Invisible Ink
Tired of startup fluff? Invisible Ink cuts through the hype, bringing you power-packed conversations with investors and founders who've built the companies you admire. Forget theory and buzzwords. This podcast is your all-access pass to the real strategies, the tough decisions, and the often unseen struggles that shape successful startups. Each episode zooms in on the specifics of what it takes to get funded, demystifying the process and giving you actionable insights you can apply today. Join us as we unpack the gritty details the hype machine misses, revealing the truth about what investors look for, the mistakes to avoid, and the actionable steps you can take to make your startup unstoppable. Invisible Ink is more than just a podcast – it's your personal mentor in the world of funding. Tune in, level up, and turn your startup dream into a funded reality. Subscribe now! Find show notes and more at https://achiiv.co/category/podcast/
Episodes
June 22, 2025 • 63 mins
In this episode of Invisible Ink, Eileen Tanghal, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Black Opal Ventures, joins Shubha Chakravarthy for a deep dive into how founders can better understand venture capital beyond just fundraising and what truly drives VC decision-making.
Eileen reveals what founders often miss: that VCs are entrepreneurs too, managing their own businesses with investor expectations and partnership dynamics. She outlin...
Eileen reveals what founders often miss: that VCs are entrepreneurs too, managing their own businesses with investor expectations and partnership dynamics. She outlin...
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June 8, 2025 • 59 mins
In this episode, Hanna Wu, co-founder and CEO of Amplify, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to share her journey building a customer-centric, digital life insurance platform focused on wealth accumulation.
Tune in to listen to the inspiring journey that took Hanna from running her own financial planning firm to founding the company that has been dubbed a future unicorn by TRAC. Check out Hanna's insights on:
Tune in to listen to the inspiring journey that took Hanna from running her own financial planning firm to founding the company that has been dubbed a future unicorn by TRAC. Check out Hanna's insights on:
- What it takes to disrupt a le...
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May 25, 2025 • 58 mins
In this episode, Ingrid Bonde Åkerlind joins Shubha Chakravarthy to unravel the complexities of pricing for early-stage startups, especially in the world of SaaS and “XaaS” business models.
Tune in to hear Ingrid's reflections on her unexpected journey into pricing, starting from scratch in a C2C marketplace to making investment decisions with a venture capital firm. Ingrid shares powerful insights about price inertia, customer psyc...
Tune in to hear Ingrid's reflections on her unexpected journey into pricing, starting from scratch in a C2C marketplace to making investment decisions with a venture capital firm. Ingrid shares powerful insights about price inertia, customer psyc...
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May 11, 2025 • 67 mins
In this episode, Elise Strobach, co-founder and CEO of AeroShield, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to share her journey from lab discovery to clean tech startup founder. Drawing on her experience as a mechanical engineering PhD at MIT, Elise discusses how a breakthrough in transparent silica aerogels evolved into a venture-backed company tackling one of the world’s biggest energy inefficiencies—heat loss through windows.
Tune in to listen...
Tune in to listen...
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April 27, 2025 • 62 mins
In this episode, Maja Voje, go-to-market strategist, author, and growth expert, joins Shubha Chakravarthy to unpack the real essence of go-to-market (GTM) strategy—far beyond the buzzword.
Drawing from her extensive experience advising startups and corporates alike, Maja reveals her tested GTM framework, rooted in experimentation, structured thinking, and real market insights. She breaks down the six mission-critical elements of GTM...
Drawing from her extensive experience advising startups and corporates alike, Maja reveals her tested GTM framework, rooted in experimentation, structured thinking, and real market insights. She breaks down the six mission-critical elements of GTM...
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April 13, 2025 • 61 mins
What if the way we think about building a business is fundamentally flawed? In this epsiode, Heidi Neck, a leading voice in entrepreneurship education, shares actionable insights from her extensive research and experience, emphasizing that "organizations are not entrepreneurial, people are".
Whether you're navigating a high-growth startup or seeking to instill innovation within an established company, you'll gain practical tools. Le...
Whether you're navigating a high-growth startup or seeking to instill innovation within an established company, you'll gain practical tools. Le...
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March 30, 2025 • 51 mins
In this captivating episode, we sit down with Maria L. Maccecchini, a force of nature in the world of biotech, to explore her inspiring journey from a Ph.D. scientist to a successful entrepreneur. Maria shares her passion for developing innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and the realities of navigating the complex terrain of funding, clinical trials, and FDA approvals.
Check ...
Check ...
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March 16, 2025 • 59 mins
In this episode of Invisible Ink, we talk with deep tech expert Dr. Tanya Ramond, an expert in taking deep tech startups to market. check out Tanya's insightful and actionable insights on:
- Why commercializing deep tech is challenging
- The one mindset shift technical founders must make to succeed
- How to leverage the biggest element of your technical education to drive your startup's success
- A simple approach to mastering new skills
- H...
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March 2, 2025 • 53 mins
In this episode, Patricia Liu, an MIT-educated computer scientist turned angel investor and Stanford lecturer, shares her diverse career journey—from consulting at Accenture to working in Michelin-starred kitchens and now teaching pitch decks to startup founders.
Patricia shared her takes on the common threads across her careers, the core elements that stay constat regatdless of what endeavor you're engaged in. Check out her though...
Patricia shared her takes on the common threads across her careers, the core elements that stay constat regatdless of what endeavor you're engaged in. Check out her though...
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February 16, 2025 • 66 mins
In this episode of Invisible Ink, Eva Doss, president and CEO of The LaunchPlace, discusses her work in venture development, managing a portfolio of 27 startups, and supporting early-stage companies through every part of their startup journey.
Listen to Eva's experiences as she shares her journey in building The LaunchPlace, including her insights on:
Listen to Eva's experiences as she shares her journey in building The LaunchPlace, including her insights on:
- Why your cap table is the linchpin in your fundraising story
- How to stay on top ...
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February 2, 2025 • 52 mins
In this episode, Liz Sigety, chair of Fox Rothschild's Emerging Companies and Venture Capital practice, shares her expertise in working with startups, her role as a co-founder of the Delaware Crossing Investor Group, and her extensive experience as an angel investor.
Tune in to hear Liz's thoughts on funding mechanisms for early-stage companies, how to pick the right funding vehicle, the differences between SAFEs and convertible not...
Tune in to hear Liz's thoughts on funding mechanisms for early-stage companies, how to pick the right funding vehicle, the differences between SAFEs and convertible not...
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January 19, 2025 • 43 mins
In this conversation, Vicki Knott, CEO of Crux OCM, shares her entrepreneurial journey from oil and gas to starting her own company. Vicki describes her background and how she met her co-founder, Roger Shirt, and how they developed the idea for Crux OCM.
Tune in to listen to her facscinating journey as she shares her thoughts on:
Tune in to listen to her facscinating journey as she shares her thoughts on:
- The power of cross-pollinating ideas - origin story of an innovative startup
- The difference between w...
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January 5, 2025 • 59 mins
Join us for a fascinating conversation with Kameale C. Terry, Co-founder and CEO of ChargerHelp! In this conversation, Kameale shares her entrepreneurial journey in the electric vehicle (EV) charging sector, detailing her transition from supporting EV drivers to founding her own company focused on enhancing charging reliability. Tune in to find out:
- How to transform life circumstances into entrepreneurial opportunity
- The single b...
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December 8, 2024 • 43 mins
In this episode, Tasneem Dohadwala, a venture capitalist in early-stage medical device investment, shares her insights on navigating the venture capital landscape and the unique challenges within the medical devices space.
Check out this information-packed conversation to learn more about:
Check out this information-packed conversation to learn more about:
- The categories of med-tech ventures, and how they differ
- Why large markets have outsize importance in med-tech relative to other verticals
- What ...
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November 24, 2024 • 60 mins
In this episode, Brianna McDonald, an experienced early-stage investor, shares key insights from her two-decade journey in the startup world, emphasizing the significance of a well-crafted capitalization strategy for founders. Brianna discusses the importance of not falling in love with the product alone, instead focusing on the executive team's execution and the market potential.
She highlights the misconceptions around fundraising...
She highlights the misconceptions around fundraising...
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November 10, 2024 • 62 mins
Named one of Inc. Magazines Top 100 Female Founders of 2020, Colette Courtion is a distinguished and award-winning consumer marketer, inventor (24 issued patents), and business leader steeped in brand building, marketing, strategic planning, and finance with leading consumer product, retail, and medical device companies.
She is the founder of Joylux, the leading menopausal intimate health company with Halle Berry, the acclaimed actr...
She is the founder of Joylux, the leading menopausal intimate health company with Halle Berry, the acclaimed actr...
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October 27, 2024 • 81 mins
Welcome to the Best of Season 6! In this special episode, we've put together the very best clips from all of our incredible guests for your listening pleasure. Check out the time stamps below to find your favorite clips or do yourself a favor and listen to the whole roll!
00:00:00 - Welcome & Introduction
00:00:09 - Gender Bias in Negotiation Techniques | Angela Lee
00:00:32 - Handling Perceptions of Aggressiveness | Angela Lee
00:...
00:00:00 - Welcome & Introduction
00:00:09 - Gender Bias in Negotiation Techniques | Angela Lee
00:00:32 - Handling Perceptions of Aggressiveness | Angela Lee
00:...
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October 13, 2024 • 72 mins
In this episode, Madhu Singh, a seasoned legal expert, shares her insights on the importance of preparing for an exit when building a startup. Tune in to find out why founders need to prioritize legal structure, the ins and outs of devising a smart equity compensation structure, how to ace due diligence to avoid common pitfalls, and much more.
Highlights include:
Highlights include:
- Why entity structure matters, and what to do if you didn't form a ...
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September 29, 2024 • 55 mins
Our guest for today is Lynda Weinman. Lynda is a pioneering entrepreneur, educator, and co-founder of lynda.com, a trailblazing online learning platform. Lynda launched her namesake platform in 1995 with her husband, Bruce.
Her leadership and vision led lynda.com to tremendous growth for years before raising its first venture capital funding in 2013. In 2015, she sold the platform to LinkedIn for $1.5 billion for cash and stock, mar...
Her leadership and vision led lynda.com to tremendous growth for years before raising its first venture capital funding in 2013. In 2015, she sold the platform to LinkedIn for $1.5 billion for cash and stock, mar...
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September 15, 2024 • 72 mins
In this episode, Marcia Dawood, angel investor, Chair Emerita of the Angel Capital Association, and author of the recent bestselling book, "Do Good While Doing Well", discusses her journey into the world of angel investing and the critical lessons she’s learned along the way.
Tune in to listen to her accessible and friendly perspectives on:
Tune in to listen to her accessible and friendly perspectives on:
- How to tell if your business is scalable
- How to develop a credible market size estimate th...
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