Podcast Series

We Built It Because We Had To

This podcast is designed to go deeper than a standard startup interview. The goal is not to collect polished success stories or surface-level growth tips. The goal is to document how founders actually build: where the idea came from, what forced a leap from curiosity to commitment, how they determined what counted as a true MVP, how the first money and first customers happened, and what it took to stay in the fight through the inevitable highs and lows.

The 4-Time Exited Founder Going for the Fifth (Peter Pezaris of Vortex Software) Podcast

Episode 4

In this episode, I speak with Peter Pezaris, a four-time founder now building Vortex Software in San Francisco. We cover his 25-year journey—from Commissioner.com to Multiply, Glip, and CodeStream—and lessons learned. Vortex boosts team-invite conversions through experimentation. His advice: consistent weekly effort defines a real startup, not a hobby.

300% Year-Over-Year: The AI Content Machine for Law Firms — John Fly of FirmPilot

Episode 4

In this episode, I speak with Peter Pezaris, a four-time founder now building Vortex Software in San Francisco. We cover his 25-year journey—from Commissioner.com to Multiply, Glip, and CodeStream—and lessons learned. Vortex boosts team-invite conversions through experimentation. His advice: consistent weekly effort defines a real startup, not a hobby.

How to Authenticate AI Agents Before They Go Rogue — Rohan Pinto of 1Kosmos

Episode 2

In this episode, Rohan Pinto, co-founder of 1Kosmos, traces the evolution of identity management from LDAP and SSO to blockchain-based biometrics and AI agent security. He shares how 1Kosmos built a FedRAMP-certified platform serving millions of authentications daily across 50+ enterprises. Rohan discusses why AI agents need authentication, authorization, and kill switches, the MVP validation playbook that supported fundraising, lessons from a SIM-hijacking experience, and insights on scaling teams from MVP through Series C.

From Coca-Cola & Unilever to AI Startup at 60 — Stan Sthanunathan of i-Genie.ai

Episode 1

We speak with i-Genie.ai founder Stan Sthanunathan, whose path to startup CEO followed decades leading global consumer insights at Unilever and Coca-Cola. Rather than founding early, he built deep pattern recognition inside large enterprises before acting on technology shifts they struggled to absorb. Stan shares why he chose to build an AI company later in his career, and the perspective, conviction, and motivation behind that transition.