Going Deep With Aaron Watson

Andy Norman is a researcher focused on studying how ideologies short-circuit minds and corrupt moral understanding.   His studies have led him to develop a toolkit of methods for improving reasoning and share them in his book, Mental Immunity.   His hope is that a collection of academic research can be lassoed together to serve as the foundation of a new scientific field, Cognitive Immunology. Cognitive immunology would explore the ability of researchers to develop a mind vaccine to inoculate individuals against dangerous ideas.   In this conversation, Andy and Aaron discuss the dangers of loneliness, the importance of dialogue, and the future of viral ideas.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Andy Norman’s Challenge; Learn to treat your ideas as houseguests. Perhaps one day they will depart, and you will be glad.   Connect with Andy Norman Linkedin Andy’s Website CognitiveImmunology.Net Books Mentioned Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Wa

Geng Wang is the CEO and co-founder of Civic Champs, a software startup focused on creating s seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations   This is Geng’s third commercial venture. He’s previously co-founded two companies; RentJungle.com, an apartment search engine that sold in 2014 to The Rainmaker Group, and Community Elf (rebranded as Cosmitto), a social media management firm which we sold in 2017 to a PE firm, Topanga Partners.   Given his past successes, Geng is looking to both create financial and social impact with his latest company. He has leveraged a number of startup incubators, including TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, Elevate Ventures, Innovation Works, TechStars Iowa, and Mass Challenge, to get it off the ground.   In this episode, Geng and Aaron discuss how motivation changes through an entrepreneur’s career, the nature of product development, and how to design a startup’s culture.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Geng

Sanjiv Singh is CEO and cofounder of Near Earth Autonomy, a technology company focused on autonomous flight.    Sanjiv has 25 years of experience working on autonomous ground and air vehicles. He came to Pittsburgh 30 years ago to participate in the DARPA challenge and has spent decades exploring different applications for self-driving and self-flying robots.   Near Earth Autonomy started by developing self-flying technology for the United States Government and has expanded to bring their technological capabilities to a variety of enterprise customers.   In this conversation, Sanjiv and Aaron discuss applications for self-flying vehicles, the origins of the company, and the difference between working with the military and the FAA.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Sanjiv Singh’s Challenge; Imagine a world in which you could autonomously fly from point A to point B.   Connect with Sanjiv Singh Linkedin Twitter YouTube Near Earth Autonomy Website   If you liked this interview, check ou

Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and host of Hidden Forces, a podcast devoted to exploring the underlying forces driving the most powerful changes we see in the world.   His show covers a wide range of topics, including culture, philosophy, economics, technology, social science, and the hard sciences.   Demetri has previously co-founded Guerilla Gaming Concepts, an interactive entertainment company focused on the middleware of gaming. He has also reported on financial news and told stories to hundreds of thousands of people around the world.   In addition to his show, Demetri consults blockchain and distributed ledger technology companies, helping them anticipate security vulnerabilities by building theoretical attack frameworks against token-based systems, and he consults hedge funds and venture capital firms on how to invest in and around these same emerging technologies.   In this episode, Aaron and Demetri have a far-reaching conversation about truth, technological progress, and geopolitics.   Ment

Black Tech Nation Ventures is launching its first flagship venture fund in Pittsburgh, PA. The firm is founded by three managing partners, Kelauni Jasmyn, Sean Sebastian, and David Motley have come together to form an investment thesis focused on investing in black and other minority founders who have historically missed out on opportunities to raise venture capital.   As David outlines in this podcast, these represent an underutilized asset capable of creating outsized returns, not a charitable donation.   David brings experience from three decades in corporate America, sitting on the boards of multiple public companies, investing tens of millions of dollars into real estate, and a track record of venture investments through the Blue Tree Venture Fund. David has also raised a $207 Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle (SPAC) called Deep Lake Capital.   David Motley has also co-founded 3 enterprises: The BlueTree Venture Fund, DLM-WCM (a real estate development company) and, MCAPS, LLC (a professional services

