Episode 58: We spoke with Peter Pezaris, co-founder and CEO of CodeStream. We discuss the process behind selling a company, including how to know when it's time to sell as well as when to leave, the time he and his team spent as part of Y Combinator's Winter 2018 class, and how Peter has kept his founding team intact through four startups. Enjoy! Peter Pezaris, co-founder and CEO of CodeStream , a company helping development teams communicate more efficiently. Peter is a serial entrepreneur with...
Feb 11, 2020•55 min
Episode 57: We spoke with Pedro David Espinoza , internet entrepreneur, angel investor, and co-author of Differences That Make A Difference . We discuss diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including in-depth conversations about the gender pay gap, implementing policies such as blind interviews, and how diversity helps your bottom line. Enjoy! Pedro David Espinoza is an internet entrepreneur, angel investor, TED speaker, and author. At the age of 19, Pedro became the founder & CEO of Sm...
Feb 04, 2020•50 min•Ep. 57
Episode 56: We spoke with Eric Shoup, CEO at Peerspace, a marketplace for meetings, co-working, events, and more. We discuss the explosion of the sharing economy, the recent troubles at WeWork and how Peerspace has avoided falling into the same trap, as well as Eric's experience as a first-time CEO. Enjoy! Eric Shoup, CEO of Peerspace, a Google Venture-backed marketplace for meetings, co-working, events, and more. This year Peerspace has pursued an aggressive national expansion - and their busin...
Jan 28, 2020•50 min•Ep. 56
Episode 55: We spoke with Tiffany Rose, Co-founder at Lux Life Now (formerly Big Crowd Media), an influencer firm which specializes in loop marketing campaigns for big names including Amber Rose and Kyle Richards. We discuss how to build and measure successful influencer campaigns, the importance of Instagram Stories for brands, and how to best utilize hashtags. Enjoy! READ MORE : Lux Life Now co-founder Jonathan Rose talks about how to measure influencer campaign ROI . Tiffany Rose, Co-Founder ...
Jan 21, 2020•51 min•Ep. 55
Episode 54: We spoke with RJ Talyor, Founder & CEO at Pattern89 . We discuss how RJ helped pioneer the concept of SMS marketing in 2002, his time as VP of Messaging Products at Salesforce, and how what he's building at Pattern89 is changing marketing for brands like Fabletics, LIDS, Finish Line, and more! Enjoy! R.J.’s career started at ExactTarget, where he was the mastermind behind the company’s mobile strategy. He would eventually create the concept of SMS marketing in 2002, leading to Ba...
Jan 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 54
Episode 53: Yes, good news! We're back after a little break. I graduated from the Harvard Business Analytics Program in September and have been working on new episodes which will be released every Tuesday! Today we're speaking with Oren Zaslansky, CEO at Flock Freight. We discuss why the shipping industry is ripe for disruption, tips for outsiders of Silicon Valley to raise capital, and what to look for when selecting a Board of Directors. Oren Zaslansky is a shipping industry veteran and CEO of...
Jan 07, 2020•49 min•Ep. 53
Episode 52: We spoke with Mitch Grasso, CEO at Beautiful.AI, a company creating a newer and smarter way to design your presentations. Prior to Beautiful.AI , Mitch founded SlideRocket which was acquired by VMWare. We discuss raising venture funding, his approach to customer acquisition, important design rules, and more. Mitch is a serial entrepreneur with strong technology, design and product skills. Prior to Beautiful. AI , he founded SlideRocket, cloud-based presentation productivity software ...
Jun 25, 2019•46 min•Ep. 52
Episode 51: We spoke with Sujan Patel , co-founder at Ramp Ventures , the firm behind products like Mailshake and RightInbox. We discuss building web-based businesses, how to generate leads and interest for new businesses, enhancing your SEO, and what it means to take risk. Sujan is the co-founder of Ramp Ventures, a firm that helps companies leverage the latest and greatest marketing strategy to fuel their businesses. Sujan has over 13 years of internet marketing experience and has led the digi...
Jun 18, 2019•57 min•Ep. 51
Episode 50: We spoke with Bryan Ciambella, Principal at B Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in the next generation of groundbreaking tech. We discuss Bryan's background as a serial entrepreneur, what he looks for when investing, what industry verticals he's currently interested in, and what it's like working with Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Jun 04, 2019•27 min
Episode 49: We spoke with Larry O'Connor, Founder at OWC , a computer hardware company known for its Mac-based upgrade kits. We discuss how Larry started OWC 30+ years ago, the company's relationship with Apple, what Larry thinks Apple should do with the MacBook Pro, and why Apple's RAM is so expensive. Also, a quick programming note—we're going to off for a couple weeks but fear not, we'll be back soon with new episodes!
Apr 16, 2019•48 min•Ep. 49
Episode 48: We spoke with Ash Karbasfrooshan , CEO at WatchMojo , one of the largest YouTube channels with more than 20 million subscribers. We discuss how Ash realized YouTube was the best platform for video, why listicles have such staying power, how to keep your audience fully engaged, and if he's concerned about brand safety on YouTube.
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 48
Episode 47: We spoke with Jesus Chavez , CEO at Vertical Networks , a company building a mobile-first premium content studio featuring hit shows like Brother and Phone Swap. We discuss what it means to be mobile-first, what the future of mobile video looks like from a content and distribution standpoint, and what it's like being a first-time CEO. Jesus has a deep understanding of digital operations, content marketing, social platforms and business strategy, prior to becoming CEO at Vertical Netw...
Apr 02, 2019•53 min•Ep. 47
Episode 46: We spoke with Travis Bernard , Senior Director of Subscriptions and Audience Insights at TechCrunch . We discuss what audience development looks like at TechCrunch, what analytics TechCrunch utilizes (as well as who gets access to them), and the recent launch of Extra Crunch (including a sneak peek of what's to come). Travis has helped TechCrunch nearly double its monthly active users since he started and is responsible for running paid and organic media campaigns to help promote Tec...
Mar 26, 2019•54 min•Ep. 46
Episode 45: We spoke with John Biggs, entrepreneur and former TechCrunch East Coast Editor. He's currently working on projects including HypeHop, Tech4Reporters, and Typewriter Plus. We discuss TechCrunch in the early days, tips for pitching reporters, and ideas to save the media industry.
Mar 19, 2019•42 min•Ep. 45
Episode 44: We spoke with Melanie Deziel , founder at Storyfuel and also an international keynote speaker who is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in native advertising and branded content. We discuss the biggest myths about content marketing, how to properly brainstorm your content, as well as how to distribute it effectively.
Mar 12, 2019•51 min•Ep. 44
Hey guys, Jeff here from BestTechie.com! Today’s episode is more a quick update, as some of you may know in January I started in the Harvard Business Analytics Program and being that I do all the behind the scenes work of the podcast myself such as scheduling guests, research and writing of questions & topics, as well as editing and uploading, oh and of course hosting each episode—it’s been a little hectic around here. And that doesn’t even include my day-to-day stuff at BestTechie. That bei...
Mar 05, 2019•2 min
Episode 43: We spoke with Callie Schweitzer, founder at The Callie Co, a creative strategy and consulting firm that helps businesses and individuals increase reach, relevance and revenue. She previously worked as Chief Content Officer at Thrive Global alongside Arianna Huffington. We discuss the future of media, including what Callie calls "conveners," how "town squares" will play an important role in the media landscape, and why engagement trumps everything.
Feb 19, 2019•50 min•Ep. 43
Episode 42: We spoke with Apu Gupta, CEO at Curalate, a social commerce company that turns any image or video into a storefront for brands like Whole Foods, Nordstrom, and Crate & Barrel. We discuss how Curalate was born out of the ashes of a failed startup, the best ways to leverage influencers, the editorialization of ecommerce, and more.
Feb 12, 2019•53 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Episode 41: We spoke with Alissa Fleck , Managing Editor at ICO Ranker , a site dedicated to providing honest in-depth ICO reviews and analysis. We discuss the current state of ICOs, what to look for when investing, and also spent time talking at length about crime and crypto including the anatomy of an ICO scam and which celebrities to be wary of.
Jan 29, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Episode 40: We spoke with Manny Medina , CEO at Outreach , a sales engagement platform that increases the productivity of sales teams. We discuss what it was like to be on the original team building Amazon Web Services, the unique way he realized it was time to pivot his HR company into Outreach, and what it takes to create an effective cold email.
Jan 22, 2019•58 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Episode 39: We spoke with Harj Taggar , co-founder & CEO at Triplebyte and one of the first partners at Y Combinator . We discuss his time at Y Combinator including how he evaluated startups and grew the program from 30 to 100 companies per batch. Plus, we talk ICOs and their benefits and drawbacks as well as whether blockchain will live up to the hype.
Jan 15, 2019•55 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Episode 38: We spoke with Mike Murphy, Deputy Tech Editor at Quartz. We discuss how Quartz determines what to cover, whether an iPad Pro can replace your computer, what are the best tech gifts, CES, and so much more. Also, a programming note: It has been such an incredible year and I want to thank all of our listeners and guests for tuning in every week. This will be the last episode for 2018 and we’ll be back with new episodes in early 2019. I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a happ...
Dec 18, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Episode 37: We spoke with Pete Wilkins, Managing Director at Hyde Park Angels. We discuss the best ways for entrepreneurs to pitch investors, what to expect when raising early-stage VC, and much more.
Nov 20, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Episode 36: We spoke with Amanda Lannert, CEO at Jellyvision. We discuss why pivoting your company is necessary sometimes, how to find product market fit, and how to survive long enough until you do.
Nov 13, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Episode 35: We spoke with John Higginson, CTO at Enova. We discuss how the role of a CTO evolves as a company grows, exciting new technologies such as blockchain, and making difficult technical decisions.
Nov 06, 2018•50 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Episode 34: We spoke with Taylor Lorenz, Staff Writer at The Atlantic. We discuss all different facets of internet culture—from YouTube stars and their drama, to teens using Instagram, to how to improve Twitter.
Oct 30, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Episode 33: We spoke with Jacob Babcock, CEO & founder at NuCurrent. We discuss the juggling act of building a startup while working as an attorney, the move from wired to wireless power, and what the future of wireless power will actually look like.
Oct 23, 2018•48 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Episode 32: We spoke with Nis Frome, co-founder at Alpha. We discuss how to build successful content marketing initiatives as well as new techniques and tactics content marketers should be using (but probably aren’t).
Oct 16, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Episode 31: We spoke with Sandi Lin, co-founder & CEO at SkillJar. We discuss learning how to sell, the keys to retaining customers, and the secrets behind making great hires.
Oct 09, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Episode 30: We spoke with Stacey Ferreira, co-founder & CEO at Forge. We discuss tips for how founders can successfully fundraise, the best way to ask for intros, and why millennials don't actually ruin everything.
Oct 02, 2018•52 min•Season 1Ep. 30
