Ventured Growth with Hercules Capital
Join Hercules Capital in conversations with today’s top CEOs, CFOs, and investors in venture and private equity-backed companies. Learn about their strategies for financing rapid growth and scaling their businesses, as well as their unique interests and life stories that have shaped their paths to success.
Episodes
37 episodes
#36 - Building the Super App for Mealtime: Wonder's Recipe for Disrupting Meal Delivery | Kelley Morrell
The food delivery landscape is changing. As consumer demands grow more sophisticated, companies must innovate—balancing speed, quality, and personalization to stand out in a saturated market. But can convenience and quality coexist in this fast...
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Episode 36
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46:16
#35 - Revolutionizing Compliance: AI's Role in Modern Finance | Erkin Adylov
The financial services industry faces increasing pressure to combat financial crime and comply with evolving regulations. The old way of handling compliance—mostly through manual work—isn't cutting it anymore given how complex and fast-moving t...
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35:51
#34 - The Evolution of Biotech Deals: From Pharma Consolidation to Innovation | Stephen Sands
The biotech and pharma industries are rapidly evolving, with mergers and acquisitions driving innovation and growth. As market demands shift, these deals reshape strategies, bolster R&D, and bring groundbreaking therapies to healthcare....
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47:03
#33 - How Corporate Venture Capital is Driving Healthcare Innovation | Vijay Patel
Vijay Patel is an institutional investor turned corporate venture capitalist. He has spent the last decade at the intersection of finance and healthcare, changing the way CVS Health approaches innovation and strategic investments. His journey f...
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Episode 33
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57:04
#32 - The Future of Drug Affordability and Access | Peter Kolchinsky
In an era where breakthrough innovations coexist with concerns over drug affordability, Peter Kolchinsky, founder and Managing Partner at healthcare and life sciences investment manager RA Capital, joins us to shed light on the factors and path...
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Episode 32
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56:46
#31 - Dynamics of Venture Debt: Balancing Legal and Business Objectives | David Ephraim
Navigating the intricate world of venture debt requires a deep understanding of both the legal landscape and financial imperatives. David Ephraim from Morrison & Foerster brings over two decades of experience to the table, making him a lead...
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Episode 31
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26:57
#30 – Rise of the Business Operator: Cultivating the Ultimate Community of Tech Leaders | Casey Woo
Public market investor turned tech visionary, Casey Woo, has spent the last two decades at the forefront of technology and finance, revolutionizing the way high-growth startups approach operations and strategy. His journey from analyzing market...
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Episode 30
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50:50
#29 – Endpoints News: Predictions for Biotech in 2024 and Beyond | John Carroll
In the aftermath of the 2020 biotech surge and its subsequent contraction in 2022, the biotech industry has been characterized by significant volatility. There were 21 biotechnology IPOs in 2022, a notable decrease from the record-breaking 104 ...
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Season 1
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46:00
#28 – The Non-CFO, CFO: Executive Leadership, Acquisitions, and Serving 350 Million Users as Fandom’s CFO | Ed Lu
The gaming and platform industries are dynamic sectors at the intersection of technology and entertainment, constantly evolving to meet the demands of a global audience. In 2022, the revenue from the worldwide gaming market was approximately $3...
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56:53
#27 – The Evolution of Biotech: Lessons From 35 Years of Early Stage Investing | Terry McGuire
Healthcare and biotech venture capital plays a critical role in funding innovative medical technologies, drug development, and life-saving therapies. These investments drive advancements in healthcare, transforming science into products that im...
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Season 1
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34:29
#26 – Biotech and the Public: Breakthroughs, Drug Prices, and Public Relations | Rich Aldrich
In the dynamic field of life sciences, skillful operators ensure the efficient development of medical innovations, while insightful investors provide crucial capital and strategic guidance. Rich Aldrich's 30+ year career uniquely bridges both s...
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40:59
#25 – From Physician to Founder: Scaling Iora Health to a $2 Billion Exit | Rushika Fernandopulle
The healthcare space has long been a transactional one, seeing patients as numbers instead of human relationships. In 2004, Dr. Rushika Fernandopulle began to challenge the status quo and create an entirely new model of care delivery that final...
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Season 1
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33:19
#24 – Scaling up in Biotech, Raising $300M for a Single Pharma Product | Mark Hahn
Successful biotech companies require a capable CFO to guide the company through conducting clinical trials, securing regulatory approvals, establishing scalable production, and adeptly conveying value to healthcare stakeholders.Mark Hah...
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Season 1
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31:57
#23 – From $3B to $29B in 7 Years, the Boom in Healthcare Technology Investment | Michael Greeley
The healthcare technology sector has witnessed astonishing growth in investments, skyrocketing from $3 billion pre-pandemic to $29 billion in 2021. Michael Greeley brings invaluable insights to the show as the co-founder and general partner of ...
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Season 1
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28:48
#22 – Women’s Health: An Overlooked Market That’s Hot for Investors in 2023 | Elizabeth Bailey
Elizabeth Bailey has more than 20 years of experience supporting early-stage startups as a venture capitalist. Today, she is a founding member at RH Capital where she serves as the fund's Managing Director. RH Capital is a women-led, impact ven...
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Season 1
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32:39
#21 – Robots as a Service: Automating Warehouses With Locus Robotics | Dustin Pederson
The subscription e-commerce market is expected to grow by $784 billion by 2026. Locus Robotics, a subscription-based mobile robotics and software provider, is a pioneer leading the way in warehouse automation.Dustin Pederson is the Chie...
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Season 1
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29:52
#20 – Mergers, Acquisitions, and IPOs: Lessons From 40 Years in Silicon Valley | Laureen DeBuono
Laureen DeBuono is a highly seasoned CEO, COO, CFO, and Board Member currently serving as Managing Partner at FLG Partners. During her career, she has raised over $2B in financings, led 2 IPOs, and completed over $12B in M&A transactions.
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Season 1
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31:40
#19 – Cleantech 2.0. Why the Next 10 Years Will Be the Best Years for Cleantech | Meera Clark
In 2006, venture capitalists poured billions into clean energy technologies during Cleantech 1.0, only to lose half of the investments over the next five years. The climate tech investing space has since rebounded and become one of the mo...
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Season 1
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32:49
#18 – Scaling Dropbox from $45M to $2B in Revenue | Ajay Vashee
Scaling a company requires planning, funding, systems, and plenty of grit. Ajay Vashee gained the latter when he became one of the youngest CFOs of a publicly listed company at Dropbox. With the help of his team, Ajay helped scale Dropbox from ...
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Season 1
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31:41
#17 – Overcoming Failure and Surviving Entrepreneurship | Derek Andersen, CEO of Bevy and Founder of Startup Grind
The challenges of launching a startup can seem endless when you are just starting out. Truth be told, the magnitude of these challenges will only grow as your business grows. But don’t let this deter you.Derek Andersen understood that t...
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Season 1
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34:34
#16 – Building a Platform for Modern Home Care | Marco Zappacosta, CEO of Thumbtack
Today we are featuring Marco Zappacosta, co-founder and CEO of Thumbtack. Thumbtack is a modern home management platform that helps homeowners stay up to date on routine maintenance while also connecting them with local service provider...
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Season 1
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40:40
#15 – Fixing Our Broken Healthcare System | Adrian Aoun, CEO of Forward
In a world of continuous innovation, it seems like our healthcare system has been left behind. The hassles of health insurance have become the status quo, and far too many of us have fallen victim to the abhorrent costs of medical services.
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Season 1
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45:57
#14 – The Impending Revolution of the Trucking Industry | Mark Okerstrom
Trucking is one of the largest industries in the United States with roughly $800 billion spent annually on trucking services. Despite the high demand for services, 35% of all miles driven by trucking companies are driven empty due to inefficien...
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Season 1
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24:29
#13 – The Future of the Gaming Industry | Kai Bond
Sports and games are a huge part of our lifestyle and culture and will continue to be for generations to come. But how can investors and creators encourage growth and take advantage of this unique market?Investor, founder, and entrepren...
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Season 1
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42:35
#12 – Leading With a Servant’s Heart | Raj Verma
Raj Verma is the CEO at SingleStore, a database management system that helps modern applications be fast, frictionless, and flexible. When Raj started at SingleStore, he was Co-CEO with SingleStore’s founder, Nikita Shamgunov. By buildi...
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Season 1
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37:50