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. 2D AGO

    Streamlining Your Integration Stack with Kelsey Mullaney

    Kelsey Mullaney is a founder, builder, and operator who’s spent the last decade working across martech, data, and go-to-market teams. She’s currently the co-founder and CEO of Strata, an AI-native integration platform focused on helping companies get customer data where it needs to go—reliably and without engineering bottlenecks. During this episode, we discuss: How she started her career in martech in San FranciscoThe pattern she noticed with companies struggling with integrationsHow Strata saves lots of time and resourcesThe level of maintenance that’s required with so many integrationsInteresting requests she’s seeing right nowWhy Strata is a better tool than ZapierWhat the founder journey has been like throughout the past 10 monthsGoing through a self-discovery phase when becoming a founderHow they’ve bootstrapped their startupThe benefits of having two co-foundersWhy cofounders should do strengths finderWhat’s being released this yearWhy Boston is a great city for tech And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things integrations!

    34 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Strengthening Your Startup Through Smart Operations with Ann Marie Guzzi

    Ann Marie Guzzi is focused on building leverage & community for early-stage startup founders. Through Dalmatian Ops, she gives pre-seed and seed founders time & energy back to focus on product & sales by taking over their business operations. As co-founder of the non-profit Agora Initiative, she’s created a platform in Washington, D.C. that gives women founders not just capital, but networks and visibility. And as a founding partner at Levy, she works alongside startups to design coalitions and public-private pilots that turn local energy into lasting systemic change. As an angel investor, she backs the talented founders she meets along the way. She has been an entrepreneur for the past 2 years, and prior to that had a career in product in analytics & fintech startups. During this episode, we discuss: How Ann Marie spends a lot of her time in and around the early stage product worldWhat she offers at Dalmatian OpsWhy she decided not to focus on product consultingHow founders can let go of controlWhat happens when people try to hand away the wrong workWhat Agora is, what it offers, and how female founders in DC, Maryland, and Virginia can get involved in thisAnn Marie’s process for balancing all of her projectsWhat founders should know if they’re looking to raise in 2026 And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things operations and fundraising!

    34 min

  3. FEB 12

    Starting an Early-Stage Venture Fund with Alex Benik

    Alex Benik is the founder of Encoded Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in the next generation of cloud, data, and security infrastructure. Before launching Encoded Ventures, Alex spent more than two decades at Battery Ventures, where he focused on enterprise infrastructure and cybersecurity investments and partnered with founders from early stage through IPO. Drawing on his deep technical expertise and long track record supporting category-defining companies, Alex now backs ambitious technical founders building the infrastructure stack for the AI era. During this episode, we discuss: Alex’s transition from over 20 years at Battery Ventures to founding the solo GP fund Encoded VenturesWhy large venture funds often struggle with true early-stage investing and how smaller funds fill that gapWhat draws Alex to seed and pre-seed investing, and the energy of being “first money in”The “favorite uncle, not the parent” philosophy for supporting foundersWhat Alex looks for in foundersKey lessons learned from launching a first-time venture fundMajor trends in cloud data, security infrastructure, and AI-driven efficiency across the stackWhy Boston remains an amazing tech hub And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things investing!

    33 min

  4. FEB 10

    Making the Art World Inclusive with Devika Sarin

    Devika Sarin is the founder of soal, an app making art discovery a daily ritual for millennials and gen z. Her path into entrepreneurship blends a multidisciplinary background, beginning in economics, investment management, an MBA in London, and several years consulting on M&A diligence and strategy. soal is her second startup in the art-tech space, built from a deep belief that creativity, ritual, and storytelling can change the way people see themselves and the world. They just need permission to jump in. She is passionate about building mission-driven companies that sit at the intersection of ambition and impact, and about designing a product that makes the art world feel more accessible and engaging. She also loves exploring ideas at the intersection of creativity, wellbeing, personal growth, and startup life- threads she brings into her work, writing, and leadership. Devika is curious by nature and loves spending time outdoors, exploring, and noticing the small daily moments of magic. During this episode, we discuss: What Devika is building with soal and how it’s making the art world more accessible to younger people or people who feel excludedHow her first startup closely brought her into the pain points of younger peopleThe role of AI in soalHow Devika’s journey as a second founder has been very different from her first startupThe self-awareness she now has as an individual and leaderThe concept of “no rules” as a founderHow Devika has pivoted many times as a founderWhat goes into finding the right investorWhy it’s important to look into communityWhat goes into building a waitlist for an appDevika’s advice to a new founder for finding success And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things art!

