Founder Friday: Funding Tomorrow's Economy-Builders, MedTech’s Next Unicorn, or a $10B Love Revolution?
Meet the Founders of Chisos Capital, Aevumed and VIDA Select
💡 Founders don’t just build companies—they bend the future. Welcome to Founder Fridays, where we spotlight the founders and startups poised to reshape industries—and your portfolio.
This week, we’ve got three contenders: a matchmaking disruptor sparking a $10B love revolution, a MedTech innovator healing fractures at warp speed, and a new funding methodology helping individuals building the economy of tomorrow. Let’s dive in. 🐟
💸 Chisos Capital – A $100B Gap Closes, Quietly
The Spotlight: Who funds the next unicorn before it’s born? Will Stringer, Founder, and Emmanuel de Boucaud, Managing Partner of Chisos Capital, pioneered the innovative Convertible Income Share Agreements (CISAs) to back talent, not just companies.
Since launching in 2020, Chisos has helped fund over 60 founders—with 80% outside Silicon Valley. See Chisos on LinkedIn.
Stringer brings the founder’s perspective, calling it “investing in the American Dream,” knowing firsthand the barriers they face, and shaped a model that’s both flexible and scalable. Their work isn’t just funding—it’s a calculated move to close a $100B gap in early-stage capital, unlocking potential that many VCs often overlook.
See how Chisos is backing bold founders and changing the game, reshaping how talent gets the funding they deserve. Chisos Capital
The Founders:
Will Stringer, Founder – Will’s a finance vet turned founder advocate. He cut his teeth at Merrill Lynch, structuring deals, then spent years at a $1B+ family office, sifting through hundreds of startup pitches. But it was his own struggle to raise capital—and seeing countless others hit the same wall—that lit the fire for Chisos. He’s been investing since high school (stocks, startups, even oil and gas), and now he’s betting on people, not just ideas. “I didn’t believe venture capital was the answer for most businesses,” he’s said, and his track record proves it—building a platform that’s already deployed ~$1M to dreamers VCs ignore. Investors love his grit and insider lens. Book an intro.
Emmanuel de Boucaud, Managing Partner – Emmanuel’s the strategic muscle behind Chisos’s scale. A McKinsey alum, he’s scaled startups across continents, turning chaos into cash flow with a global Rolodex to match. Before Chisos, he advised high-growth tech firms, honing a knack for spotting winners early. He’s less about the spotlight, more about the scoreboard—his operational savvy has Chisos closing deals fast and funding founders nationwide. Investors see him as the steady hand that turns Will’s vision into a machine.
The Buzz:
No collateral, just ambition—think AngelList for dreamers still sketching ideas. Crunchbase.
Targeting a $100B early-stage funding gap with a model blending equity and income stakes.
The Head-Turner: What if the real winners aren’t in pitch decks but in overlooked zip codes? 📎 Peek Behind the Curtain: Schedule an Intro Call | Investment Deck | Chisos Capital One-Pager
🧬 Aevumed – MedTech’s Next Unicorn?
The Spotlight: The $90B orthopedic market has long needed a shakeup—and Saif Khalil is the mind behind Aevumed’s charge. An engineer with a passion for precision, Khalil grew frustrated with the inefficiencies plaguing rotator cuff surgeries—a 20% re-tear rate was unacceptable.
Aevumed’s first breakthrough? The FDA-cleared PHANTOM® suture anchor, designed to improve outcomes and reduce recovery times. Now, with three additional FDA submissions pending, Khalil’s technical prowess and industry fluency are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Headquartered in Philadelphia—one of the nation’s leading hubs for orthopedic innovation—Aevumed is building solutions in a region that performs over 700,000 orthopedic surgeries annually.
They’re not just creating devices—they’re driven by a commitment to patients and a belief that better tools can redefine orthopedic care.
Explore how Aevumed is revolutionizing a massive market.
The Founder:
Saif Khalil, President & CEO – Saif’s not just an engineer—he’s a problem-solver with a personal stake in the game. A mechanical engineering PhD with over 20 years in medical devices, he’s worked everywhere from startups to giants like Globus Medical, racking up patents and a reputation for turning ideas into impact. But it was a biomaterials class in grad school that hooked him—designing for the human body felt like engineering for the ultimate frontier. After watching a loved one struggle with a rotator cuff retear, he ditched the sidelines, founding Aevumed to tackle the 20%-90% failure rates head-on. His pitch? The PHANTOM® anchor, born from late nights, surgeon chats (like with Penn State’s Dr. April Armstrong), and a relentless drive to make surgery simpler, faster, and better. Investors bet on him because he’s been there—winning Penn State’s Lion Cage pitch comp in 2019—and he’s got the scars and successes to prove it. Book an intro.
The Buzz:
Cutting into a $90B market with devices slashing a 20% re-tear rate. LinkedIn.
FDA approvals could turn this into a breakout—surgeons like Dr. Daniel Acevedo call it a “game-changer.”
From lab to OR, it’s healing faster and scaling bigger—one shoulder at a time.
The Head-Turner: AI’s loud, but steel and bone might be the sleeper hit of 2025.
📎 See the Shift: Schedule an Intro Call | Investor Deck | Venture Summary
👩🏻❤️👨🏻 VIDA Select – AI Meets Love: Disrupting a $10B Industry
The Spotlight: Dating’s a $10B mess—until Founders Scott Valdez and Alex Freund shifted gears with VIDA Select. Valdez kicked things off in 2009, a self-taught matchmaker who saw potential in a market drowning in outdated apps and shallow swipes. His early days tweaking profiles for clients revealed a bigger opportunity: technology could do this smarter.
Together, they’ve built a $3M revenue engine that fuses data and behavioral science into AI-driven matchmaking. What started as a niche service has grown into a first-mover in a $10B space, proving that love—at scale—can be both profitable and precise.
They’re not just playing in the dating game; they’re redefining it with every match they make. Learn how VIDA is serving thousands of clients globally. Check VIDA
The Founders:
Scott Valdez, Founder & CEO – Scott’s a serial entrepreneur who turned a personal pain point into a global win. Back in 2009, he was a burned-out sales guy at Trusted Translations, juggling long hours and a dismal dating life. Online dating felt like a second job—until he cracked the code with killer profiles and outsourced the grind to a writer pal, landing dates (and later, his wife!) effortlessly. That lightbulb moment birthed VIDA Select. With a University of Georgia degree and a decade scaling ventures—like Enamour Matchmaking alongside VIDA—he’s grown a two-person gig into a 200-strong team serving thousands. Media call him a “modern dating guru” (NYT, Men’s Health), but it’s his knack for blending grit, tech, and heart that hooks investors. Book an intro.
Alex Freund, Co-Founder & President – Alex is the ops wizard who scales Scott’s vision. Ex-Uber, he thrived in the chaos of their hypergrowth years, mastering systems that turn ideas into empires. Before VIDA, he honed his chops at a SaaS startup, streamlining processes for max impact. He’s the quiet force ensuring every match lands—and every client raves—making him the backbone investors trust to keep VIDA humming.
The Buzz:
Love at scale: $3M and counting in a market begging for a reboot. Forbes.
First-mover edge in a $10B industry—think Match.com with sharper tech.
Valdez’s pivot from manual to AI matchmaking is quietly redefining romance.
The Head-Turner: AI’s everywhere, but who saw it rewriting your next date?
📎 Catch the Wave: Schedule an Intro Call | VIDA Select on LinkedIn | Reviews
Why They Matter: These aren’t just startups—they’re early indicators of what’s coming next.
🐟 Chisos is redefining the investment game by betting on talent over hype—putting underrated founders in the spotlight.
🐟 Aevumed is one FDA nod away from revolutionizing orthopedics and tackling a $90B market.
🐟 VIDA is turning a $10B industry into an AI-powered playground, setting the stage for massive disruption.
This is #FounderFriday, where the future takes the spotlight—and you’ve got a front-row seat. Don’t just watch history being made—be part of it.
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Founder Friday dives into the future of funding—where today’s bold ideas meet tomorrow’s capital. A must-read for entrepreneurs navigating the evolving investment landscape!