What if entrepreneurship were not only about starting companies, but about shaping how a generation thinks about impact, ownership, and responsibility?

In this episode of Startup Builders and Backers, I’m joined by Danielle Vogel, Assistant Director of the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship at American University, where she works at the intersection of sustainability, entrepreneurship, and education. Danielle brings a rare perspective to the conversation, shaped by experience as a founder, an investor, and an educator supporting the next wave of builders long before they pitch a deck or incorporate a company.

Before stepping into academia, Danielle founded and operated Glen's Garden Market, a climate-motivated grocery store in Washington, DC, that became a launchpad for local food entrepreneurs. Through that venture, she helped support more than 90 local businesses, with a strong emphasis on women founders and founders of color. That lived experience informs how she now thinks about access, capital, and what it really takes to build something sustainable, both financially and socially.

We talk about her journey from founder to investor, including her direct investments, support for founders through the AccelerateHERdc grant program, and involvement with SoGal Ventures. Danielle shares how her approach to investing is shaped by values as much as returns, and why early belief, mentorship, and community can matter just as much as capital in the earliest stages of a startup’s life.

The conversation also dives into her work at the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship, where she supports students across undergraduate and graduate programs, including sustainable entrepreneurship courses, incubators, competitions, and speaker series. We explore how young people are redefining what it means to be entrepreneurial today, and why the mindset itself is becoming just as important as founding a company.

This episode is not only about startups, funding, or accelerators. It is about expanding the definition of entrepreneurship, lowering the barriers to entry, and helping first-time builders take that initial step with clarity and confidence. As more young founders look for purpose alongside opportunity, how should we rethink what entrepreneurship really means, and who it is actually for?

Useful Links

• The Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship's LinkedIn:
• Follow Danielle Vogel on LinkedIn:
• Follow the Kogod School of Business on LinkedIn
• Kogod School of Business entrepreneurship website

Thanks to our sponsors, Alcor, for supporting the show.

What does it really take to rewrite your own story, and then challenge an entire industry at the same time?

In this episode of Startup Builders & Backers, I’m joined by Steven Woods, Founder of Stirlingshire Investments, for a conversation that goes far beyond balance sheets and buzzwords. Steve’s journey is anything but predictable. From leaving high school early to advising on Wall Street, earning credentials from Harvard and Oxford, and ultimately building a firm that questions how modern asset management should actually work, his path challenges many of the assumptions we still take for granted in finance.

We talked about why the traditional broker-dealer model feels increasingly out of step with today’s founders, operators, and investors. Steve shared how transparency, ethics, and genuinely personalized service can coexist with modern technology, and why large firms often struggle to deliver any of those at scale. Rather than chasing complexity, he argues that clarity and alignment are becoming the real differentiators in wealth management, especially for builders who want their capital to work in ways that reflect their values as well as their goals.

What I appreciated most was how practical this conversation became. Whether you are a seasoned investor, a startup founder thinking about long-term financial strategy, or simply finance-curious, Steve offers grounded advice shaped by lived experience rather than theory. We also touched on life outside the boardroom, from growing up in Kansas City to the contrast between Manhattan and Missouri, along with football, fishing, and why good barbecue still matters when building relationships.

If you are building something new or backing others who are, this episode offers a candid look at how personal reinvention and industry change often go hand in hand. As capital, technology, and trust continue to shift, what kind of financial partners will founders and investors really need in the next decade, and are we brave enough to move away from models that no longer serve us?

Useful Links

• Connect with Steven Woods
• Learn more about Stirlingshire Investments,

Thanks to our sponsors, Alcor, for supporting the show.

What makes a startup founder stay inspired after years of building, scaling, and sometimes starting over? In this episode of The Startup Builders and Backers Podcast, Emanuel Pirker shares a founder’s journey that every entrepreneur can learn from. Recorded live at IGEL’s Now & Next event in Frankfurt, Emanuel opens up about the path from launching Stratodesk to becoming Field CTO at IGEL, where his vision continues to influence the future of secure digital workspaces.

Emanuel reflects on how he built Stratodesk into a global player in Linux-based endpoint technology and the lessons learned along the way about scaling, product focus, and resilience. His advice for founders is refreshingly practical: stay obsessed with solving real problems, move fast when you fail, and never build technology for its own sake. We also talk about how IGEL’s acquisition of Stratodesk became a story of alignment rather than loss, showing how founders can successfully transition into leadership roles within larger organizations without losing their entrepreneurial drive.

We also dive into how his leadership philosophy has evolved. Emanuel explains how letting go of control after the acquisition gave him the freedom to focus on what matters most: innovation and people. He describes how creativity thrives when leaders balance listening with action, and how this mindset now shapes his work bridging customer insights with product development at IGEL. It’s a story that reminds any founder that scaling isn’t just about growth—it’s about adapting how you lead.

From AI-powered voice tools improving human connection to IGEL’s preventative security model, Emanuel illustrates how technology can both simplify and humanize work. His enthusiasm for building purposeful, people-first innovation remains undiminished after decades in tech. For startup founders, his journey is a reminder that reinvention never ends—it just takes new forms.

If you’re a founder looking for real-world startup lessons about scaling, acquisition, and staying inspired through change, this episode is for you. What do you think helps a founder thrive after their company is acquired? Share your thoughts and join the conversation.

Useful Links

• Connect with Emanuel Pirker on LinkedIn
  • Learn more about IGEL
  • Follow on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube

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