Venture Pill

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:59) with Alma, an AI-powered nutrition app using natural language processing to simplify meal tracking, fresh off a $2.9M pre-seed round led by Menlo Ventures' Anthology Fund in partnership with Anthropic. Next (14:27), we pop open a deep dive on Olipop, the gut-friendly soda brand shaking up the functional beverage space, following a $50M Series C that brings its valuation to a bubbly $1.85 billion. Finally (24:01), we slice into Via 313 Pizzeria, the fast-growing Detroit-style pizza chain that just secured $32.5M in growth capital to fuel expansion across the U.S.Sources:https://www.alma.food/ https://menlovc.com/anthology-fund/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/05/former-whoop-execs-new-app-alma-uses-ai-for-all-things-nutrition/ https://drinkolipop.com/https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4771906/functional-beverage-market-share-analysis?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/27693-olipop-valued-at-185-billion-following-latest-funding-roundhttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/olipop-valued-1-85bn-following-125054362.htmlhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-12/olipop-valued-at-1-85-billion-in-50-million-funding-round?embedded-checkout=truehttps://www.via313.com/https://www.utahbusiness.com/press-releases/2025/02/05/via-313-raises-32-million-double-footprint/https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-finance/via-313-pizzeria-raises-32-5m-in-growth-capitalMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn On this week's dose, we have Larry Aschebrook, Founder and Managing Partner at G Squared, a venture capital firm specializing in growth-stage tech investments with a sharp focus on the secondary market. Larry kicks things off by sharing his fascinating journey from college athletics to the world of private markets, ultimately leading to the creation of G Squared.From there, he dives into the firm's unique thesis—why secondaries represent a critical liquidity bridge between early-stage startups and public exits—and how that insight has helped G Squared back iconic companies like Uber, Spotify, Airbnb, Instacart, and more. Larry also opens up about memorable wins, the deals that slipped through the cracks, and the hard-won lessons that followed.We also get his take on some of today's headline-making moves in venture, including Stripe's choice to remain private and Robinhood's bold attempt to democratize access to private investing. It's a masterclass in venture strategy from someone who's seen it all—tune in for a front-row seat to the stories and insights that have shaped some of the biggest names in tech.Sources:https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-aschebrook-54724629/https://gsquared.com/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we welcome Hoolie Tejwani, head of Coinbase Ventures, the investment arm backing startups that align with Coinbase's mission of creating more economic freedom worldwide. We kick off with how Hoolie got connected to Coinbase (2:13) and the origins of Coinbase Ventures before diving into their investment thesis and mission (4:28). He shares insights on his approach to investing in potential competitors (6:40) and how the team sifts through the noise (8:10) in such a fast-moving industry.Next, we explore the synergies between AI and crypto (10:05), Hoolie's perspective on meme coins (13:15), and how the new Trump administration (16:24) is shaping the regulatory landscape for both Coinbase and its portfolio companies. We also discuss Coinbase Ventures' portfolio (19:02) and get an inside look at what it's like working at a company that still operates with a startup mindset despite its massive scale (21:35). Finally, Hoolie shares his five-year predictions for crypto and AI (24:52), how he manages to stay up to date with everything happening in the space (26:59), and the best ways to follow along (28:42).Sources:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoolietejwani/https://www.coinbase.com/venturesMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  And now for this week's prescription: On this week's dose, we begin (1:42) with Gumloop, a startup that allows users to automate any workflow using AI without requiring any coding experience, hot off a $17M Series A. Next (10:13), we spotlight Oura, the pioneering sleep-tracking ring leveraging strategic partnerships to strengthen its position in the wearables market, fresh off a $200M Series D. Finally (17:22), we turn to xAI, Elon Musk's contender in the AI arms race, breaking down their massive $6B Series C. Sources: https://www.gumloop.com/ https://blog.gumloop.com/gumloops-17m-series-a/  https://ouraring.com/ https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/health-tech/oura-closes-200m-round-boosting-smart-ring-makers-valuation-52b  https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/25/elon-musks-xai-lands-billions-in-new-cash-to-fuel-ai-ambitions/ https://x.ai/blog/series-c https://pitchbook.com/news/reports/q3-2024-ai-ml-report Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  And now for this week's prescription: On this week's dose, we begin (1:33) with Roon, a digital health startup aiming to replace “Dr. Google” with trusted doctor-driven video content, fresh off a $15M Series A. Next (7:54), we spotlight Slip Robotics, the Atlanta-based innovator transforming logistics with its SlipBot Automated Loading Robot, and their $28M Series B. Finally (16:18), we turn to Boom Supersonic, the aerospace pioneer securing over $100M to fund "Symphony," its first supersonic jet engine prototype. Sources: https://www.roon.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/26/roon-raises-15m-to-replace-dr-google-with-real-doctors-sharing-videos-about-illness-treatments/ https://techpadi.africa/2024/11/nyc-based-health-guidance-platform-roon-secures-15m-in-series-a-funding/ https://www.wect.com/2019/06/24/study-finds-us-citizens-turn-google-before-their-doctor/#:~:text=WILMINGTON%2C%20N.C.%20(WECT)%20%2D,before%20going%20to%20their%20doctor https://techfundingnews.com/roon-doses-up-on-15m-funding-to-replace-dr-google-with-expert-healthcare-answers/ https://blog.roon.com/post/roons-next-chapter-one-step-closer-to-a-doctor-in-your-pocket-for-health https://www.sliprobotics.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/17/slip-robotics-snags-28m-for-its-bots-that-can-load-a-truck-in-five-minutes/ https://www.ourcrowd.com/startup/slip-robotics?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://boomsupersonic.com/  https://viewfromthewing.com/rejected-by-the-industry-boom-supersonic-raises-100m-to-prove-critics-wrong-but-at-a-cost/  Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  And now for this week's prescription: On this week's dose, we start (1:52) with a breakdown of Growl, a connected fitness startup aiming to create the “Peloton of Boxing,” fresh off a $4.75M seed round. Next (12:38), we spotlight Liquid AI, a company taking a radically different approach to AI by modeling their technology on the brain of a worm rather than a human, backed by a $250M funding round. Finally (18:08), we wrap up with a deep dive into Public, a startup empowering users to invest smarter. What began as a social stock trading platform has evolved into an AI-enabled investment tool, fueled by their recent $135M Series D. Sources: https://www.joingrowl.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/04/growl-is-building-the-peloton-of-boxing/ https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/12/04/growl-funding https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/04/2991330/0/en/GROWL-Raises-4-75M-to-Launch-the-World-s-First-AI-Powered-Life-Sized-Interactive-Boxing-Fitness-Coach-for-the-Whole-Family.html https://www.liquid.ai/ https://www.liquid.ai/blog/we-raised-250m-to-scale-capable-and-efficient-general-purpose-ai https://public.com/ https://medium.com/the-public-blog/public-announces-135m-series-d-2-capital-raise-8eef9f33b2ad Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  On this week's dose, we have Mike Panos, Vice President of Operations at SkyFi, an Earth intelligence platform providing user-friendly access to geospatial data for individuals, SMBs, enterprises, and government agencies. Mike kicks things off by sharing his impressive journey, including 10 years in the US Navy, earning an MBA from Harvard, and eventually joining SkyFi in Austin. From there, he dives into SkyFi's mission to bridge the gap between the growing demand for geospatial data and satellite operators focused on government contracts. Mike also shares insights into SkyFi's growth plans, how they fit into the expanding satellite and geospatial data industry, and teases some exciting upcoming developments for the team. We wrap up with valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Pillgrim community.  Sources: https://skyfi.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikepanos/ Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  On this week's dose, we have Sergey Gribov, Partner at Flint Capital, an early stage VC firm based out of Boston that invests in the greatest companies from the US, Israel, and Europe and helps them by being a bridge to the US market. Sergey kicks things off by sharing insights from his early career as employee #1 at Compugen, one of Israel's pioneering startup success stories. He also offers a deep dive into the Israeli startup ecosystem, highlighting its unique attributes. From there, Sergey discusses what founders should prioritize when selecting investors and what he and the Flint Capital team look for in founding teams. Stay tuned for Sergey's perspective on the AI space, how he assesses AI investment opportunities, and his vision for the future of the Israeli startup ecosystem. We wrap up with valuable advice for aspiring venture capitalists in our Pillgrims community. Sources: https://flintcap.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgribov/ Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  And now for this week's prescription: On this week's dose, we start (1:46) with a breakdown on Infinite Machine, a startup designing high-performance electric scooters tailored for urban environments, which recently raised a $9.3M seed round.. Next (10:14), we spotlight SuppCo, an app designed to personalize and track users' supplement “stacks,” supported by a $5.5M seed round. Lastly (20:40), we wrap up with a deepdive on Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle robotaxi service, which secured a landmark $5.6B Series C round. Sources: https://www.infinitemachine.com/ https://www.infinitemachine.com/newsroom/infinite-machine-raises-9-3m-in-seed-round-led-by-a16z-to-fuel-non-car-revolution  https://supp.co/ https://supp.co/about/beta  https://waymo.com/ https://waymo.com/blog/2024/10/investing-to-bring-the-waymo-driver-to-more-riders/ https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/25/alphabets-self-driving-unit-waymo-closes-5point6-billion-funding-round.html Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community! Join our Entre Community Instagram Twitter  YouTube TikTok LinkedIn  And now for this week's prescription: On this week's dose, we start (1:58) with a breakdown on Decagon, an enterprise AI platform revolutionizing customer support, following their $65M Series B. Next (9:28), we dive into Abridge, a startup using AI to automate clinical documentation, backed by a recent $250M funding round. Finally (20:11) , we wrap up with a deep dive on Joby, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, and their additional $500M investment from Toyota. Sources: https://decagon.ai/blog/series-b  https://www.abridge.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/18/how-abridge-became-one-of-the-most-talked-about-healthcare-ai-startups/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALhF6BSj0lyZwC64cw-YB1qSaFwsl5fQBx9Q15snKLTn2J02SNzvontN6PVuSKRJiBNRZTx61UXxAzv1BC5UVLOBujaKES08ovmk859Z28za0j9HZNYL4GwEwzB-7hXaKMgjPJG1-M8ms6wXR2XcVdi1v32hX_3OaFoJBQ5VQlv0  https://siliconangle.com/2024/10/11/healthcare-ai-startup-abridge-reportedly-raising-250m-2-5b-valuation/ https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/digital-health/abridge-raising-250m-report.html https://www.jobyaviation.com/ https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-to-invest-500-million-in-joby-aviation/ Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keeton https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=en Disclosure: The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we mix things up a bit with a status update for Sam and Brandon. The 138 week streak of weekly doses may soon come to an end. With each of us moving to new cities, there just isn't as much time in the week as there used to be when the pod was based out of Austin. Don't worry! We aren't going anywhere. You just might not see a dose every single Thursday morning.The second half of this week's dose is a conversational breakdown of Interplay Learning (the company Sam works for) and their recent fundraising round led by Goldman Sachs' Inclusive Growth Fund. With that announcement, Interplay also welcomes ITI (Industrial Training International) to the family. Tune in to hear more from Sam on the news and what's ahead!Sources:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/interplay-learning-closes-growth-investment-from-goldman-sachs-alternatives-and-acquires-industrial-training-international-302252417.htmlhttps://www.interplaylearning.com/https://www.iti.com/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:44) with a breakdown on Aifleet, an Austin-based trucking startup that uses AI to optimize routes and load planning, which just announced a $16.6M Series B led by Tom Williams. Then (6:57), we have a Pillfolio Update on Viome, a startup that leverages AI and data to offer people personalized nutrition guidance through the lens of gut health, fresh off a $25M Series D. Lastly (15:43), we close out this week's dose with a deepdive on LineLeap, a startup that lets people pay to skip lines at popular venues, hot off a $10M funding round.Sources:https://aifleet.com/https://siliconangle.com/2024/09/10/aifleet-raises-16-6m-scale-ai-driven-trucking-solutions/  https://www.viome.com/ https://longevity.technology/news/viome-lands-25m-to-launch-new-diagnostics-division/https://www.lineleap.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/11/lineleap-lets-users-pay-to-skip-the-line-at-bars/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:(1:41) First up, you'll hear about Aerflo, which just secured over $10M in seed funding to revolutionize the sparkling water market with its innovative portable carbonation system. The round was led by Lerer Hippeau and Torch Capital.(9:05) Next up, we'll break down Turntable Labs, hot off an $8.2M seed round led by Founders Fund, Elizabeth Street Ventures, and others. The company is revamping their innovative music sharing platform to enhance the listening experience for music lovers.