Forward Thinking Founders
By Mat Sherman
Forward Thinking FoundersFeb 24, 2019
016 - Kashish Gupta (Founder of Carry) on Travel and the power of Trust
It's such a fun time when i get to jam about a whole bunch of different tech topics with other smart people. Kashish is 100% one of these people. He's the founder of Carry, which is a travel planner software that lives in your Slack. Need to book a flight and get a hotel? Just ping Carry and it's done. Amazing! This conversation took us well past Carry, though. Some of the topics we covered are:
- How to build trust within your product
- Why trust is so important to compete in 2019
- What does Kashish think about Libra, and how it will affect the travel industry
- A deep dive into self driving cars and the brands that will lead the charge
- A look into robots that can make food, and what that means in the future
- Top companies he knows about that most people are sleeping on
- AND SO MUCH MORE!!!!!
You can find Kashish here: https://twitter.com/kashgupta_
You can learn more about Carry here: https://carry.travel/
015 - Nick Soman (Cofounder and CEO of Decent) on the Future of Health Insurance
Wow, it was such an honor to talked to Nick Soman about his vision for Decent, the startup he founded and is leading. Decent helps self-employed people get health insurance. Nick is a former exec of growth at Gusto and is one of the nicest guys I've talked to! On the podcast, we cover:
- What is Decent?
- What shifts in regulation happened which opened up an opportunity for Decent?
- Why is getting health insurance so dang hard for the self employed?
- What does he think of Libra and it's implications on Decent and the whole industry.
- How does he plan on using blockchain technology within Decent
- Why does Nick do what he does
- Why Nick things you should SAVE the world, not change it 🔥
- What advice would you have for people aiming to change the world, just like you are?
And many other questions!!!
Nick can be found on Twitter here - https://twitter.com/nicksoman
You can learn more about Decent here - https://decent.com
014 - Isaac Morehouse (CEO & Cofounder of Crash) on the Future of Job Hunting (and everything related to work/education)
My oh my, what a fantastic episode this was. I'm SUPER EXCITED to bring this episode with Isaac Morehouse, CEO of Crash.co, to you all. Isaac has to be one of the most knowledgeable people I know on the topic of work and education. Of the WIDE RANGE of topics we cover, some of the include:
- What is Crash and is it comparable to Product Hunt?
- What broke down in the system to have a need for Crash in the first place
- Why Isaac wants to turn the job hunt into an "event"
- How the degree has cheapened and how the thing taking its place is accessible to anyone
- For kids skipping college, how do they get that social experience that college provides?
- What freedom means to Isaac and why its important for him to help others to live free as well
- He gives some killer advice on how to start building the future.
- And much more!
You can learn about Crash at https://www.crash.co and you can find Isaac on Twitter @isaacmorehouse. Until next time!
013 - Cadran Cowansage (Cofounder and CEO of Elpha) on the Future of Women in Tech
I had an awesome conversation with Cadran Cowansage, who is the cofounder and CEO of Elpha, an online community for women In tech. Elpha is going through the current YC batch. In today's enlightening episode, we dive into:
- What is Elpha?
- What problems does it address?
- Is Elpha a movement more than a product?
- How can founders can think about making sure there is equal representation among applicants?
- What are the benefits and downsides of not having a diverse company?
- Is the goal to have a 50/50 workforce or is it something else entirely?
- How can male CEOs like myself be part of the solution?
- What advice would you have for people aiming to change the world, just like you are?
And many other questions!!!
Cadran can be found on Twitter here - https://twitter.com/cadran_c
You can learn more about Elpha here - https://elpha.com/
012 - Daniel Gross (Founder of Pioneer) on the Future of Games And Opportunity Democratization
Today, I got the pleasure of talking to Daniel Gross. Daniel is one of the smartest people I know of and you'll likely agree by the end of the podcast. Daniel is the founder of Pioneer.app, former Y Combinator Partner, former director of AI at Apple, and it all started with his first startup, Cue. In today's episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
- What is Pioneer?
- What has he learned about people since starting pioneer (and how does it affect product decisions)
- What does he want Pioneer to be?
- Is Pioneer a game? Why?
- Is Pioneer starting a new way to develop games?
- How big could Pioneer get?
- Why did he start working on Pioneer?
- Why Yellow?
- Does he plan on implementing VR and AR into Pioneer
- The best advice for changing the world that i've ever head at the very end.
Daniel can be found on Twitter @danielgross and you can learn more about Pioneer at www.pioneer.app.
011 - Kristen Tyrrell (Cofounder of Catch) on the Future of Benefits
Today, we had a very insightful conversation with Kristen, who is the COO and Cofounder of Catch. Catch is the company that provides benefits to people who don't get benefits from their employer. Today we dive into all types of topics and answer questions, including but not limited to:
What is Catch?
What types of people need Catch?
Is Catch like Gusto for contractors?
What is the "employment stack" and how is it changing?
What role does lifelong learning play in the future?
Why do millennials change jobs so often?
What benefits does Catch have in the Pipeline?
Who else is building the future other than Catch
Does being a contrarian help you build the future?
And more!
