Tech Scenes with Jeff James Martin

“Your job is chief storyteller.” — Jamie GullJamie Gull is the founder of Wave Function, an early-stage hardware fund investing in aerospace, defense, energy, robotics, and industrials.An aerospace engineer turned founder and investor, Jamie brings firsthand experience building technology, leading teams, and navigating the realities of starting companies. In this episode of Tech Scenes Los Angeles, Jamie joins Jeff Martin to explore how those experiences shape the founders he backs—and why compelling technology is only part of building a successful business.Jamie shares lessons from his years at SpaceX, where removing barriers, resolving problems directly, and taking responsibility for outcomes were central to how teams worked. He and Jeff discuss the relationship between ownership and authority, why fast communication matters, and the challenge of creating that culture inside a startup.The conversation follows Jamie’s transition from engineer to CEO, including why storytelling becomes a founder’s core responsibility when recruiting employees, raising capital, and winning customers. Jamie also reflects on his development as an investor and the risk of falling in love with technology while overlooking concerns about the founding team.Looking ahead, Jamie explains why he sees opportunity in overlooked industrial processes, energy infrastructure, domestic manufacturing, and the evolving space economy. His ambition includes technologies that make everyday life more reliable—often without people ever noticing the infrastructure behind them.This is a candid conversation about hardware investing, founder leadership, accountability, organizational execution, and what it takes to build companies that deliver.CHAPTERS00:00 Episode preview01:13 Welcome to Tech Scenes Los Angeles01:17 Wave Function and why now is the time for hardware03:25 The story behind the Wave Function name04:00 Airplanes, childhood experiments, and becoming a builder05:57 From aircraft prototyping to SpaceX09:19 Cross-functional decisions and engineering tradeoffs10:37 Ownership, accountability, and the responsible engineer12:00 Leaving SpaceX to become a founder13:18 Building Tendeg and Talyn14:36 From engineer to CEO—and chief storyteller16:13 Communication loops, learning speed, and execution17:44 Why high-performance cultures are difficult to replicate18:30 Empowering teams while maintaining accountability21:19 Attracting high-performing talent with limited capital23:57 Family, flexibility, and founder leadership24:42 Evaluating founders and their ability to execute26:57 The risk of falling in love with the technology28:29 Overlooked opportunities in industrial innovation29:14 Supply chains, energy, and rethinking production32:26 Why energy interconnection matters32:55 SpaceX’s evolution and opportunities for entrepreneurs35:18 The future Jamie hopes his founders will build36:53 Jamie’s desert-island albumLEARN MORE ABOUT JAMIE GULL

Connect with Jamie Gull on LinkedIn

Jeff James Martin is the Founder and CEO of Collective Genius, creator of the Peak Operating System™, author of Peak Teams, and host of Tech Scenes. He helps founders and leadership teams improve alignment, accountability, and execution.

Peak OS™ helps organizations connect priorities, decisions, accountability, and operating rhythm so teams can execute together.

Explore Peak OS™ software

Collective Genius works with growth-stage and mission-critical organizations to strengthen leadership, team alignment, and organizational execution.

Learn more about Collective Genius

Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies explores the habits and practices behind teams that execute consistently.

Explore the book

Take the Peak Teams Assessment to identify opportunities to strengthen your team.

About the AuthorAbout Peak OS™About Collective GeniusAbout Peak TeamsLearn More

“If you’re going to take a company from zero to multibillions of dollars in enterprise value, it takes an exceptional human.” - Greg Castle

Greg Castle is the Managing Partner of Anorak Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in transformational technology. An entrepreneur and corporate marketer turned venture capitalist, Greg has made more than 200 seed-stage investments, including Oculus, Flexport, Anduril, Flock Safety, Sesame, Onebrief, and Mux.

In this episode of Tech Scenes, Greg shares how meeting Palmer Luckey and investing early in Oculus changed the trajectory of his career—and shaped his conviction that the most compelling founders build technologies capable of fundamentally changing how people live and work.

Greg and Jeff explore what makes an exceptional founder, why scaling a company is a learned craft, and how the best leaders create learning loops throughout their organizations. They also discuss the emotional demands of entrepreneurship, the balance between confidence and arrogance, and why founders need environments where they can honestly confront what is not working.

The conversation then turns to the next wave of frontier technology. Greg explains why he is increasingly focused on reindustrialization and upstream manufacturing—including magnets, metals, chemicals, semiconductors, batteries, and other foundational materials. He also shares why he is more bullish on specialized robotics than humanoid robots and the three qualities he looks for when evaluating a CEO.

This is a candid conversation about venture capital, frontier technology, founder psychology, organizational execution, and the discipline required to build an outlier company.

CHAPTERS

00:00 What it takes to build an exceptional company

01:15 Welcome to Tech Scenes

01:20 The story behind Anorak Ventures

02:51 How Greg became an early investor in Oculus

05:20 How Oculus shaped Greg’s investment thesis

07:10 Defining frontier technology

09:01 Timing and founders who bend reality

11:09 Why scaling a company is a learned craft

13:08 Jiu-jitsu, humility, and organizational learning loops

18:56 Creating teams that confront what is not working

20:52 The emotional context switching required of founders

23:20 Confidence, arrogance, and the challenge of investor advice

28:26 Reindustrialization and upstream manufacturing

31:35 Investing in magnets, metals, chemicals, and semiconductors

33:43 Why Greg is skeptical of humanoid robots

36:46 Investing when the future is increasingly difficult to predict

40:01 The three qualities Greg looks for in a CEO

40:21 The best advice Greg has received

43:00 Greg’s desert-island album

LEARN MORE ABOUT GREG CASTLE AND ANORAK VENTURES

Anorak Ventures

https://www.anorak.vc/

ABOUT TECH SCENES

Tech Scenes brings viewers inside the communities shaping the future through candid conversations with founders, investors, CEOs, and operators about innovation, leadership, growth, and the realities of building something that matters.

Hosted by Jeff James Martin, Founder and CEO of Collective Genius, creator of the Peak Operating System™, and author of Peak Teams.

BUILD AN ORGANIZATION THAT EXECUTES TOGETHER

Collective Genius helps growth-stage and mission-critical organizations improve alignment, visibility, accountability, decision-making, and execution through the Peak Operating System™.

Learn more about Collective Genius and Peak OS™

https://www.collective-genius.com/

Explore Peak OS™ software

https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-os-software

Got five minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up.

https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

Read Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies

https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

#TechScenes #GregCastle #AnorakVentures #FrontierTech #VentureCapital #Startups #Reindustrialization #Manufacturing #Robotics #Leadership

“The tragedy helped me become as clear as I’ve ever been about what matters.” - Brian Garrett

Brian Garrett is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Crosscut, one of Los Angeles’ longest-standing early-stage venture capital firms. In this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin joins Brian for a drive through Pacific Palisades—past the neighborhood where Brian grew up, the home his family lost in the fire, and the community he is now helping rebuild.

The conversation explores two forms of rebuilding: restoring a community after devastating loss and reinventing a venture firm for the next era of innovation.

Brian shares how Crosscut evolved from its original mission of catalyzing Southern California’s technology ecosystem into a frontier-tech investment firm focused on energy and power, space and defense, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, robotics, and resilient supply chains.

He explains why the next wave of value creation will be driven by “AI-powered, bits-enabled atoms,” why Southern California is uniquely positioned to lead it, and what distinguishes the deeply mission-driven founders building mission-critical companies.

Brian also shares the personal story of losing his family home in the Palisades fire, the realities residents face as they attempt to return, and his vision for Palisades Towne Hall—a nonprofit community gathering place designed to help residents reconnect, recover, and rebuild together.

This is a conversation about frontier technology, resilience, community, leadership, and the clarity that can emerge from unimaginable loss.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Episode preview
01:47 Touring the Palisades after the fire
02:52 How Crosscut began in 2008
04:29 Why Brian went all-in on frontier technology
06:14 From software to “AI-driven, bits-enabled atoms”
07:17 Insurance and the difficult road to rebuilding
08:49 Brian’s roots in Pacific Palisades
11:23 The vision for Palisades Towne Hall
16:04 Displacement and the loss of community services
18:24 Can frontier technology help prevent the next wildfire?
19:53 Reinventing Crosscut around frontier tech
22:30 Directed energy, autonomous warfare, and energy security
25:15 What makes frontier-tech founders different
27:19 Mission-critical companies and the risks of rebuilding
33:44 The day Brian and his family lost their home
37:05 Resilience, family, and redefining what matters
40:09 Community, clarity, and learning to ask for help

