Scouting for Growth

Dr Andrée Bates: The World of AI in Healthcare

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Dr Andrée Bates, neuroscientist and founder of Eularis, an AI-centric company that serves as a catalyst for innovation in healthcare.
The pair delves into the pivot points that drive innovation, the ethical implications of widespread AI adoption, and the tangible ways in which artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare as we know it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS         
Eularis was created to examine mathematics in commercial activities within the pharmaceutical industry.
Generative AI takes elements of real data, looks at the database on which it’s been trained, makes new connections, and generates something new.
We’re going to have to get to a point where we have some kind of digital certificate in our voice, our video, images, that authenticates whether it’s actually us or not, almost like a digital fingerprint
BEST MOMENTS‘AI is a broad term; there are so many different types of techniques which are classified as artificial intelligence, and under each one, there are different types.’‘We can use AI to repurpose existing drugs – and this happened with Covid.’‘I’ve recently come across AI that is predicting with very high accuracy whether a drug will be successful or not in the long term. That’s set to revolutionise the industry.’
ABOUT THE GUESTDr Andrée Bates stands at the intersection of artificial intelligence, healthcare, and entrepreneurship. A seasoned neuroscientist and a disruptive tech innovator, she has trailblazed the healthcare industry since the early '90s. Dr Bates founded Eularis, a vanguard firm leveraging AI to address healthcare's most pressing challenges, back in 2003. Under her leadership, Eularis has catalysed growth for all the top 50 pharmaceutical giants, driving profits and expanding market share through AI-empowered projects in clinical trials, R&D, and medical affairs.
After launching her career in academia, Dr. Bates made a seamless transition into the corporate sphere, where she continued her legacy of firsts. She is credited with establishing the world's first digital health company in the 1990s, followed by the pioneering of commercial AI applications in healthcare. This entrepreneurial spirit has positioned her as a go-to advisor for an impressive roster of healthcare CEOs.
Her influence extends to both academia and industry circles. Dr. Bates is a sought-after guest lecturer in prestigious MBA programs, including INSEAD Business School and Fordham University, where she instills the next generation with a nuanced understanding of healthcare innovation and AI. A prolific author, her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and industry reports. Her international speaking engagements span continents, ranging from Europe and North America to Asia.
Never one to limit her impact, Dr Bates actively champions female entrepreneurs worldwide. She serves as a mentor through Thrive Mentoring, contributes to the programming committee of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA), and is a founding member of Chief, a network designed for women leaders.
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

Emily Tsitrian: Bossing Up or Disrupting Fintech and Millennial Management

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Emily Tsitrian, a fintech powerhouse, seasoned leader, and the author of 'Make Me The Boss,' a transformative guide and toolkit for millennial managers navigating the new complexities of leadership in our current social climate. A world defined by Covid, #BLM, and #MeToo.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I think a lot of people in my generation have had an experience where, in their early 20s, they're interested in doing big political/social things, and the way to actually change things is to work in technology. Overnight, you can make an app and see how thousands, millions of people change how they work, live, and exist due to technology.
Payment technology has largely been considered to be a commodity because almost every business needs to accept payments. In the past 10-15 years, the payments layer of the entire Fintech stack, from payments to accounting, to accounts receivable, to reconciliation, to tax, has ultimately become more of a strategy rather than something that is an afterthought. 
The dynamic in the American workplace has shifted significantly, changing how we work. Do I want to be doing 9-5 work if there are things like climate change and social upheaval that feel more real and present to me?
The worst thing that can happen is that you fail. Failing at a company isn't a big deal; it’s OK if it doesn't work.
BEST MOMENTS‘At a fundamental level, it’s all about risk, and managing risk. I think there’s going to be a lot of crossover over the next decade or so.’‘What you set up in the early days can become very entangled with your downstream systems and it can be hard to disentangle as you scale, it’s something you want to put a little bit of thought and strategy into as you’re starting out on your entrepreneurial journey.’‘If somebody had told me I was going to be an entrepreneur, I would have laughed, even a year ago. I always loved working in really big companies doing really big things. And rubbing shoulders with VPs and executives, and very much saw myself climbing that corporate ladder. It’s funny how life works.’‘I never want to be laid off again ever, and the only way to truly ensure that is to become an entrepreneur.’
ABOUT THE GUESTIn a Fintech universe often viewed through the traditional lens, Emily Tsitrian is the game-changing asterisk. A seasoned leader with over 7 years in tech management, Emily has captained teams across diverse terrain—from established public companies to explosive unicorn start-ups, including almost 2 years at the Fintech behemoth Stripe.
As the co-founder of Yeeld, a consulting firm specializing in payment implementations, she's not just navigating the complex fintech landscape; she's helping redraw the map. But her expertise isn't confined to fintech. She's a professional services manager who doesn’t just manage, but leads—guiding teams with strategic insights that go beyond spreadsheets and quarterly reports.
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

