Tech Startup Network Podcast with Ashley DiBiase

Tech Startup Network
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Tech Startup Network is a weekly podcast where we dive into the real stories behind startups directly from the people building them to those backing them. Whether you're a founder, investor, operator, or advisor, Tech Startup Network is your inside look at startups today.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Breaking into VC with Aymbré Paige

    Aymbré Paige, MBA ‘25, is an Investor at Mendoza Ventures, where she focuses on early-stage investments across AI, fintech, and cybersecurity. She plays an active role in sourcing, diligence, and portfolio support. Aymbré earned her MBA from Babson College with concentrations in Finance and Marketing. During her time on campus, she was selected as a Babson Board Fellow and was a recipient of the Dean’s Leadership Award, recognizing her impact and leadership within the community. She was also recognized by Startup Boston as one of the 2026 Black Leaders Shaping the Greater Boston and New England Startup Scene. In addition to her work in venture, Aymbré is an active angel investor, committed to funding diverse founders across the tech landscape. She is passionate about diversifying the capital stack, ensuring underrepresented founders have access to the capital they need, and increasing the number of diverse capital allocators across the venture capital landscape. During this episode, we discuss: Aymbré’s journey into venture capital and her role as an investor at Mendoza VenturesWhat Mendoza Ventures specializes inAymbré’s unconventional path into VC, starting with studying neuroscienceWhy being open, visible, and vocal about your goals can create unexpected career opportunitiesThe common misconception that there’s only one path into venture capitalWhat Aymbré and her team look for when investing in a startupWhy Boston has a powerful tech ecosystemAymbré’s perspective on emerging tech trendsThe value of community, mentorship, and finding your people in tech, venture, and entrepreneurship And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things venture capital!

    31 min

  2. 4 DAYS AGO

    Turning Marketing into Traction with Geena Greguric

    Geena Greguric is a growth strategist, startup advisor, and founder with a track record of helping companies turn marketing into measurable revenue. With more than a decade of experience across startups and scaling businesses, she specializes in go-to-market strategy, brand positioning, demand generation, and growth marketing for companies navigating rapid growth. Previously, Geena led marketing at Idelic, a venture-backed B2B SaaS company recognized by Forbes, where she helped scale the company from Seed through Series B and continued advising through its eventual acquisition by Descartes Systems Group. During her tenure, she built integrated campaigns that drove a 60x increase in marketing-qualified leads and consistently generated more than $2.6M in quarterly pipeline value, later continuing to advise through the acquisition transition. Today, Geena advises startups, founders, and established brands through her consultancy, partnering with teams to refine messaging, accelerate customer acquisition, and build scalable marketing engines that drive long-term growth. Her strategic guidance has supported companies across fundraising, market expansion, and revenue acceleration initiatives. She is also the host of High-Key Growth, a podcast for founders, solopreneurs, and lean marketing teams focused on practical, tactical conversations around scaling businesses without bloated teams or budgets. Beyond her work with startups, Geena serves on the Board of Directors for GetWITit Pittsburgh as Co-Director of Marketing Communications, where she supports initiatives focused on empowering women in business and technology. As a mom of two daughters, she is especially passionate about helping women pursue ambitious careers while still prioritizing family, flexibility, and personal fulfillment. Her work and mentorship are rooted in the belief that professional success and meaningful family life should not be mutually exclusive. Named one of Pittsburgh’s “30 Under 30” honorees and holding an MBA in Entrepreneurship, Geena is known for blending analytical growth strategy with modern brand storytelling, bringing both tactical expertise and an authentic perspective on entrepreneurship, leadership, and growth. During this episode, we discuss: Geena’s marketing backgroundWhy early-stage founders shouldn't try to do everything at onceThe importance of talking to customers almost dailyWhat branding really isHow thought leadership content is one of the most powerful and accessible tools available to early-stage founders right nowWhy in-person events are hot right nowThe importance of founder-led marketingThe value in eventsUsing the traction framework to scaleMonitoring industry news with tools like Google Alerts and tie your messaging to emerging headlines quickly when relevant And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things marketing!

    31 min

  3. 14 MAY

    Using AI to Sell Your Home with Mike Chambers

    Mike Chambers is an entrepreneur and growth marketer who has built and sold ventures across tech and media. He is Founder and CEO of Ridley, a company redefining how people buy and sell homes using AI. Previously, he co-founded Moonbeam, a podcast discovery platform acquired by Audacy, and founded Bang Bang Media, a creative agency specializing in viral marketing campaigns for brands like Smashd, GoPuff, Athletic Brewing Company, and DoorDash. He also created, produced, and sold Beat Monday, an outdoor adventure series that aired for four seasons on Outside TV. An accomplished mountain athlete, Mike has led over 30 high-altitude expeditions worldwide, including two on Mount Everest, and regularly competes in ultra-endurance events. Beyond business, he has been deeply involved in education and social impact. He co-founded Summits Education, Haiti’s second-largest private school network, serving over 10,000 students, and Flying Kites, a school and teacher training center in Kenya. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Leila, and their three children. During this episode, we discuss: Mike’s unconventional path from international education and nonprofit work to building software companiesHow his experience selling his home in Boulder exposed major friction in the traditional real estate modelThe viral Instagram journey that sparked the idea for Ridley, an AI-powered platform helping homeowners sell their homesHow AI can guide sellers through pricing, home prep, vendor coordination, listing creation, negotiation, and transaction managementThe future of real estate agentsHow inefficiencies like brokerage splits, MLS fees, association fees, and lead costs drive up expenses for agents and consumersMike’s advice for foundersThe connection between endurance athletes and entrepreneurship And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things real estate!

    35 min

  4. 12 MAY

    Building Pathways for Underrepresented Biotech & Life Sciences Talent with Dr. Carmen Banks

    Carmen Banks, PhD is the Founder & CEO of MelanInScience, an organization that’s reimagining the future of biotech and life sciences by building pathways for underrepresented talent. They connect academic training to industry opportunity through industry-backed programming, internships, and partnerships with leading biotech and biopharma companies. Since their founding in 2024, Carmen and her team have impacted hundreds of students across 15 states and 20 countries. During this episode, we discuss: An intro to Dr. Carmen Banks, founder and CEO of MelanInScience, a scientist and entrepreneur working to bridge the gap between academia and the biotech industryHow Carmen’s background as a cell and molecular biologist shaped her path through early-stage biotech startups, including lab-grown meat, drug discovery, and ag techWhy MelanInScience was createdThe importance of exposing life sciences students to career paths beyond healthcare and academiaHow MelanInScience’s STEM Connect program helps undergraduate and graduate students prepare for industry rolesCarmen’s approach to building a mission-driven community of more than 4,000 people in two yearsLessons on avoiding burnout, managing “shiny object syndrome,” and choosing intentional growthWhat’s next for MelanInScienceCarmen’s advice for founders and community builders And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things biotech!

    32 min

  5. 7 MAY

    Standing Out to Investors in the AI Startup Boom with Elvia Perez

    Elvia Perez is a Senior Associate at Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC). Before joining the team, she built her experience in investment banking at Barclays and in early-stage investing at Inicio Ventures. Elvia holds a B.A. in Economics and Entrepreneurship from Brown University, where she was selected as the Economics Department’s commencement speaker. While at Brown, she founded EmpowerU, an edtech startup that advanced through Brown’s B-Lab Accelerator, the Venture Prize competitions, and later Techstars. She also served as a Peer Entrepreneur in Residence at the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship and as Director of Brown EP, Brown’s flagship student entrepreneurship program. In her free time, Elvia loves listening to live music, giving back through her work with GirlsIntoVC, spending time with her dog Cash, and relaxing by the beach. During this episode, we discuss: Elvia’s path from founder to investor and how her operating experience shapes the way she evaluates startupsLas Olas Venture Capital’s focus/nicheElvia’s early experience building EmpowerUHow founder experience can help investors better support portfolio companies beyond capitalWhat makes a startup stand out at the seed stageThe importance of founder-market fit, proprietary data, end-to-end workflow ownership, and defensibility in AI companiesCommon mistakes founders make when pitching investorsHow young founders can strengthen their teams by bringing in experienced operators, technical leaders, or industry expertsSouth Florida’s growing startup and investor ecosystemElvia’s advice for aspiring VCs And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things venture!

