The Pair Program

CTO Wisdom with Joel Schlundt | Beyond the Program

Welcome to CTO Wisdom. In this series, we interview technical leaders who have stepped into executive positions.

Today’s guest host, Eric Brooke, speaks with Joel Schlundt, CTO at TextUs, a business texting software.

In today’s episode, they discuss some of the key learnings from Joel’s career journey to becoming a CTO:

• Giving your managers room and space to take risks and be there to support them as they need it
• Creating empathy between you and your other partners throughout the business, to create strong business value
• Being a force multiplier for all parts of the business not just Engineering and Product
• Balancing the needs of product delivery, platform, and people

About today’s host: Eric Brooke has a rich and varied leadership career - leading up to 21,000 people and Billions in revenue, throughout 14 countries. In their career, they have been an Executive six times (e.g. President, CEO, CMO, and CTO) and a Board member of multiple organizations. Eric has been a CTO of scaling startups from 0 to 120 engineers. As an adviser and mentor, they have helped multiple other startups scale both in Canada and the US. As well as supporting multiple startup incubators such as 1871 in Chicago and TechStars.

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How We Hatched: Cam Doody, Co-Founder and General Partner at Brickyard

Dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Cam Doody, Co-founder and General Partner at Brickyard, in this episode of "How We Hatched."

Host Tim Winkler delves deep into Cam's experiences during the financial crisis of 2009, which sparked his entrepreneurial spirit. Cam shares insights into his first startup venture, Bellhop, a tech-powered moving & relocation company that has since raised over $100 million in venture capital and facilitated the relocation of over 350,000 U.S. households.

The conversation extends to Cam's founding of Brickyard, a groundbreaking venture fund and residency program emphasizing radical focus. Operating at the pre-seed/seed stage, Brickyard offers a supportive community and workspace in Chattanooga, TN, guiding founders to Series A. Cam and Tim explore the challenges within the venture capital landscape and Brickyard's mission to address these issues while nurturing a diverse portfolio of startups.

Check out Brickyard: https://www.justlaybrick.com/

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CTO Wisdom with Asanka Jayasuriya | Beyond the Program

Welcome to CTO Wisdom. In this series, we interview technical leaders who have stepped into executive positions.

Today’s guest host, Eric Brooke, speaks with Asanka Jayasuriya, CTO at 8VC, where he works on their Build program, which incubates several new companies a year. In today’s episode, they discuss:

• Asanka’s career journey through big and medium tech
• Setting others up for success
• The importance of Developing Leaders and ideas (and how to do this!)
• The transition when your peers become stakeholders at the Executive level (and how to manage through the transition)
• The difference of a Private vs. Public board and its impact on technology
• What it’s like to be a portfolio CTO role

About today’s guest: As CTO at 8VC, Asanka Jayasuriya helps startups with product and engineering strategy, particularly as they scale. He also works extensively on 8VCs Build program that incubates several new companies a year. A software engineer by training, Asanka has nearly 25 years of experience building products across enterprise saas, e-commerce, collaboration software, and security products. He's worked for industry leading companies like Oracle, Amazon, Atlassian and SailPoint.

About today’s host: Eric Brooke has a rich and varied leadership career - leading up to 21,000 people and Billions in revenue, throughout 14 countries. In their career, they have been an Executive six times (e.g. President, CEO, CMO, and CTO) and a Board member of multiple organisations. Eric has been a CTO of scaling startups from 0 to 120 engineers. As an adviser and mentor, they have helped multiple other startups scale both in Canada and the US. As well as supporting multiple startup incubators such as 1871 in Chicago and TechStars.

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Beyond Venture Capital: The Bootstrapper's Blueprint | The Pair Program Ep38

Join us for an exciting episode as we dive deep into the world of bootstrapped startups with guests Rand Fishkin, Co-founder of SparkToro & Snackbar Studio, and Liam Martin, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Time Doctor.

These two remarkable founders share their firsthand experiences, insights, and secrets to success in the world of bootstrapping.

They Discuss:

• What inspired them to choose the bootstrapping approach.
• The unique challenges and journey of bootstrapping a business.
• The fascinating stories behind the founding of their respective companies.
• Why the venture capital model isn't the right fit for every startup, despite common beliefs.
• Financial management and lean strategies during the early phases of their startups.
• How bootstrapping significantly improved their long-term financial standing.
• And much more!

About Rand Fishkin: Cofounder of SparkToro & Snackbar Studio. Founder and former CEO of Moz. Author of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World.

About Liam Martin: Liam is the Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Time Doctor, pioneers cutting-edge workforce management tools to enhance remote employee productivity. He co-organizes the annual Running Remote Conference, and co-authored the bestselling book "Running Remote," advocating for collaborative and agile remote-first organizations.

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Frontiers: Exploring the World of Data | The Plains of Electric Power | Beyond the Program

In this episode our guest host, Jazmin Furtado, speaks with Emma Konet, Co-Founder and CTO of Tierra Climate, to learn more about how data is being harnessed to advance the Electric Power Industry.

They discuss:

• How Emma was inspired to get into Energy.
• The ways that she leverages the vast amounts of data at a national scale from the electric grid to make near-real-time decisions.
• The challenges that face the Electric Power Industry today and what we need to think about to ensure a greener future.
• And much more!

About today’s host: Jazmin Furtado has been a part of the software innovation realm for the Department of Defense where she has overseen large-scale Data and Artificial Intelligence programs in the Air Force and Space Force. She has also held various leadership and advisory roles with organizations such as Google, SpaceX, and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she designed and scaled AI, data, and education and training programs.

About today’s guest: Emma Konet is Co-Founder and CTO of Tierra Climate. Tierra Climate's mission is to accelerate grid-scale battery deployment by unlocking and monetizing grid decarbonization services. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and previously worked three years at battery developer Key Capture Energy as Director of Market Strategy & Operations. Prior to Key Capture, Emma spent four years at Citibank as a power trader managing risk in East power markets. In addition, Emma graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tulane with a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics and was recently selected as a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree for Energy.

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How We Hatched: Emilie Schario, Co-Founder & CEO of Turbine

Welcome to another enlightening episode of "How We Hatched." In this edition, our host, Tim Winkler, sits down with Emilie Schario, the CEO and Co-Founder of Turbine, for an engaging discussion on her remarkable startup journey.

They Discuss:

• Emilie’s career journey, from entering the startup world in a technical role to climbing the leadership ladder and eventually founding Turbine.
• The role of college and alternative paths like boot camps in preparing for success in the tech startup realm.
• Her transformative experience with Venture for America and its impact on her career path.
• The inspiration behind her decision to start her own business.
• The invaluable lessons she learned while working at startups and her passion for the dynamic startup environment.
• The exciting problems that Turbine is addressing and their promising future direction.

About today’s guest: Emilie is CEO & Co-Founder at Turbine, financial software for companies that manage physical inventories. She also writes a semi-regular Substack on the intersection of work, life, and working parenthood. She was previously Data-Strategist-in-Residence at Amplify Partners, Director of Data at Netlify, and in multiple roles at GitLab.

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CTO Wisdom with Bohdan Zabawskij | Beyond the Program

Welcome to CTO Wisdom. In this series, we interview technical leaders who have stepped into executive positions.

Today’s guest host, Eric Brooke, speaks with Bohdan Zabawskyj, an experienced CTO and founder of TrueNorthCTO.

In today’s episode, they discuss:

• Bohdans’ career journey through many roles and sectors
• Why Values, Beliefs, and Behaviors are better Indicators than personality for success as a leader or Individual Contributor
• Measuring success as the growth of others
• A three-step approach to joining a company
• How to be successful as a C-Suite member both with the rest of the Executive and the Board

About today’s guest: Bohdan Zabawskyj has had over 20 years of experience as a CTO/CPO in leading engineering, product, and strategic planning initiatives in both start-ups and large enterprises across diverse domains such as Health Tech, Fintech, E-Commerce, Telecom, Media, Marketplaces, and HR Tech. Bohdan is also a named inventor in over 20 patents worldwide, a founder of Fortay.ai (a DEIB-centric People Experience platform), and a founder of TrueNorthCTO, a pan-Canadian, not-for-profit, and volunteer-driven initiative where over 2,100 senior technology leaders exchange insights in a supportive and collaborative environment.

