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Funded, Now What?!

Funded, Now What?!

By: Andrew Lee Miller
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Funded, Now What?! is the only podcast where startup founders who've recently raised millions of dollars get live, no-fluff growth and marketing advice from 20-year startup marketing expert Andrew Lee Miller (@andrewstartups). Each episode delivers a front-row seat to real founders navigating real post-raise challenges, and Andrew drops tactical strategies they (and you) can use to grow faster, smarter, and leaner. If you’re a startup founder figuring out how to grow your company, this is your free weekly session with a fractional CMO who’s scaled dozens of VC-backed startups to 8–9 figures. Want to hire Andrew to help your startup? Meet with him here: https://calendly.com/growthexpertz/letschat Follow Andrew on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartupsAndrew Lee Miller Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Episode 52: How Jirka Bachel Raised $2.5M to Measure Engineering ROI in the AI Era

    Episode 52: How Jirka Bachel Raised $2.5M to Measure Engineering ROI in the AI Era
    Jun 19 2026
    What if engineering teams had the same level of performance visibility as sales teams? In Episode 52 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Jirka Bachel, Founder & CEO of Navigara, to discuss how engineering leaders can finally measure AI ROI, developer productivity, and engineering performance using code-level analytics. After raising $2.5M and growing Navigara to $1M ARR, Jirka shares how the company is helping organizations understand whether their AI investments are actually delivering results. The conversation also explores category creation, engineering leadership, startup fundraising, and Andrew's latest playbook for GEO and AI-driven customer acquisition. What You'll Learn: ● Why engineering has historically lacked measurable KPIs ● How Navigara measures AI ROI through code analysis ● The creation of Engineering Throughput Value (ETV) ● Lessons from raising $2.5M and building a new software category ● Why AI search and GEO are becoming critical growth channels ● How founders can build authority in emerging markets Featured Guest Jirka Bachel Founder & CEO, Navigara 🌐 https://www.navigara.com 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jirka-bachel About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale after raising capital. 00:00 Introduction to Navigara and AI Investments 01:52 The Journey of Fundraising and Company Origins 04:39 Understanding the Need for Performance Metrics in Engineering 07:47 The Concept of ETV as a North Star Metric 10:42 Target Customers and Market Dynamics 13:35 Employee Engagement and Performance Recognition 16:24 Top-Down Approach in B2B Sales 19:23 Inbound Marketing Strategies and Content Creation 26:43 Building Links and SEO Strategies 27:51 Content Creation for AI and ROI Tracking 29:56 The Role of AI in Business Decision-Making 31:46 The Importance of Being Found in AI Searches 33:34 Pricing Strategies and Customer Engagement 35:46 Targeting Small vs. Large Companies 37:58 The Future of AI in Sales and Marketing 40:19 Innovative Approaches to Lead Generation 42:11 Networking and Building Relationships in Tech 48:04 Outbound Strategies for Generating Meetings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • Episode 51: How Taylor Peake and Occupi Are Transforming Rent Payments Across America

    Episode 51: How Taylor Peake and Occupi Are Transforming Rent Payments Across America
    Jun 12 2026
    Is rent collection still stuck in the past? In Episode 51 of Funded, Now What?!, Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Taylor Peake, founder and CEO of Occupi, to discuss how her company is modernizing rent payments for property managers and residents nationwide. After raising $3.2 million in funding, Taylor shares lessons on fundraising, product-market fit, scaling lean teams, and building technology for an underserved market. What You'll Learn: ● Product-Market Fit: How Occupi discovered a major gap in the rental housing market and built a solution customers love. ● Fundraising Lessons: Taylor's experience raising $3.2M as a female founder and finding the right investors. ● Rent Payments Reimagined: Why giving residents more payment options improves both customer experience and operational efficiency. ● Marketing for Startups: Andrew's playbook for balancing conferences, outbound outreach, SEO, GEO, and AI-powered marketing. ● Scaling Lean: How Occupi achieved strong growth with a small team and a relentless focus on solving customer problems. Featured Guest: Taylor Peake Taylor is the founder and CEO of Occupi, a rent payment platform helping property managers simplify collections while giving residents more flexibility in how they pay. Occupi serves operators across multifamily housing, manufactured housing communities, single-family rentals, and housing authorities nationwide. 🔗 Connect with Taylor: linkedin.com/in/taylorpeake 🌐 Website: paywithoccupi.com About the Show Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by fractional CMO Andrew Lee Miller, the show explores how venture-backed startups scale growth after raising capital. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Want to work with us? Email: justin@growthexpertz.com Read "The Startup Growth Book": https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K 00:00 Introduction to Occupi and Its Mission 04:00 Understanding the Technology Behind Occupi 07:05 The Fundraising Journey of a Female Founder 10:11 Navigating Growth Post-Funding 12:53 Marketing Strategies for Occupi 15:51 Optimizing Conference Attendance for Marketing 24:27 Conclusion and Future Directions 25:11 Maximizing Event ROI for Startups 26:35 The Power of SEO and GEO in Marketing 28:24 Shifting Focus: From Blogs to Newsletters 31:04 Understanding Listicles and Their Impact 33:53 Building a Comprehensive Marketing Playbook 38:40 Customer Lifetime Value and Marketing Strategies 43:49 Navigating Compliance in FinTech Marketing 46:52 POD OUTRO.mp4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Episode 50: Revolutionizing the Modern Contact Center with Ardie Sameti of Scala.ai

    Episode 50: Revolutionizing the Modern Contact Center with Ardie Sameti of Scala.ai
    May 1 2026
    Is your call center a "cost center" or a "value center"? In this milestone 50th episode of Funded, Now What?!, host Andrew Lee Miller sits down with Ardie Sameti, CEO of Scala.ai. Fresh off an 8.5 million dollar seed round, Ardie explains how Scala.ai is moving past "bolt-on" AI to create a unified intelligence engine that understands business DNA. What You'll Learn: Data as the Moat: Why the secret to AI success isn't the model-it's how you package your data. Agent Intelligence: How to deploy templatized, industry-specific AI agents that actually solve problems instead of creating loops. The ROI of CX: Turning high-burnout environments into revenue-driving growth engines. Tactical Marketing: Andrew breaks down the "Seed Stage Stack"-how to use niche PR, SEO/GEO, and high-scale outreach to dominate a tiny space before the incumbents catch up. Featured Guest: Ardie is the founder and CEO of Scala.ai, a customer intelligence platform reinventing the modern contact center. A father of three and a seasoned operator with deep domain expertise in regulated industries like healthcare, Ardie brings a "love letter to CX operators" through technology that drives real outcomes, not just hype. 🔗 Connect with Ardie: linkedin.com/in/ardiesameti 🌐 Website: scala.ai About The Show: Funded, Now What?! is the world's leading podcast for startup founders and growth leaders. Hosted by fractional CMO Andrew Lee Miller (@growthexpertz), the show analyzes how the world's fastest-growing startups raise millions and provides the tactical marketing playbook to help them spend it wisely. 📅 Book a Growth Audit: www.growthexpertz.com ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@growthexpertz Connect With Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstartups/ Want to work with us? Email: justin@growthexpertz.com Read "The Startup Growth Book": https://cutt.ly/Ftb3156K Buy Andrew’s Newest Book About AI Marketing :https://a.co/d/0ehCZAIj #CX #CustomerExperience #AI #ScalaAI #CallCenter #Startups #Funding #B2BSaaS #EnterpriseSales #AndrewLeeMiller #GrowthExpertz #MarTech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
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