In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview a very, very, special friend, Christopher Wink, Co-founder and CEO of Technical.ly. Chris discussed his upbringing in a rural corner of Northwest New Jersey, which lacked exposure to technology and entrepreneurship. Despite not coming from a family with a background in journalism or entrepreneurship, Chris shared how his parents' traits—his father's ability to talk to anyone and his mother's love of questions—fostered his interest i...
Sep 09, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 170
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jeff Bruno, CEO and Co-founder of B.Modelr. Jeff shares his entrepreneurial journey, which began in Philadelphia, and how his passion for small business finance led him to create his fractional CFO service. However, after realizing the limitations of the service model, Jeff and his partner, Julian Wright, pivoted to focus on building a tech-driven platform using generative AI. Their goal is to help small businesses remove ambiguity in their operat...
Sep 06, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 169
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview a very special friend, Jedidiah Weller, the CEO and Founder of Open Forge and Startup Wars. Jedidiah shares his entrepreneurial journey, beginning in rural Pennsylvania, where he grew up in Amish country. He details how his experiences in a challenging upbringing without strong entrepreneurial role models spurred his drive to succeed. After a difficult start in the corporate world and a failed West Coast startup that left him financially strained,...
Sep 04, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 168
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jack Adler, CEO and Founder of Out2Win Sports. Jack shares his journey from growing up in Bluebell and Villanova to his time at Syracuse University, where he founded Out2Win Sports in 2021. The idea for his sports marketing firm, which specializes in connecting brands with athlete creators in the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) space, was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jack and his twin sister's successful COVID-19 relief fundraiser ignited h...
Sep 02, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 167
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Leopold van Oosten, the CEO and Founder of Amsterdam Standard. Leopold recounts his entrepreneurial journey, which began in a small, unremarkable town in the Netherlands. Initially studying hotel management with aspirations of entering the hospitality industry, his path took a dramatic turn during an internship in London in 2001. There, he was exposed to the potential of online services, particularly the burgeoning online ticketing industry. Inspi...
Aug 30, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 166
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Ann Carden, CEO and Founder of Expert In You. Ann delved into her entrepreneurial journey, which began in Missouri, influenced by her father, an entrepreneur. Ann's early ventures started with a doll business that she grew into a global enterprise, crafting and selling her own line of dolls. This experience instilled in her a deep understanding of business mechanics, leading her to build and manage multiple successful health clubs and weight ...
Aug 28, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 165
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tomé Duarte, the Fractional CTO and Founder of Penguin Objective. Tomé shares how he started the year strong with a record-setting Q1, crediting his meticulous use of spreadsheets for managing his operations and cash flow. Originally from Portugal, Tomé explains that he lived in Brazil and Ireland before settling back in his homeland, though his primary market is North America due to the fast-paced business culture. He emphasizes how the U.S. and ...
Aug 26, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 164
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jennifer Cresswell, Founder of Thoughtgro. Jennifer grew up in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area and having a background in industrial engineering from Cornell, Jennifer's drive to improve and optimize systems led her to launch Thoughtgro in July 2022. Despite initial challenges and a steep learning curve, Jennifer emphasized that her success stems from a blend of creative problem-solving and proven processes. Networking, content creation, an...
Aug 23, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 163
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tim Branyan, founder of TrueFanz. Tim grew up in Kokomo, Indiana and explained how his early life, including the influence of his comedian father and his curiosity, shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. Tim's first business venture was modifying Xbox consoles during high school, which taught him about market demand and customer service. His first more formal business, Rocket Grow, was an automated social media platform that provided crucial lear...
Aug 21, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 162
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jim Keeney, founder and CEO of Dapt Tech. Jim explains that the entrepreneurial drive is fueled by a desire to build things and solve problems, which began for him in childhood. He talks about how Dapt Tech helps businesses track profit and loss by activity, allowing them to accurately assess the costs of specific jobs and make informed decisions about future projects. Jim also shares his background in software development and how his experience w...
Aug 19, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 161
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Mark Allen, Co-founder and CTO of Cobalt Innovations Inc. Mark grew up in Bluebell, Pennsylvania. He credited his wife’s influence for igniting his entrepreneurial spirit. Initially working in tech as a software consultant, Mark eventually co-founded Cobalt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform was developed rapidly in response to the urgent mental health needs of healthcare workers, with Penn Medicine as their first client. Cobalt provides h...
Aug 16, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 160
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Timothy Poore, the CEO and Co-founder of ATP Healthcare. Timothy shared insights into his journey as an entrepreneur, reflecting on how his upbringing, particularly his parents' business endeavors, shaped his work ethic and determination. He discussed the origins of ATP Healthcare, a company that specializes in finding post-acute care placement for challenging patients, often navigating complex cases involving criminal backgrounds, insurance ...
Aug 14, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 159
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Catherine Griffin, Founder of Impactable. Catherine recounts how her experiences leading a fund and accelerator in Philadelphia, which focused on social entrepreneurship and global innovation initiatives, inspired the creation of Impactable. Catherine explains that Impactable is a predictive impact analytics and reporting platform designed for both founders and investors. The platform helps startups and private companies measure and report their i...
Aug 12, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 158
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Natalie Doyle Oldfield, CEO and founder of Success Through Trust Inc. Natalie grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and shares that she was inspired by her parents' strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. Her father’s experience as an author and business owner profoundly influenced her career path. Natalie discusses how her upbringing and extensive career in the IT industry, particularly in marketing and sales, led her to develop a pro...
Aug 09, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 157
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Marc Portney, CEO and Founder of Globalsource Infrastructure Partners. Marc spent his early days in Queens, New York, where he displayed an entrepreneurial spirit by shining shoes for pocket money. He emphasizes the importance of relationships in business, recounting how his hands-on approach and authenticity have been pivotal in building and maintaining successful ventures. Marc's rebellious nature and distaste for conventional bosses propel...
Aug 07, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 156
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Monik Pamecha, CEO and Co-founder of Toma. Monik grew up in Bombay and was influenced by his hardworking father. This environment fostered an early interest in technology, leading him to create websites and tech blogs as a teenager. His first notable venture involved writing a humorous blog about a school friend's body hair, which gained significant attention and marked the beginning of his fascination with online content creation and monetiz...
Aug 05, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 155
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview a very, very special guest, Rick Nucci, CEO and co-founder of Guru. Rick, highly regarded in the Philadelphia tech scene, reflected on a memorable moment at the Founder Factory event, where he humorously referenced a sports figure to highlight the significance of operations roles in companies. He emphasized the vital role of operations professionals in leveraging AI and technology to enhance business efficiency, drawing a parallel to the often und...
Aug 02, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 154
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bobby Varma, CEO and founder of Princeton Identity. Bobby shared her journey from her early life in India to her entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. She highlighted how her father's love for travel and entrepreneurship influenced her adaptability and problem-solving skills, which are crucial traits for an entrepreneur. Bobby detailed her academic path through Rutgers and Drexel, which led to her passion for biomedical engineering and subsequ...
Jul 31, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 153
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Joelle Flynn and Sonia Hounsell, co-founders and co-CEOs of FunkkOFF, a company that creates innovative oral care products. Joelle, a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in finance, and Sonia, an experienced brand manager with a passion for strategy and analytics, share their journey from childhood friends to business partners. They discuss the origins of FunkkOFF, a product designed to remove stains from teeth quickly and easily, inspired by ...
Jul 29, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 152
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Mark Lin, Founder and CEO of Sliimeyhoney. Mark shares the journey of how he founded his gourmet slime company. He explains that Sliimeyhoney creates slimes that not only look and feel like favorite foods but also smell delightful, making them sensory toys. Mark started his business during the COVID-19 pandemic from his home's storage room while he was in high school, initially asking his parents for $200 to buy glue and borax solution. The i...
Jul 26, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 151
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jared Waters, CEO of Mini Materials. Jared shares his unique journey from a small-town upbringing to becoming an entrepreneur. Jared explains how moving frequently in his childhood helped him become more outgoing, a trait that benefits his entrepreneurial ventures. He reveals that he bought Mini Materials, a company known for producing miniature construction materials, after discovering it on Reddit. The original founder started making the product...
Jul 24, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 150
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Veon Brewster, the founder of Veba Baby. Veon shares her journey from Jamaica to the U.S., where her upbringing in a household focused on education inspired her entrepreneurial spirit. She details her academic and professional background, highlighting her work in tech at Google and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Veon's motivation to create Veba Baby, a smart baby bottle monitor, came from a personal experience when her son fell ill after drinking ex...
Jul 22, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 149
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tim Swindle, co-founder of PaddleSmash. Tim shares his journey from growing up in Chicago and being inspired by his entrepreneur father to his early ventures, including a golf teaching business at age 12 and a successful software company called PointDrive, which was later acquired by LinkedIn. He also discusses his passion project, a board game called Utter Nonsense, which eventually led to the creation and success of PaddleSmash, a hybrid game co...
Jul 19, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 148
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Assaf Pashut, the Founder of Chefee Robotics. Assaf shared his entrepreneurial journey, which began in Israel and Silicon Valley, where he developed a love for food and business. His initial foray into entrepreneurship was as a swim instructor, which later led him to start a catering business called The Flying Falafel during his college years. Despite the success of his catering business, COVID-19 lockdowns forced Assaf to pivot, eventually leadin...
Jul 17, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 147
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Ryan Bouton, co-founder of Gatsby Chocolate. Ryan grew up in rural Virginia, and initially worked at Halo Top as the first employee and later leveraged that experience to co-found Gatsby Chocolate, the first-ever low-calorie chocolate on the market. Ryan emphasized the challenges and lessons learned from the Halo Top journey, which included extensive R&D to perfect the product before launching it to consumers. Ryan discussed the evolution of G...
Jul 15, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 146
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Charisse Pasche, co-founder and COO of Dapper Boi, an all-gender, body-inclusive clothing line based in San Diego. Charisse shares her journey from growing up as a first-generation Filipino immigrant in a family of entrepreneurs to co-founding Dapper Boi with her wife. She recounts their early business ventures, including an LGBT social networking site, and the eventual founding of Dapper Boi during their honeymoon. Charisse discusses the sacrific...
Jul 12, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 145
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Rasmus Barfred, co-founder of THEMAGIC5. Rasmus recounted his early days in Denmark, where his entrepreneurial spirit was subtly influenced by his mother's approach to life. He didn't initially set out to start a business, but his involvement in a software venture during university with his future co-founder Bo laid the foundation. The project saw moderate success but eventually stalled due to regulatory hurdles. Rasmus's career the...
Jul 10, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 144
In our first episode of our Shark Tank series, I was lucky enough to interview Sam Chason, the Founder and CEO of Storage Scholars. Sam shared his entrepreneurial journey from humble beginnings to success on Shark Tank. Growing up in Westchester County, he always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He started with a lemonade stand and progressed to flipping items to fund his education at Wake Forest. This drive led him to create a storage solution for college students, initially called Wake Storage, ...
Jul 09, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 143
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Eric McHugh, the President and Chief Growth Officer of SHOPX. Eric grew up in Southern California, which exposed him to a wealth of entrepreneurial resources. He recounted his experiences at a VC incubator where he interacted with numerous startup founders, gaining invaluable knowledge that shaped his career. Eric emphasized the importance of aligning with the right investors, sharing a lesson learned from his first startup about the challenges th...
Jul 04, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 142
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Scott Martinis, the CEO and Founder of B2B Catalyst. Scott shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his unexpected entry into the business world after initially planning a different career path. He discusses his early experiences in marketing agencies, the challenges of nailing down product-market fit, and how his first attempts at running his own coaching business didn't pan out. Scott emphasizes the importance of gaining substantia...
Jul 02, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 141
