Funded, Now What?!

Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Funded, Now What?! is the only podcast where startup founders who've recently raised millions of dollars get live, no-fluff growth and marketing advice from 20-year startup marketing expert Andrew Lee Miller (@andrewstartups). Each episode delivers a front-row seat to real founders navigating real post-raise challenges, and Andrew drops tactical strategies they (and you) can use to grow faster, smarter, and leaner. If you’re a startup founder figuring out how to grow your company, this is your free weekly session with a fractional CMO who’s scaled dozens of VC-backed startups to 8–9 figures. Want to hire Andrew to help your startup? Meet with him here: https://calendly.com/growthexpertz/letschat Follow Andrew on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups

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August 21, 202656 min

Episode 58: How AI Is Turning Construction Waste Into Renewable Energy

What if construction waste wasn't waste at all? In Episode 58 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Todd Thomas, Founder & CEO of Woodchuck, to discuss how AI is helping transform construction and manufacturing waste into valuable materials, renewable energy, and measurable sustainability. Woodchuck combines AI-powered computer vision, smart dumpsters, proprietary data, and real-world waste operations to separate materials before they reach the landfill. The company has worked with major organizations including Amazon and Ford, with one Ford project saving $1.6 million while diverting 10,000 tons of wood. The conversation explores how Woodchuck was built around a real corporate problem, why the company chose to develop its own AI infrastructure, and how its combination of software, hardware, operations, and proprietary data creates a powerful competitive moat. Andrew also breaks down the marketing strategy behind turning Woodchuck's customer results into PR, thought leadership, LinkedIn visibility, SEO, GEO, and enterprise demand. What You'll Learn • How AI can transform construction waste diversion • Why Woodchuck uses smart dumpsters and computer vision • How waste can become a source of renewable energy • How Woodchuck helped save Ford $1.6M on a major project • Why starting with a customer problem can be better than starting with a technology • How to build a proprietary AI and data moat • Why hardware and operations can become competitive advantages • How to scale a startup without sacrificing execution • Why sustainability can become a revenue and marketing strategy • How founders can use LinkedIn, PR, conferences, SEO, and GEO to build authority Featured Guest Todd Thomas Founder & CEO, Woodchuck 🌐 Woodchuck.ai 🔗 Todd Thomas on LinkedIn About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital and the marketing strategies they need to turn funding into growth. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: GrowthExpertz ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: GrowthExpertz YouTube Connect With Andrew: Andrew Lee Miller on LinkedIn Read The Startup Growth Book: The Startup Growth Book Want to work with us? justin@growthexpertz.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 11, 202640 min

Meet The Mom Founders of Flora Fertility and Raised $5M

What if you could financially prepare for fertility treatment before you actually needed it? In Episode 57 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Laura McDonald and Dr. Christy Lane, Co-Founders of Flora Fertility, to discuss how they're building a new category in fertility insurance. After raising $5M, Flora is tackling the massive gap between the rising cost of fertility treatment and the limited insurance coverage available to most people. The conversation explores how Flora is building a D2C and B2B2C business, creating a consumer-friendly insurance brand, raising capital, and using PR and thought leadership to establish credibility in a new category. Andrew also shares his latest growth playbook covering GEO, PR, LinkedIn outreach, email prospecting, and AI-driven customer acquisition. What You'll Learn • Why fertility treatment has become a major financial burden for young adults • How Flora is creating a new approach to affordable fertility insurance • Why Flora is building both D2C and B2B2C growth channels • Lessons from raising $5M and creating a new insurance category • How bold branding can help a startup stand out in a traditional industry • Why PR and thought leadership are critical for category creation • How founders can reach HR decision-makers through LinkedIn and email outreach • Why GEO and AI search are becoming critical channels for startup growth Featured Guests Laura McDonald & Dr. Christy Lane Co-Founders, Flora Fertility 🌐 https://www.heyflora.com/ 🔗 Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurajaynemcdonald 🔗 Christy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christyclane About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: https://www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Read The Startup Growth Book: https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K Want to work with us? justin@growthexpertz.com 00:00 Introduction to Flora Fertility and Its Mission 02:57 Understanding the Fertility Crisis 06:09 Cultural Shifts in Family Planning 09:01 The Unique B2B2C Business Model 12:00 Marketing Strategies for a New Insurance Product 17:13 Navigating the D2C Landscape 21:29 The Importance of PR in Business Growth 25:05 Leveraging Expertise for Effective Marketing 29:12 Understanding the B2B Sales Approach 34:55 Strategies for Effective Outreach and Engagement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 3, 202643 min

