Entrepreneur Perspectives

The best engineer Matt Dalio ever hired didn't have a high school diploma. That fact runs through this whole conversation — what building proves that credentials can't.

Education is changing because work is changing. AI is already reshaping what people can build, how they learn, and what employers actually value — and Arizona State University has become the clearest picture of where it's going, precisely because of the reputation it had to shake.

Matt Dalio, founder of Endless, joins Eric Kasimov. Matt's work centers on one idea: young people should be creators of technology, not just consumers of it. The conversation runs from Arizona State's President Michael Crow measuring success by who a university educates instead of who it rejects, to the engineer with no diploma who outperformed the Stanford hires, to why building games might be the most complete education a kid can get, and what happens to a generation that opts out of AI versus one that learns to wield it.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• Why Arizona State University (ASU) stands out in higher education
• Michael Crow's "realm five learning" — education that's infinitely scalable, infinitely personalized, infinitely affordable
• What "GitHub University" shows about proof of work and why it beat the Stanford hires
• Why portfolios are becoming more important than resumes
• How game making teaches technical, creative, and collaborative skills
• Why AI fluency may become a core workforce skill
• The difference between using screens to consume and using them to build
• GSV (Global Silicon Valley) and spreading the builder mindset beyond the Valley
• Why young people should start building, tinkering, and solving real problems

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Arizona State University and innovation in education
01:21 – Michael Crow’s approach to access and scale
03:20 – Changing perceptions of ASU
05:33 – Why higher education has to change
07:09 – Prestige, jobs, and the shifting value of a degree
08:06 – GitHub, proof of work, and hiring without a diploma
11:26 – Why portfolio can matter more than pedigree
13:08 – AI, marketing, and what students actually need to learn
15:15 – Teaching young people to become AI power users
16:00 – Why game making teaches multidisciplinary skills
18:34 – ASU, scale, and reaching more learners
20:33 – Soft skills, collaboration, and real work
21:46 – Games, arts, media, and engineering at ASU
23:37 – Coding, Claude Code, and technical fluency
25:37 – Why Matt still believes code matters
28:07 – Screens, phones, Chromebooks, and real computers
31:42 – What Gen Z can do now
32:31 – Why schools are often anti-AI
34:33 – Building as the path to employment
35:52 – Burning your resume and building proof
37:22 – Moving from Abu Dhabi back to the US
38:34 – AI education in the UAE
39:15 – Bringing AI education to more people
40:39 – Building through contracts, partners, and foundations
42:00 – Why America needs broader access to builder skills
44:15 – Helping young people join the modern economy
45:39 – Public schools and the difficulty of scale
46:19 – Kids who are already building their own futures
49:26 – Why the traditional system still matters
50:00 – Vibe coding an SAT prep tool
52:08 – AI concerns, climate, and the risk of opting out
55:00 – Global Silicon Valley and spreading the builder mindset
57:36 – Games, sports, licensing, and learning through interests
59:06 – Game studios, communities, and professional learning
01:01:49 – Finding your passion by building
01:02:50 – Matt’s book and Endless Future
01:04:09 – The lean book and shipping early
01:04:46 – Where to find Matt Dalio and Endless

Connect

Matt Dalio: Website | LinkedIn

Eric Kasimov: X | LinkedIn

Related Entrepreneur Perspectives episodes

• How AI Is Changing College Counseling and Admissions with Senan Khawaja, CEO of Kollegio
• David Selinger on AI Security, $15M Series B, and the Deep Sentinel Mission
• Ankit Somani | From Google to Conifer: Rare-Earth-Free Motors, $20M Seed, and Rethinking College

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Brando Babini started a company at 16 because the thing he needed didn't exist. Five years later he's running it from a train seat between Brown and Brooklyn — 1,000 players, a Nike partnership, and 30 million views he shot and edited himself. This one's about how he actually does it.

Brando is 21, still finishing his degree, and building Youth 4 Youth FC into one of the largest player-led soccer organizations in the country. He spotted the gap from his own playing career — no mentor, no one who'd walked the path ahead of him — and built the thing he wished he'd had. The 2026 World Cup is on U.S. soil right now and the whole country's suddenly paying attention to soccer. Strip the sport out, though, and you've still got the more interesting story: a Gen Z operator running a real company while most people his age are still picking a major.

