Born In Silicon Valley is a podcast that features founders’ stories. Each episode highlights the journey of success, pivots, and what entrepreneurs have learned when building from the ground up. Host Jake Aaron Villarreal interviews founders, discussing their struggles, triumphs, and their progress along the way. Listeners will gain insight into leadership and the operations of a startup. This podcast is supported by Match Relevant, a company that helps startups find top talent to grow their businesses.
Every year, billions of dollars in investment settlements are left unclaimed by everyday investors who have no idea they are owed money. Discover how 11th is using AI to automatically recover these lost funds from massive corporate lawsuits involving giants like Apple and Google.
In this episode of Born in Silicon Valley, we sit down with George Semashko, Co-founder and CPO of 11th. George shares the incredible origin story of his fintech startup, which skyrocketed after a single viral Reddit post. Today, his lean team of 22 has successfully helped over 150,000 users automatically claim their rightful share of the $9.3 billion in annual class action settlements.
Tune in as George dives deep into the complex world of financial recovery, explaining why the traditional claims process is broken and how 11th utilizes advanced AI agents to scan court documents and SEC filings. By seamlessly integrating with brokerages like Charles Schwab, 11th ensures retail investors receive their funds directly without compromising private data.
Beyond the technology, George opens up about the personal challenges of his founder journey. He shares valuable lessons on stepping out of your comfort zone, the reality of cold-calling billion-dollar financial institutions, and the hard truths about hiring the right salespeople to scale an AI startup. Whether you are an angel investor, a tech enthusiast, or a rising entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on building a resilient business.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to George Semashko and 11th02:07 George's background and journey into fintech09:20 The origin of 11th and the problem it solves13:30 Going viral on Reddit and discovering demand15:22 Building the claim automation system17:34 Examples of major legal settlements20:22 Challenges in navigating legal claims for investors25:39 The role of AI in automating data scraping and claim processing30:01 Scaling the platform and future growth plans35:07 Partnerships with financial institutions40:25 Insights on hiring and team building47:12 Lessons learned from sales and outreach55:40 The importance of diverse teams and hiring strategies01:02:29 Future opportunities and expansion plans
Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com
22 Oct 2026
AI Finds Compliance Violations Faster
Did you know a simple text message sent on a personal phone recently cost a major financial institution 50 million dollars in SEC fines? In this episode, we uncover how AI is solving the massive compliance headache that is tearing through Wall Street and the fintech industry.
Join us as we sit down with Larry Shumbrus, the visionary Founder and CEO of Archive Intel. Larry shares his fascinating journey from IBM and Wall Street to building an AI-powered compliance platform that streamlines archiving processes for off-channel communications like texting, social media, and email. We explore the explosive growth of Archive Intel, driven by their innovative approach to allowing financial advisors to seamlessly use their own phones while staying fully compliant with SEC and FINRA regulations.
Beyond the product, Larry drops incredible insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the startup workforce. Discover why young engineers are rapidly outpacing traditional talent, the rising importance of forward-deployed engineers, and how forcing his own team to embrace AI workflows triggered a massive leap in productivity. Whether you are building a fintech startup or trying to integrate AI into your daily operations, this episode is packed with actionable advice on scaling a modern business.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Larry and his background04:09 Larry's journey from Wall Street to fintech08:46 The inception of Archive Intel and its mission09:24 Challenges in compliance and how AI addresses them19:02 The impact of regulatory fines and how AI helps22:47 Implementing AI internally and team adoption26:27 Talent acquisition and the AI skills gap34:38 Product onboarding and automation strategies37:41 Future product developments and market expansion41:07 Company growth, hiring, and culture43:15 The importance of culture and team fit45:16 How to connect with Archive Intel
Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com
14 Oct 2026
AI Fights Every Denied Claim
Discover how one venture-backed startup is actively saving hospital emergency rooms from bankruptcy by recovering millions of dollars in denied insurance claims. Join us as we go behind the scenes with the CEO of CombineHealth to reveal the future of healthcare revenue cycle management.
Sourabh Agrawal transitioned from building self-driving cars at Mercedes-Benz to tackling one of the biggest financial crises in the US healthcare system. In this episode, he explains how his fleet of specialized AI agents acts as a hybrid workforce for emergency departments. These intelligent systems automatically handle complex medical coding, fight insurance denials, and ensure frontline doctors actually get paid for the life-saving work they do every single day.
Listen in to learn the exact founder-led sales strategies that secure enterprise healthcare clients without relying on traditional relationship selling. If you want to understand how artificial intelligence is creating real financial outcomes and preventing rural hospitals from closing, this conversation delivers actionable insights for any tech founder or builder.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sourabh Agrawal and his background03:30 Sourabh's journey from Goldman Sachs to healthcare AI07:36 Lessons from first startup and pivot to healthcare12:25 Focus on emergency department revenue cycle issues16:37 How AI agents transform hospital billing and claims20:32 Success story: Recovering revenue and reducing denials25:12 Building a team and attracting top AI talent29:48 Sales strategy: Problem-led, customer-focused approach38:24 Future plans and growth opportunities for Combined Health AI41:19 Closing remarks and how to connect with Sourabh
Host: Jake Aaron Villarreal leads the top AI recruitment firm in Silicon Valley, www.matchrelevant.com, uncovering stories of funded startups and going behind the scenes to tell their founders’ journeys. If you are growing an AI startup or have a great story to tell, email us at: jake.villarreal@matchrelevant.com
Who has been a guest on From The Ground Up
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
David Abbey
Jonathan Simkins
Kevin Coleman
Muhammad Owais Awan
Lucas Thelosen
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
44,517
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
96
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
60
Contact From The Ground Up
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about From The Ground Up
Who hosts From The Ground Up?
Jake Aaron Villarreal host the show. Published by Match Relevant.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does From The Ground Up take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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