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Julia Zhou is a Partner—Venture & Market-Making at AlphaLab Capital (www.alphalab.capital).AlphaLab Capital Group is a technology-driven trading group that transacts over $2B daily in cryptoassets on 40+ exchanges, both centralized and decentralized. They were one of the first movers in quantitative trading on the blockchain, and today they operate thousands of algorithms 24/7 on a globally distributed network of trading servers. In this episode we chat about whether market makers are necessary for every token project, DEX vs. CEX for different types of token projects, best tools to monitor liquidity during launch and trading, the various business models of market makers, and much more.Recorded Tuesday August 15th, 2023.
How I Started is a podcast discussing the "0 to 1" stories of the most amazing people on the planet.In this episode, my guest is Ilana Diamond.Ilana is the Managing Partner at 412 Venture Fund headquartered in Pittsburgh. 412 venture fund invests in early-stage startups and focuses on the untapped potential of underrepresented founders in the region.Before this, Ilana was the founding Managing Director of Alphalap Gear – the hardware arm of the nationally ranked accelerator program Alphalab. At Alphalab gear, Ilana worked with hundreds of startups – sourcing and coaching portfolio companies as well as serving on the boards of many. Even before, Ilana was President & CEO of Sima Products Inc, which produced consumer electronics under several different brands.Ilana is a master networker, and I got the opportunity to witness her operate firsthand when I was part of a robotics startup that went through the Alphalab Gear program. During my time in the Pittsburgh Startup scene, I felt Ilana was everywhere and everyone knew Ilana. In this conversation, Ilana shares her wisdom about building startups, defining culture, and overall building a productive life. It took me a long time to get this episode ready as I kept going back to listen and take notes on the many insights. This conversation is packed with golden nuggets to help you level up your game no matter what level you are operating at in your career. I had so much fun and learned a ton from this conversation. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!Find Ilana at:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilana-diamond-9162155/https://www.412venturefund.com/This podcast is part of my infrequent newsletter - Always be learning! #ABLFollow me on:https://aakashpathak.substack.com/https://twitter.com/aakashpathak_
When Priya Amin had her first child, the trajectory of her career was forever changed. After two years as a stay-at-home mom, she decided that she wanted to get back into the workforce. That’s when she experienced firsthand just how hard it was to obtain accessible and reliable childcare as a working parent. Determined to solve her own problem, Priya decided to turn this challenge into a business opportunity. In 2016, after joining AlphaLab’s accelerator program, she and her business partner launched Flexable.Flexable addresses the growing need to provide on-demand and pop-up childcare solutions to busy parents. Before the pandemic, Priya’s company partnered with over 150 organizations to take care of thousands of children by offering on-site childcare in over 1,500 locations throughout the Pittsburgh region. In 2020, the pandemic posed a significant threat to the company’s business model. Instead of permanently closing their doors, Flexable made a hard pivot to a 100% virtual childcare offering. Today, they are providing much needed relief for parents all across the country who are working from home and juggling multiple responsibilities during this difficult time.If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!YOU CAN REACH ME AT:Website: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilanoPhone: 412-336-8247YOU CAN REACH PRIYA AMIN AT:Website: https://flexablecare.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/flexablecareFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlexableCareTwitter: https://twitter.com/flexablecareLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyaamin
George Cook comes from a long line of community bankers. His family has operated a small community bank in the Somerset, PA area for approximately 130 years. While he was earning his MBA at Dartmouth College, he met Ken Martin, an investment banker and main street business owner who would eventually become his co-founder in Honeycomb Credit. They both realized from their own experiences that there was a growing hole in the small business banking segment, due to the declining numbers of community banks across the country. Their goal was to bring back relationship banking to the small businesses that needed it most.In 2017, George and Ken set out to create a locally-focused crowdfunding platform. Utilizing the guidelines set forth in the JOBS Act of 2012, which relaxed securities regulations and made it easier for small businesses to raise capital, they built their own tech-enabled, scalable funding portal. Honeycomb Credit works with qualified, locally-owned businesses that need expansion capital. By tapping into their existing customer bases and surrounding communities, while leveraging Honeycomb Credit’s expertise and platform, these business owners are able to raise the loan proceeds that they need to grow their companies.If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!YOU CAN REACH ME AT:Website: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilanoPhone: 412-336-8247YOU CAN REACH GEORGE COOK AT:Website: https://www.honeycombcredit.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeycombcreditFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeycombcreditTwitter: https://twitter.com/honeycombcredit
Please join us today for what promises to be a dynamic and informative conversation detailing Pittsburgh's latest business accelerator -- AlphaLab Health! Dr. Jeff Cohen, Chief Physician Executive, Allegheny Health Network and Rich Lunak, President and CEO of Innovation Works, will overview this unique collaboration to help accelerate scientific, clinical and market validation for early-stage healthcare and life science technology companies. AlphaLab Health provides participating companies with investment, expertise on navigating the healthcare system, mentorship with industry leaders, connections to potential customers, office and dry & wet lab space (when possible due to COVID restrictions), access to clinicians and the opportunity to access clinical databases.
Adityo Akhir Bagus Saputro adalah seorang framebuilder yang mendirikan brand Alphalab. Music AudioLibrary, Over soon by LiQWYD
BE SURE TO SEE THE SHOWNOTES AND LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE HERE. Eve: Hi there. Thanks so much for joining me today for the latest episode of Impact Real Estate Investing. Eve: [00:00:06] My guest today is Brian Gaudio, founder of Module Housing. While working on a documentary about the housing crisis in South America, Brian, then just a college senior, saw the broader possibility of modular pay-as-you-go design. As opposed to simply designing yet another prototype for affordable housing, he decided to create a startup around it. And so Module focuses on perfect little housing solutions that meet zero-energy standards, and are smaller and flexible, so that they can grow with a family's needs. Eve: [00:00:53] Be sure to go to EvePicker.com to find out more about Brian on the show notes page for this episode. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you can access information about impact real estate investing, and get the latest news about the exciting projects on my crowdfunding platform, Small Change. Eve: [00:01:9] Hi, Brian. Thanks for joining me today. Brian Gaudio: [00:01:24] Hi Eve, thanks for having me. Eve: [00:01:29] It's a pleasure. So, I've been watching you build your company, Module, for a few years now, and I'm really excited to talk to you about it. You've decided to focus your life's work on designing modular housing, affordable-by-design housing. And that was a pretty bold move straight out of school. So, what problem are you trying to solve? Brian: [00:01:47] It is a big problem. And it's a problem that, in school I was always, you know, in studios I would always be thinking about. It was something that was rattling in the back of my head, was how do we bring good design to more people, right? In architecture school we're often told how important design is. And then we get out in the real world and we realize how the designers need to have a larger seat at the table. So, in my work after school, it was always trying to answer that question of how can we bring good design to more people. And there may be non-traditional ways to do that, is what I've been learning. Eve: [00:02:20] That was the biggest problem. But I think I also read that you became very interested in affordable housing issues during your Fulbright Fellowship. You want to tell us a little bit about that? Brian: [00:02:30] Yes. In school I actually was studying under one of the fathers of community design and participatory design, Henry Sanoff. He had founded an organization called the EDRA, the Environmental Design Research Association. So, I was sort of a student of his and a student of Brian Bell, who had started the Public Interest Design Institute, in the United States. So, it was really learning from folks who were leaders in the public interest design space. So, after school, I tried to pursue that as a career and worked at the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio doing affordable housing and disaster recovery housing, as an intern there. For those who don't know, Biloxi, Mississippi, on the Gulf Coast, is not too far from New Orleans. And when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it also hit Biloxi. So, I spent a little bit of time on affordable housing in Biloxi, Mississippi. And then, also, after that, went to the Dominican Republic and did a Fulbright scholarship trying to understand housing affordability as it relates to disaster recovery and urban design, in general. I was working in a neighborhood that was alongside of the, a waterway that during some of the tropical storms, people would be washed away, and housing would be wiped away. Eve: [00:03:49] Hmm, wow. Brian: [00:03:50] So, that research was really thinking about housing from the perspective of, where is it safe to have people housed? And what do you do when a neighborhood exists in a place