Advertise on podcast: Inside Startup Investing with Chris Lustrino

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Olowo-n’djo Tchala about building Alaffia, a mission-driven consumer brand rooted in ethical sourcing. (00:00–01:30) Olowo-n’djo shares his upbringing in Togo and how it shaped his vision for a new economic model. (01:30–04:30) He explains how Alaffia organizes women-led cooperatives to produce shea butter and connect them to global markets. (04:30–08:30) The discussion covers fair trade economics, including paying above-market wages while maintaining strong margins. (08:30–13:00) They explore how Alaffia scaled into a national brand through persistence, retail distribution, and product-market fit. (13:00–17:00) Finally, Olowo-n’djo reflects on challenges with outside investors and why maintaining mission alignment is critical for long-term success. (17:00–22:00). 

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Adrian Solgaard about building a sustainable travel brand rooted in ocean plastic innovation. (00:00–01:30) Solgaard began as a Kickstarter campaign and quickly gained traction with consumers seeking functional, eco-friendly products. (01:30–03:15) Adrian explains how the company turns ocean-bound plastic into premium luggage and accessories. (03:15–05:40) They discuss product design, including modular systems that differentiate Solgaard in a crowded travel market. (05:40–08:10) The conversation dives into scaling challenges, including manufacturing, supply chains, and maintaining quality. (08:10–11:20) Finally, they explore brand storytelling, mission alignment, and how sustainability drives long-term consumer loyalty. (11:20–14:30)

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Nicholas White, CEO of Fragment Media, about building a subscription-first digital media company. (00:00–01:31) Fragment has generated over $40M in revenue and built a growing base of 20,000+ paying subscribers by focusing on high-quality, niche journalism. (01:31–02:13) Nicholas explains the company’s flagship publication, Nautilus, and how it delivers deep, contextual science storytelling beyond headline-driven news. (02:43–04:48) They discuss Fragment’s target audience—highly educated, high-income readers increasingly willing to pay for quality content. (04:58–06:37) The conversation dives into growth strategy, including content quality, social distribution, newsletters, and paid acquisition funnels. (07:02–08:31) Nicholas outlines the company’s long-term strategy of building a portfolio of niche publications (“mustard, not ketchup”) to capture a large but fragmented market. (10:55–12:48 Finally, they explore revenue transition from advertising to subscriptions and the path toward scaling to hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of paying subscribers. (16:16–18:21)

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Harmen van Kamp, CEO of GACW, about reinventing the wheel with an airless suspension system. (00:00–01:45) GACW’s technology integrates suspension directly into the wheel, eliminating traditional tires, shocks, and complex components. (02:10–04:20) Originally built for military and extreme terrain use cases, the product is now expanding into broader commercial applications. (05:30–07:10) Harmen explains the engineering challenges behind the system and how it improves durability, maintenance, and performance. (08:40–11:15) They discuss early traction, partnerships, and how the company is approaching manufacturing and scaling production. (12:30–15:45) Finally, the episode explores long-term opportunities across EVs, defense, and industrial mobility markets. (16:20–19:00)

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Jim Iversen, CEO of Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical, about building a platform of therapeutics targeting inflammation across multiple diseases. (00:00–01:28) The company is advancing a pipeline of drugs addressing conditions like COVID, alcohol-related inflammation, and arthritis, with multiple Phase 2 trials completed. (01:28–02:27) Jim explains how drug development works—from preclinical research to Phase 1 (safety), Phase 2 (efficacy), and Phase 3 (confirmatory trials). (04:14–06:05) They explore how Sen-Jam uses AI and over one million data points to validate its platform and identify new drug opportunities. (08:32–09:30) The discussion also covers how the company allocates resources across its pipeline and its strategy to license drugs after Phase 2 rather than fully commercialize them. (13:10–14:32) Finally, Jim breaks down the economics of drug licensing, potential valuation inflection points, and how investors can think about returns in biotech. (19:31–21:58)

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino speaks with Jordan Taylor, managing member of Atari Hotels, about the development of a $124 million Atari-themed destination hotel planned for downtown Phoenix. (00:00–02:14) The project combines real estate development with immersive gaming culture, featuring a 91-room hotel, gaming-inspired experiences, and a venue for esports events, concerts, and creator gatherings. (03:21–13:14) Jordan explains how the team secured licensing rights from Atari, why Phoenix’s population growth and urban revitalization make it an ideal location, and how the hotel is designed to serve both travelers and the local community. (06:34–10:01) The conversation also dives into the investment structure behind the project, where investors acquire a majority interest in the physical real estate rather than just a brand concept. (04:39–05:36) Jordan walks through the $124 million capital stack, including equity from investors and family offices alongside construction financing. (05:42–06:16) Finally, they discuss how stabilization and refinancing could provide early liquidity for investors, followed by ongoing cash flow distributions and potential exit scenarios down the road. (19:28–21:10)

In this episode of Inside Startup Investing, Chris Lustrino sits down with Jason Fishman, founder of Digital Niche Agency (DNA), one of the earliest and most active “capital raising agencies” in equity crowdfunding. (00:00–02:45) |Jason breaks down what actually drives successful Reg CF and Reg A+ campaigns in 2026: setting traffic goals, understanding conversion math (average investment size vs. how many investors you need), and building a multi-channel funnel across Meta, Google, newsletters, retargeting, webinars, events, and organic content. (04:25–10:06) They also unpack the “crowd effect” that causes many campaigns to look flat mid-raise before spiking near the deadline. (10:19–12:30) Finally, they explain why consistent updates and investor relations between rounds can materially influence outcomes—both by improving trust and by strengthening repeat-investor participation over time. (23:04–25:55)

Pirouette Pharma CEO Conor Cullinane returns to Inside Startup Investing to share the company’s progress since its last Wefunder raise—spanning FDA engagement, IND planning, and major steps toward scalable manufacturing. Pirouette is building a disc-shaped, push-button delivery system for injectable medications—aiming to turn the “violent, error-prone” experience of legacy auto-injectors into something closer to the Staples Easy Button: push once, and the device handles the rest. Chris and Conor discuss why intimidation and usability are major barriers in today’s injection landscape, how Pirouette is approaching OTC naloxone via a combination-product regulatory pathway, what a pharmacokinetic study looks like, and why Pirouette is investing in manufacturing capacity to support both commercialization and pharma partnerships.   Chapters  00:44 What Pirouette is building 03:42 Progress since last raise 06:26 FDA pathway explained 09:08 PK study + size/cost/timeline 13:07 Partnerships vs. standalone commercialization 16:15 Revenue timing + adoption expectations 20:12 Manufacturing scale plan 23:34 Founder “why” 26:07 Investor close

Sunstone Health CEO Joshua Resnikoff joins Chris Lustrino to explain how Sunstone uses AI on healthcare claims data to proactively identify children with developmental delay—starting with epilepsy and autism—and help families reach the right specialists and diagnostics faster. They break down what claims data is, why the healthcare system is reactive by default, and how Sunstone’s approach can compress what often takes years into roughly weeks by flagging high-need cases, coordinating advanced diagnostics, and delivering actionable next steps. Joshua also shares Sunstone’s go-to-market strategy (positioned as an employer-paid benefit), why the pricing model is designed to reduce “point-solution bloat,” and how expansion could move across employers, TPAs, reinsurers, and large insurers.   00:00 Needle-in-a-haystack intro 03:13 What Sunstone does (AI + claims data) 05:32 Flagging patients vs. diagnosing 07:21 Employer benefit + privacy model 15:54 GTM + sales cycle reality 17:57 Outcome-based pricing model 20:16 Unit economics ($10k per case) 22:11 Expansion paths + other diseases 26:23 Fundraise use of proceeds 28:03 Investor closing

Atombeam CEO Charles Yeomans joins Chris Lustrino to break down a deceptively simple idea with massive implications: make data smaller while it’s streaming so you can move and process more of it—without upgrading networks. Charles explains Atombeam’s commercial product NeurPack, how it can often quadruple effective bandwidth, and why this matters across IoT, smart meters, satellites, defense, oil & gas wells, fintech, and eventually data centers and GPU utilization. They also dig into the realities of commercialization—choosing near-term deals that close fast while still pursuing multi-year “industry standard” opportunities—and why execution (not invention) is the real differentiator. 00:00 What Atombeam does (pizza analogy) 03:13 NeurPack explained 05:35 Why 95% of IoT data doesn’t move 09:38 “Like launching 3 more satellites” 13:57 Commercialization + customers 16:31 Data centers + GPU utilization 24:29 Defense traction + partnerships 26:44 What success looks like (distribution)

Founder Clint Brauer explains how Greenfield Robotics builds compact, row-running robots that mow weeds and lay mulch while enabling nighttime foliar feeding—helping farms reduce herbicides and improve soil biology. He shares the personal catalyst (his father’s Parkinson’s), why tillage damages soil ecosystems, and how small, autonomous swarms can cover large acreages more cheaply than traditional machinery. We dig into go-to-market (from RaaS to equipment sales with software/telemetry fees), manufacturing with partners, and adoption curves from organic innovators to conventional growers. Brauer outlines the roadmap (attachments, reliability, self-charging), unit counts across 17 states, and potential exit paths with ag OEMs like John Deere—all while keeping the mission clear: get chemicals out of agriculture. Highlights include... Why “weed by day, foliar-feed by night” changes farm economics How mulch from cut cover crops suppresses weeds & feeds soil RaaS → leases → direct sales: what farmers prefer (and why) Swarm autonomy vs. ever-bigger tractors—cost & uptime math Manufacturing scale via Amity Technologies; why small wins here Early-adopter profile: regenerative, organic, and safety-driven growers Exit lanes with major OEMs—and the case for remaining independent

