Forward Thinking Founders

In this episode, I talk to Jack Forbes, CEO of PadPiper . Yes, you read that right. The name is a spin off of Silicon Valley “unicorn”, Pied Piper. PadPiper is a platform that helps you find a place to live in a new city, hooks you up with roommates, and helps you find places to hang out around town. Jack and I cover many topics on this episode, including but not limited to these topics: What is P...

On this episode of Forward Thinking Founders, Mat Vogels, the CEO and Founder of Zestful comes onto the podcast. Zestful is a company that rethinks how startups offer company perks. In this episode, we go deep into: What is Zestful? What was the first version of Zestful? How did Mat get through the darkest times before Zestful found product market fit Thoughts on how founders should handle adversi...

Today, I had the pleasure of talking to Cofounder and President of Postscript, Alex Beller. Postscript is like Mailchimp for SMS. In this episode, we go deep into several different areas. This includes, but isn’t limited to: What is Postscript? What does this team see in the SMS market that other don’t? What was their experience like in the recent batch of YC? We go into other sectors of the SMS m...

In this fantastic episode of Forward Thinking Founders, I interviewed Paul from Keeper Tax. Keeper Tax helps freelancers save as much as possible by maximizing the tax writeoffs they get. In this future of work certified episode, we talk about: -All about Keeper Tax - Why Keeper Tax needs to exist? -Why is the system rigged against freelancers? -What is the OS of the future of work? -What makes fi...

It's such a fun time when i get to jam about a whole bunch of different tech topics with other smart people. Kashish is 100% one of these people. He's the founder of Carry, which is a travel planner software that lives in your Slack. Need to book a flight and get a hotel? Just ping Carry and it's done. Amazing! This conversation took us well past Carry, though. Some of the topics we covered are: -...

Wow, it was such an honor to talked to Nick Soman about his vision for Decent, the startup he founded and is leading. Decent helps self-employed people get health insurance. Nick is a former exec of growth at Gusto and is one of the nicest guys I've talked to! On the podcast, we cover:  - What is Decent? - What shifts in regulation happened which opened up an opportunity for Decent? - Why is getti...

My oh my, what a fantastic episode this was. I'm SUPER EXCITED to bring this episode with Isaac Morehouse, CEO of Crash.co , to you all. Isaac has to be one of the most knowledgeable people  I know on the topic of work and education. Of the WIDE RANGE of topics we cover, some of the include: - What is Crash and is it comparable to Product Hunt? - What broke down in the system to have a need for Cr...

I had an awesome conversation with Cadran Cowansage, who is the cofounder and CEO of Elpha, an online community for women In tech. Elpha is going through the current YC batch. In today's enlightening episode, we dive into: - What is Elpha? - What problems does it address? - Is Elpha a movement more than a product?  - How can founders can think about making sure there is equal representation among...

Today, I got the pleasure of talking to Daniel Gross. Daniel is one of the smartest people I know of and you'll likely agree by the end of the podcast. Daniel is the founder of Pioneer.app , former Y Combinator Partner, former director of AI at Apple, and it all started with his first startup, Cue. In today's episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: - What is Pioneer...

Today, we had a  very insightful conversation with Kristen, who is the COO and Cofounder of Catch. Catch is the company that provides benefits to people who don't get benefits from their employer. Today we dive into all types of topics and answer questions, including but not limited to: What is Catch? What types of people need Catch? Is Catch like Gusto for contractors?  What is the "employment  s...

This is was an awesome conversation with Shaan Hathiramani about the future of education. Shaan is the CEO  of Flockjay, the school that teaches you sales and helps get you job. Did I mention that you only pay once you get a job? Amazing. In this episode, we dive into: What is Flockjay? How do they fund the education ? The role of ISAs(income share agreements) in the future The stats of college su...

This week, I jammed with Alex Bouazi, the CEO of Deel. Deel is a product that helps companies pay their freelancers in one click. They also handle compliance, which most remote companies aren't thinking about right now. In this episode, Alex and I talk about: - All about Deel - The process of payments and compliance in the future of work? - Dive into the mission of Deel - How crypto ties into the...

Today, I talked to the founder and CEO of Curious Fictions. Curious fictions is a way to discover new authors and readers who enjoying writing or consuming fiction.  What is Curious Fictions? The role of AI in the creative process Universal basic income and single payer healthcare Why every company will turn into a tech company Automation vs. augmentation The value of "eyeballs" on the internet An...

Today, we have Leah Culver, who is the cofounder and CTO of Breaker AND one of the authors of Oauth. Breaker is the best social podcasting app on the internet. Today on the podcast, we talk abut: What is Breaker? The future of audio and podcasting Thinking about car ownership City living and transportations options  Health and fitness options  Is Peloton the future? Airpod APIs How to get started...

In this episode, I am VERY excited to have on Austen Allred, CEO of Lambda School. In this action packed 25 minute conversation, we cover a lot of ground. Some of the questions Austen answers are: - What is Lambda School? - What is an ISA and how it affects education in the future? - What do you tell anxious parents when they heart about Lambda School and their kid not wanting to go down the tradi...

In this episode with the insightful and thoughtful Laura Behrens Wu, CEO of Shippo, we talk about a varsity of far ranging topics. A few of them include: - The future of Logistics and Shipping - The evolution of a startup CEO - The API Economy - Machine/brain interfaces  - The impact of Sci Fi Novels - Black Mirrors Bandersnatch and that type CYOA entertainment avenues - AND SO MUCH MORE I hope yo...

In this insightful episode with the Jonathon Barkl, CEO and co-founder of AirGarage, a parking operating company built for the 21st century. In this episode, we talk about: - The difference between Phoenix and SF - Parking operating software - The future of real estate - Scooters and other forms of transportation - How education will evolve into a an Uber model - The future of hospitals  - And mor...

Today, we talk with Cooper Harris (CEO of Klickly) about the future of online shopping, AI,  education, the sharing economy, and more! Listen into this insightful conversation from one of the smartest (and nicest) people i've ever talked to. I hope you enjoy :) Get on the email list at forwardthinking.substack.com ★ Support this podcast ★

In this awesome episode with Andrew, we talk about his company, Papa, which he explains as Grandkids on demand. He wants to reimagine how elder care and general care is delivered...and he's starting with college students. Other than Papa, we dive into: - The future of healthcare and how Papa plays a role in that - How Apple is a leader in healthcare - How companies like BOOM Supersonic are reimagi...

In the episode, we talk about everything from the future of work to different models of healthcare for freelance workers. I'm excited to bring you this awesome episode of Forward Thinking w/ Mat Sherman. Get on the email list at forwardthinking.substack.com ★ Support this podcast ★