Ventures & Visionaries Podcast with Mordy Hackel

Most beauty brands are selling the exact same formula in a different bottle, and customers are starting to figure that out. Kate, founder of Dip, joins the show to unpack the trust recession happening across the beauty industry and why she built her company to run on the opposite of paid reviews and influencer hype. She walks through her path from studying economics to chasing a move to LA, fallin...

Most beauty brands are selling the exact same formula in a different bottle, and customers are starting to figure that out. Kate, founder of Dip, joins the show to unpack the trust recession happening across the beauty industry and why she built her company to run on the opposite of paid reviews and influencer hype. She walks through her path from studying economics to chasing a move to LA, fallin...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with entrepreneur and technology strategist Drew Donaldson to discuss one of the biggest shifts in modern business: the collision of AI, automation, and human adaptability. After nearly a decade running a successful marketing agency, Drew saw firsthand how rapidly advancing AI tools were reshaping his industry. Rather than...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with entrepreneur and technology strategist Drew Donaldson to discuss one of the biggest shifts in modern business: the collision of AI, automation, and human adaptability. After nearly a decade running a successful marketing agency, Drew saw firsthand how rapidly advancing AI tools were reshaping his industry. Rather than...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with retired Air Force veteran, fractional COO, and Legacy Wealth Group CEO Tyrus Shivers for a powerful conversation about scaling businesses, building systems, and rewriting the narratives that hold entrepreneurs back.   Tyrus shares how military structure and mission-driven thinking shaped his approach to entrepreneurshi...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with retired Air Force veteran, fractional COO, and Legacy Wealth Group CEO Tyrus Shivers for a powerful conversation about scaling businesses, building systems, and rewriting the narratives that hold entrepreneurs back.   Tyrus shares how military structure and mission-driven thinking shaped his approach to entrepreneurshi...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Dr. Stephanie Hills—former Fortune 500 technology executive turned leadership strategist and executive coach—for a powerful conversation about career growth, visibility, and thriving in the AI era.   Stephanie shares why so many high performers get overlooked despite strong results, and why perform...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Dr. Stephanie Hills—former Fortune 500 technology executive turned leadership strategist and executive coach—for a powerful conversation about career growth, visibility, and thriving in the AI era.   Stephanie shares why so many high performers get overlooked despite strong results, and why perform...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with entrepreneur and technologist Shimon Magal to explore the realities of building startups, pivoting through failure, and learning how to truly listen to customers.   Shimon’s journey into entrepreneurship started early—after discovering coding at just 11 years old and quickly becoming fascinated wit...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with entrepreneur and technologist Shimon Magal to explore the realities of building startups, pivoting through failure, and learning how to truly listen to customers.   Shimon’s journey into entrepreneurship started early—after discovering coding at just 11 years old and quickly becoming fascinated wit...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with leadership strategist and researcher Corina Taban to explore what truly drives leadership beneath the surface.   Corina shares insights from her research on the psychological contract — the invisible agreement between employees and employers — and explains why reciprocity, trust, and emotional inte...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with leadership strategist and researcher Corina Taban to explore what truly drives leadership beneath the surface.   Corina shares insights from her research on the psychological contract — the invisible agreement between employees and employers — and explains why reciprocity, trust, and emotional inte...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with global business leader and board chair David Dangoor for a masterclass on leadership, governance, and long-term thinking. David shares his journey from growing up in Sweden to leading international businesses and serving on public, private, and nonprofit boards. Together, they unpack why great foun...

Episode Description: In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with global business leader and board chair David Dangoor for a masterclass on leadership, governance, and long-term thinking. David shares his journey from growing up in Sweden to leading international businesses and serving on public, private, and nonprofit boards. Together, they unpack why great foun...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, Mordy sits down with Borja Cuan, co-founder of 415 Digital, to explore what it really takes to build a business that thrives in an overcrowded marketplace. Borja shares his 26-year journey in digital marketing—from early-internet startups to managing $120M annual budgets—and the moment he realized he could build an agency that truly delivered on its pro...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Andy Ellwood to explore how founders and operators can scale faster — and more sustainably — by building the right partnerships and ecosystems.   Andy shares his journey through entrepreneurship, business development, and platform growth, explaining why most leaders try to scale alone far longer than they should. Toget...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Andy Ellwood to explore how founders and operators can scale faster — and more sustainably — by building the right partnerships and ecosystems.   Andy shares his journey through entrepreneurship, business development, and platform growth, explaining why most leaders try to scale alone far longer than they should. Toget...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Nikki Barua—author, entrepreneur, and agentic human work reinvention specialist—to explore what it really takes to build a meaningful career in an age of constant disruption. Together, they unpack how humans and machines can collaborate to become exponentially more capable, why lived experience still matters in an AI-d...

In this episode of Ventures & Visionaries, host Mordy Hackel sits down with Nikki Barua—author, entrepreneur, and agentic human work reinvention specialist—to explore what it really takes to build a meaningful career in an age of constant disruption. Together, they unpack how humans and machines can collaborate to become exponentially more capable, why lived experience still matters in an AI-d...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, I sit down with Kerry Kulp, co-founder and partner at Velospan, to unpack a story that blends timing, resilience, and a little bit of accidental entrepreneurship. Kerry shares how he went from aspiring police officer to falling into tech in the late 90s — eventually co-founding Velospan the night his previous employer shut down. Guest Introduction: Kerr...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, I sit down with Kerry Kulp, co-founder and partner at Velospan, to unpack a story that blends timing, resilience, and a little bit of accidental entrepreneurship. Kerry shares how he went from aspiring police officer to falling into tech in the late 90s — eventually co-founding Velospan the night his previous employer shut down. Guest Introduction: Kerr...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, Mordy sits down with Borja Cuan, co-founder of 415 Digital, to explore what it really takes to build a business that thrives in an overcrowded marketplace. Borja shares his 26-year journey in digital marketing—from early-internet startups to managing $120M annual budgets—and the moment he realized he could build an agency that truly delivered on its pro...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, I sit down with Zachary Karabell—author, researcher, and founder of The Progress Network—to explore how optimism can shape the way we navigate business, technology, and life. We dig into why balancing optimism with realism is critical, what AI disruption really means for the workforce, and how history gives us perspective on today’s anxieties. Zachary s...

In this episode of Ventures and Visionaries, I sit down with Zachary Karabell—author, researcher, and founder of The Progress Network—to explore how optimism can shape the way we navigate business, technology, and life. We dig into why balancing optimism with realism is critical, what AI disruption really means for the workforce, and how history gives us perspective on today’s anxieties. Zachary s...

Hey everyone, it's Morty Hackel here on Ventures and Visionaries, diving into the wild world of AI transforming business and innovation. In this episode, I chat with John Furth, an executive coach and deep thinker, about how AI is shaking up leadership, mentorship, and even therapy. We explore whether machines can mimic empathy, the human edge in creativity and intuition, and how to strategically...