Marc Seitz is the founder of Papermark, an open-source alternative to DocSend that helps startups share documents more securely and affordably. With a background spanning physics, hackathons, and startup building—from co-founding HackerBay to launching Intel Ignite Europe—Marc brings deep insights into open source innovation, founder culture, and the evolving intersection of AI and software development.

In this episode, he discusses how open source is reshaping enterprise software, the “hackathon mentality” that drives rapid iteration, and why transparency and community are becoming core competitive advantages in tech. Marc also shares his perspective on building Papermark, navigating licensing, handling community pull requests, and how AI is transforming open source collaboration.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:01 Introduction and Guest Overview

00:28 From Physics to Software

01:41 Discovering the Physics-to-Software Path

03:06 The Appeal of Instant Feedback in Coding

04:36 Founding HackerBay

05:15 The Rise of Dropout Culture in Startups

06:14 Lessons from Early Experiments

07:25 The Hackathon Mentality

10:30 The Aha Moment for Papermark

11:39 Building an Open-Source Data Room

13:53 Why Founders Embrace Open Source

14:49 Open Source vs Proprietary Software

15:26 Selling to Enterprises and Data Sovereignty

17:14 Transparency and Trust Through Open Source

19:04 Who Uses Papermark

20:59 Licensing Models and AGPL Explained

22:27 Enforcing Open-Source Licenses

23:33 Legal and Ethical Issues in Open Source

24:50 Enterprise Adoption and Pricing

25:31 Papermark’s Growth and Free Tier

28:15 Competing with Incumbents

29:22 Community Contributions and AI Integration

30:45 AI and the Future of Open Source Collaboration

33:43 Control vs Convenience in Software

36:13 Surprising Community Pull Requests

38:22 Managing Product Bloat and Feature Creep

40:32 The Role of Maintainers and Contributors

42:04 Leveraging Community and Capital Efficiency

43:55 Building Publicly and Growing a Developer Community

46:01 AI, RAG, and Secure Document Search

47:15 Is Data Ever Truly Secure?

48:32 Transparency and Audit Logs in M&A

50:31 Evolution of Data Rooms and Compliance

51:02 Adding e-Signatures and Future Roadmap

51:49 The Future of Open Source Software

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Marc Seitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcseitz/

Follow Marc Seitz on X: https://x.com/mfts0

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Justinas Milašauskas is an Investment Manager at Willgrow, a Lithuania-based family office and diversified investment platform. With over 15 years of experience across trading, institutional sales, and portfolio management, Justinas brings deep insight into public and private markets — from credit and derivatives to venture and private equity. He’s also an active angel investor and a member of the Lithuanian Business Angel Network (LitBAN), combining his analytical background with a passion for backing emerging founders and fund managers.

With a journey that spans global finance hubs from Amsterdam to Paris and Vilnius, Justinas offers an insider’s look into how family offices evolve from traditional asset classes to cutting-edge venture investing. In this episode, he discusses the discipline behind manager selection, the lessons learned from early angel bets, and how Willgrow is navigating a shifting global investment landscape.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:02 Early life in Vilnius and family influence in finance

03:00 Starting career as a trader in Amsterdam

04:10 Transition from public markets to family office investing

05:30 Discovering venture capital and building early networks

06:25 Joining Willgrow and professionalizing the venture journey

07:45 Lessons from angel investing and early portfolio wins

09:45 Evolution of Willgrow from transport and real estate to investments

11:50 Growth into a diversified global investment platform

13:00 Five core investment areas at Willgrow

14:10 Why Willgrow focuses on funds over direct deals

16:30 Building a “bulletproof” fund portfolio strategy

18:10 Strategic asset allocation and balancing risk across classes

20:40 How Willgrow sets portfolio weights and long-term targets

22:40 Shifts in venture returns and performance assumptions

23:50 Managing liquidity and duration through secondaries

25:55 Currency exposure between U.S. and European investments

28:20 Sourcing fund managers and building LP networks

30:40 Partnering with fund-of-funds and global advisors

31:00 GP–strategy fit as a key selection criterion

32:30 Evaluating track records and past success indicators

33:00 Investing in first-time GPs and assessing credibility

34:20 Soft referencing and network-based validation

35:00 From concentrated bets to diversified fund portfolios

37:20 Navigating a more competitive venture landscape

38:20 Specialist vs. generalist fund approaches

40:40 How Willgrow evaluates sector focus and adaptability

44:30 Benchmarking and monitoring fund performance

46:50 Lessons learned after four years of venture investing

48:50 Ticket sizing, pacing, and realistic growth assumptions

49:30 Risks of first-time teams in emerging managers

51:00 Case study: when a first-time GP team collapses

52:00 Evaluating fund valuations and markup practices

53:00 Due diligence and data room best practices

54:20 What LPs look for in deal memos and documentation

54:37 End of main discussion

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Justinas Milašauskas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milasauskas/

Follow Justinas Milašauskas on X: https://x.com/justi_nas

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Jack Stockert, MD is the Managing Director at Health2047, the venture studio founded by the American Medical Association (AMA) to build, fund, and scale startups transforming healthcare from within. With a background that bridges medicine, consulting at McKinsey, and entrepreneurship, Jack brings a rare perspective on how to align medical insight with innovation and investment.

With years of experience helping founders tackle foundational healthcare challenges — from chronic disease and obesity to AI-driven diagnostics — Jack offers a deep look into how Health2047 is shaping the future of healthcare through system-level design and strategic venture building.

In this episode, he discusses his journey from practicing medicine to redefining it through entrepreneurship, how the AMA-backed studio chooses which problems to solve, and what the future of healthcare might look like by the year 2047.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:00 Early Medical Journey

03:18 Combining Medicine and Business

04:33 Lessons from McKinsey

05:35 Becoming a Founder

07:46 Moving to Silicon Valley

09:43 The Origin of Health2047

10:08 Why the AMA Created a Venture Studio

12:28 Identifying and Incubating Startups

13:16 The Four Strategic Pillars

14:36 Building Fewer, Deeper Companies

16:17 Problem Framing and Greenfield Innovation18:11 Portfolio Highlights: Moneta Health, HOPPR, Phenomix Sciences, ScholarRx

20:09 The AMA’s Role and Mission Alignment

22:50 Why the Year 2047

24:00 Blind Spots in Digital Health

26:19 Healthcare in 2047

29:39 Balancing Investor Returns and Clinician Impact

31:57 AI and Wisdom in Medicine

33:09 The Human Element in Healthcare

35:38 The Smartest “No” Health2047 Ever Made

38:58 Policy Fast Track: GLP-1 Therapies

42:00 The Systemic Shift

43:18 Closing Reflections

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Jack Stockert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackstockert/

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Joe Zanca is the Managing Partner of Deal Gen Partners, where he helps private equity funds, independent sponsors, and PE-backed operators source proprietary deals.

Previously, he built and exited On Demand Storage, launched a top-rated business podcast, and most recently joined Bullpen Technology Partners. With founder-operator chops, a banker’s Rolodex, and a nose for off-market opportunities, he offers insights into buy-side sourcing, valuation in lower-middle-market software and services, and the real terms that make (or break) a deal. In this episode, he discusses why founder empathy beats spreadsheets, how multi-channel outreach actually lands sellers, and the tradeoffs between clean cash at close, earn-outs, equity rolls, and seller financing.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:01 Introduction

00:41 Origin Story

04:12 Operator Lessons That Shape Sourcing

08:31 Why Start Deal Gen Partners

11:46 Launching the “Behind the Deal” Podcast

14:08 Defining the Podcast Focus

15:18 Content to Relationships (Credibility Flywheel)

20:07 Sourcing Toolkit & Channels

22:26 Fee Model (Retainer + Success)

25:26 Process & CRM Hygiene

27:38 Where They Hunt (LMM Software & Services)

29:56 Valuing Software Today

30:47 What Expands or Compresses Multiples

34:04 Three $10M ARR Exit Scenarios

39:42 How Much Equity Should Founders Roll?

