The Top Entrepreneurs In Money, Marketing, Business And Life

Christopher Gibson. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company leveraging the latest automation, computation and biological tools to perform drug discovery at scale. Chris holds a BS in bioengineering, a BA in managerial studies, and a bioengineering PhD from the University of Utah. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? –  Perry Fell Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 5.3 to 5.4 If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Chris wished he knew where he was going to go so he could get to where he is now, faster   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:42 – Nathan introduces Chris to the show 02:12 – Recursion shortcuts the long, arduous path of drug discovery into the market 02:24 – Recursion combines the best elements of biology, automation, and computation 02:34 – Recursion partners with large pharmaceutical companies 02:45 – Recursion partnered with Sanofi Genzyme 02:51 – S

Gregg Freishtat. He’s a technology executive with over 20 years of experience leading innovative and transformative companies. He founded 4 venture-backed startups, all of which had successful exits and is now building a company called SalesWise. He’s deeply rooted in venture capital and the management of internet technology companies having led several through acquisitions. He’s also handled developing and disruptive technologies, convergence of telecom plus internet, personal finance and online banking, web-based analytics and digital media, such as online marketing and currently relationship intelligence. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Good to Great What CEO do you follow? –  Mark Benioff Favorite online tool? –  FullStory Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 7 If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Don’t sell your first company for $20M, when you can sell it for $50M”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:18 – Nathan introduces Gregg to the show 01:59 – SalesWise is a business rel

Matthieu Vaxelaire. He’s the CEO of Mention where he moves all Trello cards to the right and closes deals. He splits his time between Paris and New York City.  Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? –  Rand Fishkin Favorite online tool? — Hull Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 6-7 If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Do more things and read less as you learn much more by doing than reading”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:17 – Nathan introduces Matt to the show 01:37 – Mention is Google Alert on steroids 01:51 – Mention is a SaaS business 02:05 – Mention has different segments of customers 02:08 – The SME customers pay an average of $65 monthly 02:13 – The mid-market customers pay an average of $400 monthly 02:25 – Average customer pay per month 03:20 – Most of Mention’s customers don’t like sharing their information 03:40 – Ogilvy uses Mention to track the campaigns they’re building for their clients 04:17 – Mention is a

In Episode #629, Nathan interviews Jennifer Reyna. She’s got a lot of energy and more importantly, she studied business creation and development in Mexico. She’s created 3 startups so far, Agri DeliCo which is a socio-company, Brain Fusion which is embedded in software development, and Gaszen or gas management. They’ve raised over $650K in Mexico and have developed their own working product. She’s a mother, lover, sister, and daughter that enjoys her life and lives with zero regrets. She said, after all, there’s only one life and she’s in a constant pursuit of the best version of herself. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? –  Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— 6 If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “That hard work can make everything happen for sure”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:34 – Nathan introduces Jennifer Reyna to the show 02:22 – Jenny realized that people complain about their gas 02:38 – Jenn

In Episode #628, Nathan interviews Iddo Gino. He’s the CEO and co-founder of RapidAPI which he founded when he was 16 years old. He’s listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 list and previously, he was the co-organizer at Hacking Gen Y. Originally from Israel, Iddo, currently resides in San Francisco, California where he runs RapidAPI and runs JavaScript projects on the side. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? –  Stewart Butterfield Favorite online tool? — GitHub Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — 6-7 hours If you could let your 10-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “I wish I knew what I didn’t know back then”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:22 – Nathan introduces Iddo to the show 01:57 – RapidAPI let developers find APIs online 02:09 – RapidAPI has a marketplace model where developers can pay for the APIs 02:16 – RapidAPI’s processing fee is from 10% - 25% 02:30 – The fee depends on the API vendor 02:46 – RapidAPI is like a point connection for de

In Episode #627, Nathan interviews Mark Mader. He’s the CEO of Smartsheet. He’s passionate about delivering superior, customer experiences. Mark strives to find innovative ways for customers to collaborate more intelligently using the Smartsheet platform and its partner ecosystem. Prior to Smartsheet, Mark served as SVP of Global Services for Onyx Software, leading the consulting and consumer operation team in America, Europe and Asia. In 2015, he was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of Technology for the Pacific NorthWest. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Play Bigger What CEO do you follow? –  Stat Mandella Favorite online tool? — Tripit Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self know one thing, what would it be? – “You tell me what the major trends are in the next 3 decades, in tech, and I would make you a lot of money”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:40 – Nathan introduces Mark to the show 02:21 – Smartsheet is a software SaaS company 02:27 – The people who subscrib

In Episode #626, Nathan interviews Derek Thompson. He’s a Senior Editor at The Atlantic, one of the biggest media companies out there. His first book, Hit Makers, is about the science of hits, pop culture, and technology and why people like what they like. He currently resides in New York. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Homo Deus What CEO do you follow? –  Mark Zuckerberg Favorite online tool? — Evernote Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Take more risks because people are fundamentally resilient and can handle the downside of those risks”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:40 – Nathan introduces Derek to the show 02:15 – The reason people go into journalism is because they seek answers to questions 02:21 – For Derek, the best reason to write a book was to answer questions 02:29 – Derek loved writing about what people like 02:33 – People say a book has to have an “elevator pitch” 02:39 – Books are more of a broken elevator 03:36 –

In Episode #625, Nathan interviews Josh McCarter. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Booker Software, a leading business management and marketing solution serving over 10,000 health and beauty businesses. Josh has served in a variety of senior executive board roles at various technology companies including Arbitech, Spafinder and Autobytel. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Make Big Happen What CEO do you follow? –  Steve Case, author of The Third Wave Favorite online tool? — OpenTable Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Startups are a blast, but they are not easy”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:23 – Nathan introduces Josh to the show 01:59 – Booker is a business management and marketing solution for health and wellness businesses 02:08 – Booker is like OpenTable 02:16 – Booker does everything for a business to run 02:31 – Booker gains revenue from their subscriptions averaging $150-250 monthly 02:48 – Booker also has merchant processin

Dave Currie. He’s an entrepreneur-leader in the sales intelligence space, specifically for advertising, media, and the tech industry. Since 2014, he’s directed the company on a rapid innovation and growth trajectory. They are recognized by their customers and the industry as one of the largest, agile, fast-growing, private companies and the best place to work in America—the company, TheListInc.com. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Hard Thing About Hard Things What CEO do you follow? –  Kyle Porter Favorite online tool? — N/A Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Absolutely If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Balance is as important right now as you thought about it then. Being healthy is #1. Work and everything fall into place when you got your priorities stacked up the right way”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 02:40 – Nathan introduces Dave to the show 03:20 – The List is also known from their other products 03:34 – Winmo was launched last year 03:41 – Winmo is the lead bra

In Episode #623, Nathan interviews Richard Brasser. He’s the foremost expert in helping companies increase the effectiveness and influence of their Salesforce’s strategic use of social communication. He does this through his company, rFactr. Richard pursues his focus in enabling salespeople to leverage social communication and build more meaningful relationship.  Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Crossing the Chasm What CEO do you follow? –  Tony Robbins Favorite online tool? — Outlook Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Very rarely If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Richard wished he knew the concept of compounding interest and the concept of deferred asset allocation   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:34 – Nathan introduces Richard to the show 02:15 – Companies need to engage their buyers in a more meaningful way 02:32 – rFactr is focused on enhancing sales people’s ability to connect with people 02:51 – rFactr’s platform is called a social port 03:15 – rFactr has a per month/

