Bringing people together is an art, and a strategy. In this episode, I sit down with Madelaine Czufin, founder of EOLO, to break down what it takes to build events and communities that truly drive impact.

We cover:

• How to build a network that activates around your brand
• Creating real ROI from events, not just a buzz
• The power of mindful networking (why it isn’t as intimidating as you may think)
• Targeted partnerships and sponsorships that actually work

Madelaine brings insights from her experience in venture, tech, and finance, helping top firms craft experiences that elevate their brand presence.

If you’re thinking about events as just gatherings, you’re missing the bigger picture. Tune in to learn how to make them a core part of your strategy.

Madelaine Czufin

Madelaine is the Founder of EOLO, a boutique consultancy specializing in bespoke gatherings, events, retreats, summits, and other distinct experiences.

Over the past decade, Madelaine worked at the intersection of venture, technology, and financial services. Prior to EOLO, Madelaine worked in financial services at Barclays, First Republic, and JPMorgan. She gained expertise within the venture capital industry during her time at Greycroft and leading the NY chapter of a female founder capital platform, The Vinetta Project.

EOLO's mission is to help VCs, companies, and communities activate and elevate their brand presence through thoughtfully designed and meticulously executed events.

Show Notes

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

The conversation delves into the importance of strategic networking and the intentionality behind connecting individuals in professional settings. It emphasizes the value of thoughtful relationships and collaborations that can lead to mutual growth and innovation.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Community and Connections

01:04:19 Madeline's Journey: From Finance to Venture Capital

01:08:03 The Evolution of Events and Gatherings

01:11:05 Creating Meaningful Connections at Events

01:15:14 The Art of Networking: Strategies for Success

01:19:38 The Power of Empathy and Vulnerability

01:21:19 Intentional Networking: Building Lasting Relationships

01:26:22 The Importance of Thoughtful Connections

01:28:01 Supporting Underrepresented Founders

01:30:04 The Shift in Networking Culture Post-COVID

01:34:21 Evolving Corporate Culture and Community Building

01:37:08 Optimizing Event Experiences

01:41:46 Maximizing Connections Pre and Post-Event

01:49:36 Intentionality in Event Planning

01:53:30 Navigating Digital Outreach and Automation

In this episode, we talk to Majd Alaily, founder of Ruya Advisory, a consultancy that helps startups turn visionary ideas into thriving businesses. With 15+ years of experience in digital innovation, strategy, and product development, Majd shares valuable insights on navigating the startup journey.

We talk about building the right tech stack, choosing the right platform, and standing out in a crowded market. Majd also offers a sneak peek into his upcoming online course, BuildOS, launching in April. This episode is filled with actionable advice for founders looking to build, grow, and stand out in the competitive startup landscape.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation on how to succeed in today’s world!

Majd Alaily

Majd is a seasoned digital innovator with over 15 years of experience in consultancy, startups, and strategic thinking. He specializes in helping startups thrive through ideation, building, growth, and fundraising strategies. As an advisor, Majd has supported 20+ ventures in launching, scaling, and securing funding. He’s a founder who grew a company to 970k monthly active users in just two years with 100% organic growth. Majd’s background includes leading business development and digital consulting at Google for portfolios worth $50M-$100M ARR. He’s conducted over 100 strategy and go-to-market workshops with top global brands and brings innovation expertise from prestigious programs like Stanford d.school and IDEO.U.

Ruya Advisory

Ruya Advisory is a forward-thinking startup consultancy focused on turning visionary ideas into successful businesses. Derived from the Arabic word for 'vision,' Ruya embodies foresight and aspiration. Going beyond traditional consulting, the firm offers strategic guidance to help startups navigate the journey from concept to execution. With a commitment to fostering innovation and growth, Ruya Advisory empowers entrepreneurs to shape the future, turning groundbreaking ideas into flourishing ventures.

Show Notes

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Summary

In this episode of Startups Decoded, host Andy Walsh speaks with Mash Alaily about his journey from medicine to the startup world. They discuss the importance of learning from failure, the mindset required for resilience in entrepreneurship, and the role of RUYA Advisory in guiding startups. The conversation also covers the evolving landscape of product development, the impact of automation and agents, and the significance of personal engagement in sales strategies. Finally, they introduce Build OS, a new initiative aimed at helping founders validate their ideas quickly and effectively.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Startups and Global Perspectives

01:27 The Journey from Medicine to Startups

04:08 The Shift in Education and Career Paths

06:36 Embracing Failure as a Learning Tool

10:48 Understanding Blind Spots in Entrepreneurship

13:08 Mindset and Emotional Resilience in Founding

15:46 The Birth of RUYA Advisory

18:51 Advisory Services for Founders

21:22 Discovery and Alignment in Advisory Relationships

22:37 Disruption in Startup Building

25:34 Navigating Go-to-Market Strategies

28:56 The Future of Fundraising and Exits

31:05 Choosing the Right Tech Stack

34:13 The Role of Automation and Agents

42:59 Introducing Build OS: A New Approach to Validation

In this episode of Startups Decoded, I’m joined by Mike MacCombie, partner at Generous Ventures, a NYC-based VC fund known for investing in founders who build with behavioral design in mind.

We explore how human behavior shapes startup success and dive deep into the subtle forces that guide (and misguide) founder decisions, from social anchoring to pattern recognition, from frameworks that help to those that hold you back.

The big conversations centered around;

• What early-stage VCs really look for in decision-making
• The traps founders fall into by following trends
• Why "easy" paths often lead to dead ends
• How to make better products and hiring calls by understanding behavioral cues
• The difference between one-way vs. two-way doors in startup choices

This episode isn’t about theory, it’s about how psychology meets startup execution and how founders can challenge conventional wisdom to build smarter, faster, and more intentionally.

Mike MacCombie

Mike MacCombie is a behavioral science-driven investor and community builder focused on accelerating startup growth. As a Partner at Generous Ventures, he works closely with early-stage founders to scale their companies, refine business development strategies, and navigate hiring and later-stage fundraising.

With a deep passion for entrepreneurial communities, Mike has mentored at Techstars NYC and Quake Capital, helping emerging leaders sharpen their communication and connection-building skills. A self-proclaimed “community geek,” he specializes in curating opportunities that drive meaningful connections and business impact in the startup ecosystem.

Generous Ventures

Generous Ventures is a $10M pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund based in NYC, backing companies across the US and selectively abroad. They invest in founders with lean, iterative mindsets who prioritize distribution leverage as a key element of their company success.

They focus on applied behavioral design principles in the companies they back: building with the grain of human behavior for leverage in adoption at the customer level, distribution at the business level, and more efficient paths to revenue.

SHOW NOTES

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Chapters

00:00 Foundations of Curiosity and Learning

05:34 Behavioral Science in Startups

11:36 Founder Types and Decision Making

13:06 Navigating Information Overload

15:33 The Rise of Bootstrap Founders

19:36 The Validation of Fundraising

20:09 The Role of External Validation

22:05 Understanding Internal and External Anchoring

25:40 The Dance of Intuition and Data

27:55 Mastering Decision-Making and Fear of Failure

32:05 One-Way vs. Two-Way Decisions

35:52 The Importance of Self-Awareness in Founding

41:08 Building Communities and Networking for Success

In this episode, I sit down with Ben Yoskovitz, founding partner at Highline Beta, to explore the intersection of product, analytics, and venture studios.

We dive into:

• How data-driven decision-making fuels startup growth
• The role of venture studios in corporate innovation
• Lessons from Go-Instant’s journey to acquisition by Salesforce
• Why startups and enterprises must bridge the gap for success

With deep expertise in Lean Analytics, venture building, and product strategy, Ben shares insights on what it takes to build and scale impactful businesses.

Ben Yoskovitz

Ben Yoskovitz is a founding partner at Highline Beta, a hybrid venture studio and VC firm that helps corporations innovate beyond their core while investing in early-stage startups. A seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and product expert, Ben has built and scaled multiple startups, including GoInstant (acquired by Salesforce). He co-authored Lean Analytics, a go-to resource for data-driven growth, and has advised companies worldwide on Lean Startup methodologies. With expertise spanning innovation, product management, and venture investing, Ben bridges the gap between startups and enterprises.

Highline Beta

Highline Beta is a hybrid corporate venture studio and VC firm that helps large companies and family offices identify new growth opportunities, build ventures, and scale beyond their core business. Unlike traditional consulting firms, they focus on execution—designing, launching, and running corporate venture studios to create repeatable innovation. Working with global brands like RBC, AB InBev, and Colgate-Palmolive, they bring a startup mindset to corporate innovation, helping executives turn ideas into high-impact businesses.

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

SHOW NOTES

Summary

In this episode of Startups Decoded, host Andy Walsh speaks with Ben Yoskovitz from Highline Beta about the evolution of startups, the role of venture studios, and the importance of product experience. They discuss the changing landscape of entrepreneurship, the significance of validation and early revenue, and how venture studios can provide a structured approach to building successful businesses.

Ben shares insights from his extensive experience in the startup world, emphasizing the need for rigorous methodologies and the balance between creativity and science in the startup process. In this conversation, Ben and Andy explore the dynamics of venture studios, emphasizing the balance between structured processes and creative flexibility in startup development.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Highline Beta and Ben's Journey

02:20 The Evolution of Startups and Venture Studios

05:58 Advice for Founders: Then and Now

11:32 The Role of Product Experience in Startups

16:29 Validation and Early Revenue in Startups

20:13 Venture Studios vs. Traditional Startups: A Comparative Analysis

24:28 Balancing Process and Creativity in Startups

26:31 The Role of Founders in Startup Success

30:00 Timing and Recruitment of Founders

34:36 Understanding Venture Studio Models

38:16 Navigating Investor Relationships in Venture Studios

42:20 Innovation Across Different Startup Models

48:02 Future Directions for Highline Beta

The startup funding game is changing fast, and so is the early-stage VC model. So… is it time for a reset?

In this episode of Startups Decoded, I sit down with Jeff Becker — investor, entrepreneur, and partner at Antler, the fastest-growing global VC firm, to unpack what’s really going on in early-stage venture capital.

We explore everything from the decline of the traditional fund model to the rise of rolling capital agreements, counter-cyclical strategies, and new ways of backing durable founders. Jeff shares lessons from his journey at LinkedIn through hyper-growth, his hands-on experience building startups, and Antler’s bold mission to launch 10,000 companies in the next decade.

We also dig into the “hidden years of inception”, how AI is reshaping go-to-market, why resilience is the ultimate founder trait, and how Antler is rewriting the global venture playbook — with community, culture, and capital all under one roof.

If you’re a founder or investor trying to make sense of today’s VC market, this one’s unmissable.

Jeff Becker

Jeffrey Becker is a venture investor, entrepreneur, and builder of businesses that scale. Starting his career valet parking and interning at startups, he honed his sales skills at Xerox before joining LinkedIn, where he played a role in its explosive growth—from 100M to 770M members, IPO to Microsoft acquisition, and $600M to $10B in revenue. Alongside, he co-founded a DTC brand that served 250,000 customers and partnered with Best Buy and Daymond John.

Since 2016, Jeffrey has focused on angel investing in companies driving health, wealth, and happiness. By 2018, he was mentoring at emerging funds, setting the stage for his career in VC. Now at Antler, he’s on a mission to help launch 10,000 companies in a decade, fueling the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Early Stage Venture Capital
• 03:05 The Hidden Years of Inception
• 05:58 The Role of Founders in Early Stage Investing
• 08:50 Culture and Community in Startups
• 11:57 Resilience and Solution Orientation in Founders
• 15:07 The Dichotomy of Building: Fast vs. Durable
• 18:02 Navigating the AI Landscape in Venture Capital
• 25:19 Outsourcing and AI in Business Growth
• 29:01 Trends in Venture Capital and Founders' Perceptions
• 30:36 Counter-Cyclical Investment Strategies
• 34:12 Identifying Durable Founders and Their Vision
• 39:03 Follow-On Strategies and Rolling Capital in Early Stage Investing
• 48:13 Navigating the Antler Application Process

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.

As businesses face growing pressure to align with climate targets, the demand for green skills is skyrocketing. In this episode of Startups Decoded, I sit down with Neil Yeoh, CEO of OnePointFive, to discuss how companies can bridge the gap between climate science, finance, and strategy.

We’ll explore the rise of the "Climate Expert-in-Residence," why upskilling in sustainability is a competitive advantage, and how startups and corporations alike can embed climate action into their core operations.

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Neil Yeoh

Neil Yeoh is the CEO of One Point Five, dedicated to helping individuals and businesses unlock their full potential for the greatest good. Once feeling stuck in the oil & gas sector, Neil found his purpose in the climate movement, leveraging the right skills and mindset to drive meaningful change. From overcoming personal and academic hurdles to becoming a Forbes and WEF contributor, Ironman finisher, and founder, his journey is a testament to the power of transformation. Now, he empowers others to break through barriers and achieve their good growth.

One Point Five

OnePointFive is a Climate Expert-in-Residence, helping organizations and individuals future-proof through sustainability. With its Advisory & Academy, it bridges the gap between science, finance, and green skills, providing actionable solutions to embed sustainability into strategy, operations, and careers. Whether aligning with the 1.5°C climate target or upskilling teams, OnePointFive drives sustainable growth.

https://themethod.substack.com/

Redefining normal: how brands can challenge culture and win.

