Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli sits down with Laura Frances Merin, a talent leader who helped scale a company from 43 employees to more than 200 during a period of hypergrowth.
Laura shares lessons from over a decade of building recruiting systems at fast-growing startups and explains why great hiring isn’t about chasing resumes from big-name companies. Instead, it’s about recognizing entrepreneurial traits, building structured hiring processes, and trusting conviction when you see exceptional potential.
She also discusses how authenticity and transparency with candidates can improve recruiting outcomes, including how her approach helped her achieve an extraordinary close rate when hiring top talent.
If you’re a founder or leader responsible for building a team, this episode offers practical insights on identifying exceptional talent and building a hiring strategy that scales.
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In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli explores how AI is reshaping SaaS pricing and monetization. Drawing on insights from Bessemer Venture Partners’ AI Pricing and Monetization Playbook, Julian examines why traditional seat-based subscription models are increasingly under pressure.
For years, SaaS thrived on predictable per-seat pricing with high margins and minimal variable costs. AI changes that equation. With compute costs tied to tokens, inference, and GPU usage, margins can compress if pricing isn’t aligned with value creation.
Julian breaks down the shift from selling access to aligning pricing more closely with outcomes. He explores copilots, AI agents, and AI-enabled services, and discusses the implications of the coming 2026 renewal cycle for founders and buyers alike.
If you’re building or investing in AI-powered software, this episode offers a practical lens on pricing strategy, margins, and long-term sustainability.
👉 Visit us at GrowthElevated.com
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Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli talks with Sean Behr, CEO of Fountain AI. Sean shares his journey from Fountain’s first angel investor to CEO, leading the company through a 10x revenue increase in just five years.
Fountain AI automates hiring and management for high-volume frontline teams. Sean highlights the distinction between traditional desk-based employees and the frontline workforce, which represents 70% to 80% of people globally. He points out that most frontline workers lack resumes or LinkedIn profiles, making mobile-first communication essential for a population often overlooked by standard technology.
The conversation explores Sean’s Zero-Based Leadership framework, which challenges leaders to evaluate every meeting and tactic from scratch to ensure they drive the business forward. Sean also discusses growing a suite of 12 successful products and the importance of intentional communication during rapid scaling.
Together, they break down what makes a leadership transition work, from maintaining historical context to evolving personal styles as a business expands. Sean explains how mobile-first automation and rigorous internal product hurdles helped Fountain strengthen its execution while serving millions of workers worldwide. 
If you are interested in how zero-based thinking can turn operational complexity into scalable growth, this episode offers a practical look at evolving as a tech leader.

Ready to take your leadership to the next level? 
👉 Visit us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
📲 Follow us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for daily leadership inspiration and updates.

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Julian Castelli sits down with Sarah Lehman, CEO of Zartico, and Gord Boyce, professional EOS Implementer. Together, they explore how the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) helps fast-growing companies bring structure, clarity, and discipline to rapid growth.
Sarah shares Zartico’s journey from explosive early growth to what she calls a company refounding. After scaling quickly during COVID and launching a powerful new visitor intelligence platform, Zartico reached a point where growth was amplifying chaos. Sarah explains why she revisited EOS, how working with an experienced implementer changed the outcome, and what it looks like to build scalable systems without slowing momentum
Gord brings the operator’s perspective, drawing on decades of experience as a tech CEO who scaled companies through high-growth phases. He explains why EOS works for entrepreneurial teams, why leadership cadence and accountability matter, and how an external facilitator accelerates results by keeping teams focused on execution
Together, they discuss leadership alignment, accountability charts, Level 10 meetings, KPIs, and why CEOs benefit from participating in the process rather than trying to run it alone. 
If you are leading a growing company and looking for a proven framework to support your next phase of growth, this episode offers practical insight from leaders who have lived it.

👉 Visit us at GrowthElevated.com
📲 Follow us on LinkedIn for daily leadership inspiration and updates.Let’s grow together!

In this episode of the Growth Elevated Leadership Podcast, host Rick Lindquist sits down with Yeshwanth Pulijala, co-founder and CEO of Scalpel AI, and Julian Castelli, operating partner at Mercia Ventures.
Scalpel AI is transforming the surgical supply chain using computer vision to ensure every operating room has the right instruments at the right time.
Yeshwanth shares how Scalpel is tackling inefficiencies that have existed for decades in surgical logistics, saving hospitals time and money while improving patient outcomes.
Julian discusses how he supports founders like Yeshwanth as an operating partner, helping them navigate U.S. expansion, build stronger teams, and scale operations with structure and speed.
Together, they break down what makes the partnership between investors and founders work, from trust and transparency to clear priorities and shared accountability. Yeshwanth explains how working with Julian helped Scalpel strengthen hiring, finance, and go-to-market execution as the company accelerates growth in the U.S.
If you are interested in how AI, partnership, and operational expertise can turn complex challenges into scalable solutions, this episode offers a practical look at the power of collaboration between founders and operating partners.
Ready to take your leadership to the next level? 
👉 Visit us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GrowthElevated.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

📲 Follow us on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for daily leadership inspiration and updates.