Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Going Deep with Aaron Watson
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 260 Anthony Vennare, Building a Fitness Media & Technology Company the Right Way | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:35:04 | |
I love meeting people who beat the odds. Anthony Vennare was supposed to be a “dumb jock”. He wasn’t supposed to open a gym and find profitability within 2 months. He wasn’t supposed to raise millions of dollars to get more people working out. He wasn’t supposed to sign deals with massive healthcare companies and turn the world of digital content writing on its head.
Luckily, no one told him.
Today, Anthony is the co-founder and CEO of Fitt – a media and technology company that connects people to local health and fitness activities. They’ve got big plans for the future and anyone in the content & branding game needs to study what they’re doing.
I got him for 40 minutes over the weekend and hustled to get this episode out ASAP because it got me so fired up. Hope you enjoy it.
Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.
Anthony’s Challenge; Leave behind everything in your life that is stuck in the status quo. Write down a plan and execute on one step every month in the new direction.
Resources
| |||
| 577 Why China won’t Invade Taiwan | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:44:26 | |
In this episode, Aaron Watson speaks with Dale Copeland about the likelihood of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Dale Copeland, a professor at the University of Virginia, specializes in trade, war, and economic interdependence. Known for his theory of trade expectations, he explores how future trade expectations shape war and peace, challenging conventional views in works like Economic Interdependence and War. Copeland argues the risk is lower than some believe, citing military, economic, and geopolitical constraints on Xi Jinping. We explore how trade dependencies shape global security and why China’s economic vulnerabilities serve as a key deterrent.
Piper Creative makes creating videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. | |||
| 569 Timeless Wisdom w/ Kevin Kelly | 30 Apr 2023 | 00:41:14 | |
Kevin Kelly co-founded Wired magazine in 1993, served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years, and was a pioneer from the early days of the internet. He is an author of several bestselling books and is a return guest on this podcast.
Kevin’s book Excellent Advice for Living is a small book of wisdom, in a pocketable format with 450 tweetable bits of advice that he wished he had known earlier. Kevin was prompted to collect these thoughts after a recent birthday caused him to reflect on which lessons he could pass to his children. In this episode, Aaron and Kevin talk about aphorisms, why it was important for him to write this book now, and the impact he hopes he has on his family. Kevin Kelly’s Challenge; Think about how to be a good ancestor. Work on one good thing that you think your future generation will thank you for, or thank your great grandparents for something that they have done that you’re proud and thankful for. Connect with Kevin Kelly Twitter Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier If you liked this interview, check out our episode about Four Huge Startup Exits w/ Jason Wolfe Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs. Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 481 New Modalities of Medication w/ Jonathan Steckbeck (Peptilogics founder) | 14 Jun 2021 | 00:32:45 | |
Jonathan Steckbeck is the founder of Peptilogics, a biotechnology platform company that develops best-in-class novel peptide drugs for unmet medical needs. He also has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine.
Amongst other problems, his company Peptilogics is focused on developing a new category of antibiotics. It has been 20 years since there was a genuinely new class of antibiotics, yet bacterial cells have continued to evolve and develop into drug-resistant infections.
In this interview, Jonathan and Aaron discuss the founding of Peptilogics, why they’re focused on this new modality of medication, and the FDA approval process.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Jonathan Steckbeck’s Challenge; If there’s something that you want to do that doesn’t exist, go do it. Connect with Jonathan Steckbeck
If you liked this interview, check out episode 456 with Pete DeComo where we discuss the long, arduous process of developing a medical device and episode 443 with Blake Dube where we talk about better oxygen tanks.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 480 Autonomous Vehicles, Angel Investing, and Tech Talent w/ Euan Guttridge | 07 Jun 2021 | 00:43:42 | |
Euan Guttridge is the Director of Technical Program Management at Waymo and previously held the same position with Uber’s self-driving car division.
Between these two roles, Euan developed an angel investing syndicate under the banner Reinforced Ventures. The syndicate differentiates itself for the technical proficiency of its limited partners, bringing a fresh perspective to the companies it invests in.
Euan’s portfolio includes a number of past Going Deep podcast guests including; Gridwise, Locomation, UpContent, Fifth Season, Edge Case Research, and Honeycomb Credit. While not geographically exclusive, Reinforced does focus on Pittsburgh because of its over $10 billion of academic research funded and $6.6 billion of private funding in technology over the past decade.
In this conversation, Euan and Aaron discuss a career developing autonomous vehicle technology, how an AngelList syndicate works, and how to do thorough due diligence.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Euan Guttridge’s Challenge; Follow your curiosity. Connect with Euan Guttridge
If you liked this interview, check out some of Euan’s portfolio companies like Locomation’s Çetin Meriçli, Edge Case Research’s Mike Wagner, and Gridwise’s Ryan Green.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 479 Building Dams, Bridges, and Robots w/ Stephen Muck (Brayman Construction Corporation) | 31 May 2021 | 00:31:49 | |
Steve Muck is the CEO of Brayman Construction, a heavy civil and geotechnical contractor that builds bridges, dams, and other large infrastructure. Steve is also the cofounder of construction-related robotics startups TyBot and Advanced Construction Robotics.
Steve has started or acquired twenty businesses and currently operates a portfolio of entities that in construction-related endeavors alone runs approximately $200 million in revenue annually.
Steve acquired the company over 28 years ago in a leveraged buyout and has since acquired a number of companies as he has expanded his business empire.
In this episode, Steve and Aaron discuss how Steve got started in construction, the company’s ‘Dragon Slayer’ ethos, and how he has upskilled his team in order to escape competition.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Stephen Muck’s Challenge; Take a risk. Connect with Stephen Muck
If you liked this interview, check out episode 412 with Jake Loosararian where we discuss industrial robotics and raising one of Pittsburgh’s biggest Series A financings.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 478 Acquisitions, Real Estate, and Corporate Strategy w/ Jon Pastor | 24 May 2021 | 00:39:20 | |
Jon Pastor is the SVP for Consumer Solutions at RealPage, a leading global provider of software and data analytics to the real estate industry. RealPage was trading publicly at over $10 billion market capitalization before being taken private by Thoma Bravo.
Jon’s entrepreneurial career started when he cofounder RentJungle with previous guest Geng Wang. That company was acquired in 2014 and Jon chose to stay on and lead the acquiring company as President.
Four years later, that company was acquired by RealPage.
In this conversation, Jon and Aaron discuss the lessons from all these acquisitions, the challenges facing the real estate industry, and the incentives that guide successful organizations.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Jon Pastor’s Challenge; Create a list of ideas for projects or businesses that you could start. Connect with Jon Pastor
If you liked this interview, check out episode 474 with Geng Wang where we discuss three startups, social enterprise, and where to find motivation.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 477 Duolingo's Evolution w/ Chief Product Officer Jorge Mazal | 17 May 2021 | 00:39:04 | |
Jorge Mazal is the Chief Product Officer for Duolingo. Duolingo is a free language-learning website and mobile app with over 500 million downloads, 40 million monthly active users, and a valuation of over $1 billion.
Jorge previously worked on the product for Zynga, MyFitnessPal, and Kleiner Perkins. Today he blends skills in design, gamification, and leadership to manage a product team that has 10xed in size since he joined the company.
In this episode, Jorge and Aaron discuss how Duolingo makes product decisions, the importance of interpersonal skills, and how Jorge’s background has prepared him to excel in this role.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Jorge Mazal’s Challenge; Find some time to go help someone, with no expectation of anything in return. Connect with Jorge Mazal
If you liked this interview, check out our conversation with Jason Wolfe where we discuss tech products, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 476 Geopolitical Alpha w/ Marko Papic | 10 May 2021 | 01:05:07 | |
Marko Papic leads the strategy team at Clocktower Group, an alternative investments firm. Clocktower offers long-term strategic investment strategies to their clients, investment managers and institutional allocators.
Marko brings his constraints framework, outlined in his book Geopolitical Alpha, to analyzing the geopolitical trends of the day. His ability to accurately forecast major political events has enormous ramifications for portfolios.
In this episode, Marko and Aaron discuss how the future of China-US conflict, Turkey’s geopolitical prospects, and how to break into the geopolitical analysis field.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Marko Papic’s Challenge; Spend time around people with the opposite political and cultural perspective of you. Connect with Marko Papic Website
If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Mike Green where we discuss Bitcoin and index funds.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 475 Cognitive Immunology w/ Andy Norman | 03 May 2021 | 00:42:54 | |
Andy Norman is a researcher focused on studying how ideologies short-circuit minds and corrupt moral understanding.
His studies have led him to develop a toolkit of methods for improving reasoning and share them in his book, Mental Immunity.
His hope is that a collection of academic research can be lassoed together to serve as the foundation of a new scientific field, Cognitive Immunology. Cognitive immunology would explore the ability of researchers to develop a mind vaccine to inoculate individuals against dangerous ideas.
In this conversation, Andy and Aaron discuss the dangers of loneliness, the importance of dialogue, and the future of viral ideas.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Andy Norman’s Challenge; Learn to treat your ideas as houseguests. Perhaps one day they will depart, and you will be glad. Connect with Andy Norman
Books Mentioned Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think by Andy Norman Tribe by Sebastian Junger The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
If you liked this interview, check out episode 472 with Demetri Kofinas where we discuss epistemic truth, geopolitics, and.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Subscribe on | |||
| 474 Selling Companies, Making an Impact, and Having Fun w/ Geng Wang, Civic Champs CEO | 26 Apr 2021 | 00:40:33 | |
Geng Wang is the CEO and co-founder of Civic Champs, a software startup focused on creating s seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations
This is Geng’s third commercial venture. He’s previously co-founded two companies; RentJungle.com, an apartment search engine that sold in 2014 to The Rainmaker Group, and Community Elf (rebranded as Cosmitto), a social media management firm which we sold in 2017 to a PE firm, Topanga Partners.
Given his past successes, Geng is looking to both create financial and social impact with his latest company. He has leveraged a number of startup incubators, including TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, Elevate Ventures, Innovation Works, TechStars Iowa, and Mass Challenge, to get it off the ground.
In this episode, Geng and Aaron discuss how motivation changes through an entrepreneur’s career, the nature of product development, and how to design a startup’s culture.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Geng Wang’s Challenge; For National Volunteering Month, get out there and go find an avenue to help your community. Connect with Geng Wang geng@civicchamps.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 12 with Scott Rogerson where we discuss Community Elf, social media management, and their software spinout UpContent.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 473 Flying Cars and the Future w/ Sanjiv Singh & Near Earth Autonomy | 19 Apr 2021 | 00:53:37 | |
Sanjiv Singh is CEO and cofounder of Near Earth Autonomy, a technology company focused on autonomous flight.
Sanjiv has 25 years of experience working on autonomous ground and air vehicles. He came to Pittsburgh 30 years ago to participate in the DARPA challenge and has spent decades exploring different applications for self-driving and self-flying robots.
Near Earth Autonomy started by developing self-flying technology for the United States Government and has expanded to bring their technological capabilities to a variety of enterprise customers.
In this conversation, Sanjiv and Aaron discuss applications for self-flying vehicles, the origins of the company, and the difference between working with the military and the FAA.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Sanjiv Singh’s Challenge; Imagine a world in which you could autonomously fly from point A to point B. Connect with Sanjiv Singh
If you liked this interview, check out episode 306 with Bryan Salesky where we discuss autonomous vehicles and episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss university technology transfer.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 472 Hidden Forces w/ Demetri Kofinas | 12 Apr 2021 | 00:58:30 | |
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and host of Hidden Forces, a podcast devoted to exploring the underlying forces driving the most powerful changes we see in the world.
His show covers a wide range of topics, including culture, philosophy, economics, technology, social science, and the hard sciences.
Demetri has previously co-founded Guerilla Gaming Concepts, an interactive entertainment company focused on the middleware of gaming. He has also reported on financial news and told stories to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
In addition to his show, Demetri consults blockchain and distributed ledger technology companies, helping them anticipate security vulnerabilities by building theoretical attack frameworks against token-based systems, and he consults hedge funds and venture capital firms on how to invest in and around these same emerging technologies.
In this episode, Aaron and Demetri have a far-reaching conversation about truth, technological progress, and geopolitics.
Mentioned The Meaning of Human Existence by Edward O. Wilson
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Demetri Kofinas’s Challenges; 1. Hold yourself to a higher standard.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 463 with Jeff Booth where we discuss the deflationary nature of technology.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 568 Four Huge Startup Exits w/ Jason Wolfe | 16 Apr 2023 | 00:44:05 | |
Jason Wolfe is the definition of a serial entrepreneur. He sold MyCoupons.com for roughly $23 million in 2000, shortly before the DotCom bubble burst. Jason rolled over his proceeds into successive wins with his companies Direct Response Technologies (acquired by Digital River for $22 million), Jambo Media (for $15 million) and Giftcards.com (by Blackhawk Network for $120 million). Pretty impressive. Even more so when you consider how he grew up. After growing up in the Milton Hershey School, an orphanage founded by Milton Hershey, Jason was living out of his car. He taught himself how to code by using books at the local library and CompUSA's 'Building the Perfect Web'. This led to building the first coupon website and launching his first internet business. From 1995 to 2000, Jason built the business, raising $500k in VC from Jupiter Media and garnering >$1 million in annual sales and 20 million page views per month. Today, he is building GiftYa, GiveInKind, and PerfectGift, which have the potential to be his biggest businesses yet. Jason’s Challenge; Give more. Be Kind. Pull someone else up. Connect with Jason Wolfe Linkedin jason@wolfe.com Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs. Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 471 Black Tech Nation Ventures and Career Strategy w/ David Motley | 05 Apr 2021 | 00:53:30 | |
Black Tech Nation Ventures is launching its first flagship venture fund in Pittsburgh, PA. The firm is founded by three managing partners, Kelauni Jasmyn, Sean Sebastian, and David Motley have come together to form an investment thesis focused on investing in black and other minority founders who have historically missed out on opportunities to raise venture capital.
As David outlines in this podcast, these represent an underutilized asset capable of creating outsized returns, not a charitable donation.
David brings experience from three decades in corporate America, sitting on the boards of multiple public companies, investing tens of millions of dollars into real estate, and a track record of venture investments through the Blue Tree Venture Fund. David has also raised a $207 Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle (SPAC) called Deep Lake Capital.
David Motley has also co-founded 3 enterprises: The BlueTree Venture Fund, DLM-WCM (a real estate development company) and, MCAPS, LLC (a professional services company focused on Managed Services, Staff Augmentation, and Consulting).
In this episode, David and Aaron also discuss how to craft a fulfilling career, how to raise money from large institutions, and why SPACs are taking off.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
David Motley’s Challenge; Don’t undershoot. Set a goal and go after it. Connect with David Motley
If you liked this interview, check out episode 265 with Kelauni Jasmyn about Black Tech Nation, episode 290 with Ned Renzi about Birchmree Ventures, or episode 405 with Matt Kesinger about his medical device startup.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 470 Sports Gambling, Venture Capital, and FanDuel w/ Paul Martino | 29 Mar 2021 | 00:37:31 | |
Paul Martino is a venture capital investor and has raised 5 funds totaling over $350 million in capital. That money has been deployed into FanDuel, Grove, Ipsy, and SpotHero.
Before forming Bullpen, Paul was an active angel investor and personally invested in the first rounds of Zynga, TubeMogul, and uDemy.
Prior to his investing career, Paul founded four companies including Ahpah Software (a computer security firm acquired by InterTrust) and Aggregate Knowledge (a big data advertising attribution company acquired in 2014 by Neustar). He is the holder of over a dozen core patents covering social networking and big data.
In this episode, Paul and Aaron discuss the FanDuel success, his advice for startups going through tough times, and the different space that venture capital investors make their mark.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Paul Martino’s Challenge; Start every meeting on time Connect with Paul Martino
If you liked this interview, check out episode 231 with Andy Rachleff where we discuss how to find non-consensus investing ideas that work.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 469 Free Bitcoin for Shopping? w/ Aubrey Strobel & Lolli | 22 Mar 2021 | 00:34:26 | |
Aubrey Strobel is the Head of Comms for Lolli, a free browser extension that lets users earn free bitcoin when shopping online.
The platform’s mission is to help make cryptocurrency more accessible to the average shopper. Founded in 2018, Lolli has over 1,000 retail partners including Expedia, Nike, and Glossier.
In this episode, Aubrey and Aaron discuss stacking sats, bringing women into crypto, and how Aubrey has modeled the Lolli brand and marketing off of Barstool Sports.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Aubrey Strobel’s Challenge; Call an elderly person in your life. Connect with Aubrey Strobel
If you liked this interview, check out episode 426 with Flori Marquez where we discuss creating the ‘Chase Bank’ of crypto, BlockFi.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 468 Mike Green: Index Funds, Bitcoins, and Telling the Truth | 15 Mar 2021 | 00:53:57 | |
Mike Green is the Chief Strategist at Logica Funds and has spent nearly 30 years studying markets.
These days, he calls on that experience and his proprietary research to educate the public, the Federal Reserve, the BIS, and the IMF about the shift from actively managed portfolios and investment funds to systematic passive investment strategies.
Previously, Mike has served as the portfolio manager for Thiel Macro, an investment firm that manages the personal capital of Peter Thiel, founded Ice Farm Capital, a discretionary global macro hedge fund seeded by Soros Family Management, and founded and managed the New York office of Canyon Capital Advisors, a $23B multi-strategy hedge fund.
In this conversation, Mike and Aaron discuss the popular narratives around index funds and Bitcoin, what those narratives get wrong, and how to effectively develop non-consensus views when investing.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Mike Green’s Challenge; Vote better. Connect with Mike Green
If you liked this interview, check out episode 427 with Ben Hunt where we discuss investing and the Coronavirus, or episode 339 with Jim DeCicco where we discuss building his healthy coffee company.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 467 Conservation Labs founder Mark Kovscek | 08 Mar 2021 | 00:42:12 | |
Mark Kovscek is a mathematician, inventor, and entrepreneur. His company, Conservation Labs, builds and sells a smart water meter that provides consumption insights, custom conservation recommendations, and leak detection.
At the cutting edge of Internet-of-Things and conservation, Mark uses his experience from a career building products and delivering solutions to address multi-billion dollar challenges.
He has spent time using his mathematics skills in marketing analytics, finance, and supply chain management, but says this is the most compelling challenge he’s ever faced.
In this episode, Mark and Aaron discuss the sound that pipes make, where the idea came from, and the potential for environmental and bottomline impact.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Mark Kovscek’s Challenges
Referenced Connect with Mark Kovscek
If you liked this interview, check out episode 432 with Charlie Dolan where we discuss waste management, tech, and bootstrapping a software company.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 466 How to Become a Venture Capitalist w/ Matt Harbaugh (Mountain State Capital) | 01 Mar 2021 | 00:44:32 | |
Matt Harbaugh is a co-founder and Managing Director at Mountain State Capital. The 20 million dollar fund has invested in over 16 firms in the greater Appalachia region.
Prior to founding MSC, Matt served as CEO of a machine learning-based software company that was acquired by Facebook and was the Chief Investment Officer at Innovation Works, one of the most active seed funds in the United States.
Across his career, Matt has invested in, managed, and advised more than 100 private companies over the past twenty years. He realized that he was interested in being involved in venture capital back in 1999 as an investment banker at PNC and has spent more than a decade and a half preparing himself to succeed.
In this episode, Matt and Aaron discuss his career arc, the venture capital business model, and how startups in the region are still lacking enough funding options.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Matt Harbaugh’s Challenge; Build the skills and find an avenue to be an entrepreneur.
Mountain State Capital Website
If you liked this interview, check out our conversation with Stephen Gurgovits about private equity in Western PA and our conversation with Glen Meakem about the DotCom bubble and his experience venture investing.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 465 $250k Revenue in Year One Selling Saas Companies w/ Andrew Gazdecki (MicroAcquire) | 15 Feb 2021 | 00:41:12 | |
Andrew Gazdecki is the solo founder of MicroAcquire, a marketplace for buying and selling small Software-as-a-Service companies.
He has previously started two companies, Bizness Apps and Altcoin.io, which were both acquired.
MicroAcquire has reached $250,000 in annual revenue in just one year, by collecting fees from buyers in exchange for connecting with the entrepreneurs selling their business. Andrew is applying lessons that he’s learned from past successful companies to *hopefully* make this his best business yet.
In the episode, Aaron and Andrew discuss playing entrepreneurship on “hard mode”, the mistakes Andrew has made in the past, and how MicroAcquire has grown to more than 30,000 subcscribers.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Andrew Gazdecki’s Challenge; Start journaling. Document your goals, memories, and experiences. Connect with Andrew Gazdecki
If you liked this interview, check out episode 394 with Ryan Kulp where we discuss buying and selling small businesses.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 464 Computer Vision and Company Spin Outs w/ Chris Anderson | 08 Feb 2021 | 00:25:10 | |
Chris Anderson is the founder and Chief Technical Officer of Innotescus. He leads a multi-functional team of machine learning scientists, software architects, and engineers that are innovating in the world of image annotation software.
Prior to founding Innotescus, Mr. Anderson was the Director of Software Engineering and IT for ChemImage. Here he oversaw the core innovative software products for hyperspectral data acquisition, analysis and visualization. These products range in application potential across forensics, defense, pharmaceutical and medical markets.
He joined ChemImage in 1999 as intern developing a data-driven course on “Chemical Imaging”; assuming exponentially increased responsibilities over time as the core imaging technology of ChemImage required ever more dynamic and intuitive software.
In this conversation, Aaron and Chris discuss spinning the company out of ChemImage, how Chris has taught himself the technology, and the constant curiosity needed to succeed.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Chris Anderson’s Challenge; Learn something new every day.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 399 with Hayden Cardiff where we discuss spinning the company out of Pitt Ohio, challenges in the trucking industry, and raising capital.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 463 Deflation, the Internet, and Entrepreneurial Resilience w/ Jeff Booth | 01 Feb 2021 | 00:44:21 | |
Jeff Booth led BuildDirect, a technology company he co-founded in 1999, for nearly two decades through the dot-com meltdown, the 2008 financial crisis, and many waves of technological disruption.
BuildDirect aimed to simplify the building industry and graduated from online catalog to logistics network to artificially intelligent platform.
Last year, Jeff released his first book “The Price of Tomorrow – Why Deflation is Key to an Abundant Future” where he outlines the current state of our economy and what must happen to enable a brighter future.
Jeff believes it essential for everyone to understand the deflationary nature of technological progress and the implications of this core truth. In this episode, Aaron and Jeff discuss this idea, the story of BuildDirect, and how anyone can use this period of upheaval as an opportunity.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Jeff Booth’s Challenge; Have empathy. Recognize that economic deflation and its symptoms are causing political polarization.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 440 with Brent Johnson where we discuss his Dollar Milkshake Theory and its implications for entrepreneurs.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 462 Blockchain Projects, Interoperability, and Harmony w/ Stephen Tse | 25 Jan 2021 | 00:34:49 | |
Stephen Tse, is founder and CEO of Harmony.one. Harmony is a blockchain-based open source development project with its own cryptocurrency.
Stephen has been obsessed with protocols and compilers since high school. He reverse-engineered ICQ and X11 protocols, coded in OCaml for more than 15 years, and graduated with a doctoral degree in security protocols and compiler verification from the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to founding Harmony, he has worked a researcher at Microsoft, a senior infrastructure engineer at Google, and sold his startup, Spotsetter, to Apple.
In this conversation, Stephen and Aaron discuss how a blockchain project is like a traditional startup, the technical tradeoffs of blockchains, and how Stephen expects future projects to work together.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Stephen Tse’s Challenge; Set up a monthly newsletter to your close friends and family to keep them updated on recent events. Connect with Stephen Tse
If you liked this interview, check out our library of past episodes with blockchain innovators, investors, and entreprenuers.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 567 EOS and The Transformation of Digital Marketing Agency w/ Lyn Askin (Raxxar Digital Marketing) | 09 Apr 2023 | 00:43:34 | |
Lyn Askin is the founder and CEO of Raxxar Digital Marketing, a leading digital marketing agency based in Louisiana. Lyn has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing and has expertise in SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing to create comprehensive campaigns that drive results. Recently, Lyn’s agency has hit a new level, thanks in large part to implementing the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) outlined in the book Traction by Gino Wickman. His revenue triple, team size doubled, and profit 7xed in a short period of time. Lyn was so impacted that he’s become a professional EOS implementer, helping business owners and leadership teams implement this powerful framework to improve their business processes, increase productivity, and drive growth. In this episode Aaron and Lyn talk about his experience in the digital marketing industry, how he cracked the code in making his business much larger and more profitable, and how a personal health scare catalyzed change. Lyn Askin’s Challenge; Sit with your leadership team, define and live your business’ Core Values. Connect with Lyn Askin Linkedin If you liked this interview, check out our episode about the Million Dollar Agencies and Elite Mindsets w/ Jordan Ross (8 Figure Agency) Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs. Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 461 Ghostwriting and the Business of Books w/ Joshua Lisec | 18 Jan 2021 | 00:38:52 | |
Joshua Lisec has been a ghostwriter for a decade. Public figures hire him to write compelling books, newsletters, and tweets in their voice, so that they can build their media platform.
He has helped to write best selling and critically aclaimed books and teaches the best practices publicly online. Joshua coaches his clients to offer higher-ticket services, courses, and products in conjunction with book sales to build a sustainable business.
In this podcast, Joshua and Aaron discuss the business model behind most successful books, why traditional publishing deals are hard to get, and how ghostwriters are like actors.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Joshua Lisec’s Challenge; Use the ‘Jobs to be Done’ framework to evaluate your business offering and improve it. Connect with Joshua Lisec
If you liked this interview, check out episode XX with XX where we discuss XX.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 460 How a Refounder turned a Failing Business into a Massive Success w/ Patrick Colletti (Net Health) | 11 Jan 2021 | 00:36:28 | |
Patrick Colletti is the founder of Net Health a $100M+ cloud-based provider of specialized software that serves specialized medical facilities like wound centers, senior care, and occupational therapy.
When Patrick began his tenure as company president in 2001, Net Health was experiencing significant financial turmoil resulting in laying off all but 2 employees.
By utilizing a Refounder mindset as a framework for success, Patrick was able to spur rapid business growth and cultivate a flourishing corporate culture. He has spent two decades serving in multiple leader positions at Net Health, including the president, chief revenue officer, and chief operating officer.
Now he wants to share what he has learned.
In this episode, Patrick and Aaron discuss selling to private equity, building a company culture, and scaling the company.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Patrick Colletti’s Challenge; Regardless of your experience or seniority, recognize that you can be the change that you want to see in your organization. Connect with Patrick Colletti
Book Referenced 4 Disciplines of Execution by Jim Huling Chris McChesney, and Sean Covey
If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Dr. Chris Howard where we discuss leadership and the role of universities.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 459 Cold Emails, Big Tech Censorship, and Delegating Effectively w/ Alex Berman | 04 Jan 2021 | 00:38:59 | |
Alex Berman is an actual serial entrepreneur. Before the age of 30, he has built a 7-figure agency, completed multiple movie projects, and built a 50,000 subscriber YouTube channel.
Most folks feel content to throw that title in their bio as a way to summarize some half-finished projects.
Alex, on the other hand, builds systems in a focused and brutally efficient way. He has delegated leadership of his agency, Experiment 27, to someone else and has now set about acquiring more companies for his growing empire.
Further, he has generated millions of dollars of B2B services revenue with his cold emailing skill.
In this conversation, Alex and Aaron jump around discussing how Alex got his start, what makes a good cold email, and lay out the interrelated conglomerate Alex is building.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Alex Berman’s Challenge; Find someone that you look up to and reach out with a cold email. Connect with Alex Berman
If you liked this interview, check out episode 394 with Ryan Kulp where we discuss avoiding competition, thinking creatively, and how he’s built a business empire through acquisitions.
Also, Noah Kagan.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 458 $100 Million Turnaround in the Oil and Gas Industry w/ Mark Marmo of Deep Well Services | 28 Dec 2020 | 00:30:49 | |
When Mark Marmo took over as the CEO of Deep Well Services, the company was losing $2 million per year on $9 million in revenue. Six years later, Deep Well Services was making $30 million in net income on $110 million in revenue.
Mark accomplished this by focusing on bringing an innovative & efficient service to the market, building a healthy company culture, and trusting his data analysts to make good decisions.
In this conversation, Aaron and Mark discuss the standard he has implemented, the challenges of 2020, and the plans Mark is making for the future.
Deep Well Services’ mission is to help make North America energy independent and his team is proud to be working toward that end.
Their clients include Ascent Resources, CNX, Chevron, Shell, XTO Energy, Hess Oil, Eclipse Resources, Range Resources, Gastar, Arsenal, HG Energy, Gulfport, Rice Energy, and Southwestern Energy.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Mark Marmo’s Challenge; Find a mentor. Build your network. Get into a firm with a great culture. Connect with Mark Marmo mmarmo@deepwellservices.com.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 425 with Matt Wieszczyk where we discuss land rights, gas prices, and the Marcellus Shale formation.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 457 ILLEGAL apparel and endless hustle w/ Frank Augustine | 21 Dec 2020 | 00:35:27 | |
Frank Augustine is the founder of ILLEGAL apparel.
Frank and his brother created the brand, and associated company, in their parent's basement back in 2013. He has spent the last 7 years scaling production, opening a store on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and learning many lessons about entrepreneurship.
He’s gotten the business off the ground via a relentless commitment to sales and a willingness to experiment with designs. Not bad for someone still in his early 20s.
In this episode, Aaron and Frank discuss the way he has positioned the brand, how Frank sold shirts in the early days, and the hard lessons he’s had to learn along the way.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Frank Augustine’s Challenge; Be grateful and be positive. Check out Earl Nightingale and Positive Mental Attitude. Connect with Frank Augustine
If you liked this interview, check out episode 451 with Will Dzombak where we discuss managing Wiz, marketing in Hip Hop, and launching a cloud kitchens restaurant.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 456 Peter DeComo Raised Over $100 Million to Develop Artificial Lungs | 14 Dec 2020 | 00:45:26 | |
Pete DeComo is the chairman and CEO of ALung Technologies. ALung is developing an artificial lung for patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Failure and has raised over $100 million to bring their product to market.
ALung’s Hemolung Respiratory Assist System is a dialysis-like alternative or supplement to mechanical ventilation that works by removing carbon dioxide directly from the blood. The medical device, which has been approved for use in 35 countries outside the U.S., has proven relevant during the 2020 Pandemic.
Prior to running ALung, Pete was the founder and CEO of Renal Solutions. Renal Solutions developed of similar product focused on kidney dialysis and was sold to Fresenius in 2007 for $200 million.
In this conversation, Pete discusses the arduous process of getting a medical device approved by regulators, how he has raised over $140 million for his companies, and his advice for all entrepreneurs.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Peter DeComo’s Challenge; Dont be afraid to take some risk Connect with Peter DeComo pdecomo@alung.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 405 with Matt Kesinger where we discuss the development of his life saving medical device and episode 413 with Dr. Gordon Vanscoy where we discuss his startup which serves as a pharmacy for treating rare diseases.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 455 Bottomless Coffee and the Future of Ecommerce w/ Michael Mayer | 07 Dec 2020 | 00:50:06 | |
Michael Mayer is the co-founder and CEO of Bottomless, a company that uses wifi connected weight sensors to do automatic home restocking. Their first, and only, offering is fresh roasted coffee.
Every customer pays an annual fee (like an Amazon Prime membership) and receives a coffee scale. The scale measures the amount of coffee remaining in your bag and automatically sends you the next one when you’re running low.
Over time, Bottomless learns your coffee preferences and sends you personalized selections.
This is not a paid endorsement.
Bottomless was founded by Seattle-based by Mayer and his wife Liana Herrera in 2016. In 2018, they were admitted into the Y Combinator accelerator program.
In this episode, Aaron and Michael discuss the constraints Bottomless has had to overcome, the future products that Bottomless might sell, and what he learned at Y Combinator.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Michael Mayer’s Challenge; Curate your inputs. Unfollow anything in your information diet that is not a building block for good thought. Connect with Michael Mayer Get a Free Bag from Bottomless
If you liked this interview, check out this interview with Dr. Timothy Wong where we discuss reducing the cost of visiting a doctor and fundamentally rethinking medical care.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 454 Drug Development & Cytokine Storms w/ CytoAgents CEO Teresa Whalen | 30 Nov 2020 | 00:34:05 | |
Teresa Whalen is the CEO of CytoAgents, a startup focused on the development of solutions to combat persistent and potentially deadly strains of Influenza, COVID19, and other viruses.
Teresa’s career spans 20 years in the healthcare industry, including health technology executive, life sciences investor, and clinical pharmacist. She has brought multiple successful life-changing healthcare products to market.
She currently leads a team of clinical drug development experts and scientific advisory board members aiming to revolutionize treatment for respiratory illnesses and viral epidemics.
In this interview, Teresa and Aaron discuss the long process of FDA approval, how Teresa came to lead the company, and the dangers of a cytokine storm.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Teresa Whalen’s Challenge; Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Connect with Teresa Whalen
If you liked this interview, check out episode 338 with Courtney Williamson where we discuss developing a medical device or episode 413 with Dr. Gordon Vanscoy where we discuss his pharmacy that collects drugs for treating rare diseases.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 453 $8 Billion in Loans Issues to Save Small Businesses w/ Brock Blake, Lendio founder | 16 Nov 2020 | 00:44:42 | |
Brock Blake is the founder and CEO of Lendio, a marketplace for small business loans. Lendio offers borrowers access to loan options from more lenders than any other marketplace in the industry.
Brock has been building his company for nearly a decade and raised more than $100 million in venture capital. 2020 has stretched his team and tech to new heights, as they’ve facilitated over 100,000 PPP loan approvals and the issue of $8 Billion in funds.
In this conversation, Aaron and Blake discuss why Brock pivoted away from his first company, the challenges and constraints of scaling, and the values he’s instilled in his company culture.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Brock Blake’s Challenge; Identify someone important in your life and go have an experience with them. Connect with Brock Blake
If you liked this interview, check out episode 434 with Henry Schuck where we discuss his recent dollar IPO and becoming a billionaire.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 452 Thrasio, a Profitable Unicorn in Less than 3 Years w/ Casey Gauss | 09 Nov 2020 | 00:39:58 | |
Casey Gauss is the VP of Amazon SEO at Thrasio. Thrasio is one of the most interesting companies I’ve come across in years.
Thrasio was founded in 2018. It has gone on to raise $520.5 million and be valued at over $1 billion. The companies has acquired more than 70 businesses that sell products on Amazon.
By bundling the companies together, they aim to build the CPG powerhouse (think Unilever or Procter & Gamble) of the digital age. Casey leads the team’s efforts in optimizing Thrasio’s 6,000+ product pages on Amazon to ensure that they rank high.
This translates into lots of sales. Thrasio is profitable 🤯🤯🤯
In this conversation, Casey and Aaron discuss the Thrasio business model, how they acquire companies in less than 45 days, and the philosophy behind selling online.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Casey Gauss’s Challenge; Listen to audiobooks and increase the speed that you read them.
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins Connect with Casey Gauss
If you liked this interview, check out episode 413 with Dr. Gordon Vanscoy where we discuss building a Billion Dollar company selling rare pharmaceuticals, and episode 414 with Glen Meakem where we discuss FreeMarkets being a unicorn during the DotCom boom.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 566 Million Dollar Agencies and Elite Mindsets w/ Jordan Ross (8 Figure Agency) | 02 Apr 2023 | 00:37:38 | |
Jordan Ross is the founder and CEO of 8 Figure Agency. He is a systems expert with over 15 years of experience advising startups, mid-sized companies, and Fortune 500 organizations. 8 Figure Agency is a consultancy specializing in helping agencies scale their revenue and profitability. He and his team help agencies specializing in search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, and website design and development. In this episode, Aaron and Jordan talk about how his consultancy helps marketing firms scale from 6 to 8 figures, the systems of success, what he learned from working at Amazon, and neuro linguistic programming. Jordan Ross’ Challenge; Go all-in on yourself. Learn how to meditate and center yourself. Connect with Jordan Ross Linkedin If you liked this interview, check out our episode about Revenue in Year One Selling Saas Companies with Andrew Gazdecki Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs. Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 451 Wiz Khalifa’s Manager Will Dzombak talks Hotbox by Wiz, Artist Management, and Taylor Gang | 02 Nov 2020 | 00:36:35 | |
Will Dzombak is a Pittsburgh native and one of the entertainment industry’s top music managers. He’s helped guide the career of Grammy-nominated rapper Wiz Khalifa and cofounded Taylor Gang Entertainment.
As a student at Penn State, Will co-founded an events company, where he booked Wiz Khalifa will he was still just a rising Pittsburgh rapper. After the first show’s turnout exceeded expectations, Khalifa sought out Dzombak’s help with booking more shows for him.
Within a few years, Dzombak has helped Khalifa create one of the most successful and consistent summer tours for the last 7 years. He’s also been one of the executive producers on Khalifa’s last three full-length releases.
Together, Wiz and Will have built Taylor Gang Entertainment, invested in the e-sports team Pittsburgh Knights, and much more.
In this conversation, Aaron and Will discuss the early days of Wiz’s career, their new restaurant Hotbox by Wiz, and the marketing strategies that they’ve been early to embrace.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Will Dzombak’s Challenge; Start a second hustle. Connect with Will Dzombak
If you liked this interview, check out episode 358 with Jamilka Borges where we discuss the restaurant business, and episode 450 with Brian Scott where we discuss better planting soil.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 450 Save the Environment AND Healthier Plants w/ Better Soil (Brian Scott, PittMoss) | 26 Oct 2020 | 00:50:59 | |
Planting soil hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. Brian Scott wants to change that.
Brian is the CEO of PittMoss, a Pittsburgh startup that creates a recycled/upcycled substitute for peat moss.
Pittmoss has been proven in greenhouse trials to outgrow all current peat-based potting soil products when mixed with these products or when plants are grown in nutrient-enriched Pittmoss alone.
He is currently leading a company pivot to the retail market. Brian originally invested in the company as an angel investor, and took over the company when the founder moved on for family reasons.
In this episode, Brian and Aaron discuss leading a company through growth, the negative environmental impact of peat moss, and the company’s fundraising history, including money from Mark Cuban.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Brian Scott’s Challenge; Let’s make Pittsburgh the first peat-free city. Connect with Brian Scott
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 449 Setting Safety Standards for Driverless Vehicles w/ Michael Wagner, CEO of Edge Case Research | 19 Oct 2020 | 00:35:30 | |
Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Edge Case Research, a company focused on making autonomy safer. Edge Case Research’s ECR’s products and services are geared for customers who build autonomous systems.
The company’s offerings include software that tests for gaps in computer vision systems and consulting focused on prioritizing safety into an engineering department’s culture.
Michael’s experience with autonomous vehicles started twenty years ago at Carnegie Mellon University where he built lunar rovers for Red Whittaker, autonomous scientific robots that explored Antarctica, and self-driving technology for tackling harsh off-road terrain.
In this episode, Michael and Aaron discuss the origins of the company, how to translate ideas across organizations, and the multitude of industries that will be impacted by autonomous vehicles.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Michael Wagner’s Challenge; Go see the lunar rover seminar. Connect with Michael Wagner
If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Argo Ai founder Bryan Salesky about autonomous cars and the episode with Locomation CEO Çetin Meriçli where we discuss self-driving semi-trucks.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 448 How to Sell a Midsize Digital Agency w/ Amanda Dixon (Barney) | 12 Oct 2020 | 00:39:09 | |
Amanda Dixon is the cofounder of Barney, a mid-market M&A firm that helps entrepreneurs buy and sell digital businesses. They boast a database of more than 15,000 buyers and a dynamic portfolio of past mergers and acquisitions.
Before starting Barney, Amanda had previously started and sold two businesses. After successfully selling both businesses, Amanda became painfully aware of the challenges associated with selling a business worth less than $20 million.
Now, Amanda leverages her learnings to helping others exit their business in a way that is simple, focused, and financially advantageous. You can see the companies that are currently for sale through Barney on their website.
When she's not working, you can find Amanda with her husband and daughter at the beach or watching Frozen for the 1,000th time.
In this episode, Amanda and Aaron discuss how digital businesses get valued, why you shouldn’t share your customer list during due diligence, and what she learned selling her own businesses.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Amanda Dixon’s Challenge; Make a stranger smile this weekend. Connect with Amanda Dixon
If you liked this interview, check out episode 269 with Brent Beshore where we discuss selling family businesses and the unique models of private equity.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 447 Climbing the Entrepreneurial Ladder & Equity Crowdfunding w/ Dawn Dickson (PopCom) | 05 Oct 2020 | 00:34:31 | |
Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur that has launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002. Most recently, she splits her time between Flat Out of Heels (rollable flats for women to get relief from painful heels) and PopCom (a software solution to make vending machines more intelligent).
Dawn has an expertise in raising traditional and non-traditional business capital. In 2019, Dawn became the first female CEO globally to raise over $1 million using equity crowdfunding. This style of fundraising was made available by the JOBS Act, which was signed into law in 2012.
In this conversation, Dawn and Aaron get into a deep discussion of the stairstep approach to entrepreneurship. By starting as a consultant, graduating to a product business, and then moving on to software, Dawn has been able to build upon the knowledge, reputation, and capital she earned in each business.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Dawn Dickson’s Challenge; Hop on an equity crowdfunding platform and Connect with Dawn Dickson
Follow PopCom
If you liked this interview, check out episode 445 with Pierre Laguerre where we discuss how he is using technology to improve the lives of truck drivers.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 446 Raised $2 Million for Paid Podcast Membership Platform Glow.fm w/ Amira Valliani | 28 Sep 2020 | 00:31:33 | |
In 2017, Amira Valliani created Backyard Cambridge, a podcast about the City Council election in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She interviewed the candidates, produced the episodes, and built a small audience.
When she attempted to turn the show into a viable business, she found that there was no easy solution for collecting subscription revenue from listeners willing to pay for content.
So, she founded Glow. Glow makes building podcast memberships easy and has raised more than $2 million in seed funding.
In this episode, Amira and Aaron discuss why podcasters can make more money from subscriptions, Amira’s experience selling ads, and how startup life compares to the Hillary State Department.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Amira Valliani’s Challenge; Reconnect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Connect with Amira Valliani
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 445 Record-Setting Crowdfunder Building Tech Platform for Truck Drivers w/ Pierre Laguerre (Fleeting) | 21 Sep 2020 | 00:46:30 | |
Pierre Laguerre is the founder & CEO of Fleeting, a startup building a digital platform to increase flexibility, dynamism, and efficiency for trucking companies and commercial truck drivers.
Pierre previously built two successful trucking companies operating trucks and staffing for other trucking companies. He’s been involved in trucking for nearly two decades and has learned the industry inside and out.
Since launching Fleeting in June 2019, Pierre and the team have generated over $1.5 million in revenue and raised more than $1.8 million. Additionally, Pierre became the first black man to ever max out a crowdfunding campaign by raising the $1.07 million SEC max, via Republic.
In this conversation, Pierre and Aaron discuss how he got into trucking to escape poverty, the forces changing the trucking industry, and the harsh conditions that drivers deal with on a regular basis.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Pierre Laguerre’s Challenge; Look at the world like you only have 24 hours left. Connect with Pierre Laguerre
Book Referenced What the CEO Wants You To Know by Ram Charan
If you liked this interview, check out our past interviews covering trucking and logistics. Cetin Mericli talks about building self-driving semi-trucks. Kristy Knichel talks about building a 3rd party logistics company to over $80 million in revenue. Hayden Cardiff talks about saving lives with software.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 444 Refugee Builds $10 Million Business w/ Gene Leyzarovich (JetStor) | 14 Sep 2020 | 00:33:21 | |
25 years ago, Gene Leyzarovich came to Pittsburgh as a refugee from Russia. Within two years, he founded Advanced Computer & Network Corporation to build data storage systems for clients.
Decades later, AC&NC has installed their JetStor RAID (redundant array of independent disks) systems for over 4,000 clients around the world. Those clients include NASA, the US State Department, and a majority of the United Kingdom’s police force.
Now, ACNC does over $10 million in annual revenue and assembles its devices in Pittsburgh, PA.
In this conversation, Gene and Aaron discuss how he’s gone from selling 4-gigabyte units to multiple petabyte units for clients and how the business of hardware has evolved.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Gene Leyzarovich’s Challenge; Set a weekly goal and commit to achieving it. Connect with Gene Leyzarovich sales@acnc.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss building multiple software companies in the gift card space.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 2 Week Hiatus | 31 Aug 2020 | 00:05:15 | |
Check out the Expand Your Mind newsletter https://www.goingdeepsummit.com/expand-your-mind
Watch the Piper Rundown & Vlog on YouTube | |||
| 443 Oxygen Tanks for Pets w/ Blake Dube | 24 Aug 2020 | 00:37:00 | |
Blake Dube is the founder and CEO of Aeronics and the inventor of Pawprint Oxygen. Pawprint Oxygen is the world's first rescue oxygen supply for pets.
Blake studied oxygen as a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh and expected to develop products for human medical applications. However, a chance encounter with his landlord revealed an exciting market opportunity to bring an oxygen tank product to market for animals.
Now, his tanks are manufactured in the US and sold in veterinary clinics around the country.
In this conversation, Blake and Aaron discuss the origins of the company, how Blake found the right manufacturing partner, and the ongoing improvements that are made to their product.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Blake Dube’s Challenge; Treat customer service representatives with kindness and respect. Connect with Blake Dube
If you liked this interview, check out episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss spinning a company out of a university, selling a company for $300 million, and finding purpose in your work.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 565 A Local Food Revolution w/ Simon Huntley (Harvie) | 27 Mar 2023 | 00:38:03 | |
Simon Huntley is a farmer and entrepreneur who is passionate about helping small farmers succeed. He is the founder and CEO of Harvie, a company that helps farmers sell their products directly to consumers through a customizable subscription service. Harvie is a software platform that connects small farmers with consumers in their communities. The platform allows farmers to create customizable subscription services that offer weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of fresh, locally grown produce and other farm products. Harvie works by allowing farmers to create their own subscription services on the platform. Farmers can choose the products they want to offer, set their own prices, and customize the delivery schedule. Consumers can then sign up for the service and receive regular deliveries of fresh, locally grown produce and other farm products.. For farmers, Harvie provides a way to sell their products directly to consumers without having to go through middlemen like distributors or grocery stores. This allows farmers to earn a higher profit margin and build a stronger relationship with their customers. For consumers, Harvie provides access to fresh, locally grown produce and other farm products that are often of higher quality than what is available in grocery stores. Simon Huntley and Harvie are making it easier for small farmers to succeed by connecting them with consumers in their communities. With Harvie's customizable subscription service, farmers can sell their products directly to consumers, which benefits both parties. In this episode, Aaron and Simon talk about the decades of experience how he has grown his company, how they’re able to do it bootstrapped, and the lessons he learned building the logistics infrastructure to serve this function. Simon Huntley’s Challenge; Cook a meal for yourself and think about the people that made it possible. Connect with Simon Huntley Linkedin If you liked this interview, check out our episode with Christian Simmons who’s Changing the Liquor Landscape in Pennsylvania Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy. How? Click here and Learn more. We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs. Follow Piper as we grow | |||
| 442 Building a Multimillion-Dollar Web Design Agency w/ Mike Cleary (Huemor) | 17 Aug 2020 | 00:36:42 | |
Mike Cleary is the co-founder and CEO of Huemor, a Web Design Agency that helps B2B and DTC brands communicate more clearly, connect with their target audiences, and generate revenue. His company has helped some serious brands, including Revlon, Live Nation, GEICO, United Nations, Centivo, Net2Phone, Briogeo, Glow Recipe, Square One Justice.
Mike has been in business for nearly a decade and has learned a lot about the systems of business and how to implement them as you grow.
In this conversation, Mike and Aaron discuss how Mike got started with Craiglist customers, how Mike has implemented processes for everything, and why he moved the company to Pittsburgh.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Mike Cleary’s Challenge; Try something new that makes your uncomfortable. Connect with Mike Cleary
If you liked this interview, check out episode 438 with Ben Wilson where we discuss commercial real estate, digital agencies, and grit.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 441 Large Firms Need an Ethical Intruder to Test Cybersecurity w/ David Kane | 10 Aug 2020 | 00:33:18 | |
Over a decade ago, David Kane realized that there was a painful gap in cybersecurity. He built Ethical Intruder to fill that gap.
Today, Ethical Intruder helps clients across financial services, DoD, healthcare, and nonprofits reproduce vulnerable paths a hacker may take, so they can shore up their defenses. David’s ethical hacker teams conduct simulated malicious breaches of a wide variety of business applications and web-accessible entry points.
David has built his firm to be technology-agnostic, which comes with two benefits. First, they aren’t selling a specific solution regardless of its relevance. Second, they are accustomed to evaluating a dynamic collection of tools to identify the primary point of weakness.
In this conversation, Aaron and David discuss how to seel cybersecurity to any firm, why nonprofits need to keep their data secure, and the
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
David Kane’s Challenge; Find a way to build someone else up.
Mentioned Connect with David Kane
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
| |||
| 440 Brent Johnson explains Dollar Milkshake Theory for Entrepreneurs | 03 Aug 2020 | 00:43:54 | |
Brent Johnson is a wealth manager at Santiago Capital and a General Partner of the IceCap Strong Dollar Fund. Brent has had a multi-decade career in finance and has been responsible for managing billions of dollars.
Brent is well-known for his Dollar Milkshake Theory, where he expects a rapidly appreciating US Dollar over the next few years, relative to other world currencies.
Because the world is completely run by fiat currencies, cash whose value is not backed by some physical good such as gold or silver, Brent expects a massive devaluation of currencies across the board. Because of the U.S. is a relatively safer, stronger economy, he expects capital to flood into its domestic markets.
There are a lot of implications to the theory.
In this interview, Brent explains to Aaron what the Dollar Milkshake Theory is, how Brent’s career has unfolded, and the implications of a rising dollar for business owners and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.
Brent Johnson’s Challenge; Find someone you vehemently disagree with and have a conversation with them. Connect with Brent Johnson
If you liked this interview, check out all of our past interviews with finance thinkers, investors, and advisors.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow | |||