DealMakers

DealMakers


Latest Episodes

Jason Johnson On Raising $70 Million To Pioneer Bluetooth Smart Locks And Now Building His Next Intelligent Home Venture
October 21, 2025

Jason Johnsons entrepreneurial journey is the kind that lives at the intersection of tech history and personal resilience. He talks about building, scaling, and exiting, as well as navigating the different cycles of company building with Darwin Networks

Henric Suuronen On Building And Selling A Gaming Company For $100 Million And Now Backing Gaming Startups Through A $450 Million VC Firm
October 16, 2025

Henric Suuronens story is a masterclass in how childhood passion can evolve into global impact. His journey started from pirating games in cold Finnish winters and went on to building a $100M+ gaming company and investing nearly $500M into startups.The

Mark Rampolla On Selling A Company To Coca-Cola for $200 Million, Repurchasing It, And Now Co-Founding A $600-Million AUM Private Equity Firm
September 24, 2025

When you hear about startup journeys, you often expect Silicon Valley dorm rooms, tech hacks, or venture capital from day one. Mark Rampollas path couldnt have been more different. He journeyed from a Pittsburgh childhood to the Peace Corps in Costa Ric

Alex Hawkinson On Selling A Company To Samsung For $200 Million, And Raising $78 Million To Automate Global Infrastructure For A Sustainable Future
July 21, 2025

Alex Hawkinson's path as a founder reflects his incredible skills in problem-solving, curiosity, and knowing when to bootstrap and when to raise. With multiple exits under his belt, including a $200M acquisition by Samsung, he has learned to trust his ins

Jon Lensing On Building A $1 Billion Telehealth Company That Provides A Full-Stack, White-Labeled Platform To Support Virtual Care Services
July 16, 2025

Jon Lensings journey is anything but conventional. It is packed with adrenaline and the kind of gut-check moments that define great founders. Inspired by his small-town roots and driven by a desire to change the status quo, he left behind a budding caree

Rajeev Shah On Raising $135 Million To Build A Platform Providing Private 5G LAN (Local Area Network) Solutions For Enterprises
July 12, 2025

In the world of deep tech and connectivity, Rajeev Shah stands out as a founder who has not only built a company but also laid the groundwork for the future of work. His journey is a powerful lesson in vision, timing, and conviction, leading up to the fou

Eric Remer On Selling Three Companies For Over $100 Million Each And Building A $2 Billion Valuation Company To Support SMBs With AI-Driven Business Solutions
July 11, 2025

Eric Remers entrepreneurial path is an inspiring story of reinvention, grit, and strategic vision. From selling roses in college to taking a vertical SaaS company public, hes navigated every stage of startup building: founding, funding, scaling, exiting

Krish Ramineni On Building A $1 Billion-Company To Provide Users With An AI Meeting Assistant
July 08, 2025

Krish Ramineni has navigated the complex terrain of startup building with resilience and strategic focus. As the co-founder and CEO of Fireflies.ai, he has led the company from humble beginnings to become a billion-dollar AI enterprise, reshaping the futu

Matias Recchia On Raising $45 Million To Provide AI-Powered Solutions For The Real Estate Industry
July 03, 2025

Matias Recchia has undergone bold transitions, gained global experiences, and developed a deep conviction in the power of technology to modernize traditional industries. He helped pioneer social gaming in Latin America and transformed how real estate prof

Jesse Zhang On Raising $231 Million To Build A Conversational AI Platform That Empowers Enterprises To Provide An AI-Driven Concierge Customer Experience
June 24, 2025

In the fast-paced world of startups, Jesse Zhang stands out as a thoughtful builder who has learned from experience and applied it repeatedly. A repeat founder, he has navigated the messy early days and experienced the adrenaline of product-market fit.Th