that is really at risk, when we think about environmental and natural disasters? So, that was some of the kind of affordable housing work and research I was doing right out of school. Eve: [00:04:15] That's pretty intense work. So, how does that tie into what you're doing today? I mean, what got you from there to where you are today, building small modular homes. Brian: [00:04:28] Being exposed to these different methods of practice ... so, in Biloxi, Mississippi, I was working for a nonprofit architecture firm that was an arm of Mississippi State University. So, I was exposed to this business model of a nonprofit architecture firm. And then at the Fulbright, it was really a bit more of an academic endeavor. Technically, the Fulbright's under the U.S. Department of State, but you work with the local university. So, again, thinking about some of these issues from a, an academic perspective, I would call it. And then after that, I had spent a little bit of time with a friend directing a documentary, again, trying to educate ourselves on the problem of housing affordability. So, in that documentary, we interviewed a lot of architects, governments, designers, businesses about the housing crisis in other countries, specifically in South America. And it was in this kind of three, four years or so of, I would call it, a research phase, of understanding what are the practices and models that other organizations and groups are taking as it relates to housing affordability and what things worked from those models and what things didn't work. And I guess how that ties into Module, what we're doing today was, while these nonprofit architecture centers, these design centers, can work really well at a neighborhood scale, the question I always had was how can we move beyond the neighborhood scale and effect change at a greater scale? You know, at the city scale, and at the state scale, and eventually at the scale of a, you know, a country like the United States? How do we take some of those principles that worked really well at the neighborhood scale, but may not be able to affect thousands of people?That's really why we chose to start Module, not as an architecture practice, but as a startup company. The idea being that you could scale faster through alternative capital means and have ultimately a greater impact once we do reach that scale. So, that's kind of how those experiences influenced starting Module. Eve: [00:06:29] That's a really interesting path. I know you also were a company in Alphalab, which is a, I suppose, a startup accelerator. Has that worked for you, as a startup company, rather than a building company? Brian: [00:06:44] Yeah, it's a very good question because we went through, so you are referring to Alphalab and for those who are not in Pittsburgh, Alphalab is a startup accelerator, kind of like TechStars or Y Combinator, where they give early stage companies, basically folks with an idea and maybe a business plan, some initial seed capital, typically 50,000 dollars and some free office space and mentorship, to basically start to try to build their own business. A lot of the businesses in that accelerator program were tech businesses. So, think about software as a service company, SaaS companies like Slack, for example, you know, being the typical type of company that's supported by an accelerator. So, I think we learned a lot about asking questions and testing our hypothesis through that accelerator program. And we were able to raise some initial angel capital, I would call it, in the Pittsburgh startup community and get our name out there and, you know, learn how to market, create a website and things like that. I think we also learned that as we look at investors and ways to support our business, you know, a typical venture capital investor is not likely the right kind of investor for a company like Module because they look to 10x their money in five years, which, we're building a different kind of business than that. So, those are some of the things we learned from Alphalab. Eve: [00:07:06] Yeah, interesting. So, you don't think you're a unicorn, like the rest of us, right? Brian: [00:07:07] Right. No. Not in the traditional sense, no. Eve: [00:07:18] So, what distinguishes your product, your modular housing products, from other products in the marketplace. Brian: [00:08:26] So, as we think about off-site construction, modular housing, prefab construction, there are many companies now who are pursuing this as a business model. And I think we identify with the overall trend. The reason why so many people are pursuing modular or prefab construction is the labor shortage is getting worse and worse. And Eve, I know in your business, you're doing a lot of development. So, I'm sure you're familiar with the shortage of qualified skilled labor here in Pittsburgh. But at a national scale, we have that challenge. So, the labor shortage is real. And then we have a supply shortage, as well, in certain markets. So, they can't build things fast enough. And so that's really why prefab or off-site construction has started to take off. So, parts of the home or the development are built in a factory environment, shipped to site, installed with a crane on a traditional foundation. So, as we think about our company, Module, and what differentiates us, we are really thinking about the entire customer experience. So, we're offering turnkey design-build-develop services. So, we're not a manufacturer of homes. We work with a third-party manufacturer and we work with a third-party contractor. So, we don't own those parts of the supply chain. But what we do own is the customer experience. And we're trying to really redesign the customer experience, and redesign homeownership from the ground up, because we think the typical way that the top ten voters in the country do it are very dated. The floorplans they are using are dated, the construction methods that they're using are dated often times. And today's consumer is used to the convenience of making purchases online and browsing of things online. And they want things now, and they want help. A lot of customers expect to have, kind of the user experience that they go through purchasing a computer or something, in all of the purchases in their lives. And not many builders can offer that experience. So, I'd say that's one thing that's really unique about us as a company is the customer experience that we're building through our web application. If you go to our website ModuleHousing.com, you can see some of that. That's one thing that's unique about our product. I would say the other thing is all of our homes are certified by the U.S. Department of Energy as zero energy-ready. We build to that spec. It's a sustainability spec. And we chose it because we believe it offers the best bang for your buck as we think about customers. So, while LEED and Passive House may be, sometimes those certification programs can be really challenging and costly to do. We feel that the Zero Energy Ready Home program offers some of the benefits of lower operating costs in your house at a much more reasonable price point. Eve: [00:011:11] So, it's an energy program for everyday people. Brian: [00:11:15] Mmm hmm. Exactly. Eve: [00:11:16] Yeah, interesting. What is your process? Can you describe that? Brian: [00:11:19] Yes. So, we work with, I'll call it, several types of customers. We work with individual home buyers. So, folks who want to purchase one of our homes or build a home with us. And then we will also work with real estate investors or mom-and-pop developers, I'll call it. So, these are folks who may have purchased land recently. They may have fixed up some houses or have some rental units, but they're not a new construction contractor. But they own land and they're looking to do something with it. We service, I'll call it, mom-and-pop developers and home buyers. And we'll do two types of processes. One is, if you're a home buyer, you come to our website and you fill out a form on our website. And on that form you'll share here's my current needs, my future needs, my financial health, and here's some of the areas that I'm thinking about owning a home in the city of Pittsburgh. And we have a proprietary GIS database of every vacant lot in Allegheny County. We're able to basically help that customer find the right lot for them, help them purchase that lot, and then help them build a home with us. So, we'll take them through the process from zoning approval, permitting, financing, estimating, and we will basically hold their hand through the process, through construction administration, until we've turned over the keys to their house. So that's really a turnkey service that we offer. And then, the other type of process we have is as a developer. So, we as a developer on spec, will go out and purchase land and build multiple units at once and then sell those units to customers. We're working on a project right now in Garfield, in Pittsburgh, where we are building four units, it's a mixed-income project, and we'll be selling those, those will be on the market, those will be finished this summer. And that's where we are going out as a company, acquiring the land, financing the project, and then customers will come in and have a traditional mortgage when they purchase the homes. Eve: [00:13:12] And as these homes affordable compared to others? Where they sit in the marketplace? Brian: [00:13:19] We will build for multiple income brackets. For instance, this project in Garfield is a good example, where we have a home that will be sold to a buyer making 80 percent or less of area median income. So, that home will be sold for 183,000 dollars. I believe that's the list price right now. And that's only for income-qualified buyers, who meet certain income limits. And we're able to do that because we had partnered with a nonprofit community development group in the neighborhood and Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and we were able to secure a subsidy to subsidize the cost of that home to a buyer in the neighborhood. So, in that case, we're serving a kind of, for sale, affordable, 80-percent AMI customer. But our bread and butter products, our market rate product is going to be anywhere from the mid-threes to 500,000 dollars for a home. And to give listeners some context, as we track the new construction in the city of Pittsburgh, a lot of the new construction that's going up in the East End of Pittsburgh is going to be 600 to 800,000 dollars. So, that's kind of the going rate for a new construction builder-grade home in the East End of Pittsburgh. And because we're building less square footage and we're building, basically, in neighborhoods just next door to those, we're able to provide what we believe is a better quality product at a price point, let's call it the 400,000 dollar range, for our client. Eve: [00:14:53] That's somewhat affordable, and partnerships to really create serious affordability. But like everything else we've heard and know, it's very difficult to build truly affordable housing without subsidies, if not impossible. This is another example of it. You really need a subsidy to make that work, right? Brian: [00:15:11] Absolutely. I think coming out of school and you're thinking, you know, as I am thinking about myself graduating from school, I'd be like, wow, you know, we can design anything and we'll find a way to make naturally-occurring affordable housing with just great design. Then you realize affordable housing is really about financing, you know, and the capital stack. So, that's one lesson we've learned over the past four years. Eve: [00:15:33] Yes. And so you've been at this for four years. How many houses have you built now? Brian: [00:15:38] So we've finished our first home for a customer last year, in 2019. It was a one bedroom, one bathroom home in Friendship. It was sort of an aging-in-place model. We built it for a clients' parents. So, almost like an in-law suite, or an accessory dwelling unit, but on a separate property. That project is finished and we are now under construction to complete our next four homes. And those should finish in the summer of this year. And we have some other projects in the pipeline. Eve: [00:16:08] What's the big hairy goal for Module? Brian: [00:16:12] The big goal is really to push the industry. I feel that the way we build homes is dated. From the types of design, to the types of families and household types that a lot builders are serving. We want to push the construction industry to really wake up and understand that there are different types of customers who need to be served and we're ignoring those customers. So, I think that's really the goal. Module is a vehicle to do that. So, as we think about the young first-time homebuyers who are burdened with student loan debt, getting married later, fewer kids, they don't need to buy the homes that their parents bought in terms of size and programming and things like that. So, we're trying to push the industry to say, hey, there's a huge entry level housing need in the country. And there's also a huge need for baby boomers who are looking to downsize, and they have too much house. And we need to be thinking about these two customer types, because they're going to be a huge component of the nation's housing needs. That's really the ultimate goal for Module, is how can we push the industry forward and provide a demonstration of how a development company can do that responsibly, really. Eve: [00:17:22] What are your goals just for the next few years? You've built a few houses. Brian: [00:17:26] Yeh. Eve: [00:17:26] How quickly can you ramp up now? I know how long it takes to get to the point where you get the first one out the door, so now things should speed up a little, right? Brian: [00:17:35] That's right. Our goal, we talk about 100 units over the next four years, in Pittsburgh. So, that's the goal that we've set out. And so for us to do that, we have to start taking on larger projects. So, I'm looking at parts of the city where we can do, I'll call it, impact-scale projects, thinking 20 to 40 units and working with the local neighborhood groups to understand what their needs are and how we can serve them. So, we'll be finished our first spec project in this summer and we're looking at projects where we can build 10 or more units. And that's really what will help us scale faster. We'll do some of these one-off customers, you know, taking them through the process, just sort of, it's about brand awareness and it's about understanding the customer journey. But really, we want to be working on projects where we can assemble sites that build 10 or more units at once. Eve: [00:18:25] And you think you're going to stay in Pittsburgh for now. Brian: [00:18:28] Yes, we will. Obviously, to build thousands of homes, we're gonna have to get outside of Pittsburgh. But Pittsburgh will be the first market. It's my hometown. I'm from here originally. And so, we thought it was a worthwhile test market. And what Pittsburgh has some other cities don't, is we have an insane amount of vacant land that is yet to be built. Eve: [00:18:59] We really do, don't we? Brian: [00:19:00] That's one asset that we have. So. Eve: [00:19:01] Yes. Yeah. Brian: [00:19:05] And that's one reason why, getting getting projects off the ground, you know, if we were in New York, for instance, getting access to land as an upstart developer might be nearly impossible. And so, there are still parts of the city of Pittsburgh where there are larger parcels of land, and we see that as one benefit of being in Pittsburgh. Eve: [00:19:14] Great. So, I'm going to shift gears a bit and just talk to you about impact investing, socially responsible real estate. And do you think that's necessary in today's development landscape, thinking about the impact of what you build? Brian: [00:19:28] Absolutely. I think, and one reason, kind of when you talk about a goal of our company or a reason that we were founded, is we feel that often times what gets built in a particular site may be really great for the bottom line of a particular limited partner or, for the preferred return of a particular investor. But that becomes the primary goal of the project. And the folks who end up living in the space, whether they're buying it or renting it, are an afterthought. And I'm not saying that's, by no means are all developers that way, but we've seen a lot of development projects that really ignore the end user. And I think why I'm excited about impact real estate investing is the ability to bring the end user back to the forefront of the conversation, because we build housing ultimately to shelter people. And I think sometimes people in this industry lose sight of that. So, I think impact investing has the ability to bring the end user back to the forefront of the conversation. Eve: [00:20:33] Yeah. You know, when you talk about that, are there any current trends in real estate that excite you or interest you the most, that you think might have legs in the future? Brian: [00:20:43] Trends with respect to impact investing, or just trends in general? Eve: [00:20:46] Anything, I mean, obviously you think modular housing is important. But anything else out there? I've been watching, we've seen co-working, for example, really change the landscape. Today, I was reading along those lines about people who are starting to co-purchase homes because they can't ... Brian: [00:21:07] Yeah. Eve: [00:21:07] ... they can't afford them individually. So, there are some weird trends emerging in an effort to deal with this housing affordability crisis. Brian: [00:21:17] Absolutely. Speaking of those trends, I mean, we operate in the startup world, so we do meet a lot of startup companies working on innovative finance models. And there's a company called Divy, which again, sort of supports co-purchasing of homes. And that's a company, you can look up Divy. And there's another company called CoBuy. So, these are finance companies which help either friends or folks who want to purchase a house together. So, that's one model. There's been a couple other startups as it relates to purchasing of homes where they will buy the house for you and you will rent from them for a certain period of time, and then with the option to purchase. I don't remember the name of the company that I was reading about the other day, but that's another interesting finance play. And then, I follow, obviously, these smaller, you know, lot size movement. So, with what's happening, California with ADUs really interests me. And then I think it was Minneapolis that out with the single family zoning restrictions ... Brian: [00:22:19] Yeah, that was really interesting. Yeah, they're really interesting trends, aren't they? People sort of really adapt to the marketplace in really fascinating ways, beyond just the companies that emerge. People are immensely creative. So. that's kind of comforting, isn't it? Brian: [00:22:36] Yeah, absolutely. There's a company that's working on 3D printing of houses, which I am a bit skeptical, I admit, I'm a little bit skeptical of. But I think it's amazing that we have, now, three or four startup companies that are 3D printing homes. I think of it as a fascinating R&D project. I'm not sure how commercially viable that technology is. But the idea that, you know, it sort of get to the same pain point of modular construction with regards to the labor force. Eve: [00:23:06] Yeah. I mean, I think ... Brian: [00:23:07] Preprinting the home, that could really save some labor costs. Eve: [00:22:12] Yeah. I mean, that seems to be the heart of it all. Because when you think about affordable housing, there's always been the skeptics. It doesn't really matter what city or state you're in. There is a gap between the cost of building something and what someone can afford to pay towards that cost. There's just this financing gap. And until we figure out new technologies in construction and ways to reduce the cost of construction, that gap just isn't going to disappear. It's not going to go away. I don't see that there's any other way to make it go away. It's a really big problem. Yeah, it's a really big problem. How do you think we need to think about our cities and neighborhoods so we can build better places for everyone? Brian: [00:23:59] As I think about a neighborhood and a city, sometimes neighborhoods are microcosms of the city. So, for instance, we're working on a project in Garfield, which is, sits in the East End of Pittsburgh. And Garfield was a neighborhood that still has a significant amount of vacant property and blighted properties. But it's a neighborhood that's starting to turn the corner. Eve: [00:25:26] A few years ago, like, 400 of the 1,700 lots were vacant. That's a real big number. Brian: [00:22:24] Yes. And, you know, I think there's evidence of a neighborhood like that, that's starting to make significant progress in reducing blight. But the question that everyone has is how do you reduce blight and promote new home ownership and things like that in a neighborhood without pricing out people who are from the neighborhood, or displacing residents. You know, like gentrification