Episode 56: Is this $6m startup the future of Marketing?

What if every marketing agency could hire an AI-powered digital workforce? What You'll Learn: In Episode 56 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Jason Hu, Founder & CEO of Nexad, to discuss how AI-native workflows are changing the future of marketing. Instead of replacing agencies, Nexad helps marketing teams automate repetitive execution while allowing humans to focus on strategy, creativity, and client relationships. Jason also explains why Nexad built its own internal marketing agency to improve its product through real-world experience. The conversation explores startup fundraising, AI adoption, marketing automation, founder-led growth, conferences, GEO, SEO, PR, and Andrew's latest startup marketing playbook. • Why AI should augment marketers instead of replacing them • How Nexad built an internal marketing agency to accelerate product development • Why human insight remains the biggest competitive advantage in marketing • Startup lessons for building products around customer workflows • How founders can dominate emerging categories using PR, GEO, and thought leadership • Why conferences, LinkedIn, and AI search remain powerful growth channels Featured Guest Jason Hu Founder & CEO, Nexad 🌐 https://nex.ad/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/qitian-hu/ About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 24, 202657 min

Episode 55: How Aurimas Sabulis Is Reinventing Construction Through Prefabrication

What if construction projects could be completed faster, cost less, and deliver better buildings? In Episode 55 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Aurimas Sabulis, Founder & CEO of Dextall, to discuss how prefabrication, AI, and advanced manufacturing are transforming one of the world's oldest industries. The conversation explores how Dextall is helping developers reduce costs, shorten construction timelines, and rethink traditional building methods. Andrew also shares his latest playbook on founder-led LinkedIn, AI search (GEO), PR, and identifying the buying signals that shorten enterprise sales cycles. Why prefabrication is reshaping modern construction How developers can reduce costs and accelerate project delivery Why timing is one of the biggest factors in enterprise sales How founder-led LinkedIn builds long-term demand Why GEO and AI search are becoming critical growth channels How PR and thought leadership create lasting competitive advantages Featured Guest Aurimas Sabulis Founder & CEO, Dextall 🌐 https://www.dextall.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurimas-sabulis About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show analyzes how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital while providing founders with practical marketing and growth strategies they can implement immediately. What You'll LearnFeatured GuestAbout the Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 17, 202648 min

Episode 54: How Beth Flippo Raised $18M to Build the Future of Drone Delivery

What if your next online order arrived by drone in just a few minutes? In Episode 54 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Beth Flippo, Founder & CEO of Dexa, to discuss how the company is transforming last-mile delivery through autonomous drone technology. After raising $18M, securing FAA approvals, and partnering with major retailers, Beth shares what it takes to build a deep-tech startup in one of the world's most regulated industries. The conversation also explores fundraising, enterprise sales, startup leadership, PR, GEO, and Andrew's latest marketing playbook for founders. How Dexa is making drone delivery commercially viable Lessons from raising $18M for a deep-tech startup What founders should know about selling to enterprise customers How FAA regulations shape innovation in drone technology Why podcasts, PR, LinkedIn, and GEO are critical for startup growth How founders can build authority in the age of AI search Featured Guest: Beth FlippoFounder & CEO, Dexa 🌐 https://flydexa.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-flippo-102b9822/ About the Show: Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller (@AndrewStartups), the show analyzes how the world's fastest-growing startups raise millions and provides the tactical marketing playbook to help them spend it wisely. 📅 Book a Growth Audit:https://www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Read The Startup Growth Book:https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K Want to work with us?justin@growthexpertz.com What You'll LearnFeatured GuestAbout the Show 00:00 Introduction to Dexa and Beth Flippo 02:09 Beth's Journey from NYC to Ohio 06:09 The Importance of Early Clients and Fundraising 09:00 Navigating the Challenges of Fundraising 14:31 Marketing Strategies for a Tech Startup 21:24 Customer Reception and Pilot Programs 34:41 Regulatory Challenges and Future Goals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 6, 202653 min