Catch can be found at www.catch.co and Kristen can be found on Twitter @Kristentyrell. I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do, share it with a friend or two 🙌
010 - Shaan Hathiramani (CEO of Flockjay) on the Future of Education
This is was an awesome conversation with Shaan Hathiramani about the future of education. Shaan is the CEO of Flockjay, the school that teaches you sales and helps get you job. Did I mention that you only pay once you get a job? Amazing. In this episode, we dive into:
What is Flockjay?
How do they fund the education ?
The role of ISAs(income share agreements) in the future
The stats of college success stories (or lack thereof)
Making the case for traditional college
An analysis into student debt
A look into longevity and elder-tech
What the future of K-8 looks like
And much more!
Learn more about Flockjay here ---> https://flockjay.com/
009 - Alex Bouaziz (CEO of Deel) on the Future of Compliance With Freelancers
This week, I jammed with Alex Bouazi, the CEO of Deel. Deel is a product that helps companies pay their freelancers in one click. They also handle compliance, which most remote companies aren't thinking about right now. In this episode, Alex and I talk about:
- All about Deel
- The process of payments and compliance in the future of work?
- Dive into the mission of Deel
- How crypto ties into the future of work
- What does the future of work 20 years from now look like?
- How people like Alexis Ohanian and Austen Allred are becoming role models
- And many more topics!!!
I hope you enjoy this episode of Forward Thinking Founders
Learn more about Deel at www.letsdeel.com
Tanya Breshears (CEO of Curious Fictions) on the Future of Storytelling
Today, I talked to the founder and CEO of Curious Fictions. Curious fictions is a way to discover new authors and readers who enjoying writing or consuming fiction.
What is Curious Fictions?
The role of AI in the creative process
Universal basic income and single payer healthcare
Why every company will turn into a tech company
Automation vs. augmentation
The value of "eyeballs" on the internet
And many more topics!!!
I hope you enjoy this episode of Forward Thinking Founders
Leah Culver (CTO of Breaker) on the Future of Podcasting and Audio
Today, we have Leah Culver, who is the cofounder and CTO of Breaker AND one of the authors of Oauth. Breaker is the best social podcasting app on the internet. Today on the podcast, we talk abut:
What is Breaker?
The future of audio and podcasting
Thinking about car ownership
City living and transportations options
Health and fitness options
Is Peloton the future?
Airpod APIs
How to get started building the future
+ Much more!!!!
I hope you enjoy this podcast episode of Forward Thinking Founders!
Austen Allred (CEO of Lambda School) on the Future of Education
In this episode, I am VERY excited to have on Austen Allred, CEO of Lambda School. In this action packed 25 minute conversation, we cover a lot of ground. Some of the questions Austen answers are:
- What is Lambda School?
- What is an ISA and how it affects education in the future?
- What do you tell anxious parents when they heart about Lambda School and their kid not wanting to go down the traditional path?
- Do you see yourself as an investor?
- What advice would you have to people building the Lambda School for for X.
- Why did you partner with Pioneer?
- What synergies do you and Daniel Gross have?
- How can anyone start to build the future, just like you are doing?
- And plenty more!!!!
You can find Austen on Twitter @Austen and learn more about Lambda School at LambdaSchoo.com.
Laura Behrens Wu (CEO of Shippo) on the future of Shipping & Logistics
In this episode with the insightful and thoughtful Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of Shippo, we talk about a varsity of far ranging topics. A few of them include:
- The future of Logistics and Shipping
- The evolution of a startup CEO
- The API Economy
- Machine/brain interfaces
- The impact of Sci Fi Novels
- Black Mirrors Bandersnatch and that type CYOA entertainment avenues
- AND SO MUCH MORE
I hope you enjoy the episode!
Jonathon Barkl (CEO of AirGarage) on the Future of Real Estate
In this insightful episode with the Jonathon Barkl, CEO and co-founder of AirGarage, a parking operating company built for the 21st century. In this episode, we talk about:
- The difference between Phoenix and SF
- Parking operating software
- The future of real estate
- Scooters and other forms of transportation
- How education will evolve into a an Uber model
- The future of hospitals
- And more!! 🚀🚀🚀
I hope you enjoy the episode!
Cooper Harris (CEO of Klickly) on the Future of Online Shopping
Today, we talk with Cooper Harris (CEO of Klickly) about the future of online shopping, AI, education, the sharing economy, and more! Listen into this insightful conversation from one of the smartest (and nicest) people i've ever talked to. I hope you enjoy :)
Andrew Parker (CEO of Papa) on the Future of Healthcare
In this awesome episode with Andrew, we talk about his company, Papa, which he explains as Grandkids on demand. He wants to reimagine how elder care and general care is delivered...and he's starting with college students. Other than Papa, we dive into:
- The future of healthcare and how Papa plays a role in that
- How Apple is a leader in healthcare
- How companies like BOOM Supersonic are reimagining transportation
- How any person can get started on building the future
Stacey Ferreira on the Future of Work
In the episode, we talk about everything from the future of work to different models of healthcare for freelance workers. I'm excited to bring you this awesome episode of Forward Thinking w/ Mat Sherman.