Pitch, Build, Scale - Startup Founder Stories in the Age of AI

What happens when you take enterprise-level AI innovation and apply it to one of life’s most human experiences - travel?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we speak with Robert Coverdale, Founder of Khonsu, about how his platform blends artificial intelligence and local expertise to transform the way people experience cities like New York.

Robert shares his journey from flipping a coin between photography and computer science to building innovation labs at LivePerson, and eventually launching Khonsu, a travel company that prioritizes authentic, human-driven experiences powered by AI behind the scenes.

We explore the challenges of scaling human interaction with AI tools, why simplicity often wins over complexity, and how trust in real experiences is becoming more valuable in an AI-saturated world.

Whether you’re a SaaS founder, software agency leader, or tech executive, Robert’s story is a blueprint for combining human value with AI scale.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 Robert’s Iron Man Analogy: AI as Human Empowerment

01:27 Welcome and Guest Introduction

02:15 Flipping a Coin into Tech: Robert’s Origin Story

03:21 Early Entrepreneurship: Penny Candy Hustle

04:11 Innovation Labs at LivePerson

05:45 The Aha Moment: Travel Meets Technology

06:09 Khonsu’s First Iterations with AI

08:01 Testing the Model During the Pandemic

09:46 Who Khonsu Serves: Leisure vs. Business Travelers

13:47 Monetization and Local Designers

14:59 Scaling City by City

16:06 AI Behind the Scenes, Humans Up Front

17:43 Hotel Concierges Reimagined with AI

20:09 Pricing Tiers and AI vs. Human Options

22:24 Growth Goals: Expanding to Washington, DC and Beyond

23:16 B2B Partnerships and Perks

23:59 The Challenge of Content Creation

25:14 Marketing Bottlenecks in 2025

26:13 How to Try Khonsu Today

📚 Resources

Travel with Khonsu: https://www.askkonsu.com

Connect with Robert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcoverdale

Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Garret Grajek, CEO of YouAttest, to explore the future of identity governance, automation, and cybersecurity in an AI-driven world.

Garret has spent over 30 years shaping enterprise security, holding 13 patents and building solutions at RSA, SecureAuth, and now YouAttest. His perspective is clear: data is the crown jewel, and automation is the key to protecting it.

We discuss how enterprises can move beyond spreadsheets and manual audits to achieve rapid, scalable user access reviews, why non-human identities (NHIs) are the next big security frontier, and how managed service providers (MSPs) are reshaping go-to-market strategies in security and SaaS.

If you’re a SaaS founder, software agency leader, or enterprise innovator, this episode is packed with insights on scaling securely while embracing AI and automation.

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Garret’s journey into cybersecurity

05:56 Building SecureAuth and the shift to YouAttest

08:34 Why identity governance is the missing link in Zero Trust

12:22 Data as the true battleground in 2025

16:07 The rise of non-human identities (NHIs)

19:34 Using AI to create identity trust scores

22:39 Scaling through MSPs and service-first resellers

27:47 Verticalization as a market advantage

29:17 Garret’s “magic wand” for growth

30:33 Advice for new founders in cybersecurity

Resources

🔗 YouAttest: https://youattest.com

🔗 Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com

What happens when a tiny startup with one client grows into a customer-funded, enterprise-ready SaaS platform in healthcare?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Yossi Abraham, President & CEO of Zappix, to unpack how his team bootstrapped growth in one of the toughest markets: healthcare.

Yossi shares insights on:

- Overcoming the “pilotitis” problem in AI adoption

- Building customer-funded SaaS without venture backing

- Driving growth through partnerships and referrals

- Hyper-personalization in digital patient engagement

- Why lead generation is the single biggest constraint for SaaS founders in compliance-heavy markets

This conversation is a playbook for founders navigating complex sales, compliance barriers, and the messy reality of AI implementation.

Chapters

00:00 Intro & Yossi’s Background

03:25 Joining Zappix at Near Zero Revenue

06:09 From Visual IVR to Digital Engagement Platform

07:59 Scaling in Healthcare: Reducing No-Shows, Increasing Revenue

10:03 Where AI Fits into the Process

12:06 The AI “Implementation Gap” in Healthcare

15:38 Future of RAG and Conversational AI in Patient Journeys

18:26 Hyper-Personalization with Data

19:02 Growth Goals: 50–100% in 24 Months

21:30 Lead Gen Challenges & Partnerships

25:03 Outbound in Healthcare vs. Other Verticals

26:37 The Magic Wand: Fixing the Top of Funnel

26:50 Advice for Bootstrapped SaaS Founders

Resources

🔗 Automate patient engagement with Zappix: https://www.zappix.com

🔗 Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com

#healthcare #saas #podcast #ai

What if AI agents aren’t just tools... but coworkers?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Tatyana Mamut, CEO of Wayfound.ai, to explore why the future of work isn’t about clamping down on AI, but learning to manage it with the same dignity, respect, and feedback we give humans.

Tatyana shares her journey from anthropology to Amazon, Salesforce, IDEO, and now Wayfound, where she’s building the world’s first AI supervisor platform: a manager for AI agents that ensures compliance, trust, and performance across the enterprise.