    31 min

  5. FEB 5

    Gaining Momentum Through Narrative and Press with Sonia Baschez

    Sonia Baschez is the founder of Bend Growth Co, a fractional CMO and marketing consultancy helping early-stage startups build momentum through narrative, growth, and press. She specializes in taking companies from zero to their first major milestones—whether that's landing enterprise deals, raising capital, or driving viral product launches. Before Bend Growth, she led growth at Atmos, a homebuilding startup. As Head of Marketing and part of the leadership team, she joined pre-YC and scaled inbound 20x and pipeline 10x through Series A, directly supporting $16M+ in fundraising from Bedrock, Sam Altman, Dylan Field, and Khosla. She helped take the company from early idea to multi-state launch, with major coverage across TechCrunch, Forbes, and Business Insider. Additionally, Sonia co-hosts Meme Team, a weekly marketing podcast decoding the intersection of business, culture, and brand strategy. Marketing isn't just logic — it's culture. Each week, she and co-host Amanda Natividad break down real campaigns and cultural moments with sharp takes and zero fluff. During this episode, we discuss: Sonia working with startups for almost 10 years nowHow she’s learned how to do pressThe level of legitimacy and trust that comes with being featured somewhereUnderstanding where your customers are and what they’re talking about to bring your content back to themThe non-negotiables that should be a part of building your marketing & comms strategyWhy you need to focus on brand awarenessHow startups actually know if their strategy is workingWhat companies are doing wrong with their marketing Tune in as we dive into all things marketing!

    34 min

  6. FEB 3

    Investing in the Physical World with Raja Ghawi

    Raja Ghawi is a Partner at Era Ventures, a venture capital firm he joined at inception in 2022 to drive transformational change in our physical world. Prior to joining Era, Raja worked at Suffolk Construction. While there, he helped to found Suffolk’s venture arm, Suffolk Technologies, which invests in startups in the AEC industry and helps them to scale by leveraging Suffolk’s network and resources. At the end of 2020, he was named Suffolk Tech’s Investment Director. While at Suffolk, he founded and led Boost, Suffolk Technologies’ accelerator program, the leading AEC innovation accelerator, which has since graduated 30 companies. Before joining Suffolk, Raja worked for McKinsey & Company in Boston and spent meaningful time at QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s AI/ML arm. A native of Syria and a Harvard graduate, Raja currently lives in Brooklyn. He’s an avid reader, a budding cyclist, and a big fan of Brooklyn’s underground art scene. During this episode, we discuss: How Era Ventures invests in innovation in the physical worldWhat got Raja really excited about VCHow he joined Era at inceptionSome of his favorite portfolio companies throughout that timeTypes of industries that he works with in the physical world (real estate, construction, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, etc.)Where he sees the physical world going in 2026The impact of inflation and labor shortages on these industriesSpending more time in robotics and physical AIThe problems that come with go to market - how to prove your products workHow robots can be used for growth in companiesWhat Raja looks for when investing in startupsThe importance of having a trusted community/network who will try your product And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into investing in the physical world!

    34 min

  7. JAN 29

    Confronting the Caregiving Crisis with Lily Vittayarukskul

    Lily Vittayarukskul, Waterlily's CEO and Co-Founder, was on the path to become an aerospace engineer at an exceptionally young age, a patented inventor, starting college at 14 and interning at NASA by 16. But her life took an unexpected turn when her Aunt, a cornerstone of her first-generation immigrant family, was diagnosed with terminal stage colon cancer. Post chemotherapy her family was shocked to learn that health insurance doesn't cover long-term care costs, driving their family to provide care from the home, stepping away from work and school to take on the physically demanding tasks of daily caregiving. This devastating event revealed the profound gaps in the healthcare preparedness of most families, leaving lasting impacts on her own. Determined to ensure a future where no one else would face the same hardships, Lily shifted her focus from aerospace engineering to healthcare innovation. Graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Genetics and Data Science, Lily led product and engineering teams at multiple startups before founding Waterlily, a company dedicated to making healthcare and its costs accessible, understandable, and empowering for all. During this episode, we discuss: What she does at WaterlilyHow she got the idea for her startupThe expense that goes into long-term careThe solutions that Waterlily offersWhy parents shouldn’t be paying for thisHow Lily never wanted to become a founder but what led her away from being an aerospace engineerWhy she did a lot of things YC teaches you not to doWhat led her to bringing on a co-founderHer advice for anyone looking to fundraise And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things long-term care!

    34 min

  8. JAN 27

    Building a PR Flywheel with Sarah Mattina

    Sarah Mattina is a strategic communications consultant with nearly a decade of experience across startups, venture capital, and financial communications. She has held in-house roles leading communications at JetBlue Ventures, the National Venture Capital Association, and Southwest Airlines, and has advised founders and funds alike at Edelman Smithfield. As founder of Mattina Media, Sarah partners with her clients on funding announcements, product launches, and executive visibility, with a specialty in translating complex offerings into compelling, media-ready narratives. During this episode, we discuss: How Sarah started her career in aviation but how she wanted to pivot from an internal comms role to external comms roleWhat led her to starting her own PR firm with two previous clients that saw her LinkedIn post and wanted her to do fractional workIf you don’t ask, the answer is always noWe’re all our own worst critics at the end of the dayHow VCs and startups benefit from working with a professional for PR & commsWhy it’s important to have owned and earned mediaWhat the communications flywheel is and how you can repurpose media multiple timesWhen to get started with bringing in an external PR & comms expertHow VC firms become media engines And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things PR and media!

    38 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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