Best Jeff Scharf Podcasts (2025)

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Zachary Levi | Can Austin Build an Ark for Human Creativity? 1:23:38

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1h ago1:23:38

1:23:38

How do we nurture and protect the most human endeavors of creation and discovery? Zachary Levi joins us to discuss calling, technology, and a creative Ark in Austin. We move from one’s life mission to concrete plans for land and film incentives. The central question of our time is whether we ride the AI tsunami or get swept under it. Highlights 00:…

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S3 E48 - A Royal Scammed Again! 35:29

3d ago35:29

35:29

Send us a text With our king's stunning return engagement in the UK, our hosts decided it was time to revisit an earlier show discussing his earlier visit. Jeff's wife Kathy loves podcasts--not this podcast, no, podcasts about the British Royal Family gossip. Steve and Jeff thought that since we now have our own king, it was time to invite onto the…

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Is Austin a Music Incubator? | Terry Lickona, Austin City Limits 57:48

6d ago57:48

57:48

Austin exports culture the way it exports tech. Terry Lickona, longtime executive producer of Austin City Limits, argues Austin is a music incubator, not the music industry, and that’s a feature. We map venues, economics, the tech crossover, and what keeps the scene original. Highlights 01:12 Austin Music Today: vibrant, original, authentic. 06:49 …

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S3 E47 - IS EVERYTHING FAKE?? 27:27

10d ago27:27

27:27

Send us a text Not only were our hosts simulated on an interview show they don't remember doing, but they learned that their show had been scammed by season after season of fake guests. Oh, they were real guests, they just weren't really who...well, if you listen to the episode you'll get it. Their cynicism melted just enough to bring on the host o…

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S3 E46 - DEI 2.0 MAGA Style 27:58

17d ago27:58

27:58

Send us a text The White House realized that DEI was actually important for American culture, so they decided to bring it back--but in a slightly different way. They announced their plans in one of several hundred executive orders that came out last week, but thankfully our hosts pulled it from the pile and can help people understand the changes. T…

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From Wristbands to AI: A New Cancer Playbook | Suzanne Stone, CEO, Livestrong 1:03:24

23d ago1:03:24

1:03:24

How do you go from a cultural icon like the yellow wristbands to building AI products? Livestrong’s CEO Suzanne Stone argues that the through line is a focus on survivorship, the life you live from diagnosis onward. This is the leap from story to community to software and back again. Highlights 01:34 Mission: Survivorship Over Cures 06:18 The Wrist…

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S3 E45 - Steve and Jeff Get Interviewed...Or is it AI?? 33:32

25d ago33:32

33:32

Send us a text A listener emailed our hosts with an interview purporting to be them. As usual, our hosts do not remember a thing about granting an interview or anything about the interviewer, Elizabeth Hess. They listen to the interview and still aren't sure. AI is so advanced these days. Just ask any martini drinker. Jeff spent long hours in front…

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Did Austin Turn Soda Into Fashion? | Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder, Poppi 52:51

29d ago52:51

52:51

Poppi is a fashion brand that happens to be soda. Stephen Ellsworth, Co-founder of Poppi, joins us to walk through the operating choices behind turning a vinegar problem into a modern soda badge. It’s how you build, scale, and exit a consumer brand. It’s another signal that Austin’s flywheel is real and accelerating. Highlights 01:48 Dark days, PMF…

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S3 E44 - Steve and Jeff Adopt a Dog 24:42

1M ago24:42

24:42

Send us a text Loving animals and needing some company in Eccentric Ladyland Studios, our hosts set out to adopt a golden retriever. Sure, it started as a drunk dial but they're wonderful dogs. Anyway, their adoption interviewer, Bailey Mae Buttercup, covers areas most people don't cover. Well, not generally covered in interviews, but they're areas…

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Autonomy’s Moment Is Now. Austin Is the Autonomy Capital | Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy Group 59:02