About today’s host: Eric Brooke has a rich and varied leadership career - leading up to 21,000 people and Billions in revenue, throughout 14 countries. In their career, they have been an Executive six times (e.g. President, CEO, CMO, and CTO) and a Board member of multiple organisations. Eric has been a CTO of scaling startups from 0 to 120 engineers. As an adviser and mentor, they have helped multiple other startups scale both in Canada and the US. As well as supporting multiple startup incubators such as 1871 in Chicago and TechStars.

Sign-Up for the Weekly hatchpad Newsletter: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

The AI Engineer's Dilemma: Mastery or Versatility? | The Pair Program Ep37

Join us in this episode as we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence through the eyes of two industry leaders. In this episode, we're joined by Maggie Engler, a Technical Staff member at Inflection AI, and Andrew Gamino-Cheong, the CTO and Co-Founder of Trustible.

Maggie and Andrew share their first-hand experiences of working in the AI engineering space, offering insights into the challenges and innovations that shape their daily lives. They explore the critical question of whether AI engineers should strive to be jacks of all trades or masters of one specific skill, shedding light on the diverse skillsets demanded by this dynamic field.

But that's not all – this episode also delves into one of the hottest topics surrounding AI: ethics. Maggie and Andrew engage in a thought-provoking discussion about how AI should be used, the ethical dilemmas faced by engineers, and the inherent limitations in AI's application.

About the guests:

-Maggie Engler is a technologist and researcher focused on mitigating abuse in the online ecosystem. She currently works on safety for large language models at Inflection AI.

-Andrew has spent his career working at the intersection of policy and AI. Prior to founding Trustible, Andrew was a machine learning engineering tech led at FiscalNote. Now, at Trustible, he's flipped the script and is working to apply policy to the AI landscape.

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Ever wondered how to step into the world of Product Management? Curious about what it takes to succeed and move up the ladder?

Today’s guest host, Becca Moran, speaks with Hunter Guerin about how he stepped into a new role as a Product Manager and where that career path led him.

They discuss:

• His background as a mechanical engineer in the defense contracting space, prior to stepping into product management
• Advice on how to get a job in product and ways to navigate into the field.
• How to create a balanced career by making time for sabbaticals.
• Ways that Product Managers can advocate for themselves in order to step into leadership positions and move forward in their career.
• How Hunter transitioned out of Product Management into the role of a startup founder.

About today’s host: With 5+ years of experience leading startup product teams and almost 10 years in the DC tech scene, Becca offers a wealth of valuable insights. She is currently the Vice President, Product & Engagement at Procurated, where she leads the product, design, and engineering functions for the company.

About today’s guest: Hunter Guerin is the founder of LLAMAWOOD, an on-demand firewood delivery platform. He has 15+ years of experience in engineering and product development, he loves local communities and is obsessed with wood fires. You can find him in Richmond, VA, where he lives with his wife and two kids, playing with fire.

Tech, Tactics, and Transformation: Inside the DefenseTech Revolution | The Pair Program Ep36

Join us in this episode as we dive deep into the world of defense technology innovation with two exceptional leaders, Ian Kalin, CEO of TurbineOne, and Paul Benfield, Director of Pallas Advisors.

In this insightful conversation, our guests share the story of how they forged a dynamic partnership aimed at revolutionizing the defense and intelligence industry. Discover how they navigate the intricate landscape of government contracts and serving the U.S. military, offering firsthand accounts of the industry's inner workings.

About the guests:

Paul Benfield is the Director of Pallas Advisors, partnering with innovative companies developing break-through technology with compelling national security applications. His background includes 20 years of service in the U.S. Army in various Airborne, Special Operations, and Infantry units. His final assignment was as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, focusing on Department of Defense innovation and modernization priorities. Paul is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow for the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Ian Kalin is passionate about modernizing government technology. Career highlights include the Navy as a Counter Terrorism Officer and Nuclear Engineer, clean-tech entrepreneur, the first Chief Data Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the CTO of Medicare.com. His public service has been recognized through awards from the U.S. Secretary of Energy for responses to natural disasters and from Harvard for accomplishments at the intersection of technology and public policy.

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