(16:18) And lastly, you'll hear a breakdown on micro nuclear power plant startup, Last Energy, which just announced a $40M Series B led by Gigafund and Autodesk Foundation.Sparkling water, Music sharing, and of course, micro nuclear power plants. Standard stuff for the Pill.Sources:https://www.alleywatch.com/2024/08/aerflo-sparkling-water-carbonation-reusable-bottle-device-system-portable-on-the-go-john-thorp-buzz-wiggins/https://aerflo.zendesk.com/hc/en-ushttps://turntablelive.com/ https://hangout.fm/ https://edm.com/gear-tech/turntablefm-creators-launch-social-listening-platform-hangout https://www.esgtoday.com/micro-nuclear-power-plant-startup-last-energy-raises-40-million-to-decarbonize-heavy-industry-and-data-centers/ https://www.lastenergy.com/about Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start with Sora Fuel (2:05), a startup that produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using only air, water and renewable energy, and their recent $6M Seed round. Next, we talk about Bat Box (7:14), a social and tech-infused baseball “eatertainment” company that secured a $7.3M Series A. Finally, stick with us for a Pillfolio Update on Bilt (15:26), as the startup that offers a unique loyalty program that allows renters to earn points by paying rent is back in the headlines after an $150M funding round.Sources:https://www.sorafuel.com/ https://carboncapturemagazine.com/articles/sora-fuel-secures-6m-seed https://www.batboxusa.com/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/batbox-announces-series-a-funding--us-expansion-plans-302209256.html https://www.biltrewards.com/https://newsroom.biltrewards.com/bilt-rewards-secures-150-million-in-additional-funding-led-by-ontario-teacher-s-pension-planhttps://fintech.global/2024/08/02/bilt-rewards-clinches-150m-in-fresh-funding-to-enhance-loyalty-programs/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:(1:37) Up first on this week's dose, we have Chaiz, an Austin-based online marketplace for comparing and purchasing extended car warranties, hot off a $3.7M seed round led by ResilienceVC.(10:38) Next up, you will hear a Pillfolio Update on Bandana (E85), a job site focused on hourly wage jobs, and their $8.5M funding round led by General Catalyst. (16:26) And lastly, stick with us for a breakdown on Unspun, a fashion tech company looking to reduce carbon emissions through their 3D weaving technology. The company just announced a $32M Series B led by DCVC.There you have it, another dose in the books. Let's dive in.Sources:https://www.chaiz.com/blog/chaiz-raises-3-7m-seed-roundhttps://www.chaiz.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/07/bandana-lands-new-investment-to-help-hourly-wage-workers-find-good-jobs/https://www.unspun.io/ https://www.fashiondive.com/news/unspun-series-b-32-million-weaving-technology/722889/ Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!InstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, first up, (1:50) we have Franshares, hot off a $4.1M seed round led by Chicago Ventures. That startup makes investing in franchises as easy as investing in stocks or mutual funds. Then you'll hear about (6:48) Applied Carbon, a startup that turns agricultural crop residue into biochar to minimize agricultural carbon emissions, and their $21.5M Series A led by TO VC. Lastly, (11:46) stick with us for a Pillfolio Update on Oats Overnight, as the high-protein, spoon-free oatmeal company we covered on episode 58 is back in the headlines with their $35M Series B led by Enlightened Hospitality Investments. Sources:https://franshares.com/ https://www.morningstar.com/news/globe-newswire/9195556/franshares-secures-41m-seed-to-bring-franchise-investing-to-the-masses https://www.appliedcarbon.com/ https://www.appliedcarbon.com/news/applied-carbon-raises-21-5-million-to-deploy-groundbreaking-biochar-technology-that-increases-soil-health-and-sequesters-carbon https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oats-overnight-announces-35m-raise-in-series-b-capital-302208696.htmlhttps://www.oatsovernight.com/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:41) with a breakdown on Posh, an event startup that is looking to foster human connection through its platform that brings people together in intimate settings, and their $22M Series A. Then (8:37), we have a Pillfolio Update with Saronic, a startup that's leading the charge in autonomous surface vehicle innovation, and their $175MB that vaulted them to unicorn status. Lastly (15:55), we close out this week's dose with a deepdive on Athletic Brewing Company, America's largest non-alcoholic brewery, and their $50M funding round led by General Atlantic.Sources:https://posh.vip/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/23/event-startup-posh-raises-22m-in-to-focus-on-personalisation-and-event-diversification/ https://www.saronic.com/https://medium.com/saronic-technologies/saronic-raises-175-million-in-series-b-funding-valuing-company-at-1-billion-ad64de58babe https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/09/saronic-a-defense-startup-building-autonomous-ships-raises-55m/https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/30/vc-defense-tech/https://athleticbrewing.com/https://nabeerclub.com/athletic-brewings-50m-expansion-pushing-the-non-alcoholic-beer-revolution-further/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/athletic-brewing-company-announces-50-million-equity-financing-round-led-by-general-atlantic-302191415.htmlMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn On this week's dose, we have Daniel Belfort, Founder of Blok, an innovative device designed to help you reduce your screen time. Daniel's journey began in Venezuela before he moved to the US for college, where he quickly became involved in software engineering at one of the world's leading companies. However, it wasn't long before Daniel shifted gears to pursue a long-held passion: helping people regain control over their time and attention in an era of constant digital distraction. Recognizing that software-only solutions weren't cutting it, Daniel developed Blok—a remarkably simple yet ingenious physical device that you tap your phone against to block distracting apps. By keeping the device out of reach, it helps resist those unconscious urges to use those apps. In our conversation, Daniel shares the inspiration behind Blok and the progress the company has made so far. He also outlines his future goals for Blok and what he seeks in potential investors. Lastly, we wrap up with some invaluable advice for any Pillgrims who are thinking about starting their own venture.Sources:https://blok.so/https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielbelfort/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:50) with a breakdown on Function Health, a startup that aims to empower people to live 100 healthy years through its comprehensive lab tests and personalized health dashboard, and their hearty $53M Series A. Then (10:15), we discuss HeyGen, a startup that's looking to scale visual storytelling for businesses, hot off a $60M Series A. Lastly (18:09), we wrap up this week's dose with a deepdive on Apex, a Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturing startup that secured a $95 million Series B to accelerate production of its "productized" satellite buses.Sources:https://www.functionhealth.com/ https://athletechnews.com/longevity-startup-function-raises-53m-for-personalized-health-testing/ https://www.heygen.com/https://www.heygen.com/article/announcing-our-series-ahttps://www.maginative.com/article/ai-video-startup-heygen-raises-60-million-valued-at/https://www.apexspace.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/11/apex-raises-95m-to-scale-satellite-bus-production/https://spacenews.com/apex-raises-95-million-to-increase-satellite-bus-production/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Jack Kuveke, GP at Jabroni Capital, a fake venture capital firm that writes satire and gives commentary on the tech world. Jack had a more unconventional path into the world of venture than most we've ever talked to, having been successful in crypto early on in college, dropping out, and faking it til making it with a bunch of eastern Europeans working on one of the largest ICOs at the time. An absolutely crazy story that we unpack in the interview. From there, we get to hear how he eventually made his way into the startup world, working for an accelerator and then starting his own companies and raising venture capital. Next, he tells us about how he got into satirical venture capital writing, what he has learned about the media business and virality along the way, and what success would look like for him. And lastly, we wrap up with some refreshing advice for the Pillgrims looking to raise money for a startup or just wanting to get into the world of venture more broadly.Sources:https://jabronicapital.