Forward Obsessed

Forward Obsessed

Get into the minds of breakthrough business leaders and entrepreneurs to explore their unique stories and ideas for the future. From devastating pitfalls to life-changing aha moments, hosts and serial entrepreneurs themselves Pete Sena and David Salinas push interviews past the surface for an in-depth, insightful glimpse at the future of business and brands. Take your seat at the table to hear guests recount their failures, re-live their midnight planning sessions, share their hopes & passions, and explain what’s next for their business, industry, and the world. Subscribe now! read less
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Episodes

#52 The Future Of Venture Funding With Jason Kirby
Mar 7 2024
#52 The Future Of Venture Funding With Jason Kirby
Jason Kirby is the Founder of Thunder.VC, an AI-powered investment bank that helps startups navigate the fundraising process. Previously, he was the Co-Founder and President of Liquid Sky, a cloud gaming company acquired by Walmart in 2018, and the President and COO of Generation Esports, an esports platform for schools that raised $11 million in funding. Throughout the interview, Kirby shares valuable insights and lessons learned, such as the importance of setting deal terms before diving into due diligence, focusing on customer acquisition instead of fundraising, and the challenges of managing investor expectations. He also discusses his experience thriving in chaos and his ability to align teams towards a common goal. Kirby's story is one of resilience, adaptability, and perseverance in the face of numerous challenges and setbacks. He emphasizes the value of learning from failure, building strong relationships, and staying committed to one's vision. His journey from photographer to successful tech founder and investor is an inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the world of startups, fundraising, and entrepreneurship. Kirby's firsthand accounts of navigating acquisitions, pivoting business models, and managing team dynamics provide invaluable lessons for founders, MBA students, and managers alike. His story serves as a reminder that success often comes from embracing chaos, learning from failure, and never giving up. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction and sponsorship messages (00:03:15) Jason Kirby's early entrepreneurial journey and photography business (00:10:32) Launching San Diego Photography Classes and the importance of asking questions (00:15:19) Transitioning from photographer to business person with Toggly marketplace (00:23:09) Raising capital for Togally and the importance of targeting the right investors (00:26:25) Almost getting acquired by Kodak and lessons learned (00:29:40) Joining Liquid Sky as Co-Founder and raising $12 million (00:36:17) Samsung's acquisition offer and the deal falling through (00:41:15) Pivoting Liquid Sky's business model and securing enterprise contracts (00:43:44) Getting acquired by Walmart and the stressful acquisition process (00:49:54) Becoming a Walmart employee and the shutdown of the gaming project (00:51:51) Consulting for Generation Esports and helping them scale (00:56:56) Raising funds for Generation Esports and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic (01:02:45) Leaving Generation Esports due to differences in vision (01:05:04) Founding Thunder.VC and building an AI-powered investment bank (01:09:16) Identifying people who thrive in chaos and the importance of perseverance Episode Links Thunder.VC: https://web.thunder.vc/ Jason Kirby's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonkirby Jason Kirby's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/ Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (Book): Amazon LinkJ ason Kirby's podcast: Fundraising Demystified Visit our sponsors: Daas Good: www.daasgood.design Digital Surgeons: www.weareds.com Support & Connect with us Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/
#51 Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone With Jess Lynch 
Feb 22 2024
#51 Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone With Jess Lynch
Jess Lynch is currently the Cofounder and Founding Partner at Raiz Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm using data and community to reimagine startup investing. She was previously the Cofounder and CEO of Wishroute, a scalable behavior change platform that was acquired in 2022.   Throughout her journey, Jess has demonstrated remarkable resilience and leadership. This includes overcoming challenges like running out of cash and weathering the pandemic's impact on Wishroute's initial customers. She successfully led her company through an M&A process despite a difficult experience with one large potential acquirer. Jess credits her success to intuition, problem-obsession, and genuinely caring for people.   The interview touches on many topics valuable to founders and business leaders. Jess emphasizes the importance of having a technical co-founder or trusted advisor early on. She shares recommendations for managing fear, getting comfortable with discomfort, and pushing past the limits of your comfort zone. Additional insights include lessons learned from fundraising, managing investor relationships, preparing for acquisition, and running an accelerator program.   A key theme is Jess' remarkable perseverance and her development of an innate sense for when to push forward versus when it's time to change course. Her story demonstrates that entrepreneurial success requires hard work and also an element of luck or good timing. Overall, Jess Lynch provides a wealth of practical knowledge and inspiration for anyone interested in startups, venture capital, or leadership. This is a must-listen episode packed with forward-thinking wisdom. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction (00:02:06) Early entrepreneurial interests and family backdrop (00:05:31) Brother's juvenile diabetes diagnosis inspires family lifestyle changes (00:07:16) Educational background at Babson College (00:10:59) Early career in forensic accounting at PwC (00:15:33) Leaving corporate career to pursue entrepreneurial path (00:18:22) Working on BP oil spill litigation (00:23:32) Finding the idea for Wishroute while at Babson MBA program (00:25:37) Launching Wishroute and early traction (00:27:34) Pandemic causes pivot from gyms to direct-to-consumer (00:30:58) Fundraising challenges as a female founder without technical background (00:32:04) Mental health during startup struggles and running out of cash (00:36:41) Large potential acquirer ends up building internally instead (00:42:26) Emotionally difficult decision to pursue acquisition of Wishroute (00:43:04) Warning signs when deal-making with large companies (00:44:51) Importance of letter of intent in M&A process (00:47:19) Securing acquisition despite numerous setbacks (00:49:20) Lifelong lessons in resilience from journey (00:50:07) Reluctance to jump back into startup founder role after acquisition (00:53:30) Currently supporting portfolio companies and investing in CT   Episode Links   Wishroute (founded by Jess Lynch): https://www.wishroute.com/ Raiz Capital (co-founded by Jess Lynch) https://raiz.vc/ Babson College: https://www.babson.edu/ Techstars: https://www.techstars.com/ Suggestic: https://suggestic.com/ Guidely: https://guidely.com/ Jessica  Lynch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicallynch/ Jessica Lynch on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicallynch Lenny's newsletter - https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/ The Lean Startup book - https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898 Brian Chesky episode on Lenny's newsletter - https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach   Support & ConnectForward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/
#50 From Pioneering Facial Recognition to Apple Acquisition With Adi Eckhouse Barzilai
Feb 8 2024
#50 From Pioneering Facial Recognition to Apple Acquisition With Adi Eckhouse Barzilai
Adi Eckhouse Barzilai is the Co-Founder and CEO of RealFace, a facial recognition software company that was acquired by Apple Inc. She was previously in brand management at Procter & Gamble. As founder of RealFace, Adi helped pioneer mobile facial recognition capabilities that later became integral to Apple’s FaceID unlock feature. RealFace provided the core IP and engineering talent behind making robust facial authentication seamless for iPhone users worldwide. After multiple pivots and surviving high-stakes fundraising stresses familiar to most early-stage founders, Adi successfully negotiated an acquisition deal with Apple. Throughout a wide-ranging interview, Adi shares hard-won lessons from her entrepreneurial journey in the high-risk world of consumer tech startups. For young founders, she strongly advocates getting hands-on experience learning computer science to better grasp future opportunities. Adi also believes time working at a top corporation exposes priceless insights on how elite marketing, product development, and operational scale-up works behind the scenes. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction (00:02:00) Adi's background and early entrepreneurial influences (00:06:00) Studying computer science and working at Procter & Gamble (00:10:00) Getting an MBA from Columbia Business School (00:14:00) The importance of branding for startups (00:17:00) Adi's thoughts on MBAs and issues of antisemitism on campus (00:20:00) The hostage crisis in Gaza (00:23:00) Defining what a brand is (00:26:00) Why investing in brand matters for startups (00:30:00) Pivoting RealFace from a consumer app to facial recognition (00:35:00) The challenges of being a startup founder/CEO (00:40:00) Having the entrepreneurial "bug" and the importance of co-founders (00:45:00) Differentiating between tech and product companies (00:48:00) The niche strategy behind RealFace's technology (00:55:00) Connecting with Apple and maintaining secrecy (01:00:00) Negotiating the acquisition deal with Apple (01:05:00) The emotional rollercoaster of the startup journey (01:10:00) Adi's feeling when the Apple acquisition closed (01:15:00) Trying to launch a nonprofit after the exit (01:20:00) Why Adi is passionate about education and empowering girls Episode Links Procter & Gamble (former employer): https://us.pg.com/ RealFace (Co-Founder and CEO): https://www.timesofisrael.com/apple-buys-israels-facial-recognition-firm-realface-report/ Adi’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adi-eckhouse-barzilai-8000928/   Support & ConnectForward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/
#49 Betting On Blockchain: The Future Of Sports Betting With Alex Dubin
Jan 25 2024
#49 Betting On Blockchain: The Future Of Sports Betting With Alex Dubin
Alex Dubin is the Founder and CEO of BettorOff, a sports betting platform designed to bring transparency and integrity to bettors through blockchain technology. After a few early career twists and turns, Alex Dubin leveraged a chance meeting in a poker game to pivot into sports betting just as daily fantasy sports (DFS) was taking off. He helped set up an investment fund that delivered over 70% returns by deploying algorithms and analytics to beat platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. However, regulatory changes aimed at these DFS market leaders ultimately crushed Alex’s fund after an impressive 23 month run. Showing perseverance, he co-founded a sports data and analytics company focused on the exploding esports industry and was acquired within two years. Alex then combined his passion for sports and his legal background to co-found BettorOff. With over 50 million sports bettors in the U.S. relying on questionable information sources, BettorOff verifies betting records and gives handicappers an equitable way to build reputation and community. The company wants to be the go-to source for sportsbook players and content creators in a niche Alex calls the “OnlyFans for sports betting”. He believes relentless pursuit of purpose and passion is key to thriving through the startup wilderness. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:29) Early career and background (00:04:48) College struggles and resilience (00:07:01) Getting Miami Heat internship (00:10:00) Learning from Coach Pat Riley (00:14:44) Launching fantasy sports fund (00:18:26) Leaving law firm (00:22:45) Shutting down the fund (00:24:37) Pivoting to sports data startup (00:26:34) ESPN partnership (00:30:56) Acquisition by SportsGrid (00:35:27) Starting BettorOff (00:41:03) Building remote teams (00:44:31) Fundraising approach (00:48:19) Previous startup exits (00:50:07) Parent reactions (00:52:15) Vision for BettorOff (00:55:52) Handicapper transparency (01:00:07) Sports betting portfolio model (01:02:18) Social network aspects (01:06:57) Remote work culture (01:17:53) Monetization models (01:20:10) Market viability Episode Links BettorOff: https://www.bettoroff.com/Miami Heat: https://www.nba.com/heat Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-dubin-41834261/ Pat RIley Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Riley Winning Time (TV SHow): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winning_Time:_The_Rise_of_the_Lakers_Dynasty Support & Connect Website: www.forwardobsessed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/
#48 Breaking Barriers For Women In Tech With Beverly Parenti
Jan 11 2024
#48 Breaking Barriers For Women In Tech With Beverly Parenti
Beverly Parenti is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cofounder of The Last Mile, a nonprofit providing technology training to incarcerated individuals. She has founded and cofounded several other successful companies, including First Virtual Holdings, one of the first online payment systems, which went public in the 1990s. In the interview, Parenti stresses the importance of grit, resilience, choosing the right partners, and providing second chances. She recounts the origins of her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, both survivors of the holocaust, along with the incredible story of her father escaping the Nazis. She discusses cofounding First Virtual Holdings and other startups, as well as cofounding the KickLabs accelerator, which successfully launched massive companies like Wish.com. Her current project is The Last Mile, which provides training in coding, web development, and other technical skills to prepare incarcerated individuals for careers in technology upon release. The organization has expanded to 8 states and gained support from leaders in business, government, and philanthropy. Parenti emphasizes the need to break generational cycles of incarceration and allow individuals to become productive members of society. Her journey and the work of The Last Mile showcase the power of purposeful work, compassion, and redemption. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction of Beverly Parenti (00:02:10) Parenti's childhood and entrepreneurial parents (00:08:53) Launching the First Virtual Holdings payment system (00:14:01) Moving to California and starting retail businesses (00:21:34) Getting into tech/consulting in San Francisco (00:25:57) Meeting Chris Redlitz and joining his startup (00:30:34) Taking First Virtual Holdings public (00:31:03) Leaving First Virtual Holdings and consulting (00:33:48) Joining AdAuction.com with Chris Redlitz (00:44:27) Starting KickLabs Accelerator (00:51:02) KickLabs success stories like Wish.com (00:55:50) Partnership with Chris Redlitz (01:05:59) Cofounding The Last Mile nonprofit (01:11:39) Expanding The Last Mile to reduce recidivism Episode Links Marketplace Consulting: https://www.marketplaceconsultinggroup.com/ The Last Mile: https://thelastmile.org/ The Last Mile Radio: https://thelastmileradio.org/ HBR Case Study on First Virtual Holdings: https://store.hbr.org/product/first-virtual-holdings-inc-a/98E007#:~:text=Source%3A%20Ivey%20Publishing-,First%20Virtual%20Holdings%2C%20Inc.,and%20services%20over%20the%20Internet. Support & Connect Forward Obsessed Website: www.forwardobsessed.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forwardobsessed/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@forwardobsessed LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/forward-obsessed/
#47 Best Of Forward Obsessed - 2023 Holiday Recap
Jan 3 2024
#47 Best Of Forward Obsessed - 2023 Holiday Recap
This year, we had 25 incredible interviews. 25 deep dives into the rollercoaster experience of building a company -  taking an aha moment, nurturing it into a tangible idea for a business, building a team, getting funding, growing, failing, pivoting, growing again, failing again, exploding, and then - who knows. Every story is different - and yet, our team has been able to tease out some of the throughlines from all of these stories, the fundamental truths of entrepreneurship. We are taking everything we are learning, and we are creating a book - the ultimate field guide to building a business. Next Year, we will be taking the first 50 episodes of forward Obsessed and will distill this priceless entrepreneurial knowledge into a single book, one that we plan to get into your hands by next summer. Stay tuned :)  Being Forward Obsessed means taking your learnings from the past and applying them to the endeavors of the future with unbending resolve, curiosity, and ambition. One thing we have learned is that we have the best fanbase ever - thanks to people like you, sharing our episodes and clips, we reached over 3 million people in 2024 across all our channels.  As our year draws to a close, We are doing our yearly wrap, and we need your help, the audience, the listeners, who we do it for, to find the best clip. We have decided to award 5 of you a free Forward Obsessed T-shirt, one of the legendary “Progress, Pitfalls, and Pivots” mugs you see on every episode, and a signed copy of the Forward Obsessed book when it drops next year. In order to be eligible, you have to do the following: Pick out your favorite Forward Obsessed clip from our social media, share it to your instagram, share it to your instagram TikTok, share it to your instagram LinkedIn account, and Tag us so we can see it, and you will be in the running From the entire team here at Digital Surgeons in New Haven Connecticut, we would like to thank you, the viewers and listeners, for your support, your feedback, your energy, and your genuine excitement that you shared with us in the last year. As a part of our end-of-year tradition, we decided to compile the top moment from every episode in the last year, as chosen by our viewers and listeners through their engagement. Like last year, It was tough to omit any piece of knowledge that our amazing guests brought to the table, as every episode presents a brilliant perspective on what it means to be an entrepreneur. I hope you enjoy these clips, take inspiration from these outstanding minds, and step into the new year refreshed and Forward Obsessed.  Support & Connect   Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#46 From Startup To Selling For Half A Billion With Ben Kartzman
Jan 3 2024
#46 From Startup To Selling For Half A Billion With Ben Kartzman
Ben Kartzman is the COO of Mediaocean, a multi-billion dollar ad tech company. He was previously the CEO and co-founder of SpongeCell, an ad tech startup that was acquired by FlashTalking. Kartzman has successfully navigated multiple acquisitions and integrations throughout his career in ad tech. In this interview, Kartzman outlines his journey from college soccer player to serial entrepreneur. He shares stories and lessons learned from the rise and fall of several startups, including gritting through the dot-com crash and having to lay off employees during the 2008 financial crisis. Kartzman stresses the importance of autonomy, transparency, building the right team, and learning to balance optimism with realism as an entrepreneur. He also provides an inside look at acquisition negotiations and building rapport with potential buyers. For entrepreneurs and aspiring founders, this interview offers hard-won wisdom on persevering through difficult times, pivoting business models, and creating successful exits. Kartzman shows that with resilience, adaptability, and the right teammates, one can navigate the turbulent waters of the startup world to build substantial companies. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction of Guest: Ben Kartzman (00:04:43) Kartzman's Early Interest in Entrepreneurship (00:10:13) Kartzman's Experience During the Dot-Com Bubble (00:14:28) Pivoting to Consulting (00:18:18) Learning Entrepreneurial Skills Through Consulting (00:20:09) Key Lessons from Early Mentors (00:23:33) Working at a Startup While Having a Full-Time Job (00:27:03) Kartzman's Strong Work Ethic and Drive (00:29:03) Modeling Entrepreneurship and Work Ethic for His Kids (00:35:31) Founding SpongeCell and Early Pivots (00:39:04) Focusing on Revenue Instead of Fundraising (00:41:19) Making Difficult Decisions Like Layoffs (00:43:52) SpongeCell's Innovations in Ad Tech (00:45:26) The Dangers of Prematurely Scaling (00:49:55) Navigating Shifts in Market Dynamics (00:52:17) Thoughts on Middle Management (00:53:01) Acquisition Offers and Deciding to Remain Independent (01:00:39) Navigating Conflicts with Investors (01:04:40) Choosing the Right Acquirer (01:08:23) Traits to Look for in a Buyer (01:10:35) Was the FlashTalking Acquisition Serendipitous? (01:12:38) Joining FlashTalking Post-Acquisition (01:18:49) The Importance of Retaining Your Team Through Exits (01:19:33) Being COO of a Multi-Billion Dollar Company (01:21:49) Does Kartzman Miss Being a Startup CEO? (01:25:13) The State of Ad Tech Innovation Today Episode Links MediaOcean: https://www.mediaocean.com/ FlashTalking: https://www.flashtalking.com/ SpongeCell: https://www.spongecell.com/ Toga Builders: http://www.togabuilders.com/ Carnegie Mellon University: https://www.cmu.edu/ Seabridge: https://www.seabridgegold.com/ BridgeLine: https://www.bridgeline.com/ Accenture: https://www.accenture.com/ Union Square Ventures: https://www.usv.com/ Dissidia/Guidestar: https://www.guidestar.org/ Support & Connect Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeonsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeonsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#44 Working Hard Is Not Enough With Jared James