LEARN MORE ABOUT BRIAN AND CROSSCUT

Brian Garrett and the Crosscut team: https://crosscut.vc/team/

Crosscut: https://crosscut.vc/

SUPPORT PALISADES TOWNE HALL

Help create a nonprofit gathering place where Palisades residents can reconnect, share resources, and rebuild together. One hundred percent of operating profits will support local nonprofits rebuilding the 90272 community.

https://www.pledge.to/towne-hall](https://www.pledge.to/towne-hall

ABOUT TECH SCENES

Tech Scenes brings viewers inside the communities shaping the future through candid conversations with founders, investors, CEOs, and operators about innovation, leadership, growth, and the realities of building something that matters.

Hosted by Jeff James Martin, Founder and CEO of Collective Genius, creator of Peak OS™, and author of Peak Teams.

BUILD AN ORGANIZATION THAT EXECUTES TOGETHER

Collective Genius helps growth-stage and mission-critical organizations improve alignment, visibility, accountability, decision-making, and execution through the Peak Operating System™.

Learn more about Collective Genius and Peak OS™ https://www.collective-genius.com/

Explore Peak OS™ software https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-os-software

Read Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu](https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

Related Collective Genius Insights Articles:

https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/why-frontier-tech-companies-need-a-mission-critical-operating-system-brian-garre

What does it really take to build, scale, and lead technology companies that last?

In this episode of Tech Scenes, we go inside Enterprise Rising for a fast-moving conversation with founders, operators, investors, and serial entrepreneurs shaping the future of Midwest tech, enterprise SaaS, sports technology, recruiting, workflow automation, edtech, digital platforms, and startup execution.

Live from Enterprise Rising, this conversation captures the energy of the Midwest startup ecosystem and the builders who are helping move it forward. The episode covers what it takes to find the real constraint in a business, build technology for industries that need it, lead through growth, improve how teams work, and create companies with the discipline to execute.

This episode features: Andre “Dre” Creighton, Dick Polipnick, Doug Berg, Joe Keeley, John Sundberg, Jon Maichel Thomas, Michael Gorman, Scott Burns, and Mark Lacek

Chapters:

00:00 — Opening hook: focus on the real constraint

00:34 — Tech Scenes at Enterprise Rising

01:06 — Andre “Dre” Creighton: finance, operations, and founder perspective

01:15 — Dick Polipnick: GoRout and sports technology adoption

01:21 — Doug Berg: Match2, recruiting, and helping people find the right fit

01:32 — John Sundberg: Kinetic Data and enterprise workflow

01:55 — Jon Maichel Thomas: MadeDaily, UX, design, and secure digital platforms

02:10 — Michael Gorman: Cascade Reading, edtech, and investing

02:24 — Scott Burns: investing, entrepreneurship, and pattern recognition

02:54 — Mark Lacek: serial entrepreneurship and builder perspective

03:30 — Why old industries need better technology

04:28 — Enterprise software, workflow, and solving real customer pain

05:10 — Design, trust, security, and digital product experience

06:01 — Founder finance, constraints, and scaling choices

06:51 — Talent technology, recruiting, and the candidate experience

07:33 — Joe Keeley on coaching, leadership, and the human side of entrepreneurship

08:26 — Building durable products and earning user trust

09:42 — Investor and operator lessons on focus and execution

11:28 — Hard-earned founder lessons from scaling companies

12:25 — AI, recruiting, workflow, edtech, and real-world adoption

13:09 — Coaching, leadership, and company-building

14:05 — Reading technology, education, and thoughtful investing

14:45 — Startup pattern recognition and practical execution

15:53 — Final founder reflections from the room

18:26 — Closing thoughts on execution, conviction, and Midwest momentum

19:19 — Outro

Topics include:

Startup execution

Founder leadership

Enterprise SaaS

Midwest technology companies

Sports technology

Recruiting and talent technology

Workflow automation

Venture investing

Product focus

Leadership alignment

Operating rhythm

Team execution

Scaling growth companies

The Minneapolis, St. Paul, Twin Cities, and Midwest startup ecosystem

At Collective Genius™, we help CEOs build organizations that execute together through the Peak Operating System™ — aligning people, priorities, metrics, and operating rhythms so growth teams can move faster with clarity and focus.

Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies: https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™: https://www.collective-genius.com/

Explore Collective Genius™ insights on leadership, execution, scaling teams, operating rhythm, and organizational alignment: https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/

Insights Article

Why Growth Companies Need Operating Discipline Before They Scale - https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-operating-discipline-before-they-scale-mrc6dala

Subscribe to Tech Scenes for conversations with founders, CEOs, investors, operators, and builders shaping the future of technology, leadership, and growth.

“Recycling internally by complaining is a blind spot.” - Brian Wang

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Brian Wang, a former venture-backed CEO turned executive coach who helps founders evolve into high-performance leaders.

Brian brings a rare combination of operator experience and deep coaching expertise, having led companies himself and coached over 50 CEOs through the complexities of scaling. His focus is simple but powerful: helping leaders shift their mindset and behaviors to reduce friction, improve decision-making, and create teams that operate with clarity and alignment.

The conversation explores the critical transition from builder to leader, the importance of systemic coaching and feedback loops, and how founders can identify blind spots that quietly limit their effectiveness. Brian also shares practical frameworks for reducing team chaos, improving communication, and creating environments where teams can perform at a high level with less stress and more confidence.

They also dive into how AI is reshaping team dynamics, accelerating workflows, and increasing the need for strong leadership systems — not replacing them.

Chapters:

00:00 The Importance of Difficult Conversations

01:06 Transitioning from Founder to Leader

03:02 The Role of Coaching in Leadership

06:40 The Need for Support Systems

08:08 Feedback and Learning Loops

11:22 Key Behaviors of High-Performing Teams

17:16 Identifying Blind Spots in Leadership

24:09 Aligning Team Goals and Revenue Expectations

26:26 The Importance of Context in Conversations

28:43 Creating a Safe Space for Open Dialogue

30:33 The Role of Technology in Team Dynamics

34:18 Navigating AI and Autonomous Workflows

41:17 The Intersection of Leadership and Jiu-Jitsu

Watch now to learn how founders can lead with more clarity, reduce internal friction, and build teams that actually perform — especially as AI accelerates the pace of work.

Collective Genius Insights Article:

Why Leadership Blind Spots Become Organizational Constraints

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-brian-wang

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Founders #Startups #TeamAlignment #AI #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

“What if we could read every piece of customer feedback, every single day?”

In this episode of Tech Scenes Santa Barbara, Jeff Martin sits down with Ryan Millner, Co-founder & CEO of Unwrap, to explore how AI is transforming how companies truly understand their customers.

Ryan’s journey spans early startup experience at Graphiq (acquired by Amazon) and years at Amazon helping scale Alexa’s intelligence systems — giving him firsthand insight into the power and limitations of natural language processing. That experience led to a simple but powerful idea: companies struggle to understand customer feedback at scale — what if AI could solve that?

Unwrap was built to do exactly that.

The platform ingests massive volumes of customer feedback — from support tickets, calls, surveys, and social channels — and turns it into clear, actionable insights for product, engineering, support, and executive teams. Companies like DoorDash, Stripe, and Southwest Airlines use Unwrap to stay in sync with what their customers are actually experiencing.

The conversation dives into the rise of AI-native products, the acceleration of learning loops inside organizations, and the growing gap between those building with AI and those unaware of its capabilities. Ryan also shares insights on pricing, moving upmarket, and why the bar for product excellence is rising faster than ever.

They also explore the realities of building in AI — from guardrails and data privacy to deciding when to build vs. buy — and why focusing on core competency is more important than ever in an AI-driven world.

Chapters

00:00 The Rise of AI and Customer Understanding

01:28 What Unwrap Does and Why It Matters

04:40 The Evolution of AI Interfaces and Chat

07:48 Guardrails, Data Privacy, and Enterprise Complexity

10:43 Founder Journey and the Idea Behind Unwrap

13:20 Learning Loops in the Age of AI

15:16 Why This AI Moment Is Different

17:31 Build vs Buy in an AI World

20:19 What People Still Don’t Understand About AI

26:19 Startup Lessons: Pricing and Moving Upmarket

28:37 AI Coding and the Future of Product Development

29:29 The Ever-Rising Bar for Product Excellence

Collective Genius Articles:

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-faster-organizational-learning-loops-mq8ltb1i

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-solve-problems-they-have-lived-mq8lbc8t

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-santa-barbara-with-ryan-millner-ceo-and-cofounder-of-unwrap

Watch now to understand how AI is reshaping the feedback loop between companies and customers — and why the teams that learn fastest will win.