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackkuveke/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:43) with a breakdown on Fantasy Chess, a startup founded by grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and one of Norway's top businessmen to make chess a true spectator sport, after they checkmate-ed $3M in pre-seed funding. Then (8:17), we discuss Local Kitchens, a startup that's turning the ghost kitchen model on its head through their multi-brand restaurants with collaborations from beloved chefs, fresh off a recent $40M Series B. Lastly (14:29), we close out this week's dose with a deepdive on ZeroEyes, an AI-based proactive threat detection startup that aims to stop mass shootings and other gun-related violence in the United States, and their recent $53M Series B.Sources:https://www.fantasychess.app/https://www.fantasychess.app/2023-06-press-releasehttps://www.localkitchens.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/25/local-kitchens-general-catalyst-40m/https://zeroeyes.com/https://www.axios.com/2024/06/28/zeroeyes-guns-mass-shootingshttps://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai-gun-detection-pioneer-zeroeyes-secures-53m-series-b-funding-to-accelerate-growth-and-expansion-302185807.htmlMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Meredith Perry, Co-Founder and CEO of Elemind, the startup that helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer through their breakthrough wearable device.First, we hear about the journey that led Meredith to team up alongside her other co-founders at Elemind several years ago. From there, we dive deeper into the product, how the team at Elemind developed it, and how it works safely to augment and improve sleep tailored to your unique brain and brain activity in real-time. Next, Meredith tells us a little more about their cap table and what she looks for in ideal investors. Lastly, to wrap up this week's dose, stick around to hear about Meredith's vision for the future of Elemind, and some valuable advice for all the Pillgrims.Sources:https://elemindtech.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithellenperry/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn On this week's dose, we start (1:47) with a breakdown on Twelve Labs, a startup that's building a video understanding platform driven by leading perceptual-reasoning research, fresh off a $50M Series A. Then (6:14), we discuss Workweek, a startup that manages creators of widely popular business-related newsletters and podcasts and is launching a niche-focused networking platform for its audience base, hot off a $12.5M Series A. Lastly (11:42), we close out this week's dose with a deepdive on Enveda, a startup that is revolutionizing drug discovery by combining ancient remedies with AI, and their $55M Series B2. Sources:https://www.twelvelabs.io/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-04/nvidia-s-latest-investment-is-an-ai-startup-focusing-on-video-search?srnd=homepage-asia https://www.twelvelabs.io/blog/series-a-announcement https://workweek.com/membership/ https://www.axios.com/2024/06/13/workweek-raises-125mhttps://www.envedabio.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/14/enveda-raises-55m-to-combine-ancient-remedies-with-ai-for-drug-discovery/https://pragmaticdlt.com/news/enveda-biosciences-raises-55m-to-revolutionize-drug-discovery-with-ai-and-ancient-remedies/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, you'll first hear about Fizz (1:48), a startup that is helping young adults boost their financial literacy and build credit through their reward-earning debit card, hot off a $14.4M seed round led by Kleiner Perkins. Next, we'll talk about Tender (6:33), a startup that's revolutionizing the plant-based meat industry with their innovative fiber spinning technology, fresh off an $11M Series A funding led by Rhapsody Venture Partners.And lastly, we'll close out this week's dose with a breakdown on GPTZero (11:21), the leading platform for AI-generated content detection and responsible AI adoption, and their $10M Series A led by Footwork Co-founder Nikhil Basu Trivedi.Debit cards, plant-based meat, and AI-detection; another diverse spread of startups for this week's dose.Sources:https://joinfizz.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/06/kleiner-perkins-leads-14-4m-seed-round-into-fizz-a-credit-building-debit-card-aimed-at-gen-z-college-students/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/17/tender-food-plant-based-alternative-protein/https://vegconomist.com/investments-finance/investments-acquisitions/tender-food-11m-replace-extrusion-animal-ag-appoints-oatly-president/https://gptzero.me/https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/13/gptzero-profitable-ai-detection-startup-10m-series-a/https://www.ctol.digital/news/gptzero-ai-startup-achieves-rapid-profitability-and-secures-10m-funding/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gptzero-announces-10-million-series-a-funding-round-to-revolutionize-responsible-ai-adoption-302172340.htmlMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:45) with a breakdown on Hoop, an AI-powered productivity startup that aims to revolutionize task management for professionals in today's age of remote work, and their recent $5M seed round. Then (8:30), we discuss Whoosh, a startup that provides intuitive operations software designed specifically for golf and tennis clubs, hot off a $10.3M Series A. Lastly (13:33), we wrap up this week's dose with a deepdive on Whizz, an e-bike subscription platform for last mile delivery drivers in NYC (for now), and their $12M Series A. Sources:https://www.hoop.app/blog/the-future-of-task-managementhttps://techcrunch.com/2024/06/05/hoop-frees-you-from-managing-your-to-do-listhttps://www.indexventures.com/perspectives/ai-powered-productivity-startup-hoop-announces-5m-in-seed-funding-for-to-do-list-that-updates-itself/https://www.whoosh.io/https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikmatuszewski/2024/06/06/larry-fitzgerald-andy-roddick-among-investors-in-golfs-whoosh-platform/?sh=234875ff119a https://getwhizz.com/https://www.leta.vc/news/leta-capital-leads-12m-series-a-round-for-whizz-an-e-bike-subscription-platform https://www.flashpointvc.com/post/flashpoint-participated-in-a-12-million-series-a-funding-round-by-whizz Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we start (1:58) with a breakdown on Eyebot, a startup that's building AI-powered kiosks that provide 90-second vision exams without the need for on-site optometrists, and their recent $6m funding round. Then (9:04), we discuss Natural Cycles, a company that provides women with an innovative, FDA cleared birth control option, hot off a $55M Series C. Lastly (15:27), we wrap up this week's dose with a deepdive on xAI, Elon Musk's new AI startup that plans to compete against other major players in the space, and their massive $6B Series B.  