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PODCAST

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital, Tech, Future, and Society

Welcome to Ignite, hosted by Brian Bell of Team Ignite Ventures. Join candid conversations with founders, investors, and thought leaders shaping the future of startups, tech, and venture capital. For informational purposes only, not investment advice or an offer to buy/sell securities.

business investing

All Episodes

01:09:12

Ignite VC: How Ali Jamal of First Check Ventures...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/04/16

What if your first check came from someone who actually understood your scrappy MVP, your emerging market, and your ramen-burn rate lifestyle?Ali Jamal, global operator turned full-time investor, is the founding partner of First Check Ventures—one of AngelList’s most prolific syndicates, now evolved into a pre-seed fund backing founders in 30+ countries. With experience scaling at Zynga, Agoda, and Rappi, and over 200 startup investments under his belt, Ali brings an eye for overlooked gems and the

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01:12:19

Ignite Startups: Why Agentic Commerce Is the Next Big...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/04/10

What if your favorite store knew exactly what you wanted—before you even asked?Alain Denzler, bootstrapped founder turned AI commerce pioneer, is making that vision real. As co-founder and CEO of getitAI, Alain is transforming e-commerce with AI-powered live store avatars that act like personal shoppers—turning product pages into real-time, high-conversion conversations. After scaling Pitcher, a sales enablement platform, to double-digit millions in ARR and a successful exit, Alain is back with a

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00:35:17

Ignite Startups: Cameron Long on Reinventing Business...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/04/06

What if business valuations were as fast and affordable as ordering an Uber?Cameron Long, ex-consultant turned fintech founder, is betting on it. As COO and co-founder of ValueBuddy, Cameron is helping banks ditch the $5K, 3-week manual appraisals for AI-powered reports that cost half as much and arrive in days. With roots in management consulting and private equity, Cameron brings a framework-driven mindset to a surprisingly broken process—valuing small businesses for SBA loans. In this episode, we

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00:55:46

Ignite Startups: How Odynn Powers Better Travel...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/04/02

What do derivatives trading and credit card points have in common? More than you'd think—especially when the person connecting the dots is John Taylor Garner. As the former volatility trader turned founder & CEO of Odynn, John is building the infrastructure to fix the fractured world of loyalty rewards. Named to Focusrite’s 35 Under 35 and featured in Bloomberg and Wired, he’s helping banks and fintechs retain customers by transforming how users redeem points across travel and finance

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01:07:42

Ignite VC: The Case for High-Velocity Investing in a...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/04/01

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, Brian Bell interviews Peter Livingston, founder and GP of Unpopular Ventures. Peter shares how his journey from being the first engineer at iRhythm to an angel investor was shaped by early lessons in under-compensation and startup chaos. After a frustrating experience with equity negotiations, he pursued an MBA at Stanford, which expanded his network and perspectives. A failed startup post-MBA proved more educational than his earlier success and underscored his

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01:03:02

Ignite People: Unlocking the Future of Work with...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/26

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, Brian Bell sits down with Cole Napper, a leading voice in people analytics, workforce planning, and talent intelligence. As VP of Research at Lightcast and co-host of the "Directionally Correct" podcast, Cole brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience leading HR innovations at global organizations like FedEx, Toyota, and Pepsi. Together, they explore the evolution of people analytics, its growing role in shaping the future of work, and how it intersects

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01:03:10

Ignite VC: Investing in the Next Wave of AI-Driven...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/25

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, Brian Bell sits down with Xan Wood, investor at Canvas Ventures, to explore his unconventional path into venture capital. From building an events business in Edinburgh to working in private equity across Asia, Xan shares how his diverse global experience led him to co-found Courtyard Ventures at Berkeley and ultimately join Canvas, where he now leads Series A and B investments in fintech, digital health, and AI.The conversation dives into the differences

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01:09:37

Ignite Markets: Kevin Carter on the Future of Global...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/24

In this episode of The Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell sits down with Kevin Carter, founder and CIO of EMQQ Global, to explore the evolution of emerging market investing. Kevin shares his unconventional entry into finance—hired after a 20-minute chat about college basketball—and how reading Burton Malkiel’s A Random Walk Down Wall Street shaped his approach. He explains his shift from active investing to indexing, driven by mutual fund inefficiencies and the long-term benefits of passive

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01:25:15

Ignite VC: How to Win Competitive Deals in Venture...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/19

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Simon Wu, a partner at Cathay Innovation, a global venture capital firm managing billions in assets. Simon shares his journey from his early days building computers as a teenager to working in M&A at VMware and UBS before transitioning into venture capital. He reflects on how his background shaped his investment philosophy and discusses the unique approach Cathay Innovation takes in working with startups globally. With a strong focus on

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00:52:48

Ignite Startups: How AI is Transforming Front-End...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/13

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Kevin Michael, the co-founder and CEO of Tempo Labs, an AI-powered development platform revolutionizing front-end collaboration. Kevin shares his journey from engineering roles at Microsoft and Perpetua to founding Tempo Labs, where he identified a gap in low-code development tools. Unlike legacy low-code platforms, Tempo integrates seamlessly with existing React codebases, empowering designers, product managers, and engineers to

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01:07:35

Ignite VC: Adeo Ressi on The Future of Startups,...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/11

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Adeo Ressi, co-founder of VC Lab and Decile Group. Adeo shares his journey from launching billion-dollar startups in his early career to reshaping the venture capital industry. He recounts his experience with Elon Musk during their formative years, including their pivotal conversation about space exploration that led to the founding of SpaceX. Adeo also discusses his involvement with the XPRIZE

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00:40:47

Ignite Startups: The Future of AI Voice Tech with...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/06

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell sits down with Sidhant Kabra, co-founder of Vocera, a startup pioneering AI voice agent testing and observability. Sidhant shares his journey from growing up in Jamshedpur, studying at IIT Bombay, and working in consulting before venturing into the world of AI-driven voice technology. His initial experience in developing voice agents for legal and medical record retrieval revealed the critical challenges of AI voice performance in real-world

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00:35:00

Ignite Startups: How AI is Automating Accounts...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/05

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Adam Barbera, the CEO and founder of Dost, an AI-powered accounts payable co-pilot that automates invoice and delivery note management. Adam shares his journey from a background in Java engineering and enterprise sales at SAP and Tech Data to founding Dost. His experience in large-scale business operations exposed inefficiencies in accounts payable processes, inspiring him to build an AI-driven solution. Initially, investors—including Team

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00:44:51

Ignite Startups: Frank Sondors on Transforming...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/03/03

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Frank Sondors, co-founder and CEO of Salesforge, an AI-powered sales platform revolutionizing outbound email deliverability and personalization. With over a decade in B2B sales, Frank shares his journey from individual contributor to leading a company that has rapidly scaled to millions in ARR within just 20 months. He highlights the shift from hiring large sales teams to leveraging AI and automation to improve efficiency, reduce

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00:34:01

Ignite Startups: How Startups Can Leverage Global...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/27

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell sits down with Ilya Brotzky, CEO and co-founder of VanHack, a global tech talent recruitment platform. Ilya shares the origins of VanHack, which began as an English school and career coaching service before evolving into a full-fledged recruitment company helping software engineers secure international jobs. He recounts how his experience working in Brazil exposed a massive demand for tech talent mobility, particularly in Canada, and how VanHack

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01:12:16

Ignite VC: Itamar Novick on Life360, Solo GPs, and...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/26

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell interviews Itamar Novick, founder and general partner at Recursive Ventures. Itamar shares his journey from a 25-year career in startups—spanning roles as an entrepreneur, executive, and investor—to becoming a solo GP. With a portfolio of over 100 investments, including unicorns like Life360 and Placer.ai, Itamar has been recognized as a top global seed investor by Business Insider for four consecutive years. The conversation kicks off with a

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00:51:37

Ignite LP: Building Bridges Between LPs & Emerging...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/23

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, Brian Bell sits down with Benedikt Langer, General Manager of ToV Lending and founder of Embracing Emergence, to explore the evolving landscape of LP-GP relationships in venture capital. Benedikt shares his unconventional journey from growing up in Germany to entering the VC world through a family office, highlighting how his experiences—including a transformative 500-mile pilgrimage—shaped his investment philosophy. His work focuses on bridging the gap between

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01:04:37

Ignite VC: Building the Next Generation of Venture...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/20

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell sits down with Mike Suprovici, co-founder and head of acceleration at Decile Group, to discuss his journey in venture capital and his impact on the emerging manager ecosystem. Mike shares his early experiences at the Founder Institute, where he helped launch thousands of startups, and how that led to the creation of VC Lab—an accelerator for first-time venture capitalists. He explains how VC Lab was originally conceived as a small initiative but

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00:52:00

Ignite Startups: Justin Kosmides on How Bloom is...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/18

In this episode of the Ignite Podcast, host Brian Bell welcomes Justin Kosmides, CEO and co-founder of Bloom, a groundbreaking Operations as a Service platform transforming manufacturing for electric mobility and hardware companies.Justin shares his journey from finance to manufacturing, detailing how his experiences with e-bikes, urban beekeeping, and investment banking led to the creation of Bloom. The conversation kicks off with a lighthearted discussion about beekeeping and how urban bees often

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00:43:27

Ignite Startups: How Thunder Compute is Maximizing...

Ignite: Conversations on Startups, Venture Capital,... ·

2025/02/13

In this episode of Ignite Podcast, Brian Bell sits down with Carl Peterson, the founder and CEO of Thunder Compute, a YC-backed startup focused on revolutionizing GPU utilization for AI workloads. Carl shares the origins of Thunder Compute, which stemmed from his experience at Georgia Tech, where researchers struggled to access GPUs efficiently. Frustrated by long wait times and underutilized computing power, Carl and his co-founder developed an innovative approach to GPU virtualization, inspired by

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213 results

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