Mark Fidelman: Tokenizing Industries

On this episode, Sabine VdL talks to Mark Fidelman, founder of SmartBlocks.Agency, and a globally recognised thought leader with over two decades of tech-fuelled wisdom.Whether you’re a CEO pondering your next strategic move, a CTO looking to harness emerging technologies, or a CDO keen on transformative solutions, buckle up! We’re about to deep-dive into a world where the token is mightier than the sword.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
It's always more fun to join up and coming companies before big businesses come in and take over, but I quickly realised I wasn't building anything by doing this.
The crypto I tend to focus on is the tokenisation/fractionalisation of assets where you break up real estate or something really valuable and you allow the democratisation of that asset to anyone that wants to invest in it.
Tokenisation is much safer than crypto. There’s no such thing as ‘hacked wallets’ because everything’s white listed, it’s attached to you, so if somebody steals those tokens out of your wallet you can go back to the issuer and say “cancel those and reissue mine”, you can’t do that with crypto.
To me crypto is Monopoly money, what I’m doing is real, with real money.
If you were to invest £1,000 every single month in one of the projects that are paying 10-15%, in 10 years you’d have a £30,000 per month income for life – some of that is because the real estate was sold, but on average it works out this way. 
BEST MOMENTS‘For young entrepreneurs the top 5 areas are AI, engineering (like SpaceX), cryptocurrency (find a niche), Ecommerce, and tools and technologies (SaaS-based products that solve a really nuanced problem that no one else is solving).’‘I chose tokens when I fractionalise businesses because it’s a lot easier to set up, then you have a blockchain that does all the management, you’re not working with the stock exchange or have expensive systems in place.’‘It’s the future, if you look at Black Rock, Bank of America, Citi, they’re all saying the same thing: everything’s going to be fractionalised. They’ve already tokenised billions of dollars of bands because you can then trade that anywhere in the world, you’re not subject to local laws.’‘95% of crypto is just a scam, they’re worthless, they’re not backed by anything, they’re just a big ponzi scheme. Though there are 5% that will change the future, we just need to better educate people on what’s what.’
ABOUT THE GUESTAs the founder of SmartBlocks.Agency, Mark Fidelman is a pivotal player in crypto and e-commerce with a career spanning two decades. He's not just a veteran; he’s an industry influencer—endorsed by Forbes and celebrated as a Top 50 Social CEO by Huffington Post.Mark is a growth catalyst, having spearheaded initiatives for NFT trailblazers like WAX.io. His credentials go beyond mere business acumen; he's a respected keynote speaker, a Forbes contributor, and the mastermind behind the YouTube channel, Cryptonized!, where he dissects the hottest trends in crypto.
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

Jerry Fetta: Building Personal Wealth

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Jerry Fetta, who is on a mission to demystify wealth management, making it accessible and relatable for everyone. As the brains behind Wealth DynamX, Jerry's fingerprints are on numerous success stories across the US, helping countless individuals lay the foundation for solid financial futures.Beyond his role as a financial expert, Jerry has penned three books. In the latest, he lays bare the trials and tribulations he faced, both personally and professionally, and how he overcame these, showcasing a resilience that's nothing short of inspiring.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I grew up in a lower-income household; my parents didn’t have much money. When I was 8 years old, my parents got divorced, we lost our house, the car got repossessed, and both my parents became homeless. I didn’t have many examples of people succeeding with money or as entrepreneurs.
Sometimes, there’s an advantage to growing up without money. It instilled in me a work ethic, and as an entrepreneur, I’m much more comfortable with risk because I’ve come from a place where I had nothing and am not afraid to go back there if I need to.
As a culture, we believe that if we go to school to get the grades, college to get the degree, get the job, then we save up for retirement, try to pay off the house and build up a nest-egg, then at 60-65 years old, we can finally enjoy what we’ve put together. My Mom was my first client, and we did all that. At 60, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she passed away 6 months later. As a son, it was a shocker, but as a financial professional, I saw the plan unravel, and I didn’t want to have that client experience again or experience personally. I want to enjoy life now.
As CEO, my day-to-day is mostly about observing; I shadow my staff members and attend their calls and meetings. I spend several hours a day reading and studying business and administration, and how to be a better business executive.
BEST MOMENTS‘Wealth DynamX helps families, individuals, and entrepreneurs in North America achieve greater financial education, stability, and freedom in the future.’‘I became a bodybuilder and thought I’d do that forever, but I started to get into the financial industry at 18, got all my licences, and the rest has been a natural progression of evolving and growing and putting my vision into reality over the last 11 years.’‘School is necessary, we need to learn the basics, but I think it does a really poor job on two things, and an area where we can simply improve is telling people the purpose of school. It’s a very long period of our lives where we don’t really know why we’re there.’
ABOUT THE GUESTJerry Fetta is a beacon in the world of finance, with a mission to simplify wealth management and make it relatable to everyone. As the visionary Founder and CEO of Wealth DynamX, Jerry has dedicated his career to helping numerous clients across the U.S. build a solid financial foundation. Jerry's unique approach, rooted in authenticity and applicability, has set him apart in the industry.Get access to Jerry's free book "The Blueprint to Financial Freedom."https://jerryfetta.com/b2fpromo
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

Megan Bingham-Walker: Why Embedded Goods-in-Transit Insurance

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Megan Bingham-Walker, Co-founder and CEO of Anansi, a cutting-edge company on a mission to revolutionise the goods-in-transit insurance industry.Today, we will dive deep into Megan's journey as an entrepreneur, her vision for the future of goods-in-transit insurance, and the unique approaches and strategies that have propelled Anansi to success.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I spent a few years working with the Government, 5 years in venture capital, specialising in CleanTech investing in early-stage startups.
I really wanted to found a business in the areas of machine learning and data, and how to solve problems using them.
At Anans,i we built a platform to essentially automate the process for goods-in-transit insurance.
The problem retailers face at the moment is that they may not even know an item is lost or damaged until a customer tells them, so even early identification of that is a big step up.
Insurance is about information; we are an information industry. The new aspect of what we’re doing is bringing this transactional data, so we have a very quick turnaround: 60 days max between when an item is shipped and when we process the claim, and the contract is completed.
BEST MOMENTS‘The biggest problem we’re solving for the retailers is admin.’"We've all experienced something going missing or getting damaged-in-transit, it’s the number 1 cause of customer complaints and never purchasing again. Having a bad purchase experience is a real decision point for consumers.’‘Anansi is a West-African folklore character – I have some family connections to West-Africa and the Caribbean – it’s a spider character which is the keeper of knowledge.’‘What’s exciting about the insurance industry is that there is so much opportunity for innovation and there are still so many areas where you can bring new data and processes, particularly on the claims side, to improve things that I think it’s a very rewarding industry to be part of.’
ABOUT THE GUESTMegan Bingham-Walker is an award-winning entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of Anansi – a company on a mission to make goods-in-transit insurance faster, fairer, and more flexible for retailers who thrive on bringing innovative new technologies to market.She is also an Ambassador of the charity PumpAid, which empowers communities and transforms lives, with a mission to end water poverty in Malawi by 2030. In her spare time, she loves weightlifting, Formula One, dancing, hiking, and skiing.
About Anansi:Goods-in-transit insurance platform Anansi creates tailored, embedded, and low-admin insurance products for retailers, logistics providers, and marketplaces. Its open API and web app solution digitise manual processes, including claims, with parametric claim triggers that automate repetitive tasks. Its integrated platform uses Open Banking to allow customers to pay for cover and receive claims payments directly and instantaneously into their accounts. It is the only automated solution in a $33 billion market to offer data-powered signup, parametrically triggered claims and pay-outs when a parcel is lost or delayed, and a simple damage submission process.
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

Jacqueline Legrand: The Pioneer of Weather Insurance

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Jacqueline Legrand, a name that resonates with transformative leadership in the global insurance industry. From orchestrating the radical transformation of Brokerslink to co-founding Maptycs, an InsurTech firm that is redefining how we perceive weather risk analysis and risk exposures, Jacqueline's legacy is nothing short of extraordinary.
With her finger firmly on the pulse of digital transformation, she advocates for a harmonious marriage between technology and insurance. We're about to delve into a narrative riddled with transformative milestones, insights into the potential of geospatial analytics, and the challenges and triumphs of revolutionising an industry steeped in tradition.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I started my career in corporate with IBM. After 8 years, I moved into insurance, fell in love, and spent a big chunk of my career as a broker working on complex property programmes, where the idea for Maptycs (mapping and analytics) was born.
I really believe that independent broker networks have a compelling proposition today in the global brokerage industry, as local brokers are deeply rooted in their local industry and culture.
The big thing I’ve learned and will always use is: What is the vision and the value proposition for each and every stakeholder? What is the business model? What is the execution plan? What is the road map?
We saw an acceleration in natural disasters driven by climate change, alongside an explosion of high-quality location intelligence data. Timing is key in any startup company. The challenge was with all these claims and losses, and with the data that could be used to make better assessments, pricing, and risk mitigation. This is what we do at Maptycs: integrate our clients' portfolios alongside à la carte external data. 
BEST MOMENTS‘Make sure, as a global broker, you build programmes for your client/global reach manager that are not only in line with their strategy, but also align with the local market practices and regulations.’‘Your colleagues on the ground play a critical role, and you need them whether it is to negotiate local coverage or to work on a claim with the local expert or adjuster.’‘We really enable corporate insurance brokers to have a good assessment of their product risk exposure because now they can see either one location at a time or accumulation across their portfolio, and they can mix and match their data with risk data.’
ABOUT THE GUESTWith a footprint that stretches over 30 years across the global insurance tapestry, Jacqueline Legrand stands as a testament to transformative leadership in the industry. From the bustling markets of the US to the dynamic terrains of Brazil, France, and Portugal, her journey in C-suite and Board-level roles has solidified her as a luminary in insurance.As the CEO and co-founder of the groundbreaking InsurTech firm, Maptycs, Jacqueline is at the forefront of revolutionising property risk exposures. Through the lens of advanced geospatial analytics, she's reshaping the way commercial insurance providers approach weather risk analysis.
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

Michele Cimmino: A Dive Into Agile Transformation

Sabine talks to Michele Cimmino, CEO of Lasting Dynamics, which, far from being a generic software firm, epitomises precision and coding tailored to partners' distinct needs to ensure an exclusive synergy for mutual growth.
Michael discusses visionary leadership at Lasting Dynamics, championing quality and innovation, ensuring diverse tech mastery, and building a global force in the startup ecosystem.
KEY TAKEAWAYSLasting Dynamics was founded in 2013 to deliver quality to the IT market.
Large enterprises usually target a span of 12 months to deliver an MVP (minimum viable product), but by the time an MVP is delivered to market in 12 months, it’s already too late.
When you have engineers who truly understand cybersecurity, it's easier to comply with policies.
When you build something from the ground up or start integrating components into a digital product with a forward-looking mindset, you will not waste months on additional testing. This is an engineering mindset called “bottom-up”.
BEST MOMENTS‘Quality assurance is also about analysing the requirements; it’s not only about executing some tests, but it’s also about understanding what will be needed and how this can be provided.’‘The most important part of the game is to be transparent and loyal to your partner or customer. That always pays back.’‘I like the idea that the most important goal and value for everyone on a project should be the final result of the product, and everyone should sacrifice a bit of personal interest towards that goal.’
ABOUT THE GUESTIn the dynamic world of software engineering, few names resonate as powerfully as Michele Cimmino. As a master of full-stack web and mobile development, Michele's leadership at Lasting Dynamics has carved a niche in the tech spaces of Spain, Italy, and Norway. Dive deeper at Lasting Dynamics, and you'll discover a hub where innovation meets commitment.
A champion of quality, Michele's passion drives him and his adept team to consistently re-evaluate and refine their methodologies. They are agile, experimental, and always ahead of the curve, drawing insights from the latest in automation, innovation, and QA processes. His current explorations into Agile, OKRs, SCRUM, TDD, and the principles of Shu Ha Ri demonstrate a ceaseless thirst for knowledge.
Lasting Dynamics, Michele's brainchild, isn't just any software company; it's a boutique that meticulously crafts code to fit partners' unique needs. This exclusivity ensures mutual growth, as they partner with only a select few each year.
But there's more: The Academy, another feather in Michele’s cap, streamlines the onboarding process, a testament to his visionary approach. Moreover, under his guidance, the launch of SaaS platforms like Roundrush for workflow management and VetrinaLive for e-commerce adds to his impressive portfolio.
With a tech stack that's as expansive as it is impressive, ranging from Node.js to Python, React to Vue.js, and PostgreSQL to AWS integrations, Michele's proficiency is unquestionable. He's been at the helm of AI-driven mobile apps since 2015, dabbled in blockchain and cryptocurrency from 2017, and, since 2019, has steered Lasting Dynamics towards Growth Hacking.
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