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #UnwrapAI #AI #CustomerExperience #ProductDevelopment #Startups #Leadership #NLP #Innovation #PeakTeams

“Start deep and narrow.” - Casey Allen

In this episode of Tech Scenes Malibu, Jeff Martin sits down with Casey Allen, founder of Enterprise Rising, to talk about grit, failure, and building the Midwest startup ecosystem from the ground up.

Casey’s journey didn’t start with privilege. Raised by a single mom and determined to create opportunity, he became an entrepreneur out of necessity — launching his first company at 18. He went on to start four more profitable companies, but without major exits. His reflection? Early success without mentors left him stuck below the $1M revenue ceiling.

Now, he’s committed to changing that for the next generation of founders.

The conversation dives into the rise of Midwest SaaS, the launch of Enterprise Rising as a focused room for enterprise tech founders, and why community matters more than hype. They explore the impact of AI on entrepreneurship, the increasing importance of unit economics, and why founders must raise their bar for metrics and discipline in today’s funding environment.

Casey also shares candid lessons on failure, ego, and what it really takes to build something meaningful outside Silicon Valley — emphasizing that the future of innovation isn’t coastal, it’s distributed.

Chapters:

00:00 The Midwest Startup Landscape

02:09 Enterprise Rising Conference: A Celebration of SaaS

04:50 The Impact of AI on Entrepreneurship

09:05 Unit Economics and the New Funding Landscape

11:48 The Importance of Metrics in Startups

16:16 Embracing Failure in Entrepreneurship

19:46 The Journey of a Founder

27:02 Creating Community for Entrepreneurs

32:29 The Art of Hosting Meaningful Events

Watch now to hear why the Midwest startup ecosystem may be one of the most underrated forces in tech — and what founders must master to thrive in today’s environment.

Collective Genius Articles:

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-systems-that-scale-beyond-the-founder-mq8lwu6y

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-malibu-canyon-with-casey-allen-of-enterprise-rising

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies

👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ Software

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #EnterpriseRising #MidwestStartups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #FounderJourney #StartupMetrics #CommunityBuilding #AI #PeakTeams

“Leadership isn’t about having fewer fears — it’s about learning how to lead with them.” - Peter Brack

In this episode of Tech Scenes Beverly Hills, Jeff Martin sits down with Peter Brack, a trusted executive coach to some of the world’s most accomplished founders and CEOs.

Peter works with high-performing leaders backed by firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator, helping them build enduring companies while navigating the internal and external complexity that comes with growth. His career spans the full arc of company-building — from launching CNN and Turner Broadcasting in Asia at Time Warner, to serving as President of Time Inc. Asia Pacific, to co-founding and leading two companies through IPOs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Now, as a credentialed executive coach (ICF), Coaching Fellow at the Institute of Coaching, and co-founder of an early-stage venture firm and startup studio, Peter brings rare perspective into what truly shapes great leadership over time.

The conversation explores fear, confidence, and decision-making at the highest levels, the methodologies behind effective coaching, and how founders and CEOs can scale themselves alongside their organizations. They also dive into team dynamics, organizational growth, and why the inner work of leadership becomes more—not less—important as companies grow.

Chapters

00:00 Leadership at the Highest Levels

04:12 The Role of Fear in Leadership

09:03 Confidence vs Certainty

14:27 Founder and CEO Dynamics

20:41 Coaching Methodologies That Work

27:18 Scaling the Leader as the Company Scales

33:56 Team Dynamics and Organizational Growth

41:02 Decision-Making in Complexity

48:15 Preparing for the Next Chapter

Watch now to hear how elite founders and CEOs think about leadership beneath the surface — and what it really takes to build companies that endure.

Collective Genius Articles:

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-leaders-create-space-between-fear-and-decision-making-mq8m1evs

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-ceos-treat-leadership-as-a-craft-mq8mf3ka

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-founders-struggle-to-become-ceos-mq8mj597

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-beverly-hills-with-peter-brack

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #CEOLife #Founders #TeamDynamics #BusinessStrategy #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

“Always be transaction ready.” - Cody BarboIn this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin sits down with Cody Barbo, Founder & CEO of Trust & Will, to explore how WealthTech, AI, and thoughtful design are reshaping one of the most overlooked — and most important — areas of financial life: estate planning.Cody shares the journey of building Trust & Will from the ground up, modernizing an industry that historically felt complex, expensive, and inaccessible. Since launching in 2017, Trust & Will has helped more than 1 million Americans start their estate plans, raised $83M+ in capital, completed the first electronic will in history, and partnered with institutions like AARP, UBS, Fifth Third Bank, Northwestern Mutual, and more.The conversation dives into the evolution of WealthTech, what it means to be AI-first in a highly regulated industry, and how Trust & Will’s newest platform, EstateOS™, is redefining how families and professionals plan, manage, and preserve legacies. Cody also reflects on scaling teams, staying transaction-ready as a startup, and balancing leadership, growth, and family as a founder and dad of two.Chapters00:00 The Evolution of WealthTech and AI Integration06:35 The Journey of Trust & Will: Founding Story13:28 Building a Digital Estate Planning Platform19:31 Scaling Operations and Team Dynamics35:07 Navigating Growth and Future Aspirations47:40 Personal Reflections and Future DirectionsWatch now to hear how Cody is transforming estate planning into a modern pillar of financial care — and why AI, trust, and experience design matter more than ever in building enduring companies.

Collective Genius Articles:

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-eventually-outgrow-founder-bandwidth-mq8n61u7

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-reinvent-their-companies-before-they-have-to-mq8n9nq1

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-ai-is-forcing-growth-companies-to-rethink-their-operating-systems-mq8nczad

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-cody-bardo-ceo-and-co-founder-of-trust-will

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessmentMusic by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com#TechScenes #TrustAndWill #WealthTech #AI #EstatePlanning #StartupJourney #Leadership #FounderStories #DigitalTransformation #PeakTeams

“Execution is everything in startups.” - Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals and a longtime leader in venture banking and lending.

Before becoming an author, Marshall spent more than two decades in venture banking, including sixteen years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he held nine different roles across three countries. Most recently, he led SVB’s Relationship Management organization in Northern California and oversaw the bank’s in-house private credit team, the Strategic Capital Group. Over his career, Marshall has worked closely with hundreds of startups — including Airbnb, Twitch, Fitbit, Planet Labs, Tubemogul, and Egnyte — giving him a rare, front-row view into how founders use (and sometimes misuse) venture debt.

The conversation dives deep into the mechanics of venture debt, how banks actually think about underwriting risk, and why venture debt can be a powerful — but often misunderstood — tool for extending runway and minimizing dilution. Marshall also shares candid insights on team dynamics, execution, and how the venture lending landscape has evolved in the wake of SVB’s collapse.

They explore what great lenders look for, how founders should evaluate financing options, and why building strong relationships with capital partners is just as important as raising the money itself.

Chapters:

00:00 The Role of Banks in Venture Debt

01:34 Introduction to Venture Debt Deals

04:03 The Journey to Authorship

09:07 History and Evolution of Venture Lending

12:22 Understanding Venture Debt

17:49 The Underwriting Process in Venture Debt

21:44 When to Use Venture Debt

25:19 Evaluating Team Dynamics

29:33 The Importance of Team Functionality

36:31 Case Study: Airbnb’s Success

46:03 The Impact of SVB’s Failure

51:26 Conclusion and Book Release

Watch now to understand how venture debt really works, what founders often get wrong about it, and how the best teams use capital as a strategic advantage — not a crutch.

Collective Genius Insights Articles:
https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-build-relationships-before-they-need-capital-mq8ngbsj

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-capital-doesn-t-fix-execution-problems-mq8nj8yu

https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-organizational-systems-matter-more-as-companies-scale-mq8nmt9e

https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-marshall-hawks-author-of-venture-debt-deals

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies

👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up

👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

#TechScenes #VentureDebt #Startups #Financing #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #SVB #Leadership #TeamDynamics #PeakTeams