Season 1

Tired of vague advice and recycled startup clichés? So are we. This series is where founders get real answers from top investors, operators, and those who’ve actually built, raised, and scaled. onSpark welcomes you to Pipeline to Payday, the Founders Impact Series, powered by HubSpot for startups, onSpark, and The Deal Room. Featuring creators, VCs, angels, and more sharing insights and secrets for success.

No one likes to ask for money; but if you show up authentically, build your personal brand and nurture relationships the right way, money will eventually ask for you. This opening session is a candid kickoff featuring live storytelling and momentum-setting from a professional magician-turned-successfully funded founder. Joining this episode is the co-founder of Whitefriar, Jay Jay, who created a platform that helps founders and executives build authority, gain visibility, and stay searchable.

Is it real? If so, what does it take? Insights from Mark McNally and Barry O’Reilly, combined $4.6B in exits and $9B in IPO’s, on whether “solo-scaling” is myth or reality.

The Deal Room offers up to $5MM in financing for our founders through funding partners. With Tony Sabino joining us from Rock Financial to explain how his firm helps founders secure business funding.

In this episode, joining our panel is Julia Valentine, founder of the Digital Evolution Institute and Star Legend Family Office, collaborating with partnership wizard Karl Schlegel and Andrea Sullivan, CEO of Vyve by Vayner (VaynerX) on how data, instinct, and technology shape investment.

Gamehouse CEO Letta Jaye Watts (Grammy Award winner) joins creator economy powerhouse Phil Ranta to break down how to unlock your inner creator and master AI. In this episode, learn how to cut through the digital noise, build your brand, and thrive in the modern creator landscape.

Forget the sugar highs and coffee crashes, this episode is about flipping your body’s built-in switches. You’ll see one demo to calm your system, one to fire it up, and both backed by groundbreaking neuroscience. Learn how to reset between meetings so you’re not dragging the energy from one meeting into the next, and walk away with real-time techniques you can use the moment the pressure hits.

In this episode, we’re breaking down what it really means to collapse time through collaboration and how the right creative partnerships can turn years of slow progress into exponential momentum. Joined by the founder duo behind the Diva Network for an inspiring masterclass on strategic partnerships, credibility building, and personal empowerment. Learn how to leverage meaningful connections to elevate your brand and show up as your best self every single day.

In this episode, experts in finance and entrepreneurship discuss the importance of planning for a successful exit strategy as a founder. The panel includes professionals like Shawn Flynn, a managing director, Benjamin Novak, a partner at Morgan Lewis, Dr. Zahid Moneer, a healthcare investment banker, and Mark McNally, founder and Chief Nobody of a top. 10 venture studios. The discussion highlights practical strategies to ensure a smooth transition when the opportunity for acquisition arises.

In this episode pitches are evaluated by four judges who assess tech, storytelling, community, and finance, four founders pitch their startups. After founders deliver three-minute pitches and receive unfiltered investor feedback, with attendees casting their votes to determine winners.

In this episode, Caragh Kennedy who serves as the Head of Partnerships HubSpot for Startups, guides viewers on how to effectively track investors using HubSpot CRM. She highlights the challenges of using spreadsheets for fundraising and encourages viewers to leverage CRM tools for better results. The session addresses the complexities of starting and scaling a business in today's competitive landscape, offering practical advice for managing fundraising activities effectively.