DealMakers: Entrepreneur | Startups | Venture Capital

Thomas Laurent's story is one of resilience, adaptability, and learning through experience. From his early days in Lyon, France, to leading Micropep Technologies as a pioneer in sustainable agriculture, he has gained valuable insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation. Thomas' latest venture, Micropep, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Corteva Agriscience, Sofinnova Partners, Denis Lucquin, and Sparkfood.

Sergio Fogel’s entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of adaptability, resilience, and innovation. Born in Uruguay and later traversing the world for education and business, Sergio has built and scaled multiple ventures. The latest venture is dLocal, a fintech unicorn valued at $18 billion at its peak. It has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Alkeon Capital, General Atlantic, Tiger Global Management, and D1 Capital Partners.

In the world of entrepreneurship, visionaries like Bradley Bostic repeatedly navigate the challenges of building, scaling, financing, and exiting companies. His story is about relentless innovation, learning from setbacks, and a deeply personal mission to revolutionize healthcare. This interview traces Brad’s journey to building Health Cloud Capital and the challenges he handled along the way. The company has invested in companies like DecisionRx, hc1, 3Aware, and Covance.

Shawn Weidmann’s story is one of transformation, resilience, and thoughtful decision-making. He is a fantastic operator-turned-entrepreneur who successfully raised $90M+ for his company, Zephyr, and scaled it to 300 employees. In this insightful interview, Shawn explores the key moments that shaped his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and raising funding in challenging markets from investors like Elda River and The Pritzker Organization.

Richard Socher, an AI pioneer and accomplished entrepreneur, has a story that exemplifies innovation, resilience, and the ability to transform cutting-edge technology into impactful businesses. Richard has had an exceptional journey founding and scaling AI-driven companies like MetaMind and You.com. His latest venture You.com has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Marc Benioff, Salesforce Ventures, NVIDIA, Gen Digital, and SBVA (formerly Softbank Ventures Asia).

The entrepreneurial path is rarely a straight line, and for Brian O’Kelley, it’s been a winding road of remarkable successes, humbling failures, and surprising turns. He has built multiple companies, one of which was incredibly successful and culminated in a $1.6B exit. Brian's latest venture, Scope3, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Room40 Ventures, Google Ventures, Craft Venture, and Venrock.

David García Aceves, born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, embodies resilience and innovation. His story traces his journey through building two companies that didn’t quite work out before creating a new rocket ship, drawing valuable lessons from his failures. David's latest venture, Digitt, has raised funding from top-tier investors like Clocktower Ventures, Gilgamesh, New Stack Ventures, FJ Labs, and Treville.

A scientist-turned-entrepreneur, Bruce Lahn has successfully transitioned from academia to leading businesses like VectorBuilder and Cyagen, reshaping gene delivery and genetic research. Here's a dive into his extraordinary path and the lessons he's gleaned along the way. VectorBuilder has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Legend Capital, Operation Holding Group, Wanlian Securities Co., Guangzhou Yuexiu Industrial Investment Fund Management, and China Chengtong. 

When Kristian Ranta reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, it’s a story filled with grit, resilience, and a profound sense of purpose. From his roots in Finland to founding ventures that span continents, Kristian’s experiences offer invaluable lessons for aspiring founders. His latest venture, Meru Health, has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Bold Capital Partners, Foundry Group, Freestyle VC, and FMZ Ventures.

In the world of cybersecurity entrepreneurship, few stories are as inspiring and insightful as that of Ayal Yogev, co-founder and CEO of Anjuna. Ayal's journey weaves through Israel’s renowned Unit 8200, Silicon Valley startups, and the transformative experiences of founding his own company. Anjuna has attracted funding from top-tier investors like Insight Partners, M Ventures, SineWave Ventures, and DCVC.