Tech Can't Save Us

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by John Fontein, co-founder of Sesame, a healthcare marketplace making quality medical care affordable and accessible for everyone.


They explore how Sesame’s direct-pay model enables patients to book medical services, ranging from primary care visits to specialist procedures, at transparent, upfront cash prices that are often 60% lower than traditional healthcare costs. John shares how the platform has already helped over a million patients save more than $50 million, and how competition on Sesame has driven prices down nationwide.


The conversation dives into Sesame’s innovative partnerships, including an exclusive Costco deal offering $29 virtual visits, as well as the company’s expansion into employer programs through Sesame @ Work. John also reflects on his unconventional journey from music production and finance to health tech founder, and the personal experiences that motivated him to tackle healthcare accessibility.

Find more about Sesame here: https://sesamecare.com/
Follow John Fontein here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfontein/

This week on Tech Can’t Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Dr. Joel Braunstein, co-founder, CEO, and president of C2N Diagnostics, a pioneering biotech company transforming the way we diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

They explore how C2N is advancing blood-based diagnostic tools, most notably the Precivity AD test that delivers accuracy comparable to PET scans and spinal taps, but in a simpler, less invasive format. Joel shares how these innovations are reducing misdiagnosis rates, empowering clinicians, and providing families with clarity during some of their most difficult moments.

Joel reflects on his journey from cardiologist at Johns Hopkins to biotech founder, the curiosity and persistence that drive his work, and the importance of balancing rapid innovation with clinical rigor. He also shares personal insights, quickfire takes on tech innovation, and the philosophies that keep him grounded.

Find more about C2N Diagnostics here: https://www.c2n.com
Follow Dr.Braustein: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-braunstein-md-9456611/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Sar Ruddenklau, Founder of Cursive Media, a strategic communications agency that works specifically with underrepresented B2B founders and C-suite executives to transform them into influential thought leaders.

They discuss how the executive branding landscape has shifted, and why showing up as an authentic human voice has become more crucial. Saar explains the specific challenges facing underrepresented founders, including the confidence gap that holds back talented executives who don't realise the value of their expertise.

The conversation covers Saar's journalistic approach to content creation, her strategy of deliberately keeping Cursive small to maintain hands-on relationships with clients, and how she helps founders build credibility. 

Saar shares insights from her work across healthtech and fintech, her background moving from Australia to the US, and much more!

Find more about Cursive Media here:https://www.cursive.media/ 

Follow Sar here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarruddenklau/ 

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Shawna Young, CEO of Camelback Ventures, a New Orleans-based organization that invests in entrepreneurs of color and women building social impact ventures.

They discuss how Camelback is tackling one of entrepreneurship's biggest challenges: while genius is equally distributed, opportunity definitely isn't. Since 2015, the organization has invested over $9 million in more than 200 entrepreneurs, primarily from under-resourced communities, providing not just capital but executive coaching and access to mission-driven networks through their Fellowship program.

With applications now open for their 2026 Fellowship, Shawna explains how they're evolving their 16-week hybrid program to meet entrepreneurs where they are in today's challenging funding environment.

The conversation also covers the concrete barriers that underinvested entrepreneurs face, from starting ventures on credit card debt to competing against better-funded competitors, and how Camelback's approach differs from traditional accelerators.

Learn more about Camelback Ventures and the 2026 Fellowship application process here: https://www.camelbackventures.org/ 

Follow Shawna Young here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/youngshawna/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Tom Rudnai, Founder and CEO of Demand-Genius.

Tom discusses why 75% of buyers are now avoiding sales reps and how most top-of-funnel content has started reading like a sales pitch. They explore the biggest misconceptions content teams make when trying to prove their value, and how the shift toward AI overviews in search has pushed companies to focus on bottom-of-funnel terms.

The conversation covers how Demand-Genius tracks exactly how sales teams use content and its influence on pipeline and revenue. 

Find more about Demand-Genius here: https://www.demand-genius.com/

Follow Tom Rudnai here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-rudnai-0539b6151/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Justine Palefsky, co-founder and CEO of Kindred, a members-only home exchange community that's transforming how we think about travel and accommodation.

They discuss how Kindred has grown to include over 130,000 homes across more than 100 cities since launching in 2021, and why home swapping is experiencing a renaissance in our post-pandemic world. 

The conversation covers the evolution of home exchange programs, how Kindred builds trust between strangers swapping homes, and the role technology plays in scaling their vetting process.

Find more about Kindred here: https://livekindred.com/

Follow Justine Palefsky here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justine-palefsky

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Heidi Kujawa, Founder and CEO of ByFusion, a manufacturing company that's turning plastic waste into high-performing building materials called ByBlocks.

They discuss the staggering scale of the plastic waste crisis, with less than 9% of plastic getting recycled annually, and how traditional recycling methods have failed to address this growing problem. Heidi walks through the process of converting mixed plastic waste into durable building blocks and covers how ByBlocks compares to traditional materials like concrete in terms of performance and environmental impact. 

Find more about ByFusion here: https://www.byfusion.com/ 

Follow Heidi Kujawa here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidikujawa/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Chloe Coleman, Co-Founder & CEO of Vouchsafe, an inclusive identity verification platform tackling the global challenge of ID poverty through innovative approaches like biometric vouching.

They discuss the staggering reality that 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to proper identification, including 11 million people in the UK who don't have a passport or driving licence. Chloe explains how this creates barriers to essential services like banking, healthcare, and housing, and why the increasing digitisation of services has made the problem even more acute.

Find more about Vouchsafe here: https://www.vouchsafe.id/ 

Follow Chloe Coleman here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-coleman/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Amanda Bickerstaff, Founder and CEO of AI for Education. 

They discuss how Amanda is helping bridge the growing divide between schools that are embracing AI and those that are restricting it entirely.

Amanda, a former high school biology teacher, shares her journey from the classroom to founding a company that has partnered with more than 150 academic institutions since April 2023. The conversation explores common misconceptions about AI in education and Amanda's hands-on approach to AI literacy training.

They also cover Amanda's ambitious goal of supporting 1 million educators and the challenges of scaling from a first workshop to training thousands weekly.

Find more about AI for Education here: https://www.aiforeducation.io/

 Follow Amanda Bickerstaff here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-bickerstaff-edu/

This week on Tech Can't Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Matej Svancer, Founder & CEO of Openvibe, a platform that's bringing together the fragmented world of decentralised social media into one unified experience.

They discuss how Openvibe connects platforms like Mastodon, BlueSky, Threads, and Nostr, allowing users to manage all their social networks from a single app. Matej explains why decentralisation is becoming crucial as people wake up to the risks of centralised platforms, from algorithm manipulation to content suppression.

The conversation covers Openvibe's impressive growth to 80,000 downloads, the challenges of making complex decentralised tech accessible to everyday users, and how the company is using its recent $800,000 funding round to expand. 

Find more about Openvibe here: https://openvibe.social/ 

Follow Matej here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/matej-svancer-399b2012b/