Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Jake Loosararian is the CEO and co-founder of Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh robotics startup. Gecko recently announced a $40 million Series B round of fundraising led by Drive Capital.

Gecko Robotics builds robots that do unassisted inspections of power plant boilers. The robots’ sensors measure key data including temperature, wall thickness, and other system failure indicators.

Jake invested his life savings into the company and was named the top startup in Y Combinator’s Winter 2016 cohort.

In this podcast, Jake Loosararian and Aaron Watson discuss the business model of Gecko, how he raised $40 million, and the high bar they have when hiring.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Jake Loosararian’s Challenge; Read a book.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel 

High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil 

Connect with Jake Loosararian

Linkedin

Twitter

Website

[email protected]

If you liked this interview, check out episode 400 with Austin Webb where we discuss large fundraising rounds, high growth startups, and robotics disrupting agriculture.

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Kent McElhattan’s entire business career has been dedicated to the safety of workers.

In 1985, Kent co-founded Industrial Scientific and built a worldwide leader in IOT and predictive analytics for the safety industry. The company climbed to hundreds of millions in revenue and sold to Fortive.

After that success, Kent started another company, Discovery Robotics, aimed to bring robotics technology to the field of janitorial services. Their first product is an autonomous floor-cleaning robot.

The company’s mission remains to increase human productivity and safety.

In this conversation, Kent and Aaron discuss how he ended up focusing on industrial cleaning, the lessons Kent has taken from Industrial Scientific, and the future of work.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Kent McElhattan’s Challenge; Find something that doesn’t feel like work.

Connect with Kent McElhattan

Linkedin

Twitter

Facebook

Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 297 with Jorgen Pedersen where we discuss saving lives with robots or episode 400 with Austin Webb where we discuss changing agriculture with tech.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

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We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

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Anthony Gadient is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Voci Technologies. Voci uses GPU-accelerated, deep machine learning speech technologies to help companies understand what their team members are saying on the phone.

Their technology helps clients mine actionable insights from their voice data. It can be applied to customer service, sales, and compliance analysis.

The company is built with technology spun out of Carnegie Mellon University. Previously, Anthony co-founded Neolinear, a semiconductor design automation firm that was acquired.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Anthony Gadient’s Challenge; Take some time to think about the implications of computers being able to hear you.

Connect with Anthony Gadient

Linkedin

Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 303 with Luke Skurman the founder of Niche.com  and episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss multiple successful technology startups.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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2019 was a year of growth and learning. Thank you for being a part of it.

We're planning for even more in 2020.

David Levine founded NuGo Nutrition Bars in 2000 after raising a small sum of capital from friends and family.

NuGo Nutrition uses real dark chocolate to make their protein bars and have been committed to making healthy, high-caliber bars from their inception.

The company has developed a variety of SKUs developed for Kosher, gluten-free, organic, vegan, and low sugar diets.

David and Aaron discuss the founding of the company, how NuGo has scaled its distribution, and the fake chocolate used by other companies.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

David Levine’s Challenges; 

1. Learn the difference between real and fake dark chocolate. 
2. When you’re with your family, put the phone away so you can reflect on your day together.

Connect with David Levine

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Instagram

Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 407 with JD Ewing where we discuss wholesaling, trends in office furniture, and creating a company book club.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

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Our clients become better storytellers. 

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Brian Gaudio is the CEO of Module, a design & technology startup based in Pittsburgh. 

Module is developing a pay-as-you-go housing solution that enables homebuilders to provide an affordable and flexible entry point for homeownership. One of their distinctive features is a design that allows a buyer to turn a one-bedroom starter unit into a 3 bedroom house.

Brian has previously directed a documentary about the housing crisis in South America, worked as a Fulbright Scholar in Santiago, Dominican Republic, and worked in the Blue Sky Department at Walt Disney Imagineering.

In this conversation, you’ll hear Brian and Aaron discuss how home construction and financing are interwoven, why pre-fabricated houses are the future, and the capital-intensive nature of the business.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Brian Gaudio’s Challenge; Take one day during the holidays away from any work-related digital devices.

Connect with Brian Gaudio

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram

Website

If you liked this interview, check out all our past episodes with Pittsburgh’s business leaders and innovators.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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J.D. Ewing is the President of COE Distributing, the largest furniture-only wholesale office furniture distributor in the United States. 

We traveled out to Uniontown, PA to record this interview at the company’s headquarters, which includes a 300,000 square foot warehouse.

The company also operated hubs in North Carolina and Texas, which allows it to serve the entire continental United States.

Over the last decade, COE has been growing rapidly. He bought the family business back after an acquirer ran into bankruptcy in 2008/09. Now, they are named an Inc. 5000 company and a Top 100 Fastest Growing Business by the Pittsburgh Business Times year-after-year.

In this episode, Aaron and J.D. discuss the start of the wholesaling business, when J.D. has been an opportunistic buyer, and trends in office furniture.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

J.D. Ewing’s Challenge; Optimize your life around work you enjoy.

Connect with J.D. Ewing

Linkedin

Instagram

Website

Office Source Furniture

Books

Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders by Steve Shallenberger 

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick Lencioni

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip & Dan Heath

If you liked this interview, check out episode 396 with Kristy Knichel where we discuss family business, 3rd party logistics, and customer service.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe

Jessica Gibson is CEO and Co-Founder of Ariel Precision Medicine, an integrated genomics and digital health company. 

Ariel helps patients with complex chronic diseases by using genetics and health information to model the mechanisms and drivers of disease. This enables clinicians to establish an early diagnosis, long-term prognosis, and targeted management plan.

Ariel's PancreasDx® is the most comprehensive genetic test for pancreatic disease and is built off of Dr. David C. Whitcomb’s leading research.

Aaron and Jessica discuss the mission behind the company, how commercialization efforts have evolved, and the promise of precision medicine.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Jessica Gibson’s Challenge; Understand that you can be the change you want to see in the world.

Connect with Jessica Gibson

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Twitter

Instagram

Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 405 with Matt Kesinger where we discuss the development and inspiration behind a medical device that helps people suffering strokes.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

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Matt Kesinger’s company, Forest Devices, is developing the medical device ALPHASTROKE to help first responders identify stroke and triage patients to the right hospital.

Strokes are the #1 cause of disability worldwide. Lives are changed by how quickly a stroke is diagnosed and treated.

Matt was EMT in Boston for two years and learned how hard it can be to diagnose a stroke with just a clinical exam. 

While attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Matt conducted and published research on the difficulties of pre-hospital providers diagnosing stroke. He was part of the team that conducted the largest US study on the identification of large vessel occlusive strokes in the pre-hospital environment. 

In this conversation, Matt & Aaron discuss how to diagnose a stroke, the testing process for medical devices, and the mission that inspires the team.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Matt Kesinger’s Challenge; Learn the signs of a stroke.

Connect with Matt Kesinger

Linkedin

Twitter

Forest Devices Website

[email protected] 

If you liked this interview, check out these past episodes

Former UPMC CIO Rasu Shrestha

Highmark VP of Innovation Sarah Ahmad

Chef Kevin Sousa

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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Lillian Rafson did not plan to start her business Pack Up + Go. But, on a trip to Latvia, she came across an idea that was too good to pass up. Booking surprise travel for vacationers.

She came back to the US, started the business, and hoped to get 50 clients that year. She got 500.

She followed the sharp trajectory upwards and remained bootstrapped the whole way. Now she runs a team, does millions in revenue, and is charting expansion plans.

In this conversation, Lillian and Aaron discuss the inspiration for the business, how she got initial traction, and the way she has built her team.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Lillian’s Challenge; Go visit a new neighborhood in your city or town.

Connect with Lillian Rafson

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram

Website 

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

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Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify