🏢 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 41 🏢

Static dashboards. Siloed tools. Endless logins.

What if you could connect every app you use, ask it a question, and get the answer instantly — in plain English?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Mikael Lemberg, Founder & CEO of mybizz, an AI-native platform that unifies thousands of business applications into one command center. Together, they explore:

• How AI is transforming business intelligence from charts to conversations
• The challenge (and cost) of “tool sprawl” in SMBs and scaling companies
• Why privacy-first AI adoption matters for leaders in data-sensitive industries
• Lessons from raising a friends-and-family funding round as a first-time founder
• The next 24 months in AI — and what it means for startups and enterprise alike

🚀 Whether you’re running a PE-backed portfolio company, a growing SaaS startup, or an agency managing multiple clients, this conversation will change how you think about data, decisions, and scale.

📍 Connect with Mikael Lemberg: Website: https://mybizz.ai (note: two Z’s) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaellemberg/

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms or watch full episodes on YouTube. 👍 Like, subscribe, and drop a comment — How would you use AI to simplify your business?

🔋 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 40 🔋

What happens when an oil & gas user sets out to electrify one of the most overlooked parts of aviation?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Nick Holland, Co-Founder & CEO of VIRV, to explore how an outsider’s perspective uncovered a massive opportunity: bringing swappable batteries and electrons-as-a-service to airports and other high-uptime, off-highway vehicle fleets.

They discuss: ✅ Why hardware startups require patience, grit, and a different funding strategy ✅ How an outsider mindset can expose hidden problems ✅ Why regional airports are an untapped innovation market ✅ How Verve is making clean tech adoption a cost advantage, not just a green initiative ✅ The role of AI in smarter battery swaps and fleet uptime Guest Info: 📌 Nick Holland — Co-Founder & CEO, VIRV 🌐 Website: http://virv.io 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickhollandvirv2020/

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Watch here on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms. 💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — what’s the most overlooked electrification opportunity you’ve seen? 📌 Like, share, and subscribe for more founder insights, PE/VC perspectives, and real stories of scaling companies.

💡 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 39 💡

What happens when your product is good—but not good enough?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Trevor Lee, Co-founder & CEO of Myko AI, to unpack the hard-earned lessons behind one of the smartest pivots in early-stage tech. Originally a financial modeling tool, Myko is now an AI-powered platform helping field sales teams eliminate admin work and streamline post-meeting execution—entirely by voice.

Trevor shares how he navigated early failure, what it takes to earn product-market fit, and why most founders wait too long to pivot. From fundraising rejection to enterprise traction, this is a candid look at what it takes to go from nice-to-have to must-have.

🔍 In this episode:

• The moment Trevor knew it was time to pivot
• Why product-market fit isn’t about features—it’s about pain
• How AI can automate sales workflows without losing trust
• The tools founders should use to scale smarter, faster
• What enterprise adoption of AI looks like today

📩 Connect with Trevor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevorlee20/

🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and right here on YouTube.

👉 Subscribe for weekly insights from founders, operators, and PE-backed CEOs.

🧩 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 38 🧩

What does it really take to launch a medical device company without outside funding? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Téa Phillips, Founder & CEO of ATS Innovations, to share her remarkable journey from engineering student to first-time founder—and what it meant to risk everything to build a product that could change lives.

Téa developed the Metaflex Glove—now an FDA-registered medical device — that combines compression, grip strengthening, and finger stretching for individuals with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and other conditions.

💥 But getting to market wasn’t easy. Téa shares:

• Why she quit a secure engineering job to bet on herself
• How she bootstrapped a capital-intensive business with no outside funding
• Lessons learned from bad hires, ex-partners, and hard pivots
• How she navigated tariffs that nearly shut down her business overnight
• Why building something meaningful starts with deep personal conviction

Whether you're a founder, investor, or operator—this is a masterclass in grit, creativity, and purpose-driven building.

🛠 Learn more about Metaflex: https://www.metaflexglove.com 📩 Connect with Téa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsphillips/ You can also check her company's LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ats-innovations/

💬 Drop a comment: What’s the boldest bet you’ve made on yourself? 👉 Like, Subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss future episodes. 🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

📉 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 37 📉

Is venture capital always the right move? Or is it just a shortcut to pressure, burn, and misalignment?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with four-time founder and prolific angel investor Adam Spector, now Founder & CEO of Chore, a bootstrapped startup helping founders offload the back-office work that slows them down.

Whether you're an early-stage founder, PE-backed CEO, or VC investor, this episode challenges conventional wisdom around fundraising, automation, and the real cost of growth.

🔍 What you’ll learn: ✅ Why most operational tasks can’t be automated ✅ The hidden danger of taking venture capital too early ✅ The critical difference between founder energy and founder leverage ✅ What it takes to scale a startup around your strengths

📩 Learn more about Adam’s company: https://www.hirechore.com 💼 Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamspector2/

🎁 Want to try Chore?

Click this link and get 15% off the first month.

🔗 https://www.hirechore.com/partner/growth-capital-podcast

👍 Like this video? Subscribe for weekly interviews with growth-minded founders and PE leaders. 🧠 Drop a comment: How do you think about capital vs. control?

🔧 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 36 🔧

Most founders in the trades don’t hit a ceiling because of demand—they stall because the business depends entirely on them. In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon is joined by David Forster, Founder and CEO of Systems Over Sweat, a strategic advisory firm helping home service businesses escape founder dependency and build scalable operations.

David shares how he transitioned from building and selling multiple companies (including landscaping, logistics, and a bike shop) to helping others systematize everything from job site decisions to customer communication. This conversation is a must-listen if you're scaling past $2M in revenue or trying to make your business less reliant on you.

📌 What You'll Learn:

• Why most service businesses stall between $1M–$5M
• The “Think Like Me” training framework that empowers frontline decision-making
• How to turn customer chaos into a repeatable, scalable process
• Why systems—not hustle—create real profit and freedom
• How AI and automation are quietly transforming trade-based businesses

🧰 Learn more about Systems Over Sweat: 🌐 Website: https://systemsoversweat.com 📬 Connect with David on Facebook

👇 Watch, comment, and subscribe to Growth Capital, a Hire Tomorrow Podcast with Justin Dixon, for more interviews with leaders scaling real businesses.

📣 Share your thoughts: Where does your business still rely too heavily on you?

🧠 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 35 🧠

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Steven Atkins, Co-Founder & CEO of Ease AI, a sales enablement platform using AI to upskill reps and optimize the sales journey, without relying on massive teams or external funding.

Steven shares his journey from high-performing sales leader to startup founder, how he met his co-founder through YC’s Co-Founder Matching tool, and why they’re betting on lean, scrappy growth powered by AI, not venture capital.

🔍 What you’ll learn:

• How AI roleplay tools train sales teams faster and better
• Why Ease AI is focused on platform-building, not just features
• How startups can scale through channel partners, not headcount
• What makes co-founder alignment so crucial
• Why self-funding can be a smart path in today's market

📨 Connect with Steven: steven@easeai.ai 🔗 Follow Ease AI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/easeai

🎧 Watch the episode now and subscribe to The Growth Capital Podcast for more stories from founders and private market leaders.

👇 Like, comment, and let us know: How are you using AI to drive smarter sales?

🧠 Growth Capital Podcast - Episode 34 🧠

What if your biggest growth opportunity is hiding in plain sight—inside the customer experience?

In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, host Justin Dixon sits down with Evan Steele, Founder & CEO of Rater8, to explore how real-time feedback and reputation management are reshaping the way healthcare practices grow.

Evan shares his founder journey—bootstrapping two companies, scaling to thousands of clients, and building a fully remote team before it was mainstream. From the spark of a bad hotel check-in to managing 30+ million data points across healthcare practices, his story is a masterclass in turning insights into innovation.

🔍 What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How feedback became the foundation for a scalable SaaS business
• Why reputation is the most undervalued growth lever in healthcare
• The playbook for building culture in a remote-first company
• How Rater8 is using AI to turn raw feedback into actionable insights
• The shift from search engines to “answer engines”—and what that means for visibility

Whether you're scaling a SaaS company, investing in vertical software, or just trying to align product with real customer need, this episode delivers.

🎧 Available now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

👉 Like, subscribe, and tell us: How are you measuring the experience in your business?

🌐 Learn more: rater8.com

🔗 Contact their team at info@rater8.com

📌 Subscribe to the channel for more insights from investors, operators, and private equity leaders. 💬 Drop a comment: What's the one fundraising mistake you see most often?