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Rudy Burger is the founder and managing partner of Woodside Capital Partners, where he advises technology companies on mergers and acquisitions. Before becoming an advisor, he worked in digital imaging at IBM, helped take Visioneer public, held senior roles at Xerox and NEC Packard Bell, and served as the founding CEO of MIT Media Lab Europe. Leading the restructuring of a UK public company gave him a firsthand view of what founders need from an M&A advisor. Rudy explains why a deep-tech company’s sale price may bear little resemblance to its last venture valuation, the capital it has raised, or a standard revenue multiple. Across these shifts, his advice is to understand the market for a technology rather than assume its promise will determine its price. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-burger-925a71 Website: https://woodsidecap.com

Brian Folmer is the founder of FirstLook and FirstLook Ventures, a consumer-focused investor network connecting emerging brands with a community of accredited investors. Through FirstLook’s product-driven investor experience, he has built a platform that helps founders put their brands directly in front of potential backers while creating a more hands-on way to discover the next generation of consumer companies. At FirstLook Ventures, Brian invests in Seed through Series B consumer brands and evaluates opportunities through more than early traction alone. He shares what makes a consumer business compelling to investors, how founders can frame a credible fundraising story, the signals behind product and brand-market fit, and why relationships, thoughtful positioning, and realistic capital plans matter in a competitive CPG market. The conversation is a practical look at how founders can stand out and how investors assess enduring consumer brands. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfolmerWebsite: https://firstlook.vc

Adam Grosser is the Chairman and Managing Partner of UP.Partners, an investment firm backing entrepreneurs building the technologies that help move people and goods faster, safer, and more efficiently. Before founding UP.Partners, Adam was a General Partner at Foundation Capital and a Managing Director at Silver Lake, where he led the Energy and Resources Fund. Shaped by early lessons from innovators including Steve Jobs and George Lucas. In this episode, learn why AI is moving from bits to atoms, how he evaluates high-conviction physical AI investments, why technical moats and supply-chain resilience matter, and why ambitious founders should seek meaningful problems. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgrosserWebsite: https://up.partners/

Greg Selkoe is the Co-Founder and CEO of XSET, a gaming lifestyle and media brand operating at the intersection of gaming, music, sports, fashion, and culture. Before launching XSET, Greg founded the streetwear e-commerce company Karmaloop and later served as President and Co-Owner of FaZe Clan, giving him decades of experience building brands around emerging cultural movements. At XSET, Greg is developing a creator-led media platform designed for Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences. In this episode, he discusses the lessons he learned from success and failure, the importance of resilience and choosing the right business partners, why gaming has become a defining force in popular culture, and how XSET is helping brands connect authentically with the next generation of consumers. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-selkoe-3b9964ab/ Website: https://xset.com

Jonathan Hung is the Managing Partner of Entrepreneur Ventures, an early-stage signal fund investing in a broad portfolio of promising startups through fast, conviction-driven checks. Before launching the fund, Jonathan invested more than $10 million across 250 companies and 50 venture funds, building an extensive view of what separates durable founders from short-term momentum. He is also the author of Your Emergency Contact, which explores why trust, reliability, and strong professional relationships are essential to building successful companies and investment partnerships. Earlier in his career, Jonathan helped operate his family’s international textile business, an experience that shaped his practical approach to entrepreneurship, leadership, and capital allocation. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanhung/Website: https://www.entrepreneur.vc

