AZ Tech Podcast

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 though the pandemic brought Defendry to a screeching halt, Pat says he'll do what he's doing until he's in the ground. In this episode, Pat shares some of the most important lessons he's learned in his long career.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_N1924ec8YM

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 years he was sidelined as the CEO of his own company. Now Clate is back and Keap is growing. How did he do it? 

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eYErHO9SnxY

This week, Hamid talks to AZ Tech producer Adrienne St. Clair about what it takes to build, lead and exit a startup. 

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.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OEJ54oYtEw0

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 episode, Jamie tells Hamid the wild story of how his company survived, why he loves being a pilot and recommends the Valley startups that he's most excited about. 

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UREAPfL6RTY

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 interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=432exTPtWYY

We're 11 episodes in on the AZ Tech Podcast and we're having the best time. The conversations have been insightful, inspiring, funny, emotional and raw. Here's a  quick glimpse into what's happened so far. If you love the podcast, share this promo with your friends and family.  Also, let us know what you think by giving us a rating and leaving a review, and  stay up-to-date by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts! 

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 of Kelly's areas of expertise.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnIBrsvBA2I&t=2s

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 still got a lot of work, but she loves what she does. 

In this episode, Hamid talks to Kate about the journey she took to get to where she is, what it was like to be pregnant in a pandemic and how her dedication to eating healthy has significantly improved her mental and physical health.

Watch the interview YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8lTBroSYcc&t=106s

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?” 

In this episode, Romi talks to Hamid about his passion for supporting Arizona startups, the national debt and how Romi’s childhood prepared him for his career so many years later.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeXhE_kLj7s&t=12s