We dig into:

- Why cultural change - not technology - is the biggest barrier to AI adoption

- How ethnography helps predict what’s next in tech

- Why managing AI agents like employees could define the next era of business

- What a “multi-sapiens” future looks like when humans and AIs collaborate

- Where she sees AGI vs. ASI heading, and why supervision matters more than guardrails

👉 If you’re a SaaS founder, dev shop leader, or tech executive, this episode will shift how you think about AI, jobs, and organizational design.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: Why We Need to Rethink AI Agents

02:11 Tatyana’s Unconventional Path into Tech

06:57 Anthropology Meets Product Management

09:08 Founding Wayfound.ai: Supervising AI Agents

13:57 Guardrails vs. Guidelines: Building Trust in AI

17:23 Early Adoption in Finance, SaaS, and Services

24:30 Reorganizing Companies Around Human Skills

30:49 The AGI vs. ASI Debate

37:16 Building Institutions for a Multi-Sapiens Future

40:19 Why Culture Change is the Real Challenge

43:16 First Steps for Leaders Exploring AI Agents

Resources

🌐 Wayfound.ai: https://www.wayfound.ai

🔗 Connect with Tatyana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmamut

🚀 Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com

𝗞𝗲𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟯𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Ken Francis, CEO of Actuate, to explore how AI is transforming video surveillance from a cost-heavy, false-alarm-plagued system into a scalable, efficient security solution.

Ken shares lessons from his 35+ years in security and technology—starting from his military background to leading billion-dollar businesses and now driving AI adoption in commercial monitoring centers worldwide.

We dig into:

- Why false positive reduction is the hidden engine of scalable AI surveillance

- The role of cloud vs. private infrastructure in global security deployments

- How to strategically say “no” to opportunities that will sink a startup

- The market forces making AI monitoring one of the fastest-growing security segments today

If you’re scaling a SaaS company, dev shop, or enterprise solution, Ken’s perspective offers a blueprint on balancing product focus, channel strategy, and global expansion.

Chapters

00:00 Intro & The “No Koala AI” Story

04:20 From Military to Security Tech Leadership

08:00 Founding and Scaling in Competitive Markets

11:45 The Real AI Advantage: False Positive Reduction

15:26 LLMs and the Future of Surveillance AI

17:50 Gun Detection, Healthcare & Public Safety Use Cases

21:31 Cloud vs. Private Cloud in Security Infrastructure

23:56 Global Regulations & Data Privacy Challenges

25:46 Competing in a Crowded AI Security Market

29:01 Growth Levers & Global Expansion Strategy

30:59 Magic Wand: The Infrastructure Ken Wishes He Had

Resources

🔗 Actuate: https://www.actuate.ai

🔗 Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com

What happens when every regulatory change becomes an innovation opportunity?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Cody Pittman, CEO of Duett, to explore how his company is reshaping social care technology.

Duett helps social workers and care coordinators match seniors and people with disabilities to the right in-home care providers, digitizing a process that was once managed with phone calls, faxes, and spreadsheets.

Cody shares how his global journey, from teaching English in Chile to scaling a marketing agency in San Francisco, ultimately prepared him to lead Duett. Along the way, he reveals the bigger picture: why founders must treat policy changes as doors opening, not walls closing.

We dive into:

- Why healthcare marketplaces are so hard to scale

- The tension between efficiency and human-centered care

- How AI is being applied (and where it shouldn’t be) in healthcare

- Turning nonprofits into product advocates

- Why “stay-at-home” care is the future of U.S. healthcare policy

If you’re building SaaS or service platforms in complex industries, this episode is a blueprint for innovation, resilience, and impact.

Chapters

00:00 Policy Change as Opportunity

02:00 Cody’s Unlikely Path into Tech

06:00 From Startup Chile to San Francisco Marketing

10:00 Lessons from Serving Hundreds of Startups

20:00 What Duett Is & Who They Serve

24:00 Digitizing Referrals for Seniors & People with Disabilities

28:00 Challenges Scaling in Healthcare

31:00 AI in Healthcare: Liability & Limits

35:00 Navigating Policy Shifts

41:00 Duett’s Expansion Plans

Resources

🔗 Connect with Cody Pittman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcodypittman

🌐 Learn more about Duett: https://duett.com

🌐 Big North Marketing: https://BigNorthMarketing.com

What happens when a tech innovator with 40+ years in the industry applies AI to help mission-driven organizations work smarter, faster, and at scale?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Chris Hanson, Co-Founder of The Databank, to explore how a pioneering nonprofit SaaS company evolved from dial-up databases in the ’90s to AI-powered CRM bots today.

Chris shares how AI is unlocking efficiency for nonprofits: freeing up precious time and resources, improving data insights, and enabling faster, more impactful decisions. From early struggles in the dot-com era to bootstrapping a social mission-driven SaaS, this is a story of resilience, innovation, and staying ahead of technology curves.

Whether you’re a SaaS founder, software agency leader, or simply curious about AI’s role in creating real-world change, you’ll find valuable takeaways here.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Chris Hanson’s journey into tech and nonprofits

04:41 From marketing consultancy to The Databank

08:41 Building a social mission into a for-profit SaaS

10:42 Pivoting from fundraising software to hybrid SaaS solutions

11:48 How the Sierra Club shaped The Databank’s early innovation

14:20 Why AI is a perfect fit for nonprofit efficiency

16:45 Overcoming adoption hurdles with AI

19:21 The mindset that drives ongoing innovation

20:21 Comparing AI to past tech revolutions

22:37 How The Databank uses AI internally

23:22 Legacy and impact stories

25:54 The future of nonprofit tech in an AI-driven world

28:04 The pace of AI change and ongoing learning

29:01 Where to connect with The Databank

Resources:

🌐 The Databank – https://www.thedatabank.com

🌐 Big North Marketing – https://www.bignorthmarketing.com

What if the most valuable knowledge in your company isn’t in your documents, but in people’s heads?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, Yumi Kimura, CEO & Co-Founder of LEAD, shares how her AI-powered platform transforms Fortune 500 companies from siloed and inefficient to connected and collaborative.

From building Meitu Japan to tackling the “attention gap” in knowledge management, Yumi’s journey spans billion-user apps, billion-dollar IPOs, and deep research into organizational behavior. She explains why most companies mistake “information” for “knowledge,” the five pillars of true knowledge management, and how AI can make invisible expertise visible without invading privacy.

Whether you’re scaling a SaaS, running a dev shop, or leading a large enterprise, Yumi’s insights will change how you think about collaboration, culture, and the future of work.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro & Yumi’s Background

03:33 - Scaling Meitu in Japan & Global Expansion

07:25 - The Frustration That Led to Founding Lead

09:21 - The Five Pillars of Knowledge Management

11:17 - How LEAD’s Products Work in Slack & Teams

13:34 - The Role of PLG in Enterprise Sales

15:30 - Integration Examples with Fortune 500 Clients

20:59 - AI’s Real Role in Knowledge Flow

26:15 - Why Digital Transformation Fails Without Culture

32:20 - LEAD’s Go-To-Market & Growth Strategy

34:54 - The Magic Wand to Fix Market Education

37:21 - Where to Learn More

Resources:

Lead: https://www.lead.app

Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com

What does it take to build a tech consultancy that thrives for 20+ years while staying small, nimble, and deeply human?

In this episode, Emmy award-winning technologist and product strategist Ming Chan shares his journey from being yelled at by Steve Jobs, to launching The1stMovement, to navigating the promise and peril of AI.

Ming reveals why he intentionally limits his client base, how he’s kept enterprise partnerships for decades, and the moral questions every technologist should ask about AI’s role in society.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

- How early experiences with Apple shaped Ming’s vision for tech and creativity

- Why being a “lifestyle entrepreneur” can be a strategic choice

- The tolerance-of-risk gap between startups and enterprises when adopting AI

- Practical ways agencies can use AI to boost velocity without sacrificing quality

- How to build client relationships that last decades

Chapters

00:00 - The Morality and Perception of AI

01:54 - From Music to Tech: Ming’s Origin Story

04:53 - Getting Yelled at by Steve Jobs

08:17 - The1stMovement’s Mission and Evolution

10:49 - Client Base and Team Size Strategy

15:45 - Why Stay Small? The Lifestyle Entrepreneur Approach

17:15 - AI Adoption in Enterprises vs Startups

21:39 - Using AI for Speed and Efficiency

23:22 - Startup Clients and the Reality of MVPs

25:55 - Growing vs Staying the Course

28:42 - Building Without Outside Funding

31:54 - The One Piece of Advice to His Younger Self

Resources

The1stMovement: https://the1stmovement.com/

Connect with Ming Chan: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mingchan/

Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com/

What happens when a surfer-turned-startup-CEO tackles one of the world’s most entrenched supply chain problems?

In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Kathleen Egan, CEO of ecomedes, to explore how sustainability, SaaS, and systems thinking converge to reshape how commercial buildings are designed, sourced, and built.

Kathleen shares how ecomedes is streamlining the procurement and specification of green building products, helping everyone from sales reps to federal agencies save time, reduce emissions, and cut costs. Along the way, we dive into the future of AI in sustainability, startup bottlenecks, and why spreadsheets are killing collaboration.

If you’ve ever wondered what product-market fit looks like for early adopters of sustainability or how to scale without breaking the bank, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Chapters

00:00 – The Plastic Problem and Surf-Inspired Sustainability

04:28 – Building a Business Around Eco Data

08:34 – How ecomedes Works for Builders and Manufacturers

13:18 – AI in Construction Tech: Where It Works, Where It Doesn’t

18:00 – Collaboration Features and the Death of the Spreadsheet

21:54 – Why Adoption is Slower Than It Should Be

26:12 – Bottlenecks: Full-Stack Engineers and Long Sales Cycles

30:42 – What Comes After Early Adopters

32:00 – Magic Wand: Cloning Engineers and Building Virality

Resources

Learn more about ecomedes: https://www.ecomedes.com/

Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com/