Keap, formerly known as Infusionsoft, is one of Arizona’s most successful software companies, but the company’s had really high highs and really low lows. In this episode of AZ Tech Podcast, Keap co-founder Clate Mask shares the intimate and emotional roller coaster that comes with building a $100 million revenue SaaS company, including the three...
We’re trying something a little different this week. Hamid invites Mike Roberts and Bob LaLoggia back on the podcast to “shoot the shit.” They discuss the nature of a founder, how to be happy and they actually do end up talking about shit.
Jamie Baxter’s company Qwick was almost a casualty of the pandemic. As an on-demand staffing startup for food and beverage contract employees, the shutdown of the food and beverage industry was nearly a death sentence. But Jamie and his team got creative to stay alive and now Qwick is doing better than ever. In this...
Howard Lindzon is an expert in investing and has bet on a wide range of startups, from Robinhood to Manscaped. In this episode, Hamid and Howard talk about investment strategies, the problem with millennials and why Jurassic Park is a great model for the stock market. Watch the episode on the AZ Tech Podcast YouTube...
Kelly Smith is changing the way America thinks about education. He founded Prenda, a company that empowers parents to choose the learning that’s best for their children. Listen to Hamid and Kelly talk about Prenda’s explosive growth, the education system and its flaws, and random topics like Nuclear Physics, which happens to be another one...
Kate Sieker loves Arizona. Like really loves Arizona. She loves it so much that she’s made it her job to convince others to love Arizona, too. One of Kate’s projects is PHX StartupWeek, where she’s the executive director. The week-long conference at the end of April will be virtual for the first time ever. She’s...
Romi Dhillon believes in Arizona’s potential to produce startups that can deliver what he calls “Bay-area results.” In fact, that belief is the foundation of Romi’s mission at Sonoran Founders Fund. One of the most important questions he asks himself when analyzing a potential investment is, “Is there a chance to be a disruption here?” ...
Brad Thomas’s company Evercast grew more than 10x during the pandemic. How did that happen? Hamid talks to Brad about things like Evercast’s success over the past year, the intense fear entrepreneurs experience and his advice to overcome bumps in the road. Watch the episode on the AZ Tech Podcast YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGz7p1PQC_0&t=106s
Francine Hardaway is a force to be reckoned with. She’s always known how to make things happen, though she credits a lot of the success she’s had in her life to karma. During the pandemic, Francine became a beta user for Clubhouse. Now she credits the growing tech app with helping her through. Francine turns...
Gregg Scoresby wants to be the most active investor in Arizona, but he’d love for someone to give him a run for his money. Gregg is passionate about the Arizona tech community and hopes to see it continue to grow. But he’s not just on the lookout for the next great Arizona startup. He’s also...
Mat Sherman knows how to hustle. He calls himself a “startup guy,” because he’s so passionate about startups, entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley. He’s willing to do what it takes to make things happen, and his latest venture is a podcast all about founders across the country and how they do what they do. Hamid and...
Jenny Poon has been running CO+HOOTS, a co-working space in Phoenix, with her husband for more than 10 years. During that time, she’s found several opportunities to give back to her community by helping fledgling entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Now, Jenny has launched HUUB, which is a platform to provide entrepreneurs from all backgrounds with...
This discussion is guaranteed to entertain! Hamid interviews Mike Roberts, founder of Arizona-based SpyFu, an ad-tech and SEO tools company for marketing teams. Discussions range from how he built his company, to his investment strategies, to homeschooling his kids and even the new Electric motorcycle he just bought. Watch the episode on the AZ Tech...
Hamid and Todd Belfer discuss investing strategies, the stock market, and Bitcoin. Belfer also opens up about the wins (and losses) he’s seen in his long investing career. Watch the episode on the AZ Tech Podcast YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxQ3LreGAQ&t=1122s
Your host, Hamid Shojaee (https://twitter.com/hamids) interviews Bob La Loggia, founder of Arizona-based Appointment Plus, an appointment scheduling software company. Discussions range from the sale of his company to the stock market, to due diligence to world problems and even the Gamestop stock. Watch the episode on the AZ Tech Podcast YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vRO-1FzpM8
#16: Pat Sullivan, Founder & CEO, Defendry
Pat Sullivan has built several successful companies in his almost 40-year career as an entrepreneur. One of his biggest successes was ACT, the very first CRM software. With his newest venture Defendry, Pat is trying to literally save lives by using AI and drones to reduce the number of people killed in mass shootings. Even...