The Sherveen Show

Better Accounting = $$ = Growth (Daniel of Bags)

Secure those bags! Let's dive deep into the wild world of financial management and small-business growth! It isn't just about traditional accounting and capital, but the reasons why... - Every small business owner hates their accountant - Black, Latino, and immigrant-owned businesses outperform in profitability - The changing landscape of venture-backed versus bootstrapped businesses It's time for Episode 025 of The Sherveen Show! Featuring Daniel Taylor, co-founder and CEO of Bags, a financial growth platform helping businesses manage their finance and fund their growth with good debt. Follow Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-taylor-95973662 Secure those Bags! https://securebags.com Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm We get into: How accounting firms for small businesses often fall short, leaving founders with a hot mess come tax season. Bags's pivot, going from purely lending to a full-fledged “financial growth platform” that manages your books, secures funding, and strategically deploys working capital. Capital access as a forcing function: the ways in which a business's books can either help or hurt in the moment in which they need more cash to grow. Overlooked communities & their underestimated ROI: how Black, Latino, and immigrant-owned businesses often outperform in profitability – yet lack consistent credit access. TLDR: Bags is proving that inclusion is good business. Why Bench collapsed, and the story it tells us about the missed opportunity to serve the long-tail (and how venture capital is now trying to fill that gap). Building tech-enabled services: why manually helping customers at first can be the fastest route to real product insights and AI-driven scale. From figuring out the perfect domain to raising capital (or just being profitable from day one!), we cover all the ways founders can ditch boring old spreadsheets and finally start making data-driven decisions. Join us for more unfiltered founder stories every week, and subscribe to catch all the ways innovators are reshaping the future – one bold idea at a time. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

AI Agents Learn to Talk and Shopify CEO Issues AI Ultimatum to Staff

What's the big deal with Google's Agent2Agent announcement? Why are so many new founders choosing not to raise $$ and avoiding co-founders? What's the deal with RESURRECTING DIRE WOLVES!? Welcome to Episode 024 of The Sherveen Show. :) In this episode... Google’s AI Announcements: Gemini suite updates, TPU breakthroughs, their Veo 2 video model... but everyone else is covering these updates, so let's focus on their new Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and how it's going to supercharge cross-platform AI agent workflows. Plus, why their seemingly trivial Audio Overviews feature coming to Google Docs might be the biggest AI-driven consumer behavior modifier in 2025. Anthropic’s Claude Max: Claude’s new subscription tiers – testing whether users will pony up $100 or even $200 for access beyond usage limits... are they actually building something comparable to OpenAI's ChatGPT Pro ($200/mo), and where is AI pricing going next? Shopify’s Internal Memo: Leaked! But then said aloud. Tobi Lütke tells his team it's time to get on the AI train, and they'll even be judged for it in their performance review. Are we entering a “no headcount without AI” era? Dire Wolves Revived: Colossal Biosciences resurrects a 10,000-year-old species, hinting at future conservation (or Jurassic Park) possibilities. How cute is this!? Founders Going Solo (in more ways than one): New data from Carta shows a surprising number of tracked startups have just one founder and no VC funding. Venture capital got so popular over the past decade, so... what's the deal? Supercharged Image Generation: Midjourney v7 and OpenAI’s 4o Image Generation innovation is pushing AI generated visuals to completely new heights. Marketers and business owners can now spin out polished ads in minutes – but are the hands good enough yet? Key Themes AI Agents & Automation: A wave of next-gen interoperability is here, promising less friction across platforms – if teams adopt new standards quickly. Enterprise AI Adoption: Memos from CEOs like Shopify’s Toby Lutke show how companies are demanding AI-first mindsets at every level. Bootstrapping & Solo Founders: Growing data reveals a shift away from multi-founder, VC-led teams – AI is enabling “leaner, meaner” businesses. Edge Cases in Bioscience: Dire wolf de-extinction signals how frontier tech can resurrect species, with broader implications for conservation – and potential ethical dilemmas. Connect with Sherveen Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm Enjoyed the show? Leave a comment with your thoughts down below! :) ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

First Accounting Firm on Mars? (Cyrus of Haven)

Get ready for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked (yet crucial) parts of startup life: back-office finances. In this founder to founder fireside chat, Sherveen speaks with Cyrus Shirazi, CEO & Co-founder of Haven, a tech-enabled bookkeeping, tax prep, and tax credit platform for startups and entrepreneurs. Most CPA firms feel stuck in the past. Attempts to automate miss the human element in the moments that matter. Cyrus is taking a different approach: he and his team are building a tech-enabled solution to "put your finances on autopilot" while still prioritizing extreme orientation around customer experience – from rapid Slack responses to AI-driven automations that simplify a founder’s life. We unpack why software alone can’t solve the complexity of startup financials, the power of human-centered support for spiky moments like fundraising and budget planning, and how to do more with less (even if you’ve raised millions). If you’re curious about navigating tax credits, building a talent-dense team of “maniac” hires, or balancing profitability vs. growth, this conversation is a must-see. This is Episode 023 of The Sherveen Show! Follow Cyrus on X: https://x.com/Cyrus845 Follow Cyrus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cy-m-s Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm In this episode... Tax & Accounting Redefined: Why old-school CPAs fail on experience, and how Haven flips the script for digitally native startups Founders vs. Finances: Critical “spiky moments” (fundraising, new hires, expansions) where a hands-on partner changes everything Bootstrapping Mindset: Why starting lean fosters creativity, control, and better long-term results – even if you ultimately raise VC AI as an Assistant, Not a Substitute: The hidden ways automation can free up CPAs to give more personal, high-touch support Talent Density & ‘Hiring Divas’: Building a culture that prizes intellectual curiosity, rapid iteration, and problem ownership Join us for more unfiltered founder stories every week, and subscribe to catch all the ways innovators are reshaping the future – one bold idea at a time. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Building a Beverage Brand (Lily of Figlia)

Get ready for a candid chat about building a premium non-alcoholic beverage brand – without selling your soul to “growth at all costs.” In this startup founder fireside, Sherveen sits down with Lily Geiger, founder & CEO of Figlia, a mission-driven aperitivo company providing sophisticated alternatives to alcohol. From her personal journey and motivation to start the company, to cold-calling restaurants and personally handling distribution, Lily shares her journey toward creating Figlia’s flagship flavor and brand. And for those wondering after listening to this conversation: Figlia is now available in Whole Foods! Hear how she navigated formulation in the middle of COVID, managed packaging logistics from LA to NJ, and found a no-nonsense approach to balancing brand integrity, profitability, and real human connection. If you’re curious about direct outreach in CPG, the sober-curious trend, or what it takes to stand out in a crowded beverage market, this episode is for you! This is Episode 022 of The Sherveen Show! In This Episode Mission-Driven: Lily’s personal story and pathway to starting the company, and how it shaped Figlia’s “no-alcohol analog” approach Formulating the Future of Drink: Balancing cost, shelf life, and taste for a new wave of mindful drinkers Navigating Supply Chain: Going from a scattered LA–NJ pipeline to a more efficient setup in Utah, and the trials and tribulations in between DTC vs. Wholesale: Why a direct outreach strategy (500+ accounts!) beat “waiting on a distributor," and the more recent change Sober-Curious Movement: Making a stylish, sophisticated product that resonates with both non-drinkers and casual drinkers alike Bootstrapping to Angels: Lily’s mindset around self-funding, strategic investors, and protecting brand integrity Follow Lily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-geiger-1735b011b/ Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm Join us for more unfiltered founder stories every week, and subscribe to catch all the ways innovators are reshaping the future – one bold idea at a time. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Solving Transit Deserts (Su of Dollaride)

Why do some communities get left behind by public transit - and how can startups fix it? Get ready for a deep dive into public-private partnerships, govtech, and how a mobility startup is tackling “transit deserts” across underserved communities. In this episode, Sherveen sits down with Su Sanni, co-founder and CEO of Dollaride, a mobility company building digital and physical infrastructure for community transit. It's a financial services, SaaS, and IoT platform for small private transit companies in NYC with the ultimate goal to bring clean transportation to underserved communities. They offer solutions like facilitated financing, tools for payments/rides/tracking, and data and insights to help these small biz owners scale in their communities. They've raised $12M from Elemental Impact, Everywhere Ventures, Prehype, and Backstage Capital, and are the recipient of a $10M New York Clean Transportation Prize facilitating their Clean Transit Access Program (CTAP) project in NYC. This is Episode 021 of The Sherveen Show! From Su’s family roots in New York’s dollar van ecosystem to securing major insurance + EV financing deals for small fleet owners, this conversation highlights how creative problem-solving - plus a healthy dose of patience - can reshape local transportation. If you’re curious about B2G sales, turning a complex social challenge into a scalable startup, or how policy and innovation collide, you’re in the right place! From the economics of transit to the power of government collaboration, this conversation is a masterclass in turning a local need into a scalable impact. In This Episode - Transit Gaps & Underserved Communities: How local entrepreneurs fill the void and why official agencies often lag behind - Dollar Vans & Jitneys: The global phenomenon of “informal transit” and how it can be a stepping stone for regulated services - B2G Sales & RFPs: Securing large contracts, dealing with red tape, and the importance of patience in government deals - Public-Private Partnerships: The role of insurance, EV adoption, and government-backed programs that help scale private-sector solutions - Venture vs. Other Funding: How Sue pivoted from traditional VC to impact investors, grants, and creative debt vehicles Follow Su on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sulaimansanni Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm Join us twice weekly on The Sherveen Show for unfiltered conversations at the intersection of tech, startups, and society! If you’re into solving big social problems through innovation (or if you just love a good founder story), hit subscribe and let’s go. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.