Sources:https://eyebot.co/https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/06/eyebot-raised-6m-for-ai-powered-kiosks-that-provide-90-second-eye-exams-without-optometrist/https://www.aoa.org/news/advocacy/federal-advocacy/part-of-the-solution-optometry-groups-join-aoa-in-submitting-actionable-solutions-for-workforce-shortages?sso=yhttps://www.naturalcycles.com/ https://athletechnews.com/birth-control-app-natural-cycles-lands-55m-womens-health/ https://x.ai/https://x.ai/blog/series-bhttps://techcrunch.com/2024/05/26/elon-musks-xai-raises-6b-from-valor-a16z-and-sequoia/https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/05/openai-response-elon-musk-lawsuit/https://www.techopedia.com/news/elon-musks-xai-raised-6b-in-latest-fundraising-roundMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:47) we start with a breakdown on Suno, an AI-powered music creation platform, and their recent $125M Series B. Then (10:43), we discuss Zen Educate, a London-based online marketplace that connects schools with teachers, after they secured a $37M Series B. Finally (18:36), we close out this week's dose with a Pillfolio Update on Honey Homes, the membership service that provides homeowners with on-demand access to a dedicated handy-man, following their sweet $9.25M Series A-1 Extension.Sources:https://suno.com/https://suno.com/blog/fundraising-announcement-may-2024 https://lsvp.com/stories/sunos-hit-factory/ https://www.zeneducate.com/https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/03/19/teacher-shortage-crisis-explained/72958393007/https://www.adpri.org/occupational-spotlight-teachers-2024-03/https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/20/zen-educate-raises-37m-for-marketplace-that-matches-schools-with-teachers/https://www.honeyhomes.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/16/khosla-ventures-pear-vc-triple-down-on-honey-homes-a-smart-way-to-employ-a-handyman/https://www.honeyhomes.com/posts/building-the-next-chapter-of-honey-homesMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's episode, we switched things up as we discussed some personal updates and reflected on our time in Austin, and our experience building Venture Pill over the past 2+ years. First, we talked about how the podcast is going virtual with Sam moving to Chicago and Brandon moving to NYC. From there, we reminisced on the past 8 years in Austin, including our time as students at UT Austin and as young adults in this incredible city. Then, we looked back at our journey creating this podcast and the Pillgrim community over the past 2+ years. We discussed what inspired us to start it, how it has strengthened our friendship, lessons learned, our proudest moments, and more. We hope you enjoy this week's special episode.Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:45) we start with a breakdown on Kutt, a peer-to-peer sports betting platform that lets users wage bets directly against one another, and their $1M funding round. Then (9:58), we discuss Securitize, a platform that makes alternative assets like Private Equity and Venture Capital available for individuals to invest in using blockchain technology, after they secured a $47M funding round. Finally (16:21), we close out this week's dose with Meati Foods, the maker of mushroom-based high-protein meat alternatives, and their meaty $100M Series C-1 Extension round. Sources:https://www.kutt.com/https://sbcamericas.com/2024/05/03/social-sports-betting-kutt-1m-round/https://securitize.io/ https://securitize.io/learn/press/securitize-announces-strategic-funding-round-led-by-blackrock https://meati.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/08/meati-foods-100m-mushroom-foodtech/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:35) we start with a breakdown on WILDE Brands, a startup that's creating tasty, high-protein crisps made from chicken breast and egg whites, fresh off a $20M funding round. From there, (8:51) we discuss Backflip, a platform that streamlines the house flipping process for real estate investors, and their recent $15M Series A. Lastly (14:59), we close out this week's dose with Beehiv, a publishing platform that helps users launch, scale, and monetize their newsletter, buzzing from a $34M Series B.Sources:https://www.wildebrands.com/ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wilde-brands-closes-20m-round-111109583.htmlhttps://dobackflip.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/29/backflip-raises-15-million-to-help-real-estate-investors-flip-houses/https://www.beehiiv.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/30/beehiiv-newsletters/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:44) we kick things off with a breakdown on Screen Skinz, a startup that lets smartphone users create custom screen protectors, fresh off a $1.5M seed round. From there, (8:24) we discuss Dripos, an all-in-one hardware and software solution that helps small coffee shops modernize, hot off an $11M Series A. Lastly (15:37), we close out this week's dose with a Pillfolio Update as Campus, the startup that's transforming higher education by making community college accessible across the country, secured a $23M Series A extension. We covered their $29M Series A on Episode 107.Sources:https://www.screenskinz.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/18/screen-skinz-raises-1-5-million-seed-to-create-custom-screen-protectors/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/smartphone-screen-protector-market-surge-071400910.htmlhttps://www.dripos.com/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/24/coffee-shop-software-dripos-square-toast/https://campus.edu/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/23/campus-a-community-college-startup-receives-23m-series-a-extension-led-by-founders-fund/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have the founders of Floaties Floatin' Saloon, Grant Perkins and Austin Lim. This was a special interview out on Lake Austin on their beautiful boat where we got to hear the story behind the business. Tune in to hear more about how they built the boat and the brand, how it has been going in the first couple of years, some of the challenges they have faced and much more. Stick with us for a glimpse into the Floaties guys' future aspirations and what they're excited about this upcoming season. Finally, you will hear some great advice from Austin and Grant for anyone looking to start a business like they did.Sources:https://floatiesaustin.com/https://www.instagram.com/floatiesaustin/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:45) we start off with a breakdown on Collaborative Robotics, a startup that makes robots that work alongside humans in all kinds of facilities, hot off a $100M Series B. Next, (6:44) we discuss Dude Perfect, the popular sports content brand that's been making YouTube videos for 15 years, and their $100M+ fundraise. Lastly (18:25), we wrap up this week's dose with Arcadia, a startup that makes it easy for companies and consumers to tap into community solar farms to save money and help the environment, fresh off a $50M growth round.Sources:https://www.co.bot/news/robots-come-to-life https://venturebeat.com/automation/cobot-announces-100m-series-b-and-reveals-exclusive-details-about-its-non-humanoid-robots/ https://dudeperfect.com/https://www.axios.com/2024/04/09/dude-perfect-investment-highmount-capitalhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/ianshepherd/2024/04/11/how-dude-perfects-100m-investment-will-turn-them-from-youtube-channel-to-global-media-brand/?sh=7d45692d7e05https://www.wsj.com/articles/dude-perfect-conquored-youtube-now-they-want-the-world-613adad8https://www.arcadia.com/press/arcadia-raises-50m Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:43) we kick things off with Lawhive, an AI-based legal tech platform that's targeted towards small law firms, and their recent $12M seed round. From there, (8:46) we cover Quilt's $33M Series A. The startup has built the most efficient and intuitive climate solution for homes. Lastly (14:47), we close out this week's dose with a breakdown on Guesty, a startup that lets property managers efficiently manage their properties online, fresh off a $130M Series F.Sources:https://lawhive.co.uk/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/15/lawhive-raises-12m-to-expand-its-legaltech-ai-platform-for-small-firms/https://www.quilt.com/launch/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/16/quilt-heat-pump-series-a/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALhF6BSj0lyZwC64cw-YB1qSaFwsl5fQBx9Q15snKLTn2J02SNzvontN6PVuSKRJiBNRZTx61UXxAzv1BC5UVLOBujaKES08ovmk859Z28za0j9HZNYL4GwEwzB-7hXaKMgjPJG1-M8ms6wXR2XcVdi1v32hX_3OaFoJBQ5VQlv0 https://www.guesty.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/10/guesty-snaps-up-130m-at-900m-valuation-to-help-property-managers-list-on-airbnb-and-beyond/https://wttc.org/news-article/travel-and-tourism-set-to-break-all-records-in-2024-reveals-wttchttps://www.guesty.com/blog/guesty-raises-130-million-funding-round/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:30) we start with Kidsy, an e-commerce startup that aims to give consumers access to discounted baby and kid products, and their $1m pre-seed round. (9:27) Then, we have a Pillfolio Update as we cover Marc Lore's Wonder, an innovative food delivery company operating in the northeast, fresh off a $700M funding round. (19:38) Lastly, we wrap up this week's dose with a breakdown on Flip, a shopping social network that reached unicorn status following their $144M Series C. Sources:https://kidsy.co/https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/28/kidsy-is-a-startup-selling-liquidated-childrens-clothing-and-gear-like-a-tj-maxx-for-kids/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1332420/kids-and-baby-item-resale-market-in-the-us/https://www.wonder.com/https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/wonder-marc-lores-fast-fine-food-business-announces-a-700m-funding-round.htmlhttps://flip.shop/ https://www.finsmes.com/2024/04/flip-raises-144m-in-series-c-funding.html Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:50) we start with Mallard Bay, an easy-to-use marketplace that connects people looking to go on fishing and hunting trips with outfitters, and their $4.6M Series A. Then (6:54), we break down Confetti, a startup that facilitates virtual team-building activities for some of the biggest corporations in the world, and their $16M Series A. Lastly (15:29), we wrap up this week's dose with Empathy, a startup that's coupling human care with AI technology to offer bereaved families a support system for the administrative, emotional, legal, and financial challenges they face after a loved one passes away, and their $47M Series B.Sources:https://mallardbay.com/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mallard-bay-secures-4-6-130000007.htmlhttps://www.withconfetti.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/26/confetti-a-team-building-platform-used-by-apple-google-and-microsoft-raises-16m/https://www.empathy.com/blog/forging-our-path-toward-a-compassionate-economyhttps://techcrunch.com/2024/03/12/empathy-berevement-death-ai/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:52) we start with Oishii, the world's largest indoor vertical strawberry farm, and their $134M Series B. Then (10:40), we break down RapidSOS, a startup that harnesses artificial and human intelligence to fuse life-saving data from over 540M devices in our nation's homes, schools, trains, cars, buildings and personal devices, and their $150M Series C. Lastly (17:24), we close out this week's dose with a Pillfolio Update as we cover Liquid Death's $67M funding round as the killer canned water company continues to murder the competition. Sources:https://oishii.com/https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/vertical-farms-startup-oishii-134m-agtech-roundhttps://bnnbreaking.com/finance-nav/oishii-secures-134m-in-funding-boosting-japan-style-indoor-strawberry-farms-in-ushttps://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2024/02/28/oishii-raises-134m-in-turbulent-time-for-vertical-farms-to-expand-production-distribution-its-portfolio#https://rapidsos.com/https://rapidsos.com/our-latest/150m-funding-round-led-by-blackrock/https://www.govtech.com/biz/blackrock-investment-closes-rapidsos-150m-funding-roundhttps://liquiddeath.com/https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2024/03/12/liquid-death-water-valued-above-1b https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240310837019/en/Liquid-Death-closes-67-million-in-strategic-financing-including-top-distributors-at-1.4-billion-valuation Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we welcome back Max Albert, founder and CEO of Appstop, one of the leading mobile game studios focused on advergames.We kicked off the interview with an update on SXSW and a breakdown on all the networking events Max attended within the advertising and broader tech and startup scene here in Austin.From there, you'll hear about Max's thoughts on AI this year at SXSW and more broadly, as well as the latest with AppStop and the state of advergames as he sees it today.Lots of laughs and cool stories shared in our first ever recurring guest interview. It was a pleasure having Max join us once again, we hope this is the start of a yearly tradition. Without further ado, here's our conversation with Max.Sources:https://appstop.io/https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-albert-4b0b02a9/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (2:00) we start with Odyssey, a mushroom-based functional energy beverage that boosts energy, focus, and mood, and their recent $6M round of funding. Then (9:02), we have a Pillfolio Update as we cover Betr, a leading sports gaming and media company focused on enhancing the consumption of sports through entertainment, hot off their fresh $15M round of funding. Lastly (15:21), we close out this week's dose with Exodigo, a startup that has developed groundbreaking technology to map the underground, and their earth-shattering $105M Series A. Sources:https://odysseyelixir.com/https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5740764/functional-beverages-global-market-opportunities?utm_source=CI&utm_medium=PressRelease&utm_code=tb2p99&utm_campaign=1563149+-+Global+%24173.23+Billion+Functional+Beverages+Markets%2c+2015-2020%2c+2020-2025F%2c+2030F%3a+Energy+Drinks%2c+Sports+Drinks%2c+Nutraceutical+Drinks%2c+Dairy-based+Beverages%2c+Juices%2c+Enhanced+Water&utm_exec=chdo54prdhttps://techcrunch.com/2024/02/09/functional-beverage-odyssey-6m-energy-drink-food/https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/01/camilla-cabello-mindy-kaling-gwyneth-paltrow-olipop-soda/https://www.betr.app/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/betr-adds-15-million-strategic-140000108.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKxhr_LftL4qkwNamGwNsO7793k4VKobKLiQ--8CTFzx7lAg_PlLxS4K04Gojc9cngY0hZpUWic1URNrF_hC_4brdkZLY_WLNy7k7MZ6YoJ3rpM7fIAlT4IPoUvIWKZtLZL7UFDQSq-iLlcaCrmXPLpkun2awieFgVSQymkOj70Q https://www.exodigo.com/https://www.exodigo.com/press/exodigo-closes-105-million-series-a-to-lead-underground-mapping-revolutionMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.instagram.com/colebauer/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Larsen Jensen, former Olympic swimmer, Navy Seal, and current founder and General Partner at Harpoon Ventures. Larsen has always surrounded himself with some of the highest performers and most successful people, whether in the water next to the likes of Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, or out in the battlefield serving our country.It was only after a friend mentioned vc as a potentially exciting career path that Larsen realized he could leverage his experiences, especially regarding the government's growing partnership with the private sector in investing in new technology. In the interview, you will hear more about how he started Harpoon Ventures, some notable portfolio companies, as well as his outlook on the next few years in venture capital.We close out this week's dose with a short discussion on the future of AI, some awesome advice to the Pillgrims, and some great perspective from Larsen reflecting on his experience getting an MBA at Stanford. It was a pleasure hosting Larsen on this week's dose, and we're excited to share our conversation with you all. Sources:https://harpoon.vc/https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsen-jensen/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Anouck Gotlib, CEO and Chief Belgian Girl of Belgian Boys, the company on a mission to turn up the happy, one sweet moment at a time.Anouck had an awesome journey to becoming CEO of Belgian Boys. Her background is actually in fashion and design, and her entrepreneurial journey all started when she flew to NYC for a fashion internship. On the flight, she struck up a conversation with a guy named Greg. Fast forward to now, and Anouck and Greg are co founders and husband and wife. In the interview, you will hear more about Belgian Boys' mission to spread joy, as well as Anouck's favorite product, which also happens to be their best seller.From there, we dive more into the business and what it's been like bootstrapping in the CPG space and navigating the unforgiving world of retail. We also hear about their efforts to create a new category in the refrigerated aisle for breakfast foods.We wrap up this week's dose with a short discussion on the company's investors, and specifically Daniel Lubetsky, the founder of KIND, as well as what she looks for in an investor, and then a little bit of advice for the pilgrims looking to start a business someday.It was a pleasure hosting Anouck on this week's dose, and we hope this conversation sweetens up everyone's day as much as it did for us. Sources:https://www.belgianboys.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/anouck-gotlib/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:47) we start with Roofer, a startup that uses AI and drone technology to scan and repair roofs, and their recent $7.5M seed round. Then (8:09), we cover Campus, a startup that's transforming higher education by making community college accessible across the country, hot off their $29M Series A. Lastly (17:44), we close out this week's dose with Podcastle, a web-based platform that enables creators to record, edit, enhance, transcribe and publish podcasts with unmatched simplicity, and their $13.5M Series A. Sources:https://www.roofer.com/abouthttps://www.roofingcontractor.com/articles/99128-roofercom-raises-75m-in-seed-round https://campus.edu/blog/education-startup-campus-opens-enrollment-with-29-million-in-fundinghttps://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredcouncil/2023/05/01/exclusive-sam-altmans-backing-helps-community-college-startup-raise-29-million/?sh=95ec5542d18ahttps://techcrunch.com/2024/02/02/as-podcastle-raises-13-5m-its-founder-credits-ai-driven-growth-in-armenias-mini-silicon-valley/https://podcastle.ai/about Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:37) we start with a breakdown on the Enhanced Games, the modern reinvention of the Olympic Games that allows athletes to use performance enhancing drugs, and their multi-million dollar seed round that included funding from Peter Thiel, Balaji Srinivasan, and Christian Angermayer. Then (12:02), we cover Owner, the top rated, all-in-one platform that's empowering restaurant owners to succeed online, and their recent $33M Series B. Lastly (18:18), we wrap up this week's dose with StatusPro, a sports technology and gaming company that uses real-time player data to create authentic extended reality experiences, and their $20 million Series A.Sources:https://enhanced.org/2024/01/29/seedfundingannouncement/https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/01/31/billionaire-peter-thiel-backs-doping-friendly-olympics-rival---what-to-know-about-the-enhanced-games/?sh=537ea62b501fhttps://www.owner.com/bhttps://www.owner.com/https://www.status.pro/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statuspro-announces-20m-series-a-round-led-by-gv-google-ventures-to-continue-to-disrupt-and-revolutionize-sports-through-xr-302052952.htmlMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Ron Levin, author of Higher Purpose Venture Capital, and Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures.Ron had an unconventional path into the world of venture capital, having worked in the travel and aviation industry which eventually led him to start a business in that area as well. He later got connected with Alumni Ventures, specifically Yard Ventures, a fund for the Harvard community, and he has been with the AV team for nearly 5 years since then.In the interview, you will hear more about Ron's winding journey, as well as his passion around impact investing. From there, he tells us more about his blog (The Higher Purpose SmörgåsBlog), which ultimately led to his book that highlights how both profit and impact can be achieved in venture capital.Listen through to hear Ron's take on the current state of the venture capital landscape, as well as his valuable advice to our listeners looking to get into investing and entrepreneurship. It was a pleasure hosting Ron on this week's dose and we're thrilled to share the conversation with you all. Without further ado, here's our discussion with Ron.Sources:https://higherpurposevc.com/https://ronlevin.substack.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/levinron/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:54) we start with a breakdown on Aniai, hot off a $12m funding round, led by InterVest, as the startup looks to continue scaling their burger cooking robot, Alpha Grill. Then (10:09), we cover UpSmith, a startup aiming to address the massive skilled labor shortage by addressing employee productivity through a unique incentive platform, and their recent $5M funding round led by Hannah Grey VC. Lastly (18:08), we close out this week's dose with a Pillfolio update! Bilt Rewards, a startup that lets users earn points and build credit by paying for rent with their credit card, secured a $200M funding round led by General Catalyst. Sources:https://www.aniai.ai/https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/23/aniai-bringing-burger-cooking-robot-to-restaurants-with-12m/https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/how-technology-is-helping-restaurants-overcome-labor-shortage-challengeshttps://aaronallen.com/blog/restaurant-roboticshttps://www.bccresearch.com/market-research/instrumentation-and-sensors/kitchen-robotics-and-automation-market.htmlhttps://finance.yahoo.com/news/kitchen-robotics-automation-market-grow-112700668.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90ZWNoY3J1bmNoLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGf0KB6EB6Ek-1VNoWXuCpFNXkOJP2mfuO_TGsTcOKkle5PqeYBgp1Z-jWIOYB4nhsy0IkUnQdP1QIrB5IAOlIgCv5RW_9vnrqLencF-soaHnxBirbjwKrs25e_Wq-3F6x6xe3uqK2zGsI4-KA_0_IlTzsmBu9ev-0KIQkNXzV7yhttps://upsmith.com/https://dallasinnovates.com/upsmith-powers-its-new-skilled-workforce-tool-boost-with-5m-raise/ https://www.biltrewards.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/24/bilt-rewards-brings-in-200m-led-by-general-catalyst-doubles-valuation-to-3-1b/https://newsroom.biltrewards.com/bilt-rewards-announces-200-million-raise-valuing-company-at-3-1-billionMusic Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedIn And now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (2:00) we start with a breakdown on Agorus, a startup that's looking to automate the homebuilding process to significantly reduce the time it takes to build high quality homes, hot off a $20M Series A. Then (9:57), we cover Perplexity, an AI search platform that is poised to disrupt the search engine space, hot off a $73.6M funding round. Lastly (16:16), we wrap up this week's dose with a discussion on Shield AI, a startup that makes hardware and software to transform aircraft and drones into autonomous systems capable of executing complex missions in contested environments, and their massive $500M Series F. Sources:https://agorus.com/our-story/ https://www.perplexity.ai/ https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/04/ai-powered-search-engine-perplexity-ai-now-valued-at-520m-raises-70m/ https://shield.ai/https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/29/shield-ai-expands-massive-series-f-with-another-300m-in-equity-debt-scaling-valuation-to-2-8b/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:52) we start things off with a breakdown on Medallion, a dedicated digital hub that allows artists to promote album releases, tour dates and merch drops, as well as sell digital collectibles and share exclusive content to foster deeper connections with their fans, and their $13.7M Series A. Then (5:44), we cover Electra, a startup that's building a network of high-speed EV charging stations throughout France and other European countries, charged up from their massive $330M Series B. Lastly (12:08), we wrap up this week's dose with a discussion on Onera Health, a startup that's providing sleep diagnostic and monitoring technology to help clinicians conduct studies at home, fresh off their $32M Series C.Sources:https://www.medallion.fm/ https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/21/medallion-a-platform-for-artists-to-connect-directly-with-fans-raises-13-7m/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALhF6BSj0lyZwC64cw-YB1qSaFwsl5fQBx9Q15snKLTn2J02SNzvontN6PVuSKRJiBNRZTx61UXxAzv1BC5UVLOBujaKES08ovmk859Z28za0j9HZNYL4GwEwzB-7hXaKMgjPJG1-M8ms6wXR2XcVdi1v32hX_3OaFoJBQ5VQlv0 https://www.go-electra.com/en/https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/16/ev-charging-startup-electra-secures-330-million/https://www.onerahealth.com/https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/16/polysomnography-onera-sleep-studies/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5627640/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:55) we start things off with a breakdown on Sharpen, an early childhood education company with a mission to help parents affordably get their children on the right reading path early in development, fresh off an $11M funding round. Then (7:00), we cover Simply Homes, a company that's leveraging AI to address the affordable housing crisis, hot off a $22M funding round. Lastly (14:04), we close out this week's dose with a discussion on Elon Musk's Neuralink, which just raised an additional $43m in funding as they continue to push new limits in the brain-computer interface space.Sources:https://www.sharpen.com/about https://www.finsmes.com/2023/12/sharpen-raises-11m-in-funding.html https://www.simplyhomes.com/en/about-ushttps://techcrunch.com/2023/12/07/simply-homes-nabs-22m-leverages-ai-to-tackle-affordable-housing-crisis/https://neuralink.com/https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/25/neuralink-elon-musks-brain-implant-startup-quietly-raises-an-additional-43m/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we celebrated Venture Pill's 100th episode (!) with an awards show. Tune into this special episode to hear us reflect on our first 100 episodes and hand out well-deserved awards, starting with (4:56) the biggest round covered on the Pill. From there (8:20), we crown our favorite investor in Pill history. Then we transition into categorical best startup awards, kicking off with the food and drink category (11:53), then the best AI startup (16:53), followed by best sports startup (19:58), best space startup (24:39), best environmental startup (28:25), and lastly the best international startup (32:27). After the categorical awards (36:24), we picked a winner for the coolest startup in Pill history, which was a highly contested award. Next, we get into a pack of fun awards including best dose of the show (42:21), best phrase in show history (44:29), our favorite buzzword award (49:59), and last but not least, our favorite pun in show history (53:00). We had a blast recording our first ever Venture Pill awards show, and loved reflecting on all we've learned and laughed about over the past 100 weeks. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, (1:49) we start things off with a breakdown on HomeCooks, a startup that allows chefs to cook affordable and delicious frozen meals for anyone to order, fresh off their $3.1M seed round. Then (8:40), we cover Ladder, a subscription strength training app that makes it easier to maintain a consistent strength training routine, hot off their $12M Series A. Lastly (14:53), we close out this week's dose with a discussion on Jitjatjo, a gig economy marketplace that's making flexible hiring easier for workers and enterprises, following their $30M Series B.Sources:https://home-cooks.co.uk/pages/our-manifesto https://tech.eu/2023/12/05/homecooks-from-facebook-group-to-seed-investment/ https://www.joinladder.com/ https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231206299897/en/Ladder-Raises-12-Million-Series-A-to-Demystify-Strength-Training-and-Accelerate-Growth https://www.jitjatjo.com/https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/12/gig-marketplace-jitjatjo-raises-30m-to-grow-into-new-markets/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions, expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.

Our Social Media Pages, follow us and engage with the Pill-grim community!Join our Entre CommunityInstagramTwitter YouTubeTikTokLinkedInAnd now for this week's prescription:On this week's dose, we have Josh Rahn, Co-Founder and General Partner at Oceans, an early stage venture fund focused on the New York entrepreneurial ecosystem and other emerging tech markets like Austin.Josh embarked on a captivating and winding journey into the world of venture capital. His trajectory began with the acquisition of a company from his fraternity brothers at Wash U, propelling him into the trucking and logistics industry post-college, where he truly caught the entrepreneurial bug. His ventures extended even into the music industry, including a stint as the assistant tour manager for Hall 'n Oates. Subsequently, he founded a company that he later sold to Sony.Taking a leap of faith, Josh followed a trusted boss and mentor to a fledgling startup called Facebook. Nine years later, having played a significant role in establishing Facebook's NYC office, Josh garnered invaluable experience and forged connections with influential figures in the tech industry.After a hiatus prompted by his son "firing him from the house" post-Facebook, Josh rekindled his passion for entrepreneurship. He began advising founders in New York, eventually realizing that this was his true calling.Teaming up with like-minded friends, Josh co-founded Oceans. Each member brought specific expertise to the table, enabling them to support founders in a hands-on manner that went beyond the financial aspect. This approach earned them a stellar reputation among their founders.In the interview, Josh shares captivating stories, hearty laughs, and valuable lessons from his illustrious career. We're thrilled to present this engaging conversation with Josh to our audience. Without further ado, here's our discussion with Josh.Sources:https://oceans.ventures/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahnjoshua/Music Credit: Chapter One by Cole Bauer and Dean Keetonhttps://www.colebauer.com/https://www.instagram.com/deankeeton/?hl=enDisclosure:The views, statements, and opinions,  expressed herein by the hosts and guests are their own, and their appearance on the podcast should not be construed as reflecting the views or implied endorsement of Independent Brokerage Solutions LLC or any of its officers, employees, or agents. The statements made herein should not be considered an investment opinion, advice, or a recommendation regarding securities of any company. This podcast is produced solely for informational purposes and is not to be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy a security.