Series A - Startup Stories, host Laurel Touby (mediabistro founder)

#9: Going from gaming to groceries (Boxed, Chieh Huang)

Laurel sits down with the CEO of Boxed, Chieh Huang, to explore building an e-commerce company in the mobile age. In this episode we discuss: - Exploring new industries as a second-time founder - Sustaining an e-commerce company when Amazon and Costco are among your biggest competitors - Bringing on the right talent to augment your lack of knowledge - Chieh's policy of giving back to his employees

#8: Going from a stick figure sketch to a venture-backed company (Hello Alfred, Marcela Sapone)

Laurel sits down with the CEO of Hello Alfred, Marcela Sapone, to dive into the details behind this high growth startup that allows everyone to experience the benefits of having their own butler. In this episode we discuss: - How to turn your idea into a real company by getting your first customer - When trust is at the core of your product, how do you ensure you're building that trust with your customers - W2 vs 1099: why Alfred chose to classify employees as W2 (it's better for business in the long run) - Deferring growth to focus on unit economics in order to make a sustainable company - Using focused experimentation to continually learn and grow

#7: Can everyone win when tech meets healthcare? (Clover Health, Kris Gale)

In this episode our guest host, Drew Aldrich (AXA Strategic Ventures), interviews Kris Gale from Clover Health to learn all about how tech can be leveraged to solve major problems in the healthcare industry. Listen to learn more about: - What Medicare is and what the inherent problems are - How patient care can actually improve from a more effective system - The opportunity that Clover Health saw to change this archaic system - How Clover leverages software and data science to identify "health gaps"

#6: VR applications & the future of "going to the movies" (Void, James Jenson & Ken Bretschneider)

In this episode Flatiron Investors' managing partner Laurel Touby interviews the founders from The Void, a much-discussed virtual reality company poised to change entertainment and education in the coming years. The Void is “physical virtual reality,” an oxymoronic phrase we stumbled upon in the course of our podcast interview with the founders. The founders discuss their passions for this creative space and dive into how the company has progressed since its inception as well as where they plan to take it in the future. Will this be the future of "going to the movies"?!