Dealing with difficult life-changing events

Hyperspec CEO Sravan Puttagunta is on an ambitious mission: to make self-driving cars think like humans, not machines. With recent advances in available computational power combined with some very clever machine learning algorithms, Hyperspec is enabling robots to think critically and contextualize the world more like humans do, removing the need for pre-defined maps and opening up new possibilities. As Sravan explains to Brett what it’s like to build an AI that approaches human consciousness, they also reflect on what it means to think like a human, and how that can inform the cultures we cultivate and the companies we build.

Early stage startups cannot afford to rest on their laurels. In order to scale and grow a business sustainably, business leaders have to make wise decisions about how to direct their resources and where to focus their efforts. Hamish Livingston, Head of Product at Willo, knows that well. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to discuss how Willo is managing to scale their asynchronous video interview platform in today's competitive market while keeping the Willo team agile and capital-efficient. He discusses how the product team assesses and prioritizes feature suggestions and leverages the advantages of outsourced developer resources to build a product that clients want to pay for. Listen in to learn how Willo is changing the game in video interviewing, and get a peek at some of the lessons Hamish and his team have learned along the way.

How did I end up here?In today's episode, we speak with ChainSafe's VP of Product & Project Management Amer Ameen about overcoming difficult life challenges while building a tech startup.Whether it's an unfulfilling career, a failing relationship, getting laid off or even all of the above, difficult life challenges are inevitable. How you deal with those challenges is what matters.We discuss how to make these life challenges a catalyst for personal & professional growth.

Taylor Cole has always boldly followed his curiosity. As a BASE jumper and CRW (synchronized maneuvers under skydive canopy) pilot, he gained an interest in the forces that effect wings - and so he went to grad school to study fluid mechanics. During his career in the Navy, he has put his creativity to work, using math to capture bad guys, perform analyses, and lead a research lab. When he discovered that he himself has an auditory processing disorder, he started exploring immersive environments that engage multiple senses in concert… which led him to found Burble Creativity. Burble Creativity is creating portable environments that use audio and visual elements together to engage both hemispheres of kids’ brains in immersive experiences. Early research shows promise for education and therapeutic applications, not just for auditory processing disorders, but for a whole slew of others, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He joins Brett Kistler on the podcast to share the incredible story behind this new technology, dive deep into what might drive some people toward adventure sports, discuss the under-recognized power of a neurodivergent mind, and more.

For non-technical would-be entrepreneurs, getting a tech startup off the ground can be especially challenging. In today's episode, we speak with Sendoso co-founder & CEO Kris Rudeegrapp.Kris was a sales guy who saw an unmet need around sending gifts as a way to engage with prospective clients throughout their buyer journey. We discuss how he self-funded the company with just $25K and scaled it to over 500 employees and a $100M Series C.Join us today to learn all the nitty gritty details.

Building a business using cutting edge technology often means your business may not have a clear or immediate revenue model. How does this reality change your business strategy?Volograms Co-Founder & CEO Rafael Pages started his company as a university research project in 3D augmented reality. In today's episode, we discuss the unique challenges associated with building new deep tech without a clear revenue path. We discuss options including starting as a services provider, fundraising and building early stage teams.

Product pivots are an inevitable reality for early stage tech startups. Understanding how to build, manage and scale early stage engineering teams while embracing the inevitable product pivot or code rewrite is a critical factor in getting your biz to escape velocity. In today's episode, Brian Gupton discusses these realities with Izicap's CTO Tancho Markovik. Learn how Tancho scaled one company from 6 to 125 devs, how he adjusts his interview process for early versus later hires, how he manages internal expectations around technical debt and much more.

Business accelerators can be valuable resources for entrepreneurs. Traditionally, they have provided a space to attend expert talks and workshops, make valuable connections, and test your idea alongside other would-be founders. But how can a founder best capitalize on this opportunity? Miriam Schwab from Strattic has some ideas. She joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to discuss when to consider paying a fee or trading equity for space in an accelerator, the benefits and limitations of online-only accelerators, how to maximize your value from the workshops offered, and more. She also delves into other topics, including finding the right business partner, scraping together your first MVP, and recruiting your first set of clients and investors. We were fortunate to have an established professional like Miriam join us to share her insights, and we really encourage anyone who has considered joining an accelerator to give this one a listen. For 80% off your first year with Strattic, use https://www.strattic.com/clearview/

Alex Price and the team at Ecologi have an ambitious mission: to cut the world's carbon emissions 50% by 2040 through the power of collective action. Bold projects require bold people, and Alex has learned some interesting lessons along the way. He joins Brett Kistler on the podcast to discuss the scaling abilities of a business over a charity, the power of transparency in hiring great people, what to look for in a mentor, how to avoid burnout, and so much more. Ecologi is a project with a lot of heart, and it shows in this interview. We hope you'll join us.

Being part of a startup rather than an established business has a unique set of challenges and opportunities. It can be a big, risky leap both professionally and personally. Thankfully, there are people like Aaron Cheng who have done this a time or two. Prior to taking on his current role as Chief Product Officer for Felix Health, he already had extensive experience building and scaling large tech teams across a myriad of industries. He joins Brian Gupton on the podcast to share some key insights with us, including the importance of setting and measuring goals even as a hard-to-predict startup, what to look for in first product hires, how to determine whether you need a product manager or project manager, and more.