Episode 53: How Marko Hozjan Raised $1M to Reinvent Home Building with AI

What if building a house felt more like using Google Maps than navigating a maze? In Episode 53 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Marko Hozjan, Founder & CEO of LynxCraft, to discuss how AI is transforming one of the world's oldest industries. After raising $1M, Marko shares how LynxCraft helps homeowners understand what they can build, estimate costs, choose the right professionals, and avoid expensive construction mistakes using an AI copilot. The conversation also explores startup fundraising, AI adoption, construction technology, serial entrepreneurship, and Andrew's latest playbook for GEO, SEO, and AI-driven customer acquisition. What You'll Learn Why most construction projects go over budget How AI can eliminate costly first-time home-building mistakes LynxCraft's business model and customer journey Lessons from building multiple startups Why founders should invest in GEO and AI search today How podcasts, SEO, and PR build long-term startup growth Featured Guest Marko HozjanFounder & CEO, LynxCraft 🌐 https://lynx-craft.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/marko-hozjan/ About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital.00:00 Introduction to Lynxcraft and Its Mission 02:43 The Pain Points of Home Building 05:58 The Role of AI in Home Building 08:46 Target Audience and Customer Insights 11:55 The Project Management Revolution 14:52 Fundraising Journey and Challenges 17:54 Marketing Strategies and Growth Hacks 23:56 The Urgency of AI Marketing 29:54 Effective PR Strategies for Startups 32:03 The Role of AI in Outreach and Marketing 39:26 Entrepreneurship: A Battle of Resilience 45:51 The Influence of Upbringing on Entrepreneurial Success Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 19, 202657 min

Episode 52: How Jirka Bachel Raised $2.5M to Measure Engineering ROI in the AI Era

What if engineering teams had the same level of performance visibility as sales teams? In Episode 52 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Jirka Bachel, Founder & CEO of Navigara, to discuss how engineering leaders can finally measure AI ROI, developer productivity, and engineering performance using code-level analytics. After raising $2.5M and growing Navigara to $1M ARR, Jirka shares how the company is helping organizations understand whether their AI investments are actually delivering results. The conversation also explores category creation, engineering leadership, startup fundraising, and Andrew's latest playbook for GEO and AI-driven customer acquisition. What You'll Learn: ● Why engineering has historically lacked measurable KPIs ● How Navigara measures AI ROI through code analysis ● The creation of Engineering Throughput Value (ETV) ● Lessons from raising $2.5M and building a new software category ● Why AI search and GEO are becoming critical growth channels ● How founders can build authority in emerging markets Featured Guest Jirka Bachel Founder & CEO, Navigara 🌐 https://www.navigara.com 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jirka-bachel About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital. 00:00 Introduction to Navigara and AI Investments 01:52 The Journey of Fundraising and Company Origins 04:39 Understanding the Need for Performance Metrics in Engineering 07:47 The Concept of ETV as a North Star Metric 10:42 Target Customers and Market Dynamics 13:35 Employee Engagement and Performance Recognition 16:24 Top-Down Approach in B2B Sales 19:23 Inbound Marketing Strategies and Content Creation 26:43 Building Links and SEO Strategies 27:51 Content Creation for AI and ROI Tracking 29:56 The Role of AI in Business Decision-Making 31:46 The Importance of Being Found in AI Searches 33:34 Pricing Strategies and Customer Engagement 35:46 Targeting Small vs. Large Companies 37:58 The Future of AI in Sales and Marketing 40:19 Innovative Approaches to Lead Generation 42:11 Networking and Building Relationships in Tech 48:04 Outbound Strategies for Generating Meetings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 12, 202648 min

