In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross sits down with Emily Hodges, CEO, and Haydn Brooks, Co-founder and CEO of Risk Ledger—winners of the Security Trailblazers Award. Risk Ledger is redefining supply chain cybersecurity, shifting the focus from traditional third-party risk management to collaborative, real-time risk reduction across entire supply networks. Haydn shares the story of Risk Ledger’s early days, which started with two desks in a bedroom and a vision to empower companies against supply chain threats. Emily explains why the mission resonated so deeply—transforming her view of third-party risk from “boring” to essential, especially in an environment where attackers exploit supplier vulnerabilities. The conversation delves into startup challenges, from co-founder matchmaking and early funding to hiring a high-impact team and landing clients—even before the product was built. Emily highlights the importance of incentive alignment in security: helping suppliers grow their business while enhancing their security posture benefits everyone involved.Looking ahead, Risk Ledger is embracing AI to streamline risk reviews, support context-rich decision-making, and reduce manual overhead. The company is also expanding internationally, with a focus on Northern Europe and the U.S., and exploring new product capabilities for detection and response across supply chains. Tune in now to hear how Risk Ledger is building the future of collaborative cybersecurity!

In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross speaks with Aleksandr Ragel, CEO of Leil Storage, winner of the Storage Trailblazers Award. Leil Storage is transforming large-scale, sustainable, and energy-efficient data storage, making hyperscale technologies accessible to enterprises that need on-premise solutions.Aleksandr shares how Leil Storage spun off from Daiwee, a global system integration company, to address a critical gap in the market—bringing high-performance, cost-effective storage to businesses outside of the hyperscale giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Alibaba. He explains how Leil Storage is fine-tuning software to maximize hardware performance, ensuring optimal efficiency for active archive, backup, and AI-driven workloads.The conversation covers the challenges of launching a startup, including navigating economic uncertainty, embracing lean business strategies, and staying laser-focused on delivering real value. Aleksandr also discusses Leil Storage’s groundbreaking ICE technology (Infinite Cold Engine), which is set to reduce energy consumption by up to 70% by 2026—making sustainable storage a reality.Tune in now to hear how Leil Storage is redefining hyperscale efficiency for the masses!

In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross speaks with Dmitry Livshits, CEO and co-founder of Xinnor, and Davide Villa, Chief Revenue Officer, about their groundbreaking work in high-performance storage solutions. As winners of the Firestarter Award, Xinnor is revolutionizing data protection and storage performance, particularly in AI, HPC, and financial trading.Dmitry and Davide explain how traditional storage architectures struggle to keep up with the speed of modern SSDs and NVMe technology. Xinnor’s innovative RAID and erasure coding solutions enable extreme performance without compromising data resilience, making them a game-changer for industries that rely on fast, reliable access to massive datasets.The conversation dives into AI-driven workloads, the challenges of scaling storage for research institutions, and how Xinnor’s technology is helping universities, financial firms, and enterprises maximize their GPU utilization for AI training. Dmitry and Davide also share insights from their global partnerships with NVIDIA, Western Digital, Micron, and Samsung, and reflect on their startup journey, the challenges of focus, and the importance of strategic decision-making.Tune in now to hear how Xinnor is redefining storage performance for the AI era!

In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross sits down with Brad Genser, co-founder of Farther, the fintech trailblazer of 2024. Farther is redefining wealth management by combining cutting-edge technology with expert financial advisors to create a personalized, scalable wealth experience.Brad shares the remarkable growth Farther has achieved, including $5 billion in assets under management, fivefold revenue growth, and a rapidly expanding team of over 100 wealth advisors. He discusses the importance of trust in financial services, the power of execution, and how Farther is modernizing an industry that has long been stuck in outdated models.Listeners will also hear Brad’s unique journey—from serving as a U.S. Army officer, to studying engineering and business at MIT, to working at Goldman Sachs before launching Farther. He reflects on how his military background shaped his leadership style and how structured problem-solving is key to success in both combat and entrepreneurship.Brad also offers valuable advice for aspiring founders, emphasizing the importance of staying focused, executing consistently, and building the right team. He shares insights on industry recognition, including Farther’s recent funding round and the significance of winning the Tech Trailblazers Award.Tune in now to hear how Farther is transforming wealth management and what’s next for this fintech powerhouse in 2025

In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross sits down with Ven Raju, CEO and President of Innovation Works, to discuss how his organization is fueling the startup ecosystem in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As winners of the Investment Trailblazers Award, Innovation Works plays a crucial role in supporting early-stage companies across hardware, software, life sciences, and robotics through accelerator programs and investment funds.Ven shares insights into venture capital trends, emphasizing the importance of line of sight to profitability for startups in today’s market. He also highlights the key ingredients for entrepreneurial success, including passion, adaptability, and building the right team.Listeners will get an inside look at Pittsburgh’s thriving tech scene, the impact of university partnerships, and exciting new initiatives like the life sciences revolving fund and robotics accelerator. Whether you're a founder, investor, or tech enthusiast, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways on startup growth, investment strategies, and innovation.Tune in now to hear how Innovation Works is shaping the future of startups!

In this episode of Founders on Fire, host Rose Ross speaks with Colin Constable, co-founder and CTO of Atsign, winners of the Networking Trailblazers Award. Atsign is revolutionizing internet security and privacy by eliminating network attack surfaces, making data exchanges private, encrypted, and invisible to hackers.Colin shares the origin story of Atsign, which started as an argument over the flaws of the internet—particularly the lack of control over personal data. He explains how Atsign’s privacy-preserving platform enables secure, peer-to-peer communication without exposing open network ports, solving a 50-year-old problem in networking.The conversation dives into critical infrastructure security, the threat of nation-state cyberattacks, and how Atsign’s NoPorts technology makes businesses invisible to hackers. Colin also reflects on the startup journey, the importance of grit, and how Atsign’s flat organizational structure fosters innovation.Tune in now to hear how Atsign is redefining internet security and protecting businesses from cyber threats!

Hannes and Richard join Chief Trailblazer Rose Ross to discuss RtBrick's journey, from the inspiration to shake up the world of telco networking, to landing such a large client as Deutsche Telekom and going on to win the 2023 Networking Trailblazers Award. They also explain what disaggregated networking has to offer and how their approach can be likened to Telsa taking on the electric car market.

In this Judges On Fire episode, Rose Ross talks with Chris Holscher, a new judge for the TechTrailblazers Awards and an expert in analyst relations. Chris shares insights into how startups can leverage analyst briefings to boost their growth and visibility. Learn how the TechTrailblazers Awards provide "qualified visibility" and why analyst relations are crucial for startup success.

In this episode of Judges On Fire, Rose Ross sits down with Ian Ellis, a new judge for the TechTrailblazers Awards and a key figure in enterprise tech. Ian shares insights from his journey from Ireland to Morgan Stanley, and his work bridging startups with corporate giants. Discover how startups can navigate corporate complexities and leverage the TechTrailblazers Awards for visibility and growth.

Andy Gomarsall MBE might be better known as a rugby player, but as Executive Chairman of N2S he is very knowledgeable about reusing and recycling hardware, making him the ideal addition to the Tech Trailblazers judging panel for the Sustainable Tech category. Learn more about his rugby career, N2S's goal to help organisations decarbonize, and how that, after joining the board of a startup firm, he learnt valuable lessons from experienced businessmen and entrepreneurs.