:Daniel’s candid advice on raising a successful seed roundHis careful approach towards scaling and spending moneyStrategies for creating the right company culture and building a high-performing teamHow AI agents like Jetify’s Test Pilot are revolutionizing the software development lifecycleThis episode is packed with valuable insights on navigating the startup ecosystem, leveraging AI, turning your passion into a business, and more! Tune in now to hear Daniel’s journey and his vision for the future of software development!----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

There is no getting around the power of customer feedback in building a successful startup.In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Luke Kim, founder and CEO of Liner, an AI-powered search tool revolutionizing the way researchers, students, and knowledge workers find reliable information. As a child during the dot-com boom, Luke dreamed of one day starting his own company. Right out of college, he turned his dream into reality by founding Liner, which is now one of the top AI search tools in the world.Luke shares his incredible journey and highlights his team’s successful strategy for harnessing the power of customer feedback to build a highly engaged and passionate user base that drives growth organically.We discuss:How his team maintains a close connection to customer pain points and heavily relies on user feedback to drive product developmentLiner’s recent $22M Series B funding and their strategy for scaling globallyTheir quick pivot to AI search within a week of ChatGPT’s API original releaseLuke’s insights into building a 100% customer-centric team provide invaluable lessons for startup founders at any stage.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

In this episode of Startup Success, we're joined by Manish Patel, founding partner at Nava Ventures and self-described accidental venture capitalist. Manish shares his fascinating journey into venture capital, including the challenges and rewards of running a Series A-focused fund and his firm’s thesis-driven approach to investing.We discuss:What Manish looks for when investing in Series A startups and foundersAdvice on preparing for and raising a Series A roundThe current state of the startup ecosystem and why Manish is excited about 2025Important areas a startup founder should focus on besides the usual benchmark metrics This not-to-be-missed episode is packed with actionable advice for startup founders and thought-provoking perspectives on the art and science of venture capital.Key Moments:🔹[00:06:05-00:07:42]  Nava Ventures’ Investment Philosophy🔹[00:07:42-00:09:40]  Their Pain Points Driven Thesis🔹[00:09:38-00:11:12]  Challenges of Fundraising🔹[00:11:12-00:12:33]  Evaluating Series A Companies🔹[00:13:33-00:14:55]  Venture Capital Misconceptions🔹[00:14:25-00:15:30]  Founder-Investor Relationships🔹[00:15:30-00:18:24]  Building In-House Capabilities🔹[00:18:32-00:18:50]  All Revenue is Not Equal ----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

The Trump 2.0 era will reshape the startup landscape. Is your startup prepared for what’s next?In this insight-packed episode of Startup Success, we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Steven Lord, Burkland’s Managing Director of Service Delivery and Chief Learning Officer. Steve dives deep into the state of the startup ecosystem as we close out 2024 and enter a pivotal year.We explore the long-awaited resurgence of venture capital activity, the shifts in valuations, and the much-anticipated reopening of exit pathways like IPOs and M&A deals. Steven shares his thoughts on how the incoming administration will impact startups across all sectors, including AI, energy, fintech, crypto, and SaaS.We discuss:Why now is the time to prepare for a more favorable fundraising environmentImportant tax and regulatory changes founders should have on their radarThe many reasons Steve is optimistic about the 2025 economy How startups play a critical role in job creation and are essential to economic growthWhether you're a founder, investor, or startup enthusiast, this episode is packed with actionable advice and forward-looking perspectives to help you navigate 2025 and beyond. Don't miss it!Key Moments: 🔹 [00:02:31] Discussion of the recovering economy post-2024 challenges 🔹 [00:08:16] Regulatory and Policy Impacts🔹 [00:14:31] Venture Capital Trends🔹 [00:20:46] The Role of Startups in Job Creation🔹 [00:26:01] Fundraising Strategies for Startups🔹 [00:32:41] Advice for Startup Leaders----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Surojit Chatterjee, the CEO and founder of Ema, a generative AI platform poised to transform the future of work. With a career spanning high-level roles at Google and Coinbase, Surojit shares his journey from building billion-dollar businesses to creating Ema’s Universal AI Employee, designed to automate tedious tasks and empower employees to focus on high-value work.Surojit explains the concept of AI employees and illustrates Ema’s ability to learn, adapt, and evolve to tackle complex, repetitive tasks across enterprises.We discuss:The critical safeguards and trust-building features that make Ema a standout in generative AIThe barriers to enterprise AI adoption and how Ema overcame those hurdlesHow technology like Ema could make it easier for founders to start companies in the futureTune in to discover the next frontier of automation that’s fueling a more agile and efficient workplace! ----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!

In this episode of Startup Success, we dive into the incredible entrepreneurial journey of Russ d’Sa, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveKit, a startup that evolved from a pandemic side project into an open-source development stack that powers real-time AI. The wildly varied use cases for LiveKit’s technology range from voice conversations with ChatGPT to saving lives on 911 emergency calls.It's a fascinating listen that spotlights the broad range of services we use every day that are now powered by AI!Russ shares:How he and his co-founder navigated unexpected twists, including scaling their open source project that went viral on GitHub and pivoting to a business model they were genuinely passionate aboutWhy taking the to time learn what customers really want was essential to LiveKit’s success and the lessons there for other foundersThe lightbulb moment when he realized his team was building “core infrastructure for the future of where computing is going”A must-listen for aspiring and seasoned founders, Russ shares key lessons he learned along his winding path to startup success. Tune in to learn how LiveKit is revolutionizing real-time communication and empowering developers worldwide.----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

In this episode of Startup Success, host Kate Adams sits down with Vlad Voroninski, CEO and co-founder of Helm.ai, an AI software startup that is developing the world's safest and most advanced autonomous driving systems at scale. Vlad gives us a fascinating look into Helm.ai's innovative approach to addressing previously unsolved problems in the self-driving car space, detailing how his company leverages unsupervised learning and generative AI to create scalable, robust solutions for real-time autonomous vehicle operations. We explore:Helm.ai’s bold approach to fundraising that paid off bigHow Vlad's academic background in applied mathematics helped him create technology that is transforming the automotive industryHow he knew it was the right time to finally launch his own companyThe technology that got them a foot in the door at major automakers and a sneak peek at Helm.ai’s partnership with Honda Join us for a deep dive into the challenges and breakthroughs in the autonomous driving field and discover what sets Helm.ai apart from its competitors in this fast-moving space. ----Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn!