Trailblazers is your favorite tech + VC podcast, hosted by Erica Wenger, GP at Park Rangers Capital. Each week, Erica sits down with founders, operators, and investors who’ve found conventional success in unconventional ways.From billion-dollar exits to scrappy early pivots, Trailblazers brings you unfiltered stories of how the next generation of companies are really built. Guests share the hardest moments, the surprising wins, and the lessons that don’t make it onto LinkedIn.This podcast is ...
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Episode List

Rob Schutz: Founder of Snagged

Apr 7th, 2026 9:00 AM

This week, we chat with Rob Schutz!Rob is a serial entrepreneur, operator, and growth expert who’s spent his career building and scaling technology businesses that challenge outdated systems. He’s the founder of Snagged, where he helps entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies acquire premium domain names—and he’s also the co-founder of Ro, the digital health platform that’s transformed how millions of people access care and was last valued at $7 billion.Before Ro, Rob was employee number seven and later VP of Growth at Bark, where he helped take the company from zero to a $100 million run rate and ultimately to the public markets as NYSE:BARK. Earlier in his career, he worked in healthcare consulting, helping hospitals transition to digital EMRs, and even founded and sold a daily deals company called What’s the Deal—a move that set the stage for his long-term focus on marketing, growth, and scaling consumer tech.At Ro, Rob played a key role in building a vertically integrated digital clinic—combining telemedicine, pharmacy, and logistics—to make healthcare more accessible, stigma-free, and user-first. His work has helped redefine what modern healthcare can look like, especially in areas like men’s health, mental health, and chronic care.Rob is a Penn State graduate and currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two young kids, and his dog.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Rob Schutz: @robSnagged: @snagged@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Mayssa Chehata: Founder of Behave Candy

Mar 31st, 2026 9:15 AM

This week, we chat with Mayssa Chehata!Mayssa is the founder of BEHAVE Candy, the first low-sugar, clean-label candy designed not to spike blood sugar. Inspired by her love of sweets and her father’s diabetes, she set out to create a better alternative—partnering with chefs and food scientists to develop candy that delivers on taste while helping reduce sugar in the food system.In addition to building BEHAVE, Mayssa is also the host of the ROCK BOTTOM podcast, and is a writer and speaker.Before starting her company, she built her career across a range of well-known organizations, including the NFL, Uber, Daily Harvest, and SoulCycle.And outside of all that, she also moonlights as a DJ.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Mayssa Chehata: @mayssa_c@behavecandy@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Satya Patel: Co-Founding Parter of Homebrew and Screendoor

Mar 24th, 2026 9:00 AM

This week we chat with Satya Patel! Satya is the co-founding General Partner of Homebrew, a seed-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Through Homebrew, Satya has backed some of the most impactful startups of the past decade, including Chime, Cruise, Finix, Gusto, Habi, Honor, Plaid, and Shield AI.He’s also the co-founder of Screendoor, an investment platform designed to support emerging fund managers by pairing mentorship from experienced GPs with anchor capital from world-class institutional LPs.Before becoming a venture capitalist, Satya served as VP of Product at Twitter, where he built and led the Product Management and User Services teams during a pivotal period of the company’s growth. Prior to that, he held venture and product roles across the tech ecosystem, including serving as a Partner at Battery Ventures and as a product management leader at Google.Satya has been recognized on the Forbes Midas List Seed for his track record backing category-defining companies, particularly in fintech and AI. The U.S.-born son of Indian immigrants, he grew up in Las Vegas before building a career at the intersection of technology, product, and venture capital.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Satya Patel: @satyap@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

Kipp Bodnar: CMO at HubSpot

Mar 17th, 2026 9:00 AM

This week we chat with Kipp Bodnar!Kipp is the Chief Marketing Officer of HubSpot, the #1 CRM platform for scaling companies, where he leads the company’s global marketing strategy—driving awareness, demand, and growth across one of the most influential software brands in the world.Before stepping into the CMO role, Kipp served as Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot, overseeing worldwide demand generation, building out the EMEA and APAC marketing teams, and managing field marketing, localization, strategic partnerships, and social media. He’s helped shape how modern SaaS companies think about growth at scale.Beyond HubSpot, Kipp is a trusted advisor to leading SaaS companies like SimplyMeasured, InsightSquared, and Guidebook. He’s also the co-author of The B2B Social Media Book, a playbook for marketers looking to generate real results through digital channels.An industry-leading speaker, blogger, and marketing strategist, Kipp combines storytelling with data-driven execution—and has been at the forefront of how B2B marketing has evolved over the past decade.This is going to be a masterclass in modern marketing.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Kipp Bodnar: @kippbodnar@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!HubSpot AEO Grader: https://www.hubspot.com/aeo-graderMarketing Against The Grain Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MATGpod

Delian Asparouhov: Co-Founder of Varda

Mar 10th, 2026 9:00 AM

This week we chat with Delian Asparouhov!Delian is a Partner at Founders Fund and the President and Co-Founder of Varda Space Industries, one of the most ambitious companies redefining what’s possible in space and manufacturing. Varda is pioneering the orbital economy by producing pharmaceuticals and advanced materials in microgravity—unlocking breakthroughs that simply can’t be achieved on Earth.Before co-founding Varda, Delian earned a Thiel Fellowship while still an undergraduate, leaving MIT to move to Silicon Valley and build at the frontier of technology. Since then, he’s become a leading voice at the intersection of startups, deep tech, and national ambition.Beyond venture and space manufacturing, Delian is also the co-creator of the Hill & Valley Forum, which brings together leaders from Washington and Silicon Valley to strengthen collaboration around technology, defense, and national security.Born abroad and raised in Salt Lake City, Delian’s journey—from a young coder obsessed with space to backing and building category-defining companies—has been anything but conventional. Driven by intellectual curiosity and an appetite for hard problems, he’s helping shape the future of both industry and exploration.✨ This episode is presented by Brex.Brex: brex.com/trailblazerspodThis episode is supported by RocketReach, Gusto, OpenPhone & Athena.RocketReach: rocketreach.co/trailblazersGusto: gusto.com/trailblazersQuo: Quo.com/trailblazersAthena: athenago.me/Erica-WengerFollow Us!Delian's Twitter: @zebulgar@thetrailblazerspod: Instagram, YouTube, TikTokErica Wenger: @erica_wenger🐘 Learn more about Park Rangers Capital!

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