Tales From The Sky Lounge-A Business Podcast

Joining us in the Sky Lounge today is Lisa Calhoun, founding managing partner of Valor Ventures! Lisa shares her journey as a fourth-generation entrepreneur, the importance of relationships in venture capital, and her investment philosophy. She and Todd discuss the current state of the venture landscape, the impact of AI on startups, and advice for young entrepreneurs. Lisa shares her insights on...

Joining us today in the Sky Lounge is Alan Gold, a marketing and sales strategist with decades of experience in M&A, startups, and growth strategy. Alan has been on both sides of the table—helping companies scale, navigating acquisitions, and leading turnarounds. From being part of the launch team for Wi-Fi technology to working on speech recognition and AI-powered business tools, he’s seen how ma...

Joining us today in the Sky Lounge is Antonio Pagano, founder of Wawandco and co-founder of Symbol Security. Todd and Antonio discuss cybersecurity’s human element, compliance, evolving phishing attacks, and AI’s role in scams. Antonio shares insights on real-world incidents, cyber insurance trends, and the dynamics of running a business with a remote co-founder. He also delves into the challenges...

Today in the Sky Lounge, Bryan Dennstedt joins Todd Merrill as they bring their unique perspectives from years in business, technology, and investing for a deep dive into the trends that will shape 2025. From venture capital’s cautious return to the AI-driven reshaping of industries, this episode is a candid discussion about what’s next for tech, work, and investing. Everything from whether AI is...

This year has been a whirlwind of adventure, and as we gear up for an incredible 2025, we’re hitting pause to share something special—our favorite travel stories! From mind-boggling mishaps to inspiring lessons learned on the road, these tales are all about the joy, challenges, and magic of exploring the world while living in the world of business. We’re so grateful to our amazing guests and YOU,...

Joining us today in the Sky Lounge is Jim Rozich, founder of Wheels Up Sales and Marketing. Jim specializes in helping early-stage startups overcome the unglamorous yet essential challenges of building solid sales and marketing processes. From CRM implementation to crafting value-driven email campaigns, Jim shares practical insights that founders need to create traction and scale effectively. In t...

Today in the Sky Lounge, we’re joined by Adam Lehde, co-founder of Happen Technologies, to explore the art of building businesses across borders. Adam shares how he turned his initial doubts about outsourcing into a thriving hybrid business model that bridges Midwest strategy with Ukrainian tech talent. We dive into Adam’s journey from a rocky internship to mastering mobile development, the resili...

Joining us today in the Sky Lounge is Kathryn O'Day, entrepreneur and partner at Atlanta Ventures. Kathryn shares her journey of building multiple successful startups and being a major part of massive acquisitions. We dive deep into the parallels between endurance sports and entrepreneurship, uncovering how triathlon training taught her key lessons in consistency, grit, and pushing through difficu...

In this episode, Ghazenfer Mansoor shares his journey from engineer to global entrepreneur. He dives into the entrepreneurial mindset needed to grow startups, develop smart products, and manage teams across multiple countries. Ghazenfer explains the challenges of building a multi-continent business and offers insights on product development blueprints, adapting post-COVID, and the importance of fl...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge today is Kirby Winters—tech entrepreneur, cybersecurity expert, and partner at TechCXO. Kirby takes us through his journey from telecom to launching (and selling) his own business before diving back into consulting. He also shares some serious Eagle Scout leadership insights, breaks down the world of cybersecurity, and how AI is changing the game. Chapters [00:00] Intr...

In this episode, we sit with Rich Makover, a seasoned CRO and executive coach, to discuss how athletics prepared him for a career in sales leadership, his journey from CPA to sales, insights on resilience, mentorship, and the evolving sales landscape. Learn how strategic thinking, coaching, and leadership have shaped Rich's path to success at TechCXO. Chapters [00:00] Introduction and Background [...

Today, we are joined in the Sky Lounge by IT experts Ian Findlay, David Johnston, and Paul King from TechCXO to explore the crucial role of IT leadership in today’s economic climate. They delve into technology health assessments, uncovering cost inefficiencies, and optimizing IT spend. From alternatives to VMware to cutting cloud costs, the panel offers actionable insights for businesses navigatin...

The Sky Lounge is packed today with our first Roundtable! Joining us are AI experts Nikolaos Vasiloglou, Joel Forman, and Kevin Carlson to dissect the latest in machine learning, generative AI, and the future of tech. When is AI, AI?! When is it just a parrot? From practical applications to ethical quandaries, this is a deep dive into artificial intelligence past, present, and future! ABOUT OUR GU...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge is Marc McCarthy, a seasoned business consultant helping UK companies expand into the US market. Marc spills the beans (and tea) on the quirks of taking your business transatlantic—from cultural idiosyncrasies to navigating legal language mazes. Discover why you need to get off Zoom and into the room where it happens! Marc offers practical advice for businesses looking...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge is Katherine Hunter-Blyden, a seasoned marketing expert who has journeyed from insurance pricing to global marketing roles at Ford, and now serves as a fractional CMO. Katherine shares her experiences, from the impact of mentorship and learning to take calculated risks, to the essentials of modern marketing in both large corporations and smaller startups. Discover her...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: It all started with stumbling into a computer science course at the University of Oregon and culminated in a decades-long tech career filled with success. Rob Reesor reflects on his journey from pioneering early e-commerce to advancing AI, shares a ton of wisdom on how to lead a team and deliver promise to customers, and looks forward to sharing his expertise in new and exciti...

Today we’re joined by Chris Caparon, a seasoned entrepreneur and tech veteran. Chris shares his journey from Michigan to sunny California, where he co-founded CForia Software and navigated the turbulent waters of tech business, venture capital and 20 years of highs and lows through every kind of crisis (un)imaginable. Now that he’s exited out the other side, he shares some perspective and excellen...

Bart Foster visits the Sky Lounge to talk about how an unceremonious ouster from the thriving startup he founded led him on a transformative journey to living a life of intention and purpose. He discusses founding BusinessOutside as a result, a venture that leverages nature to cultivate deeper connections and personal growth among leaders and teams, and the techniques he uses to get out of the mun...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge today is David Morczinek, the innovative CEO of Airworks, a geospatial AI company. David shares his fascinating journey from aerospace engineer to leading a cutting-edge company. He delves into his academic and professional experiences, including his time at Airbus and his transformative years at MIT where he pursued an MBA. With Airworks, David is at the forefront of...

Todd chats with a true traveler, Christy Johnson from BIP Ventures. Her story is a testament to the idea that there's no one-size-fits-all path in entrepreneurship and venture capital as she shares her unconventional path from getting an IMBA (International MBA) in school to microloans in Costa Rica, steel manufacturing in Florida and eventually venture capital. She discusses the importance of...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge this week is the fascinating Mike Blake, founder of High Score Strategies. Dive into the world of business valuation and strategy consulting, and learn how Mike navigates multimillion-dollar valuation opportunities with the finesse of a recovering venture capitalist. Get a little bit nerdy as these two tech aficionados explore what it takes to make it big in the busine...

Joining us in the Sky Lounge today is Jay Kleinman, a seasoned healthcare business development and sales strategy expert with over 30 years of experience. Jay dives into his journey from playing football at Auburn University to launching and scaling ventures in the healthcare space. Discover the power of teamwork, the art of sales, and the impact of digital health on elder care. Learn why you shou...

Mark Flickinger, COO and GP of BIP Ventures shares insights into competitive drive in founders, The State of Startups in the Southeast, how #VentureCapital Funds operate and what it means to have a great team. We talk about “The SVB Hangover”, dry powder (not for napkins) and when to go slow. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Mark Flickinger -General Partner & COO / BIP Ventures Mark Flickinger joined BIP Vent...

Todd starts off the series with a bang as he talks with his first guest, Maria Goldsholl, Managing Partner-Human Capital, about the mindset required to grow and learn from the tough times at any level, and what particular traits she looks for when evaluating a team or a leader. Watch till the end to learn what startup coffee and stinky fish have in common. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Maria Goldsholl, Managin...

We speak to a legendary NYC Marketer, Lewis Goldman who talks about being a pioneer in digital marketing. Lewis shares stories about recent trends in digital marketing and where we are going in the new AI/LLM era. Hear about what role social influencers play, what the future of influence marketing is and also When is it appropriate to knock over a convenience store. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Lewis Goldman...