1M ago59:02

59:02

Autonomy’s moment is now as the operating stack goes live across software, hardware, availability, and insurance. Outdoorsy Group CEO Jeff Cavins joins the show to unpack how RoboTaxis integrate with marketplaces, city systems, and the consumer experience. Austin’s talent, technology, and risk appetite are making it the Autonomy Capital. Highlights…

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S3 E43 - The Say No Show: Steve and Jeff Talk About Drugs and Sex 27:30

1M ago27:30

27:30

Send us a text As unavoidable as our own personal niyati, our hosts tackled the thorny yet fascinating issues of drugs and sex with their guest, Eddie Getgo, author of the limited best seller "Just Say No to Everything." He was basically talking about drugs and sex, not saying no to things like breathing or milk with brownies. Speaking of brownies,…

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Reading the Global Rankings | Austin’s Momentum vs the Incumbents 41:08

1M ago41:08

41:08

Rankings aren’t just a scoreboard. They’re a map. Dealroom’s Yoram Wijngaarde and StartupBlink’s Eli David Rokah join the show to unpack ecosystem momentum, enterprise-value growth, and the business-environment factors that move founders, corporates, and capital. We read the global rankings with Austin as a live case study, setting its momentum aga…

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S3 E42 - Subscriber of the Year! 23:11

2M ago23:11

23:11

Send us a text With millions--let's face it, millions--of subscribers who entered our annual contest, it was extremely difficult to settle on just one. But we made the tough choices and awarded the prize to none other than Bart, or Bert, or something, from Austin, Texas. He joined our hosts in Eccentric Ladyland Studios to celebrate his win and eve…

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S3 E41 - I've Seen the Future! 33:15

2M ago33:15

33:15

Send us a text Following a real-life dream Steve had involving a fellow time traveler, our hosts bring on Sally Anderson, a time traveler who recently visited the year 2035. With her is her 24/7 bias monitor James, officer in the soon to be created MAGAAT corps. Sally and James describe life in 2035 as best they can without causing a ripple in the …

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S3 E40 - Political Mansplaining 30:49

2M ago30:49

30:49

Send us a text Showing once again that they can get big-time guests, our hosts meet with Congresswoman Samantha Strauss, (R - Nebraska 1) and her husband Richard. The couple constitutes a formidable political team, as long as the proper ratios are maintained. Richard takes most of the questions, but the Congresswoman gets her voice in as well, when…

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S3 E39 - Going Old School 29:54

2M ago29:54

29:54

Send us a text Jeff convinces Steve that it's a wonderful thing to call people he hasn't talked to in years and renew friendships. Steve finds the true impact he had on people over the years and reaches an Epiphany or at least an Epiphany Eve. He even gives singing a shot but reverts to reciting lyrics. Jeff left to pour over his 23 & Me report in …

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Can AI Really 2X Output and Break Legacy Business Models? | Dru Armstrong, AffiniPay CEO 58:05

2M ago58:05

58:05

How do 100X engineers, cheap development, and AI-everywhere workflows flip slow-moving industries and legacy business models? AffiniPay CEO Dru Armstrong joins to discuss how vertical fintech and generative AI reshape professional services, the evolution of a new small-business software stack, and Austin’s climb to a top five tech cities. Highlight…

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S3 E38 - Keith Richards: Still Alive!! 25:37

2M ago25:37

25:37

Send us a text Spurred on by a discussion of the "In Memoriam" section of award shows, Steve and Jeff discuss Keith Richards and Jeff remembers seeing a documentary about his early life, which our hosts play for their listeners. Hosted by a pretentious yet pompous narrator, the documentary looks at people who were part of Keith's life as a child. S…

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Design vs Slop | John Roescher, Raw Materials 53:08

3M ago53:08

53:08

We live in an age of unprecedented creative tools, from generative AI and design platforms to open access to code, capital, and talent. Joining this episode is John Roescher, Founder and CEO of Raw Materials, the design firm behind the public-facing strategies of Anduril, Saronic, and Meta, to explore why design should not be treated as decoration,…

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S3 E37 - Finally the True Story, Straight from the White House 30:22

3M ago30:22

30:22

Send us a text After waxing nostalgically about the good old days of television, and how funny Alvy Moore was as Hank Kimball on Green Acres, our hosts welcome the Assistant Communications Director of the White House, whose name is also Alvy Moore! What a small world! Ms. Moore gives answers that many in the White House have refused to give and doe…

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Fungi, Coffee, and Diapers | Tero Isokauppila, Four Sigmatic & HIRO 1:10:16

3M ago1:10:16

1:10:16

Mushrooms, coffee, and diapers. It’s not the start of weird joke, but the the innovation arc of Tero Isokauppila, one of the most uniquely disruptive founders at the convergence of bio and consumer goods. From building the $2B mushroom coffee category at Four Sigmatic to launching HIRO, the world’s first fungi-based diaper, Tero’s work reflects som…

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S3 E36 - A Celebration of Life 26:48

3M ago26:48

26:48

Send us a text With the passing of an in-law relative of Jeff's, our hosts take the opportunity to offer a celebration of life for their absent friend. He was no doubt a familiar person to many, but he was very much not in tune with the new music playing these days. Everyone will be reminded of someone they didn't remember they knew. Jeff signs up …

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S3 E35 - Dreams and Tech Bros 33:55

3M ago33:55

33:55

Send us a text Steve lets his inner tech bro run wild as he describes an idea that is going to make him billions. Jeff, on the other hand, had a bad dream and can't seem to think about anything else. They discuss the idea and decide there may be a place for both of them in the heady world of tech billionaires. Miss Clare took careful notes. Johnny …

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Live from Health Supernova: Austin’s Rise as a Bio & Health Frontier Powerhouse 50:04

3M ago50:04

50:04

What does it mean to build the future of Bio & Health at the frontier, and why is Austin the place to do it? Recorded live at Health Supernova, this episode explores the deep structural shifts underway in bio, health, and tech. From trillion-dollar ambitions to FDA bottlenecks, from digital-first hospitals to the rise of cowboy talent in Bio & Heal…

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S3 E34 - Approved Summer Blockbuster Movies 30:36

3M ago30:36

30:36

Send us a text Just in time for summer movie fun, our hosts read a list of government-approved movies that are safe to watch, courtesy of our king and his jolly court. Action, romance, pathos, bathos...it's all in store for your summer entertainment! What a nice distraction from reality! By the way, the government has warned that they will make the…

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Bitcoin and the Future of American Power | Brian Morgenstern, Riot Platforms 57:17

3M ago57:17

57:17

Is Bitcoin just a financial instrument, or is it a wedge into the future of energy, policy, and power? Brian Morgenstern, head of public policy at Riot Platforms, lays out how mining is becoming critical infrastructure and why the US can’t afford to fall behind. From sovereign wealth strategies to regulatory fragmentation, this conversation unpacks…

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S3 E33 - Steve and Jeff Have a Feud 27:14

4M ago27:14

27:14

Send us a text With so many public figures having public feuds these days, it was only a matter of time until our hosts had their own feud. Who knew it would be live in the studio in the middle of a show that was supposed to be about dream interpretation? Jeff may have fired the first shot, but a lot of people say Steve did and they don't care what…

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How Specificity in Vertical AI Rewrites Industries | Nick Tippmann, TipTop VC 58:29

4M ago58:29

58:29

Specificity isn’t just a design choice. It’s the differentiator when inches matter. Nick Tippmann, founding partner of TipTop VC, explains how vertical AI is rewriting the software industry by going deeper, not wider. From the transition beyond SaaS to the gray zone between foundational models and high-stakes applications, we explore how vertical A…

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Taco Don Commercial 1:33

4M ago1:33

1:33

Send us a textBy Steve Alloy and Jeff Scharf

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S3 E32 - Dining with Taco Don 27:52

4M ago27:52

27:52

Send us a text A discussion of Jeff's possibly imaginary trip to Spain, and a very unique food item he ate there (or in his mind) happens to coincide with a helpful email chock full of helpful food ideas for those who may be impacted by economic upheaval to come. Several recipes are discussed with varying degrees of nausea, capped off by a commerci…

