Entrepreneur Perspectives

The best engineer Matt Dalio ever hired didn't have a high school diploma. That fact runs through this whole conversation — what building proves that credentials can't.Education is changing because work is changing. AI is already reshaping what people can build, how they learn, and what employers actually value — and Arizona State University has become the clearest picture of where it's going, precisely because of the reputation it had to shake.Matt Dalio, founder of Endless, joins Eric Kasimov. Matt's work centers on one idea: young people should be creators of technology, not just consumers of it. The conversation runs from Arizona State's President Michael Crow measuring success by who a university educates instead of who it rejects, to the engineer with no diploma who outperformed the Stanford hires, to why building games might be the most complete education a kid can get, and what happens to a generation that opts out of AI versus one that learns to wield it.WHAT WE TALK ABOUTWhy Arizona State University (ASU) stands out in higher educationMichael Crow's "realm five learning" — education that's infinitely scalable, infinitely personalized, infinitely affordableWhat "GitHub University" shows about proof of work and why it beat the Stanford hiresWhy portfolios are becoming more important than resumesHow game making teaches technical, creative, and collaborative skillsWhy AI fluency may become a core workforce skillThe difference between using screens to consume and using them to buildGSV (Global Silicon Valley) and spreading the builder mindset beyond the ValleyWhy young people should start building, tinkering, and solving real problemsCHAPTERS00:00 – Arizona State University and innovation in education01:21 – Michael Crow’s approach to access and scale03:20 – Changing perceptions of ASU05:33 – Why higher education has to change07:09 – Prestige, jobs, and the shifting value of a degree08:06 – GitHub, proof of work, and hiring without a diploma11:26 – Why portfolio can matter more than pedigree13:08 – AI, marketing, and what students actually need to learn15:15 – Teaching young people to become AI power users16:00 – Why game making teaches multidisciplinary skills18:34 – ASU, scale, and reaching more learners20:33 – Soft skills, collaboration, and real work21:46 – Games, arts, media, and engineering at ASU23:37 – Coding, Claude Code, and technical fluency25:37 – Why Matt still believes code matters28:07 – Screens, phones, Chromebooks, and real computers31:42 – What Gen Z can do now32:31 – Why schools are often anti-AI34:33 – Building as the path to employment35:52 – Burning your resume and building proof37:22 – Moving from Abu Dhabi back to the US38:34 – AI education in the UAE39:15 – Bringing AI education to more people40:39 – Building through contracts, partners, and foundations42:00 – Why America needs broader access to builder skills44:15 – Helping young people join the modern economy45:39 – Public schools and the difficulty of scale46:19 – Kids who are already building their own futures49:26 – Why the traditional system still matters50:00 – Vibe coding an SAT prep tool52:08 – AI concerns, climate, and the risk of opting out55:00 – Global Silicon Valley and spreading the builder mindset57:36 – Games, sports, licensing, and learning through interests59:06 – Game studios, communities, and professional learning01:01:49 – Finding your passion by building01:02:50 – Matt’s book and Endless Future01:04:09 – The lean book and shipping early01:04:46 – Where to find Matt Dalio and EndlessConnectMatt Dalio: Website | LinkedInEric Kasimov: X | LinkedInRelated Entrepreneur Perspectives episodesHow AI Is Changing College Counseling and Admissions with Senan Khawaja, CEO of KollegioDavid Selinger on AI Security, $15M Series B, and the Deep Sentinel MissionAnkit Somani | From Google to Conifer: Rare-Earth-Free Motors, $20M Seed, and Rethinking CollegeEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Brando Babini started a company at 16 because the thing he needed didn't exist. Five years later he's running it from a train seat between Brown and Brooklyn — 1,000 players, a Nike partnership, and 30 million views he shot and edited himself. This one's about how he actually does it.Brando is 21, still finishing his degree, and building Youth 4 Youth FC into one of the largest player-led soccer organizations in the country. He spotted the gap from his own playing career — no mentor, no one who'd walked the path ahead of him — and built the thing he wished he'd had. The 2026 World Cup is on U.S. soil right now and the whole country's suddenly paying attention to soccer. Strip the sport out, though, and you've still got the more interesting story: a Gen Z operator running a real company while most people his age are still picking a major.What We Get IntoSpotting a gap from lived experience and building the company you wished existed at 16Running an eight-state operation while taking the Amtrak back to class twice a week — the "drop-in," not the dropoutTurning 30 million organic views into 4,000 player applications — and what to do when that engine slows downLanding a Nike partnership as a young, unproven founderThe mission-vs-profit tension: building real access without building a handoutGoing need-blind by design — so the best kid plays whether his family can pay or notScaling by "mega sub-regions" instead of chasing franchise growthTeaching 13-year-olds to represent themselves — agency as the actual productChapters00:00 — The drop-in: running a company between Providence and New York01:30 — Starting at 16, and the gap he was trying to close03:45 — When the pro dream faded and the founder showed up04:30 — The question that runs everything: "what do I wish existed?"21:00 — Access without a handout: the mission-vs-profit tension26:00 — Why profit incentives aren't the enemy, and going need-blind33:00 — Teaching agency: parents, players, and an internal locus of control50:00 — 30 million views, 4,000 applications, and rebuilding the funnel52:00 — The Nike street-soccer project he's directing this week58:00 — Rapid fire: the GOAT, the Prem, and a 2026 World Cup readThis first aired on SportsEpreneur. For the full sports-business take — youth soccer pathways, college recruiting, and pay-to-play — listen to the original conversation there.More Soccer Content from SportsEpreneurHydration Breaks, Fox Ads, and the Americanization of the World Cup2026 World Cup: Groups, Schedule, and What to Watch as the Tournament Is HereTop 5 Soccer Leagues in the World (2025 Rankings: Depth, Players & Vibe)Soccer: The World’s Most Popular Sport (3.5 Billion Fans, and Rising in the U.S.)Connect with BrandoInstagram: @y4yfc · brandobabini.com · y4yfc.com · LinkedIn: Brando BabiniEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios. Connect with Eric: X / LinkedIn

Why NIL needs data, why athlete brands matter, and how college sports is becoming a marketing business.College sports is moving fast. NIL, revenue sharing, transfer rules, donor fatigue, social media, compliance, brand deals, and athlete value are all colliding at once.Brent Wall, founder and CEO of Student Athlete Score, joins Eric Kasimov to talk through what is actually happening in the NIL market. Student Athlete Score helps schools, brands, and athletes understand social influence, audience quality, brand fit, and the real marketing value behind athlete deals.Eric and Brent get into the chaos around NIL, the rise of athlete personal brands, the growing youth sports market, the role of AI and data, and why local brand deals may be one of the most interesting parts of this whole shift. They also talk about college sports becoming more professional, what that means for Olympic sports and mid-majors, and why athletes now have to think about life beyond sports earlier than ever.Chapters00:00 – Ann Arbor, Michigan sports, and the business behind athletics01:50 – The professionalization of sports at every level03:01 – Why athletes now need to build personal brands05:51 – What Student Athlete Score does07:56 – The FICO score idea for athlete social value08:35 – How universities use Student Athlete Score10:54 – NIL education, taxes, and athlete responsibility13:36 – The new era of NIL and NIL Go15:17 – Compliance, regulation, and the fight over NIL deals16:22 – Five-and-five, eligibility, and transfer rules18:53 – Lawsuits, athlete rights, and past NIL usage19:35 – Tournament expansion, TV money, and sports betting22:19 – Why media rights drive the sports economy23:00 – Tennis programs, Olympic sports, and budget pressure26:17 – Donor fatigue and the need for ROI28:15 – Data, story, and decision-making in college athletics29:41 – Transfer portal chaos and recruiting changes35:15 – Mid-majors as proving grounds36:00 – International athletes, age gaps, and roster realities38:49 – Unlocking NIL for Olympic sport athletes39:53 – Why follower quality matters41:03 – Instagram, TikTok, X, and athlete visibility42:31 – Brand fit beyond the sport43:31 – Life beyond sports and building a platform44:11 – NIL moving into the youth and high school market46:21 – NIL as a real-world sales and marketing lesson47:21 – Micro-influencers, team dinners, and local business deals50:31 – How Student Athlete Score landed university partners51:20 – New commercial roles inside athletic departments52:51 – Where to find Brent Wall and Student Athlete ScoreConnectBrent Wall: Website | LinkedInEric Kasimov — X | LinkedInRelated episodesNIL Made College Athletes Entrepreneurs With No Guardrails | EP194Gordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports ReformEP143 | Bad Grades in School to Sports Business Founder Dan SovieroEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

