Founders Future

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Chuck Heckman, the visionary founder and CEO of OneBillion! Agency—a Brooklyn-based marketing firm reimagining how brands scale. With over 25 years as a C-level marketing executive, Chuck shares the principles behind his signature “Billion Dollar Brand Playbook” and how his agency uses data to drive real results. From high-growth campaigns to team dynamics and future plans, this episode is packed with insights on building a powerhouse in the fast-changing world of digital marketing.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Stefanie Beach, founder and CEO of SMB Media Consulting—an Inc. 5000-ranked digital media agency based in Pelham. With over 14 years of experience and a mission to connect brands with flexible, high-performing media talent, Stefanie shares how she’s helping clients like IBM Watson and The Home Depot hit their marketing goals. From launching during the early days of digital to scaling a powerhouse consultancy, Stefanie opens up about her entrepreneurial path, lessons learned, and what’s next for SMB Media Consulting.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Amar Elm welcomes entrepreneur Esra Talu, founder and CEO of GoGlobal. Esra shares her remarkable entrepreneurial journey that began in the 1990s, when she recognized untapped potential in the Middle East and Turkey just as e-commerce was beginning to take shape. Inspired by the rise of Amazon, she founded one of the region’s first e-commerce platforms—well ahead of her time.

Esra talks about her roots, the challenges she faced launching digital businesses in emerging markets, and how her unique cross-continental perspective fueled her passion for innovation. With multiple ventures under her belt, she now leads GoGlobal, a company that continues to bridge global markets through cutting-edge technology and business strategy.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Ammar Elm speaks with Mark Field, founder and director of Prof Consulting Group—an award-winning food consultancy revolutionizing the FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) industry. With over 30 years of leadership experience in food manufacturing and retail, Mark shares how Prof is helping brands grow through a data-driven, sustainability-focused approach. From navigating shifting consumer demands to building a global growth strategy, this conversation is packed with insights for anyone in food, retail, or innovation.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Mishal Saeed welcomes Chuck Crumpton, founder and managing director of Bull Street Mergers. With over three decades of experience in business growth and M&A—including leadership roles at MedPoint and Johnson & Johnson—Chuck shares his journey of launching Bull Street Mergers in Charleston, South Carolina. The firm has helped elevate company valuation multiples from 3.5x to over 7x across more than 60,000 businesses. Mishal and Chuck discuss the art of building sellable companies, navigating high-stakes exits, and what it takes to thrive in the mergers and acquisitions space.

On this episode of Founders Future, host Mishal Saeed sits down with Daniel Gomez Seidel, co-founder and creative strategist of Inplural, a Brooklyn-based branding consultancy that blends cultural insight, design thinking, and purpose-led strategy. With a background in design for social innovation and experience at StrawberryFrog, Daniel shares how Inplural is helping brands go beyond aesthetics to connect with meaning and mission. From early challenges to breakthrough moments, this conversation uncovers how a human-centric approach to branding is shaping the future—and what it takes to stand out in a crowded market. Tune in for a fresh perspective on building purposeful brands that resonate.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Erin "Mac" McCullough, founder of Erin Mac, LLC, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping high-performing leaders rediscover balance and joy in their personal and professional lives. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and nearly two decades as a business coach, Erin shares her path to launching the company in 2018 and the mission behind her work. Based in Oxford, Florida, she specializes in helping overwhelmed executives and entrepreneurs achieve clarity, scale effectively, and create sustainable success. This episode dives into the transformative power of coaching, navigating burnout, and building a venture that empowers leadership from the inside out.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Santiago Cortés, co-founder and CEO of Lab Cortex, a New York-based startup that’s transforming digital marketing through AI-powered analytics and automation. With a unique background spanning sustainability, architecture, and tech entrepreneurship, Santiago shares his unconventional path to founding LabCortex. He opens up about the challenges of building in the fast-paced marketing tech space, the value of cross-disciplinary thinking, and how his team is helping businesses unlock smarter, more scalable growth. Tune in to hear how AI is reshaping the future of marketing—and what it takes to lead that change.

In this insightful episode of Founders Future, host Mishal Saeed sits down with Floor Blindenbach, founder of Organizing4Innovation, to explore how professional service firms can harness innovation as a true competitive edge. With a PhD in innovation management and over a decade of experience, Floor shares how her company—founded in 2014—is helping organizations adapt to technological change, especially in the era of generative AI. From reshaping workflows to ensuring AI investments drive measurable value, Floor reveals how innovation can be systematized for long-term success. A must-listen for leaders navigating digital transformation.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with David Neikrug, founder and CEO of Optimatum Solutions LLC, to unpack how he’s transforming HR operations for middle-market companies. With nearly three decades of experience in employee benefits and human capital strategy, David shares how Optimatum helps clients reduce HR vendor costs by 10–12% in the first year while navigating complex M&A transitions. Based in New York, his firm is reimagining the HR supply chain through expert vendor management and transitional services. Tune in for a thoughtful dive into sustainable HR strategies, the challenges of scaling, and how precision can drive performance in an evolving workforce landscape.