Episode description
Nick sits down with Tom Lucas and Morgan Dixon, co-founders of a startup that brought together an unlikely team—a 15-year-old, a 75-year-old, and PhDs—united in their mission to partner with disabled inventor Robert Brady to develop a tool for the hard of hearing and ultimately save a marriage.
This episode explores:
• How personal struggles fuel innovation
• The power of intergenerational collaboration
• The realities of launching, pivoting, and shutting down a startup
• Lessons in mentorship, legacy, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship
00:01 - Introduction
• Nick introduces the episode and guests
• The unusual partnership between a teen and a senior entrepreneur
01:23 - Robert Brady: The Inventor Behind It All
• A single amputee, later a double amputee, but an unstoppable innovator
• How his parents’ communication struggles led to a startup idea
• The emotional moment he revealed they were on the verge of divorce
02:38 - Merging Two Startups into One Mission
• Robert’s speech-to-text tool for the deaf
• Morgan’s text-to-speech tool for the blind
• How their ideas naturally aligned
04:03 - The Birth of a Startup
• The Coffee & Concepts community rallies to solve a real-world problem
• The minimum viable product: Early prototypes and key decisions
• Tom’s insights from his manufacturing background
07:05 - Building the Solution
• Moving beyond phone-based solutions to real-time room transcription
• Innovating with color-coded text for better clarity
• Beta testing in medical and senior care settings
10:44 - Morgan’s Journey: A 15-Year-Old Founder’s Perspective
• Learning business fundamentals from seasoned entrepreneurs
• Navigating mentorship while contributing as a peer
• How this experience shaped his future in research and AI
14:53 - Startup Realities: Highs, Lows & Lessons
• The challenges of scaling a niche technology
• The emotional weight of mission-driven startups
• Why building together is often more valuable than the final product
18:16 - Robert’s Passing & The End of the Startup
• How his death led the team to dissolve the company
• Honoring his legacy by supporting his family
• The impact left on each team member
21:07 - Lessons in Legacy & Innovation
• Nick’s framework: Listen → Launch → Leap → Legacy → Legend
• Why Robert became a ‘legend’ in their community
• The power of showing up, raising your hand, and solving real problems
22:39 - The Value of Project-Based Friendships
• Why mentorship isn’t about age—it’s about shared purpose
• How working together builds deep, lasting connections
• Rethinking friendship as mutual contribution rather than passive support
25:23 - Final Reflections
• The importance of taking action even when you don’t have all the answers
• How entrepreneurship fosters self-discovery and purpose
• The unexpected impact of a small act—Robert helped Morgan set up his first email, a habit that lives on in every message he sends
Memorable Quotes:
🗣 “Startups aren’t just about making money—they’re about making a difference.” – Tom Lucas
🗣 “Robert helped me set up my first email. To this day, I still sign off with ‘Cheers’—because he did.” – Morgan Dixon
Key Takeaways:
✅ The best ideas come from real problems
✅ Multi-generational teams bring unique strengths to innovation
✅ Startups are about solving problems, not just making money
✅ Failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the journey
✅ Meaningful friendships form when people build together