From the Ground Up

Greg Whalen, CTO of Prove AI, joins the show to explain why the biggest challenge in generative AI is not just building models, but making them observable, governable, and supportable at scale. The conversation explores telemetry, AI governance, and why leaders need to get closer to the details as software development changes under GenAI. It is a practical look at what enterprises must do now to avoid operational pain later.

Mo Maureen Cowie, founder of Seahorsegal Designs, joins the show to share how a passion for handmade jewelry grew into a brand centered on affordability, individuality, and beauty. From custom pieces and natural stones to her philosophy on confidence, creativity, and self-trust, Cowie brings a refreshing perspective on building a business with heart. The conversation also explores positivity, social media, and how small acts of generosity can spark something much bigger.

Silicon Valley investor Ed Dua shares the journey from coder to venture capitalist and the lessons he has learned backing more than 100 startups. He explains how IAC Ventures evaluates early-stage companies, why vertical AI is attracting serious investor attention, and what founders often misunderstand about raising capital. The conversation also explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and why the best opportunities may come from entrepreneurs who deeply understand the problems they are trying to solve.

In this episode of From the Ground Up, Taiefa Tabassum shares how lean SaaS teams can compete by prioritizing positioning, disciplined experimentation, and founder-led storytelling over vanity metrics. Drawing from her journey from visual design to tech marketing at MyWorks, she explains the 70–30 rule, the importance of narrative-driven campaigns, and how small teams can validate demand before scaling spend. She also breaks down how marketers should think about AI today, using it as an efficiency layer and analytical companion rather than a replacement for human strategy.

Will Cady, founder of HEAL MVMNT and former Reddit executive, joins From the Ground Up to discuss why culture, story, and human values are becoming essential leadership tools in an increasingly data-driven world. He explains how his HEAL framework helps organizations align decision-making with purpose, uncover blind spots, and build stronger communities both inside and outside the business. Cady also shares practical insights for founders looking to lead with greater clarity, define their “north star,” and create companies people genuinely want to be part of.

Peter Rojas, Mozilla’s SVP of New Products, joins From the Ground Up to share how his early internet-building background influences the way he approaches mission-driven product development today. He breaks down how Mozilla is thinking about trust, transparency, and sustainable business models while expanding beyond Firefox with new products. Rojas also explains the Mozilla Pioneers program, a residency-style initiative designed to bring in outside builders to prototype ideas with Mozilla and potentially turn the strongest concepts into full-fledged products.Check out Mozilla's new products:https://newproducts.mozilla.org/Learn about the Mozilla Pioneers program:https://newproducts.mozilla.org/mozilla-pioneers/

Jasper Fu, Co-Founder & CEO of Coinsub, is building stablecoin payments infrastructure that feels so seamless most people won’t realize it’s crypto. In this episode, he explains why adoption is still earlier than the industry thinks, why payment service providers—not merchants—are the key to scale, and how programmable subscriptions unlock real-world use cases. It’s a grounded conversation about invisible technology, founder discomfort, and leading with empathy while building the next layer of money.

Jim Alkove, CEO of Oleria, shares how decades inside Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce led him to tackle one of enterprise security’s most overlooked problems: identity. This episode explores why access management is broken, how AI is reshaping security from the inside out, and what it really takes to transition from big tech leadership to startup founder. It’s a candid look at trust, conviction, and building systems that work while everyone else sleeps.

Amy Rencher, SVP of Small Business and Talent at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, breaks down how Michigan supports entrepreneurs across all 83 counties through local partner networks, access-to-capital programs, and place-based initiatives. She explains what makes Detroit’s ecosystem distinct, how SmartZones and Small Business Support Hubs connect founders to resources, and why one-on-one technical assistance still matters most. The conversation also covers Industry 4.0, supply chain resilience, and what Michigan is prioritizing for small business growth over the next few years.

Ethan Williams, CEO of Quantide Growth Partners, breaks down why pricing is one of the most overlooked growth levers for small and mid-sized businesses, and how founders can stop defaulting to discounting. He explains Quantide’s new Digital Pricing Officer, built around proprietary pricing data and structured workflows that help companies quantify value, choose pricing models, and defend price with confidence. The episode also digs into AI pricing economics, common proposal mistakes, and why the future of pricing may look like a managed service rather than a one-time project.

Emily Smith shares how she is tackling the everyday chaos of dead batteries and lost devices with smart charging and asset management solutions. She breaks down how HonestWaves serves schools, hospitals, logistics centers, and major venues by combining hardware, software, and real-world feedback. This conversation explores leadership, partnerships, and what it takes to build a durable company by solving practical problems at scale.

Software is moving faster than security can keep up, and Abhay Bhargav thinks that’s a dangerous problem. In this episode, the CEO of SecurityReview AI explains why threat modeling is broken, how AI can finally fix it, and what happens when security moves upstream instead of becoming an afterthought. If you care about building technology that scales without falling apart, this is a conversation worth hearing.

In this episode, Ian Amit breaks down why generative AI cannot be trusted to fix cloud infrastructure and why deterministic AI is about to reshape DevOps. He shares the frustrations that led him to build Gomboc AI and explains how teams are reclaiming massive engineering time by using it. If you want a clear, no-nonsense view of the future of cloud security and the role AI will play, you will not want to miss this conversation.

This episode dives into how ONYX Motors’ Tim Seward turned a personal experiment into one of the most influential electric moped brands in America. His story reveals why designing durable, customizable machines, not disposable tech, can spark an entire mobility movement. If you want to understand the future of city commuting and the culture forming around it, this conversation is essential.

In this episode of From the Ground Up, Plant Cell Technology CEO Yoni Kalin reveals how cell culture is poised to reshape global food production, medicine, and biotech. He breaks down how his team scaled from a single product to an entire ecosystem powering growers, researchers, hobbyists, and emerging food-tech pioneers. Listeners get an inside look at the future of automated labs, organ-on-demand science, and the new educational models bringing biotechnology to everyone.

When a cyber crisis hits, most companies freeze, but Arvind Parthasarathi built CYGNVS to make sure they don’t have to. In this episode, he shares how his platform helps organizations stay operational when everything from email to infrastructure collapses. It’s a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and leading through chaos in the digital age.

Entrepreneurs build their dreams brick by brick, but few stop to protect what they’ve built. In this episode, WoodmenLife CMO Kyle McMahan shares how founders can turn short-term hustle into long-term security through smart financial planning, risk protection, and community impact. It’s a conversation about what it really takes to build not just a business, but a legacy that lasts.

What happens when artificial intelligence starts stealing human faces? On this episode of From the Ground Up, we sit down with Spotlite co-founder Hannah Choi, whose company is protecting real creators from AI misuse while reshaping the modeling industry for the digital age. Discover how Spotlite is turning ethical tech into opportunity, where creators stay in control, and authenticity fights back against automation.

Motorcycles have always meant freedom, but also risk. Damon Inc., led by CEO Dom Kwong, is changing that. With its HyperSport electric motorcycle and Damon IO digital platform, the company is bringing safety, intelligence, and scalability to two-wheel mobility.

Freight is broken. Cargo spends weeks stuck in bottlenecks between trucks and trains. Glīd, led by SpaceX alum Kevin Damoa, has built a system that cuts the process down to minutes. With autonomous “Gliders” and smart software, the company is reimagining how goods move: faster, cleaner, and seamless.