Henry Schuck founded his company, originally named DiscoverOrg, in 2007 at the age of 23. The company IPO’d on June 4th, 2020.
After acquiring ZoomInfo in 2019, they took the new name and consolidated their position as one of the leading sources of business information and now drive the go-to-market initiative of over 15,000 companies worldwide.
Henry sees ZoomInfo changing the way every company goes to market, the way sales reps engage with buyers, the way marketing targets, and the way HR recruits.
In this episode, Henry and Aaron discuss bootstrapping the company to $25 million, the IPO roadshow during a pandemic, and Henry’s skills as a sales trainer.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Henry Schuck’s Challenge; The professional you are today, isn’t who you need to be to accomplish your goals. Take an inventory of where you need to improve and go execute on it.
Connect with Henry Schuck
henry.schuck@zoominfo.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss building multiple businesses that earned 8-figure and 9-figure exits.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Joe Hipsky’s long career in financial services have allowed him to identify and develop a solution to the pipes of the financial system.
His company, iraLogix, is aimed at reducing the administrative burden placed on financial service providers.
In this conversation, Joe and Aaron discuss fundraising, why the financial services industry has been slow to adapt, and the regulatory climate for fintech.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Joe Hipsky’s Challenge; If you’re looking for investors, study the investment process and how venture capitalists make decisions.
Connect with Joe Hipsky
If you liked this interview, check out episode 231 with Andy Rachleff where we discuss how he identified the opportunity to build Wealthfront.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Charlie Dolan is the founder of Sequoia Waste Solutions, a technology company aimed at modernizing waste management.
When Charlie first looked at the waste management industry, he saw business still being run on paper with enormous inefficiencies needing to be addressed. So, he started building.
Today, the firm employs more than a dozen people and offers a suite of software and hardware solutions that drastically reduce costs associated with billing for and hauling away garbage.
In this conversation, Aaron and Charlie discuss the evolution of the company, the benefits of bootstrapping, and when to ‘build’ vs ‘buy’.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Charlie Dolan’s Challenge; Realize most of the world around you was designed by another human. Use that to build confidence in your own ability to make an impact.
Connect with Charlie Dolan
If you liked this interview, check out more interviews with entrepreneurs and leaders that have vision, patience, and work ethic.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
John Feghali’s technology startup blends augmented reality, digital media, and animation to enable a new style of storytelling.
Most animated videos take thousands of hours of work and come with hefty price tags. For example, Frozen 2 cost $150 million and Toy Story 4 cost $200 million.
John’s company, Toaster Pets Cartoons, allows children and adults to make their own animated cartoons by recording cardboard cutouts and using artificial intelligence to translate the live action into a digital cartoon.
In this episode, Aaron and John discuss how he found this market opportunity, the technology powering the service, and the enormous potential of the Intellectual Property.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
John Feghali’s Challenge; Create opportunity for others.
Connect with John Feghali
If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss his string of enormously successful technology startups.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Luke Glass is building a digital marketplace for land rights in the US. That means that any property owner can list their property’s rights to timber, solar, wind, or oil & gas for sale.
Luke’s company, RealX is aiming to unleash the trends of digitization, globalization, and virtualization on a marketplace that still operates on postcards and paper contracts.
As vice president and general manager of ListHub, which was purchased by Move in 2010, Luke Glass grew the platform into the nation’s largest online real estate listing syndicator.
In this podcast, Luke and Aaron discuss how this platform allows landowners to identify more buyers, why Luke believes solar will be more dominant over the next 20 years, and why he’s not the Garbage King of West Virginia.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Luke Glass’s Challenge; Find a local Food Bank and donate.
Connect with Luke Glass
If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Matt Wieszczyk where we discuss natural gas land rights.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Luke Skurman is the CEO and Founder of Niche.com. Niche is an informative website that provides insight and analysis from experts and neighbors to help people choose colleges, K-12 schools, and places to live.
Niche, formerly College Prowler, was founded in 2002 and recently raised $35 Million to expand its client base and grow its team. This Series C funding was led by the New York-based Radian Capital and San Fransisco-based Salesforce Ventures.
Luke has been at the helm of this college resource dynamo since its founding and has led it through tremendous years of growth. In 2019, Niche grew its client-base by 60% and increased annual recurring revenue over 100%.
In this episode, Aaron and Luke discuss the Series C funding, how to grow a tech business in Pittsburgh, and the future of remote work in lieu of COVID-19.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Luke Skurman’s Challenge; Increase your level of empathy for others.
Connect with Luke Skurman
If you liked this interview, check out episode 303 with Luke Skurman where we discuss the origins on Niche.com and the first large raise.
Also, listen to Glen Meakem talk about his billion-dollar valuation after a 1999 IPO.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Keith Hamon has over 30 years of operational restaurant experience, with 10 years in active financial management and 7 years of direct experience owning, operating, growing, and stewarding a small group of restaurants.
His firm, Alchemy Financial, serves as a bookkeeper, financial planner, and CFO for clients in the hospitality space.
Keith is committed to helping small restaurants and bars survive and thrive using better financial planning and thinking strategically about pricing.
In this episode, Keith and Aaron discuss pricing strategy, how restaurants deal with food delivery, and Cloud Kitchens.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Keith Harmon’s Challenge; Be mindful of everything.
Connect with Keith Harmon
alchemyboston@gmail.com
If you liked this interview, check out two interviews with award-winning chefs and entrepreneurs. Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors was named one of the greatest places on Earth and Jamlika Borges is a James Beard semi-finalist.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Ben Hunt is the creator of Epsilon Theory and co-founder of Second Foundation Partners.
Epsilon Theory is a newsletter and website that studies markets using game theory and history. It is read by over 100,000 professional investors and allocators across 180 countries.
Ben is the founder of two technology companies, a past professor of political science, and a successful investor. He’s worked in venture capital and subsequently on two long/short equity hedge funds. He evolved to blend his background as a portfolio manager, risk manager, and entrepreneur with academic experience in game theory and econometrics to improve client outcomes.
In this conversation, Ben and Aaron discuss how Ben outlined the false numbers coming out of China in a blog post titles Body Count, how to channel anger into Hope, and how he thinks about fatherhood.
Essential Reading
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Ben Hunt’s Challenge; Take Action. Do not allow yourself to be convinced that it’s insignificant.
Connect with Ben Hunt
If you liked this interview, check out interviews with investors Andy Rachleff, Anthony Pompliano, and Morgan Housel.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Flori Marquez is the cofounder of BlockFi, a fintech firm that provides wealth management products to investors in cryptocurrency.
BlockFi currently offers interest-bearing crypto accounts, crypto trading, and crypto-backed loans.
In the last year, BlockFi has raised an $18.3 million Series A and a $30 million Series B from investors like Morgan Creek Digital, Fidelity, the Winklevoss twins, and Valar Ventures.
Flori has spent her career managing alternative lending products, including a $125MM portfolio for Bond Street (acquired by Goldman Sachs).
In this conversation, Flori and Aaron discuss the founding of the company, the new customers BlockFi is targeting, and why banking people across the world is challenging.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Flori Marquez’s Challenge; Take $100 and invest in something new or different.
Connect with Flori Marquez
support@blockfi.com
If you liked this interview, check out our past blockchain and crypto interviews with Anthony Pompliano, Brendan Eich, and Joe Lubin.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
The Coronavirus (rightfully) gets most of the headlines. However, we are also living through an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has worldwide ramifications.
Matt Wieszczyk is the Managing Member of Par City Holdings, a land services company that specializes in the acquisition of oil and gas mineral and royalty rights. At PCH, he has placed $15mm for various investors in SW Appalachia.
Prior to Par City, Matt was Acquisitions Manager & General Counsel for San Jacinto Minerals. At SJM, he placed $39mm in 15 months, leading the mineral market in Washington and Greene Counties, in PA.
In this interview, Matt and Aaron discuss the shale industry in Appalachia and how the price war could positively affect the region. They also discuss Matt’s business model and how he got into the industry.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Matt Wieszczyk’s Challenge; Write someone a handwritten note.
Connect with Matt Wieszczyk
parcityholdings@gmail.com
Mentioned
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
LBRY is a place where they can find great videos, music, ebooks, and more. How? LBRY started as a new protocol that allows anyone to build apps that interact with digital content on the LBRY network.
Apps built using the protocol allow creators to upload their work to the LBRY network of hosts (like BitTorrent), to set a price per stream or download (like iTunes) or give it away for free (like YouTube without ads). The work you publish could be videos, audio files, documents, or any other type of file.
Traditional video (or other content) sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify store your uploads on their servers and allow viewers to download them. They also allow creators to make some money through advertising or other mechanisms. However, there are some well-known drawbacks, especially for people whose material is perceived as not being advertiser-friendly.
Jeremy Kauffman created LBRY because he fell in love with the idea of shared, global content registry that is owned and controlled by no one.
In this podcast, Aaron and Jeremy discuss how it works and the challenges of building a new model for media.
Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Jeremy Kauffman’s Challenge; Bet on your beliefs.
Connect with Jeremy Kauffman
If you liked this interview, check out other blockchain interviews with Brendan Eich and Anthony Pompliano.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Two years ago, Ian Rosenberger and his company took a leap forward by launching a backpack. It was made from Thread International’s first product, fabric made from plastic waste that had been recycled.
The backpack raised $571,000 on Kickstarter and represented an important new chapter for the business.
At the beginning of 2020, they launched two specific brands; Day Owl (for consumers) and First Mile (for brands like Reebok, Puma, and Converse to buy the fabric).
In this conversation, Ian and Aaron discuss the strategy behind the rebrand, managing a retail company through the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, and how Day Owl re-tooled their facility to make Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Ian Rosenberger’s Challenge; Identify the Day Owls in your world and figure out how you can support them.
Connect with Ian Rosenberger
If you liked this interview, check out episode 336 for our first conversation with Ian Rosenberger where we discuss recycling waste, mission-driven startups, and the grit required to survive.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Anthony Pompliano is a co-founder & Partner at Morgan Creek Digital. He leads investments in early-stage startups and cryptocurrency.
He was formerly a product manager at Facebook.
He writes a daily letter analyzing crypto news for institutional investors and a prolific podcast with other top thinkers in finance and crypto.
In this conversation, Pomp and Aaron discuss the Bitcoin halving, economic stimulus, and kindness.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Anthony’s Challenge; Remember to be kind to one another.
Connect with Anthony Pompliano
If you liked this interview, check out our collection of past interviews covering blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Kyshira Moffett is a digital brand strategist, entrepreneur, and author. She’s built a business as a coach helping other businesses and entrepreneurs market themselves effectively.
Kyshira also launched Life of a Bombshell Cosmetics in 2017, offering premium makeup products at an affordable price to businesswomen.
Her experiences in marketing a wide variety of businesses, running a conference (Hustle HER Way Summit), and earning an MBA have given her a wealth of knowledge to call upon.
In this conversation, Aaron and Kyshira discuss live streaming, coaching and launching a cosmetics brand.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Kyshira Moffett’s Challenge; 1. Go live. 2. Find a new book to read.
Connect with Kyshira Moffett
Kyshira’s Book Recommendations
Stiletto Network by Pamela Ryckman
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
The Brand Within by Daymond John
If you liked this interview, check out episode 216 with Noah Kagan where we discuss being at Facebook early, building an internet business, and marketing effectively.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Tom Lauwers is on a mission to get robots into classrooms. As the founder and chief roboticist at BirdBrain Technologies, he designs educational tools that show students the basics of coding, engineering, and collaboration.
Tom received a Ph.D in robotics in 2010 from Carnegie Mellon, where he initially designed the Finch robot and Hummingbird robotics kit.
The Finch is a small robot designed to inspire students learning computer science by providing a tangible representation of their code.
The Hummingbird is a kit that allows students to create and program robots built from electronic components and craft materials.
In this conversation, Tom and Aaron discuss the design of the learning robot, how to make technology more accessible, and why Tom chose to bootstrap the business.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Tom Lauwers’s Challenge; Reflect on “What could be your superpower for good?”
Connect with Tom Lauwers
tom@birdbraintechnologies.com
If you liked this interview, check out these interviews with robotics entrepreneurs Jorgen Pedersen of RE2 Robotics and Jake Loosararian of Gecko Robotics.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
The Going Deep podcast returned to Fayette county for a second interview with one of the area’s top entrepreneurs. J.D. Ewing, President of COE Distributing, regained control of his company just after the Great Recession.
J.D. had to secure financing from the bank so he could buy inventory. When they asked for a business plan, J.D. estimated the firm would reach $10 million in revenue in 3 years.
COE Distributing ended up blowing past that number to more than $24 million. They did $9 million in the first year.
How?
In this podcast, J.D. explains how he systematically removed the constraints to business growth, how he hires team members, and the important lessons of leadership that anyone can use.
They’ve ridden this process to being named an INC 5000 fastest-growing company for 6 consecutive years.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
J.D. Ewing’s Challenge; Focus on getting engaged with your employees, colleagues, and teammates outside of your normal patterns.
Connect with J.D. Ewing
Books
Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders by Steve Shallenberger
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip & Dan Heath
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don't by Verne Harnish
If you liked this interview, make sure you heard our first conversation with J.D (episode 407).
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.
Follow Piper as we grow
Marco Marandiz is a Co-founder and Head of Marketing for Elliot, a global commerce startup based in NYC.
Prior to Elliot, Marco spent time as a strategist for high-potential DTC brands and led digital product teams at HomeAway and CapitalOne. Through building and shipping products that served hundreds of millions of users, Marco learned about what makes products work in the digital realm.
In this podcast, you’ll hear Aaron and Marco discuss how commerce on the internet is getting easier, how Twitter threads helped Marco advance his career, and why brands need to have a distinct voice.
Marco is speaking at Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart in 2020.
Marco Marandiz’s Challenge; Focus on one channel. Communicate your opinion clearly on one topics and be consistent.
Connect with Marco Marandiz
If you liked this interview, check out episode 394 with Ryan Kulp where we discuss How to buy small companies, speaking your mind, and managing risk.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
What’s a doctor to do when they become disenchanted with the healthcare system? Dr. Timothy Wong decided the answer was to start his own micro-practice.
In his office in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Dr. Wong sees ~20 patients per day and only charges $35 for a visit.
This allow people without health insurance to get the care they desperately need. Dr. Wong believes that healthcare needs to be simple, needs to be about the patient & the doctor, and needs to be accessible.
His business model allows that to happen.
In this conversation, Dr. Wong and Aaron discuss how he got the idea for iHealth Clinic, how care gets delivered at his practice, and the way this model can spread & inspire change.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Dr. Timothy Wong’s Challenge; Let other healthcare providers know about direct-access primary care.
Connect with Dr. Timothy Wong
If you liked this interview, check out episode 399 with Hayden Cardiff where we discuss spinning a software company out of another firm, raising a $9 million Series A, and hiring in a high-growth startup.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Jack Welsh is the co-owner of LumberjAxes and Sliders Curling. He has successfully transitioned from a union job and bartending gig into running a business that delivers genuinely unique experiences.
He and his co-founders first came across axe throwing in Philadelphia and decided to bring the concept to Pittsburgh. It’s been a winner and has grown to multiple locations.
To keep the momentum going, he has now opened Sliders Curling in the adjacent lot to offer competitive, bar-style curling to their customers.
In this conversation, you’ll hear Jack and Aaron discuss the origins of the company, how Jack transitioned out of his day job, and the capital required to get the company off the ground.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Jack Welsh’s Challenge; Go out of town to find some new entertainment options.
Connect with Lumberjaxes Axe Throwing
Connect with Sliders Curling
If you liked this interview, check out episode 184 with Ed Bailey & Day Bracey where we discuss comedy, drinking partners podcast, and creative partnership.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Bill Sarris has been in the candy business for more than 40 years. Upon graduating from college, Bill joined his father’s business and has overseen significant growth while building a Sarris Candies into a regional leader in chocolates.
Sarris Candies was started by his father Frank in the family’s basement. Behind Bill’s efforts, the company grew to include more than 350 employees and $16 million in annual sales.
Today, the Sarris Chocolate Factory and Ice Cream Parlour fill an area the size of a football field with over 100 yards of chocolate, penny candy, ice cream, and plush toys.
In this conversation, Bill and Aaron discuss flying to Europe to buy equipment in the 70s, Sarris’ five channels of revenue, and the strategic acquisition of Gardeners Candies.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Bill Sarris’s Challenge; If you find something you like, go after it.
Connect with Bill Sarris
If you liked this interview, check out episode 306 with Bryan Salesky where we discuss Argo Ai, self-driving cars, and what he learned from the DARPA challenge.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Glen Meakem is the founder & CEO of a permanent cloud photo storage and sharing company called Forever. He previously took his first technology startup, FreeMarkets, public in late-1999.
FreeMarkets grew up during the height of the Dotcom Bubble and reached a peak valuation of over $10 billion. While the spectacular highs of the bubble could not last, underneath the market Glen was tripling revenues each year and operating.