40:12 Offer Structures: Cash, Earn-Outs, Notes

44:36 Negotiating Aggressive Earn-Outs

45:03 Blending Terms to “Meet in the Middle”

50:35 Other Critical Terms (WC, Escrows)

55:34 Working Capital Deep Dive

56:33 Bullpen Technology Partners Overview

59:03 Closing Takeaways

01:00:50 Final CTA & Where to Reach Joe

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Joe Zanca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-zanca-8b154559/

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Anthony Jules is the co-founder and CEO of Robust AI, a robotics company pioneering collaborative systems that blend human and machine intelligence. A 30-year tech veteran and MIT alum, Anthony previously co-founded Sapient Corporation, helped scale it from three to 4,000 employees, and later worked at Google advancing robotics and AI research. With deep expertise spanning software, AI, and organizational design, he offers rare insight into building technology that’s both intelligent and human-centered.

In this episode, he discusses his journey from Trinidad and Tobago to MIT, the evolution of robotics from rigid automation to adaptable collaboration, and how Robust AI is redefining productivity through human-robot teamwork. Anthony shares lessons on scaling companies, designing ethical AI systems, and why transparency and feedback loops are essential for both machines and organizations.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:00 Intro & Origin Story

01:27 Founding Sapient Corporation

03:00 Lessons in Leadership and Culture

05:43 Transition to Robotics

06:12 Google Acquisition and Lessons Learned

09:00 Inside Google’s Robotics Vision

11:45 Leaving Google to Start Over

13:55 Founding Robust AI with Rodney Brooks

15:50 Early Challenges and COVID Pivots

19:00 Human-Robot Collaboration

22:00 Cameras vs. LiDAR

24:44 Sensor Debate: Tesla vs. Waymo

26:59 The Robust AI Tech Stack

30:07 Collaborative Productivity

34:14 Real-World Deployments

37:18 Powering Robots with NVIDIA

39:22 Practical Robotics vs. Humanoids

42:40 Partnership with DHL Supply Chain

46:15 The Next Five Years of Robotics

49:33 Synthetic Data and Simulation

51:07 Scaling Phase and Phase Shifts

53:02 Reflections on Growth and Systems Thinking

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Anthony Jules on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjules

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Eric Ries is the author of The Lean Startup, founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), and host of The Eric Ries Show. With decades of experience shaping how founders build, scale, and sustain companies, Eric has influenced a generation of entrepreneurs to move faster, reduce waste, and think long-term. In this episode, he shares his journey from early startup failures to pioneering the Lean Startup movement, and how he’s now tackling short-termism in public markets through LTSE.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:01 – Welcome & Ignite’s 200th Episode with Eric Ries

01:28 – Eric’s origin story: growing up with computers in a family of doctors

03:23 – Early startup failures and hard lessons in Silicon Valley

07:10 – Countercultural ideas that sparked the Lean Startup method

10:43 – Learning from Steve Blank and building a startup theory

12:28 – Naming and launching the Lean Startup movement

14:06 – From The Lean Startup to The Startup Way: scaling ideas inside large companies

16:32 – Observations on short-termism across corporations

18:25 – Virgin America, Wall Street, and the spark for the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE)

21:38 – How LTSE works and its principles-based listing standards

24:55 – The hidden cost of quarterly reporting on markets

26:45 – Founder-led vs. traditional governance practices

27:36 – Costco’s governance “fortress” and lessons in long-termism

33:53 – Why mission-driven companies outperform short-term players

37:32 – Designing “mission-controlled” companies for the future

41:20 – The AI boom: bubble behavior vs. true disruption

46:41 – The coming societal impact of AI and institutional change

48:08 – Advising early-stage founders on purpose, trust, and governance

53:50 – Lessons from Novo Nordisk: mission structure driving $500B+ value

59:32 – Anthropic’s governance model and mission boards for AI

01:02:23 – Investing as an LP and building First Momentum Capital

01:05:32 – Audience Q&A: U.S. innovation, AI’s role in Lean Startup, and new paradoxes

01:11:32 – Looking ahead: Eric’s hopes and concerns for the next decade

01:12:37 – Closing thoughts & rapid-fire wrap-up

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Eric Ries on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/

Follow Eric Ries on X: https://x.com/ericries?lang=en

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Elizabeth Yin is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed venture capital firm that writes “hilariously early” checks and equips founders with tactical, no-BS startup advice. A former founder who built and sold LaunchBit, and the former accelerator manager at 500 Global where she wrote 200+ investment checks, Elizabeth brings hard-won lessons from both sides of the table.

With her deep experience as a founder, investor, and ecosystem builder, she offers insights into early-stage fundraising, go-to-market execution, portfolio construction, valuation discipline, and how to truly support founders before product-market fit.

In this episode, she discusses her unconventional entry into startups, how early mistakes shaped her investing philosophy, why Hustle Fund doubles down on “hilariously early” bets, and how she’s using process, automation, and community to scale venture.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:52 Early inspiration: Tony Hsieh and the dot-com boom

03:30 Surviving the dot-com crash and landing at Google

05:28 First startup struggles, pivots, and hard lessons

07:42 Building LaunchBit with presales and scrappy tests

10:12 The “Wizard of Oz” approach to validating features

11:32 How partnerships led to LaunchBit’s acquisition

12:47 The power of documentation and short handoffs

14:32 Exploring new industries and discovering angel investing

16:51 Running 500 Global’s accelerator and writing 200+ checks

17:45 Founding Hustle Fund to back founders “hilariously early”

19:34 Choosing a fund model over an accelerator model

21:42 Raising Fund I: challenges, lessons, and differentiation

26:32 Investor-market fit and building a unique brand

28:49 Why Hustle Fund focuses on valuation sensitivity

33:06 Portfolio strategy: 250 startups per fund

35:54 Why high-volume investing works at pre-seed

37:29 Evaluating founders, ideas, and the “why now” factor

41:23 Building community through Camp Hustle and events

44:29 Angel Squad: democratizing angel investing

47:51 Scaling portfolio management with automation and no-code

49:32 The role of AI in venture decision-making

52:13 Defensibility in AI startups and founder-market fit

53:53 Closing thoughts and reflections

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Elizabeth Yin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethyin/

Follow Elizabeth Yin on X: https://x.com/dunkhippo33?lang=en

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25

Collin Groves is a venture capitalist and Managing Partner at BDev Ventures, a fund backed by software powerhouse BairesDev. With experience launching five corporate venture capital arms during his time at Ernst & Young Parthenon and leading 50+ B2B SaaS investments across the Americas, he blends data-driven rigor with hands-on customer acquisition strategies. In this episode, Collin shares how BDev Ventures de-risks startups by delivering real customers before investing, why founder–market fit and team leverage matter most, and how Latin American startups can break into U.S. markets.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:

00:01 Collin Groves’ Oklahoma roots and early career

03:07 Breaking into venture through corporate VC at EY

06:57 What BairesDev is and how it powers BDev Ventures

08:50 Why BairesDev launched a venture arm

10:13 Blending corporate VC, family office, and traditional VC models

11:53 Evergreen fund structure and GP/LP setup

12:48 Incentives, carry, and the evolution of CVC compensation

16:27 Liquidity timing: DPI vs. TVPI in venture capital

19:19 Exiting too early vs. holding for fund-returners

21:27 Scar tissue and lessons from corporate VC

22:44 Importance of speed in diligence and value articulation

24:27 Lead investor vs. co-investor strategies

25:54 Evaluating churn, NRR, and GRR in early-stage SaaS

26:31 Four key areas of diligence: value add, market, financials, and team

28:58 The 90-day pilot model for testing startups

30:56 Metrics that signal conviction during pilots

32:56 Check sizes, co-investing approach, and capital efficiency

34:44 Red flags, trust, and founder/investor alignment

38:18 Latin America vs. US market dynamics and valuations

41:21 AI-native go-to-market tools and enterprise readiness

43:39 The limits of corporate VC-as-a-service

46:31 Counterintuitive diligence metrics: why spam rate matters

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ga6v0YUsHotLhjap67uu5

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ignite-conversations-on-startups-venture-capital-tech/id1709248824

Follow Collin Groves on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collingroves

Follow Team Ignite on X: https://x.com/teamignitevc

Follow Brian on X: https://x.com/brianrbell

Follow Brian on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bblinkedin/

Visit Our Website: https://www.teamignite.ventures

Subscribe to Our Newsletter: https://insights.teamignite.ventures/

👂🎧 Watch, listen, and follow on your favorite platform: https://tr.ee/S2ayrbx_fL

🙏 Join the conversation on your favorite social network: https://linktr.ee/theignitepodcast

🔥 Club Ignite is booking fast — our next gathering of top founders, investors, and operators will be our biggest yet. Apply now before spots fill: https://teamignite.decilehub.com/e/club-ignite-25