happens, it is a thing. Change happens. And managing that change, I think, is something that a neighborhood, like at the neighborhood level, can be done. But then I think there's, we're in the city of Pittsburgh. We have to think about managing change, encouraging growth in our city and then trying to manage that in a way. And I was just at an event yesterday with someone from the city of Pittsburgh, a representative from the city, and they talked about the number one need Pittsburgh has is turnkey new construction for people who are relocating to Pittsburgh. And I was really surprised by that statement. But I think it shows that while at a neighborhood level, there may be a particular issues that are really important, at the city level, sometimes those issues can be quite different. And so how did neighborhoods speak to cities and back and forth is a really important dialogue that has to happen. Eve: [00:25:45] So, do you think a neighborhood like Garfield is managing the change? Because I know it's changed a lot in the last few years. It was a very poor, underserved neighborhood, and it's received quite a lot of attention in the last few years. Brian: [00:25:59] I think it is a neighborhood that's actively managing that change. There are some neighborhoods ... we work with a lot of neighborhood groups, and we're not a nonprofit. Right? We do have a mission behind us, but there are some neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh where you talk about development and new construction, and people will just, they don't want even have a conversation about it. And they're trying to prevent change from happening. And that can be really challenging for the residents, and for people who want to be working in that neighborhood or living in that neighborhood. So, I think Garfield has done a good job of ... and then there's other neighborhoods on the other side where they're just sort of like, hey, it's we're open for business, you know, no rules and no regulations. So, I think Garfield has done a good job of balancing those two. And I think it's really up to the local community development organization, because they're looked at as the kind of voice of the neighborhood. So, how well can that director and the staff people manage those multiple voices? And they need to see, for instance, Garfield talks about, we need to see affordable new construction, but we need to see market rate new construction as well. We don't say we don't want that, we need that for our neighborhood. So, I think groups that realize you have to have a balance of those things are always the ones that we like to work with. Eve: [00:25:19] Yes. So, what community engagement tools have you seen that have worked? You talk a lot about working in communities and making sure that you're sort of representing what they want. That can be hard, right? Brian: [00:26:11] Yeah, it can be really hard. In Biloxi, Mississippi, we had different methods for community engagement. One method I really liked was we would host, and this is at our design studio in Biloxi on the main street there, we'd host something called Friday Morning Serial, S-e-r-i-a-l, but we served cereal, so we served cold cereal and coffee. And every Friday we would invite someone from the community to come in and talk about what they're, what they're doing, who they are. And we would invite folks from the neighborhood to sit. And it wasn't a long, wasn't a TED talk. It wasn't overly produced. It was come, talk for 15 minutes, and then we're just gonna have cereal and chat. And honestly, that was the best community engagement I had witnessed, because it was, it was a great organic way for people to start talking to their neighbors and learning about one another. And it wasn't like this formal presentation of the drawings, OK, here's the development site, it was a very natural conversation. That was one piece of engagement that I participated in that I thought was really fun. Eve: [00:27:39] That's sounds really, that sounds charming. Brian: [00:27:42] Yeah. Eve: [00:27:44] We should do that here. That's really lovely. Brian: [00:27:47] We should. And perhaps you'll have the, Elizabeth, she was running Friday Morning Serial at the Gulf Coast. Maybe she'll be a podcast guest at some point. Eve: [00:27:57] Oh, very good. Yes. Brian: [00:27:59] But in Pittsburgh, there's another kind of non-traditional community engagement. There's an event every year called Open Streets, where in different neighborhoods, they will shut down the streets to vehicular traffic and let people walk and bike in the middle of the street through different neighborhoods. And we've participated in that several times. You know, kind of little pop up booth. And that's a great way to talk to people and engage with folks, because they're out there having fun. And it's another way to get some informal community participation. So, it's called Open Streets Pittsburgh. And I think it's a great event. Eve: [00:29:36] Well, I'm really delighted you mentioned that because, do you know I founded that, I co-founded that. Brian: [00:29:43] Oh really? Well, there you go. Eve: [00:29:45] Yeah. Brian: [00:29:45] So, did you found it with the intention of doing that? Eve: [00:29:48] Founded with the intention of opening the streets to everyday people. It's not rocket science. People were doing it all over the world. Pittsburgh's always a little bit behind, right? But I'm really thrilled to hear you say that it's meaningful to you. It's a great event. Brian: [00:30:07] And it just activates neighborhoods in a different way. When you're walking through the streets ... [00:30:111] Amazing. [00:30:11] ... I think they've done a good job of putting it in neighborhoods where the folks who typically engage in Open Streets, they might be more cycling-oriented, or like transit advocates, but they're doing it in neighborhoods now which may have seen a lot of disinvestment over the past 30, 40 years. And I think it's a great way to get people engaged in the neighborhood. Eve: [00:30:32] Yeah,. Brian: [00:30:32] Non-traditional. So good job, Eve, and other co-founders. Eve: [00:30:43] I did not do alone. But, you know, it's interesting because streets and roads take up so much of our open space and it's pretty wonderful to be able to, you know, use it as a park for a short time. Once a month, you know, you just open the space and get rid of the cars, let people go out there, and have exercise classes, or walk, or bike, whatever they want to do. It's a really wonderful thing. It's really fabulous. So, I'm glad you enjoy it. But you and I also have talked about equity crowdfunding. And I'm wondering, you know, that's what I do. And I'm wondering, you know, if you think that would be helpful for engaging a community like Garfield. In what's happening there? Brian: [00:31:15] Yeah. Yeah. As I think about equity crowdfunding, or just crowdfunding, in general, you know, part of the model opens up the company to a broader audience. Right? Not as many people participate in real estate deals as to equity crowdfunding deals. And then when you add the marketing component to it, you're really telling a story. I've saw some of the projects that you've had on your platform. And Jonathan Tate, he and I have spoken together at a couple of events, and I really think it's an opportunity to tell the story of a particular project really well. So, in addition to funding the project, I think the narrative that you create and the engagement that you can have in an open, a more open platform, is exciting. That's when I think about equity crowdfunding. Eve: [00:32:05] Yeah. I think for me is, my hope had always been that it would be a way to let communities invest in what's happening around them. And I don't think it's working too well for that yet. I think there's just a very nascent industry and people don't know very much about it. And I think that maybe investing is a pretty threatening activity for most people who've never done it before. So, I hope that over time we can educate people and they understand that investing in their own community could be a really great thing. But that's down the road, right? Brian: [00:32:38] Yeah. Eve: [00:32:38] So, I'm going to wrap up with one question that I really want to ask you, and that is if there was one thing that you could change about real estate development in this country, what would it be? Brian: [00:32:50] I would change ... the people who are thought of as developers, the type, you know ... like I am late 20's white male. Right? So, I may not be like a slicked back hair, like 50s suit-wearing 55-year old guy, who's a real estate developer. But I think there are many other people who don't think of real estate development as a career, a path. Whether it's particular minorities or gender types. I would love to see more diversity in the world of real estate development, because I think the more people that are able to see that as a career and engage in it, then will bring fresh perspectives to the projects that we see developed around our country. And when it's this, you know, when it's kind of the majority of folks working in that field or who are perceived as successful in that field, fit one type of persona, then it limits the quality of projects that are going to be executed. So, I'd love to see many more types of people become developers then kind of what we think traditionally of as a developer. Eve: [00:34:03] Well, I completely agree. And I want to thank you very much for spending your time with me today. It's fascinating. And I'm sure we're going to be talking again soon. Brian: [00:34:12] Absolutely. Thank you very much, Eve. I've really enjoyed it. Eve: [00:34:13] That was Brian Gaudio. As a young student, Brian absorbed ideas from many places. Both Elemental's incremental housing in Chile, and the 100,000 Houses Project by the Philly-based firm Interface Studio Architects, have influenced his thinking along with the housing crisis in South America which he was exposed to during the filming of his documentary. It's fascinating how new ideas are developed out of such varied influences. Eve: [00:34:45] You can find out more about impact real estate investing and access the show notes for today's episode at my website, EvePicker.com. While you're there, sign up for my newsletter to find out more about how to make money in real estate while building better cities. Thank you so much for spending your time with me today. And thank you, Brian, for sharing your thoughts. We'll talk again soon. But for now, this is Eve Picker, signing off to go make some change.