After selling FreeMarkets to Ariba in 2004, Glen started angel and venture investing. Some of his most successful investments include Kiva Systems (sold to Amazon), HotPads (sold to Zillow), and Niche.com.
After wrapping up a successful venture career, Glen returned to being an entrepreneurial operator. Forever was built because Glen was frustrated by the short-term business models and incentives offered from other cloud storage providers.
In this podcast interview, you’ll hear Glen and Aaron discuss timeless leadership principles, how to recognize a business opportunity, and stories from the tech bubble.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Glen Meakem’s Challenge; Don’t sit on the sidelines. Get in the game and take action. Walk through the door. Be ethical. Be kind.
Connect with Glen Meakem
If you liked this interview, check out episode 303 with Luke Skurman where we discuss founding Niche, recruiting engineering talent, and why follow-through is so important.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Follow Piper as we grow
Dr. Gordon Vanscoy is the founding Chairman and CEO of PANTHERx Rare, the nation’s leading rare disease and orphan drug-focused pharmacy.
PANTHERx Rare assists patients in navigating the complex process of getting orphan & precision medicines. They also help innovative biotechnology entrepreneurs get their medicines approved by insurers and healthcare providers.
Prior to PANTHERx, Dr. Vanscoy developed 7 health care companies while concurrently serving in various leadership roles at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Today, he serves as Pitt’s Associate Dean for Business Innovation and Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
In this conversation, you’ll hear Dr. Vanscoy and Aaron discuss the growth of precision medicine, why he came out of semi-retirement, and the staggering rate of growth.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Gordon Vanscoy’s Challenge; Do more research on the treatment of Rare Diseases.
Connect with Gordon Vanscoy
If you liked this interview, check out episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss university technology transfer, creating $300m in shareholder value, and building a loyal team.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.
Follow Piper as we grow
Jake Loosararian is the CEO and co-founder of Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh robotics startup. Gecko recently announced a $40 million Series B round of fundraising led by Drive Capital.
Gecko Robotics builds robots that do unassisted inspections of power plant boilers. The robots’ sensors measure key data including temperature, wall thickness, and other system failure indicators.
Jake invested his life savings into the company and was named the top startup in Y Combinator’s Winter 2016 cohort.
In this podcast, Jake Loosararian and Aaron Watson discuss the business model of Gecko, how he raised $40 million, and the high bar they have when hiring.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Jake Loosararian’s Challenge; Read a book.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil
Connect with Jake Loosararian
jake.loosararian@geckorobotics.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 400 with Austin Webb where we discuss large fundraising rounds, high growth startups, and robotics disrupting agriculture.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.
Follow Piper as we grow
Kent McElhattan’s entire business career has been dedicated to the safety of workers.
In 1985, Kent co-founded Industrial Scientific and built a worldwide leader in IOT and predictive analytics for the safety industry. The company climbed to hundreds of millions in revenue and sold to Fortive.
After that success, Kent started another company, Discovery Robotics, aimed to bring robotics technology to the field of janitorial services. Their first product is an autonomous floor-cleaning robot.
The company’s mission remains to increase human productivity and safety.
In this conversation, Kent and Aaron discuss how he ended up focusing on industrial cleaning, the lessons Kent has taken from Industrial Scientific, and the future of work.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Kent McElhattan’s Challenge; Find something that doesn’t feel like work.
Connect with Kent McElhattan
If you liked this interview, check out episode 297 with Jorgen Pedersen where we discuss saving lives with robots or episode 400 with Austin Webb where we discuss changing agriculture with tech.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.
Follow Piper as we grow
Anthony Gadient is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Voci Technologies. Voci uses GPU-accelerated, deep machine learning speech technologies to help companies understand what their team members are saying on the phone.
Their technology helps clients mine actionable insights from their voice data. It can be applied to customer service, sales, and compliance analysis.
The company is built with technology spun out of Carnegie Mellon University. Previously, Anthony co-founded Neolinear, a semiconductor design automation firm that was acquired.
Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.
Anthony Gadient’s Challenge; Take some time to think about the implications of computers being able to hear you.
Connect with Anthony Gadient
If you liked this interview, check out episode 303 with Luke Skurman the founder of Niche.com and episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss multiple successful technology startups.
Underwritten by Piper Creative
Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.
Our clients become better storytellers.
How? Click here and Learn more.
We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.
Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.
Follow Piper as we grow