Paul Martino is a venture capital investor and has raised 5 funds totaling over $350 million in capital. That money has been deployed into FanDuel, Grove, Ipsy, and SpotHero.   Before forming Bullpen, Paul was an active angel investor and personally invested in the first rounds of Zynga, TubeMogul, and uDemy.   Prior to his investing career, Paul founded four companies including Ahpah Software (a computer security firm acquired by InterTrust) and Aggregate Knowledge (a big data advertising attribution company acquired in 2014 by Neustar). He is the holder of over a dozen core patents covering social networking and big data.    In this episode, Paul and Aaron discuss the FanDuel success, his advice for startups going through tough times, and the different space that venture capital investors make their mark.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Paul Martino’s Challenge; Start every meeting on time   Connect with Paul Martino Linkedin Twitter Bullpen Capital Website paul@bullpencap.com I

Aubrey Strobel is the Head of Comms for Lolli, a free browser extension that lets users earn free bitcoin when shopping online.   The platform’s mission is to help make cryptocurrency more accessible to the average shopper. Founded in 2018, Lolli has over 1,000 retail partners including Expedia, Nike, and Glossier.   In this episode, Aubrey and Aaron discuss stacking sats, bringing women into crypto, and how Aubrey has modeled the Lolli brand and marketing off of Barstool Sports.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Aubrey Strobel’s Challenge; Call an elderly person in your life.   Connect with Aubrey Strobel Linkedin Twitter Instagram   Lolli Website Lolli Youtube Lolli TikTok Lolli Twitter If you liked this interview, check out episode 426 with Flori Marquez where we discuss creating the ‘Chase Bank’ of crypto, BlockFi. Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Cli

Mike Green is the Chief Strategist at Logica Funds and has spent nearly 30 years studying markets.   These days, he calls on that experience and his proprietary research to educate the public, the Federal Reserve, the BIS, and the IMF about the shift from actively managed portfolios and investment funds to systematic passive investment strategies.   Previously, Mike has served as the portfolio manager for Thiel Macro, an investment firm that manages the personal capital of Peter Thiel, founded Ice Farm Capital, a discretionary global macro hedge fund seeded by Soros Family Management, and founded and managed the New York office of Canyon Capital Advisors, a $23B multi-strategy hedge fund.   In this conversation, Mike and Aaron discuss the popular narratives around index funds and Bitcoin, what those narratives get wrong, and how to effectively develop non-consensus views when investing.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Mike Green’s Challenge; Vote better.   Connect with Mike Green Tw

Mark Kovscek is a mathematician, inventor, and entrepreneur. His company, Conservation Labs, builds and sells a smart water meter that provides consumption insights, custom conservation recommendations, and leak detection.   At the cutting edge of Internet-of-Things and conservation, Mark uses his experience from a career building products and delivering solutions to address multi-billion dollar challenges.   He has spent time using his mathematics skills in marketing analytics, finance, and supply chain management, but says this is the most compelling challenge he’s ever faced.   In this episode, Mark and Aaron discuss the sound that pipes make, where the idea came from, and the potential for environmental and bottomline impact. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Mark Kovscek’s Challenges  Consider taking less (or shorter) showers, and the potential impact on the environment. If you’re on the fence about starting something, go for it.   Referenced Carlota Perez   Connect with Mark K

Matt Harbaugh is a co-founder and Managing Director at Mountain State Capital. The 20 million dollar fund has invested in over 16 firms in the greater Appalachia region.   Prior to founding MSC, Matt served as CEO of a machine learning-based software company that was acquired by Facebook and was the Chief Investment Officer at Innovation Works, one of the most active seed funds in the United States.   Across his career, Matt has invested in, managed, and advised more than 100 private companies over the past twenty years. He realized that he was interested in being involved in venture capital back in 1999 as an investment banker at PNC and has spent more than a decade and a half preparing himself to succeed.   In this episode, Matt and Aaron discuss his career arc, the venture capital business model, and how startups in the region are still lacking enough funding options. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Matt Harbaugh’s Challenge; Build the skills and find an avenue to be an entrepren