Today, Chris sits down with Joe Schaeppi, co-founder & CEO of Solsten—a deep-tech company mapping human psychology and turning it into actionable AI for creative, targeting, and product personalization. After 8 years of R&D, Solsten's “human context layer” helps enterprises and SMBs understand why people act the way they do—then adapt ads, products, and AI agents to match. Clients like LEGO and Peloton report creative wins and 3× conversion lifts, while a new self-serve product opens the stack to smaller teams. Highlights include... • Building a cognitive-behavioral AI model from clinical-grade psychometrics and authentic behavior data • Why “creative is the new targeting” (Meta’s Andromeda) and how psychology-matched creative cuts CPI/raises LTV • Personalization beyond demographics—training AI agents to speak in users’ thinking and communication styles • Go-to-market shift: from years of R&D to scale (>$35M raised; investors incl. RedBird & Galaxy) • Use cases across gaming, fintech, health/fitness, hospitality, and more

Cleveland Whiskey was my first-ever equity crowdfunding investment (May 16, 2016), and founder/CEO Tom Lix has sent detailed quarterly updates ever since. In this episode, we cover 00:00–03:03 why Tom built a technology company in spirits—not just another craft label; 03:03–06:09 how pressure-aging in stainless tanks unlocks flavors from non-oak woods (black cherry, hickory, apple) and produces great whiskey in hours not years; 06:09–09:27 the pivot to concentrates and why India’s “Indian-Made Foreign Liquor” niche is a game-changer for price and margin; 09:27–12:47 the new 45,000 sq. ft. Cleveland facilities, 12× capacity today with room to double again, plus how shorter cycle times unlock multi-shift throughput; 12:47–16:09 resilience through a U.S. whiskey slump, tariffs, and changing consumer trends; 16:09–20:03 valuation, real-estate upside on Cleveland’s waterfront, and IP; and 20:03–28:19 the founder mindset—why Tom keeps going and how global demand (India, SE Asia, Africa) can drive the next chapter.

Read our Macrovey deal analysis (closed) on Kingscrowd Robotics hype is everywhere—but who actually makes robots work on real warehouse floors? In this episode, Chris sits down with Macrovey Director of Business Development Matt Labinski to unpack how Macrovey designs fully autonomous, material-handling systems that act like a warehouse “Robotics OS.” We start with what Macrovey is and isn’t (00:03)—the company doesn’t manufacture robots, it integrates best-in-class OEMs through proprietary orchestration software. Matt explains the model (00:32): up-front design + install and recurring software/maintenance—plus a Robots-as-a-Service option that lowers CapEx. We dive into who buys (06:28): e-commerce, 3PLs, pharma, defense (U.S. Air Force) and even smaller 10k–100k sq ft facilities. Category context (07:31): warehouse robotics penetration is still surprisingly low; Macrovey targets the SMB/mid-market others ignore. We cover why OEMs and warehouses need an integrator (09:09), the sales cycle and deal sizes (12:22)—from $50k pilots to $3M+ programs—and how modular, mobile systems (25:03) move with demand. Finally, we hit the AI layer (27:31): machine learning that optimizes slotting, picking, and vision-based QA. If you want exposure to warehouse autonomy without betting on a single robot, Macrovey’s middle-layer, recurring-revenue approach may be the de-risked way to play it.

Read our deal analysis on Paladin Paladin Power CEO Ted Thomas—a U.S. Navy veteran with 20+ years in energy storage and the named inventor on multiple U.S. patents for stackable batteries and integrated power systems—joins Inside Startup Investing to explain how he helped pioneer integrated storage and why Paladin’s patented, fire-safe, all-in-one system can make true home energy independence practical. We cover why the inverter is the real bottleneck, how Paladin’s stackable 10 kW architecture fast-charges EVs and extends battery life, and how the single-device design replaces a tangle of inverters, batteries, and chargers for faster installs and lower cost. Ted shares traction (incl. enterprise wins like Disney), a revenue jump from News: Paladin engages Aegis Capital Corp. for IPO advisory while it evaluates capital-markets options—no assurance of any IPO; timing/terms subject to market, regulatory and due-diligence outcomes. Chapters (00:00) We open with why batteries remain the bottleneck for EVs and home solar, and how Paladin’s inverter-first architecture changes the equation; (03:28) Ted outlines the mission—make every home independent from the grid—plus why legacy systems were designed for grid-tie, not true autonomy; (06:58) we break down the bi-directional, stackable inverters (up to 80 kW in a compact footprint) and how routing solar directly to loads can double battery life; (09:15) cost and efficiency: delivering 30–60% lower system costs versus status-quo builds; (10:29) scaling: U.S. manufacturing with a contract partner, and why distribution/EPC channels are the fastest path to market; (12:00) whole-home power without load shedding, faster installs, and sub-90-minute at-home EV charging; (13:21) IP and moats: utility patents and why copycats face multi-year certification delays; (15:34) use cases and demand drivers—from Disney facilities to homeowners facing rising rates and outages; (20:56) generators vs storage: when backup gensets still make sense and when solar-plus-storage wins; (22:46) Ted’s closing case for investors.