Sara St. John: The Frugalpreneur

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Sara St. John, someone whose unique entrepreneurial journey embodies the essence of growth and innovation.
As the brain behind several startups, Sara has used her experiences to pen books, run a blog, and most notably, host the well-regarded podcast 'The Frugalpreneur.' Through these mediums, she’s been inspiring and equipping individuals with the knowledge and tools to kickstart and maintain their online businesses even under tight financial constraints.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Her entrepreneurship journey started in 2008. I’d had 6 different jobs that year and realised that working for other people wasn’t my thing, so I decided to start a photography business doing weddings and portraits, but it was expensive to maintain equipment and software, so I started an online business model and tried several different things because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. This led me to write ‘Frugal Entrepreneur’, which was about the different ways to make money online and how to do it on a budget. I launched the podcast to promote the book, but gained more leverage through it. I’ve kept it going for a few years now and have started a podcast production agency. I’m all in on podcasting now, but it took me 10 years to get there.
One misconception that people have about building a great podcast is that it’s expensive. I started with a $60-80 USB mic that plugs straight into your computer, and you can record in Zoom for free. Then all you need is a podcast host to distribute your files to the platforms, which costs as little as $5-20 a month. It’s the best way to get more exposure.
Everyone should have a website. People think that having a social media page is enough – and you should have social media too – but you need to have your own site, because you never know what’s going to happen with social media. You should also use an email service provider like SendFox, which will automatically create a newsletter and send it to your email list every time you publish content. 
Shiny object syndrome is a big problem for many entrepreneurs, whether it’s having a million different business ideas and always moving onto the next one, which takes up a lot of time and money. It could also be new gadgets and tools. You need to recognise that you have shiny object syndrome and reign it in. Try using free tools and all-in-one systems like Systeme.io or Clixlo, which offer everything you need for one price in one place.
BEST MOMENTS‘Whether you have your own podcast or not, you should guest on other people’s podcasts because you’re basically leveraging and getting access to their audience who might come and check out your podcast or become a client.’
‘A lot of people assume their podcast is going to take off right away. If you’re a celebrity already, it probably will; if you’re a regular person, it’s going to take a while.’
‘When you’re starting out, try to go the free route with software as long as you can, and then only pay as you need to. AppSumo has a one-time payment for various software.’
‘I try to keep my budget to under $100 per month for software and the basic maintenance of an online business. It might go a little more if I’m running an ad, but even then, I try not to spend more than $100 per month. But everybody has their own amount.’
ABOUT THE GUESTSara St. John is a seasoned entrepreneur, prolific author, avid animal lover, and ardent globetrotter. With an entrepreneurial career spanning over a decade, Sara has birthed and nurtured several successful startups, honing her expertise in budget-friendly business management. Her journey has imbued her with a wealth of insights and strategies, which she generously shares through her podcast, The Frugalpreneur.As the host of The Frugalpreneur, Sara brings a fusion of rich business acumen and an infectious passion for budget-conscious entrepreneurship. Sara's mission extends beyond practical advice. She is a passionate advocate for the power of podcasting as a business tool, and she relishes every opportunity to delve into this topic on her show. If you want to know more about Sara, check her LinkedIn profile and her “preneur” series 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

