ELEVATE: Products & People that Make an Impact  - podcast cover

ELEVATE: Products & People that Make an Impact

Delaney McGuiredelaneymcguire.substack.com
ELEVATE is dedicated to helping you learn the tools to build businesses of the future. We do this through thoughtful conversations with industry experts in technology, business, entrepreneurship, growth & VC. About our host: Delaney McGuire has worked in big tech for over 7 years, building products used by millions. As an entrepreneur, he has helped scale 2 startups to mid 6 & 7 figures, and now runs an AI Consulting Firm (elevatedtech.us).

Episodes

[141] Shikha Kapoor's Insights on AI, Innovation, and Career Growth at Meta

Shikha Kapoor, a product leader at Meta. We explore the intersection of AI innovation and user experience, discussing the challenges and opportunities within big companies, such as Google and Meta, and the strategies for success in the field of AI. Join us as we uncover the importance of clear communication, long-term vision, and the entrepreneurial mindset in navigating the world of AI and product management. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a product manager, or simply curious about the fu...

Jan 08, 202433 minTranscript available on Metacast

[140] Worlds #1 YouTube Ad Expert: Aleric Heck on Scaling to 8 figures with YouTube Ads

Aleric Heck, the owner of the fastest-growing business in Austin, Texas, and a prominent figure in the world of YouTube advertising. Aleric discusses the incredible success of his strategy, where returns cover fees and initial contracts transition to month-to-month arrangements, and shares invaluable insights into omnipresent retargeting services, YouTube advertising, and the power of targeting specific audiences. We cover all this and more: 05:18 - Realizing potential in online content, leverag...

Dec 11, 202342 minTranscript available on Metacast

[139] Founder of Bloom Nutrition on Lessons Scaling to $23M w/ Greg LaVecchia

Greg is the CEO and co-founder of Bloom Nutrition. We dive into the world of influencer marketing as we discuss the importance of working with multiple influencers, considerations for audience size and demographics, and the need for scalability. Greg shares his insights on allocating budget towards influencers for better results and the significance of testing and simplicity in marketing. We also explore the challenges of converting influencers in the fitness space and exciting new developments ...

Dec 01, 202342 minTranscript available on Metacast

[138] Facebook's Head of Product on Scaling Tech, Startup Lessons & Selling Your Idea w/ Yu-Kuan Lin

Yu-Kuan Lin is the Head of Product at Facebook. He shares his insights from working at Google, building a startup, and helping mid-range companies grow. Discover how cultural understanding and problem-solving played key roles in the success of Google Maps in China. We also explore technology migration, storytelling in big tech, and the transition from working at a large company to starting a zero-to-one business. We cover all this and more: [03:00] Explored Yu-Kuan's projects at Google Maps ...

Nov 23, 202349 minTranscript available on Metacast

[137] Oracle’s Head of Design on Customer-Centricity, Leadership & Team Building w/ Jod Kaftan

Jod Kaftan is the Head of Design at Oracle's renewable energy department, shares his fascinating journey and expertise in organizational design and design thinking. We uncover the crucial role of design in solving customer problems, driving innovation, and transforming organizations. From the importance of empathetic leadership to the emerging field of design strategy, we dive deep into the world of design and its impact on various industries. We cover all this and more: [00:02:29] A Journal...

Nov 12, 202356 minTranscript available on Metacast

[136] Amazon Alexa Visionary Anish Kannan on Product Strategy, Team Building & Mass Adoption

Anish Kannan is a visionary and leader who played a pivotal role in bringing Amazon's Alexa devices to market. Join us as we explore the tactics and tools for product strategy, the challenges faced in building revolutionary products, and the importance of effective team leadership. We'll also be diving into Anish's insights on interviewing, customer communication, and how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of product management. We cover all this and more: [00:01:23] Amazon Alex...

Oct 30, 202351 minTranscript available on Metacast

[135] Neuroscientist’s Top High Performance Tips w/ Emily McDonald

Emily McDonald is a scientist, coach, consultant, speaker, and creator. She holds bachelors & masters degrees in neuroscience and has spent the last 4+ years researching neuroplasticity, learning & memory. She teaches and creates content about mindset, neuroscience & spirituality to her 400k+ followers on social media. Her mission is to educate and empower others to master their minds, so that they can become the master of their lives. From creating a life you love to manifesting suc...

Oct 25, 202352 minTranscript available on Metacast

[134] Scaling Million-Dollar Sales Success with Navid Momeni

Navid Momeni is the CEO of SalesGuru Global and author of the best-selling book, How to be a Sales Master. In this episode, Naveed shares his insights on the often misunderstood world of sales, exposing the misconceptions perpetuated by movies and social media influencers. We delve into the keys to successful sales, from understanding the industry to speaking the language of your potential clients. Navid's expertise in scaling and bootstrapping a sales process within an organization provides...

Oct 19, 202348 minTranscript available on Metacast

[133] Links Between Gut Health, the Nervous System & Entrepreneurial Success with Chelsea Haines

Chelsea Haines is the CEO and founder of The Gut Health Agency. In this episode, we explore the importance of listening to our bodies, overcoming trauma and stress, and optimizing our gut health for a thriving life. Chelsea also shares her personal journey, her expertise in building a successful business, and practical tips for those embarking on their own wellness journey. We cover all this and more: [00:01:12] Exploring the connection between gut health and leadership. [00:06:04] The importanc...

Oct 07, 202353 minTranscript available on Metacast

[132] Adobe’s Multi-Million Dollar Product Strategy w/ Brent Rudewick

Brent Rudewick is the head of product for Adobe's revolutionary Workfront product. With a strong background in marketing optimization and a passion for technology, Brent has played a pivotal role in creating millions of dollars of new value at Adobe. As we dive into our conversation with Brent, we'll explore the intricate steps involved in content creation and delivery, the significance of metadata, and the power of aligning your product with customer needs. We'll also uncover Brent&...

Oct 03, 202349 minTranscript available on Metacast

[131] Amazon’s Innovation Strategy w/ Michelle Dayan

Michelle Dayan is the head of product at Amazon. She shares her insights on building a culture of innovation, resolving conflicts, and thinking beyond current competition. We delve into the challenges faced by product managers and how they can anticipate customer needs to create truly remarkable products. Along the way, we'll also discover the importance of collaboration between engineering, science, and UX teams. We cover all this and more: [00:00:33] Michelle Dayan on leadership and innova...

Sep 24, 202348 minTranscript available on Metacast

[130] How Google Builds Products & Scaling Angular to 3 Million Developers: Minko Gechev, Google

Minko Gechev, the Product Lead at Google for the Angular Open Source project and former CTO of rhyme.com, (acquired by Coursera). In this episode, we dive into lessons from scaling Rhyme from a 1-person team to VC backed organization. We also explore how Google builds products & how to maximize an open source project’s impact (as a company and as an engineer). We cover all this and more: [00:02:21] From 1 man team to Coursera acquisition. [00:09:07] Growing as a CTO to understand business pe...

Sep 19, 202342 minTranscript available on Metacast

[129] She got her Program into 1300 Gyms Nationwide: CEO of OptimizeMe Nutrition, EC Synkowski

EC Synkowski, a certified dietitian and wellness expert who has built a thriving brand called OptimizeMe Nutrition. With a strong social media presence and a B2B distribution model, EC has successfully expanded her nutrition programs to over 1300 gyms nationwide. We cover all this and more: [00:04:56] Leveraging existing connections. [00:07:54] Ready-made nutrition challenges for gyms, attracting 1300 users. [00:10:59] Gym program led to increased network growth. [00:13:31] Transition from socia...

Sep 11, 202342 minTranscript available on Metacast

[128] 7-Figure Content Strategy w/ Lindsey Bomgren

Lindsey Bomgren is the CEO of nourishmovelove.com. Lindsey's business is all about providing free at home workouts for busy women, with a focus on prenatal and postpartum journeys, as well as strength training. Lindsey has truly created a unique and impactful brand, differentiating herself by offering all content for free and monetizing through ads on her website, with YouTube as a secondary revenue stream. Throughout our conversation, Lindsey shares her journey of building nourishmovelove.c...

Sep 02, 202346 minTranscript available on Metacast

[127] The Man behind $1 BILLION in Product Launches: Derek Osgood, CEO of Ignition

Derek Osgood is the founder of Ignition, a groundbreaking go-to-market platform. With over 100 successful product launches under his belt and more than $1 billion in revenue generated, Derek is an expert in scaling technology companies and gaining an edge in product marketing. We cover all this and more: [00:05:00] Scaling a chaotic startup to rapid growth. [00:09:28] Navigating Outbounding Challenges. [00:15:01] The Power of Creativity and Simplicity. [00:19:12] Streamlining Product Launches an...