What We Get Into

• Spotting a gap from lived experience and building the company you wished existed at 16
• Running an eight-state operation while taking the Amtrak back to class twice a week — the "drop-in," not the dropout
• Turning 30 million organic views into 4,000 player applications — and what to do when that engine slows down
• Landing a Nike partnership as a young, unproven founder
• The mission-vs-profit tension: building real access without building a handout
• Going need-blind by design — so the best kid plays whether his family can pay or not
• Scaling by "mega sub-regions" instead of chasing franchise growth
• Teaching 13-year-olds to represent themselves — agency as the actual product

Chapters

• 00:00 — The drop-in: running a company between Providence and New York
• 01:30 — Starting at 16, and the gap he was trying to close
• 03:45 — When the pro dream faded and the founder showed up
• 04:30 — The question that runs everything: "what do I wish existed?"
• 21:00 — Access without a handout: the mission-vs-profit tension
• 26:00 — Why profit incentives aren't the enemy, and going need-blind
• 33:00 — Teaching agency: parents, players, and an internal locus of control
• 50:00 — 30 million views, 4,000 applications, and rebuilding the funnel
• 52:00 — The Nike street-soccer project he's directing this week
• 58:00 — Rapid fire: the GOAT, the Prem, and a 2026 World Cup read

More Soccer Content from SportsEpreneur

Hydration Breaks, Fox Ads, and the Americanization of the World Cup

2026 World Cup: Groups, Schedule, and What to Watch as the Tournament Is Here

Top 5 Soccer Leagues in the World (2025 Rankings: Depth, Players & Vibe)

Soccer: The World’s Most Popular Sport (3.5 Billion Fans, and Rising in the U.S.)

Connect with Brando

Instagram: @y4yfc · brandobabini.com · y4yfc.com · LinkedIn: Brando Babini

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios. Connect with Eric: X / LinkedIn

Why NIL needs data, why athlete brands matter, and how college sports is becoming a marketing business.

College sports is moving fast. NIL, revenue sharing, transfer rules, donor fatigue, social media, compliance, brand deals, and athlete value are all colliding at once.

Brent Wall, founder and CEO of Student Athlete Score, joins Eric Kasimov to talk through what is actually happening in the NIL market. Student Athlete Score helps schools, brands, and athletes understand social influence, audience quality, brand fit, and the real marketing value behind athlete deals.

Eric and Brent get into the chaos around NIL, the rise of athlete personal brands, the growing youth sports market, the role of AI and data, and why local brand deals may be one of the most interesting parts of this whole shift. They also talk about college sports becoming more professional, what that means for Olympic sports and mid-majors, and why athletes now have to think about life beyond sports earlier than ever.

Chapters

00:00 – Ann Arbor, Michigan sports, and the business behind athletics
01:50 – The professionalization of sports at every level
03:01 – Why athletes now need to build personal brands
05:51 – What Student Athlete Score does
07:56 – The FICO score idea for athlete social value
08:35 – How universities use Student Athlete Score
10:54 – NIL education, taxes, and athlete responsibility
13:36 – The new era of NIL and NIL Go
15:17 – Compliance, regulation, and the fight over NIL deals
16:22 – Five-and-five, eligibility, and transfer rules
18:53 – Lawsuits, athlete rights, and past NIL usage
19:35 – Tournament expansion, TV money, and sports betting
22:19 – Why media rights drive the sports economy
23:00 – Tennis programs, Olympic sports, and budget pressure
26:17 – Donor fatigue and the need for ROI
28:15 – Data, story, and decision-making in college athletics
29:41 – Transfer portal chaos and recruiting changes
35:15 – Mid-majors as proving grounds
36:00 – International athletes, age gaps, and roster realities
38:49 – Unlocking NIL for Olympic sport athletes
39:53 – Why follower quality matters
41:03 – Instagram, TikTok, X, and athlete visibility
42:31 – Brand fit beyond the sport
43:31 – Life beyond sports and building a platform
44:11 – NIL moving into the youth and high school market
46:21 – NIL as a real-world sales and marketing lesson
47:21 – Micro-influencers, team dinners, and local business deals
50:31 – How Student Athlete Score landed university partners
51:20 – New commercial roles inside athletic departments
52:51 – Where to find Brent Wall and Student Athlete Score

Connect

Brent Wall: Website | LinkedIn

Eric Kasimov — X | LinkedIn

Related episodes

• NIL Made College Athletes Entrepreneurs With No Guardrails | EP194
• Gordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports Reform
• EP143 | Bad Grades in School to Sports Business Founder Dan Soviero

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Why youth sports are chaotic, why parents carry the load, and how Onsides is trying to make it easier.

Youth sports is not just practices, games, and tournaments anymore. It is schedules, apps, travel, training, equipment, group chats, recruiting pressure, and a lot of parents trying to keep up.

Dave Yoo, founder and CEO of Onsides, joins Eric Kasimov to talk about the problem his company is trying to solve. Onsides is built for parents of youth athletes who are tired of jumping between platforms and trying to make sense of scattered information. The goal is simple: reduce the cognitive load.

Eric and Dave also get into the bigger youth sports ecosystem, including AI, private coaching, NIL, parent behavior, social media, startup life, and what it means to build something useful in a noisy market.

Key Takeaways

• Why youth sports feels broken, but may be better described as underserved
• How parents became the collateral damage of fragmented sports platforms
• Why Onsides starts with scheduling but points toward something bigger
• How AI can help parents without guessing on the details that matter
• Why every feature should reduce cognitive load
• The rise of private coaching, travel needs, and sports tech integrations
• What startup founders need to think about in the AI era
• Why the youth sports conversation still has to come back to the kids

Chapters

00:00 – Youth sports, sports tech, and the size of the market
03:00 – Why Dave Yoo started Onsides
06:06 – Building the all-in-one youth sports app for parents
08:26 – Reducing cognitive load for sports families
10:48 – Training, private coaching, and Athletes Untapped
12:29 – How Onsides uses AI
14:40 – Probabilistic AI vs. deterministic scheduling data
16:41 – AI disruption in software engineering
18:42 – Advice for students entering the workforce
20:09 – College, uncertainty, and keeping up with change
22:29 – Growth, awareness, and reaching overwhelmed parents
24:31 – The commercialization of youth sports
27:07 – Recreational sports, I9 Sports, and getting kids active
30:25 – Too many games, overuse, and youth sports reform
33:02 – Better parent behavior and positive messaging
35:10 – NIL moving downstream
37:52 – How podcasting and media help startups grow
41:38 – AI, content, and the next wave of signal boosting
43:24 – Kids, social media, group chats, and behavior
47:42 – How to find Onsides
48:39 – Connecting with Dave Yoo

Connect

Dave Yoo: Website | LinkedIn

Eric Kasimov — X | LinkedIn

Related episodes

• Gordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports Reform
• EP143 | Bad Grades in School to Sports Business Founder Dan Soviero
• EP 181 | AI Content Detection & Digital Ethics with Madeleine Lambert

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

When NIL opened up, everyone rushed to build the marketplace — collectives, payment vehicles, deal flow. Nobody asked who the athlete actually was or what they'd do when the money hit. Stephen Bienko, former Air Force Academy and Villanova athlete and founder of 42U, has been inside college athletics long enough to see what got left behind. This conversation covers the transfer portal, soft skills, brand equity, and why the chaos in college sports is a business lesson that applies well beyond the stadium.

Key Takeaways

• NIL created overnight entrepreneurs with no guardrails — the infrastructure for deals came first; the infrastructure for the human being came last
• Student athletes have a 5.5% Instagram engagement rate vs. 2.2% for non-athlete influencers — brands figured this out before universities did
• Chasing NIL deals is like buying followers in 2012 — most of those people are gone; sustainable brand equity is built differently
• "Soft skills" came from the U.S. military in WWII — AI is making them the most valuable skills in the room again
• The transfer portal has pluses and minuses — the old way forced hard conversations; the new way offers freedom but skips the growth that came with it

Chapters

[00:00] The old-school transfer — walking into a Hall of Fame coach's office and asking to leave
[07:57] NIL and the gold rush nobody planned for
[14:00] Athletes as economic engines — the 5.5% stat
[25:47] Where "soft skills" actually came from
[29:00] Stop chasing deals — build brand equity instead
[57:00] Financial literacy and what college athletics should actually be teaching

Originally aired on SportsEpreneur.

Connect

Stephen Bienko — 42U | LinkedIn

Eric Kasimov — X | LinkedIn

Related episodes

• Gordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports
• Lacrosse Founder on Youth Sports
• Therapist Shortage + Consuming Bad News

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Zero tolerance for compromise doesn't mean being harsh — it means being clear. Dave Selinger explains how military mentors shaped his leadership philosophy, why "left of bang" became the foundation of Deep Sentinel's approach to crime prevention, and how you can hold absolute standards while still managing people like human beings.

Key Takeaways

• "Left of bang" — the military concept of intervening before the first shot fires — is the core logic behind Deep Sentinel's entire model
• Zero compromise on safety and performance doesn't require a drill sergeant approach; clear boundaries and human management can coexist
• Most leaders drift toward leniency because someone "means well" — Selinger argues that's exactly where standards break down
• You don't have to serve to learn from the military — books, mentors, and borrowed frameworks can still reshape how you lead

Chapters

[00:00] No compromise — where the idea comes from
[01:07] Left of bang: the military concept that changed everything
[02:03] Clear boundaries vs. harsh management — the paradox Selly lives by
[03:18] How to absorb military thinking without serving

Producers Note

Pulled from EP192 with Deep Sentinel founder David Selinger.

About Entrepreneur Perspectives

Real conversations on business, creativity, and life—hosted by Eric Kasimov. Founder of KazSource.

More from Entrepreneur Perspectives

• Is College Still Worth It?
• From Google to Conifer
• Author of The Book of Elon

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

What 50 years in insurance teaches about relationships, change, and why the basics still matter.

In Episode 1 of The Long Game, Mitch Long sits down with Wes Connor to talk about how he got into insurance, what kept him in it, and what 50 years in the business has taught him.

They get into family business, remote selling, hiring challenges, commercial and personal lines, and why life insurance still stands apart from products people are required to buy. It’s a grounded look at what still matters in the business, what has changed, and why the basics still win.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• How Wes Connor got into insurance in 1975
• From kitchen table sales to DocuSign and video calls
• Why relationships still matter in a more digital business
• Working with family across generations
• Hiring challenges in today’s insurance market
• Commercial versus personal lines in a changing market
• Why life insurance feels different from mandatory coverage
• Disability, long-term care, and planning before it’s too late

CHAPTERS

00:20 – Mitch welcomes Wes Connor
00:41 – How Wes got into the insurance business
03:15 – Starting out and falling in love with the work
05:21 – How selling insurance has changed over the years
08:00 – Podcasts, technology, and the next generation in the business
11:00 – Working with family and building an agency over time
12:00 – Hiring challenges and the shortage of new agents
16:23 – Disability insurance, income protection, and planning gaps
16:52 – Wes breaks down his agency’s commercial and personal lines mix
19:19 – Why selling life insurance is more satisfying
21:00 – Real examples of how life insurance changes outcomes for families
23:29 – Long-term care, aging, and staying healthy

Connect with Mitch Long: LinkedIn | KazInsurance | Read: Pagers & Payphones
Connect with Wes Connor: LinkedIn | Website | Instagram

More from the KazSource Network

The Real ROI of Podcasting — KazCM
What Happened to CFB Bowl Games — SportsEpreneur
Remote Work in Today’s Financial Advisory Industry —Entrepreneur Perspectives

About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game is a series under Entrepreneur Perspectives. Produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Why stories beat pitches, why showing up still matters, and what this series is about.

Eric Kasimov sits down with Mitch Long to kick off The Long Game. Mitch has been in the insurance business for over 30 years. He started with a pager and a roll of quarters. He built his book by showing up every Tuesday until people just started handing him the business. Now he's here to have conversations with business owners about how they got where they are — the real version, not the LinkedIn version.

What We Talk About:

• Criminal justice major to insurance salesman
• The 93-year-old woman and the bell story
• Why face-to-face still matters (and why it's not enough anymore)
• Pagers, Blackberries, and the quarantine pivot
• The buggy whip salesman problem
• NIL, college sports, and what it means to stay relevant

Chapters:

• 00:14 – What this show is and how conversations work
• 01:00 – Mitch's path into insurance
• 08:27 – Podcasting as a way to connect
• 13:00 – Old school meets new school
• 21:30 – Adjusting how you reach people
• 23:45 – Pagers, payphones, and quarters
• 26:00 – Blackberry, Gateway, and what happens when you don't evolve
• 28:00 – The buggy whip salesman
• 30:00 – Mitch's grandfather sold matches
• 31:30 – MC Hammer selling records out of his trunk
• 32:01 – NIL and financial literacy

Connect with Mitch Long

LinkedIn | KazInsurance

More from the KazSource Network

Ambient Influence in Content — KazCM
The Benefits and Issues of NIL — SportsEpreneur
Is College Still Worth It? — Entrepreneur Perspectives

About This Podcast and Series

The Long Game is a series under Entrepreneur Perspectives. Produced by QuietLoud Studios — a modern media network and a KazSource brand.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

The Truth About Admissions, Debt & AI’s Role in the Future of Higher Ed

College costs are soaring, mental health struggles are rising, and the path to success looks more uncertain than ever.

In this conversation, Eric Kasimov talks with Senan Khawaja, Co-founder and CEO of Kollegio, an AI-powered platform helping students and universities rethink the college admissions process.

They explore the question that so many students and parents are asking: Is college still worth it?

Together they unpack how higher education, entrepreneurship, and technology are colliding in real time.

What You’ll Hear

• Why student debt is becoming a startup killer for young professionals
• The mental health toll of college admissions — and what schools are missing
• The rise and fall of the “test optional” movement
• Why SATs and ACTs are making a comeback
• How grade inflation and participation trophies distorted the system
• What resilience really looks like in education and entrepreneurship
• How AI can democratize opportunity — not just automate it

About Senan

Senan Khawaja is the Co-founder and CEO of Kollegio, an AI startup rethinking college admissions and guidance. A Stanford grad, he’s focused on making higher education more accessible and data-driven. Learn more about kollegio.ai

About Entrepreneur Perspectives

Real conversations on business, creativity, and life—hosted by Eric Kasimov. Founder of KazSource.

More from the KazSource Network

About that Em-Dash That Everyone Now Seems to Hate — KazCM
21% of College Students Use Financial Aid to Bet on Sports — SportsEpreneur
AI Security and 15M in Series B Funding — Deep Sentinel interview

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X | LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Bob Knakal is a legendary figure in New York commercial real estate, known for his data-driven territory model, massive deal volume, and unapologetically old-school work ethic. As the founder of Massey Knakal Realty Services (sold for $100M) and now Chairman at BKREA, Bob has shaped both the skyline of NYC and the next generation of real estate professionals.

In this episode, Bob shares how 40 years of fieldwork, 22 boxes of newsletters, and a pandemic walking tour of Manhattan became the foundation of his modern marketing machine. He talks about launching The Bob Knakal Show, staying true to core values while adapting to AI, and how being “out there” isn’t about ego—it’s about client outcomes.

You’ll hear Bob’s brutally honest take on what it takes to succeed in sales, why cold calling still matters, the power of content in real estate, and how office-to-residential conversions are reshaping the NYC market. This conversation is packed with timeless lessons on resilience, relevance, and why liking what you do still beats any business plan.

Main Topics:

• How Bob turned mistakes and cold calls into a $100M business sale
• Why content creation is the modern version of “pounding the pavement”
• The ROI of podcasting, newsletters, and putting yourself out there
• A deep dive on NYC’s office-to-residential conversion wave and 467M tax program
• What young professionals really need to learn (hint: not just Excel)
• Why Bob started his own show—and why your legacy matters
• Lessons in grit, luck, leadership, and working through adversity

Chapters With Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction and Early Career Insights
[00:00:43] Bob Knakal's Life-Changing Advice
[00:01:41] Writing the Book: Selling Buildings
[00:05:17] Reading, Learning, and Staying Sharp
[00:08:44] Is College Still Worth It?
[00:15:22] Market Presence and Content Creation
[00:19:46] Adapting to Change: Tech and Tactics
[00:25:30] The Relentless Work Ethic
[00:26:58] Finding Passion in Work
[00:27:36] Resilience Through Adversity
[00:30:43] Commercial Real Estate Market Changes
[00:34:26] Office to Residential Conversions
[00:39:35] Commitment to New York City
[00:42:46] The Map Room Success
[00:46:58] Launching The Bob Knakal Show
[00:50:24] Inspiring the Next Gen
[00:54:04] Wrap Up & Final Words

Bob Knakal

• Website
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

Related Episodes:

• David Selinger on AI Security, $15M Series B, and the Deep Sentinel Mission | EP192
• Tastytrade: How a Trading & Media Empire Was Built by Giving Everything Away | Scott Sheridan CEO — EP189
• How AI Is Changing College Counseling and Admissions with Senan Khawaja, CEO of Kollegio | EP190

Entrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.

Get in touch with Eric Kasimov:
X
LinkedIn

Credits:
Music by Jess & Ricky: SoundCloud