In this high-gear session of Founder Therapy, we’re dropping the spreadsheet drudge and diving deep into what really matters when it comes to startup finances. If you’re a founder who’s tired of the boot-strap vs VC spin, tired of vanity metrics, and ready for real financial clarity—this is your moment. 👉 We’ll talk about: Why investors aren’t fooled by pretty charts anymore—they want real-time, trusted numbers. How automation can free you from the manual grunt work so you focus on growth, not reconciliation. Alternative financing options that go beyond the standard “raise or starve” narrative. How you build a finance engine that survives the lean years and shows up when it’s time to scale. And yes: the hard truth about what gets missed when you treat your numbers like an afterthought. If you’re building a tech or life-science startup (or supporting one), this episode arms you with the language, the mindset and the playbook to get your financial house in order—so you can spend less time worrying about the numbers and more time executing on strategy. 🔥 Tune in. Get smarter. And let’s chase the metrics that move the needle (not just glitter). Panelists Tejal Shah, VP Investment Banking, US Capital Global (https://uscapital.com/) Tejal Shah offers deep financial-services and asset-management expertise, having begun her career at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America before co-founding Peninsula Wealth and overseeing $400 M in assets. She has also founded and scaled multiple startups, worked as a limited partner at VC firms including Refactor Capital and Halogen Ventures, and served as COO of 555 Comic Co during a $6.1 M venture-raise. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Serge Amouzou, CEO & Founder, Verza (https://www.tryverza.com/) Serge Amouzou is building Verza, an AI-powered financial co-pilot for the creator economy—handling smart-contract management, payments, taxes and banking—and has already launched an MVP with paying users. Previously he founded FinTech company Delect (earning BBJ CEO of the Year in 2017) and AI-insights platform Datatrixs. Wendy Roberts, CEO, NorthStar Strategic Partners (https://www.northstar-sp.com/) Wendy Roberts brings 25+ years of experience in finance, audit, operations and tech innovation, with roles as CFO of multiple startups and leadership in data-analytics, AI, cybersecurity and GRC solutions. She holds CIA, CISA, CCSA and MCSE certifications and currently serves on the Audit Committee of The Tech Interactive. Tony Padilla, VP Startup Banking, Western Alliance Bank (https://www.westernalliancebancorporation.com/bridge-bank) Tony Padilla is VP of Startups at Western Alliance Bank in San Francisco, advising early-stage founders in tech, life sciences and emerging industries. He focuses on fundraising readiness, capital-strategy structuring, venture debt and non-dilutive credit facilities to help founders scale with control and runway. Sponsors/Hosts: https://startupintros.com/ https://www.contextvc.com/ https://www.westernalliancebancorporation.com/bridge-bank https://www.scalespark.ai/

AI is everywhere—but how many companies are actually getting value from AI agents, and how do you even get started? We keep hearing: AI agents will take over your company, reshape jobs, and drive massive growth. Cool story. Now what’s real, what’s bullsh*t, and what pays off? ​Join us for a brutally honest conversation with operators who’ve been in the trenches—tried, failed, iterated, and finally figured out what works. This session cuts through the noise to deliver the truth about AI agents—what’s hype, what’s helpful, and how to avoid expensive mistakes. ​Featuring: ​Reddy Mallidi, author of AI Unleashed ​James Goldfinger, Chief Customer Officer & Partner, Customer Times ​Kirill Lazarev, Founder & CEO, Lazarev. - Product Design Agency ​We will be announcing our other panelists soon! ​We’re unpacking: ​What works—and what’s still science fiction ​Why “autonomous” is misleading and what “smart” agents can really do ​How to skill up your team to actually build and use AI agents ​Build vs. Buy: How to implement agents without setting your ops on fire ​What to look out for before you waste budget or trust ​How AI agents are driving real business outcomes and ROI today ​How all this changes the way you scale and structure your ops ​No fluff. No hype. Just what you need to know to make AI agents work—now, not in 2030.

Startups don’t fail because they lacked hustle—they fail because their back offices are a mess. In this brutally honest panel hosted by ScaleSpark.ai, we unpacked what actually keeps startups running (and what quietly kills them behind the scenes). Jennifer Lawrence (Centricity Solutions) and Tina Peng (former SVP of Ops & Chief of Staff at Raydiant) brought real-world war stories, practical tools, and zero fluff. From early hiring missteps to HR-compliance nightmares, they broke down the biggest operational red flags founders ignore—and how to fix them before they explode. In this session, we covered: ✅ Why HR isn’t just paperwork—and how neglecting it can kill growth ✅ How HR and ops must work together to avoid chaos and burnout ✅ The hidden cost of bloated org charts and premature executive hires ✅ Compliance landmines that quietly blow up early-stage teams ✅ Tools and tactics you can actually use (not just theory) Whether you’re hiring your first team member or cleaning up a 50-person mess, this conversation gave founders and ops leads the clarity (and confidence) to scale without setting the backend on fire. Hosted by ScaleSpark.ai – Fast, clean, no-BS operations for founders ready to stop duct-taping their backend. Links: Jennifer Lawrence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencejennifer/ Tina Peng: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapengsf/ Maria Pienaar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapienaar/ Katie Whitcraft: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiewhitcraft/ Centricity Solutions: https://centricity-solutions.com/ ScaleSpark: https://www.scalespark.ai