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S3 E31 - Pickleball 24:08

4M ago24:08

24:08

Send us a text Spurred on by a homily Steve vaguely remembers, our hosts jump into a discussion on the merits of exercise in general and pickleball in particular. They are joined by self-proclaimed pickleball legend Mark "Shooter" Osborne, who gives them a lot to think about with the origin of his nickname. Somehow the elderly yet sundowning Scoote…

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S3 E30 - The King's Buyers' Guide to What You Need 24:25

4M ago24:25

24:25

Send us a text Our hosts stumble upon a book describing what people can and cannot buy under our King's new rules. No more hoarding two or three dolls...unless you buy the King's meme coin. Then hoard away. Jeff tells a story about cheese blintzes that takes longer than it takes to eat cheese blintzes. Steve pictures what thirty blow-up dolls would…

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The Threads That Scale Innovation with Brian Hall EO Austin 59:01

4M ago59:01

59:01

Innovation does not scale on size alone. It accelerates on the connective threads of an ecosystem, from curated founder groups to open networks and through shared stories and honest champions. Brian Hall, incoming President of the Austin Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, joins us to explore what actually drives trust, access, and scale in a t…

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S3 E29 - Project 2026 After Dark 27:03

5M ago27:03

27:03

Send us a text Our hosts start with a discussion about how things are changing, and before anyone is ready, they look into the recently published plans for changing our language. Top-down language changes are always so popular and effective, and this one promises to be no different. Steve rewrites a popular nursery rhyme. Jeff wants to visit Counci…

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S3 E28 - I've Got Some Good News and Some Bad News 30:24

5M ago30:24

30:24

Send us a text Starting with a dream Jeff had about baseball, and aside of the fact that as a life-long Sox fan Jeff didn't know that Minnie Minoso was from Cuba, our hosts pilot a show looking on the bright side of life. So many shows have talked about what is bad that it was time to have a show focused on the good. They examine things that are ha…

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Houston Will Be the Industrial Bio Capital of the World with Veronica Breckenridge, First Bight Ventures 59:31

5M ago59:31

59:31

The $6 trillion chemical industry is on the verge of a revolution as biology moves from the doctor's office to the industrial zone. Veronica Breckenridge, Founder and Managing Partner of First Bight Ventures, is investing in early-stage bio manufacturing companies while building the ecosystem to catalyze their growth. We discuss the tech powering t…

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S3 E27 - Poisoning Ivies 25:07

5M ago25:07

25:07

Send us a text Spurred by a Harvard Business School-like experience Steve had at a lemonade stand, our hosts look at the struggles between our King and the Ivy League schools around accusations that Harvard is anti-Semitic. They read and comment on the demands the administration made on Harvard. Jeff suggests that Council Bluffs University be admit…

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S3 E26 - Muskmart 27:57

6M ago27:57

27:57

Send us a text Steve's basement rehab gets rocked by the ebb and flow of tariffs as our hosts ponder rising prices on ordinary items. Inflation seems to be balloning, and they hope that we all won't be Schwinndled (definition in the episode). They welcome a repeat sponsor with a product that gives you the power of unelected power, and when looking …

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Musk Cologne 1:13

6M ago1:13

1:13

Send us a text For that feeling of unelected power. New from Leatherface.By Steve Alloy and Jeff Scharf

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Endless Frontiers and the Future of American Innovation with Jordan Blashek, Managing Director America's Frontier Fund 1:15:49

6M ago1:15:49

1:15:49

At a hinge point when tech leadership determines the balance of geopolitical power, deep tech investment has never been more critical to America's future. Jordan Blashek, co-founder of America's Frontier Fund, brings his perspective on innovation for national advantage. From investing in defense tech to the newly launched Endless Frontiers, we disc…

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S3 E25 - Our Very First Episode 18:05

6M ago18:05

18:05

Send us a text Nostalgic for the old days that never were, Steve and Jeff revisit their very first podcast. Back in the dim recesses of history, they kicked off the show by interviewing Steve's psychologist. She was the only guest that said yes, and she only said yes because she charged for an appointment. Oh, but there are surprises in store! Let'…

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From Semiconductors to AI Ecosystems with Tyson Tuttle, Founder and CEO Circuit 1:13:06

6M ago1:13:06

1:13:06

From cutting-edge chips to AI networks the disruption happening up and down the tech stack is upending invention and value. Everything is on the table. Tyson Tuttle, former CEO of Silicon Labs and current founder and CEO of Circuit, brings decades of experience building innovative products across multiple tech waves. In this conversation, Tyson sha…

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S3 E24 - A Royal Scam 30:21

6M ago30:21

30:21

Send us a text Jeff's wife Kathy loves podcasts--not this podcast, no, podcasts about the British Royal Family gossip. Steve and Jeff thought that since we now have our ouw king, it was time to invite onto the show someone who hosts a podcast about American Royal Family gossip. Ms. Stacy Blank, host of the hot podcast "A Royal Scam," (not the Steel…

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S3 E23 - Marriage Counseling Renewal 34:22

6M ago34:22

34:22

Send us a text Spurred by Jeff's recent marriage counseling, our hosts remember that they are also in the marriage (and divorce) counseling business. They haven't heard from their sole clients in a while, so they listen to the original episode to see what they did wrong. Find out what they decided! Meanwhile Miss Clare is trying to corner the lawn …

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Texas Innovation Ecosystems in the AI Era with Samantha Lewis, Partner Mercury Fund 1:03:42

6M ago1:03:42

1:03:42

The Texas innovation ecosystem is accelerating at breakneck speed as technologies like AI and institutions such as the Texas Stock Exchange reshape what is possible. Samantha Lewis, Partner at Mercury Fund, recently relocated to Austin from Houston to strengthen the firm's presence in the region. Our conversation reveals how the founders and funder…

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S3 E 22 - Steve and Jeff Create a Conspiracy Theory 29:17

6M ago29:17

29:17

Send us a text Jumping into the swirling world of conspiracy theories, our hosts discuss conspiracy theories and the chances for a Cubs-Sox World Series (not a the same time). They speak truth, or something, to power, or whatever. Jeff reviews the non-verbal cues President Lyndon Johnson gave. Steve wonders why anyone would go visit the shuttered Z…

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S3 E21 - Coach Mic Dika 27:47

7M ago27:47

27:47

Send us a text Always fascinanted by the world of sports, our hosts invite one of the 800 Nebraska Coaches of the Year for 2024, Mic Dika. Coach right away lets them know who is the boss, and talks about his vast experience--everything from Mathletes to Senior Kosher Pickleball. Jeff is speechless. Steve needs to drive his mom to the dentist. Johnn…

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S3 E20 - Steve and Jeff Host a Spelling Bee 20:36

7M ago20:36

20:36

Send us a text Excited by the news that a spelling bee was happening nearby, our hosts invite one of the spellers onto the show and it turns out she is none other than Sweet Baby Daphne, who was on the show years back discussing her ailment, Juvenile Tourette's Syndrome. She changed her name to Bonnie Ruby Oswald and has outgrown her illness...some…

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S3 E19 - Ohh...Canada! 26:15

7M ago26:15

26:15

Send us a text Our hosts have always loved Canada and have never had any problems there. Well, except for the trip where Steve put ketchup on his poutine and tried to pump his own gas at the Esso station. But other than that things have been fine. Good thing that our king can clear things up and show Canada fans like Steve and Jeff the threat posed…

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Activating the Future of Human Flourishing with Janine Leger, Co-Founder Edge City 56:19

7M ago56:19

56:19

Technology is advancing rapidly, but our social systems and institutions struggle to keep pace. Janine Leger co-founded Edge City, a society incubator accelerating social innovation through popup and experimental communities, and they're bringing their next gathering to Austin March 2-7. We explore how rethinking the intersection of technology and …