On this episode, we interview Ryan Bove, Co-founder of Aurochs Brewing, a company brewing naturally gluten free beers from great tasting, naturally gluten free ingredients at their dedicated gluten free brewery. The Caffeinated Innovation co-hosts, Pam Eichenbaum and Jenn Van Dam talk to Ryan about his path to entrepreneurship, the AlphaLab program, and the future of gluten free beer.
This week’s episode brought to you by Sidekick Media Services, Slice on Broadway, and Alex Kahrs Design & Media! Professor Buzzkill joins Sorg and Chilla as we talk this week (and this century) in tech: Chilla is sharing his Pixel 3a as his Awesome Thing of the Week. Sorg was able to attend the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup event to experience it up close and personal behind a live stream rig as his Awesome Thing of the Week. Sorg had an opportunity to check out Yodel Labs and their AR positioning as part of the Hardware Cup. Sorg is sharing some updates from Vital Flo and Algenair from the Hardware Cup. Want to do your own canning? No, not like your grandmother's beets, more like your grandfather's adult beverages with Equals Can. Professor Buzzkill is sharing the black-and-white setting on his iPhone as his Awesome Thing of the Week. For most things in tech there are previous ideas and predecessors in history. Professor Buzzkill is sharing some of that evolution with us. No Awesome Thing of the Week is dumb as long as it's awesome to you - like Brian's sweet standing desk. Microsoft and Sony are partnering for gaming and cloud services? Schell Games is having a friends and family event. You can all thank Sorg for the new MacBook Pro release from Apple. Pittsburgh is bringing back the magic with Liberty Magic. Chilla is giving us all the details. Sorg was in Hollywood - and of course he found the Museum of Selfies. Professor Buzzkill is questioning bathroom selfies. Minecraft AR is coming. Sorg can't wait to compare it to Angry Birds AR. After the show remember to: Want to support our friends at Postindustrial? Check out their Kickstarter. Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Want to be part of our studio audience? Hit us up at awesomecast@sorgatronmedia.com and we’ll save you a seat! Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion! Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Professor Buzzkill (@buzzkillprof), Sorg (@Sorgatron), and Chilla (@chilla) Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos? You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast! Remember to check out our friends at the River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) and The 405 Media (@The405Radio) who replay the show on their stream throughout the week! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST
This week’s episode brought to you by Sidekick Media Services, Slice on Broadway, and Alex Kahrs Design & Media! Professor Buzzkill joins Sorg and Chilla as we talk this week (and this century) in tech: Chilla is sharing his Pixel 3a as his Awesome Thing of the Week. Sorg was able to attend the AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup event to experience it up close and personal behind a live stream rig as his Awesome Thing of the Week. Sorg had an opportunity to check out Yodel Labs and their AR positioning as part of the Hardware Cup. Sorg is sharing some updates from Vital Flo and Algenair from the Hardware Cup. Want to do your own canning? No, not like your grandmother's beets, more like your grandfather's adult beverages with Equals Can. Professor Buzzkill is sharing the black-and-white setting on his iPhone as his Awesome Thing of the Week. For most things in tech there are previous ideas and predecessors in history. Professor Buzzkill is sharing some of that evolution with us. No Awesome Thing of the Week is dumb as long as it's awesome to you - like Brian's sweet standing desk. Microsoft and Sony are partnering for gaming and cloud services? Schell Games is having a friends and family event. You can all thank Sorg for the new MacBook Pro release from Apple. Pittsburgh is bringing back the magic with Liberty Magic. Chilla is giving us all the details. Sorg was in Hollywood - and of course he found the Museum of Selfies. Professor Buzzkill is questioning bathroom selfies. Minecraft AR is coming. Sorg can't wait to compare it to Angry Birds AR. After the show remember to: Want to support our friends at Postindustrial? Check out their Kickstarter. Eat at Slice on Broadway (@Pgh_Slice) if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Want to be part of our studio audience? Hit us up at awesomecast@sorgatronmedia.com and we’ll save you a seat! Join our AwesomeCast Facebook Group to see what we’re sharing and to join the discussion! Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Professor Buzzkill (@buzzkillprof), Sorg (@Sorgatron), and Chilla (@chilla) Have you seen our AwesomeTips videos? You can support the show at Patreon.com/awesomecast! Remember to check out our friends at the River’s Edge (@RiversEdgePGH) and The 405 Media (@The405Radio) who replay the show on their stream throughout the week! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays around 7:00 PM EST
Ryan Green and his team at Gridwise have won over some very tough rooms on their journey so far, from the early days at Alphalab to last year's Techstars Mobility cohort. He knows his way around investor pitches and negotiations, but now he's here in our studio! This week, Ryan and Scot talk about the basic workings of Gridwise, which raises the earnings potential of rideshare drivers by supplying them with better intelligence. Other topics include ways to increase brand awareness, what to look for in angel and VC investors, and the unexpected ways that drivers cooperate. If you have friends that drive for Uber or Lyft, make sure they check out this week's show!
We talk about C. C. Busy, or "child care busy" an Alphalab startup that is working on an application for Amazon Echo to assist in child care services. We chat with co-founders Shimira Williams and Greg Quinlan about the challenges of this space, the benefits to the space and more! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube!
We talk about C. C. Busy, or "child care busy" an Alphalab startup that is working on an application for Amazon Echo to assist in child care services. We chat with co-founders Shimira Williams and Greg Quinlan about the challenges of this space, the benefits to the space and more! Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube!
