Best Digital Meld Podcasts (2025)

1
S11 E19: Madhavan "Maddy" Malonan, Reclaim Protocol 23:22

Play Pause

4h ago23:22

23:22

Madhavan "Maddy" Malonan has always been in - and around - technology, and fell in love with building things early on. He got a video game console early on, and found it a little boring. BUT, when his Dad got a computer and he played Age of Empires, he got excited about all the possibilities, trying to tinker with building things that mimicked thes…

1
S11 Bonus: Chris Kline, BitcoinIRA 22:24

5d ago22:24

22:24

Chris Kline grew up in Aurora, Colorado, and went to school in Boulder to study finance and leadership. He has lived through several significant events that led him to take a risk, and spend some time in small business and entrepreneurship. And eventually, he took a leap of faith, sold everything he had, and flew to California. Outside of tech, he …

1
S11 E18: Theodore Bergqvist, Turbotic 19:53

7d ago19:53

19:53

Theo Bergqvist is an entrepreneur who enjoys working a lot. He started his first venture in 1999 in the gaming industry, building Paradox, which is now listed on the Nasdaq. Of all his ventures, the common core to them all was technology. Outside of tech, he lives a life dedicated to Japanese martial arts. He practices 5-6 times a week, and have ma…

1
S11 E17: Jens Neuse, Wundergraph 32:59

14d ago32:59

32:59

Jens Neuse grew up in Germany, originally planning to be a carpenter. In his 2nd year as an apprentice, he was in a motorcycle wreck that thrust him into a process of surgery and healing. Eventually, he decided he wouldn't be doing carpentry, and got into sysadmin work. Once he got bored with this, he moved into startups, learned how to code, and s…

1
Lighting the Path to your Agentic AI Journey with Hanah Darley | Episode #0026 1:08:06

14d ago1:08:06

1:08:06

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to Hanah Darley, and check out geordie.ai. Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, hosts Brad and Robert welcome Hannah Darley, Chief AI Officer at Geordie AI. The conversation explores Hannah's unique background in government intelligence, her transition to the tech industry, and the foun…

1
S11 Bonus: Simon Ritter, Azul 31:09

19d ago31:09

31:09

Simon Ritter has been in the IT industry for 40 years. He went from university to work on Unix in the early days, employed by AT&T and programming in the C language. In 1996, he switched gears to join Sun Microsystems, programming in Java. Years later, after the Oracle transition, he started to dig into what might be next. Outside of tech, he is ma…

1
S11 E16: Adam Cohen, Weave 16:36

21d ago16:36

16:36

Adam Cohen grew up in Toronto, in North York. He showed early signs of entrepreneurship by putting his lemonade stand on a wagon, and taking it door to door - or hustling his friends to buy souvenirs on a school field trip. His Dad was in VC, and was a big influence on his life, pushing him to succeed. Outside of professional life, he is big into s…

1
From Prompt to Product: The AI-Powered Path to Startup Success with Jon Levesque | Episode #0025 1:04:21

22d ago1:04:21

1:04:21

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thanks to Jon Levesque, and check out Seeq.ing. Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, Brad Groux and Robert Groux interview Jon Levesque, founder of Seeq. Jon shares his journey from being a community manager at Microsoft to becoming a startup founder. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of b…

1
S11 Bonus: Alan Fisher, KinetiX at Wabtec Corporation 31:20

26d ago31:20

31:20

Alan Fisher started his career as a computer programmer. Early on, he was hired by the 1st or 2nd largest freight railroad in the world, Union Pacific. He describes their technology group as having a punk rock spirit, leaning towards building their own solutions over buying them, which he found great value in. Outside of tech, he has been married f…

1
Building Identity Orchestration for AI Agents with Granville Schmidt of Strata 24:49

27d ago24:49

24:49

We are bringing you a special episode, as our friends at Strata return to the podcast. You might remember our interview from Season 8 with Eric Olden, Co-founder & CEO of the company. Eric took us through the creation story of the company. Today, we will be talking with Granville Schmidt, Chief Architect at Strata, who has been instrumental in arch…

1
S11 E15: Derek Ting, TextNow 23:07

28d ago23:07

23:07

Derek Ting grew up in Canada-land, enjoying all the things of the area but especially hockey. He mentioned he has a bit of ADD, which made it hard for him to make it through a chapter in school. Nowadays, he has 2 kids. His oldest son plays hockey, and he and his family enjoys rooting on the Toronto Maple Leafs. When asked about food, he claimed to…

1
Hollywood Disrupted : AI, Creativity & Ethics with Filmmaker Nico Casavecchia | Episode #0024 52:12

1M ago52:12

52:12

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to Nico Casavecchia, and check out NicoCasavecchia.com. Summary In this episode, Brad Groux and Nico Casavecchia discuss the evolving landscape of filmmaking in the context of AI and technology. Nico shares his unique journey from Argentina to Hollywood, highlighting the importance of curiosity and adaptability…

1
S11 Bonus: Dr. Alex Kihm, POMA AI 24:42

1M ago24:42

24:42

Alex Kihm just turned 40, and has been into computers for 36 years. He was given his first hand me down computer at the age of 4 by his parents, and also grew up with lego bricks and building things. He is an engineer by training, but eventually switched to econometrics on the big data side. Outside of his professional life, he is married and descr…

1
What Founders Need to Know - with Dan Eyman of Meld Valuation 24:31

1M ago24:31

24:31

Today, I'm talking with Dan Eyman, the Managing Director at Meld Valuation, specializing in independent, audit ready valuations for VC backed startups and VC firms. He is an expert in the valuation of complex instruments such as convertible debt and SAFEs. Dan is going to illuminate the common mistakes of founders, how valuations differ, and what f…

1
S11 E14: Avi Perez, Pyramid Analytics 32:27

1M ago32:27

32:27

Avi Perez has been in the data and analytics space for more than 25 years. He began his career in banking and finance in Australia, but quickly grew tired of crunching numbers for the big wigs, wanting to find a better way to calculate this information. Outside of tech, he enjoys a wide array of music, from classical to modern trance. He's a big sc…

1
At the TX AI Challenge by Pro-Forma at DFW Startup Week | Episode #0023 1:24:48

1M ago1:24:48

1:24:48

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to Pro-Forma, visit pro-forma.com. Special thanks to Mason Rawls for assisting with the production of this episode. Summary The conversation revolves around the Texas AI Challenge, highlighting various startups and their innovative solutions in the AI space. Key themes include the importance of customer validat…

1
S11 Bonus: Goutham (Gou) Rao, Neubird 29:48

1M ago29:48

29:48

Goutham Rao grew up in Brooklyn, a nerd all his life. Back in the day, his Dad bought him a Commodore 64, from which he started to learn to write code in BASIC. Eventually, he attended the University of Pennsylvania to get his Masters in Computer Science. Outside of tech, he is married with 2 kids. He likes to travel, and likes to run. He used to c…

1
S11 E13: Matt Hamann, Rownd 23:20

1M ago23:20

23:20

Matt Hamann knew he was going to be in tech way back in his younger days. His Dad worked for IBM, so there were always fun things to talk about and play with. He got his first family computer when he was 4 years old, and started programming BASIC when he was 8. Eventually, they got dialup through AOL - and he took off building websites with PHP & M…

1
AI as a Culture Shift: Building Smarter Businesses and Communities with Leon Coe | Episode #0022 57:46

2M ago57:46

57:46

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thanks to Leon Coe - and check out houstonaiclub.com and ampliflyintelligence.ai Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, hosts Brad and Robert Groux engage with Leon Coe, founder of Houston AI and Amplify Intelligence. They discuss the rapid growth of the Houston AI community, the importance of AI i…

1
S11 Bonus: Greg Shove, Section 20:29

2M ago20:29

20:29

Greg Shove was born in Canada, raised in Britain, and eventually moved to the United States. Through all of these places he lived, he learned to believe in equal access for people, never to quit, and to work hard and win - all of this, respectively. When he moved to California, he was told to visit the local grocery store to meet more tech people t…