Frank Mendoza: From Data Analytics to Responsible AI

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Frank Mendoza, a revered figure in data analytics and AI strategy.His contributions to Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Kellogg's, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Jim Beam, as the founder of Catalytics, have revolutionised how these organisations leverage big data, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics.
Frank offers practical recommendations for implementing AI, making this seemingly daunting technology accessible and actionable, demystifying AI, shares his strategic insights, and helps us scout for growth in this exciting field.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Over the last 8 years, I’ve worked with some of the top brands to introduce analytics concepts such as machine learning and chatbots. The hype has really gotten big in the last few months around what’s called generative AI, which is a little bit different from what we’ve historically called AI or machine learning, but in a nutshell, it’s got people really excited, and companies really want to take advantage and be able to demonstrate a competitive advantage to some of their competitors. It’s a really exciting time to be in this space.
One of the challenges/constraints all companies face, large or small, is time. Big companies can throw money at it; small companies don’t have that luxury, but they really need to focus their attention. When I approach a company to discuss leveraging AI, I want to focus on where they’ll use it and ensure there’s a direct tie to business value. There are so many tools thrown onto the market that it’s causing a lot of analysis paralysis, and businesses are struggling to figure out which tools they should use, where, why, and who should use them. You really need a strategic approach to leveraging these technologies to ensure you’re getting the biggest bang for the buck.
Customers have given you the privilege of providing you with information about themselves that’s very important to them, but for you as well to grow your business. How you use that information, where you provide that information to models, all those things are very vital to ensure that you’re doing the things necessary to protect that information. OpenAI and ChatGPT can retrain on the questions you’re asking – that's when you really want to provide guardrails/guidelines to your organisation about what you’re allowing them to put in there.
Generative AI solutions have been trained on publicly available data, such as images. Our society is moving  - I believe – in a positive direction, but it has not moved all the way to where it needs to move. The net result of that is that there is a lot of information out there that’s still filled with biases, hate, etc. You want to make sure that when you’re leveraging these tools, you take into account these biases and the inherent challenges of using these models, and ensure you have a level of human judgment in the loop.
BEST MOMENTS‘We’re now shifting the paradigm from inventing with tools to tools inventing. There are things the tools are doing that are creating something that hasn’t existed before.’‘One thing that no organisation can waste is resources and time.’‘Every organisation is unique, and the applications of AI are going to be unique to those as well.’‘The ability for you to execute AI is predicated upon the quality of your information. I encourage organisations to start looking at that and take advantage of “data enablement” to enable businesses to move forward. It’s a daunting task but you don’t want to boil the ocean, that’s where I help organisations understand where exactly they should put their focus, energy and effort.’
ABOUT THE GUESTFrank Mendoza is a highly respected and award-winning analytics leader with over 20 years of experience in Strategy, Customer Experience, and Data Science. He is the founder of Catalytics, a service company that helps Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Kellogg's, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Jim Beam to execute actionable AI and Data Analytics strategies to solve their toughest business challenges. Frank shares that 2023 is the year of AI and that it is becoming more prevalent across industries. However, many companies are still intimidated or confused by its use and capabilities. Frank is there to help implement AI across any business and identify the best approaches to do so, offering practical recommendations, as AI should be a tool that augments and empowers companies to grow and innovate.Frank can be found here.And you can also reach him at Improving
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

