Let's Grab Coffee Podcast ☕

Michael Roytman is a cybersecurity data scientist and entrepreneur. Born in East Germany and raised between Ukraine and Russia, he immigrated to the U.S. and studied industrial engineering at UIUC and operations research at Georgia Tech.

A lifelong builder, he founded TruckSpotting and Dharma Platform—a data tool used by WHO, MSF, and Save the Children—earning him a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30.

He spent nearly a decade at Kenna Security, co-creating the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), then became a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco.

Today, Michael is Co-Founder & CTO of Empirical Security, developing enterprise-specific AI models for cybersecurity. He also co-founded Sputnik Coffee in Chicago and serves on the Forbes Technology Council.

Betsy Fore is the first Native American (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) woman to raise a Series A and is now the Founding Partner of Velveteen Ventures, investing in children and the planet for the next seven generations. A three-time founder, she built two multi-million dollar brands — including Tiny Organics, which she grew from $0 to $13M+ — and WonderWoof, featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things and sold globally.

She’s an investor with XFactor Ventures and LongJump, serves on multiple boards, and co-founded Natives Rising, one of the largest Indigenous tech and founder communities. Betsy’s debut book, Built on Purpose, launches in 2025 with HarperCollins.

Rola Dagher is one of the most influential leaders in global technology — having served as Global Channel Chief at Dell Technologies and President & CEO of Cisco Canada.

Born in war-torn Lebanon, Rola’s journey from rebuilding her life in Canada to leading multibillion-dollar organizations is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and purpose-driven leadership.

Today, she advises executives and founders on how to lead with courage and clarity in the AI era — helping them shift from survival to significance.

Recognized among Canada’s Most Powerful Women, CRN’s 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, and appointed to the Order of Canada, Rola lives by her philosophy: “Learn it. Earn it. Return it.”

In this episode of the Let’s Grab Coffee Podcast, George Khalife sits down with Terry Graunke, Founder and Chairman of Erie Street Growth Partners, to unpack lessons from more than 30 years of building, leading, and investing in high-growth companies.From founding and selling his first company to taking one public and later running a private equity firm, Terry has experienced every stage of the business-building journey. Terry has led more than $1.8 billion in investments, served as Chairman, CEO, or Director of over 36 companies, and now guides Erie Street’s mission to help founders grow in a rapidly changing world.

Brian Wolfe is Managing Partner at Funded Ventures, a private investment firm, and is a retired partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. In addition to his teaching at Booth, Wolfe also teaches courses on private equity and entrepreneurship at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina, and previously co-led a SaaS “buy and build” with sale to private equity.Wolfe is on the board and audit committee of Chicago Public Media, the boards of Intersect Illinois, Breakthrough T1D (f/k/a JDRF) Illinois, the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic and the Skandalaris Center at Washington University in St. Louis, and is a member of the Illinois Courts Commission and the Economic Club of Chicago.