Tom Arrix Tom Arrix is the founder and CEO of Get Joy, a Connecticut-based pet wellness company building what may be the first truly functional gut-health platform for dogs. Before pivoting to pet nutrition, he spent nearly three decades at the top of media, sports, and advertising — most notably at Facebook, where as VP of Global Marketing Solutions for North America he built and led the company's North American advertising business, growing it from roughly $18 million to over one billion dollars in revenue. Tom's career spans several of the defining media companies of the last 30 years. He began in banking before moving into media, holding senior roles at Turner Broadcasting and serving as SVP of Digital Sales & Marketing at CBS Sports, ahead of his landmark run at Facebook. In 2016 he co-founded Adjacency Partners, a business advisory firm helping early-stage companies scale faster — a bridge that kept him close to founders as he considered his own next chapter. That chapter became deeply personal. After his Golden Retriever, Cooper, was diagnosed with lymphoma, Tom immersed himself in canine nutrition, and the power of whole-food nutrition gave him and Cooper 18 more months together. That experience led him to found Get Joy, built on a gut-health thesis and its BellyBiotics line. Today the company has launched across 477 Sprouts Farmers Market doors nationwide, counts Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner as its wellness ambassador, is trusted by more than 30,000 pet parents, and runs much of its operations — from customer service to marketing analytics — on AI. Largely bootstrapped, Tom's vision is to make Get Joy for dog nutrition what AG1 has become for human health: a daily, foundational product pet parents never question. 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-arrix-668a7771

Sid Ramesh is founder of Centennial, a New York based advisory firm specializing in fractional cybersecurity, product strategy, and M&A support for companies building across crypto, fintech, and artificial intelligence. He has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of digital assets, financial infrastructure, product development, and venture investing. Sid began his crypto career building and advising early-stage blockchain companies before joining Dharma Labs, where he worked on go-to-market strategy and partnerships during the early development of decentralized lending. He later worked across product and go-to-market at dYdX, helping develop crypto-native derivatives infrastructure, and held product roles at Valiu. He joined Coinbase as a Lead Product Manager, helping build its DeFi-powered crypto borrowing product and contributing to Coinbase Wrapped Bitcoin, or cbBTC. His work focused on connecting decentralized financial infrastructure with the security, compliance, and distribution requirements of a regulated global platform. Today, Sid is an active angel investor and advisor to founders across crypto, fintech, and AI. He works with companies on cybersecurity, product development, go-to-market strategy, fundraising, and the design of trusted financial products. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidrmshWebsite: https://www.centennial.systems

Jeff Zielinski is CFO of Hong Kong-based Buyandship, a leading cross-border e-commerce platform with operations across Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. He has spent his entire career working at the intersection of Asia, TMT, and finance. Jeff began his career in 2000 in Morgan Stanley's technology investment banking group in Hong Kong, working on transactions for many of Asia's largest technology companies. From 2005 to 2015, he was with Goldman Sachs Principal Strategies (GSPS) and Azentus Capital — the Asia GSPS spinoff — captaining investments in TMT and Greater China across the major technology verticals, including internet, e-commerce, semiconductors, and hardware. At Goldman Sachs, he also represented GSPS Asia on the firm's Asia Pacific Risk Committee, and was a founding partner at Azentus when it spun off from Goldman in 2011 under the Volcker Rule. Earlier in his career, he held technology-related roles at News Corporation. Today, alongside his work at Buyandship, Jeff is an active investor and advisor in the regional technology ecosystem and serves with education-focused nonprofits in the community. LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/in/jeff-zielinski

Brian is the Hong Kong-born founder of Barebone (barebone.ai), an AI finance research app. He grew up in Hong Kong (Diocesan Boys' School) and studied Economics at the London School of Economics. Before founding Barebone he came up through elite finance: a summer analyst stint at Warburg Pincus (2019), then Goldman Sachs — starting as an IB summer analyst (2020) and spending roughly three years on the Hybrid Capital team. He left that institutional track to build a consumer fintech company, splitting time between Hong Kong and San Francisco. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-yu-fung-tam/

Peter Ashton is the Founder and CEO of Veyra, a trading technology company focused on redefining the future of financial intelligence and portfolio management through advanced predictive analytics, algorithmic systems, and next-generation financial software. A former Division I and professional football player, Peter has evolved into a visionary entrepreneur and investor operating at the intersection of finance, technology, and global impact. Throughout his career, he has advised, built, or invested in more than 60 ventures across multiple industries, including over 25 disruptive technology companies. He went on to consult for and strategically advise numerous companies, helping them secure more than $350 million in capital. In 2025, Peter launched Veyra with a mission to democratize institutional-grade AI trading technology for retail investors. The platform features a Multi-Agentic Trading Brain consisting of seven AI specialist agents that collaborate through a mathematical voting protocol on every potential trade. Veyra has begun integrating with Apex Trader Funding, the largest prop trading firm in the U.S. with 700,000+ traders, and is running a pilot with Equitable Advisors, a $1.82 trillion asset management firm. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ashton-veyra/

Afzal M. Tarar, Chairman and Managing Partner of Quartus Capital Partners, joins us to share his extraordinary journey from studying AI at Tsinghua University in the 1980s to becoming a pioneer in AI-focused growth equity investing. We dive into Quartus's unique six-layer AI investment framework that separnfrastructure plays from vertical AI solutions in healthcare, logistics, and beyond. Afzal discusses why companies with $5M+ in revenue and defensible technology stacks are the sweet spot, what he learned from deploying Fund I across nine investments, and how 14 years living in China shaped his crossborder investing lens. We also explore the potential bubble dynamics in AI infrastructure, the most compelling opportunities in healthcare AI, and his hard-won lesson on building with people you know and trust. Afzal M. Tarar is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Quartus Capital Partners, an AI and technology growth equity firm based in New York with offices in Miami, Silicon Valley, and Asia. A former Head of AI at KeyBank (1991) and veteran of 25+ years in management consulting at firms including Deloitte, IBM, KPMG, and PwC, Afzal brings a rare crossborder lens shaped by studying AI at Tsinghua University in Beijing and 14 years of living and working in China.

Akshat Vaidya – Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Maelstrom Akshat Vaidya is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Maelstrom, the family office founded by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. In this role, Akshat leads Maelstrom’s investment strategy across its multiple verticals, including venture investments, liquid markets, and private equity deals. He oversees the recently launched Maelstrom Equity Fund I (a US$250 million fund) which focuses on acquiring mid-sized, profitable companies in the crypto-infrastructure space. Akshat’s journey into digital assets began over a decade ago. He first started buying Bitcoin in 2013 while still working in traditional finance. Before co-founding Maelstrom, he served as Head of Corporate Development and M&A at BitMEX, where he led the exchange’s expansion through acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Earlier in his career, Akshat was an investor at Granite Creek Capital Partners, executing leveraged buyouts and growth investments in U.S. middle-market companies. He holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, combining a classic finance education with a forward-looking tech perspective. Under Akshat’s leadership, Maelstrom has grown from a two-person family office into a multi-strategy investment platform. The firm now operates across venture capital, liquidity provisioning, and private equity initiatives. Akshat remains a champion of long-term value creation in a market often driven by hype and short cycles. He strives to bridge traditional financial rigor with digital-asset innovation, ensuring Maelstrom’s portfolio is built on strong fundamentals and sustainable growth. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshatvaidya/ Adam Schlegel – Partner & Head of Private Equity, Maelstrom Adam Schlegel is a Partner at Maelstrom, where he leads the firm’s private equity strategy and heads its debut buyout vehicle, Maelstrom Equity Fund I. With over a decade of experience in traditional private equity and cross-border transactions, Adam brings institutional discipline to the evolving crypto-infrastructure space. He joined Maelstrom to expand its reach into buyouts of established crypto-industry companies, applying proven investment frameworks to this emerging sector. In his previous roles, Adam built a strong foundation in global finance. He was an Investor at Haveli Investments – the Austin-based private equity firm founded by Brian Sheth (co-founder of Vista Equity Partners) – focusing on enterprise SaaS buyouts and growth-equity deals. Prior to Haveli, he served as an Associate at Baring Private Equity Asia, executing large cross-border transactions across the Asia-Pacific region. Adam began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Morgan Stanley’s Global Energy Group, where he gained experience in capital markets and corporate finance. He holds a Master of Arts in International Finance from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (with a minor in Chinese) from Swarthmore College. At Maelstrom, Adam is driving the firm’s expansion into private equity by identifying and acquiring crypto-infrastructure and data analytics companies that meet specific criteria. Adam’s approach blends traditional buyout expertise with a deep understanding of how digital assets, stablecoins, and decentralized finance are transforming financial infrastructure worldwide. By applying classic private equity frameworks (e.g. rigorous due diligence, operational improvements, and long-term value creation plans) to crypto-enabled businesses, he aims to bridge the gap between conventional finance and the crypto economy. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-schlegel-2b5247b/

Sonia Gokhale, Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq, breaks down how founders can build and scale fintech across the Gulf. We unpack why Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the first markets to crack, how government sandboxes and clear licensing paths reduce friction, and why B2B fintech often delivers the strongest unit economics. Sonia also walks through lessons from recent exits like Tabby, fundraising dynamics for seed through Series B, and the infrastructure opportunities in payments, credit, and compliance. If you are a founder aiming to land your first enterprise customers in the region or an investor mapping the next wave of MENA fintech, this conversation delivers a practical playbook. What you’ll learn How to navigate sandboxes and licensing in KSA and the UAE, Pricing and unit economics that work for B2B fintech in the Gulf, and Fundraising expectations and how global capital views MENA today. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-seth-gokhale-b0906014 Website: http://venturesouq.com

Devin Johnson is a tech entrepreneur and AI innovator who has built multiple high‑growth SaaS companies by combining an obsessive focus on relationships with cutting‑edge automation.  His entrepreneurial journey began at 16, when a series of family hardships — a father involved in drugs, a sister battling brain cancer and the death of a close friend — pushed him to start flipping sneakers to support his household .  The success of that side hustle gave him early exposure to marketing and sales .  By age 19 he had become a devout Christian and found a mentor in Cody Harvey; together they would later found and build the digital marketing agency Kennected . In 2018 Johnson and Harvey sketched an idea on a napkin: software to automate LinkedIn outreach.  Frustrated by the hours he spent prospecting, Johnson “founded Kennected out of pure frustration” .  As CEO he grew the Indianapolis‑based SaaS company to more than 15,000 users and over 100 employees , generating more than $15 million in annual sales .  Under his leadership Kennected landed on the Inc. 5000 list at No. 583 with 832 % three‑year revenue growth , a testament to his ability to turn vision into execution.  Employees describe him as an inspirational, empathetic leader who values relationships over profit and fosters a culture of hard work and positivity .  He has been willing to “take massive action” since high school, travelling across the U.S. to conferences simply to network with potential clients . After stepping away from Kennected, Johnson co‑founded SalesAI, a next‑generation sales enablement platform.  SalesAI uses autonomous AI agents to qualify leads and provide real‑time voice‑ and text‑based sales conversations, reducing average response times from an hour to seconds .  The platform integrates directly into a customer’s CRM to manage outreach via voice, SMS and email, and is scaling revenue more than 20 % month‑over‑month .  Johnson is a four‑time Inc. 500 founder with two successful exits and has been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year .  He is a frequent speaker at AI and SaaS conferences, sharing frameworks on speed‑to‑lead and how to build AI‑first companies .  Through appearances on podcasts such as Dropping Bombs, Sharkpreneur, and The Mind of George Show, he encourages entrepreneurs to harness AI while doubling down on human connection. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-johnson-salesai/

Sebastian DiGrande is the Chief Executive Officer of Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX), where he leads the company’s mission to eliminate plastic waste through a technology-driven, market-based platform. Under his leadership, PCX is building a verified marketplace that connects corporations with plastic recovery and recycling partners worldwide, creating measurable, scalable environmental impact. Before joining PCX, Sebastian held senior executive roles at Gap Inc., overseeing more than $5 billion in global P&Ls across e-commerce, credit, international franchises, and the Intermix brand. Earlier, he spent nearly two decades at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as a Senior Partner and Managing Director, where he led major practices in technology, marketing, and pricing, helped launch BCG Digital Ventures, and advised global consumer and retail clients on digital transformation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Big Lots and lectures at leading business schools including Stanford, UCLA Anderson, and Wharton. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-digrande-b34961/