1
S11 E12: Ravi Madabhushi, ScaleKit 25:19

2M ago25:19

25:19

Ravi Madabhushi finds that all of the stops along his professional journey were accidental. He grew up in a tiny village in the south of India - so small, it would take you 10 minutes to sprint across it, end to end. His goals back then were common - get a job, get married, etc. - but after he moved to Bangalore post school, he got acquainted with …

1
S11 Bonus: Trevor Stuart, Split & Harness 27:13

2M ago27:13

27:13

Trevor Stuart was born in Florida, but raised in Seattle. He was the son of a tech CFO and an Episcopalian minister - so he learned life at many different angles. He graduated from Boston College, and went into investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Beyond that, he worked at RelateIQ prior to being acquired by Salesforce, which then led him to start…

1
S11 E11: Dave Berner, Kinde 19:08

2M ago19:08

19:08

Dave Berner grew up in London, and got into coding through music. He used to be the lead singer in metal and hardcore bands. His bands couldn't afford a webmaster, so he learned how to code in order to launch his band's website, along with setting up friend's custom MySpace profiles. Beyond that, he partook in many startups and side projects, lovin…

1
Your First AI Hire: Automation for Construction & Skilled Trades, with Grant Fuellenbach | Episode #0021 1:02:38

2M ago1:02:38

1:02:38

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thanks to Grant Fuellenbach - and check out beyondthebid.co Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, host Brad Groux and Grant Fuellenbach discuss the intersection of AI, automation, and the construction industry. They explore the challenges faced by skilled trades in adopting new technologies, the i…

1
S11 Bonus: Tiffany Johnson, NMI 22:12

2M ago22:12

22:12

Tiffany Johnson is originally from Texas, but grew up in California. At a young age, she was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, partaking in skydiving, snowboarding, wakeboarding and gymnastics. In school, she fell in love with Econ, Mgmt, and Statistics - and eventually, fell into the payment industry by accident. Outside of tech, she has been married…

1
The Gene Simmons of Data Protection – Navigating the Future of Data Management 20:46

2M ago20:46

20:46

The Gene Simmons of Data Protection: Protegrity's KISS Method Today, we are releasing another episode from our series, entitled The Gene Simmons of Data Protection - the KISS Method, brought to you by none other than Protegrity. Protegrity is AI-powered data security for data consumption, offering fine grain data protection solutions, so you can en…

1
S11 E10: Brennan Pothetes, Infinity Constellation 21:23

2M ago21:23

21:23

Brennan Pothetes grew up in Louisiana, but went to High School in Portland, Oregon - two very different places. He started his career in internal audit, before he eventually helped launch Simple, the first bank on the iPhone. He has built a lot of companies since, and continues to do so. Outside of business and tech, he likes food and enjoys whippi…

1
AI Edge Advantage: How Smart SMBs Are Turning Speed, and Strategy into Competitive Gold, with Lucas Erb | Episode #0020 1:25:36

2M ago1:25:36

1:25:36

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Special thanks to Lucas Erb, and check out AIExperts.com - Summary In this episode, Brad Groux, Robert Groux, and Lucas Erb discuss the intersection of AI and business, emphasizing the importance of human oversight in AI adoption. They reflect on a recent incident involving Replit, highlighting the risks of unchecked AI.…

1
S11 Bonus: Ben Lerner, Espresso AI 29:28

2M ago29:28

29:28

Ben Lerner was a fan of tech growing up, along side being into math and science. Right out of school, he joined a startup called Data Nitro, which attempted to integrate python into excel. Ever since then, he has been jamming in the tech and startup world. Outside of tech, he married to a computational biologist. He enjoys padel, which is kind of l…

1
The Next Iteration of Gremlin – with Kolton Andrus, CEO 27:36

2M ago27:36

27:36

Today, I'm talking with Kolton Andrus, CEO and Founder of Gremlin. You may remember previously when we spoke with Matt, the prior CTO of the company. Since that time frame, a lot has changed at the company, going through several arcs and foundational changes that are leading to not only assessing weaknesses in your infrastructure, but walking you t…