Aug 26, 202342 minTranscript available on Metacast

[126] Building a Massive Social Platform by Helping Others w/ Lindsey Elmore

Lindsey Elmore is a board-certified pharmacist, functional medicine clinician, and world-renowned wellness expert. Lindsey's impressive background and diverse expertise have earned her a substantial following on social media, where she shares insights on environmental toxicity, health core building, and the regulation of drug pricing. We cover all this and more: [00:02:38] Lindsey's career journey: from pharmacy to functional medicine. [00:09:11] The need for regulation in the pharmaceut...

Aug 19, 202345 minTranscript available on Metacast

[125] How to Build a Successful Tech Startup in a Competitive Market: Mona Akmal, Founder of Falkon AI

Mona Akmal is the CEO & founder of Falkon AI, the hottest revenue optimization platform of 2023. Mona has successfully scaled 3 companies to multi-7 figures as COO, and is now on the same path with her own venture, Falkon. Mona shares her experience of what it takes to build a successful tech business in 2023, how to secure funding for your startup, and why making the right hiring choices are essential to create long term success. We cover all this and more: [00:02:37] Mona's decision to...

Aug 13, 202353 minTranscript available on Metacast

[124] 500,000+ Followers in 12 months, Finding Purpose & Holistic Health w/ Jake Whan

In 2022 Jake Whan grew his Instagram platform from 2,000 to over 500,000 which led to his Holistic Health business completely taking off. Jake is a prominent figure in the wellness space, offering guidance on various aspects of wellness, from physical fitness and diet to mindset and spiritual growth. We dive deep into the specific strategies he used to grow on Instagram, along with other tips that anyone can deploy to create real success in their personal brands. We cover all this and more: [00:...

Jul 22, 202346 minTranscript available on Metacast

[123] Building Dubai's LARGEST Tech Conference w/ Ray Dargham

Ray Dargham is the mastermind behind Dubai's largest tech conference, STEP. STEP has hosted thousands of startups that have raised over $1.5 BILLION in funding. STEP is one of the largest tech events in the world, hosting hundreds of thousands of attendees. We sit down to unpack how he brought his vision to life, and what he’s learned about startup success along the way. We cover all this and more: [00:03:48] Ray’s early success with bootstrapping a tech business [00:07:21] Multiple ways to ...

Jul 15, 202346 minTranscript available on Metacast

[122] Organically Growing a Health Brand to $40k/month with Instagram: Maddie Miles, founder of Peace Love Hormones

Maddie Miles is the founder of Peace Love Hormones, a brand centered around women's health, hormones, and fertility. In this episode, Maddie shares her journey of starting as a health and wellness blogger and growing her product line to $40,000/month organically with Instagram. Throughout the episode, Maddie emphasizes the importance of being authentic on social media and strategies for building community & engagement. We cover all this and more: [00:01:54] Maddie’s career as a clinical ...

Jul 07, 202341 minTranscript available on Metacast

121: How to Think Like an Innovator: Jaime Sanchez, VP of Product Development @ Therabody

Jaime Sanchez Solana is the Vice President of Product Development and Manufacturing at Therabody, aka Jamie is responsible for the massive success of Theragun, and many of the other revolutionary products developed by Therabody. As a passionate innovator, Jaime holds over 100 patents & has earned many awards including TIMES’ Invention of the Year and Fast Company's World Changing Ideas. In this episode, Jaime & Delaney discuss: [00:01:44] Jaime’s path to 100 patents [00:05:47] How to...

Jul 02, 202339 minTranscript available on Metacast

120: Grow Your Business to $3,000,000 Per Year with Social Media w/ Lauren Tickner

Lauren Tickner was a millionaire by 23, and has amassed a social media following of 450,000+ that drives over $3,000,000 in yearly revenue for her brand “Impact School”. In this episode, Lauren teaches us how to build & grow social influence as a channel to grow a business. Lauren shares her exact framework for how she plans her weekly content, the top tricks that help her achieve virality with her content, how to tell captivating stories, how to sell to your audience and more. In this episo...

Jun 23, 202350 minTranscript available on Metacast

119: King of Category Creation: $200M Exit Lessons from Sean Byrnes

Sean Byrnes is a technology entrepreneur with 2 epic exits under his belt. Sean sold Flurry to Yahoo for $200 Million in 2014, and most recently Outlier AI in 2021 at an undisclosed valuation. In this episode, Sean shares his strategy of building "category creator" companies, raising venture capital, and building strong company culture. Sean covers the importance of falling in love with the problem (not the solution), frameworks for iteration & design, how to overcome difficulties of fundraising...

Jun 18, 202350 minTranscript available on Metacast

118: $100M Paid Acquisition Strategy w/ Ian Lenny from ATTNlabs.com

Ian Lenny is the cofounder of ATTNlabs.com, a digital marketing agency that has generated over $100 Million in sales since 2019. Ian is an expert in helping large consumer product brands achieve hyper-growth via paid acquisition channels so they can become household names & ultimately be acquired. In this episode, Ian & Delaney discuss : Ian’s unique strategy for paid growth that has driven over $100 Million in sales Why Meta is still one of the best platforms for paid acquisition Hot to...

Jun 10, 202339 minTranscript available on Metacast

117: WHOOP's Alexa Murray: Reaching $3.6 Billion Valuation with Product Design & Behavioral Psychology

Alexa Murray is a Product Leader at WHOOP. Valued at over $3.6 Billion, WHOOP is one of the hottest wearable health-tech companies in the world, recently sponsoring both Bert Kreischer & Tom Segura for Joe Rogan’s latest Sober October. Alexa leads product innovation for the Health Team at WHOOP, focusing on women’s health, mental health, stress, and nutrition. In this episode, Alexa & Delaney unpack: What it takes to become a top 1% digital health product How to create a digital product ...

Jun 04, 202338 minTranscript available on Metacast

116: Aging Decoded: Longevity Science, Machine Learning & Epigenetic Clocks with Dr. Varun Dwaraka

Dr. Varun Dwaraka is the Head of Bioinformatics at TruDiagnostic, one of the countries leading scientists exploring the science of aging & longevity through machine learning principles. Varun received his PhD from the University of Kentucky, and has authored numerous publications relating to genetics, epigenetic clocks, DNA methylation, and tissue regeneration. He leads the development of epigenetic and multi-omic based clocks at TruDiagnostic Inc. In this episode, Varun & Delaney discus...

May 27, 202348 minTranscript available on Metacast

115: Headspace's Raleigh Tomlinson on Product Design Principles that Drove 65,000,000 Downloads

Raleigh Tomlinson is a Senior Product Designer at Headspace, specializing in creating transformative on-ramp experiences that introduce users to cultivating mindfulness in their daily lives. With a dedication to crafting seamless and engaging experiences, Raleigh has become a driving force on Headspace's growth team, contributing to the company's success as one of the world’s top mental health apps. In this episode, Raleigh & Delaney cover: How leveraging empathy drove 65,000,000 dow...

May 21, 202350 minTranscript available on Metacast

114: Digital Health Visionary Jim Kean, Founder of Wellness FX

Jim Kean is the founder of Wellness FX, one of the largest bloodwork analysis companies in the US. Jim has successfully scaled multiple companies and has recently been announced as CEO of the Vancouver-based longevity company MolecularYou. Jim shares tips on scaling technology companies, the history & transformation of the online economy, innovation in health tech, strategies for raising capital via storytelling and more. In this episode, Jim & Delaney discuss: Jim Kean's Philosophy ...

May 12, 20231 hr 4 minTranscript available on Metacast

113: Noom's Narek Tamoyan on Product Led Growth Strategies for Scaling to 45,000,000 Users

Welcome to the Elevate podcast, where we explore the world of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, host Delaney McGuire is joined by Narek Tamoyan. Narek is a Product Lead at Noom, a popular health and wellness app. Narek is the man behind Noom's explosive growth in the wellness tech scene, pioneering a culture of product led growth that led to over 45,000,000 downloads and a unicorn valuation for the company at over $3.7 billion in 2021. In this episode we discuss:...

Apr 30, 202340 minTranscript available on Metacast

112: Godfather of Longevity Tech, Gil Blander - Founder of InsideTracker

Gil Blander is the founder and Chief Science Officer of InsideTracker, a personalized nutrition company that helps people live better and longer. Inside Tracker takes a unique approach to personalized wellness by analyzing blood biomarkers, DNA, and fitness tracker data to provide actionable recommendations on food, supplements, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Blander is an Israeli scientist and PhD from the Weizman Institute of Science who moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to perform a postdoc...

Apr 30, 202335 minTranscript available on Metacast