Why youth sports are chaotic, why parents carry the load, and how Onsides is trying to make it easier.Youth sports is not just practices, games, and tournaments anymore. It is schedules, apps, travel, training, equipment, group chats, recruiting pressure, and a lot of parents trying to keep up.Dave Yoo, founder and CEO of Onsides, joins Eric Kasimov to talk about the problem his company is trying to solve. Onsides is built for parents of youth athletes who are tired of jumping between platforms and trying to make sense of scattered information. The goal is simple: reduce the cognitive load.Eric and Dave also get into the bigger youth sports ecosystem, including AI, private coaching, NIL, parent behavior, social media, startup life, and what it means to build something useful in a noisy market.Key TakeawaysWhy youth sports feels broken, but may be better described as underservedHow parents became the collateral damage of fragmented sports platformsWhy Onsides starts with scheduling but points toward something biggerHow AI can help parents without guessing on the details that matterWhy every feature should reduce cognitive loadThe rise of private coaching, travel needs, and sports tech integrationsWhat startup founders need to think about in the AI eraWhy the youth sports conversation still has to come back to the kidsChapters00:00 – Youth sports, sports tech, and the size of the market03:00 – Why Dave Yoo started Onsides06:06 – Building the all-in-one youth sports app for parents08:26 – Reducing cognitive load for sports families10:48 – Training, private coaching, and Athletes Untapped12:29 – How Onsides uses AI14:40 – Probabilistic AI vs. deterministic scheduling data16:41 – AI disruption in software engineering18:42 – Advice for students entering the workforce20:09 – College, uncertainty, and keeping up with change22:29 – Growth, awareness, and reaching overwhelmed parents24:31 – The commercialization of youth sports27:07 – Recreational sports, I9 Sports, and getting kids active30:25 – Too many games, overuse, and youth sports reform33:02 – Better parent behavior and positive messaging35:10 – NIL moving downstream37:52 – How podcasting and media help startups grow41:38 – AI, content, and the next wave of signal boosting43:24 – Kids, social media, group chats, and behavior47:42 – How to find Onsides48:39 – Connecting with Dave YooConnectDave Yoo: Website | LinkedInEric Kasimov — X | LinkedInRelated episodesGordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports ReformEP143 | Bad Grades in School to Sports Business Founder Dan SovieroEP 181 | AI Content Detection & Digital Ethics with Madeleine LambertEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud

When NIL opened up, everyone rushed to build the marketplace — collectives, payment vehicles, deal flow. Nobody asked who the athlete actually was or what they'd do when the money hit. Stephen Bienko, former Air Force Academy and Villanova athlete and founder of 42U, has been inside college athletics long enough to see what got left behind. This conversation covers the transfer portal, soft skills, brand equity, and why the chaos in college sports is a business lesson that applies well beyond the stadium.Key TakeawaysNIL created overnight entrepreneurs with no guardrails — the infrastructure for deals came first; the infrastructure for the human being came lastStudent athletes have a 5.5% Instagram engagement rate vs. 2.2% for non-athlete influencers — brands figured this out before universities didChasing NIL deals is like buying followers in 2012 — most of those people are gone; sustainable brand equity is built differently"Soft skills" came from the U.S. military in WWII — AI is making them the most valuable skills in the room againThe transfer portal has pluses and minuses — the old way forced hard conversations; the new way offers freedom but skips the growth that came with itChapters[00:00] The old-school transfer — walking into a Hall of Fame coach's office and asking to leave[07:57] NIL and the gold rush nobody planned for[14:00] Athletes as economic engines — the 5.5% stat[25:47] Where "soft skills" actually came from[29:00] Stop chasing deals — build brand equity instead[57:00] Financial literacy and what college athletics should actually be teachingOriginally aired on SportsEpreneur.ConnectStephen Bienko — 42U | LinkedInEric Kasimov — X | LinkedInRelated episodesGordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth SportsLacrosse Founder on Youth SportsTherapist Shortage + Consuming Bad NewsEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios.Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud