Fast Frontiers

On today's episode of Fast Frontiers, host Tim Schigel sits down to speak with Mike Kadin, the CEO of RedCircle. The two discuss strategies for managing high-growth companies, lessons learned in hiring and how Mike met his co-founder Jeremy Lermitte.

Key Takeaways:

• [01:55] Meet Mike Kadin of RedCircle
• [05:56] Experiences unique to RedCircle's growth and lessons in high-growth
• [09:55] How far out was RedCircle planning their growth strategy
• [11:10] Hiring takeaways and lessons
• [16:38] When and how Mike and Jeremy met
• [18:56] Mike and Jeremy finding common ground and learning from past workplaces
• [23:01] Be Real and Be Respectful
• [25:31] Continuously learning and different stages of growth
• [29:02] What's attracted Mike to podcasting
• [32:25] The integration of technology in cars and the listening experience
• [33:15] How Mike is helping podcasters, and how the medium has changed
• [37:02] What Mike wants podcasters to know about RedCircle
• [38:28] What the future of podcasts looks like according to Mike

Welcome back to Fast Frontiers! In the Season 6 premiere, Gokul Rajaram talks with host Tim Schigel about working as an investor and "company helper." Gokul does a deep dive into his SPADE decision-making framework, about creating compelling products that solve real-world issues, and the rise in product analytics as a function of business.

Key Takeaways:

• [01:20] Introduction to Gokul
• [02:33] Being exposed to high-caliber people
• [03:47] Keep learning and stay humble
• [04:54] Investing and having fun building businesses, making connections
• [07:44] Cold-calling and indulging curiosity as a great "party trick"
• [09:15] The SPADE decision-making framework
• [11:07] Transparency in business operations and decision-making
• [12:58] Diving into SPADE
• [16:18] This framework should not be used for day-to-day reversible decisions
• [19:15] How Gokul sees organizations do a good job of staying focused on the problem and not the product
• [23:05] Evaluating the company mission and making a compelling product that solves problems
• [26:41] The rise of product analytics as a function
• [29:05] Feature launch is not a goal, feature launch is not an outcome. It is an experiment
• [29:47] Technologies Gokul is interested in investing in
• [29:47] Words of wisdom on solving problems and setting goals

Rediscover the best podcast around for learning about Refinery Ventures' portfolio of companies and the work those organizations are doing. Host and Managing Partner at Refinery Ventures, Tim Knight, speaks with CEOs, founders, and experts about startups, technology, the future, and more.

Pete Blackshaw joins host Tim Schigel to talk about his efforts at Cintrifuse to create a startup economy in Cincinnati. Pete talks about how his career working with companies like Nielsen BuzzMetrics and Nestle influenced his work with startups, and how programming helps to grow culture and community. The two discuss the impact of transforming Cincinnati's airport into a startup and technology platform, as well as initiatives that excite Pete like sustainability, electrification, and zero waste.

Carl Grant joins Fast Frontiers and host Tim Schigel to chat about his career journey, and how experiencing a recession at an early-stage startup influences his insights and leadership in the VC world. Carl also talks about his initiative with Venture Raise, a platform for entrepreneurs to match with venture capital funding, shares tips for building connections as entrepreneurs, and how faith has helped him navigate life and business.

Steve Escaravage, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen, talks about what A.I. is and its uses at Booz Allen, as well as popular ideas surrounding artificial intelligence. Tim and Steve also discuss how entrepreneurs can approach opportunities to collaborate with venture capital firms, hurdles to A.I. development, and Steve's thoughts on where the technology is headed.

Host Tim Schigel is joined by Co-founder and Chairman of Arrive Mobility, Aashish Dalal, to talk about his journey taking ParkWhiz from inception to present day as Arrive Mobility. Aashish walks through growing the company's footprint, naïveté about investor capital, and ultimately the business lessons and relationships that helped ParkWhiz find success.

Chief Innovation Officer of CVG Airport, Brian Cobb, talks about his career in the aviation industry and seeking innovative solutions that have transformed the airport into a business hub. Along with host Tim Schigel, the two discuss CVG's acceptance of technology and data to solve customer perceptions, aligning with leadership towards business innovation, and the future of the airport with startup incubation and the next generation of technologies.

Today we're continuing with part two of the Man Behind the Mic conversation with our friend, Joe Kaiser. Joe is director at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm, where he leads their investment efforts in the Midwest, as well as their performance team. For part two, Joe asked my thoughts, advice, rules, principles, guidelines about how I approach venture capital.

Today we're doing something different. This is our Man Behind the Mic episode where I'll be interviewed by my friend Joe Kaiser. Joe's a Director at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm where he leads the firm's investment efforts in the Midwest, as well as its performance team. A huge thank you goes out to Joe for coming up with this idea and giving us his time and thoughtful questions. He was kind enough to switch seats and put me in the hot seat for this interview. For part one, we're going to dive into why we started Fast Frontiers, my experience and journey as a CEO, operator, fund to funds manger and VC investor. And we'll also discuss the origin and thesis for Refinery Ventures.