    36 min

  6. 5 MAY

    Modernizing Waste Management with David Berg

    David Berg is the CEO and founder of CommanderAI, a company at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence to transform the waste management industry. Under his leadership, CommanderAI has raised over $5 million in funding and grown to a team of 15+ employees serving customers across the U.S. and Canada. The company was selected from 8,000 applicants as one of 70 startups to participate in Antler VC’s prestigious accelerator program. David’s vision is to revolutionize the industry by using AI to optimize sales operations, drive efficiencies, and solve complex business challenges. CommanderAI is actively preparing for its Series A round in 2026, positioning itself for long-term growth and market leadership. During this episode, we discuss: David Berg shares how his experience at Battle Motors exposed a major technology gap in the waste management industryWhy legacy industries often continue operating on paper, spreadsheets, and relationship-driven workflows and where that creates opportunity for foundersHow CommanderAI is building a purpose-built sales intelligence platform for waste haulers, helping companies find, manage, and retain customersWhy simplicity matters when selling software into legacy marketsHow Commander supports same-day onboarding with hands-on implementationA look inside Commander’s three core product areasDavid’s advice for founders building in legacy marketsLessons from scaling Commander’s teamFundraising lessons from Commander’s $5M seed roundWhy relationship-building has been critical to Commander’s customer acquisition strategyHow David sets aside time for himself as a founder And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things legacy markets!

    33 min

  7. 30 APR

    Nailing Product and Go-to-Market Strategy with Shweta Agrawal

    Shweta Agrawal is a high-impact technology and AI product leader known for turning bold ideas into scalable products and growth. She is the Chief Product Officer at Boston New Technology and Co-President of ProductCamp Boston, she helps founders, executives, and product teams build winning products and accelerate go-to-market success. With experience spanning AI, product strategy, GTM, digital transformation, and startup growth, Shweta is recognized for translating emerging technology into real business outcomes. She is a trusted advisor, speaker, mentor, and judge who has helped countless startups sharpen strategy, find traction, and scale with confidence. During this episode, we discuss: Shweta’s unconventional path from aspiring neurosurgeon to computer science, product leadership, AI, startups, and ecosystem buildingHow impact drives her workThe importance of talking to potential users earlyWhat you should know about go-to-market strategyWhy pivots are often necessary and can be a sign that founders are learning from real market feedbackWhat Boston New Technology is and how they support the tech ecosystemShweta’s leadership of Techstars Startup Weekend BostonHer advice for aspiring founders And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things product and go-to-market strategy!

    38 min

  8. 28 APR

    Rethinking Startup Marketing in the Age of AI with Ola Jewusiak

    Ola Jewusiak, VP of Marketing at Jump Capital, is a generalist who tends to do her best work in environments that are a little undefined, where there’s real urgency and no clear playbook. At Jump, she leads brand, website, content, and events, and regularly advises founders on how to tell their story when it matters most. Her work has included launching a full website and brand refresh in 12 weeks, and building content and programs that translate complex AI and ML, trading, and research work into something people can actually understand. Earlier in her career, she launched Sharp Capital Advisors in six weeks, built an SDR function from scratch at Caremerge, and helped drive momentum and funding at the James Jordan Foundation. She also worked on three presidential campaigns, from Howard Dean to Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama in 2007, which is where she learned a lot about storytelling, urgency, and how momentum actually builds. What ties it all together is how she works: moving across functions, figuring things out quickly, solving problems with empathy, and caring a lot about making things that hold up in the real world. During this episode, we discuss: Ola’s unexpected path from politics and journalism into financial services, startups, investment banking, and venture capitalHow storytelling, narrative-building, and communications skills from politics translated into a career in marketing and VC platformThe role of serendipity, relationships, and networking in breaking into venture capital, including the recruiter conversation that led Ola to Jump CapitalWhy reframing networking as “meeting a new friend” can make relationship-building feel more natural and valuableA look inside Ola’s role at Jump Capital, where she leads brand, website, content, events, and advises portfolio founders on marketing strategyThe value of being a generalist marketer in lean startup and venture environmentsHow PR and marketing are changing for startups, including why trade publications may sometimes be more valuable than major national mediaOla’s perspective on AI adoption across startupsHow events, community-building, and experiential gatherings are becoming even more importantPractical marketing advice for early-stage foundersAdvice for people looking to break into venture capital or platform roles And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things marketing!

    40 min
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Tech Startup Network is a weekly podcast where we dive into the real stories behind startups directly from the people building them to those backing them. Whether you're a founder, investor, operator, or advisor, Tech Startup Network is your inside look at startups today.

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