Alison Alvarez knows a lot about a lot. In just 30 minutes, she taught me about Charleston, West Virginia, the power of geo-tracking, and how she does market research. We didn’t even get into Japanese literature. Alison is the CEO and co-founder of BlastPoint. She has spent years building big data tools for large companies and became convinced that more affordable and accessible solutions should exist. She has emerged as an expert consultant regarding large geospatial data systems, lecturing around the country to teach people how to use data tools for themselves, and developing a library of free interactive coding lessons. She currently sits on the advisory board of Y-Combinator’s Valor Water If you liked this interview, check out previous tech CEO interviews like TrackMaven CEO Allen Gannett, AlphaLab Gear alum Avi Geller, and CivicMapper founder Emily Mercurio. Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter. Alison’s Challenge; Try building new skills outside of your core focus. Stretch yourself. Book Mentioned Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond Connect with Alison LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Website Underwritten by Piper Creative A digital agency that provides strategy, delivery, and analysis specializing in a few key service offerings. Documentary-as-a-Service (Vlogging 2.0) Instagram Content Production & Account Building Podcast Production, Strategy Consulting, and Guest Acquisition If you aren’t creating or curating content regularly, your clients and customers might forget you’re open for business. YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay
The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow. Today we’re discussing The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It is a business novel that Eliyahu used to introduce the “Theory of Constraints”, a sort of meta-theory for business (and life, really) that you can use to advance the output of just about any system. It is very much a “zero-to-one” book, where you’ll see the world differently after reading. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Improving all of your systems with the Theory of Constraints Discovering bottlenecks in various systems and effectively optimizing them Identifying your goal and making positive progress towards it Becoming a better manager or employee by using the Theory of Constraints Improving your time-management skills, productivity, and workflow Useful mental hacks for waking up easier and for making habits stick And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of The Goal and to check out Nat’s Notes on the book! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our other episode on How to Think Like Elon Musk, to emulate Musk’s way of thinking for extreme advantages, and our episode on Antifragile, to learn how to profit from chaos. Mentioned in the show: The Theory of Constraints [1:13] AlphaLab [5:31] Sumo [7:35] Zirtual [12:13] Unlimited Brewing Company [13:21] Growth Machine [18:26] Joe Rogan Podcast [28:20] Nat’s article on how to start a podcast [39:37] Deep House Relax on Spotify [40:28] (Nat and Neil’s favorite playlist for deep work) Last of the Mohicans’ soundtrack [40:39] Halo soundtrack [40:45] Matrix soundtrack [40:51] Tron soundtrack [40:52] The Magician on Soundcloud [43:05] OWSLA and Skrillex mix [43:24] Praxis on Medium [45:45] Medium [45:45] Getting Stuff Done Like a Boss course [46:34] Building a Second Brain course [46:45] The Forcing Function [47:00] Nat Chat podcast [47:02] Nat Chat episode with Chris Sparks [47:02] Tiago Forte’s main courses [47:09] Neil’s post on viewing books similar to VC [48:00] Four Sigmatic’s Mushroom Coffee [1:02:18] Athletic Greens [1:02:28] Game of Thrones [1:05:48] Stranger Things [1:05:49] Buffer [1:07:57] Made You Think episode on Thinking Like Elon Musk [1:09:18] Tesla [1:09:18] Boosted Board [1:11:28] How to Legally Own People article [1:13:26] Books mentioned: The Goal (Nat’s Notes) Antifragile [4:29] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) Work Clean [50:22] (episode coming 12-19 or 12-26) (Nat’s Notes) Principles [52:17] (episode coming 12-5) (Nat’s Notes) Emergency [1:19:43] (Made You Think episode) (Nat’s Notes) People mentioned: Eliyahu M. Goldratt Zak Slayback [4:04] Joe Rogan [28:20] Daft Punk [40:55] Rapper Nas [41:55] Lil Wayne [41:58] Future [42:02] Ivan Pavlov [43:22] Adil Majid [43:29] Tiago Forte [45:32] Chris Sparks [46:59] Elon Musk [1:09:18] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [1:13:26] 0:00 - Introductory quote, a bit of background on the book and the author, and how you can use this book to help you out in both business and in life. 7:24 - Some examples from the book applied to the real-world and some flaws in various business systems. 10:36 - What the actual goal is for various systems, some details on the goal’s infrastructure, and why these three metrics are important. “The goal is essentially to increase net-profit while increasing return on investment and increasing cash flow.” 19:40 - The next part on the daily goal metrics (throughput, inventory, and operational expense) and some details on those. 21:10 - How to use these metrics if you’re not a manager or a CEO and are without a big-picture perspective. Also, some discussion on these metrics, applying them to members of a system, and some real-world examples. 28:44 - Figuring out all of these metrics and operations and then applying them in day-to-day situations. The beginning of how the main character in the story does this. 30:47 - The bottleneck issue from the book and applying it to real-world scenarios, the funny story of discovering and solving the bottleneck from the book, and some discussion on it. (Tangent #1 at 31:29) 35:05 - The order for optimizing around a bottleneck properly. Also, some examples of optimizing various bottlenecks and improving your time management skills. Nat and Neil’s favorite music for working, as well. 41:00 - (Tangent #2) The issue with typing the words to a song or podcast instead of the words meant for your writing and some more thoughts of various music types for various types of work. 43:49 - The Theory of Constraints coming into play in the book and some information on Tiago Forte and his courses on improving systems, creative output, and productivity. 47:48 - Books and small investments improving your ROI ($10-$20 books possibly giving you insights that make you $1000+, save you time, or offer valuable enjoyment) and some thoughts on doing your quality insurance before you buy books. 50:22 - Discussion on the book Work Clean and some ideas from it for improving your peace of mind, organizational ability, and productivity. 52:29 - The idea of losing an hour on the bottleneck which is not just being lost to the bottleneck, but to the whole system. Also, being a better manager by analyzing not only possible bottlenecks with others, but for your own bottlenecks, as well. 57:04 - Examining your life for possible scenarios that create bottlenecks for you (drinking and eating unhealthy afterward, etc) and fixing those scenarios. Also, some useful mental hacks for waking up easier at 1:00:36 and 1:01:38. 1:02:10 - Waking up and daisy-chaining your habits immediately afterward. Some explanation and examples of doing this. 1:03:55 - Applying the Theory of Constraints to creative work and making sure you apply the theory towards positive things instead of negative things. 1:09:37 - The steps for identifying the constraints within a system and then beginning to fix them. Some issues on having someone on salary versus hourly, compensating people for their work, and having slack in a system discussed here, as well. 1:16:23 - Some last thoughts and some pieces of advice for others on goals and systems. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com What is the bottleneck and how do I optimize around the bottleneck right now? To even identify what the bottleneck is, you really need to clearly identify the goal.
Darrin Grove, Truefit’s Founder and CEO, is a native Pittsburgher with a passion for innovation, technology, and values-based leadership. Since its bootstrap beginnings in 1997, Truefit’s experience with new, disruptive technologies has positioned the company as a leader in helping entrepreneurs and organizations bring new software products to market quickly. Using their proprietary Idea Launch™ process, Darrin and the Truefit team guide clients through a proven path to create new and next generation software products. By involving a broad cross-section of company stakeholders, end users, and subject matter experts, Truefit helps product teams reduce risk and build confidence. Their principled approach and “start-up” mentality have proven to be an invaluable asset to companies looking for an entrepreneurial approach to software product development. In addition to his work at Truefit, Darrin is dedicated to sharing his insight in innovation and entrepreneurship with the Pittsburgh community. He leads the Deal Flow Team for Software and Technology at BlueTree Allied Angels and advises start-up companies at the AlphaLab tech accelerator. He is also active on several non-profit boards to promote leadership, education, and urban renewal, and is a regular panelist and judge at events related to innovation. Darrin’s Challenge; Think small. Focus on the small executions, pivots, and iterations that will move your work forward. Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter. Resources Mentioned Lean Startup by Eric Reis Prospect The Sandler Way by John Rosso Good to Great by Jim Collins Agile Manifesto Connect with Darrin LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Website If you liked this interview, check out my other interviews with Pittsburgh entrepreneurs. Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay
In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, you'll hear Darrin Grove, Founder and CEO of Truefit, share his entrepreneurial journey and the lesson's he's learned along the way. To see the notes and ways to connect with Darrin Grove and Truefit, go to the show notes at L3Leadership.org/episode154. Darrin Grove's Bio: Darrin Grove, Truefit’s Founder and CEO, is a native Pittsburgher with a passion for innovation, technology, and values-based leadership. Leveraging leadership and technology experience honed as the former head of IT for a recognized leader in manufacturing technologies, and recognizing the legacy of innovation in the Pittsburgh region, Darrin and his team made a commitment to establish and maintain headquarters in the region, even as Truefit added clients nationally, and internationally. Darrin founded Truefit on the core values of being principled, collaborative, empowering, and serving the common good. In his capacity as CEO, Darrin champions these core values and applies them to each and every client and team member engagement. Innovation and entrepreneurial spirit guide Darrin, and his leadership instills a “start-up” mentality throughout the organization. He leads the proprietary Idea Launch™ process, ensuring that innovation begins with collaboration and works closely with Truefit clients to involve a broad cross-section of stakeholders, company leadership, end users, and subject matter experts to bring game-changing new technology products to market. Under Darrin’s leadership, Truefit has carved out a noteworthy role as a collaborative partner to organizations and entities dedicated to building new ideas, products, and start-ups in Pittsburgh and around the country. Darrin is an active member of BlueTree Allied Angels and serves as an advisor at AlphaLab, Pittsburgh’s start-up accelerator, which helps promote growth of innovative start-ups. He also serves on several non-profit boards throughout the community. Specialties: Innovation, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Angel Investing, Software Development, Mobile Connect with L3 Leadership: Website: L3Leadership.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/l3-leadership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L3Leader Twitter: @L3leader Instagram: @l3leadership Podcast: The L3 Leadership Podcast in iTunes How You Can Help this Podcast: To listen to past interviews, go to my podcast page. Subscribe to this podcast Rate and leave a review of the podcast Share the content on Social Media Sign-up for my L3 Leadership Newsletter If you have an idea for a future podcast you would like to hear or a leader you would like me to interview, e-mail me at dougsmith@l3leadership.org. If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on iTunes and write a review.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/l3leadership)
Marcus Jeter of Resus Technologies is looking to change the hair stylist industry by bringing it into your home with the MyStylist application. We talk about the inception, what problem this solves with stylist licensing, and how the Alphalab process helped them launch. Help out the show with a donation! Become our boss! Go to patreon.com/awesomecast Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, iTunes, and Youtube!
Marcus Jeter of Resus Technologies is looking to change the hair stylist industry by bringing it into your home with the MyStylist application. We talk about the inception, what problem this solves with stylist licensing, and how the Alphalab process helped them launch. Help out the show with a donation! Become our boss! Go to patreon.com/awesomecast Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, iTunes, and Youtube!
We talk with Executive Director of Alphalab, Jim Jen, about the Pittsburgh Startup Incubator, how it has developed over the years, the process, some businesses that have made an impact from the space, how they hope to grow Pittsburgh’s tech scene without the growing pains of Silicon Valley and more! Help out the show with a donation! Become our boss! Go to patreon.com/awesomecast Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, iTunes, and Youtube!
We talk with Executive Director of Alphalab, Jim Jen, about the Pittsburgh Startup Incubator, how it has developed over the years, the process, some businesses that have made an impact from the space, how they hope to grow Pittsburgh’s tech scene without the growing pains of Silicon Valley and more! Help out the show with a donation! Become our boss! Go to patreon.com/awesomecast Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Facebook,Stitcher, Spreaker, iTunes, and Youtube!
SQWAD is a company looking to change the way we play fantasy sports and providing more engaging play, currently with the WNBA, with up the minute changes that can be made. Find out why they came to Pittsburgh from Portland, Oregon to take part in the Alphalab program that got them off the ground!
SQWAD is a company looking to change the way we play fantasy sports and providing more engaging play, currently with the WNBA, with up the minute changes that can be made. Find out why they came to Pittsburgh from Portland, Oregon to take part in the Alphalab program that got them off the ground!
Jim, Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s AlphaLab accelerator program, provides mentorship, education and network-building for technology startups. His accelerator helps companies rapidly iterate through early stages of product and customer development. Launched in 2008, AlphaLab is ranked #6 among accelerators in the US and a charter member of the Global Accelerator Network, where Jim currently serves on the Advisory Board. AlphaLab alumni companies include The Resumator, No Wait, Black Locus (acquired by Home Depot), Shoefitr and SolePower. Jim guides companies by leveraging his experience and network gained from working closely with over eighty companies in the Innovation Works and AlphaLab portfolios and from his prior management experience in Silicon Valley. In the Bay Area, Jim built and managed software businesses at Hewlett-Packard, Agile Software (acquired by Oracle), and Instill Corporation (acquired by iTradeNetwork Inc). As a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton, Jim advised executive management of Fortune 500 companies on marketing, strategy, and organizational issues. Jim holds a BA and MA in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Jim’s Challenge; Go out of your way to explore viewpoints opposite of the ones you hold. Connect with Jim Twitter LinkedIn Website
Ilana Diamond is the Managing Director of AlphaLab Gear, Innovation Works’ hardware start-up accelerator which provides physical product startups with connections, investment, mentorship and more. Ilana helps entrepreneurs rapidly progress through the early stages of product and customer development by leveraging her experience and network, gained from over 20 years of leading and growing companies, from early stage to exit. Prior to running AlphaLab Gear, Ilana served as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Sima Products. She built Sima’s management team, developed and managed a network of Asian manufacturers and led profitable sales growth at national brick and mortar retail chains such as Target and Walmart, internet retailers such as Amazon.com, and specialty catalog retailers.Based on innovative technology developed by Sima, she also founded and managed a commercial alerting startup, raised outside capital spun it off into a separate entity. In 2010, Ms. Diamond negotiated the sale of Sima and transitioned operations to the new owners. Ilana currently serves as a Member of the advisory board at Sole Power, LLC. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Tie Pittsburgh. Previously, she sat on the Executive Board of the Consumer Electronics Association. Ilana’s Challenge; Pick one thing every day that you are going to do well. You can’t do everything well every single day. Connect with Ilana Twitter @Ilanadiamond @AlphalabGear LinkedIn AlphaLab Gear Website Hardware Cup
Avi Geller has taken a long and thoughtful route to entrepreneurship. During his time on Going Deep, he discusses how he moved to progressively smaller companies and developed a vision for the future of wearable tech. He is now focused on “hearables”, a segment of tech focused on headsets and earpieces that deliver real time information to users. As a member of the AlphaLab accelerator, Avi is leading Maven Machines towards being a player in the Internet of Things. Avi’s Challenge; Start something, like a social gathering or a project, that you take ownership of and do a great job. Next Pittsburgh Article Connect with Avi Twitter @avishaigeller @MavenMachines LinkedIn Website avishai@mavenmachines.com
We talk with Arman Bimatov of TravelWits about the service that aims to pull together every aspect of travel (hotels, planes, transportation) to stay under your budget and discover new possibilities. We discuss developing the services, working in Alphalab, and an odd way to find a bug from a Podcast. Help out the show with a donation! Become our boss! Go to patreon.com/awesomecast Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment. Follow Michael Sorg (@sorgatron) and @AwesomeCast for updates and live streams of our interviews! Subscribe on Spreaker, iTunes, and Youtube!
Sophia is the CEO and co-founder of Trusst Lingerie, a company that has reengineered the bra for larger-busted women. She left her job as a product manager in August of 2014 to co-found her company and enter the AlphaLab Gear accelerator in Pittsburgh. Sophia comes on the show and discusses launching her first product, running a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $80k with just a $25k goal, and building her team. Trusst’s first product launched in October 2015 and will be delivered in the spring. Check it out! Sophia’s Challenge; Track your fitness for 100 days. 100 day challenges will help you build new effective habits. Articles Today feature article Connect with Sophia Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Trusst Lingerie Website Email; sophia@trusstlingerie.com
Henry Thorne serves as a Mentor at AlphaLab Gear. He founded Aethon Inc. in 1997 and served as its President. He co-founded Thorley Industries LLC in 2005 and serves as its Chief Technology Officer. Henry is a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, graphic user interface designer and computer scientist. He received BS degree in 1982 and MS degree in 1984 from Carnegie-Mellon University. Upon graduation, Henry joined General Motors Corporation. During his five years there, among his many accomplishments were the invention of the first weld path adjustment system, the invention of the first fully automatic tool center point calibration system (eliminated the single largest cause of downtime in automated arc welding); the design and implementation of the world's largest automated arc welding system (still running today with the lowest downtime in the auto industry); and the development of a spot weld controller (software installed on thousands of robotic welding machines). Further, Henry invented and patented the world's leading system for calibrating robotic tools, still licensed to ABB. In 1990, Henry left General Motors Corporation and founded Cycle Time Corporation to design and market "Tophat," a graphic user interface for robotic welding. Under contract to ALCOA, he also invented the first system for real time arc weld quality measurement, still the best available measurement of the quality of a weld as it is being produced. He served as Director of Aethon Inc. It was here that he invented and patented three technologies that solve the “navigation riddle,” without using elaborate and expensive laser and inertial guidance systems. He is currently the CTO for 4moms, a company he co-founded with partner Rob Daley. He is also the longest sitting board member for USA Ultimate and has remained very active in the ultimate community. He also serves as a special advisor for Ultimate Peace, a non-profit committed to using ultimate to help teach conflict resolution in Israel. ArticlesForbes Inc. Connect with Henry @4moms @HenryFThorne Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Website
This week on Awesomecast 244, we talk awesome things in technology, including: Why you don't need an Apple Watch. Chilla talks about his Apple Watch purchase experience. Sorg checked out some of this season's AlphaLab companies: @seekahoo @TravelWitsCom @whoYuInc We discuss basic web design options for #smallbusiness. Friend of the show Hotwheelz shared an Awesome Thing of the Week - the TF103C the transformer pad as a laptop option. Chilla shares his thoughts on the chrome app ARC Welder. Use a phone as a tablet? Check out @padfone as an option to bridge the gap. Push for celebs to stop using @AppMeerkat? Sorg uses Periscope as part of tonight's show. With all the password options, would you trust your voice to unlock your device? It may happen with Android tech. Our self-censor in tech is to keep devices from responding to "Okay Google" as part of our discussion by mumbling the Google part. Chilla championing his TiVo for proactively searching for episodes missed in the early part of the season. Next Week: Let us know about your cordcutting situation. What devices, dongles, boxes, etc. are you using? What's worked? What hasn't? After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow these awesome people on Twitter: John Chichilla (@chilla) and Mike Sorg (@sorgatron).
