Technori Podcast

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Harlem Capital's Gabby Cazeau Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

Gabby Cazeau, Principal at Harlem Capital, joins the show with Scott Kitun. Harlem Capital is a venture capital firm with a core mission to invest in a thousand diverse founders (including Chicago's very own CASHDROP) over 20 years and change the faces of entrepreneurship. Gabby shares her journey from intern to Principal at Harlem Capital and how she's been supported to follow her interests finding solutions to inequalities and strengthening communities. Scott and Gabby dig into the state of venture capital today, helping founders pass by bad investors, and creating a broader understanding for what a diverse tech ecosystem looks like. Gabby is currently interested in companies dealing in ecommerce, fintech and software.

Defining the future of alternative assets with Alt founder Leore Avidar Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

Leore Avidar, founder and CEO of Alt, joins the show with Scott Kitun. As cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity so has the rise of other forms of alternative assets like NFTs, wine and sports cards. Alt is one of the platforms leading the charge in making trading cards an investable commodity, with the idea of making everything investable a liquid asset. Leore talks about the origin story for Alt when he tried to get a bank loan against his cards (spoiler: the bank didn't accept) and set him on a course to legitimize cards as currency for longtime fans and retail investors alike. Scott and Leore get into the future of cards, liquid auctions, how to make banks fun and thinking through the customer experience from beginning to end.

Pek Pongpaet on technology + design Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

Pek Pongpaet, founder of impekable and longtime Technori alum, joins the show with Scott Kitun. impekable provides UX design services to tech companies, including work with Adobe and Twilio among many others. Pek talks about his journey from Chicago to the Bay Area (and back again), how design has been mainstreamed into tech, comparing the talent landscapes between Chicago and Silicon Valley and how much the vibe in Chicago is changing.

Pandora to Grabango - Will Glaser's blueprint to business success Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Will Glaser, founder and CEO of Grabango, joins the show with Scott Kitun. Prior to founding Grabango, a check-out free technology for grocery stores and convenience stores, was the co-founder of Pandora, one of the pioneers in digital music streaming. As the son of a college professor and a psychoanalyst, Will has had a lifelong tug of war between the left and right side of his brain. He attributes this tug of war to his main interest starting companies at the intersection of technology, consumer impact and business. Will talks about how focusing on this trifecta gives him a business model blueprint for developing startups, how it links Pandora and Grabango and solving consumer pain points. Scott and Will share their thoughts on best hiring practices and why founders should be prepared to step aside (eventually) from their companies in order to sustain its development. Will also dives into Grabango's shopping experience, how it compares to Amazon Go and why checkout-free technology is poised to take over mainstream brick and mortar shopping experiences.

Turn your purpose into elite business performance with Pete Wilkins Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Pete Wilkins, Managing Director at Hyde Park Angels and author of Purpose + First Entrepreneur, joins the show with Scott Kitun. Over the course of his career, Pete has worked with all kinds of business leaders, young founders and everyone in between. One of the main drivers of success (and failures) he's observed in his own life and others is working each day with the idea of purpose. The goal for Pete is simple: help more people love who they are and what they do. With the framework of purpose laid out in the book (and accompanying workbook), Pete creates a path for others to find clarity in their work objectives, personal wellness and unlock your highest performance. On the show, Scott and Pete talk about their their own trials and tribulations, how to take care of yourself and how Pete put together the Purpose First structure over the last decade. You can find the Purpose First book here.

Make wine a part of your portfolio with Vinovest Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

Anthony Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Vinovest, a wine investing platform, joins the show with Scott Kitun. The age of retail investing and collecting is upon us and never before have so many people been able to invest in everything from baseball cards to NFTs. Why not fine wines? Anthony answers resoundingly how a long-time collector's item - wine - is a natural fit as an alternate asset in anyone's portfolio. In a thoughtful conversation, Anthony and Scott walk through the appeal for wine as an asset class and how Vinovest acts as your marketplace, portfolio, education center and wine cellar. Anthony also shares his journey as a repeat founder and how he googled "what do rich people invest in" when he first started to personally invest and eventually that started spurred the idea for Vinovest. Anthony and Scott also talk about the similarities to buying/storing cards like Alt. Anthony recommends what wines anyone should start with and how to on the platform based on when you want the best ROI. You can follow Anthony on his Twitter for wine info and advice.

Defining the role of the investor with DCM's David Cheng Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

David Cheng, Principal at DCM Ventures, joins the pod with Scott Kitun. The role of VC isn't the same as your father's, or even your grandfather's VC anymore. No longer is venture capital only about getting a check once and being hands off otherwise. As we've started to see with a16z and rolling funds, DCM's methodology is to play a hands on role with founders in clear, specific niches to grow an idea into a full grown business. David and Scott talk about the changes in VC and why there is an increased expectation on a firm and its associates to earn a board seat by playing an active role in the company, providing resources, strategy almost like a fellow co-founder. David shares his experiences working with companies (primarily in fintech and health tech), how the future of investing is starting to turn into full incubation, "pre-idea" stage by essentially recruiting entrepreneurs to start companies and build businesses from the ground up. Scott and David also dive into emerging tech, role of crypto, where to start with web3 and more.

Card talk and employee retention strategies with HappyWork founder Tony Sheffler Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Tony Sheffler known for his trading expertise and founder of employee happiness and retention company HappyWork, joins the show with Scott Kitun. Tony and Scott kick off the pod with an all-encompassing conversation on #thehobby, what the differences are between PSA, SGC and why SGC is in such a good position to really shine in the market. They talk about Fanatics entry into the world of trading cards, why they aren't going anywhere and seeing what they have to do to get Alt or Fanatics to sponsor the show. In the second half, Tony dives into employee retention and how he and his cofounder evolved the idea of the company over time to reach workers better with a messaging program. Scott and Tony go back and forth on why survey-based assessments of employee happiness only shows you what's happened in the past and usually doesn't show what employees are concerned about in real-time before they leave the company. HappyWork is a tool that can be used to increase employee reach and engagement, awareness of work benefits, and more.

Creator economy and entrepreneurship with Gumroad founder Sahil Lavingia Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Sahil Lavingia, founder and CEO of Gumroad and author of the new book "The Minimalist Entrepreneur" joins the show with Scott Kitun. Scott and Sahil share their passion for the changes coming to investing such as equity crowdfunding and retail investor movement. Sahil earlier this year raised $5 million in one of the fastest filled rounds ever on Republic, and plans to open up future crowdfunding rounds when needed. Gumroad is a digital marketplace where users can sell memberships, courses, books and other services and is built on the idea that creators can control their own business infrastructure by building an audience and using an internet connection. Sahil talks about the long journey for Gumroad, why investing is increasingly liquid, and how crowdfunding as a tool will need continued support and development from the private sector (entrepreneurs, platforms) and incremental modifications in policy from the government. Scott and Sahil also talk about his book (released Oct 26th) and how his experiences, beliefs and conviction that entrepreneurs need less than they think they do to get started and laying out simple steps for founders to build their businesses.

Brian Morrissey and the rebooting of media Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Brian Morrissey, former President/EIC of Digiday and current writer of the media business Substack The Rebooting, joins the show with Scott Kitun. They get into it all things media and the business of media, and how this period of upheaval with the pandemic is a chance to get things right and inspired The Rebooting name. Brian talks about changes that should happen - both in media companies and companies in general - and much of it has to do with accepting less control over employees (i.e. work from home and other benefits). They talk about how being so much more online helps people learn to identify scams, how different generations view work and how we can fix problems in the US that have broad agreement without falling into tribal arguments. Scott and Brian chat about how crypto could play an important role in addressing media business models and a litany of life topics: running, bachelor parties, looking back at the last three decades, serial killers in the 80s and more!

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