Bytes Over Bagels

Jeff Meredith, President and COO of Chamberlain, jumped from a standard IT field and into garage doors with a clear focus: smart access solutions that provide convenience and security for a seamless, uninterrupted life. Chamberlain has spent the past few years identifying common pain points when it comes to the most common entryway we have: our garages. Listen in as he shares the importance of solving everyday problems, the power of shifting a business from product to problem-solver, and what his favorite bagel is.

Emily Heist Moss from Girls Who Code shares how you can help close the gender gap in tech, the trends that caused us to get here, and why it's important to get a variety of voices at the tech table. More importantly, she shares how it's not too late to get into the tech space. Join us as we lean into this important topic with a group that's focused on empowering those who identify as female at the most critical time in their lives.

Scott's seen firsthand how the state of Chicago tech scene grew from a niche area to a key player. Join us as he explains why east and west coast investors are now putting their money into Chicago companies, what Mayor Lightfoot can to do to ensure the tech scene continues to thrive, and how you can get involved. Bonus footage: Scott shares the cost of using f-bombs on-air, apologies to the people of Minnesota, and shares what Technori is up to next.

Travel out with us to Whiskey Acres in DeKalb, IL, where we did a live episode recording with leaders in Agricultural Tech at the AGTech Nexus conference. Philippe de Laperouse shares what he sees is the direction of robotics in farming. CEO of RowBot, Kent Cavender-Bares, discusses how technology can increase the versatility of crops in a single field and decrease the percentage of crop failure. Jonah Kolb from Moore & Warner sets us city-slickers straight and helps us understand the management aspects of farming. As the AgTech space continues to grow, learn why collaboration between investors, entrepreneurs, and farmers is important. Spoiler alert: the lack of broadband is a serious threat to farms.

We've got exclusive news from Wow Bao, so tune in this week as Geoff Alexander, President of Wow Bao joins us in the studio. He shares how he got into the foray of the food business, how Wow Bao continues to be a pioneer in the fast-casual food industry through tech, and how Ricky Bobby from Talledega Nights inspires him daily.

Danny Freed, CEO of Blueprint, seeks to improve mental health care through his proven data-driven tech. Join us as he shares how this cause became close to his heart, how he's navigated the highly regulated waters of working in mental health tech, and the impact his tech is having.

After losing a friend to a mental illness, Danny saw a need for mental health providers to have more data and support for their patients. He embarked on finding a solution and built Blueprint, a company dedicated to helping both patients and providers see and track progress. In today's episode, he talks about his journey as an entrepreneur and software engineer, how he's navigated the regulated waters of healthcare, and the impact his tech is having.

Today's episode is brought to you by Eight Bit Studios, an award winning mobile app design and development located in CHicago.

Today's episode features Desiree Wrigely, Founder & CEO of Pearachute, sharing how she is taking her platform from Class Pass for Kids to Amazon for Family Entertainment.

Discovering the best weekend or summer activities for your kiddo should be joyful and exciting, not stressful. Enter Pearachute, a monthly membership club that makes it easy for parents and caregivers to discover, book and drop into the best kid classes in town, all at the touch of a button. She shares how Pearachute came to be, how their business model is evolving, and she even shares a little behind the scenes from their time on Shark Tank! Tune in to learn the exact number of Saturdays parents have with their children before turning 18, and stick around for some solid funding advice for budding entrepreneurs.

Co-founder and CEO Steven Galanis shares how he turned the idea of personalized shoutouts into Cameo, a site where thousands of celebrities make themselves available for these more human interactions with their fans.

Named by Time Magazine as one of "50 Genius Companies of 2018" , Cameo is a marketplace where fans can book personalized video shoutouts from their favorite people. Cameo partners with over 10,000 of the world's top actors, athletes, and influencers to create the most authentic and personalized fan experiences in the world.

Rod Levy, Executive Director of Code Platoon joins the Bytes Over Bagels crew to discuss the dev bootcamp he founded for veterans and military spouses. Listen in to learn how Call of Duty shaped the future of Code Platoon, and how the program develops skills that these veterans and spouses already have to drive success in the software development field.

Aaron Sawyer from Redline VR discusses how he is stretching VR technology to enhance everyday interactions, create new engagement opportunities, and extend our ability to connect to each other. Tune into this episode about how VR is no longer just about games, but a more human-centered experience.

Today's episode is brought to you by Eight Bit Studios, shaping and shipping digital products that advance people and organizations.