🌉 Growth Capital Podcast — Episode 55 🌉

What does it really take to turn a great idea into a real, functioning business? In this episode of the Growth Capital Podcast, Justin Dixon sits down with Zackary McKibbon, CEO & Founder of Vellora.AI. This next-generation AI-driven sales platform automates the administrative tasks that hold teams back.

Zack shares how he moved from raw inspiration to true implementation—rapid prototyping, leveraging accelerators, building a specialized technical team, and navigating today’s funding environment. We also dive into a live demo of Vellora.AI and explore how AI-driven sales systems are reshaping how modern teams sell, scale, and compete.

Whether you're a founder, operator, or investor, this episode offers a practical look at the execution gap that separates ideas from actual businesses—and what it takes to cross it.

• Why sales teams spend only 28% of their time actually selling—and how AI can change that
• The real startup chasm: moving from concept → product → paying customers
• How accelerators like Antler shorten execution cycles and improve go-to-market strategy
• Why time—not capital—is the biggest killer of early-stage startups
• The founder mindset needed to build from zero, and how to attract the right early team
• A live demo of Vellora.AI and how it automates CRM, next steps, and deal execution

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zmckibbon/

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