Scouting for Growth

Tom Kereszti: 2024 C-Suite and Beyond

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Tom Kereszti, a seasoned leader with a wealth of experience in starting and scaling companies. Tom has been instrumental in numerous M&A activities, helping startups structure their operations for successful exits.
He has also navigated the unique challenges of starting a company independently, as well as within large organizations. His insights will be invaluable for YOU, whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or corporate leader.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Any individual should be able to answer these 3 questions: Who are you? What are you passionate about? What are you good at? If you have clarity on those, you can live your calling instead of having a job or a career. I’m a servant leader and I’m passionate about making companies and people better and I’m pretty good at leading and mentoring.
A series of doors open and close through your life. Any time one does you should look at it with discernment and prayer and ask: Is this an opportunity that makes sense? Is it something I should pursue, if I do, what happens in 3-4 years?
Leadership is not having a title or a corner office, leadership is your ability to influence others about what you’re representing, that perhaps you have a better idea and other people follow you. The 4 keys that help you influence other people and help them buy in to you are: Who are you? Have a great vision. Have a strategic growth plan. Who’s in your inner circle – you become who your friends are, so surround yourself with people that are uplifting, there to support you, and you should always support them, it’s not a one way street.
When you’re in a workforce you have to have relationships. We’re human beings not human doings, but a lot of us get caught up in the human doing stuff and relationships take a back seat. I made the mistake of separating work and weekend life with different sets of friends, as I went along I realised that you have to have relationships at work where you care for them and their families. It creates empathy. 
BEST MOMENTS
‘When talking about work life balance, balance is a point in time where nothing moves. When you achieve perfect balance you become stagnant. I’m not sure that’s healthy.’‘Success means different things to different folks… and if you know what that is then you can start working towards it.’‘If I have clarity on who you are and what you stand for, I won’t necessarily follow you, but there’s a change I will because I buy in to you.’‘A team of 10 is manageable. I always find a banker and a lawyer.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Tom Kereszti is a seasoned industry influencer, author, coach, speaker, educator, and mentor with extensive international experience. Tom's expertise spans various sectors, including Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), where he has been involved in numerous activities, buying companies on behalf of larger organizations. He has also started companies on his own, providing him with a unique perspective on the differences and challenges of starting a company independently versus within a larger organization.
Discover Tom's Leadership Principles here
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Ari Katz: Shaping BEA Ventures

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Ari Katz, Managing Partner at BEA Ventures and Co-Founder of bolt, now known as bolttech, which metamorphosed into the powerhouse bolttech.
On this episode, they discuss strategic vision and market positioning, startup acceleration and value creation, data and technology, future outlook and collaborations, and much more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The unique angles we provide include identifying the companies we want to look at and validating the market acceptance of their ideas/solutions. We have hundreds of customers/prospects/partners that we can tap into to see if it’s of interest to them and help take it to the next step.  
Areas we’ve seen with a lot of action or potential include data creation and insights, and how we can embed them into our offerings. Another is personal cyber. We are very big in device protection and distribution across 35 countries around the globe. There are similarities between device and cyber protection, and awareness of cyber is growing. 
There are cases where people don’t want to buy data because they’ve been offered data so many times, they paid for it, but didn’t see any returns for 1000s of reasons. There may be cases where you can offer it as a profit share rather than a service, or change what you offer, even though the product remains the same. 
Insurance is a data business and has been gathering/analysing/learning from data forever. A successful company is one that leverages its data and does proper underwriting, pricing, etc. What we are seeing are all kinds of data companies of all sizes that are not necessarily adapting to new changes and capabilities. We bring all data capabilities into one place, enabling carriers on our platform to leverage the ones they need or want.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Typically, young companies need more fundraising (Seed A) and more handholding to improve. This is where our thought of creating an external VC came into play.’‘It’s rare to see a company that hits the right product market fit from the start.’‘We want to help companies to avoid making the same mistakes we did when we were starting out.’In Asia, insurance is part of larger ecosystems, whereas in Europe and the US, it is not. Big brands have distribution and sell insurance as part of it. I think this will be an area of growth in 2024 in Europe and the US.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ari Katz is a seasoned entrepreneur with 30 years of experience founding and managing software companies with several successful exits. His track record includes over 20 years of creating pioneering insurance solutions that have revolutionized the insurance landscape, designed to meet consumer demands whilst offering a competitive advantage and sustainable commercial growth.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Franklin Manchester: Essential Strategies to Protect Your Data in 2024

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Franklin Manchester, Global Insurance Strategic Advisor at SAS, who empowers and inspires insurers in 75 countries, including 90% of the Fortune 500 insurers, to make data-driven decisions.
On this episode, they discuss insurance trends for 2024, the role of technology, particularly generative AI, in shaping the future of the insurance industry, and how to navigate the talent gap.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I see the enormous potential for SAS and other technology providers, curators of AI, to remake, reimagine, reinvent the insurance industry. Insurance exists because a loss happens and indemnification is that promise. I believe there is a different promise: Prevention, pivoting from indemnification to a value proposition where we can help you before the loss occurs, and that will change the world.
Even though I work at a technology corporation, I’m an insurance underwriter. When you’re going through your knowledge building phase to become an underwriter, you realise that the art of what we do is more important than the science. That starts with curiosity, asking the question and imagining the possibilities. You can’t be an underwriter if you’re not curious about the things that matter most.
I get to have a lot of conversations with people in the global insurance industry about things that are going on. For example, what telematics can do to prevent incidents of distracted driving. The assumption is that teenage and inexperienced drivers are most likely to get distracted while driving, but the vast majority of those of us who need help with distracted drivers are not teenagers. One company experienced a 10% reduction in distracted driving when they recommended silencing your phone while driving for ‘x’ reasons. That’s a result, and an enriching discovery.
BEST MOMENTS
‘I got my start in insurance because I was in a car accident… I found the process incredibly interesting’‘I believe in the promise that the industry provides; we come at the moment when people need us the most.’‘The journey is more important than the destination.’‘I feel like I’m an explorer and every day is a new discovery.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Franklin Manchester is a dynamic and passionate leader in the insurance industry, currently serving as the Global Insurance Strategic Advisor at SAS. Known as an "Insurance Super Nerd," Franklin leads the Market Strategy and Engagement for Insurance within the Global Financial Services Industry Marketing team at SAS.
Franklin holds a BS in Finance and Banking, Risk and Insurance, and a BA in French. His journey in the insurance industry spans nearly two decades, including a significant tenure at Nationwide.
Franklin is not just an insurance expert but also a thought leader, regularly sharing insights on industry trends and early-career tips. He has been a guest speaker at various industry events, including the Gamma Iota Sigma Rho's Fall Speaker Series.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

George Morris: Scaling Up Ventures

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to George Morris, a lifelong entrepreneur and business coach who has not only weathered the storms of the entrepreneurial journey but has emerged as a guiding light for others on their path to success.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
My biggest mistake was abdicating responsibility when I should have delegated responsibility. Towards the later stage of one of my companies I was going through a divorce. I thought that everything was good & didn’t see myself as integral in the company anymore, so I turned everything over to my business development lead & the team while I checked out to deal with my personal problems. About 18 months later I didn’t know what decisions had been made & what direction the company had gone. I couldn’t blame them, I was accountable. I should have taken the time to delegate and clarify all the things that needed to be done and check in on people.
If I come across an owner or CEO that’s frustrated or overwhelmed, I have them create 3 columns: Love, Loathe, Indifferent. I get them to write down everything about their business into these columns and get them to focus on the ‘indifferent column to figure out how committed they are to do these things to help the organisation and get them to get help for the things they aren’t committed to so they get done.
Startups tend to want to look for unicorns, the person who is an expert in a particular skillset, hiring for talent rather than fit – the ability to trust or even have conflict with each other. All these talented individuals butt heads, don’t see eye-to-eye, aren’t committed to the same outcomes. For me it’s a bout the team, getting the right people in the right seats and getting things right. This is the first things companies should do.
I am equally as excited about AI as I am terrified of it. It’s going to impact every single job in the next few years. To what degree, I don’t really know, but if we can get to a point of AGI (artificial general intelligence) that will be game-changing because it will be very human-like. It’s tool that we need to incorporate, bring into our skillset and adapt to it but right now we can’t quite see where it’s going to go, in terms of strategy & how it’s going to impact our companies. But, it would be remiss of us to ignore it. 
BEST MOMENTS‘I go into companies and give them a framework to work with that they adapt & make their own & we build it from there so that they have a system that they can run on.’‘Richard Branson is very good at figuring out what he’s great at, delegating everything else & letting people do what they can go do, he doesn’t seem like a micro-managing leader.’‘Make sure you’re developing the rich culture in your team & getting the right ethos in your culture.’‘I use AI to help teams accelerate different elements within their companies.’
ABOUT THE GUESTGeorge Morris is a lifelong entrepreneur and business coach, known for his unwavering commitment to helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential. As a single father of two, he embodies dedication and perseverance in both his personal and professional life. 
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Kamran Hedjri: Revolutionizing Commoditized Payment Processing

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Kamran Hedjri, CEO, Chairman, Advisory board member, Entrepreneur in FinTech and Payments at PXP Financial.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I started my journey in payments in 1994, I never wanted to be in this industry, it was just something that happened. I was working in IT and programming, was in a couple of startups at the start of ecommerce. There was a lot of new and cool technology being developed and it was the best 5-6 years of my career for learning.
AI is being used to automate processes and get a better, smoother, & more intelligent way of dealing with finance activities including customer service, onboarding, KYC & all those processes to get to a point where you can assess a customer.
It took us a few years to get a unified way of approaching and understanding different sectors. There are differences between the verticals and the approached that we need to apply & we should not try to unify too much, you need to have the specifics for each sector & add your special nuances for all of those sectors in the language those sectors understand.
Don’t be afraid of failing. Fail a lot and early and try to learn from them quickly & work harder. 
BEST MOMENTS‘One of the good things about open banking & finance is that the APIs are getting more & more slim-lined.’‘Intelligence should be in front of you making things more intuitive & less complicated & burdensome.’‘The journey’s always ongoing, you’re always learning, building new technology & adapting it.’‘It’s our job to simplify complexity in a way that can be used in an easy & cost-efficient way.’
ABOUT THE GUESTCEO, Chairman, Advisory board member, Entrepreneur in FinTech and Payments. Kamran Hedjri has 20+ years of experience in holding C-level roles in the fintech & payments industry. He has built companies across the payment value chain in Europe, North and South America, and is currently on the board of PXP Financial Group and C2D Payment Solution. He has always been focused on driving innovation, accelerating growth, and building a great customer experience.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Monica Eaton: Resilient Strategies & Ethical Leadership

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Monica Eaton, who embodies resilience and strategic foresight.
This conversation covers: origin stories and multifaceted skills, tackling ecommerce pitfalls, business strategies and ethical practices, and predicting the future and human capital.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Part of being an entrepreneur is deciding who you want to be and who you want to affect, and it becomes a journey of constant trial and error, but the dots never connect in the way you anticipate. My vision with Chargebacks911 was to be the next eBay, and I failed my way to success in international business.
I became an expert at chargebacks, not because I loved it, but because it was unavoidable. I started getting calls from the merchant providers that we did business with, even the ones that closed down my account because I had too many chargebacks. They asked me for advice on the challenges they were facing. So, I set up a website to consult.
I believe in exposing people from all walks of life to technology, whether they like it or not. I had no interest in computer programming at school. But one of the high schools I attended didn’t offer any arts subjects, so I was forced to take 2 computer programming courses. I found I had an aptitude for it, and I fell in love with it.
Any problem you’re solving in business is a combination of reorganising what currently is, creating an environment that encourages looking outside the box, and figuring out the formula for success.
BEST MOMENTS‘It was either lose my business or figure out what the source of the problem was and solve it.’‘It feels good to be on the other side and rant at someone about the problems you’re having, but it feels even better to actually help someone.’‘Solving problems is a form of art, it’s creative.’‘With technology, the impossible is possible; it just takes a little bit longer.’
ABOUT THE GUESTMonica Eaton, a successful entrepreneur since her teenage years, exited her first business before turning 20. This marked the beginning of a multifaceted career, and she is now a key leader in transformative business initiatives. In 2011, she founded Chargebacks911 to address a market gap, and it has since evolved into a high-impact solution for online merchants. Today, Chargebacks911 is an industry frontrunner, known for delivering accountable outcomes. Monica also launched Fi911, providing tech-centric solutions for chargebacks and merchant lifecycle management, aligning with her vision for a seamless and scalable payments industry.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Terence Bennett: Cracking The Cybersecurity Code

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Terence Bennett, CEO of DreamFactory Software, who brings with him a decade's worth of insights into cybersecurity, adversarial simulations, and API advancements. He's a veteran, both in serving his country and in protecting digital domains.
Today, we're delving deep into Terence's illustrious career, the current cyber threat landscape, and the role of emerging technologies in shaping our digital future.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
If you spend enough time with computers I think you just figure out there’s a whole other world in this application of computing and technology.
I spent a lot of time in hacking forums online in the early 2000s, through that I got into early web development and learning the different ways to use the internet in ways it wasn’t intended.
10 years later I came back around to cybersecurity as a professional.
BEST MOMENTS‘RedTeaming is about simulating an adversary as they go about the process of trying to get into a network, computer, or facility.’‘As cybersecurity, as a field, has matured you’ll find very specific signatures to different kinds of attackers in the way the actually go about doing that.’‘The challenges are, first and foremost, having enough people with the right skills to actually build APIs. Public facing APIs account for 14% of the total number of APIs that teams are buildings, and in some cases they account for 50-75% of a company’s revenue.’‘Ransomware attacks are the 800lb gorilla in the room when it comes to threats… as we see organisations accelerating through digitisation/monetisation strategies, they’re connecting more and more data and systems that used to be offline and you can’t avoid that.’
ABOUT THE GUESTTerence Bennett is the CEO of DreamFactory Software, a leader in API code automation based in Northern California. He has over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, REST APIs, operations, and leadership. Previously, Bennett was the COO of Integrate.io and a member of Google's offensive security "RedTeam". 
At Google, he helped craft realistic cybersecurity exercises to test the company's defences. He has deep expertise in cybersecurity, penetration testing, and adversarial simulation. Bennett served in the U.S. Navy for over 8 years as a Naval Intelligence Officer and Surface Warfare Officer. 
He was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and worked at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master's degree from the U.S. Naval War College. 
Bennett is passionate about giving back through public service. He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross - Northern California Coastal Region and on the Board of Advisors for Shields & Stripes, which assists veterans with PTSD. As a leader in API automation, Bennett frequently speaks on how code automation is changing software development. He aims to simplify complex integration challenges and help companies go to market faster.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Roi Agababa: Novidea, The Platform For The Insurance Distributor

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Roi Agababa, CEO of Novidea. From brokers and agents to MGAs and corporate risk management operations. Novidea is setting new standards in how insurance professionals leverage technology for growth, efficiency, and compliance.
On this episode, the pair digs deep into the workings of Novidea's platform to look at how it navigates the maze of challenges that insurance professionals encounter daily, what role it plays in enhancing the distribution journey and the customer experience, and how it adapts to various levels of digital readiness while ensuring data security and compliance.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I started my path in technology in software development, primarily focused on data and metadata analysis. When we started Novidea, we looked for an industry that is flooded with data and has data technology requirements and gaps. This is how we came up with the idea to focus on insurance and the insurance distribution market specifically.
We have one platform that can serve multiple geographies, compliance, and regulations, offering insurance companies that operate globally a consistent technology stack rather than a fragmented one.
Novidea is a platform that covers everything in one technology stack. What we offer our customers to increase operational efficiency is automation and business process management across all 3 pillars, all in one streamlined process.
Novidea has implemented layers and protocols to segregate data across multiple legal entities that use the platform. We have all the governance and controls in place to safeguard that information.
BEST MOMENTS‘We have a data driven approach: Everything in our platform allows us to measure and improve, we offer our customers the ability, in real time, to get a hold of and understand the data and transforming that into knowledge.’‘Our platform is futureproof; it’s updated and upgraded continuously.’‘No longer do you have to go to a data warehouse to get an understanding of what’s happening and the trends, you’re getting access to information in real time so you’re making better and more educated decisions.’‘We see Novidea as the core platform to manage the entire insurance journey, from the prospect all the way to the renewal and all the financial transactions.’
ABOUT THE GUESTInsurance technology entrepreneur Roi Agababa is the founder and CEO of Novidea, a provider of data-driven and SaaS technologies and best practices to insurance distribution professionals and their customers. The company serves global brokerages, agencies, bancassurance, and corporate risk management operations servicing more than 10M policies worldwide.
Want to know more. Well, book a meeting with Roi's team
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

John Rossman: Building Leadership Skills The Amazon Way

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine talks to John Rossman, a pioneering force in the digital era and the mastermind behind Amazon's Marketplace. His time at Amazon has deeply ingrained in him a unique set of leadership principles that he now shares with the world through his best-selling book, "The Amazon Way”. John's mission is to empower others to make their own 'big bets' and achieve lasting impact in their respective fields. His work is a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to understand and navigate the complexities of the digital era. So, get ready for an engaging conversation as we dive deep into the world of 'big bets,' digital transformation, and leadership the Amazon way.
KEY TAKEAWAYSI’m an engineer, a problem solver, and that’s what I love to do with my businesses, my clients, and with leaders.
I was an early leader at Amazon (2002-5), where I oversaw the launch of the Amazon Marketplace. When I left there, I started working with clients on strategy, problem-solving, digital capabilities, and models.
I’ve now written 4 books about how to insert Amazon thinking into your business to compete and win in the digital era.
There are 16 leadership principles at Amazon that really make a difference: The first is Customer obsession – leaders start with the customer and work backwards, they work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust.
If we’re truly going to solve hard problems, innovate, be agile, and test things out, we have to be able to push against and persecute ideas early. 
BEST MOMENTS‘Sometimes the idea is just not quite the right idea, and so you learn, adjust, and move forward.’‘The Amazon Way translates Amazon's unique culture and management practices into insights and opportunities.’‘Amazon believes in internal competition. It's very Darwinian.’‘Simplifying processes, procedures, requirements, jobs, technology, projects, everything is super hard work and it’s super critical if you want to scale. Delete, delete, delete is the mantra I impose with clients to take away the calcification of things that build up.’
ABOUT THE GUESTJohn Rossman is a renowned thought leader and expert in digital strategy, known for an audacious decision-making style he calls 'big bets.' His approach has been instrumental in shaping the careers of industry titans like Jeff Bezos and Satya Nadella. John's expertise stems from his time as an executive at Amazon, where he was instrumental in launching the marketplace business model. John is a prolific author. His book, "The Amazon Way," is a deep dive into leadership principles that drive Amazon's success. He is a sought-after consultant, helping businesses transform strategies to thrive in the digital age. He is a popular keynote speaker, sharing insights with audiences worldwide. John's mission is to empower others to make their own 'big bets' and achieve lasting impact in their fields. His upcoming book, "Big Bet Leadership," will be available for free on Kindle. John is a catalyst for change, inspiring others to make audacious decisions and come out winners in the hyper-digital era.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Alex Shevelenko: Elevating Digital Document Experiences

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Alex Shevelenko, the CEO and Co-Founder of Relayto, who brings to the table a compelling narrative of how transforming mundane PDFs and presentations into interactive web experiences is not just an upgrade but a necessity.
Today, we will weave through Alex's entrepreneurial voyage, his insights on leadership, the genesis and trajectory of Relayto, and a glance into the future of digital content experiences. Alex’s perspectives on our dialogue will bring both foresight and actionable intelligence on harnessing interactive content management platforms like Relayto. We unmask the potential of interactive AI-led content management platforms to reshape enterprise communication and how leaders can leverage this technology to foster better engagement in a world of digitalization.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
At my first job, an internship at Microsoft Office in 1997, I discovered that PDF was taking over PowerPoint and Word as the primary format customers wanted. 
The medium we’re advocating is consumer-centric. They start with the end recipient in mind and, in the process, make that vision a reality by using AI and no-code software.
The more valuable the idea for progression, the worse it’s communicated. The more trivial ideas have a ton of clickbait ads that try to get you to buy stuff that you don’t need and solve problems you don’t really have.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Entrepreneurship tends to call on you.’
‘Fundamentally, it’s about the consumer of your content… what do they want to do? Increasingly, they want a conversation rather than be pummelled with information, they want to be engaged and make the interaction their own.’
‘It’s a privilege and a joy to work on something you really believe in.’
ABOUT THE GUESTAlex Shevelenko is the CEO and Co-Founder of Relayto, a document experience platform that turns conventional PDFs and presentations into interactive web experiences.
With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Alex has worn many hats across global organizations such as Microsoft, Salesforce, SAP SuccessFactors, and Oliver Wyman Consulting. His career reflects his passion for innovation and his innate ability to lead and inspire teams.
Alex holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. He has also completed executive education at Harvard Business School. As a serial entrepreneur, Alex founded the management consulting firm Glocal Partners, where he advised international companies on growth strategies and innovation. 
This experience laid the foundation for his current venture, Relayto. Since co-founding Relayto in 2017, Alex has rapidly grown the company. Relayto has raised $500K in funding to date and hit $1.6M in revenue in 2022. Under Alex's leadership, Relayto transforms how enterprises communicate and engage with digital documents. 
When he's not building Relayto, Alex is an avid reader and movie buff. He also loves to travel the world, having been to over 29 countries across 6 continents. Alex brings a unique blend of leadership, innovation, and global perspective. 
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Pravina Ladva: The Economics of Digitalization

Sabine VdL talks to Pravina Ladva, Group Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Swiss Re. Pravina’s career reads like a playbook for digital transformation, offering answers that could redefine how we view insurance economics.
This conversation is not just timely, it’s urgently needed in a world where data is the new oil and AI is the new electricity. Pravina tells us about why Swiss Re is taking the lead with its groundbreaking Sigma Research Report from the Swiss Re Institute, what we, as an industry, stand to gain or lose, uncovering the blueprints for the future of insurance, digital risk, and how technology could either be the ladder or the snake in this high-stakes game of digital transformation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS         
Today, you can’t turn a corner without talking about AI, tech, and data. This means there’s a huge untapped opportunity. There are a whole load of new business models that we haven’t even dreamed of yet. 
Digitisation is taking the analogue world and putting it into a digital system so that it can be transmitted around the world, both in terms of data and conversation, in a digital context rather than a paper one. Digitalisation is about taking that information and applying it to your business processes.
Many organisations deal with some kind of legacy technology, you need to be aware of your digital environment and work within that as well as what the opportunities are to change it and where some of it is OK, because not all legacy is bad. 
BEST MOMENTS
‘If you type digitisation and digitalisation the come up together on autocorrect, it shows we really have a mixed view on what they both are and mean.’‘Every one of my peers that I speak to is all facing the same challenge: There is a war for talent because we all want the same kind of people to come and do similar kinds of things.’‘No organisation on its own can achieve what it wants to achieve, you need to be very open-minded about who you’re partnering with, whether that’s InsurTechs, large global service providers, whoever it is in the end-to-end ecosystem to really bring the value in the right way.’‘It’s not about your core technology, it’s about what you do with it and how you operate it that makes a difference.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Pravina Ladva started her career at Abbey National/Santander, gaining experience in the financial technology sector, with responsibility for strategy, delivery, and financial results across various areas. She joined Barclaycard in 2008 and held various roles, including COO of the Digital Marketplace and CIO of Barclaycard Business Solutions. During this time, she led B2B and B2B2C technology and change teams, as well as the build and launch of a digital marketplace platform in the UK.
Pravina Ladva joined Swiss Re in 2017 as Chief Technology and Operations Officer for iptiQ, Swiss Re's digital white-label provider of property & casualty and life & health insurance, and in July 2020, assumed the role of Swiss Re Group Digital Transformation Officer. Pravina Ladva was appointed Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee as of 1 January 2022.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures

Jonathan Green: Using Chat GTP For Profit

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Jonathan Green, an AI maven and the mastermind behind ChatGPT Profits. Jonathan Green's story is one of radical transformation, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. From once being fired during a blizzard to becoming a bestselling author with over 300 books under his belt, Jonathan has not only recovered but soared to new heights.
In this episode, we'll delve deep into the world of AI and business acceleration. Jonathan will share insights on how to leverage ChatGPT for immediate revenue generation, the role of AI in building mailing lists, and how ChatGPT enables a remote island lifestyle while running a thriving online business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS         
There are a couple of reasons to start your own business: financial freedom,  decision-making freedom, and locational freedom.
When we were kids, using a calculator in math class was cheating; since then, calculators have become mandatory. How long before AI becomes mandatory?
If you give a computer bad data, you’re going to get a bad result. If we say “Chat GPT, do this…”, the AI will obey us precisely, even if given a bad command. Instead, ask the AI what information it needs you to provide, based on your end goal.
BEST MOMENTS‘Whenever I meet someone who’s travelled, I can always tell because they have a stronger sense of self, ego, more self-confidence, they’ve been in tough situations and survived them. There’s a lot of growth that comes from meeting people from different cultures and having different experiences.’‘Most people who wait to learn to use AI are going to go out of business; people who learn to use Chat GPT are 40% more efficient. That’s a huge differential, an insurmountable edge.’‘The more tasks that I can push down to my AI tools, the more I can accomplish every day.’
ABOUT THE GUESTJonathan Green is no stranger to radical transformations. Once fired during a blizzard, he didn't just recover; he soared. Now, he's the bestselling author of over 300 books and the maestro behind ChatGPT Profits. From his serene island base in the South Pacific, Jonathan masterminds AI-driven solutions through platforms like MidJourney, Claude, and Leonardo.ai. With a robust mailing list of 100k+ subscribers and a podcast showcasing 250+ episodes, he’s an indisputable authority in leveraging AI to catapult online businesses into success stories.
His initiatives, AI Freedom and Fractional AIO, are not mere training programs but transformative experiences, designed to generate quick revenue for startups and optimize businesses. No, you won’t find a 9-5 mindset here. Jonathan teaches you to replace that limitation with scalable, high-ticket offers and automated revenue streams.
Passionate about democratizing AI, Jonathan also uses his expertise as a celebrity ghost-writer to guide entrepreneurs in storytelling that not only sells but turns them into industry heroes. He’s not just in the business of building revenue. He's in the business of building legacies.
For Jonathan, it’s more than just business—it’s a revolution. A revolution you can join to change your life exponentially.
ABOUT THE HOST
Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet.
If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights.
And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures