When Matt Howard co-founded EatStreet, online food ordering was still in its infancy—and restaurants were receiving orders via fax. Over the next decade, Matt led the company through explosive growth, a strategic acquisition, and a bold move to classify delivery drivers as employees—long before the rest of the gig economy caught on.

In this episode, Venture Best Partner Melissa Turczyn reconnects with Matt to reflect on the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial journey. From navigating COVID-era surges to battling the IRS in a make-or-break legal fight, Matt shares what it really takes to lead a startup through uncertainty. Now a fractional CFO to early-stage companies, he’s helping founders tackle the same operational and financial challenges he once faced himself.

What do you do after helping grow a startup to 2,000 employees? For Jeff Erickson, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Forecastr, the answer was simple: help other founders do it better.

When Dr. Tatiana Fofanova made the leap from clinical research to entrepreneurship, she brought with her a personal understanding of the challenges faced by medical professionals and patients alike. Driven by her desire to solve those pain points, she and her co-founders started Koda Health. Koda empowers individuals to clearly express their healthcare wishes in a digital format that is integrated into their plan of care.

Join Aaron Barker, Partner at Michael Best, and Dr. Fofanova, CEO of Koda Health, for an inspiring conversation about the journey behind Koda’s creation. You’ll learn what it takes to turn vision into impact, combat stereotypes, raise funding, and be successful in the competitive world of entrepreneurship.