Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Sandra Mau is the founder & CEO of TrademarkVision, a startup doing visual brand protection. She and her team of machine learning engineers are developing a top visual search engine for trademarks and logos.

In this conversation, we talk about why she has another office in Australia, how the algorithm simplifies work for IP lawyers, and shares stories of scrappy startups at events.

Prior to starting TrademarkVision, Sandra was a Senior Computer Vision Research Engineer at NICTA doing R&D in computer vision, machine learning, and mobile projects.

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Sandra’s Challenge; Think about where you want to be in 5 years and then break it down into actionable steps you can take to accomplish it.

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Trademark.Vision

Designs.Vision

If you liked this interview, check out episode 334 with Alison Alvarez where we discuss geospatial data, finding a cofounder, and being a modern polymath.

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Dr. Gina Marchando is the executive director at DreamLife Recovery, a new addiction treatment program in Donegal, PA.

Gina has been treating patients for trauma, PTSD and the full spectrum of dissociative disorders for more than a decade and came back to Pittsburgh to after losing her nephew to an overdose.

In this conversation, we talk about addiction, psychotherapy, and the small steps we can all take to care for others.

Gina is particularly excited about the wide array of evidence-based treatment options that will be available at the new facility and the impact it can make on the region.

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Gina’s Challenge; Go out of your way to be kind to someone today.

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1-833-330-LIFE

If you liked this interview, check out episode 151 with Dr. Matt Keener where we discuss psychiatric health, the impact telemedicine will have on accessing health care, and the Pittsburgh ecosystem.

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Traffic sucks. Luckily, smart people are looking into making cities smarter and reducing congestion.

Rapid Flow Technologies was spun out of Carnegie Mellon University with the goal of introducing new Intelligent Transportation Systems technologies into the marketplace. Rapid Flow was created to commercialize the Surtrac adaptive traffic signal control technology developed in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon.

I spoke with CEO Griffin Schultz, who was brought in to lead business development efforts for the young startup.

Griffin has an MBA from The Wharton School at UPenn and has previously worked with successful tech startups, as the Assistant Deputy Mayor for the City of Philadelphia, and other offices in state and federal government.

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Griffin’s Challenge; Read about artificial intelligence.

Books Mentioned

Origin by Dan Brown

Life 3.0 Being Human in the Age of AI by Max Tegmark

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

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If you liked this interview, check out our episode Kevin Miller where we discuss artificial intelligence disrupting the world of contracts or our episode with Mark DeSantis where we discuss maintaining road infrastructure with cheap sensors and AI.

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Please go give us some love and let me know your favorite TD celebration.

Steelers Fans' TD Celebrations

Norma Nieto was the President of PIVOT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Impellia through mid-2017, and is currently working in multiple capacities for Impellia as a consultant. She currently has her own strategy and analytics consulting company, N-Squared Strategic Consulting, which helps clients harness the power of data and analytics to develop innovative strategies.

Impellia is a sports software and sensor-based technology company co-founded by former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Charlie Batch.

We discuss transitioning from a large corporation to a scrappy startup.

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Norma’s Challenge; Don’t be afraid of a startup. Change can bring someone great out of you.

Book Recommendation  

Lead and Disrupt: How to Solve the Innovator's Dilemma by Charles A. O'Reilly III & Michael Tushman

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If you liked this interview, check out episode 338 with Courtney Williamson where we discuss developing a prototype for a new invention, scaling a medical device company, and getting approved by regulators.

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Idea Foundry has invested in over 200 companies and generated $1B in direct economic impact for the region. The Pittsburgh-based, non-profit economic development organization focsues on creating living-wage, high-opportunity jobs by investing in and working alongside entrepreneurs to grow.

Previously, Mr. Matesic was Chief Executive Officer for two start-up companies and Chief Financial Officer for MetalSite, Inc., participating in the rapid growth of the company and public registration process.

We discuss investing in businesses, where Idea Foundry gets its funding, and how Mike & his team help companies grow.

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Mike’s Challenge; Ask yourself “What is it enough?” If you don’t know, you’ll never stop or change.

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If you liked this interview, check out previous episodes with Idea Foundry portfolio companies like Ian Rosenberger, Anthony Vennare, Ryan Gayman, Josie Cellone, and John Thornton.

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Craig Markovitz co-founded Blue Belt Technologies, a spinoff from the Robotics Institute at CMU, in 2003 and thirteen years later was a key member of the deal team that led to a $275,000,000 acquisition. During his years in business, Craig has launched companies, raised capital, and managed operations in businesses spanning from pre revenue and 18 employees to multi-million in revenue and 150 employees.

Today, he is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence in the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and an Assistant Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.  

We discuss his experience building a team, his thoughts on fundraising, and touch on the peculiar position of deciding what to do after your company is acquired.

If you liked this interview, check out episode 303 with Luke Skurman where we discuss building a tech company in Pittsburgh, raising a Series A, and the challenges of building a team.

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Craig’s Challenge; Do something out of your comfort zone.

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Startups are always a distinct journey, but the DeCicco brothers have been on a particularly wild ride.

I trekked into Manhattan to interview Kitu Life Super Coffee CEO Jim DeCicco about founding a beverage company with his brothers, getting investment from founder of WeWork, and building a distribution system.

He left a job on Wall Street in August of 2015 and has been on a hell of a ride ever since. Jim appeared on Shark Tank with his brothers in a February 2018 episode seeking a $400,000 investment in return for a 4.5 percent stake in their business.

While they left the tank without a deal, they went home with a wealth of positive feedback, advice, exposure, and lessons learned from their once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Give their coffee a taste and get inspired by their hustle.

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Jim’s Challenge; Work hard, be nice to people. Practice radical transparency. Say what’s on your mind.

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If you liked this interview, check out episode 226 with Ed Latimore who writes, studies physics, and boxes heavyweights.

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The Shop Local Movement is gaining steam, while our banks have gotten even more impersonal. How do things change?

George Cook believes he may have an answer.

His company, Honeycomb Credit, is building a platform for small businesses to borrow directly from their own community and loyal customer base. This creates affordable credit lines entrepreneurs and competitive returns to community members.

In this conversation, we discuss how George’s background in community banking informs his startup and the transformational impact that community lending can have on regional economies.

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George’s Challenge; Buy local. Find ways to support your community’s economy

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If you liked this interview, check out episode 301 with Rich Lunak where we discuss Innovation Works, southwestern PA investing, and how Rich got into the role.

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