In this episode, we sit down with Andy Miller, co-founder and CEO of Heaps Normal, to explore how brands can go beyond selling products to reshape cultural norms. Andy shares how Heaps Normal is redefining Australia’s drinking culture, the power of purpose-driven branding, and what it takes to build a movement that resonates.

We discuss his launch into California through a major partnership with Whole Foods. Whether you're a founder, marketer, or brand strategist, this conversation will challenge you to think bigger about your brand’s impact.

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Andy Miller

Andy is the co-founder and CEO of Heaps Normal. With a background in strategy, communications and marketing, Andy came to Heaps Normal armed with 15 years of experience working in industries including FMCG, health, liquor, automotive, marketplaces and arts & music. After a five-year stint heading up marketing for some of the country’s best known craft beer brands, where he oversaw Y-o-Y growth, Andy co-founded Heaps Normal — a non-alcoholic beer brand on a mission to change Aussie drinking culture.

Heaps Normal

We reckon some things in life are too good to be wasted, like having a good time, a good chat and a good drink. We believe in play as a powerful form of wellness but forget the preaching. We’re the weirdos redefining normal for the better and celebrating people who do the same. We also make drinks, but we don’t care how much or how little you’re drinking unless it’s water (yuck).

SHOW NOTES

In this episode of Startups Decoded, Andy Miller, co-founder and CEO of Heaps Normal, shares his journey from a diverse career to launching a successful non-alcoholic beer brand. He discusses the purpose behind Heaps Normal, the shift in drinking culture, and the importance of community engagement. The conversation explores the brand's unique position in the market, the changing perceptions of non-alcoholic beverages, and the company's expansion into the US market. Andy emphasizes the significance of authenticity, joy, and genuine connections in both business and personal life.

Chapters

00:00: Introduction to Heaps Normal and Andy Miller

01:16: Andy Miller's Diverse Career Path

05:34: The Purpose Behind Heaps Normal

07:49: Changing Drinking Culture

11:37: The Shift in Non-Alcoholic Beverage Perception

16:36: The Role of Purpose in Brand Strategy

18:34: Community Engagement and Support for Artists

23:23: Building Brand Relevance Through Music

30:25: Expansion into the US Market

37:21: Future Plans and Exciting Developments

In this episode I sit down with Nick Sgobba to discuss the evolution of product management in the age of AI.

We explore how AI tools are transforming product design, development, and validation processes, emphasizing the need for critical thinking and human creativity in a landscape increasingly dominated by technology.

The conversation also touches on the democratization of product design, the challenges of competition, and the changing dynamics of investment in startups, forecasting a future where early exits become more common as founders leverage new tools to bring products to market faster.

Nick Sgobba is a seasoned product leader with over a decade of experience shaping digital products across startups, venture capital, and global enterprises. Specializing in AI, patents, and emerging technologies, he has a proven track record of aligning product strategy with market needs to drive growth. As a startup advisor and international speaker, Nick brings deep insights into scaling products, navigating evolving trends, and building customer-centric solutions.

Don't miss this deep dive into the future of startup product strategy! Tune in to hear Nick Sgobba's expert insights and get actionable takeaways for 2025.

Music Credit: "Neptuno" - Phondupe (Album: Onykia)

Nick Sgobba

Product leader with 10+ years of experience from multinationals to startups and venture capital across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Proven ability to deliver user-centric digital products, with a specialization in AI and patents, and a passion for emerging technologies. Adept at strategic thinking, and relationship building, and deeply committed to aligning product development, customer needs, and market opportunities. Strong track record of envisioning, developing, managing, and scaling products. Speaker at international conferences. Startup and VC advisor.

Evalify

Evalify is an AI-powered platform that analyzes almost 200M patent documents from over 170 jurisdictions to uncover legal risks from startup pitch decks or product briefs in minutes.

Takeaways

• Product management as we know it is over due to AI.
• AI tools are revolutionizing product development processes.
• The democratization of product design has both benefits and risks.
• Critical thinking remains essential in the age of AI.
• Founders must navigate increased competition in product markets.
• Investment trends are shifting towards faster exits.
• Building products is easier now, but scaling them is challenging.
• Human creativity is irreplaceable in product design.
• AI can assist in prototyping but should not replace human input.
• The future of product management will be shaped by AI and human collaboration.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Product Evolution

05:30 - The Shift in Product Management

10:01 - AI and Prototyping Workflows

15:30 - Democratization of Product Design

19:52 - Navigating Competition in Product Development

24:10 - The Role of Critical Thinking in AI

28:29 - The Future of Product Management

33:28 - Investment Trends and Market Dynamics