Episode 51: How Taylor Peake and Occupi Are Transforming Rent Payments Across America

Is rent collection still stuck in the past? In Episode 51 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Taylor Peake, founder and CEO of Occupi, to discuss how her company is modernizing rent payments for property managers and residents nationwide. After raising $3.2 million in funding, Taylor shares lessons on fundraising, product-market fit, scaling lean teams, and building technology for an underserved market. What You'll Learn: ● Product-Market Fit: How Occupi discovered a major gap in the rental housing market and built a solution customers love. ● Fundraising Lessons: Taylor's experience raising $3.2M as a female founder and finding the right investors. ● Rent Payments Reimagined: Why giving residents more payment options improves both customer experience and operational efficiency. ● Marketing for Startups: Andrew's playbook for balancing conferences, outbound outreach, SEO, GEO, and AI-powered marketing. ● Scaling Lean: How Occupi achieved strong growth with a small team and a relentless focus on solving customer problems. Featured Guest: Taylor Peake Taylor is the founder and CEO of Occupi, a rent payment platform helping property managers simplify collections while giving residents more flexibility in how they pay. Occupi serves operators across multifamily housing, manufactured housing communities, single-family rentals, and housing authorities nationwide. 🔗 Connect with Taylor: linkedin.com/in/taylorpeake 🌐 Website: paywithoccupi.com About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by fractional CMO Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale growth after raising capital. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Want to work with us? Email: justin@growthexpertz.com Read "The Startup Growth Book": https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K 00:00 Introduction to Occupi and Its Mission 04:00 Understanding the Technology Behind Occupi 07:05 The Fundraising Journey of a Female Founder 10:11 Navigating Growth Post-Funding 12:53 Marketing Strategies for Occupi 15:51 Optimizing Conference Attendance for Marketing 24:27 Conclusion and Future Directions 25:11 Maximizing Event ROI for Startups 26:35 The Power of SEO and GEO in Marketing 28:24 Shifting Focus: From Blogs to Newsletters 31:04 Understanding Listicles and Their Impact 33:53 Building a Comprehensive Marketing Playbook 38:40 Customer Lifetime Value and Marketing Strategies 43:49 Navigating Compliance in FinTech Marketing 46:52 POD OUTRO.mp4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 1, 202646 min

Episode 50: Revolutionizing the Modern Contact Center with Ardie Sameti of Scala.ai

Is your call center a "cost center" or a "value center"? In this milestone 50th episode of Funded, Now What?!, host Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Ardie Sameti, CEO of Scala.ai. Fresh off an 8.5 million dollar seed round, Ardie explains how Scala.ai is moving past "bolt-on" AI to create a unified intelligence engine that understands business DNA. What You'll Learn: Data as the Moat: Why the secret to AI success isn't the model-it's how you package your data. Agent Intelligence: How to deploy templatized, industry-specific AI agents that actually solve problems instead of creating loops. The ROI of CX: Turning high-burnout environments into revenue-driving growth engines. Tactical Marketing: Andrew breaks down the "Seed Stage Stack"-how to use niche PR, SEO/GEO, and high-scale outreach to dominate a tiny space before the incumbents catch up. Featured Guest: Ardie is the founder and CEO of Scala.ai, a customer intelligence platform reinventing the modern contact center. A father of three and a seasoned operator with deep domain expertise in regulated industries like healthcare, Ardie brings a "love letter to CX operators" through technology that drives real outcomes, not just hype. 🔗 Connect with Ardie: linkedin.com/in/ardiesameti 🌐 Website: scala.ai About The Show: Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by fractional CMO Andrew Lee Miller (@growthexpertz), the show analyzes how the world's fastest-growing startups raise millions and provides the tactical marketing playbook to help them spend it wisely. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Want to work with us? Email: justin@growthexpertz.com Read "The Startup Growth Book": https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K Buy Andrew’s Newest Book About AI Marketing :https://a.co/d/0ehCZAIj #CX #CustomerExperience #AI #ScalaAI #CallCenter #Startups #Funding #B2BSaaS #EnterpriseSales #AndrewLeeMiller #GrowthExpertz #MarTech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 24, 202643 min

Episode 49 : The Website Personalization Revolution with Ankur Goyal of Fibr AI

What if your website could read the room every single time? In this episode of Funded, Now What?!, host Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Ankur Goyal, founder and CEO of Fibr AI (fibr.ai). After a decade in CPG and performance marketing, Ankur identified the last untouched frontier of digital marketing, the static website and built an AI-powered personalization layer that's already delivering 15–32% conversion uplifts for some of the biggest names in banking and telecom. Oh, and they just closed a $7.5 million seed round. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The Personalization Gap: Why every part of the marketing stack Google Ads, Meta, email, even billboards evolved except the website, and why that's a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight. The "DOM Hijack" That Doesn't Break SEO: How Fibr AI sits as a visualization layer above your HTML, serving personalized experiences to humans while Google crawlers see the exact same page they always have. The High-LTV ICP Discovery: Why Ankur pivoted away from Shopify and D2C brands toward banks, credit unions, telecom, and healthcare and the unit economics that make it a no-brainer. Cracking Enterprise Sales: The real timeline, the real bottlenecks (hint: it's not the budget, it's the fear of breaking something public-facing), and how a two-month pilot with a single JavaScript snippet lowers the barrier to entry. The Future Is Agent-to-Agent: How Fibr AI is quietly building the infrastructure for a web where AI agents communicate directly, no typing, no clicking, just machine-to-machine personalization at scale. Featured Guest: Ankur Goyal Ankur is a serial entrepreneur, former CPG founder, and the CEO of Fibr AI. With a background rooted in performance marketing rather than engineering, he brings a rare operator's lens to a deeply technical product making him one of the most compelling voices in the AI-native MarTech space. Connect with Ankur: linkedin.com/in/ankurgoyal22 Website: fibr.ai Instagram: @fibr_ai_ LinkedIn: Fibr AI X/Twitter: @fibr_ai YouTube: @fibr_ai About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by fractional CMO Andrew Lee Miller (@growthexpertz), the show analyzes how the world's fastest-growing startups raise millions and provides the tactical marketing playbook to help them spend it wisely. Book a Growth Audit: www.growthexpertz.com Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@growthexpertz #MarTech #WebPersonalization #AI #Startups #AndrewLeeMiller #GrowthExpertz #Funding #ConversionRateOptimization #SeedRound #B2BMarketing #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #FibrAI #CRO #PerformanceMarketing 00:00 Introduction to Fiber AI and Its Unique Offering 04:06 The Evolution of Web Experiences 07:06 SEO Implications of Dynamic Web Pages 10:01 Target Customers and Market Positioning 12:51 Onboarding and Integration Process 15:47 Demonstrating ROI and Conversion Rates 18:34 Challenges in B2B Sales Cycles 19:06 Building an AI Startup vs. MarTech 21:49 The Importance of PR and Inbound Marketing 25:35 Sales Cycle Optimization and Case Studies 27:01 Outreach Strategies for AI Products 31:03 The Future of AI and Agent Communication 35:31 Targeting Digital Innovators in Traditional Industries 39:14 Balancing Marketing Spend and Growth Strategies 41:17 POD OUTRO.mp4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices