AI Infrastructure Builder: Chalk’s Marc Freed-Finnegan

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Bhatt, Managing Partner at Long Ridge Equity Partners, a specialist growth equity firm focused on the financial and business technology sectors.  Kevin joined Long Ridge in 2010 and serves as a Managing Partner and member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He leads the overall strategic direction of the firm and oversees deal teams responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and managing portfolio companies.  Throughout his investing career, Kevin has served on the boards of numerous public and private financial and business services companies, working closely with visionary leadership teams to build category-defining businesses. Long Ridge was recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Growth Equity Firm of 2024. Kevin supports Memorial Sloan Kettering. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Snehal Antani, Co-Founder and CEO of Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity company that delivers autonomous penetration testing through its flagship platform, NodeZero. Designed to run real attacks in live environments, the platform helps organizations proactively find, fix, and verify exploitable vulnerabilities before malicious actors can strike. The company recently raised $100 million in Series D funding, led by NEA with participation from SignalFire, Craft Ventures, and 9Yards Capital. The funding will support global expansion, enhance product innovation across autonomous security operations, and scale the company’s presence in critical infrastructure and federal markets. Snehal supports Spookstock. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Marc Freed-Finnegan, Co-Founder and CEO of Chalk, a data platform that powers machine learning and generative AI with real-time, Python-native infrastructure for developers and data teams. Chalk recently raised a $50 million Series A round at a $500 million valuation. The round was led by Felicis, with participation from Triatomic Capital, General Catalyst, Unusual Ventures, and Xfund. The funding will accelerate Chalk’s efforts to scale its Rust-based feature engine and support a growing number of enterprise AI teams building real-time systems. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Piotr Tomasik, Co-Founder and President at TensorWave, a cutting-edge cloud platform purpose-built for AI workloads that delivers high-performance computing with AMD MI300X accelerators and a best-in-class inference engine. TensorWave recently raised $100 million from Magnetar, AMD Ventures, Maverick Silicon, Nexus Venture Partners, and Prosperity7. The capital infusion strengthens the company’s ability to scale its infrastructure for memory-intensive AI workloads and expands its reach as a next-gen alternative in the AI and HPC cloud space. Piotr supports Startup Vegas. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Mark Gormley, Partner at Lee Equity Partners, a middle-market private equity firm that partners with entrepreneurs and management teams primarily in the financial and healthcare services sectors. Going on nearly two decades, the firm leverages a thematic investment strategy and deep sector expertise to collaborate with talented management teams, accelerate growth, and build market-leading businesses. Lee Equity currently manages $5 billion in assets. Mark joined the firm in 2006. Prior to that, he was a Partner and co-founder of Capital Z Financial Services Partners, served as a Managing Director at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and was a founding member of the Insurance Group at Merrill Lynch. Mark supports Conservation International.  To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Chris Hadley, Managing Director at Berkshire Partners, a 100% employee-owned investor in private and public equity. The private equity team invests in well-positioned, growing companies across business & consumer services, healthcare, industrials, and technology & communications. Founded in 1986, Berkshire is currently investing from its Fund XI, which closed in 2024 with $7.8 billion in commitments. The firm has completed over 150 investments and is known for partnering closely with management teams to drive growth across market cycles. A leader within the firm’s healthcare investment team, Chris has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic insight over his 27-year tenure. Known for his unique ability to build trust and foster collaboration, he has earned the respect of peers and portfolio company management teams alike, and was recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Healthcare Investor of 2025. Chris supports Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and McLean Hospital. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Dina Said Dwyer, Founder and Managing Partner of Eden Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm focused on scaling private companies at critical inflection points in technology, business services, and education. Founded in 2015, Eden Capital partners with founders and management teams to grow businesses with proven, scalable models, deploying $20–$75 million through flexible investment structures. Drawing on over 40 years of international investment expertise, Eden provides strategic and operational support to drive growth and value creation. With more than two decades in the private equity industry, Dina was recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Healthcare Investor of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Tyler Wolfram, a Managing Partner at Oak Hill Capital, a longstanding private equity firm that has been investing in the North American middle market for nearly 40 years. Oak Hill applies a specialized, theme-based approach to investing across services and digital infrastructure.  Since 1986, Oak Hill and its predecessors have raised over $23 billion in initial capital commitments and co-investments and have invested in more than 110 companies. Tyler has been a Managing Partner at Oak Hill Capital since 2012 and has been with the firm since 2001. Previously, he was a Managing Director at J.H. Whitney and spent the early part of his career at DLJ.   I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.  

In this episode, we speak with Marc Bhargava, Managing Director at General Catalyst, an investment and transformation firm partnering with entrepreneurs to build global resiliency and applied AI. Founded in 2000, General Catalyst has $36B in assets under management and recently raised an additional $8B to accelerate investments in early-stage ventures, company creation, and ecosystem transformations. With a focus on innovation, GC is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs navigate the next frontier of technology and industry evolution. Marc leads GC’s Creation strategy, focusing on incubations, transformations, and venture buyouts. He also invests early in both crypto and fintech and contributes to GC’s expanding AI initiatives. Marc’s core areas of interest include AI-driven rollups in services and software businesses, fintech innovation in bookkeeping, accounting, and insurance, and early-stage crypto incubation. Marc supports UNICEF. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Michael Dominguez, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Managing Director at Providence Equity Partners — a leading private equity firm specializing in growth-oriented media, communications, education, and technology companies across North America and Europe. Since its founding in 1989, Providence has combined deep industry expertise with a collaborative investment approach, deploying over $40 billion across more than 180 portfolio companies to help build exceptional businesses and generate attractive returns. Michael joined the firm’s Providence office in 1998. He is the chair of the investment committee and a member of the executive and portfolio review committees. He oversees the firm’s portfolio operations group and serves as co-chair of Providence’s responsible investing committee. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.