The People Behind Innovation: Recent Episodes
Exponential Impact
The People Behind Innovation brings you the stories, lessons, and values from founders, investors, and innovators. These are the people breaking new ground, taking risks, and doing what it takes to push the boundaries of our economy for the better. Join Owen and his colleagues for new episodes with people surrounding the Exponential Impact ecosystem.
This past week I sat down with Leif Ullman to hear more about his journey as a serial entrepreneur focused on technology and innovation. We dove deep into lessons he has learned, his greatest successes, and tips for aspiring tech entrepreneurs
This past week I sat down with Courtney Bzymek to hear more about her entrepreneurial journey in creating Classroom Expert, a platform to harness the power of technology and bring world-class experts and professors into the classroom virtually to engage students and power educators.
Exponential Impact's Ian Kersey recently sat down with Carlos Jimenez and Pedro Ramirez to hear more about their journeys in growing Peak Education, a nonprofit organization that provides college access support to students along with the development of their new platform to connect colleges with secondary students. ‘The People Behind Innovation’ Podcast dives into stories of impactful entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators surrounding the XI ecosystem to learn more about their stories and the lessons they have learned along their journeys.
In this Episode, Ian Kersey interviews Rafael De La Vega, the CEO and Co-Founder of SALT Athletic to hear more about his entrepreneurial journey in developing a new type of technology for athletes and the many lessons he has learned along the way.
During this episode of “The People Behind Innovation,” Owen Brown interviews Jacob Montoya. They discuss the founding and ideas that inspired Jacob’s company, and the ways it has grown and changed over time. They also touch on Jacob’s time in the accelerator programs and how they helped him grow his business. Jacob Montoya is the founder of FitSW, a software platform for personal trainers and gyms. FitSW helps personal trainers and gyms run and grow their fitness businesses through software that improves efficiency and organization through automation that allows fitness professionals to manage clients, create fitness plans, and track client progress all in one place.
In this week’s episode of “The People Behind Innovation,” Owen Brown interviewed Leslie Kershaw. They discussed Leslie’s mission and overall goals with her company CYWREN Solutions, as well as lessons learned during the startup process. Leslie Kershaw is the co-founder and CEO of CYWREN solutions, a company that hopes to protect companies from the devastation of cyber attacks by bringing together the community in order to quickly discover where the issue began. The series is available under Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify streaming services, or on Anchor with no account needed to stream.
In this week's episode of “The People Behind Innovation,” Owen Brown interviewed Lawrence Wagner. Together they discussed the inspiration behind Lawrence’s company, Spark Mindset, and the problems it aims to solve. Lawrence Wagner is the founder and CEO of Spark Mindset, a company that works to make cybersecurity accessible to low income families. Spark Mindset provides a variety of classes and learning opportunities to those who may not have access to cybersecurity training and information. The company's mission is to break the cycle of poverty and give low income families access to high paying and high demand jobs in the growing cybersecurity field.
Exponential Impact's Owen Brown interviews Tyson Hartshorn, CEO and founder of Innate.ly. We talked about the highs and lows of Innate.ly, his strategy around raising funds, and the XI ecosystem. This is the fifth episode in the bi-weekly series titled “The People Behind Innovation”. The series is available under Google, Apple, Amazon, and Spotify streaming services, or on Anchor with no account needed to stream. Please contact my email, owen@exponentialimpact.com, if you have any comments or founder stories.
Exponential Impact's Owen Brown interviews Owen Hill, co-founder of Kleercard. Owen talks about serving small businesses, macroeconomic impacts to his business strategy, and his approach to business growth. This is the fourth episode of the podcast interview series titled "The People Behind Innovation" where we speak with founders, investors, and innovators.
Host: Owen Brown (@owenandersbrown)
Guest: Owen Hill (@owenjhill)
Exponential Impact's Owen Brown interviews Brock Predovich, CEO of Trustio. Owen and Brock cover lessons on how to iterate your product and discover company ideas. Furthermore, Brock discusses having an entrepreneurial mindset in his own life and why he chose to pursue his dreams rather than a 'set' path.
Host: Owen Brown (@owenandersbrown)
Guest: Brock Predovich (@brockpredovich)
Exponential Impact's Owen Brown interviews Theo Hooker, co-founder and COO of Cambium Carbon. Owen and Theo discuss how Cambium Carbon started and grew into the circular economy startup company it is today serving local wood supply chains. Theo also sheds light into the company structure, mission, and some lessons he's learned throughout founding a company.
Host: Owen Brown (@owenandersbrown)
Guest: Theo Hooker (@theo-hooker)
Exponential Impact's Owen Brown interviews Vance Brown, founder of numerous successful software companies, former President/CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center, and co-founder of Exponential Impact. Vance shares stories from his early days as an intellectual property attorney, scaling a business all the way to 750 employees, and the wholistic framework he places at the center XI's mission. This is the first episode of our podcast interview series titled "The People Behind Innovation" where we speak with founders, investors, and innovators.
Host: Owen Brown (@owenandersbrown)
Guest: Vance Brown