In Episode #622, Nathan interviews Nektarios Liolios. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Startup Bootcamp, Financial Technology, and Insurance Technology—the leading innovation program in the financial and insurance industry. They provide funding, mentorship, office space in the heart of London, Singapore, New York and Mumbai and access into their global network including investors and VCs, up to 10 folks, each time they do it. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Lean Startup What CEO do you follow? –  N/A Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Nektarios wished that at 20, he would have known that he didn’t know everything and to be less scared   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:28 – Nathan introduces Nektarios to the show 02:08 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech is a network of accelerators 02:17 – It is cohort-based 02:24 – The programs are industry focused programs 02:58 – Startup Bootcamp FinTech has 400 companies that

In Episode #621, Nathan interviews Nevin Shetty. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Blueprint Registry, an innovative wedding registry platform where you can shop for products from a variety of retailers based on the layout of your home. The company has generated over $10M in their first 2 years of operation. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Smarter Faster Better What CEO do you follow? – Jeff Bezos Favorite online tool? — SimilarWeb Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “I should’ve learned computer programming”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:25 – Nathan introduces Nevin to the show 02:00 – Blueprint Registry is a wedding registry platform for newly-engaged couples 02:23 – Blueprint Registry gets commission from the retailers on their platform 02:38 – An example of Blueprint Registry’s partners is Target 02:43 – Nevin explains how their platform works and how it is different from the traditional wedding registry 03:08 – Instead of couples go

Peep Laja. He’s the founder of CXL. He was voted as the most influential, conversion rate optimization expert in the world. He helps fast-growing companies grow faster through his services, coaching and CXL Institute’s certification programs along with his world-favorite optimization blog. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Used to be Ready, Fire, Aim What CEO do you follow? –  No Favorite online tool? — Google Analytics and Intercom Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Peep wished that he had thought bigger when he was younger   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:33 – Nathan introduces Peep to the show 02:18 – CXL is an optimization company 02:30 – CXL does conversion optimization 02:40 – CXL also teaches about conversion optimization and everything a company needs to grow fast 03:13 – CXL has been an agency model for the longest time 03:31 – Conversion XL Institute was launched in 2016 03:41 – It also has a monthly subscription 03:52 – M

Paul Trappitt. He’s currently the CEO and co-founder of Smartbeat. Before Smartbeat, he was the senior business analyst at National Australia Bank and a senior project lead at SignIQ. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Start with Why and The Startup Owner’s Manual What CEO do you follow? –  Gary Vaynerchuk Favorite online tool? — HubSpot Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “I wish I knew smartphones were coming”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:22 – Nathan introduces Paul to the show 01:45 – Smartbeat helps small businesses to navigate the complex omni channel 02:30 – Paul shares how one of their paying customers uses Smartbeat 03:02 – Smartbeat is about the people that are already using your business 03:10 – Smartbeat turns customers into raging fans 03:20 – Smartbeat is currently focusing on brick-and-mortar businesses 03:51 – Paul explains how they can help Jim, the café owner 05:14 – Smartbeat provides Wi-Fi to business owners and oth

Ry Walker. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Astronomer.io, a big data infrastructure company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Astronomer is an AngelPad batch #9 company and has raised $2M from the likes of 500 Startups, CincyTech, Router Ventures and SocialStarts. Astronomer measures, connects and centralizes data—making it super simple for anyone from business users to data scientists to quickly create and monitor their data and pipelines. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People What CEO do you follow? –  Dennis Mortensen Favorite online tool? — Fabricator Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – Ry would tell himself to be bold and to be confident   Time Stamped Show Notes: 02:35 – Nathan introduces Ry to the show 03:17 – Astronomer helps companies figure out how to use their data to benefit their business 03:22 – Astronomer works with early stage startups and big companies 03:41 – Some companies in the web

Monish Anand. He’s a banker, a technologist, and a Fintech evangelist. Above everything else, he’s a father. He spent 20+ plus years in corporate working for large banks and technology companies only to realize that they were not solving big problems and quite frankly, were often part of the problem. His company, Datasigns Technologies, aims to provide underserved and unserved access to optimal credit. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Calvin and Hobbes What CEO do you follow? –  Jeff Bezos Favorite online tool? — Google Calendar and Google Task Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— Yes If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “I wish I knew what Internet was”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:35 – Nathan introduces Monish to the show 02:20 – Datasigns Technologies started last year 02:32 – Datasigns Technologies gives credit ratings 02:38 – 400M people in India apply for loans yearly 02:42 – Less than 107 get loans from banks and other financial institutions 03:00 – Datasigns Technologi

McCabe Callahan who has been an entrepreneur his entire life. He began with a coffee shop named Mugs Coffee Lounge, which has been operating successfully in Fort Collins, Colorado, since 2002. He began a company called Community Funded, in 2011, out of his passion for providing technology that connects, supports and empowers people. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – E-Myth and Good to Great What CEO do you follow? –  Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Slack Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Pay attention to numbers”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:32 – Nathan introduces McCabe to the show 02:33 – Mugs Coffee Lounge is McCabe’s first real business 02:43 – McCabe went to Colorado State University 02:50 – McCabe was coming back from Europe when he had the idea of the Mugs Coffee Lounge 02:56 – Mugs Coffee Lounge was the first wireless internet café in Fort Collins 03:11 – Building relationships is the key to a successful coffee lounge 03

Shin Sakane. He’s the founder and CEO of Seven Dreamers. Seven Dreamers is daring to create technology that has never been seen in the world. Shin has a PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Delaware. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – The Path What CEO do you follow? –  Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — Facebook Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “Get global experiences, visit so many different countries, cultures...”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:44 – Nathan introduces Shin to the show 02:20 – Seven Dreamers creates technology that the world has not seen yet 02:30 – First product is the fully automated carbon golf shaft 02:35 – Second product is the nascent nasal airway stent 02:58 – There’s no connection between the products 03:16 – Seven Dreamers wanted to develop something that is not yet available anywhere 04:00 – Seven Dreamers was launched in 2011 04:20 – Seven Dreamers has raised over $75M 04:29 – The mon

Todd Olson. He’s the CEO and founder of Pendo, a product experience platform that helps product managers deliver successful products. Before Pendo, Todd served as VP of products at Rally Software Development which he led through its public offering. Todd joins Rally in its acquisition of 6th Sense, the company he founded and served as president and CTO. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Good to Great What CEO do you follow? –  Aaron Levie Favorite online tool? — 15Five Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “I wish I knew more at 21, than I thought I knew”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:42 – Nathan introduces Todd to the show 02:17 – Pendo provides a solution that helps companies build an application to improve its experience 03:00 – Optimizely uses Pendo to understand the people who are in their trial and onboarding flow 03:32 – Pendo is different to Intercom’s space 04:01 – Pendo is a SaaS company 04:21 – Pendo was launched in 2013 05:11 –

Sahil Arora. He’s an entrepreneur, author, and a guitarist and defies what you think someone his age could do. Tune in to learn his entrepreneurial story, from creating the Vuzelaa Group to jumpstarting Tabverts—a company that broadcasts ads in taxis all over India. Famous Five: Favorite Book? – Steve Jobs What CEO do you follow? –  Elon Musk Favorite online tool? — No Do you get 8 hours of sleep?— No If you could let your 20-year old self, know one thing, what would it be? – “You could get a Lamborghini at the age of 10”   Time Stamped Show Notes: 01:15 – Nathan introduces Sahil to the show 01:35 – Vuzelaa Group is the parent company which Sahil started when he was 16 01:51 – Under Vuzelaa Group, they created Tabverts; a company that broadcasts ads in taxis all over India 02:11 – Tabverts’ pricing 02:45 – Tabverts was launched in 2016 03:06 – Sahil is the sole founder of Vuzelaa Group 03:20 – Sahil shares how he found people on Twitter and got them on board 03:59 – Sahil shares how he convinced them