On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we talk with top venture capital voice and venture capital advisor Mercedes Bankston of the Founder Institute. In the studio with us are Nouf Alhazmi, CEO and founder of Plastus, and Paul Kleen, CEO at Pitchit—two phenomenal founders in the process of launching startups with tremendous traction.

Mercedes is a seasoned executive leader with two decades of experience in sustainability, venture acceleration, and partnership development. A globally recognized leader, she has worked across multiple countries, earning accolades like LinkedIn's “Top Entrepreneurship Development Voice” and the Global Start-up Leadership Award. Mercedes excels in launching startups, mentoring thousands of pitches annually, and driving growth in sectors such as healthcare, education, and fintech. Her work as a venture partner and capital advisor showcases her ability to turn innovative ideas into successful ventures.

Nouf is the CEO and founder of Plastus, an innovative biotech startup based in Berkeley, California, specializing in polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) for biodegradable bioplastics. Nouf's recent TEDx talk highlighted Plastove, a novel bioreactor design to create bioplastics from organic carbon waste, aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing fossil fuel dependency in developing countries. Dedicated to impact and sustainability, Nouf strives to inspire the next generation of bioengineers and entrepreneurs. Plastus has secured VC funding from IMB Ventures and Kristin Taylor and will compete in the global Hult Prize finals in London in September 2024, aiming to close its seed round.

Paul started in tech as a data scientist at Framed Data (YC-W14, acquired by Square), then became the head of growth at Paperspace (YC-W15, acquired by Digital Ocean), and recently started Pitchit, which just closed its Series Seed funding round led by Silicon Road Ventures with participation from Gray Ventures, Plug and Play, and Alchemist Accelerator.

Join us as we discuss insights into the startup world and how to accelerate your fundability in a competitive market.

This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact!