Behind the Funnel

This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Andrew Barrow, founder of Revenue Arc, a white-label programmatic ad agency running campaigns for household names—and flipping the traditional agency model on its head with a 50% gross revenue share back to partners and lifetime referral commissions.

Andrew pulls back the curtain on how programmatic really works (CTV, display, audio, premium publishers), why most brands overspend on fees, and how Revenue Arc’s model lets agencies earn from media instead of getting drained by it. We also cover the playbook behind consistent 5–8× ROAS (and a standout case that raised $145M on ~$2M ad spend), plus the AI systems that now spin up media plans in minutes.

What we cover:

• Programmatic in plain English: how every impression is auctioned in 1/100th of a second
• The 50% gross rev-share + lifetime referrals (why partners often make more than the trader)
• Budgets that work: why $500/day is a realistic floor for performance, and when to scale
• Predictive modeling: targeting people before they’re in-market (and outpacing competitors)
• The three biggest campaign killers: weak landing pages, bad targeting, and “not bought-in” leadership
• Beating “engagement farms,” avoiding toxic optimization data, and tightening guardrails
• AI as force-multiplier: media plans, decks, and daily optimizations generated in minutes

If you’ve ever wondered how the ads you see on Hulu, top news sites, Spotify, and mobile apps actually get there—and how to run them profitably—this episode is your blueprint.

🔗 Connect with Andrew & Revenue Arc:

• Website (Marketing): revenuearkmarketing.com
• Website (Corporate): revenueark.com

👉 More episodes: youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Sebastian Mourra, founder of Alphana.ai — a platform built to help creators, businesses, and even record labels turn one piece of content into 30.

We dive into how Alphana is building the future of content repurposing, going beyond short clips to power blogs, LinkedIn posts, newsletters, quizzes, eBooks, and even music marketing assets like Spotify canvases and lyric videos. Sebastian explains why workflows are the missing link for scaling creators and how his background at Universal Music shaped Alphana’s newest product, Visuals, which is already shaking up how artists and labels handle releases.

What we cover in this episode:

• Why content repurposing is the biggest growth hack creators are missing
• How Alphana’s “AI card” system works like Lego blocks for custom workflows
• The unexpected $3K–$5K problem Alphana is solving for record labels on every release
• Why simplifying onboarding increased conversions more than adding new features
• Sebastian’s biggest lesson as a founder: double down on what you know

Whether you’re a podcaster, a coach, or an artist, this episode shows how one video can become the fuel for an entire content machine.

🔗 Connect with Sebastian & Alphana:

• Website: Alphana.ai
• LinkedIn: Sebastian Mourra
• X (Twitter): @SebastianMourra

👉 For more episodes, visit: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Lily Yeoh, co-founder and CEO of C1Risk, to explore how her company is reshaping compliance and risk management with automation and AI.

With over two decades in cybersecurity—from cryptography at Texas Instruments to consulting at Deloitte—Lily brings deep experience in helping Fortune 500 companies navigate evolving regulations, security threats, and governance challenges. But instead of stopping there, she built C1Risk to bring automation, scalability, and accessibility to organizations of all sizes.

We cover everything from:

• The challenges of being a first-time, bootstrapped founder in a competitive industry
• How C1Risk helps SMBs, law firms, financial services, and even local governments reduce risk and streamline compliance
• Why being risk-forward (not just compliant) is the real advantage for modern organizations
• How specialized LLMs are powering the future of governance and security
• Lily’s perspective on fundraising, grit, and what it takes to last in cybersecurity

Whether you’re in tech, finance, law, or government, Lily’s story is packed with lessons about resilience, scaling, and how AI is changing compliance forever.

🔗 Connect with Lily & C1Risk:

• Website: C1Risk.com
• LinkedIn: Lily Yeoh

👉 For more episodes, visit: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Simon Groom, CEO and co-founder of Magnify B, to unpack how he and his co-founder, David, turned decades of consulting experience into a SaaS platform that’s now helping thousands of small businesses save time, cut costs, and scale smarter.

Born out of COVID lockdowns, Magnify B started as a consulting pivot and has already grown into what Simon calls “mission control for business success.” The platform integrates with tools like Xero and QuickBooks, benchmarks performance against peers, and even offers what-if scenario planning to help founders see the impact of every small decision.

Simon explains how Magnify B differentiates itself from traditional consulting, what feedback they’re hearing from early adopters like Action Coach, and why accounting firms with hundreds of thousands of clients are calling the platform “groundbreaking” and “game-changing.” We also dive into the challenges of UK fundraising, why scalability was baked in from day one, and why North America may be the next big move for the company.

🔗 Connect with Simon & Magnify B:

• LinkedIn: Simon Groom
• Website: MagnifyB.com
• Email: [email protected]

👉 For more episodes, visit: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

🎙️ Show Notes & Highlights

00:00 – Intro Welcoming Simon Groom, CEO of Magnify B

01:00 – Origin Story How Simon and David built Magnify B during COVID after decades in consulting

02:00 – Non-Tech Founders Building SaaS Why coming from consulting (not tech) gave them a real advantage

03:20 – Explaining Magnify B Simply “Mission control for business success” → dashboards, benchmarking, learning, and what-if planning

05:10 – How It Differs from Consulting Bringing large company methodologies to small businesses affordably

06:45 – Shifts in Small Business Tech Adoption From fear of AI to increasing curiosity and adoption across Europe

08:30 – Industries Adopting Fastest Professional services like accounting and law firms surprising Simon with early interest

09:40 – How AI Reshapes Advisors’ Roles Why accountants and consultants now see Magnify B as a client attractor

10:50 – Feedback on Version 1.1 Users say: “I wish I had this years ago.”

12:30 – Partnerships with Coaches & Accountants Action Coach + major UK firms calling the platform “game-changing”

14:50 – Early Market Entry Strategy 60+ firms in the pipeline, from small practices to those with 200,000+ clients

16:50 – Scaling Vision & Bottlenecks Built for global scale, but UK fundraising remains the biggest hurdle

19:40 – Magic Wand Fix Overcoming mistakes with outsourced tech development

21:00 – Key Metrics That Matter 5,000–10,000 users in year one → exponential growth beyond year two

22:40 – 12–18 Month Plan Internationalization with North America, Singapore, and Europe on the roadmap

This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Dan Gudkov, founder of DoDocs AI, to unpack the journey from legal tech to a global automation solution that’s helping companies eliminate manual data entry and double their client capacity.

Dan shares how DoDocs pivoted after customer feedback, the unexpected industries now reaching out (including a central bank in South America), and why staying open-minded has been his biggest entrepreneurial lesson.

🔗 Connect with Dan:

• LinkedIn: Dan Gudkov
• Website: DoDocs.ai

👉 For more episodes, visit: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

🎙️ Show Notes & Highlights

00:00 – Intro Welcoming Dan Gudkov, founder of DoDocs AI

01:10 – Relocating to Vancouver Moving from Dubai to Canada and what the transition has been like

01:40 – Dan’s Backstory From six startups (AR, VR, and beyond) to discovering AI’s potential in document automation

04:00 – Pivoting Beyond Legal Docs Why customer feedback pushed DoDocs toward accounting and procurement automation

07:20 – Explaining DoDocs Simply Snap a photo → data instantly entered into accounting or ERP systems

08:40 – Customer Success Story How integrating with Sol.A Online increased customer capacity by 100%

09:30 – The Big Problem They Solve Removing scaling limitations in accounting with automation

12:00 – Explaining Value to Prospects How DoDocs tailors solutions for accounting firms, POS systems, and hospitality

16:45 – Unexpected Opportunities Hardware giants and central banks exploring automation with DoDocs

18:30 – Best Marketing Channel So Far Why Substack outperforms LinkedIn and Apollo for leads

20:00 – Ideal Customers (ICP) Accounting platforms, POS systems, and large enterprises with 1000+ employees

22:00 – What’s Next for DoDocs AI Building agentic AI features: voice agents, WhatsApp automation, and full-cycle integrations

24:00 – Staying Ahead of Competitors Why API-first integration makes DoDocs hard to replace

27:00 – Lessons for Founders Why staying open and adaptable is Dan’s biggest takeaway

29:00 – Wrap-Up & Where to Find DoDocs LinkedIn, Substack, YouTube, Instagram, and DoDocs.ai

In this episode, I talk with Jeremy Nielsen, founder of Sally.co, the all-in-one platform that makes Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) simple, clean, and headache-free. Jeremy has overseen more than 9,000 SPVs and took all that experience to build Sally — the first system that puts everything in one place instead of juggling spreadsheets, emails, and off-platform tasks.

We dig into:

• What an SPV actually is and why they’ve been so painful to manage
• Jeremy’s background in law, fund management, and why he built Sally
• The “lightbulb” moments that showed SPVs could be automated end-to-end
• How Sally solves the chaos of manual tasks, missing documents, and off-platform investors
• Who gets the most value from Sally today (from first-timers to large-scale fund managers)
• The future of SPVs: taxes, reporting, analytics, and even venture fund support

If you’ve ever run (or thought about running) an SPV, this episode is a must-listen. Jeremy shares both the scars and solutions from building five generations of SPV software — and why Sally is the one that finally fixes it.

Find out more about Sally: https://sally.co

Listen to more episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

In this episode, I talk with James from Nimblo — a 20+ year tech veteran who’s worked on everything from World of Warcraft and Red Dead Redemption 2 to United Healthcare. Now he’s using that same expertise to save small businesses millions by cutting out wasted time and automating repetitive work.

We dig into:

• How James helps local companies save over $2M a year with simple automation
• His wild career shift from AAA gaming studios and healthcare systems to running Nimblo
• The hidden costs most small businesses don’t even realize they’re bleeding
• Why AI isn’t a magic fix — and what tools actually deliver
• How affordable websites and SEO can be the difference between growth and being invisible

If you run a business that feels like it’s “just surviving,” this episode will show you how the right systems can completely flip the script.