Dec 13 2023
#44 Working Hard Is Not Enough With Jared James
Jared James is an entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and author who was previously the #1 ranked realtor in the country. He has built numerous successful companies across industries like real estate, marketing, technology, and business coaching, and is an accomplished public speaker.  In this wide-ranging conversation, Jared shares insights from his journey starting with formative childhood experiences that ignited his entrepreneurial drive from a young age. He talks about the mindset shifts that propelled his success, including learning to run a business rather than just working hard, focusing on avoiding failure rather than chasing validation, and leveraging skills like public speaking and relationship-building. Jared provides tactical advice for entrepreneurs looking to build visibility and connect directly with their audience. He stresses the power of social media, email marketing, and speaking engagements to reach potential customers. A key mindset shift he recommends is creating content with no expectation of immediate returns. The interview covers topics like authentic self-expression, managing success, and navigating criticism. He also shares how he stays grounded through constant self-reflection. Episode Outline (00:00:00) Introduction to Jared James (00:02:00) Jared's childhood and entrepreneurial beginnings (00:07:15) Jared's experience working odd jobs and realizing he wanted more (00:10:00) Jared getting into real estate and becoming number one agent in the country (00:15:00) The difference between working hard and working smart (00:20:00) Jared's uncle advising him to aim higher in life (00:25:00) Jared transitioning into public speaking and. building his personal brand (00:30:00) Being your authentic self publicly vs. privately (00:35:00) Responding to jokes/comments that offend some people (00:40:00) The duality and insecurities within successful people (00:45:00) Jared building direct relationships with his audience (00:50:00) Jared's journey with writing books (00:55:00) The role of feedback and criticism in becoming successful (01:00:00) Jared being introverted and letting few people see his full personality (01:05:00) Drawing boundaries on how much of yourself to share publicly (01:10:00) Jared's portfolio of companies and entrepreneurial pursuits (01:15:00) The real estate industry and reactions to lawsuits (01:20:00) Jared's First Up real estate tech company (01:25:00) Jared acquiring companies to solve problems he see (01:30:00) Jared leveraging everything in his life to do more with less (01:35:00) Rejecting the fear of rejection and putting yourself out there (01:40:00) Where to find Jared online Episode Links Connect with Jared: https://www.connectwithjared.com/ Website: https://www.jaredjamestoday.com/ Enjoy Success Today (Book): https://www.amazon.com/ENJOY-SUCCESS-TODAY-Thriving-Business/dp/160145855X Get Out of Your Way (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-YOUR-Jared-James/dp/1633672786 Podcast Info Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql Support & Connect Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#43 The Future Of Pain Management With Arun Nijhawan
Dec 13 2023
#43 The Future Of Pain Management With Arun Nijhawan
Arun Nijhawan is the co-founder and CEO of Menda Health, a startup using therapy to provide drug and surgery-free treatment for chronic pain. He was previously co-founder of FillMyFork, a startup focused on healthy eating that was acquired by FoodSmart. Nijhawan studied astrophysics in college before moving to Silicon Valley to participate in the prestigious Alchemist accelerator program run by billionaire VC Tim Draper. He overcame significant health challenges starting from a young age, including lifelong kidney disease that required a transplant at age 18 and years of debilitating chronic back pain.  In this wide-ranging interview, Nijhawan shares his origin story as the son of immigrant entrepreneurs and discusses the difficulties facing children of immigrants navigating between cultures. Nijhawan also talks about developing chronic back pain while working at FoodSmart, which led him on a journey of research and discovery into new ways of treating chronic pain focused on the brain and nervous system rather than just the physical structure. The interview provides an inside look at Nijhawan's latest venture Menda Health, which takes a similar approach to treating chronic pain by training therapists and using technology to increase access. He explains how they pivoted to a tech-enabled services model and now accept insurance to remove barriers for patients. Nijhawan argues passionately that the current healthcare system is failing people with chronic pain, costing $650 billion annually, and needs to change its focus from surgeries and medications to nervous system-based treatments. For young entrepreneurs, he shares lessons on bootstrapping and patience in startup journeys. OUTLINE: (00:02:00) Growing up as son of immigrant entrepreneurs (00:05:00) Navigating Indian and American cultures (00:07:15) Overcoming health challenges from a young age (00:10:00) Developing chronic back pain while working at startup (00:12:30) Embarking on research into new chronic pain treatments (00:17:00) Having a pivotal moment realizing pain pathways changing (00:20:00) Founding chronic pain treatment startup Menda Health (00:25:00) Pivoting from app to tech-enabled services model (00:30:00) Raising first funding round for Menda Health( 00:35:00) Being acquired by FoodSmart with first startup (00:40:00) Moving from hustle culture to slower, patient approach (00:45:00) Explaining how chronic pain is often brain-created (00:50:00) Detailing the high cost of ineffective chronic pain treatment (00:55:00) Achieving pain freedom with nervous system-based care (01:00:00) Providing Chronic Pain treatment through virtual therapy (01:05:00) Building infrastructure to scale impact (01:10:00) Fostering human connection to address root of pain (01:15:00) Envisioning paradigm shift in how pain is addressed EPISODE LINKS: Arun’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunnijhawan/ Arun’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nijhawhat Menda Health: https://www.menda.health/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#41 Surviving The River And Building The Bridge With Wiley Cerilli
Dec 13 2023
#41 Surviving The River And Building The Bridge With Wiley Cerilli
Wiley Cerilli is a serial entrepreneur and founder of companies like Seamless Web, SinglePlatform, and Good Uncle. He was previously the VP and General Manager of Constant Contact after they acquired his company SinglePlatform for $100 million. Throughout his career, Cerilli has experienced immense personal and professional growth, including overcoming the tragic loss of his father at a young age. The interview covers Cerilli's inspirational journey, from losing his father while in high school and becoming "CEO" of his family, to the lessons he learned from successful exits at Seamless Web and SinglePlatform. He provides tactical advice for entrepreneurs on topics like fundraising, hiring, sales, product development, and maintaining work-life balance through difficult times. Cerilli stresses the importance of community and resilience when dealing with trauma and chaos. He shares vulnerable stories and actionable frameworks like "Test, Tune, Scale" that provide invaluable insights for young founders. This emotional yet practical interview exemplifies how entrepreneurs can draw strength from hardship, build empathy and vision, and manifest success through perseverance. OUTLINE: (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:31) Introduction to Wiley Cerilli's background and entrepreneurial journey (00:02:39) Losing his father to cancer at a young age and the impact on his family (00:05:50) Overcoming adversity and tragedy through entrepreneurship (00:07:15) Getting his start in startups at Seamless Web (00:10:00) Starting Single Platform and lessons on fundraising (00:14:02) Founding ghost kitchen startup Good Uncle (00:17:02) Entrepreneurial mindset and creating urgency (00:22:39) Exiting Single Platform to Constant Contact (00:28:27) Research on childhood loss and achievement (00:31:36) Starting the non-profit Experience Camps (00:35:18) Balancing urgency and breaking people in business (00:43:22) Being ahead of the market with Good Uncle (00:52:14) Building sales teams and call centers (01:00:38) Emotions after a big exit (01:06:14) Grieving as an entrepreneur (01:10:00) Skipping steps when scaling companies (01:15:11) Selling Good Uncle to Aramark (01:17:02) Founding House Account and digitizing home services   EPISODE LINKS: Wiley’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wileycerilli/ Wiley’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/wileycerilli?lang=en Seamless Web: https://www.seamless.com/ SinglePlatform: https://my2.singleplatform.com Good Uncle: https://www.gooduncle.com/ Experience Camps: https://experiencecamps.org/ David and Goliath Book: https://www.amazon.com/David-Goliath-Underdogs-MisfitsBattling/dp/0316204374 Thinking Fast and Slow Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-and-Slow-udiobook/dp/B005Z9GAJG The Perfect Storm Movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177971/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#40 How To End Prison Recidivism With Chris Redlitz
Dec 13 2023
#40 How To End Prison Recidivism With Chris Redlitz
Chris Redlitz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Last Mile, leading a national movement across our country to provide in-prison technology education and post-incarceration mentorship to justice-involved people across the United States. Chris had previously sold a chain of running stores called Second Sole, founded and sold AdAuction.Com, co-founded Kicklabs, and co-founded Transmedia Capital, a fund and incubator that has helped launch and grow 38 tech companies to massive exits. After spending his young-adult years on adventures around the world, including a 3-person sailing trip to Hawaii with no digital navigation equipment, Chris followed his passion for ultra-running and founded Second Sole, a retail store in California for high-level running equipment. Chris’ leadership in that space caught the attention of the rapidly growing sportswear giant Reebok, and Chris' meteoric rise in Reebok and his instrumental role in its massive IPO was the first of many profound successes in his life. Sensing the impending dot-com boom, Chris ventured into the digital realm at the perfect moment, leading to multiple successful acquisitions.  Throughout the interview, Chris shares personal stories and anecdotes that shed light on the realities of entrepreneurship. From the pain of a failed IPO to the importance of having a supportive partner, Chris' stories captivate and inspire listeners. Chris' experience and wisdom offer valuable lessons and insights for navigating the challenges and opportunities that come with building a business. OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (2:00) Early years as a rebel (6:40) Dropping out college to sail to Hawaii  (13:00) Where my rebellious spirit came from (16:30) Becoming addicted to running and opening a running store (19:00) Joining Reebok as they grew from $10M to $4B (21:41) Why Nike succeeded where Reebok failed (24:04) Transitioning into the Dot Com Boom with AdAuction.com  (27:00) What the Dot Com Boom was like (30:00) The mental benefits of running (37:00) Recovering from the Dot Com crash (41:30) Starting a VC company that actually cares about their founders (52:00) Know which moonshot idea to invest into (56:15) Why are VC funds going dry?  (1:03:25) Why Safenotes killed the VC industry (1:09:53) The Last Mile - Technology training in prison (1:13:49) Entrepreneurship in prison (1:18:00) Building a movement across political lines (1:20:30) Why previously incarcerated people are the hardest workers (1:24:40) Building a company by and for incarcerated people   EPISODE LINKS: The Last Mile: https://thelastmile.org/ The Last Mile WIkipedia Page:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Mile_(prison_rehabilitation_program) Twitter: https://twitter.com/TLM LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-last-mile/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxnslwxnp3acFh13V-uvvJQ Chris’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisredlitz Chris’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisredlitz/ Chris’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/credlitz/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql  SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#39 Harnessing The Power Of “Swing” With Eric Rosow
Dec 13 2023
#39 Harnessing The Power Of “Swing” With Eric Rosow
Eric Rosow is the CEO and Co-founder of Diameter Health. He was previously the Founder and CEO of Premise Corporation and has extensive experience in healthcare technology and entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, Diameter Health’s innovative technology has been adopted by major health systems across the country, and was acquired by Availity in 2022. In this episode, Rosow shares insights and entrepreneurial stories from across the healthcare landscape. He discusses his journey as a founder, starting with his early days at Hartford Hospital where he identified a need for better data management in healthcare. This led to the creation of Premise Corporation, which developed a bed management dashboard and gained clients including prestigious hospitals and health systems. Eric delves into the challenges he faced in transitioning from a consulting firm to a product company and how they found their competitive advantage in data improvement processes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and market demand, utilizing the Pragmatic marketing framework. Throughout the episode, Eric discusses the significance of establishing a strong team and maintaining transparent communication. He also highlights the value of mentorship, recounting his partnerships and the impact they had on his journey as a young founder and CEO. Through the power of metaphor (and real-life experience) Eric explains his passion for rowing and the transformative power it can have on inner-city youth, drawing parallels between the dedication required in rowing and entrepreneurship. He also reveals his interest in bees, discussing their healing benefits and his recent endeavors into being a beekeeper. OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (1:47) Early years (4:20) Developing the entrepreneurial mindset (6:05) How competitive rowing changed my life (9:25) Brute force vs. “swing” (15:45) Why I started in medical engineering (18:00) Developing “air traffic control” for a hospital (21:02) Transitioning from being an employee to being a founder (23:51) Raising money for my first startup  (27:16) How to build a good board for your business (31:20) Getting acquired, almost by accident (36:09) Founding Diameter Health (38:21) What is an “onlyness factor?” (43:50) How to build a great team culture (48:45) Selling Diameter Health (51:33) The art of the start (54:00) What CEO’s can learn from bees EPISODE LINKS: Diameter Health: https://www.availityclinicalsolutions.com/ Alleycorp: https://alleycorp.com/ Eric’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-rosow/ The Hard Thing About Hard Things (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205 The Boys In The Boat (Book): https://www.danieljamesbrown.com/books/the-boys-in-the-boat/⁠ The Wisdom Of Bees (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Bees-Business-Leadership-Efficiency/dp/159184326X Thinking In Bets (Book) A Most Beautiful Thing (Movie) PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#38 The Future Of Networking With Yasha Filippenko
Dec 13 2023
#38 The Future Of Networking With Yasha Filippenko
Yasha Filippenko is exiting founder of Sailplay, a B2C marketing automation platform, and the founder of Intch, a professional social networking platform. Born in Kazakhstan and later moving to Russia, Yasha specialized in mathematics, a path that eventually led him into the realm of technology. His tech career kicked off at Yandex, Russia's largest search engine, providing him with invaluable industry insights and experiences. Yasha then moved on to launch his first company, navigating through a series of challenges before successfully exiting. His entrepreneurial journey didn't stop there; after a stint at a venture capital firm where he further honed his business acumen, he initiated his most recent venture, Intch. In the interview, Yasha delves into an array of relevant and informative topics for young entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, and MBA students. He shares the story of his humble beginnings, providing listeners with a candid account of the twists and turns he encountered while building and exiting his first company. Yasha's experience in both startup and venture capital realms offers listeners valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of launching and scaling a business. Furthermore, the journey of Intch, his latest venture, provides practical insights into the tenacity and vision required to sustain and grow a successful enterprise. This episode is a treasure trove of entrepreneurial wisdom, from understanding market dynamics to navigating venture capital, making it a must-listen for those keen on the entrepreneurial journey. OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (1:34) Early years in Kazakhstan in a tiny town (4:00) Why I became obsessed with math (7:58) How I began my interest in entrepreneurship (12:30) What are the most important skills of a project manager?  (15:00) Getting started at Yandex (18:45) “I can do it better” - my reason to become an entrepreneur (22:03) The concept behind SailPlay (26:00) Raising money and almost getting acquired (30:00) Why our first acquisition fell apart (37:14) What I learned from a failed acquisition (43:05) What is product market fit?  (46:54) Fast nickels are better than slow dimes (49:40) When the wire hit from our acquisition (54:13) In an acquisition, the devil is in the details  (57:40) Why I went into venture capital (59:40) Why I founded Intch (1:09:45) How we are different than LinkedIn and Indeed  (1:16:42) LinkedIn is overrun with spam (1:20:00) Fixing incentives for users on professional social media platforms  (1:28:00) Replacing employees with Chat GPT   EPISODE LINKS: Sailplay: https://sailplay.net/ Intch: https://intch.org/ Yasha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yfilippenko/   PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#37 Unleashing the Power of Video With Lucas Loeffler
Dec 13 2023
#37 Unleashing the Power of Video With Lucas Loeffler
Explore the fast-paced world of video marketing and user generated content with Lucas Loeffler, exiting founder of QuickFrame. In this interview, Lucas talks about his early years as a party-planner and rule-bender, his rapid rise and fall in the world of football, and re-discovering his identity after losing the ability to play his favorite sport. Lucas talks about why he turned down a six-figure dream job out of college, what inspired him to become an entrepreneur, and how he discovered the concept for a multi-million  dollar company while pranking people on Craigslist. This interview dives deep into the world of marketing, media management, and the often convoluted process of building and selling your business.  OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (2:00) Early years and family influences (9:45) Being a rule breaker and playing football in  school (14:11) Rediscovering my identity after losing the ability to play football (17:30) Turning down a six-figure offer out of college (20:31) Doing business development at Identified (25:54) “I don't want to work for you - I want to BE you.” (28:00) What is business development?   (29:45) Deciding to go to Wharton for Business School (32:00) Founding QuickFrame with a Craigslist experiment (39:24) Starting a company with $50,000 (44:10) Building a tech company team from scratch (47:00) Maintaining stamina for 6 years of hard work (50:10) Getting our first customer - Pepsi (54:00) Fundraising through scrappy means (58:15) Investors always choose the jockey over the horse (1:03:30) Pivoting from raising money to cutting my team (1:10:20) Balancing institutional and strategic interests (1:13:30) Getting acquired by Ryan Reynolds at Mountain Digital (1:18:05) When the wire dropped (1:22:40) Being an employee again EPISODE LINKS: Quickframe: https://quickframe.com/ Mountain Digital: https://mountain.com/ Lucas’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-loeffler-25887a24/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#36 From Addiction To Acquisition With Ryan Shank
Dec 13 2023
#36 From Addiction To Acquisition With Ryan Shank
Ryan Shank is the exited founder of PhoneWagon, the founder of Cameo Ventures, and the founder of ShareWillow. In this interview, dive into Ryan’s incredible entrepreneurial journey as he takes you through his early aha moments, bumpy periods of rapid growth, struggling with addiction, and finally getting his company acquired. Ryan opens up about his struggles with addiction and self-doubt, the pressure he faced as a founder, and the journey of finding balance in his life. He highlights the importance of seeking accountability, structure, and support systems. Ryan's story serves as an inspiration to entrepreneurs and founders who face challenges, reminding them that with determination, self-reflection, and a positive mindset, they can overcome obstacles and build successful ventures. OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (2:18) Early years (4:30) First experiences in hustling and sales (14:03) My first sales job at a startup (17:00) The entrepreneur’s mindset (20:00) Going through my first acquisition (25:07) Getting sued for a blogpost (27:00) Over Communicate with your team (30:50) Mastering inbound marketing (30:45) What is product/market fit?  (35:00) Getting acquired and exiting (41:00) Becoming a founding entrepreneur (44:45) Going from an idea to a real company (54:30) Realizing I was struggling with an addiction (57:31) We didn’t have “true product/market fit” (1:04:00) What I learned from addiction treatment (1:08:00) Getting acquired while in addiction treatment (1:13:57) When employees steal from your company (1:18:54) Why do acquisitions include escrow?  (1:21:00) Life after selling my company (1:24:31) Being transparent about my past (1:26:50) Why entrepreneurs are often neurodivergent  (1:31:30) Going all in on ShareWillow  (1:39:26) My non-negotiables to maintain mental health EPISODE LINKS: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-shank-94508328/ Cameo Ventures: https://www.cameoventures.com/ Sharewillow: https://www.sharewillow.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#35 Resilience, Innovation, And Finding Your Purpose With Gioel Molinari
Dec 13 2023
#35 Resilience, Innovation, And Finding Your Purpose With Gioel Molinari
Gioel Molinari is the Founder of Autostrada, a boutique automotive club and showroom in Westport, CT. He was previously the exiting Founder of ClariFi and President of Butterfly Network, a medical device company that is democratizing healthcare by making medical imaging as accessible as a stethoscope. In this episode, David Salinas and Pete Sena sit down with entrepreneur and leader Gioel Molinari to discuss various topics relating to entrepreneurship, leadership skills, and growing companies. Gioel shares his diverse journey, ranging from being a partner at Bridgewater, to starting from scratch while dealing with depression, to building one of the most innovative medical device companies in the world. Delve into the challenges Gioel faced when tasked with getting FDA clearance for a handheld ultrasound product and the lessons learned about the long cycle times and high costs associated with making hardware changes. Explore Gioel's belief in self-education and the value of practical skills over structured education. Gioel dives into the current state of the technology business, the importance of a motivated and gritty workforce, and the potential for other countries to surpass if they don't pick up their game.  OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (2:00) Early years (3:31) Entrepreneurship is in your DNA (7:00) Family businesses and crafts (13:30) Working in family businesses as a child (17:21) Instilling work ethic in young people (24:30) Speed, Simplicity, and Scaling (30:37) Finding and utilizing world-class talent  (38:35) Dealing with the egos of talented people (45:57) Why get an education in Chemical Engineering?  (51:04) Timing is everything in entrepreneurship (54:40) Pivoting to E-Commerce (59:30) The Wall-Street Quant Crash (1:04:50) Defining product market fit (1:09:20) Why startups are unglamorous meat grinders (1:20:40) How I got fired from Bridgewater (1:25:15) Dealing with depression and starting at Butterfly (1:33:13) Changing healthcare with a handheld ultrasound device (1:38:00) Innovating in healthcare with e-commerce (1:43:53) Pitching is about storytelling (1:47:20) You are the best person to run your company (1:53:46) Autostrada  EPISODE LINKS: Gioel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gioelmolinari/ Autostrada Event Page: https://onthemarcevents.com/venues/autostrada-westport Autostrada Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autostradawestport/?hl=en PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#45 From The Bronx To A 9-Figure Exit With André Swanston
Dec 1 2023
#45 From The Bronx To A 9-Figure Exit With André Swanston
Andre Swanston is the former CEO and Co-Founder of Tru Optik, a data and analytics company focused on connected TV (CTV) and streaming media. Tru Optik was acquired by TransUnion for over $100 million when Andre was under 40 years old. Andre has an incredible backstory, growing up in the Bronx as the son of immigrants from St. Kitts and Nevis. He attended a prestigious boarding school on scholarship, which opened up opportunities but also required tremendous personal sacrifice and perseverance. After dabbling in restaurants, nightlife promotion and financial services, Andre had the vision to create TruOptik when he saw streaming media was going to transform the industry. Despite the many systemic obstacles facing Black founders in fundraising and scaling startups, Andre managed to bootstrap early operations and eventually raise VC funding for Tru Optik. He built an exceptionally diverse leadership team that out-hustled the competition. Tru Optik focused on dominating the nascent connected TV space years before it became the center of digital media. Their technology and exclusive partnerships enabled them to accelerate rapidly when streaming demand exploded during the pandemic. Now Andre has set his ambitious sights on bringing an MLS soccer team to Connecticut by 2026. He sees huge untapped potential in making it one of the most valuable soccer clubs globally, with the state's dense population, high income, passion for sports, and strategic location in the Northeast market. His bold goals, perseverance in the face of obstacles, and commitment to his team make Andre a standout founder story. Episode Outline: (00:00:00) Introduction (00:02:00) Andre's immigrant upbringing and early drive for education (00:05:38) Getting a scholarship to a prep school and grinding with independence (00:10:00) Dealing with stereotypes and recognizing common motivations (00:13:32) The evolution of his family's status over generations (00:15:37) Attempts at entrepreneurship with restaurants and nightlife promotions (00:21:28) Witnessing friends and clients pursuing startup investments (00:23:42) Recognizing streaming media as the future and assembling a founding team (00:28:41) His wife becoming a crucial partner in the business (00:32:04) Strategically building an exceptionally diverse team (00:34:01) Dominating the market by focusing early on connected TV (00:37:04) The systemic funding obstacles facing Black founders (00:39:30) Locking in partnerships and IPs years in advance of the streaming boom (00:42:16) Structuring an acquisition deal to reward the team's sacrifice (00:44:00) Weighing future fundraising potential vs securing a strategic win (00:46:47) Bold visions setting the stage for going after an MLS team (00:51:46) Assessing the untapped market potential in Connecticut Episode Links: Andre’s LinkedIn ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreswanston/) Andre’s Website (https://www.swanston.org/) Andre’s Twitter (https://twitter.com/AndreSwanston) Tru Optik, Acquired by TransUnion) (https://www.transunion.com/) Support & Connect Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#42 Resilience, Love, And Never Giving Up With Alan Lazowski
Oct 19 2023
#42 Resilience, Love, And Never Giving Up With Alan Lazowski
Alan Lazowski is the founder and CEO of LAZ Parking, the largest privately held parking company in the United States. Alan has grown LAZ Parking from being a valet parking attendant to running over 3,600 locations and 1.5 million parking spaces across 41 states. The company manages over $2 billion in annual revenue.  The interview focuses heavily on stories from Alan's family background. Alan's parents are both Holocaust survivors from Poland; Alan’s father was only 11 years old when the Nazis invaded his village. Through an incredible story of perseverance, Alan’s father survived the ordeal and came to America to build a new life with his wife, a survivor from the same village in Poland.  Alan credits his persistence and "never give up" attitude to his family's story of surviving against all odds. The stories from Alan's childhood underpin the culture and values at LAZ Parking today, such as leading with love, believing in second chances, and valuing employees as family. Overall, this interview provides a fascinating origin story of a successful parking empire, from Alan's humble beginnings to running one of the largest companies of it’s kind in the United States. More importantly, it offers inspiration, wisdom, and values that any entrepreneur or leader should learn from. Alan's perseverance and philosophy is a model to follow. OUTLINE: (00:00:00) Intro (00:01:30) Alan's origin story and family background as Holocaust survivor (00:07:00) Surviving the Nazi ghetto and selection that saved Alan's father's life (00:10:00) Father's journey as refugee to America and becoming a rabbi (00:13:00) Starting the valet parking business in college (00:18:00) Expanding into parking garage management (00:19:00) Surviving real estate crash and $8M debt (00:23:00) Building company culture and leading with love (00:26:00) Giving second chances (Will Cordero story) (00:29:00) Being generous and the "yes" mentality (00:31:00) Supporting other entrepreneurs (00:35:00) Surviving the COVID pandemic (00:40:00) Developing resilience (00:44:00) Continuous learning and education (00:49:00) Hopes for a movie about his family's story (00:53:00) Focus on people's passion, not just profits (00:57:00) Unlocking potential and talent in employees (01:00:00) Pivoting during COVID with new ideas and innovations EPISODE LINKS: LAZ Parking: https://www.lazparking.com/ Conscious Capitalism: https://www.consciouscapitalism.org/ Faith and Destiny (book by Alan's father): https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Destiny-Philip-Lazowski/dp/0977959619 Into the Forest (book about Alan's mother by Rebecca Frankel): https://www.amazon.com/Into-Forest-Holocaust-Survival-Triumph/dp/1250267641 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#34 Co-Founding JetBlue With John Owen
Jun 29 2023
#34 Co-Founding JetBlue With John Owen
John Owen is the Co-founder and formerly the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jetblue Airlines. John is currently an Angel Investor, Venture Partner, and advisor for multiple brands.  In this episode of Forward Obsessed, David and Pete speak with John Owen, co-founder of JetBlue, about his experiences in starting one of the largest airlines in the United States. Starting with his early experiences at Southwest Airlines, John discusses the importance of creating a positive company culture and hiring employees who fit that culture. Learn about the value of hiring for attitude and the need to rectify hiring mistakes before they negatively impact the work environment, especially when starting a business and experiencing rapid growth. Explore John’s decision-making process in building a successful brand, and how he focuses on the importance of differentiating Jetblue’s product from the competition. For young entrepreneurs and leaders, the message is clear: create a cohesive team, prioritize attitude over qualifications, and differentiate your product in a way that makes it stand out from competitors. OUTLINE:  (00:00) Intro (2:00) Growing up in “small-town” Oklahoma (4:30) Going to Wharton (8:00) The inspiration behind getting a pilots license  (11:45) My first job with American Airlines (16:30) The terrible culture and practices at American Airlines (21:57) The power of corporate culture for Southwest Airlines (24:55) Psychic income  (26:30) Why Herb Kellerher was such a strong leader at Southwest (29:30) The successful growth strategy of Southwest Airlines (32:00) How to handle teams that are complaining and lazy (36:00) Acquiring Morris Air and achieving rapid growth (44:30) How David Neeleman was set up for failure at Southwest (48:19) Co-founding JetBlue (55:30) Achieving “super speed” and agility at JetBlue (1:01:00) The “Boeing Killer” (1:04:00) Managing a visionary leader (1:08:00) KPI’s can cause negative behavioral incentives (1:11:25) How JetBlue survived 9/11 (1:19:00) JetBlue’s incredible IPO  (1:22:00) Jetblue’s focus on design and marketing  (1:29:40) The new, cheap business model for airlines (1:35:30) Transitioning to Volite Airlines EPISODE LINKS: Jetblue Airlines: https://www.jetblue.com/ John’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-owen-a22a43ab/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/
#33 MailChimp And The Future Of Email With Neil Bainton
Jun 15 2023
#33 MailChimp And The Future Of Email With Neil Bainton
Neil Bainton is the Co-Creator and COO of Mailchimp, and is currently an investor, advisor, and photographer. On this episode of Forward Obsessed, Neil Bainton discusses his unique career journey, starting with learning Russian during the Cold War and actually moving to Russia at the end of the Cold War to work for DuPont. Neil recalls Russia as an “entrepreneurial black slate,” transitioning to work for Pepsi, creating successful (and sometimes fervent) promotional campaigns in Russia. Neil talks about the challenges of doing business in Russia, returning to the US to participate in the dotcom boom, and recalls his early business that led to helping build MailChimp. Throughout the episode, Bainton highlights the importance of design and innovation in staying ahead of competitors, and how the internet has drastically changed the business landscape. Tune in to this insightful episode as Bainton shares his wisdom and perspective gained from his unique journey. The episode also highlights some of the unique aspects of MailChimp's success, such as their passionate focus on design, their 'Forever Free' offering, their ability to compete with larger companies, and why Neil decided to eventually exit the business to pursue a better personal life.    OUTLINE: (00:00) Intro (2:02) Early Years (3:36) Going to Russia as a young man (8:13) The dichotomy between Communism and Capitalism (16:29) Why Wharton is so good at producing excellent MBAs  (20:37) Working with Dupont in the Soviet Union (24:53) Where does work ethic come from?  (26:40) Transitioning to Pepsi (30:08) How Russian businesses use fear to do business  (35:14) Being too early in fintech (46:30) Fostering entrepreneurship in large companies (48:50) Cultivating a work environment of experimentation and creativity (50:00) Joining MailChimp as #4 on the team (53:30) Designing the “voice” and experience of MailChimp (1:00:00) Using “forever free” and product-led growth strategies (1:04:00) Why I left MailChimp   EPISODE LINKS: Website: https://www.neilbainton.com/  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbainton/ Photography: https://www.neilbainton.photos/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05 YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql   SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/