Andrew Gazdecki is the solo founder of MicroAcquire, a marketplace for buying and selling small Software-as-a-Service companies.   He has previously started two companies, Bizness Apps and Altcoin.io, which were both acquired.   MicroAcquire has reached $250,000 in annual revenue in just one year, by collecting fees from buyers in exchange for connecting with the entrepreneurs selling their business. Andrew is applying lessons that he’s learned from past successful companies to *hopefully* make this his best business yet.   In the episode, Aaron and Andrew discuss playing entrepreneurship on “hard mode”, the mistakes Andrew has made in the past, and how MicroAcquire has grown to more than 30,000 subcscribers. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Andrew Gazdecki’s Challenge; Start journaling. Document your goals, memories, and experiences.   Connect with Andrew Gazdecki Linkedin Twitter MicroAcquire Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 394 with Ryan Kulp where we disc

Chris Anderson is the founder and Chief Technical Officer of Innotescus. He leads a multi-functional team of machine learning scientists, software architects, and engineers that are innovating in the world of image annotation software.   Prior to founding Innotescus, Mr. Anderson was the Director of Software Engineering and IT for ChemImage.  Here he oversaw the core innovative software products for hyperspectral data acquisition, analysis and visualization. These products range in application potential across forensics, defense, pharmaceutical and medical markets.   He joined ChemImage in 1999 as intern developing a data-driven course on “Chemical Imaging”; assuming exponentially increased responsibilities over time as the core imaging technology of ChemImage required ever more dynamic and intuitive software.   In this conversation, Aaron and Chris discuss spinning the company out of ChemImage, how Chris has taught himself the technology, and the constant curiosity needed to succeed. Sign up for a Weekly E

Jeff Booth led BuildDirect, a technology company he co-founded in 1999, for nearly two decades through the dot-com meltdown, the 2008 financial crisis, and many waves of technological disruption.   BuildDirect aimed to simplify the building industry and graduated from online catalog to logistics network to artificially intelligent platform.   Last year, Jeff released his first book “The Price of Tomorrow – Why Deflation is Key to an Abundant Future” where he outlines the current state of our economy and what must happen to enable a brighter future.   Jeff believes it essential for everyone to understand the deflationary nature of technological progress and the implications of this core truth. In this episode, Aaron and Jeff discuss this idea, the story of BuildDirect, and how anyone can use this period of upheaval as an opportunity. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Jeff Booth’s Challenge; Have empathy. Recognize that economic deflation and its symptoms are causing political polarizat

Stephen Tse, is founder and CEO of Harmony.one. Harmony is a blockchain-based open source development project with its own cryptocurrency.   Stephen has been obsessed with protocols and compilers since high school. He reverse-engineered ICQ and X11 protocols, coded in OCaml for more than 15 years, and graduated with a doctoral degree in security protocols and compiler verification from the University of Pennsylvania.   Prior to founding Harmony, he has worked a researcher at Microsoft, a senior infrastructure engineer at Google, and sold his startup, Spotsetter, to Apple.    In this conversation, Stephen and Aaron discuss how a blockchain project is like a traditional startup, the technical tradeoffs of blockchains, and how Stephen expects future projects to work together.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Stephen Tse’s Challenge; Set up a monthly newsletter to your close friends and family to keep them updated on recent events.   Connect with Stephen Tse Linkedin Twitter Harmony.one

Joshua Lisec has been a ghostwriter for a decade. Public figures hire him to write compelling books, newsletters, and tweets in their voice, so that they can build their media platform.   He has helped to write best selling and critically aclaimed books and teaches the best practices publicly online. Joshua coaches his clients to offer higher-ticket services, courses, and products in conjunction with book sales to build a sustainable business.   In this podcast, Joshua and Aaron discuss the business model behind most successful books, why traditional publishing deals are hard to get, and how ghostwriters are like actors. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Joshua Lisec’s Challenge; Use the ‘Jobs to be Done’ framework to evaluate your business offering and improve it.    Connect with Joshua Lisec Linkedin Twitter Joshua's Ghostwriting Website Youtube   If you liked this interview, check out episode XX with XX where we discuss XX.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 U

Patrick Colletti is the founder of Net Health a $100M+ cloud-based provider of specialized software that serves specialized medical facilities like wound centers, senior care, and occupational therapy.   When Patrick began his tenure as company president in 2001, Net Health was experiencing significant financial turmoil resulting in laying off all but 2 employees.    By utilizing a Refounder mindset as a framework for success, Patrick was able to spur rapid business growth and cultivate a flourishing corporate culture. He has spent two decades serving in multiple leader positions at Net Health, including the president, chief revenue officer, and chief operating officer.    Now he wants to share what he has learned.   In this episode, Patrick and Aaron discuss selling to private equity, building a company culture, and scaling the company.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Patrick Colletti’s Challenge; Regardless of your experience or seniority, recognize that you can be the change that

Alex Berman is an actual serial entrepreneur. Before the age of 30, he has built a 7-figure agency, completed multiple movie projects, and built a 50,000 subscriber YouTube channel.   Most folks feel content to throw that title in their bio as a way to summarize some half-finished projects.   Alex, on the other hand, builds systems in a focused and brutally efficient way. He has delegated leadership of his agency, Experiment 27, to someone else and has now set about acquiring more companies for his growing empire.   Further, he has generated millions of dollars of B2B services revenue with his cold emailing skill.   In this conversation, Alex and Aaron jump around discussing how Alex got his start, what makes a good cold email, and lay out the interrelated conglomerate Alex is building.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Alex Berman’s Challenge; Find someone that you look up to and reach out with a cold email.   Connect with Alex Berman Linkedin Twitter AlexBerman.com Email10k Website

When Mark Marmo took over as the CEO of Deep Well Services, the company was losing $2 million per year on $9 million in revenue. Six years later, Deep Well Services was making $30 million in net income on $110 million in revenue.   Mark accomplished this by focusing on bringing an innovative & efficient service to the market, building a healthy company culture, and trusting his data analysts to make good decisions.   In this conversation, Aaron and Mark discuss the standard he has implemented, the challenges of 2020, and the plans Mark is making for the future.   Deep Well Services’ mission is to help make North America energy independent and his team is proud to be working toward that end.    Their clients include Ascent Resources, CNX, Chevron, Shell, XTO Energy, Hess Oil, Eclipse Resources, Range Resources, Gastar, Arsenal, HG Energy, Gulfport, Rice Energy, and Southwestern Energy. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Mark Marmo’s Challenge; Find a mentor. Build your network. Get

Frank Augustine is the founder of ILLEGAL apparel.   Frank and his brother created the brand, and associated company, in their parent's basement back in 2013. He has spent the last 7 years scaling production, opening a store on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and learning many lessons about entrepreneurship.   He’s gotten the business off the ground via a relentless commitment to sales and a willingness to experiment with designs. Not bad for someone still in his early 20s.   In this episode, Aaron and Frank discuss the way he has positioned the brand, how Frank sold shirts in the early days, and the hard lessons he’s had to learn along the way. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Frank Augustine’s Challenge; Be grateful and be positive. Check out Earl Nightingale and Positive Mental Attitude.   Connect with Frank Augustine Frank's Instagram Instagram Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 451 with Will Dzombak where we discuss managing Wiz, marketing in Hip Hop, and la

Pete DeComo is the chairman and CEO of ALung Technologies. ALung is developing an artificial lung for patients suffering from Acute Respiratory Failure and has raised over $100 million to bring their product to market.    ALung’s Hemolung Respiratory Assist System is a dialysis-like alternative or supplement to mechanical ventilation that works by removing carbon dioxide directly from the blood. The medical device, which has been approved for use in 35 countries outside the U.S., has proven relevant during the 2020 Pandemic.    Prior to running ALung, Pete was the founder and CEO of Renal Solutions. Renal Solutions developed of similar product focused on kidney dialysis and was sold to Fresenius in 2007 for $200 million.   In this conversation, Pete discusses the arduous process of getting a medical device approved by regulators, how he has raised over $140 million for his companies, and his advice for all entrepreneurs.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Peter DeComo’s Challenge; Dont