87:60 by Virtuoso

Rebellion Group
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Aug 25, 2025 • 59min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Niko Zurita, Co-Founder, Vamos + VP, People & Culture, Inbox Health

Niko Zurita, co-founder of Vamos and VP of People & Culture at Inbox Health, shares his insights on creating intentional workplace cultures and the chaotic world of group travel. He discusses how Vamos simplifies planning for remote teams through collaboration and data-driven tools. Niko delves into hiring trade-offs, the challenges of pricing in travel tech, and the importance of amplifying a CEO's vision. He also highlights the future role of AI in travel planning and the key to making group trips efficient and enjoyable.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 57min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Alycia & Jennifer, Executive Director & Assistant Director, UConn CCEI

Jennifer Mathieu, Executive Director of UConn's CCEI, and Alycia Chrosniak, Assistant Director, dive into Connecticut's startup ecosystem. They share how CCEI shapes entrepreneurial talent by evolving programs and fostering collaborations. The duo discusses the rising quality of applicants, the influences of AI on startup pitches, and the importance of connecting founders with state resources. They emphasize the need for scalable ventures, detailed pitches, and the alumni network's role in community building. Join them as they celebrate innovative ideas leading to real-world impact!
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Aug 13, 2025 • 52min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Kim Conti, Founder, Orbit Crates

Kim Conti, the founder of Orbit Crates, is on a mission to transform playtime with her innovative toy rental subscription service, aimed at reducing overconsumption. She shares insights from her journey as a former tech executive who pivoted to tackle both environmental waste and family budgets. Kim discusses her acquisition strategies, early success metrics, and partnerships aimed at promoting intentional play. Discover how she's envisioning a sustainable future for toys and the importance of community engagement in her ambitious growth plans.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 44min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Christina Phillips, Founder, Puure

Puure is a mission-driven intimate apparel brand putting women’s health first. Founder Christina Phillips was inspired by her personal health journey to design organic, non-toxic lingerie that’s as safe and sustainable as it is beautiful. In this episode, Christina talks about the gaps in the intimate apparel market, how Puure blends wellness with fashion, and why conscious consumer choices can transform an industry.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 54min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Nathan Catapano, Founder, Restore

Restore is a SaaS platform built for restaurants to track and resolve guest issues in real time, whether it’s handling concerns in person, offering rewards through the app, or using insights to improve service. Founder Nathan Catapano is focused on giving restaurant owners a credible, engaging tool that strengthens customer relationships and boosts operational performance. In this episode, Nathan shares how Restore helps hospitality teams respond faster, learn from feedback, and turn guest experiences into lasting loyalty, and why earning credibility with early adopters is key to scaling in the restaurant industry.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 53min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Massyl Mallem, Co-Founder, PatentPlus AI

PatentPlus AI is automating one of the most time-consuming parts of innovation: patent search. Co-founder Massyl Mallem is pioneering a system that delivers premium-quality search reports in less than 24 hours, giving inventors and startups faster paths to protection and commercialization. We take a closer look at how AI can transform IP research, the impact on global innovation, and what’s next for their market-ready autonomous search platform.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 40min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Christian Heiden, Founder, Levo International

Levo International is transforming food security with affordable, accessible hydroponic technology. Founder Christian Heiden started the company as a teenager and has since scaled it into a community-driven enterprise producing fresh, local food with 90% less water and faster growth than traditional farming. We talk about Levo’s journey from small pilot farms to statewide expansion and how their model empowers neighborhoods to grow, and own, their food supply.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 59min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Andrea Shields, Co-Founder, Varda5

Andrea Shields is a physician-entrepreneur and maternal health advocate, co-founding Varda5 to tackle a critical gap in emergency response education: maternal cardiac arrest. Their Obstetric Life Support (OBLS) training is a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based program preparing healthcare teams to save lives in critical moments. In this episode, Andrea discusses the urgent need for OBLS, the challenges of scaling life-saving training, and how innovation in healthcare education can reach underserved communities.
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Aug 7, 2025 • 1h 4min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Wally Namane, Co-Founder, WheelPrice

Wally Namane, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of WheelPrice, discusses his passion for cars and how it sparked the creation of an innovative marketplace for automotive enthusiasts. He highlights the challenges of counterfeit wheels and emphasizes the need for authenticity. Namane also talks about using AI for fitment tools and enhancing user transactions through cashless methods. With a growing community of car lovers, he explains the importance of strategic branding and storytelling in scaling the business while ensuring customer trust.
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Aug 6, 2025 • 54min

Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition: Emily Wicks and Dr. Sandy Chafouleas, Co-Founders, Feel Your Best Self

Kicking off our Shaping CT's Future Pitch Competition series is a duo transforming how we teach kids to handle big feelings, with science, puppets, and a whole lot of heart.Meet Emily Wicks and Dr. Sandy Chafouleas, Co-Founders of Feel Your Best Self.Emily brings a decade of leadership in puppetry arts and education. Sandy is a nationally recognized psychologist and Distinguished Professor known for turning research into real-world impact.Feel Your Best Self is an award-winning, research-backed toolkit that makes emotional wellness fun and accessible, and it’s already being adopted in schools, libraries, and even by the Irish Department of Education.

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