1
S11 E9: Buchi Reddy, Levo.ai 19:32

2M ago19:32

19:32

Buchi Reddy lives in North Austin, having recently moved there with his family. He is originally from south India, and grew up in a farming family before moving to the metro and studying engineering. Post college, he spent many years building high frequency trading systems, before moving to Silicon Valley and joining companies there, just as Cisco …

1
Imperfect Innovation: Why Courage Beats Perfection in AI Leadership - with Giorgio Natili | Episode #0019 1:02:33

2M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to Giorgio Natili. Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, Brad Groux and Giorgio Natili discuss the evolving landscape of AI, focusing on themes such as data sovereignty, the importance of learning from failures, and the balance between innovation and regulation. They emphasize the need f…

1
S11 Bonus: Evan Henshaw-Plath (aka Rabble), Rabble Labs & Verse 32:15

3M ago32:15

32:15

Evan Henshaw-Plath, also known as Rabble, was born in Berkeley while his Mom was a student. His parents were hippies, and he grew up near Silicon Valley, which gave him access to work with startups as early as High School. He founded Odeo, which eventually became Twitter. He got the name Rabble cause it was founded by three Evan's, which didn't wor…

1
S11 E8: Jesse Pollak, Base & Coinbase 34:09

3M ago34:09

34:09

Jesse Pollak grew up in Washington, DC, attending a Quaker school through graduating in high school. He played competitive soccer, which was a huge part of his life. Eventually, he moved to SoCal to attend school at Berkley. He got the bug to start a company, and only lasted 2 years at school - before he ventured out on his own. Eventually, his com…

1
Built to Scale: How Small Businesses Can Use AI to Compete Like Giants, with Anthony Amunategui | Episode #0018 56:39

3M ago56:39

56:39

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to ⁠Anthony Amunategui, and check out futurefactorypodcast.com, and cdogroup.com. Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, hosts Brad and Robert engage with Anthony Amunategui, founder of CDO Group and Future Factory podcast, discussing the transformative impact of AI and automation on smal…

1
S11 Bonus: Gaurav Bhattacharya, Jeeva AI 29:55

3M ago29:55

29:55

Gaurav Bhattacharya grew up in New Delhi, in a blue collar family. He lost his Dad early in his life. He took influence from his older brother and his love for programming, getting hooked on C/C++. He loves building things, including video games, of which he built his first one at the age of 12. In High School, he pursued a startup idea that led hi…

1
S11 E7: Artem Rodichev, Ex-Human 28:59

3M ago28:59

28:59

Artem Rodichev was born and raised in Kazakhstan, surrounded by the mountains. He loves hiking, and pretty much all outdoor activities. He jokes that he was raised by computers, as he was always playing games, trying to learn hacking, and more. He has always be interested in stories, in particular science fiction. He read a lot of books and watched…

1
Don’t Start with ChatGPT: Sara Nay on Smarter AI for Small Business Marketing | Episode #0017 58:16

3M ago58:16

58:16

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to ⁠Sara Nay, and check out ⁠ducttapemarketing.com. Get Sara's book. Summary In this episode, Brad Groux and Sara Nay discuss the transformative impact of AI on marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance of a solid foundation in strategy before diving into tactics. They explore the evolving landscape of S…

1
S11 Bonus: Keren Fanan, MyOp 27:21

3M ago27:21

27:21

Keren Fanan doesn't come from a tech based family, yet has worked in tech for the last 15 years. She's not a developer herself, but has always been drawn to software in general, as in her words, software runs the world. She studied Industrial Engineering, but quickly moved into product roles, working for AT&T, Gett and Moon Active in the past. Deep…

1
S11 E6: Michael Sacca, Leadpages 23:46

3M ago23:46

23:46

Michael Sacca didn't start out coding - he started out as a musician. In college, he studied music business and wanted to go into that world. Eventually, he figured out that people didn't care that you had a music business degree, and he ended up waiting tables for a few years. After watching his roommate write software and get paid well to do it, …

