Episode 9 - How to lead and scale teams (and eat) w Andrew Wojszynski, Solutions Engineering Leader at WIZ
Release Date: 02/11/2025
Episode 13- What do Founders do? w Albert Wang (Bearworks) and Daniel Langer (Trackstar)
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by previous guests Albert Wang, Co-Founder of Bearworks, and Daniel Langer Co-Founder of Trackstar, to catch up with what they have been up to at their startups and to learn about what Founders do. They open up about topics like fundraising, competition and how they leverage social media. We also discuss: The role of VCs in their business How Founders look at fundraising Marketing tactics used to grow their businesses The different models they are employing to foster growth The role AI has in their respective businesses Their takes and involvement on social...
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Episode 12 - AI Knows Your Business! w Ben Hills, CEO and Founder of Iris
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by Ben Hills, CEO and Founder of Iris, the platform that leverages AI to find and gather data to respond to RFPs and other client due diligence requests. We dive into why this such a big pain point for companies and how generative AI is uniquely situated to solve this problem. We also discuss how Ben started the company and the inspiration he got from his grandparents. We also discuss: The landscape of generative AI models How investor sentiment has changed around application layer AI Thoughs on return to office policies and in-person events Ben's history...
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Episode 11 - The Power of Customer Proof w Sunny Manivannan, Founder of Peerbound
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by Sunny Manivannan, Founder of Peerbound, the AI platform that finds and unifies customer proof at scale. We dive into what customer proof is and why it is so powerful for influencing corporate purchases. We also discuss how Sunny discovered the power of customer stories and how his team is leveraging AI to unlock their previously hidden potential. We also discuss: Social proof and its role in business Sunny's different roles in tech Why he is so bullish on AI Lessons we've learned working at companies like Coupa, Datadog and Braze Similarities between B2C...
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Episode 10- Property Transaction Transparency Thanks To The Blockchain w Alexander McGee, Co-Founder of Balcony
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by Alexander McGee, Co-Founder, CRO and Head of Government Affairs at Balcony, the property management system for governments, built on the blockchain. We are joined by Co-host Kiran Bath, Product Counsel at Chainalysis, the leading blockchain analytics company. We will learn about the decades old problems that Balcony is solving in the real estate records space and why blockchain is the right technology to tackle these challenges. We also discuss: The history and landscape of property records The differences and difficuties of building and selling to...
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Episode 9 - How to lead and scale teams (and eat) w Andrew Wojszynski, Solutions Engineering Leader at WIZ
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by Andrew Wojszynski, Solutions Engineering Leader at WIZ, as well as Co-host Kim Buhay. We discuss the problems that CNAPPs solve, how WIZ's products won Andrew over, and how his natural curiosity and problem solving skills led him on a path to NYC at companies like Google, Datadog, and WIZ. We also rap about: How Andrew got into tech and leadership The role Solutions Engineering plays in the sales cycle Some secrets of hiring and scaling teams How GTM motions differ based on ICP size and profling The difference we feel in solving problems for Enterprises...
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Episode 8 - AI Phone Agents and the Arts, with Yael Goldstein, Lead Product Manager at Regal.ai
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by Yael Goldstein, Lead Product Manager at Regal.ai as well as Co-host Kiran Bath. We discuss the current state of AI models and how Regal.ai is empowering customers to meaningfully connect with their clients via AI Phone Agents. We also rap about: • Our reactions to interacting with AI phone agents • The secret sauce to building AI products • Yael's background and how she got her start in tech • Similarities with math and music • Some of our favorite quotes to model behavior after • The sense of discovery that NYC provides • Some...
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Episode 7- Producing Impactful Events at Startups with Carolina Barberii, Head of Events and Field Marketing at Cortex.io
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we are joined by two powerhouses of Event Marketing in the tech world. Our guest Carolina Barberri, Head of Events and Field Marketing at Cortex.io, and new Co-host, Kim Buhay, Director of Field Marketing at Datadog, share wisdom from their vast experience producing some of the biggest and creative events in the NYC tech scene. We will learn about the pivotal role events play in supporting, sustaining and scaling growth at tech companies, as well as how both of them got their start in this field. In this episode we also discuss: The different types of Events and their role in...
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Episode 6 - From Ad-tech to Acquisition with John Shankman, CEO and Founder of Hashtag Labs
Empire State Of Grind
On this special episode we are joined by John Shankman, the CEO and Founder of Hastag Labs, a category leading SaaS platform for publishers in the ad-tech space. We will leanr about the ad-tech space and how John saw an opportunity to provide value for publishers in the space, when most companies were focusing on the advertisers. We are joined by a special co-host as well, the show's producer, Brian Neaman. Aaron, Brian and John all went to college together and have seen each grow on their respectice journeys. This lends a fun dynamic to the convsation. On today's episode we also...
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Episode 5- From the Valley to the Alley with Rob Bailey, COO of CrewAI
Empire State Of Grind
On this Episode I sit down with Rob Bailey, COO of CrewAI, a multi agentic AI platform that is democratizing access to building and deploying automated workflows using any LLM and cloud platform. We dive into the current state of AI and how a multi-agent approach can unlock AI's true potential for the non-technical community. We also discuss: The current state and history of AI and LLMs What the multi-agentic approach is and how it works Rob's history in tech Comparisons between the Music Industry and the Tech Industry What first brought Rob to NYC Our shared history as DJs...
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Episode 4 - Spinning the wheel and finding fortune in Fintech w Jonathan Warrick, VP of Operations at dv01
Empire State Of Grind
On this episode we visit with Jonathan Warrick, VP of Operations at dv01, the world’s first end-to-end data management, reporting, and analytics platform for loan-level lending data. We learn about Jonathan's non-traditional path from tuba major to being the first employee at a NYC fin-tech company and how a popular TV game show played a major role. On this epsiode we discuss: The current state of lending data in the financial markets and how we got here Jonathan's unique journey into tech, including his experiences in Finance and how taking an interest in coding changed his...
info_outlineOn this episode we are joined by Andrew Wojszynski, Solutions Engineering Leader at WIZ, as well as Co-host Kim Buhay. We discuss the problems that CNAPPs solve, how WIZ's products won Andrew over, and how his natural curiosity and problem solving skills led him on a path to NYC at companies like Google, Datadog, and WIZ. We also rap about:
- How Andrew got into tech and leadership
- The role Solutions Engineering plays in the sales cycle
- Some secrets of hiring and scaling teams
- How GTM motions differ based on ICP size and profling
- The difference we feel in solving problems for Enterprises vs SMBs
- What makes a good leader
- A few hidden gem food spots in NYC
https://www.wiz.io/
https://www.kelseystreetpress.org/product-page/instructions-for-banno