Benjamin Friedman: The Factional CxO

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Benjamin Friedman, who, over a 20+ year career, has navigated the perilous waters of startup finance and operations, riding the bumpy waves of startup growth and guiding his companies through successful M&A transactions, equity raises, and debt financing. To cap it all, Benjamin is a firm advocate for values such as collaboration, optimism, and open communication, and has consistently strived to connect company goals, team initiatives, and individual performance in his roles.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
At graduate school I’d studied nonprofit management and worked at a nonprofit for a few years and found it was very process driven, we kept talking about what to do but never actually trying things. I’m much more results oriented, so I moved into an e-commerce company which doubled every year and it was an amazing ride. I became addicted to the startup journey.
A lot of startups have a unique journey, every founder is an individual, but there are some common themes. Successful startups have founders that are clear on who they are and what they’re trying to accomplish. That might seem easy, but it’s actually very hard work to regularly check in with yourself. The other application is around vision and values; those will remain constant even as the business pivots, evolves, changes and challenges occurring. The final piece is feedback loops, successful founders are constantly seeking advice from advisors, investors, other founders and their team, they’re constantly seeking feedback – they may not act on it every time – new ideas and how to get things done.
Align outcomes, results and activities. A lot of people get worked up by working really hard and spending a lot of time and effort but activity alone won’t generate the outcomes that you’re looking for, you have to see what results are coming from that activity and then you have to see if those are affecting the outcomes that you desire. Are you looking at it through industry metrics, internal metrics? You need to be constantly running experiments to see if ‘x’ improves your quality, your efficiency for you or your customers. You have to constantly evaluate your process but aligning your activity results and outcomes is really critical.
Bringing in fractional experts can do a number of things; they can help you look holistically across the business and make connections between different functions, how do sales, marketing, finance and product all connect and what are the ways to optimise them collaboratively to grow your business. How have things been done in the past and how can they be applied to your business in order to grow as fast as possible? Cost and risk are considerations as well, by looking at fractional resources you’re mitigating both; you pay people who come in much less than someone doing the job full-time, especially if you don’t know how they’re going to work and how they’ll fit with your team.
BEST MOMENTS‘Being open to other people’s opinions is going to make you stronger on your journey.’‘It’s very important to balance strategy and implementation.’‘We often think about productivity as running fast, but if you’re not sure of what direction you want to be running, it doesn’t matter how fast you’re going, you're going to be heading in the wrong direction.’‘Unsuccessful founders keep doing the same thing their customer needs, successful ones ask “what is it you need now?” and they’ll provide that.’
ABOUT THE GUESTBenjamin Friedman, the mind behind We Build Scale Grow Inc., is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of leadership in finance and operations. Throughout his career, he's skillfully navigated the entrepreneurial landscape, leading successful M&A transactions for five companies in the last decade.As the founder of Build Scale Grow, Benjamin is committed to helping startups overcome challenges and scale quickly, offering solutions to resolve immediate problems while installing long-term, scalable systems. His work is steeped in experiences from diverse roles, including Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer, extending to areas such as sales, marketing, people operations, legal, technology, and product.
LinkedIn: Benjamin Friedman The company: Build Scale GrowThe Book: Scale: Reach Your Peak
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

Saagar Govil: Reinventing the world of security with AI

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Saagar Govil, Chairman and CEO of Cemtrex Incorporated. With a tenacious spirit and an unwavering focus, Saagar has led Cemtrex from its initial days of making under $3M in revenues to a thriving powerhouse raking in over $100M, with over 350 employees in 6 offices worldwide. Under Saagar's vision and leadership, Cemtrex is a diversified technology company relentlessly driving innovation across sectors, including smart technology, virtual and augmented realities, advanced electronic systems, industrial solutions, and, most intriguingly, intelligent security systems powered by AI. In this episode, they dive into the world of AI and security and explore Saagar's inspiring journey, mission, and passion for technologies, from IoT to space tech.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Cemtrex started out as a small family business, and over the last 10 years, we’ve focused on driving growth. We started out as a small environmental technology company, and we struggled to grow in that industry because market appetite for it only emerged recently. I figured out the best way to grow was through the acquisition of businesses with greater potential, because you get a bigger reward for the hard work you put in.
We’re seeing a transformation of the security industry as we adopt and implement AI systems. The unique thing about what’s happening today is that for the first time ever, computers can now see better than humans. What that allows is for companies to use and leverage technologies in ways never before possible to drive better security outcomes. That could be from preventing incidents from happening to responding to them more effectively in real time, and to more accurately apprehend suspects after an event occurs.
In the past, CCTV cameras with advanced features were triggered by motion and would trigger events, alarms, etc. The challenge is that if a tree is swaying in the background, it can trigger these alarms, which is frustrating for operators. With the advent of AI, you can track specific objects more accurately and clearly, so that if a certain asset in the frame is moved, then send an alert. That solution is really easy to implement out of the box today.
Unfortunately, the world is becoming increasingly dangerous. 90-95% of schools have CCTV, and yet we’re still hearing about mass shootings taking place all the time, and it’s a tragedy. This tells me that a) the basic tools are already installed and b) they are actually not that effective. The ways we can implement AI today to drive better outcomes is apparent in that we can do better with identity management using facial recognition, we can track who should be at school at a certain time, we can send out the right alerts if there is a disgruntled person on the premises or tap into sex offender databases to alert the authorities that they’re on the perimeter.
BEST MOMENTS‘Sometimes it’s not about how hard you work, it’s about where you’re spending your time and your effort.’‘AI is definitely going to make businesses and specific assets safer.’‘When you have a security co-pilot that can understand what’s going on on the video feeds, you can start to interact with that GPT/co-pilot, you can manage security needs much faster or in real time, that’s where we’re going to see the industry moving in the next couple of years.’‘There are ways to build these types of technologies that maximise people’s privacy but also ensure the safety of those that are occupying the space at any given point in time.’
ABOUT THE GUESTSaagar Govil is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cemtrex Inc., a company that owns and operates multiple businesses building industrial solutions and intelligent security systems. Saagar is a serial entrepreneur interested in IoT, Wearables, Robotics, Advanced electronics, and Space Tech. In his leisure time, he enjoys watching the Knicks, golfing, travelling, and sailing.
 
ABOUT CEMTREXCemtrex, Inc. is a diversified technology company that's driving innovation in a wide range of sectors, including smart technology, virtual and augmented realities, advanced electronic systems, industrial solutions, and intelligent security systems. Cemtrex Inc. owns and operates multiple businesses, including those that build industrial solutions and intelligent security systems.
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

Dr Melissa Sassi: From BigTech To Building Ventures

On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Dr Melissa Sassi, CEO and Co-Founder of Skills Hustle, a pre-seed edtech company committed to closing the skills gap and transforming learners into earners. Skills Hustle's platform takes an innovative approach, offering gamified, interactive, and practical modules that engage learners more deeply. With a focus on community building, the platform provides access to thought leaders, networking opportunities, and real-world challenges such as innovation challenges and hackathons, enabling learners to develop practical skills and solve real business challenges.
In this episode, Melissa shares her insights, experiences, and innovative ideas in leveraging technology and education to drive social impact and foster sustainable growth.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I’ve spent the last 10 years of my career working between Microsoft and IBM, and I’ve always created my own jobs; I’ve never followed through the ‘right’ career progression plan. I ran startup accelerators; at Microsoft, it was all about building internet and energy access solutions around the world and bringing digital skills to connect them. At IBM, I focused on data protection, privacy, and security across heavily regulated industries such as FinTech, HealthTech, and InsurTech. I’ve also had a couple of stints on Wall Street and founded a nonprofit that taught tens of thousands of kids to code in 12 countries. Currently, I run a venture studio with my partner.
One day, my daughter, who was living in Tunisia with her father at the time, said she didn’t have access to a computer in her classroom. They had one shared across 40 kids. I realized there’s no way that she’s going to be prepared for the future of work and the digital economy. I could get her devices for home use, but what about the other kids in her classroom? So I went on a mission to get computers for the class. But as I did this, I realized the bigger picture: access to tech, skills, the internet, and the role they play – including affordability – in driving outcomes in healthcare, education, economics, and getting a job. Everything we have and do centres around tech. I realised half the world isn’t connected to the internet, and I looked at what I could do to change that.
My partner and I are still working on how to demystify what a venture studio is or what a venture builder does versus a VC, an accelerator, and an incubator. We combine all those things together.
In the future, I’d love to see situations where my founders raise a shit-ton of money, come up with amazing solutions that power the world, change things that make the world a better place, and make money at the same time. I believe in doing well while doing good. 
BEST MOMENTS‘Everyone is a FinTech these days, including Timbaland.’‘I had it ingrained in my soul that I needed to work, to be productive, independent, to be able to take care of myself. From hard work come outcomes in life that are financial in nature; it may be experiences, but you’ve got to work to achieve.’‘I was part of a broken system, and I perpetuated a broken system without knowing it.’‘We focus on growth from 3 perspectives: Technical enablement, thinking about what the business model is, and access to partnerships.’
ABOUT THE GUESTDr Melissa Sassi has dedicated her career to the intersection of technology, education, economic development, social impact, startups, and sustainability. With extensive global experience, including visits to 60 countries, she brings first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Melissa's doctoral thesis focused on the transformative role of digital inclusion in solving the SDGs. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Skills Hustle, a pre-seed edtech company, Melissa aims to bridge the skills gap and empower learners to become learners. Skills Hustle offers an interactive, practical learning platform focused on gamification and real-world application. Through live sessions, mentors, innovation challenges, and hackathons, learners acquire valuable skills while solving authentic business problems. The platform also features a community portal for ongoing engagement, networking, and access to thought leaders and opportunities. Core content areas include digital skills, habits and attitudes, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
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