Category Visionaries

illumex is pioneering the future of enterprise data access through their generative semantic fabric platform, which enables self-service data analytics for every employee within large organizations like banks, insurance companies, and pharma corporations. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Inna Sela shared how with $13 Million in funding, illumex is transforming how business users interact with enterprise data by providing a ChatGPT-like experience that's hallucination-free, governed, and fast. Topics Discussed: The evolution of illumex's go-to-market strategy from targeting unicorn startups to enterprise customers Creating a new category called "generative semantic fabric" Building a complete platform offering versus selling individual features Content-driven marketing strategy focused on thought leadership The role of controversial opinions in driving market education Strategic importance of in-house marketing expertise Leveraging corporate venture capital for distribution channels GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Adapt to market conditions: When Inna saw the 2022 downturn affecting their initial target market of software unicorns, she pivoted to enterprise customers. This required starting with paid POCs and gradually working up to larger deals with major corporations. Category creation requires patience: Inna recognized from day one they were creating a new category. As she explained, "I was aware it's category creation... But for the sake of fundraising, I had to bring those parallels... so I was trying to bring these parallels to existing tools for investors to understand where we are." Build for enterprise scale: Inna shares, "For the offering that we provide to companies like the augmented data management and access, you really need to have small Swiss panel. So it's not enough to have just one fork or one component of the Swiss knife, you really have to have full offering which is minimal." Take controversial positions: Rather than making incremental improvements, Inna advocated for a completely different approach to data management. "I actually thought it's a benefit to have controversial opinions and to some extent differentiate product because this is how you make change," she explains. Blend investor expertise: "You really need to have a blend of investors with different appetite and different business acumen so it can serve you on hiring, on reach out on different aspects of investors value add," Inna advises about fundraising strategy.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

FYLD has raised $48M to transform how infrastructure field workers execute their daily tasks safely and efficiently. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I spoke with Shelley Copsey, CEO and Co-Founder of FYLD, about creating a new category in field work execution and building during a pandemic. The company has achieved 3x ARR growth last year and is on track to double bookings revenue this year, with near-zero churn rates. Topics Discussed: The daily challenges of infrastructure field workers in utilities, roads, and railways Creating and capturing demand in a new software category Enterprise sales strategy in the infrastructure sector Scaling during COVID with remote customer discovery The reality of labor shortages in field operations Building customer trust in critical infrastructure GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Rethink conventional wisdom on market problems: While many discuss a labor shortage in field operations, FYLD's data shows 30-35% standing time across companies. Shelley explains, "I'm not convinced that there is a labor crisis... when you begin to look at that level of standing time, I think you've got to question if we've got a labor shortage or we've just got a problem of understanding what the people in the field are doing." Sometimes the most discussed market problem isn't actually the root cause. Design pricing models that encourage full adoption: FYLD shifted from per-seat licensing to enterprise-wide deals after realizing usage limitations undermined platform value. Shelley notes, "If what your premise is by collecting large volumes of data, you can help people do their jobs better and more efficiently, your go-to-market model can actually undermine delivering the benefit from the platform." Pricing should align with your product's value creation mechanism. Leverage industry-specific collaboration dynamics: In infrastructure, safety improvements aren't viewed as competitive advantages but as shared responsibilities. As one CEO told Shelley, "If you can help me keep workers safer, more mums and dads are going to think that this is a good career for their kid... if we can all keep people safer, we're all going to be able to grow as an industry." Understanding these dynamics can accelerate market penetration through referrals. Navigate complex stakeholder alignment: Enterprise sales in infrastructure require buy-in from COOs, heads of safety, CIOs, and CFOs. Shelley shares, "Enterprise sales cycles are well known to take 9, 12, 15 months. In the infrastructure industry, we're moving a bit quicker than that." Success requires systematically addressing each stakeholder's priorities while maintaining momentum. Build for end-users first: FYLD maintains an 8/10 customer satisfaction score among field workers, unprecedented in their industry. Shelley emphasizes, "There's no point going out and selling a product related to fieldwork if the field workers hate using the platform and won't adopt it." In B2B, while buyers sign the checks, end-user adoption drives long-term success.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — Funding the Future. In today's episode, we're speaking with Susan Liu, Partner at Uncork Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm investing out of a $200 Million fund. Here are the most interesting points from our conversation: Shift to Seed-Stage Investing: Susan transitioned from later-stage investing at Scale Venture Partners to focusing on seed-stage at Uncork Capital, driven by her passion for working with founders at the earliest stages of their journey. State of Enterprise Software: The current enterprise software market is challenging, with traditional SaaS seeing budget constraints. However, AI-driven solutions are gaining traction, often backed by separate AI budgets within enterprises. AI Investment Strategy: While there’s a surge in AI startups, Susan emphasizes the importance of founder-market fit and differentiation, as many companies are tackling similar problems in the AI space. Evaluating Early-Stage Startups: Susan looks for a strong founding team with market experience, a large addressable market, and a compelling product wedge when evaluating seed-stage opportunities. Traits of Successful Founders: Founders with deep industry experience, grit, and the ability to learn quickly tend to have a higher success rate, particularly in B2B markets. Advice for Series A: For seed-stage founders preparing for Series A, Susan advises demonstrating strong revenue growth and capital efficiency, as these are key factors that attract investors in the current market.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co    

MIC Global, backed by $13 Million in funding, is revolutionizing the insurance industry through embedded microinsurance solutions. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Co-Founder Harry Croydon shares his journey from launching one of the first cyber insurance companies in 1999 to building a global embedded insurance platform that meets the evolving needs of the digital economy. Topics Discussed: The evolution of insurance technology from 1999 to present Surviving the dot-com bubble and post-9/11 market challenges The emergence of embedded microinsurance as a new category Building a global insurance infrastructure Multi-channel distribution strategy through brokers and insurance partners   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe.  www.GlobalTalent.co