Find out more about James and Nimblo: https://nimblo.aiFree

Audit: https://nimblo.ai/free-audit

Listen to more episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

In this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Jace Lander, founder of ONEX Technology, who went from running a structural steel company to building some of the wildest tech I’ve seen yet. We talk about Whale Tank—a crypto “Shark Tank” style launchpad for vetted projects—and OKX, an autonomous AI red team agent that can run full-scale cyber ops on its own.

This was one of the most eye-opening conversations I’ve had on where AI, cybersecurity, and crypto are all colliding.

Show Notes

• 0:00 – How Jace went from steel to software
• 3:00 – Breaking down Whale Tank and how it flips crypto launches
• 6:30 – Rug pulls, trust, and solving real crypto pain points
• 9:45 – OKX explained: an AI that thinks like a cyber black-ops team
• 12:30 – Legal and compliance hurdles in red teaming
• 16:00 – Why the “ugliest” software sometimes wins
• 19:30 – AI agents that can spin up their own sub-agents
• 22:40 – The future: AI security vs AI-powered attacks
• 24:30 – My advice if you want to start building in this space
• 27:00 – Where to follow Jace and 1X Technology

If you want a real look at the bleeding edge of tech—crypto, AI, and cybersecurity—this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

🎧 Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

What happens when solar becomes a get-rich-quick scheme? Luke Pollinger, founder of PVCA (Photovoltaics California), has spent the last 20+ years fixing the mess others leave behind. From abandoned utility projects to broken microgrids, PVCA steps in where others walk away. In this episode, we break down how the industry lost its way—and what it’ll take to bring trust and technical excellence back to the forefront of clean energy.

You’ll hear about:

• Why Luke left residential solar behind
• What’s really going on with “Solar Bros” and fly-by-night installers
• How PVCA became the go-to company for recommissioning disaster sites
• His take on AI, monitoring, and the future of energy systems
• Why service—not shiny new installs—should be your solar priority

🛠️ Whether you’re a commercial property owner, facility manager, or just someone curious about how solar should be done—this one’s a must-listen.

🔗 Learn more about PVCA: https://pvca.com 🌐 Powered by JPM Media: www.jpmmedia.ca 🎥 More episodes here: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

⏱️ Show Notes + Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro to Luke Pollinger & PVCA

01:00 – Why he left residential solar for commercial and utility 02:00 – "Solar Bros," scams, and the flood of bad installs

04:30 – What shady sales tactics are doing to solar’s reputation

06:00 – PVCA’s business model: 70% service, 30% new installs

07:30 – Taking on the jobs no one else will touch

09:00 – The Palm Springs project: 5% production to 100%

10:30 – Heat, wind, stress—and fixing a system no one thought could be fixed

12:00 – The power of trust in solar and how one client helped him launch

14:00 – What tech actually moves the needle (and what doesn’t)

17:00 – Why newer isn’t always better in solar hardware

18:00 – Panasonic vs everyone else (and why warranty matters)

19:00 – Real-world use cases for AI in solar 21:00 – How PVCA does sales (hint: no ads, no cold calls) 24:00 – Educating clients that service beats full replacement

27:00 – Empowering clients to self-maintain and save

29:00 – Why service work should pay for itself—or you’re doing it wrong

30:00 – What’s next: PVCA’s new monitoring system & buying broken solar sites

33:00 – Ending the subscription trap and owning solar performance

34:00 – Luke’s final thoughts on long-term trust in solar

From cranberry bogs to clean power—this episode is a deep dive into how agrivoltaics could change the solar industry forever.

Yarek Matacz sits down with Iain Ward, founder of Solar Agricultural Services (SolAg), to explore how thoughtful solar development can preserve farmland, support farmers, and push the renewable revolution forward. They discuss soil health, developer responsibility, and how projects can be designed to benefit both people and the planet.

If you care about sustainability, land stewardship, or where your energy comes from—this one’s a must-listen.

🎧 Subscribe for more: http://www.youtube.com/@yarekmatacz

🌱 Learn more about Iain & SolAg: https://solaragservices.com

Show Notes:

00:00 – Welcome + Intro to Agrivoltaics

01:10 – Iain’s farming roots & the dream of goat-pulled wagons

02:35 – Buying a cranberry bog and getting into soil conservation

04:20 – Why solar development was getting it wrong

06:15 – The real environmental impact of dual-use projects

07:30 – Incentives in Massachusetts and New Jersey

08:40 – Fencing, livestock, and redefining project optics

11:00 – Agri-solar as a legacy and a bridge for the next generation

17:00 – What solar developers can learn from farmers

21:00 – Cost trade-offs: grading, fencing, and maintenance 24:30 – Why farmers and landowners trust SolAg

26:00 – Advocacy: Why now is the time to speak up

28:00 – Final thoughts + where to learn more