How He's Taking On a $2 Billion Software Giant — Keith McCall
The Jason Cavness Experience
Keith McCall is building a company that watches the Earth from above. Omniris pulls imagery from drones, satellites, and IoT sensors, overlays it on a map, and adds the one thing that makes data powerful time. Capture the same field or cell tower ten times across a year and you get a living database, a digital twin more useful than anything sitting in a spreadsheet. His network of 4,000 independent drone pilots has flown Walmart's headquarters, Amazon distribution centers, 11,000 Verizon cell towers, and solar farms around the world. Keith is the CEO of Omniris, along with the...
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Why Local Government Stops Improving — Brien Kennedy
The Jason Cavness Experience
Most elected officials face voters. Many local officials never face an opponent. Brien Kennedy left a career scaling e-commerce businesses at Amazon, Microsoft, Nuun Hydration, and SmartyPants Vitamins to work inside the Kitsap County Superior Court. What he saw was a system that people depend on during some of the hardest moments of their lives. But often cannot understand or navigate. Now he is running in only the third contested race for Kitsap County Clerk in 28 years. We also discuss: • Why uncontested elections create complacency • What a county clerk actually controls...
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Culture Is a Business Advantage Suleiny Altamirano
The Jason Cavness Experience
Preserving culture requires more than celebrating it. The traditions also need customers, economic opportunity, and a path to the next generation. Suleiny Altamirano, founder and CEO of Tizana Mexicana, shares how moving from Guerrero, Mexico, to Seattle inspired her to build a bridge between Mexican artisans and new markets. She explains why trust matters more than technology, how immigrant founders can build a new support system, and why social impact companies still need a sustainable business model. We also discuss: • Why immigrant founders need to create a new family of mentors,...
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Why Most Influencer Marketing Fails with Alex Shebar
The Jason Cavness Experience
Most brands do not have an influencer problem. They have a strategy problem. Alex Shebar, founder of NYC Social Club, explains why generic campaigns, rigid scripts, and oversized creator lists fail to generate meaningful results. He breaks down how brands can find creators who match their audience, test content without wasting their budget, and build smaller communities that actually care. We also discuss: • Why 10 engaged followers can be more valuable than 1,000 passive ones • How community managers keep online communities alive • Why brands should stop trying to reach everyone...
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Why Encryption Fails Under Pressure with Josh Thomas
The Jason Cavness Experience
The strongest encryption in the world cannot protect you when someone can force you to unlock your phone. Josh Thomas, founder of Deniable, explains why conventional mobile security ignores coercion and how plausible deniability changes the equation. He also shares a hard-earned rule for builders: decide what would make you kill a project before your identity, money, and emotions become attached to it. We also discuss: • Why institutions often capture problems instead of solving them • How incentives shape behavior inside nonprofits and the United Nations • Why every...
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From Army Veteran to AI Sales Leader with Ben King
The Jason Cavness Experience
Ben King spent six years in the Army before starting over in the startup world as a Sales Development Representative. He brought discipline, leadership, and resilience, but still had to learn a new industry, prove himself in a new environment, and build his civilian career one sales conversation at a time. Now at Loop8, Ben is helping companies move beyond AI hype and use automation and cloud technology to solve real business problems. This conversation explores what veterans bring to tech, what startup sales actually demands, and why successful AI adoption should begin with the mission not...
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Quantum Does Not Need to Solve Everything Lori Salow Marshall
The Jason Cavness Experience
Quantum will not transform every workload and that is exactly why deep-tech founders need to stop selling it as a universal solution. Lori Salow Marshall explains where quantum computing can create real commercial value. Why it must be integrated with classical systems, and how science led companies can translate technical breakthroughs into focused market opportunities. She also breaks down why deep-tech founders should lead with the urgent problem they can solve today not every possible application their technology may support in the future. We also discuss: • Why quantum is...
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Military Creator Con Is Building a New Veteran Lane
The Jason Cavness Experience
Military Creator Con exists because the military community is bigger than resumes, contractor jobs, and transition checklists. James Van Prooyen, Air Force retiree and co-founder of Military Creator Con, talks about building a home for military-connected creators, podcasters, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, performers, and builders. We get into why Veterans need more creative paths, how community turns ideas into momentum. Why the next chapter after service does not have to look like the last one. We also discuss: • Why Military Creator Con needed to exist • What military transition still...
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Turning Any Car Into a Plug-In Hybrid: Tom Gurski Blue Dot Motorworks
The Jason Cavness Experience
On this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, Jason sits down with Tom Gurski, founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer who spent his career at the front end of product development. From Stirling engine generators at DEKA Research (Dean Kamen's company) to his own consultancy, Carbide Enterprises, to global sanitation projects in some of the world's poorest communities. Tom is now building a bolt-on electric propulsion system that converts any light-duty gas vehicle into a plug-in hybrid cutting fuel use by up to 80% without giving up the gas engine, in...
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Why Podcasting Creates Opportunities You Can’t Plan For with Jason Cavness
The Jason Cavness Experience
Jason Cavness didn’t leave the Army to become “Major Cavness” in a different uniform. He wanted a clean break. That decision pulled him into startups, podcasting, tech events, Vietnam business relationships, and a career built around one simple habit: say yes when the opportunity is aligned, then figure it out. Mark Shriner talks with Jason about the transition from military life to entrepreneurship, why podcasting is more than content, how in-person relationships beat cold outreach, and what it really takes to keep building when you’re introverted, scattered, nervous, and still moving...
info_outlineMost small businesses don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because they don’t understand the system. In this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience, I sit down with Hugo Nicolas from Washington State’s Office for Regulatory Innovation and Assistance (ORIA) to break down what actually stops businesses from growing.
Hugo went from a small village in Mexico to helping thousands of business owners navigate permits, licenses, and government processes. He’s seen firsthand where people get stuck and it’s not where most think.
We get into the real problems: confusing regulations, lack of awareness, and why too many founders ignore the “unsexy” parts of business until it’s too late. If you’re building a business or thinking about itT his episode will save you time, money, and frustration.
This is a video podcast available on YouTube and podcast platforms.
What We Talked About
• Why most small businesses fail (and it’s not the idea)
• The hidden cost of ignoring permits and regulations
• Hugo’s journey from undocumented immigrant to state leader
• The biggest mistakes new business owners make
• Why business structure matters more than you think
• How to navigate government without wasting time
• Free resources most entrepreneurs never use
• The power of resilience and adapting fast
Connect with Hugo Nicolas
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-nicolas-17357052/
Website: https://www.oria.wa.gov/site/alias__oria/368/Home.aspx
Connect with Jason Cavness
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncavness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejasoncavnessexperience/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jasoncavness
Podcast: https://www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com
Military Creator Con
I’ll be speaking at Military Creator Con on how to leverage content to create opportunities.
Sign up: https://bit.ly/speaker_jason_cavness_social
Power Note The difference between struggling and scaling is not effort. it’s knowing how to navigate the system.