Join us in our digital den and immerse yourself in the inspiration born from exploring the hidden narratives and inevitable plot twists that shape every compelling startup journey.
The Bearhug Experience Podcast
(#13) David Connors: The Swarm, Go-To-Network is the new Go-To-Market, Carving Signal from the Noise, Growth, Evolution, Power of Warm Introductions & Relationship-Driven Sales in the Age of AI.
David Connors is the Co-Founder & CEO of The Swarm. The Swarm is the first “Go-To-Network” platform giving companies and investors the keys to their networks and the relationship data they need to accelerate sales, recruiting, and fundraising. David is a 3x startup founder, including an exit to Sequoia Capital who acquired his outbound recruiting automation startup Automately. After the acquisition, David joined the Sequoia team as their Director of Recruiting Operations, where he went on to build custom tools for Sequoia's recruiters, investors, and founders. After a 2 year earn-out period, David went on to Co-Found The Swarm, with backing by the founders of Superhuman, Thumbtack, Lookout, Bearhug Recruiting, and many more successful operators, in addition to prominent VCs like 500 Global, Contrary Capital, and Sequoia Capital.
(#12) Maria Khokhlova: TraceAir, Construction Acceleration, Laser Physics to Moving Dirt on Construction Sites, Resilience, Flexibility, Merging Cultures, Joy Projects & The Power of Deep Empathy.
Maria Khokhlova is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at TraceAir, a sitework intelligence platform for Land Developers and Homebuilders. TraceAir is the #1 provider of construction site analysis and management solutions for sitework. TraceAir’s cutting-edge technology helps builders save time and money by improving efficiency, and introduces radical transparency into the process while reducing the risk of errors or delays. Before devoting her work to TraceAir, Maria did a Ph.D. in laser physics, while also running a custom development software studio. She’s now on a mission that goes far beyond empowering land development and construction teams; it’s about positively impacting society at large by providing developers with tools and data to build better infrastructure and communities faster.
(#6) Samantha Burns: 3D Imaging in Land Development & Residential Construction, Challenging the Status Quo, Battling Imposter Syndrome, Scrappiness & The Superpower of Translation.
Samantha Burns, a distinguished marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry, and the Head of Marketing at TraceAir. TraceAir is a leading Construction Technology platform that specializes in providing rapid and precise 3D data to home builders and land developers, aiming to revolutionize residential construction workflows and processes. Samantha’s current focus is on driving growth, educating the market, and enhancing engagement for TraceAir's core audience. In addition to shaping the narrative of construction marketing and empowering others to thrive in this ever-evolving landscape, she is dedicated to establishing the company as the foremost technology operating system for home builders, empowering them to operate with more speed, accuracy, and efficiency.