Founder Therapy: Sales, Marketing & Sanity Checks was a candid, founder-focused conversation for those navigating the messy middle of company growth—where sales, marketing, operations, and sanity inevitably collide. This interactive panel brought together experienced operators and advisors to unpack what actually works when theory meets reality. Panelists shared hard-won insights, real stories, and practical frameworks on aligning sales and marketing, building scalable revenue engines, choosing the right metrics, and maintaining culture while growing fast. Panelists included: Noman Ahmad – Managing Partner, Mocha Designs Ron Erd – Advisor & Executive, Unlocking Growth Terri Denver – CEO, Firsthound Consulting Damien Brown – CEO, Ghostwood Consulting The discussion emphasized real-world execution over theory, encouraging active audience participation and honest dialogue around customer acquisition, brand positioning, sales ethos, and the operational realities of scaling a business. This event was proudly sponsored by Alchemist Accelerator and JETRO, and hosted by the Japan Innovation Campus, bringing together founders, operators, and global innovation leaders for an evening of practical insight and unfiltered conversation.

Find Out How Founders Survived Bootstrapping With Discipline, Not Hope When founders are self-funding, survival isn’t about passion. It’s about discipline, signal clarity, and cash management. Most startups don’t fail because the idea is wrong. They fail because they run out of oxygen before they find proof.Bootstrapping can last on average anywhere between 18 months to 3 years before a company may raise their first round of funding. AI may shorten this cycle, but that highly depends on the type of company. This live session brings together four serial founders who survived the bootstrapping phase before funding, before break-even — and built enough signal to justify the next move. In this session, we will cover: What’s hard the first time vs. successive companies How bootstrapping impacts every decision in business and the personal consequences  How balancing implementing consistent Ops early leads to smoother overall business outcomes  Grit and resilience - the importance of these for survival (business and personal) during this phase What business disciplines they implemented that accelerated the first investment or revenues from customers Ignoring “shiny object” pivots and maintaining clarity and focus on developing the MVP (Minimal Viable Product) What they would do differently, now with the advancements and availability of fast-paced AI technology Our panelists include: Serge Amouzou, CEO, Verza (https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-amouzou-65b76841/, https://www.tryverza.com/) Kethees Ketheesan, CEO, Puloli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketheesan/, https://paradigm.puloli.com/) Nicola Wall, CEO, Afortiori Bio (​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-wall-phd-42ab3814/, https://www.afortioribio.com/) Aisha Pandor, CEO, Pandora Health (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aisharpandor/, https://community.pandorahealth.com)

“We’re Not Big Enough to Get Hacked”: AI, Data Privacy and Why That Excuse Just Expired | Ops or Die Live The dark web is now the third largest economy on earth, ahead of most countries. It does not care how small your startup is. In this episode of Ops or Die Live (recorded May 20, 2026), ScaleSpark founder Maria Pienaar sits down with four people who work inside this problem every day: a former FBI counterintelligence operative, a tech attorney, an identity security founder, and a healthcare AI CTO. The conversation covers how attacks actually work and what founders can put in place before something goes wrong. PANELISTS Eric O’Neill: Former FBI counterintelligence and counterterrorism operative, bestselling author of Gray Day and Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime, and founder of Nexasure. Eric went undercover to expose Robert Hanssen, widely known as the most damaging spy in FBI history. You can find a link to sign up for Eric's newsletter here: https://spies-lies-cybercrime.ericoneill.net/ and a link to more information about Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime here: https://ericoneill.net/books/spies_and_lies/ Morvareed Salehpour: Business and technology attorney, nine years running her own practice for startups and SMBs, focused on software, AI, digital health, and commercial contracts. Previously represented the trustee in Madoff recovery. Abhishek Bansal: Founder of Atharva with 16 years in identity security. Atharva traces accountability for every action inside an enterprise, whether taken by a person, an agent, or a machine. Deniz Acay: CTO of Karibu.ai builder of three companies with one exit, bringing conversational AI into healthcare. WHAT WE COVER Why cybercriminals do not select targets by size, they select by vulnerability and value How AI has changed the speed and scale of phishing, credential theft, and social engineering The legal exposure founders sign up for without realizing it in enterprise contracts What identity sprawl looks like in practice: a departed intern’s email ID still active across 48 applications at an 11-person company Why AI agents inside your company are a security surface most founders have not mapped The basics that stop most attacks: 2FA, least-privilege access, password managers, and a real offboarding process Cyber insurance: what it covers, what it does not cover, and when enterprise customers start requiring it Why SOC 2 certification matters before you go after enterprise deals What happens when AI gets manipulated into running pen tests on companies that never authorized one Subscribe for more founder-focused conversations on operations, infrastructure, and growth from the Ops or Die community. #Cybersecurity #StartupSecurity #AIRisk #DataPrivacy #FounderLife #EnterpriseSecurity #CyberInsurance #IdentitySecurity #OpsOrDie #ScaleSpark #StartupFounder #CyberAttack #SmallBusinessSecurity #SOC2 #AIAgents