Growth Investor with GrowthCap‘s RJ Lumba

Cloud Analytics Leader: Sigma Computing’s Mike Palmer

In this episode, we speak with Mike Palmer, CEO of Sigma Computing. Sigma is a cloud-native analytics platform that uses a familiar spreadsheet interface to give business users instant access to explore and get insights from their cloud data warehouse. It requires no code or special training to explore billions of rows, augment with new data, or perform “what if” analysis on all data in real⁠-⁠time.

Mike joined Sigma in 2020 and brought with him more than two decades of experience in the technology industry, developing and delivering solutions for the enterprise at startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Mike supports Teach For America. To learn more about this organization click here.

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

Investing in Disruptive Consumer Brands: Stride Consumer’s Juan Marcos Hill

In this episode, we speak with Juan Marcos Hill, a Partner at Stride Consumer Partners, which is a private equity firm that focuses on investing in the next generation of great consumer brands.

Founded in 2019, Stride’s unique approach brings together a fully integrated team of successful investors working alongside seasoned operators to help high-growth and disruptive consumer products and services businesses hit their stride.

The Stride Consumer team has worked with the founders and teams of Brew Dr, drybar, Essentia, First Aid Beauty, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Simms Fishing Products, Tatcha, Urban Decay, and Yasso, among other brands.

Juan Marcos’ passion for founder-led business began at an early age on his family’s coffee farm in El Salvador. Growing up in a family business cultivated his desire to understand the challenges of growing a business and the people behind them. Before joining Stride, he was with Castanea and Bain & Company.

Juan Marcos supports Glasswing International. To learn more about this organization click here.

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

Flexible Capital in High Growth Sectors: Bregal Sagemount’s Blair Greenberg

In this episode, we speak with Blair Greenberg of Bregal Sagemount, a leading growth-focused private capital firm with more than $5.5 billion of capital raised. The firm provides flexible capital and strategic assistance to market-leading companies in high-growth sectors across a wide variety of transaction situations.

Bregal Sagemount has invested in over 60 companies in a variety of sectors, including software, financial technology and specialty finance, digital infrastructure, healthcare IT, and business and consumer services. The firm has offices in New York, Dallas, and Palo Alto.

Blair Greenberg is a Partner and member of the investment committee at Bregal Sagemount. Blair also serves on the boards of DentalXChange, Open Lending Corporation, and Scorpion Enterprises and has previously served on the boards of Accela, Align Financial Holdings, Discovery Data, and Irth Solutions.

Blair is a Board Member at Per Scholas, a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for more than 25 years, unlocking the potential for individuals, communities, and employers through rigorous training for careers in tech. To learn more about this organization click here.

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

Engineering Healthier Sweets: Nick’s Niclas Luthman

In this episode, we speak with Niclas Luthman, Founding Partner of Nick’s. Based in Sweden, Nick’s develops "better for you" alternatives to popular sugar packed and carb loaded foods, such as confectionery, ice cream, snacks and sweeteners. Nick’s seeks to eliminate the gap between indulgent and healthy, through food innovation, to empower more people to make better food choices.

An entrepreneur with a mechanical engineering background, Niclas became a self taught food engineer in 2014 after having to change his diet and lifestyle.  He worked with food scientists to develop a range of sugar, wheat and gluten-free snacks that can be part of every-day life.  The Nick’s range has become a permanent fixture in the Swedish confectionery aisles and also has a home in the US.

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

Next Level Growth Investing: Level Equity’s Ben Levin

In this episode we speak with Ben Levin, Co-founder and CEO of Level Equity.

Level Equity is a private investment firm focused on providing capital to rapidly growing software and technology-driven businesses. Level provides long term capital across all transaction types in support of continued growth. The firm has raised $3.0 billion in committed capital, has backed over 100 companies since inception, and has offices in New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Greenwich, CT.

Level’s Operating Partner team, collectively known as NextLevel Operations, provides value-add strategies that allow it to develop world class management teams, financial sophistication, M&A capabilities, and exit readiness for its portfolio companies.

Ben has been an investor in rapidly growing private companies since 1997 and one of the first institutional investors in numerous category-defining software and technology businesses. Prior to co-founding Level, Ben spent over six years at Insight Partners, most recently as a Managing Director.

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

The Future of Software Sales: Tackle’s John Jahnke

In this episode, we speak with John Jahnke, the CEO of Tackle, the leading solution built to help software companies generate revenue through a data-driven Cloud go-to-market (Cloud GTM).

John is a business and technology leader with a successful track record of building great teams to drive emerging technology patterns.

Tackle works with more than 550 software companies including CrowdStrike, HashiCorp, Lacework, New Relic, VMware, and many more at every stage - from companies scaling their go-to-market to the largest software companies in the world.

They are venture backed by three of the world's top SaaS investors - a16z, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Coatue.

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

Building Middle Market Leaders: Ridgemont’s Jack Purcell

In this episode, we speak with Jack Purcell, a Managing Partner of Ridgemont Equity Partners, which is a Charlotte-based middle market private equity firm with $9 billion in assets under management that has provided buyout and growth capital to industry-leading companies in the business and tech-enabled services, industrial growth, and healthcare sectors for three decades.

The principals of Ridgemont have refined a proven, industry-focused model designed to build distinctive middle market companies.

Jack focuses primarily on investments in business and tech-enabled services as well as industrial growth.  Previously, Jack worked with Banc of America Capital Investors, which he joined in 2002.

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

Rapid Growth in Healthcare Franchising: Restore Hyper Wellness’ Jim Donnelly

In this episode, we speak with Jim Donnelly, Co-founder of Restore Hyper Wellness. Restore delivers expert guidance and an extensive array of cutting-edge health modalities, such as IV drips and cryotherapy, integrated under one roof. With multiple franchise locations across the U.S., the company is a national presence and leading brand in the Hyper Wellness space.

Restore was founded in 2015 in Austin, Texas after Jim used cryotherapy while training for a triathlon. The success of the Austin location accelerated the brand into a franchise entity, and they are planning to have 500 locations by the end of 2024.

Prior to founding Restore, and after serving in the military, Jim founded and backed multiple ventures.  He also co-founded IgoUgo.com, a  leader in user-generated travel website content, which was later sold to Sabre Holdings / Travelocity.

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

Delivering Long-Term Value in Private Equity: American Securities’ Michael Fisch

In this episode, we speak with Michael Fisch, Founder and CEO of American Securities.  Based in New York with an office in Shanghai, American Securities is a leading U.S. private equity firm that invests in market-leading North American companies with annual revenues generally ranging from $200 million to $2 billion. American Securities and its affiliates have more than $26 billion under management.

Originating as a family office founded in 1947, in 1994, American Securities opened its private equity investment activities to outside investors seeking attractive risk-adjusted rates of return.

Michael is a founder of American Securities and has been CEO since its inception in 1994. Before founding the firm, Michael was a partner in two private equity funds, a consultant in the Paris office of Bain & Company, and a professional in the mergers and acquisitions department of Goldman Sachs.

Michael earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, where he is a Member of the President’s Leadership Council, and an MBA from Stanford University, where he has been a guest lecturer since 2006.

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

Leading One of The Largest Weight Loss Clinics In The United States: Found’s Sarah Jones Simmer

In this episode, we speak with Sarah Jones Simmer, CEO of Found, a company with a mission to make evidence-based, sustainable weight care accessible for all.

Prior to joining Found in 2021, Sarah was the COO of Bumble, where she was responsible for core strategy, international growth, marketing initiatives, and business operations, as well as the expansion of Bumble’s rapidly growing team.

She started her career analyzing equities and market conditions at a Los Angeles-based hedge fund with ~$5 billion AUM.

Found has raised over $130 million and is backed by WestCap, Google Ventures, Atomic and other notable investors.

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