The VentureFuel Visionaries

Hosted by VentureFuel

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301

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Visionaries are defined as having extraordinary foresight and imagination. Those who can see what isn't there. They can imagine the unimaginable and they have the grit to make it happen. Business Visionaries are the change-agents embracing new opportunities to drive outsized results. From the C-Suite to the up-and-coming disruptors, they are blazing new paths, discovering inventive solutions and powering the future. Join us each week as we speak with these Visionaries: the entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders driving transformative change across business and society.

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60 recent

June 10, 202623 min

Corporate Venture Creation with LG Nova's Head of AI Incubation Shilpa Prasad

What does it take to build startups with the speed of a founder and the scale of a global enterprise? Shilpa Prasad shares how LG Nova is rethinking venture creation by combining corporate resources with a venture studio model designed to launch AI-native businesses. The conversation explores how emerging AI opportunities are identified, why founder talent often matters more than the initial idea, and what separates ventures with billion-dollar potential from the rest. Shilpa also discusses the evolving relationship between startups and large corporations, how AI is changing the commercialization journey, and why access to strategic partnerships, capital, and industry networks can accelerate growth. Drawing on her experience leading AI incubation at LG Nova, she offers a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the world's largest technology companies is building the next generation of businesses. Whether you're a founder, investor, or corporate innovation leader, this episode provides valuable insights into the future of venture creation and AI-driven innovation.

June 4, 202629 min

The Future of Building Intelligence with QEA Tech Founder Peyvand Melati

Buildings are responsible for a significant share of global energy consumption, yet one of the biggest opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce emissions often goes unnoticed: the building envelope. In this episode, Peyvand Melati explores how AI, drones, and thermal imaging are helping property owners, infrastructure leaders, and municipalities uncover hidden energy waste, identify critical risks, and make smarter decisions about the built environment. Peyvand shares how building intelligence is transforming the way organizations inspect, maintain, and decarbonize their assets. The conversation examines how AI is turning infrastructure data into actionable insights, why preventative maintenance is replacing reactive approaches, and what it will take to build smarter, more connected cities. Whether you're responsible for sustainability, facilities, infrastructure, or innovation, this episode offers a practical look at how technology is reshaping the future of the built environment.

May 27, 202625 min

The End of the Funnel with ThredUp's Chief Product and Technology Officer Dan DeMeyere

Dan DeMeyere, Chief Product & Technology Officer at ThredUp, has spent more than a decade helping scale one of the world’s largest online resale marketplaces, growing from one of the company’s earliest engineers into the leader of product and technology strategy today. Dan operates at the intersection of AI, ecommerce, and marketplace logistics, with a focus on how emerging technologies are reshaping the customer experience. We asked him to unpack one of the biggest shifts happening in commerce right now: the collapse of the traditional ecommerce funnel. Dan explains why the future of shopping may no longer revolve around static websites and linear customer journeys, but instead around AI agents acting on behalf of every consumer. He shares how dynamically generated experiences and agentic commerce are changing the way brands think about personalization, merchandising, and conversion. The conversation explores why companies need to rethink what’s possible with AI, empower engineers to experiment with the latest tools, and evolve from designing interfaces to designing intelligent systems. Why are so many organizations still underestimating this shift, and what will feel obvious five years from now that companies still miss today? Whether you’re leading transformation inside a large enterprise or building the next generation of AI-native commerce experiences, this episode offers a forward-looking perspective on how AI will redefine the future of shopping.

May 20, 202619 min

Doubling down on CVC: Understanding Yamaha's integrated corporate growth strategy.

In this episode, Anish Patel, chief investment and operating officer at Yamaha Motor Ventures shares how Yamaha is rethinking corporate venture capital as a core driver of long-term growth and innovation. Rather than treating CVC as a standalone function, Yamaha is building a more integrated approach—connecting venture investing with strategic partnerships and internal business priorities. Recorded at the Global Corporate Venturing and Innovation (GCVI) Summit in March of this year, the conversation explores how Yamaha is evolving its model to move beyond traditional investing and toward deeper collaboration with startups. Anish discusses how this approach enables faster innovation cycles, stronger alignment with business units, and new opportunities across emerging technologies. He also shares insights on what it takes to build a successful corporate venture strategy, from balancing financial and strategic returns to creating meaningful partnerships that extend beyond capital.

May 13, 202622 min

Re-Release: Blueberry Boost Accelerator with Kasey Cronquist

A year ago, VentureFuel Founder & CEO Fred Schonenberg sat down with Kasey Cronquist, President of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the North American Blueberry Council, to discuss the launch of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator — a first-of-its-kind program created in partnership with VentureFuel to spark innovation across the blueberry industry. We’re re-releasing this conversation to celebrate the return of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator for Year 2 following a successful inaugural cohort. Applications are now open for startups developing innovative blueberry-based products and solutions, with the program continuing to provide founders access to mentorship, commercialization support, industry leaders, and potential investment opportunities. In this episode, Kasey shares why the blueberry industry saw an opportunity to think beyond traditional consumer marketing to unlock growth through startups, emerging technologies, and product innovation. From functional foods and better-for-you snacks to ingredient innovation and new consumer experiences, he explains how the industry is creating more occasions, formats, and ways for consumers to engage with blueberries. Entrepreneurs interested in learning more can join the virtual information session on Thursday, May 14. Visit www.blueberryboostaccelerator.com to learn more.

May 6, 202625 min

Where AI Meets the Physical World with Quest Global’s Head of HiTech Tinku Malayil Jose

Tinku Malayil Jose, Head of the Vertical Technology Office for HiTech at Quest Global, has more than 20 years of experience building complex products, from smart TVs and streaming platforms to automotive systems and IoT. Tinku operates at the intersection of silicon, software, and real-world application. We asked him to break down the shift from AI hype to reality, explaining why the future of AI isn’t just software, it’s embedded in physical products, devices, and systems. He shares what’s driving the rise of “AI appliances” and why purpose-built, domain-specific solutions are increasingly outperforming general-purpose approaches. The conversation explores what it truly takes to productize AI, from engineering challenges and organizational hurdles to the evolving role of the “engineer of the future.” Why do so many companies get stuck in pilots, what separates those that successfully scale AI, and how innovation changes when intelligence moves from the cloud to the edge. Whether you’re leading innovation inside a large enterprise or building the next generation of intelligent products, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at how AI is actually being deployed, and where the biggest opportunities lie as it moves into the physical world.

April 29, 202637 min

Unlocking Undervalued Markets with Halogen Ventures’ Founding Partner Jesse Draper

Jesse Draper is the Founding Partner of Halogen Ventures, a Los Angeles–based VC firm investing in early-stage consumer and B2B startups led by female and co-ed teams. A fourth-generation venture capitalist and the first solo female GP in LA, Jesse has backed more than 100 companies, 6 of which are now valued at over a billion (unicorns), while building a platform focused on uncovering overlooked opportunity. Drawing on her widely known perspective that “investing in women isn’t a f*#*king charity,” she explains how Jesse shares how backing female founders and investing in emerging ecosystems like Alabama, represent undervalued markets rich with untapped potential and why recognizing that gap is a competitive advantage. The conversation dives into how Jesse identifies signal in the noise when evaluating startups, what sets breakout founders apart, and why she sees opportunity in non-obvious places. She also breaks down her perspective on solo founders versus co-founding teams, the importance of solving real problems in differentiated ways, and how investors can better recognize value where others aren’t looking. Whether you're a corporate innovator, founder, or investor, this episode offers a fresh lens on how to uncover hidden opportunities and why the best investments are often the ones others overlook.

April 22, 202639 min

Selling Tickets to The Future with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures Founder and General Partner Charlie O’Donnell

Charlie O’Donnell is one of the most influential figures in New York’s startup ecosystem. With more than two decades of experience spanning Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital, and then creating the first venture capital fund based in Brooklyn, Charlie has backed well-over 100 early-stage startups. In this all-Brooklyn episode, Charlie brings his uniquely candid and deeply informed perspective on how venture capital actually works and insights from his new book Founder Unfriendly where he unpacks common misconceptions about VC and how both founders and investors can build more transparent, productive relationships. We dive into the evolving venture landscape, the realities behind investor feedback, and how startups and large corporations can better collaborate for mutual success. We talk about why fundraising isn’t winning and how to sell tickets to the future. If you want a clearer, more honest understanding of how venture capital decisions get made—and how to navigate them—this episode is a must-listen.

April 16, 202624 min

Engineering the Future of Care with Intuitive Senior Engineer Prabagar Sankar

Prabagar Sankar, Senior Engineer at Intuitive, a leader in robotic-assisted healthcare innovation, shares a front-line perspective on how healthcare innovation actually makes it from lab to patient. We explore the critical role of concurrent engineering and early stakeholder alignment in bridging the gap between technical breakthroughs and real-world, regulated deployment. With experience spanning wearable health technologies, medical device R&D, and clinical research across organizations like Sonova, Boston Scientific, and Drexel University, Prabagar dives into how clinician–engineer collaboration drives adoption, and why the future of healthcare lies at the intersection of sensors, data, AI, and robotics. He also unpacks the shift from reactive care to proactive and preventative medicine, powered by continuous monitoring and smarter systems. From wearable sensors to scalable medical devices, this conversation highlights what it takes to build technologies that are not only innovative—but safe, effective, and truly impactful for patients.

April 6, 202627 min

Commercializing Innovation at Scale – Comcast NBC Universal LIFT Labs Director Katie Teuber

Katie Teuber, Director of Startup Engagement at Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs, shares how to identify the right startup partners, pilot their innovative solutions, and most-importantly scale them across a large enterprise. From AI transformation to building true partnerships (not just vendor relationships), Katie shares how she bridges the gap between startup speed and enterprise complexity to commercialize innovation at scale. From mutual transformation, to top-down and bottom-up buy-in, to the value of patience and persistence, to why innovation fails in silence (the need for internal story telling) – Katie gives a roadmap for how to commercialize innovation at scale.

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