1
Lights, Camera, Algorithm: AI in Storytelling and Video Creation, with Erich Archer | Episode 0016 58:41

3M ago58:41

58:41

Follow the SSTB Newsletter Thank you to ⁠Erich Archer, and check out ⁠cgacreative.com. Summary In this episode, Brad Groux and Erich Archer discuss the transformative impact of AI on video production, exploring its ethical implications, democratization of creative processes, and the importance of transparency. They delve into practical applications…

1
S11 Bonus: Ofir Bibi, Lightricks 33:44

3M ago33:44

33:44

Ofir Bibi grew up in Jerusalem, and is where he is today because of his love for photography. He has always been a tinkerer, taking apart of radios and such, and was drawn to the early days of training neural networks and computational photography. He spent a number of years in academia, but eventually was drawn outside of that world. Outside of te…

1
S11 E5: Austin Federa, DoubleZero 28:33

3M ago28:33

28:33

Austin Federa has a non-traditional path into the blockchain world. In college, he studied political & environmental science, and economics. Interestingly enough, those studies map a lot to the blockchain first principles. He was seriously looking to do his PhD, but fell out of love with that space, and joined NPR as a journalist for a while. Then,…

1
AI Is the New Space Race: Energy, Ethics, and Global Impact - from WAC Houston | Episode #0015 58:30

3M ago58:30

58:30

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Summary In this episode, Brad Groux discusses his recent presentation on artificial intelligence at the World Affairs Council of Houston. He explores the multifaceted impact of AI on business, society, and global affairs, emphasizing the importance of understanding AI beyond just technology. The conversation delves into …

1
S11 Bonus: Tim Eades, Anetac 18:12

3M ago18:12

18:12

Tim Eades grew up poor, but forced himself into college. He is a 4 time CEO, an investor, and on the boards of several different companies - but more interestingly, he is an old punk. He saw the Sex Pistols live back in the day, which he mentioned had great sound quality. He's been married for 25 years, and is on the board of a charity that his wif…

1
S11 E4: Brooke Hartley Moy, Infactory AI 28:46

4M ago28:46

28:46

Brooke Hartley May lives in Oakland, California, on the East Bay, claiming to get more sunshine than her neighbors in San Francisco. She was a history major in college, which makes her path to technology a bit different. She still enjoys writing and reading in long form to this day. Outside of tech, she is married with a 4 year old son - and a pug.…

1
From Hype to Help: How Smart Teams Actually Use AI, with Raj Singh, VP of Mozilla | Episode #0014 58:30

4M ago58:30

58:30

Follow the SSTB Newsletter. Thank you to Raj Singh, VP of Mozilla, and check out soloist.ai. Summary In this episode of the Start Small Think Big podcast, hosts Brad and Robert are joined by Raj Singh, VP of Product at Mozilla, to discuss the adoption of AI in business processes. They explore the importance of annotated data, the role of AI in enha…

1
S11 Bonus: Yaroslav & Sergiy, Railsware - Part 2 32:45

4M ago32:45

32:45

Yaroslav Lazor started writing code when he was 10 years old. It took him a while to understand that making a difference in the world wasn't just about writing code - but he has arrived there these days. He is the father of 4 daughters, 2 of which are artists and a couple who are digging into their entrepreneurial roots with running their own lemon…

1
S11 Bonus: Yaroslav & Sergiy, Railsware - Part 1 26:33

4M ago26:33

26:33

Yaroslav Lazor started writing code when he was 10 years old. It took him a while to understand that making a difference in the world wasn't just about writing code - but he has arrived there these days. He is the father of 4 daughters, 2 of which are artists and a couple who are digging into their entrepreneurial roots with running their own lemon…

1
S11 E3: Rob Duffy, Healthedge 23:42

4M ago23:42

23:42

Rob Duffy lives in New York with his family. He moved to the states to go work for a small online bookstore that we know today as Amazon. He's married with 2 kids, and enjoys to cook. But, his main passion is flying, as he has is pilots license and enjoys flying small planes. He recalls training on a simulator with a rendering of the Seattle space …