Growth Investor with GrowthCap‘s RJ Lumba

The Art and Science of Value Creation

In this episode we talk about value creation, which is critical to how growth investment firms consistently succeed in transforming their portfolio holdings into category leading expansion companies built for the long term.

Firms and groups such as Blackstone Growth, Great Hill Partners, Insight Partners and Vista Equity shared with GrowthCap on the Growth Investor podcast how they think about value creation and their approach to closely partnering with management teams to optimize key operational areas that are critical for rapid scale to occur.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

The Cloud Maestro: Zesty CEO Maxim Melamedov

In this episode, we speak with Maxim Melamedov, the CEO of Zesty, which has developed the next generation of cloud management solutions.

Maxim came to Zesty from a prior career in homeland security and is a veteran of the Israeli Air Force.

Zesty helps cloud engineering teams to slash cloud costs, maintain perfect app performance, minimize the hassle of managing infrastructure, and fully realize the true flexibility of the cloud.

The company has raised over $116 million since its founding and is backed by B Capital, Sapphire Ventures, and other notable investors.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Growth Investing Leaders: Sageview Capital’s Ned Gilhuly and Scott Stuart

In this episode, we speak with Ned Gilhuly and Scott Stuart, the founding partners of Sageview Capital, which is a private investment firm with over $2 billion in assets under management focused on enduring software and tech-enabled businesses.

Ned and Scott founded Sageview in 2006 after their nearly two decade careers at KKR.

Ned joined KKR in 1986 in San Francisco and rose to establish and oversee all aspects of KKR’s business in Europe as well as serve on KKR’s Investment Committee.

Scott joined KKR in 1986 in New York, and rose to become responsible for the utilities and consumer products industry groups as well as serve on KKR’s Investment Committee.

Historically, the Sageview team has been the single largest investor in every fund, making up over 20% of its invested capital.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Saving the Bees Through Technology: Beewise CEO Saar Safra

In this episode we speak with Saar Safra, CEO and Co-Founder of Beewise. 75% of all the fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts that we consume around the globe are pollinated by bees. We’re talking for 8 billion people.

Beewise’s mission is to help beekeepers pollinate and produce honey by saving their bees, utilizing modern technology. The company has redesigned the beehive with today’s technology providing climate & humidity control, pest control, autonomous swarm prevention, automated harvesting and real-time problem alerts.

The company has raised over $120 million from leading investors including Insight Partners, Corner Ventures and other notable firms.

Saar is a seasoned entrepreneur and has had three successful exits from the five companies he founded prior to Beewise.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Powering The Supply Chain: Fashinza Co-Founder and CEO Pawan Gupta

In this episode, we speak with Pawan Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO of Fashinza, a next generation supply chain and a fashion marketplace for brands and manufacturers.

The platform supports everything from design to delivery, with end-to-end production and merchandising support. It provides direct access to vetted suppliers, real-time production tracking, digitized assembly lines, and data driven quality control.

Previously, Pawan co-founded Curofy, which today is the largest network of Doctors in India.  Curofy was acquired by a large US corporate, Edifecs, in an all-cash deal in 2017.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.

If you like the episode, click to subscribe and drop us a comment.

Solving The Food Waste Problem: Afresh CEO Matt Schwartz

In this episode, we speak with Matt Schwartz, Co-Founder and CEO of Afresh. Afresh is on a mission to reduce food waste globally by transforming the fresh food supply chain. The company builds AI-powered solutions that meet fresh food’s many challenges to optimize grocery retail forecasting, ordering, and operations.

Matt co-founded Afresh in 2016 while pursuing his MBA at Stanford.  He began his career as a consultant with Bain & Company.

Afresh has raised approximately $150 million and is backed by Insight Partners, Spark Capital, Walter Robb and other notable investors.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Transforming The Hiring Process At Scale: Fountain’s CEO Sean Behr

In this episode we speak with Sean Behr, CEO of Fountain. Founded in 2014, Fountain started with a vision to transform the hiring of hourly workers. The company’s purpose-built solution is designed to help companies hire high volumes of workers, faster by combining the power of automation with a data-driven applicant tracking system.

The company is backed by B Capital Group, Softbank, DCM Ventures, and Y Combinator, among others.

Sean joined Fountain as CEO in 2020. Prior to joining the company, he served as CEO and Founder of Stratim (acquired by KAR), an intelligent mobility and fleet infrastructure platform powering the future of transportation.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Infrastructure’s Boldest Investor: SIP’s Jonathan Winer

In this episode, we speak with Jonathan Winer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP). SIP was formed in 2019 and is backed by Alphabet, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and StepStone Group as its anchor partners. SIP’s mandate is to transform infrastructure by harnessing the power of technology.

Jonathan has led three private equity platforms and personally led investments of over $3B with a focus on the application of technology to real assets. Previously, Jonathan was Head of Investments for Alphabet’s urban innovation platform. Earlier in his career, Jonathan worked at the D. E. Shaw group where he built the private equity team across venture capital, growth equity, and structured finance.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

Focus Breeds Excellence: Blackstone Growth Global Head Jon Korngold

In this episode, we speak with Jon Korngold, Global Head of Blackstone Growth (BXG) and Global Co-Head of Technology Investing.  We chat about the macro growth equity picture, BXG’s focus areas and its key developments over the last two years.

I’ve met hundreds of private equity and growth equity investors over the past two decades and Jon is someone truly unique, not just because of his professional accomplishments, which are many, but because of his insights, thoughtfulness and humility.

Blackstone Growth is Blackstone’s dedicated growth equity investing platform.  It is backed by the scale, operating expertise, and global reach of the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone has $975 billion in assets under management and includes investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.  If you like the episode, click to subscribe.

A Next Generation Private Investment Platform: Opto Investments’ CEO Mark Machin

In this episode, we speak with Mark Machin, Co-Founder and CEO of Opto Investments. Opto Investments’ platform provides financial advisors with expert insights and tools to help them discover, execute, and service private investment strategies, such as private equity, real estate, and venture capital, that help their clients build long term wealth.

The company is backed by Tiger Global, 8VC, and MSD Capital, among other notable investors.

Prior to joining Opto Investments, Mark was the President & CEO at CPP Investment Board, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing institutional investors with net assets over $520 billion.  Mark spent the first twenty years of his career with Goldman Sachs investment banking culminating in his role as Asia Ex-Japan Head of Investment Banking and Vice Chairman.

I am your host RJ Lumba.  We hope you enjoy the show.

If you like the episode, click to subscribe and drop us a comment.