This week on Awesomecast 244, we talk awesome things in technology, including: Why you don't need an #AppleWatch. Chilla talks about his #AppleWatch purchase experience. Sorg checked out some of this season's AlphaLab companies: @seekahoo @TravelWitsCom @whoYuInc We discuss basic web design options for #smallbusiness. Friend of the show Hotwheelz shared an #awesomethingoftheweek - TF103C the transformer pad as a laptop option. Chilla shares his thoughts on the #chrome app ARC Welder. Use a phone as a tablet? Check out @padfone as an option to bridge the gap. Push for celebs to stop using @AppMeerkat? Sorg uses #Periscope as part of tonight's show. With all the password options, would you trust your voice to unlock your device? It may happen with Android tech. Our self-censor in tech is to keep devices from responding to "Okay Google" as part of our discussion by mumbling the Google part. Chilla championing his #TiVo for proactively searching for episodes missed in the early part of the season. Next Week: Let us know about your #cordcutting situation. What devices, dongles, boxes, etc. are you using? What's worked? What hasn't? After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow these awesome people on Twitter: John Chichilla (@chilla) and Mike Sorg (@sorgatron).
This week on Awesomecast 208, we talk the latest and most awesome things going on in the world of technology, including: AppleTV and Netflix. Alphalab companies including one that really intrigues Sorg, Nebulus.io! Recommended Apps like ComicZeal and Timehop. The launch of the comic book themed podcast PanelRiot! The technology around making the PanelRiot podcast. Trying to cancel Comcast and in general breaking up with a provider. Huge orders for iPhone 6 handsets. Can we use the Moon's underground caves to house astronauts? Must haves for cord cutters. A local theater (Hollywood Theater in Dormont, PA) trying to go digital by using a Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1802805251/hollywood-theater-go-digital-final-push). Google not calling games with in-app purchases free anymore! After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow these awesome people on Twitter: Will Rutherford (@panelriot) and Mike Sorg (@sorgatron). Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays at 6:30 PM EST!
This week on Awesomecast 199, we talk the latest and most awesome things going on in the world of technology, including: The iGrill Mini. AMC debuting a show on tumblr. ThinkUp and what they can do for you. Some things that happened at Demoday. Delivery drones and how they will be used. Something for the romantics: Romeo Delivers. Rapidfire and what it does. CDL Warrior and how it can make the trucking industry easier. A tattoo matchmaking app. Alphalab.org and how they can help you out with your ideas! Talk about the announcement of Microsoftâ??s Surface 3. Added features on Google+. Youtube and Google buying other companies. Talk on GoogleGlass. Writing on a DOS machine. What is coming out soon in technology. After the show remember to: Eat at Slice on Broadway if you are in the Pittsburgh area! It is Awesome! (sliceonbroadway.com) Follow this awesome cast on Twitter: @awesomecast, Mike Sorg (@mikesorg), John Chichilla (@chilla) and Katie Dudas (@kdudders). Also, check out sorgatronmedia.com and awesomecast.com for more entertainment; and view us livestreaming Tuesdays at 6:30 PM EST!
Rob, Chachi, and Sorg are joined again by Norm Huelsman, Marketing Manager at Alphalab alumni iTwixie as we tackle feedback, take a look at our demo of Ubi Soft's upcoming Shoot Many Robots, decide on if we're going to watch the Steve Jobs book, whether Android's Ice Cream Sandwich update will matter, Netflix's latest subscriber woes, iOS 5 issues, and more! Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both video and audio formats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
Rob de la Cretaz, and Michael Sorg are joined Charles Kim, CEO of Geneva Mars, a recent spawn of Carnegie Mellon and grad of the Alphalab program, as we talk about his experience with the app store, developing an interactive story for kids, and the startup scene in Pittsburgh. We also talk about Capcom selling unreplayable games, Final Cut Pro X experience, Myspace gets bought (not by us) and Google+ is the future....? Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both video and audio formats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
Rob de la Cretaz,and Mike Sorg are in studio! Together! And we're joined on the couch by Robb Myers, and via Skype by Richard Colvin, both of Pittsburgh-based Alphalab startup No Wait to demonstrate their weeks old app live on the show! We also go Google crazy in the news as we cover the new Chrome WebApp Store, Plants vs Zombies, ChromeOS netbooks for all, Nexus S, eBooks, Groupon, new Facebook profiles, and more! Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook,, and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both videoand audioformats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
Rob de la Cretaz,and Mike Sorg are in studio! Together! And we're joined on the couch by Robb Myers, and via Skype by Richard Colvin, both of Pittsburgh-based Alphalab startup No Wait to demonstrate their weeks old app live on the show! We also go Google crazy in the news as we cover the new Chrome WebApp Store, Plants vs Zombies, ChromeOS netbooks for all, Nexus S, eBooks, Groupon, new Facebook profiles, and more! Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook,, and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both videoand audioformats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
The AwesomeCast is ramped up again! Rob de la Cretaz, Tony "Chachi Says" Walker and Mike Sorg are ready to dig into the dirty, dirty tech news for the week, along with a friend in the Pittsburgh tech community, Mike Woycheck of the Alphalab. We talk to him about what this tech incubator has to offer new recruits, and it's latest cycle of applications. We also run down the new Twitter, the Blackberry Playbook, Windows Phone 7's ad campaign, bad news for French pirates, wiretapping extensions to the internet, and Mark Zuckerburg's swimming pool of money. Check out all of our links on our Delicious page. Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook,, and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both video and audio formats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
The AwesomeCast is ramped up again! Rob de la Cretaz, Tony "Chachi Says" Walker and Mike Sorg are ready to dig into the dirty, dirty tech news for the week, along with a friend in the Pittsburgh tech community, Mike Woycheck of the Alphalab. We talk to him about what this tech incubator has to offer new recruits, and it's latest cycle of applications. We also run down the new Twitter, the Blackberry Playbook, Windows Phone 7's ad campaign, bad news for French pirates, wiretapping extensions to the internet, and Mark Zuckerburg's swimming pool of money. Check out all of our links on our Delicious page. Join the AwesomeCast on Twitter, Facebook,, and be sure to follow us on iTunes in both video and audio formats, as well as YouTube, Boxee, Roku, and Blip.tv! As always, you can chime in with news, thoughts, or comments at Contact@AwesomeCast.com or 724-25-A-CAST.
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