In this episode of The Talent Pieces Podcast, host Carlos DelCid welcomes Anastasia Simon, Managing Director at Techstars, to discuss entrepreneurship, resilience, and the startup ecosystem. Anastasia shares her unconventional career journey, from fashion and publishing to working with startups in tech and venture capital. She emphasizes the importance of adaptability, hustle, and leveraging side hustles to navigate career transitions.The conversation dives into Techstars’ global impact, their accelerator programs, and their commitment to supporting founders beyond just funding. Anastasia explains her work with Techstars Water Tech in Alabama, focusing on sustainability and infrastructure challenges. She highlights the significance of resilience for entrepreneurs, the value of finding the right investors, and why pivoting is a key survival skill LinkedIn the startup world.Carlos and Anastasia also discuss team-building, the challenges of early-stage hiring, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Anastasia offers advice to founders on preparing for 2025’s entrepreneurial landscape, emphasizing the need for scalability, profitability, and bold thinking

Building Strong Relationships & Business Success with Juli St George this engaging session of The Talent Pieces podcast, host Carlos Delcid sits down with Juli St George, founder of The Perfect Property Real Estate Team, to explore the power of relationships, trust, and customer experience in business. Juli shares her fascinating journey from living across the world in France, India, and Japan to building a thriving real estate business in Atlanta.

The conversation highlights how long-term relationships—not just transactions—drive success in real estate and beyond. Juli emphasizes education, trust, and delighting customers as key business principles, explaining how her team creates an unforgettable experience for clients, even those who never buy or sell a home with them.

She also discusses the importance of hiring the right talent, nurturing connections, and being adaptable as an entrepreneur. This session is packed with valuable takeaways for entrepreneurs looking to build authentic relationships, create a strong brand presence, and scale their business through trust and consistency.

In this session of The Talent Pieces Podcast, Carlos Delcid sits down with Robert Daniel, a fintech catalyst at ATDC, to explore Atlanta’s booming fintech ecosystem and its role as a major global payments hub. Robert shares insights on how Atlanta became a leader in financial technology, the key players shaping the industry, and how initiatives like ATDC and fintech accelerators are nurturing the next wave of innovation.

They also dive into the importance of mentorship, fostering a strong startup culture, and how entrepreneurs can position themselves for success in the fintech space. Robert highlights the increasing role of AI in finance, the regulatory challenges that come with financial innovation, and the critical need for cybersecurity in an AI-driven world.Beyond fintech, Robert discusses his passion for comedy and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for founders to take breaks, prioritize mental health, and build strong, mission-driven teams.

This conversation is a must-listen for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the fintech landscape, startup founders seeking funding and mentorship, and business leaders curious about Atlanta’s fintech dominance.

In this session of The Talent Pieces Podcast, host Carlos Delcid sits down with Charles Robinson, founder of 1888 Ventures, to discuss the reality of raising capital as an entrepreneur.

They dive deep into when and why a startup should raise funding, the common misconceptions about venture capital, and how entrepreneurs can determine if fundraising is the right move for their business. Charles shares his 3Ts framework—Timing, Talent, and TAM (Total Addressable Market)—for evaluating a business’s investment potential and offers insights on how founders should build relationships with investors before they need them.

The conversation also highlights the importance of assembling the right team and how entrepreneurs can avoid the trap of raising capital too soon.

In this session of The Talent Pieces Podcast, Carlos Delcid is joined by Maija Ehlinger, Editor-in-Chief of Hypepotamus, to discuss her journey from Los Angeles to Atlanta and her role in amplifying the Southeast’s startup ecosystem.

Maija shares her passion for storytelling, cultivated through her early entrepreneurial ventures in journalism, and reflects on how Atlanta’s unique culture of collaboration and support helped shape her career. Maija provides insights into navigating the startup community during the challenges of the pandemic, her strategies for uncovering impactful stories, and the importance of clear messaging for startups to effectively communicate their value.

She highlights the role of intentionality in fostering strong company cultures, whether remote, hybrid, or in-office, and the critical importance of understanding customers to drive startup success.

Lastly, Maija offers a glimpse into Hypepotamus’ mission to spotlight the Southeast’s burgeoning tech and entrepreneurial scene while connecting innovators and fostering growth in the region.

In this session, Carlos Delcid hosts Pramod Sajja, President and CEO of Paramount Software Solutions, and a finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award. Pramod shares his inspiring 26-year journey as an immigrant entrepreneur in the U.S., starting with a vision to realize the American Dream. He discusses how Paramount Software Solutions has thrived through challenges like the dot-com bubble, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID-19, thanks to a strategy of reinvention every four years and a strong customer-centric culture.

Pramod emphasizes the importance of building contingency plans, fostering client relationships during tough times, and creating a culture that supports employees. He also highlights his passion for empowering others, from supporting immigrant employees to launching Farm to Plate, a blockchain-based supply chain solution that helps small businesses and farmers go global by meeting compliance standards.

Through a blend of innovation, culture, and leadership, Pramod has not only realized his dream but also impacted thousands of lives by enabling others to achieve their own dreams.

In this episode, host Carlos Delcid welcomes Deron Quon, a 4x founder and entrepreneur, to discuss his journey in building businesses, the importance of culture, and his latest venture, Hoopla. Deron shares his early entrepreneurial experiences, including his first company, Menus.com, and how a pivot led to the success of Datassential.

In this session of The Talent Pieces podcast, Carlos Delcid hosts Marcia Torres, founder and CEO of Imagen Talent Solutions, for a discussion about effective talent acquisition and company culture. Marcia shares her journey from a brewing manager at Anheuser-Busch to becoming a talent acquisition expert.

In this engaging session of The Talent Pieces, host Carlos Delcid sits down with Jeff Johnson, COO of Dr. Noze Best, to discuss his career journey and the crucial role of talent in scaling businesses.

Jeff shares lessons from his experience in startups and Fortune 500 companies, introducing the "Netflix Approach to Hiring," which emphasizes preserving company culture while growing and ensuring A-players are in every role. The conversation covers how hiring for culture fit is key from day one, not just when a company reaches maturity.

Jeff also touches on the benefits of integrating nearshore talent, showing how the right cultural and skills alignment can help businesses scale effectively.