Josh Walsh, Co-Founder & CEO of BranchLab, joins Eric and Joe to discuss transforming pharma advertising with AI, scaling a second startup, and an unexpectedly important LinkedIn message from Lance Armstrong.

Audion CEO Arthur Larrey joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to discuss why performance audio could become the next major performance advertising channel and how Audion is helping make that vision a reality. They break down how performance audio works in practice, how it compares to performance TV, and what advertisers are looking for as the channel matures. Arthur also shares lessons from raising a significant funding round in today's market, how AI is shaping both Audion's product and internal operations, and what it takes to expand a fast-growing European AdTech company into the US.

Who let G-dog Aaron loose and who would dare fact check Eric besides Joe Zappa?!! In this engaging interview, industry veteran Aaron discusses his journey from sales to marketing, the importance of personal branding, and the evolving role of AI in ad tech. He shares insights on strategic acquisitions, building a personal brand, and the creative side of marketing, all while revealing his unique personality and passions. We also learn what Eric would have done had he not become a VC. Let's just say no one saw this riding in!

Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa break down the biggest trends they’re seeing in early-stage adtech deal flow, including the rise of chatbot and LLM ad networks, integrated marketing platforms, creator infrastructure, and a renewed wave of innovation around mobile apps. They discuss why mobile remains such an attractive market, what kinds of startups are emerging in each category, and where investors and operators are spending the most time right now. The conversation then shifts to the next phase of the Outcomes Era — where simply claiming “outcomes” is no longer enough and companies need differentiated data, supply, or technology to prove it.

MadConnect CEO Bob Walczak joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to break down why Publicis’ acquisition of LiveRamp is one of the most important adtech deals in years and what it reveals about the future of the industry. They discuss why connectivity and interoperability have become so strategically valuable, why Publicis made such an aggressive move from a position of strength, and what this deal says about the growing pressure on holdcos to own more of the advertising stack. The conversation also explores whether this signals a broader acceleration of adtech M&A and what the other holdcos may do next.

Most adtech companies' no. 1 messaging challenge is focus. Joe Zappa goes solo to explain why the hardest part of messaging isn’t writing, but choosing one clear, differentiated idea instead of a list of everything you do. He breaks down why “omnichannel DSP/SSP driving outcomes” fails, how companies get trapped competing inside crowded categories, and what it takes to build a provocative narrative that actually sticks. If you want to be remembered and command attention, here is a three-step playbook.

Eric talks with Shane Shevlin, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Platform, about Bedrock's launch of the industry's first containerized DSP running directly on Index Cloud. They unpack what containerization means for buyers, how collapsing latency from 200ms to under 1ms reshapes bidder economics, and why the DSP moat is shifting from infrastructure to decisioning and data. Plus: building ad tech from London, lessons from Possible, and what's next for Bedrock in the US.

Ibotta CRO Chris Riedy joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to break down one of the hardest transitions for startups: evolving from founder-led sales to a real sales organization. They discuss what great founder-led sales looks like, why the transition can break momentum, and how to professionalize without losing what made the company work early on. Chris shares how to structure teams, hire the right mix of talent, and build a strong partnership between CEO and CRO. They also cover how the shift to outcomes-based advertising is changing sales, where marketing should support, and what founders need to do to scale effectively.

Aperiam Partner Corey Ferengul joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to break down the six CEO archetypes — sales, product, CTO, visionary, operator, and CFO — and how each one shows up at different stages of a company’s growth. They walk through how these personas evolve from scrappy startup mode to scaled organizations, where they succeed, where they struggle, and when new leadership layers need to come in. They also discuss the tension between vision and execution, why certain archetypes fade or become liabilities over time, and what it takes to build a balanced leadership team.

Consumable CEO Mark Levin joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to share the founding story behind his audio advertising company and why he chose to bootstrap in an industry dominated by venture-backed players. They discuss what it means to make audio “addressable everywhere,” why the channel has struggled to meet its potential in the past, and how advertisers are reacting. Mark also breaks down how he built the business from the ground up, including early customer acquisition and go-to-market evolution. Finally, they explore the tradeoffs of bootstrapping, advice for founders considering that path, and what the future of audio looks like as a performance channel.