Going Deep With Aaron Watson

Taylor Monahan is building MyEtherWallet, an open-source, client-side interface for generating Ethereum wallets & more. Her technology is making it easier to interact with the Ethereum blockchain securely.   We had a great discussion about ICOs, early stages of learning about blockchain, and how to stay secure in the Wild West of crypto.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.   Taylor’s Challenge; Don’t be dismissive of someone asking for help. Self-awareness will make this easier.   If you liked this interview, check out all of my interviews with people building the future of blockchain technology projects.

Since 2007, Audrey Russo has served the technology business sector for southwestern PA as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the oldest and largest technology trade association in North America.   With a background in information technology, operations and finance, Audrey facilitates interaction across all sectors of the regional economy, which she believes will only succeed and grow through technology innovation and commercialized disruptions across every platform and experience.   She previously worked for large multinational Fortune 500 companies (Alcoa, Reynolds Metals), as well as at MAYA Design.   Russo earned her Bachelor of Science from Ohio State University. She also has a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Affairs. Russo also co-hosts TechVibe Radio on KDKA 1020 AM Friday nights at 7 to explore technology companies and entrepreneurial issues. Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Audrey’s C

CEO Steven Clausnitzer, prior to Forever Labs, spent 15 years mentoring and developing top-talent at fortune 500 companies including American Express and Wolters Kluwer. He has extensive experience in strategic growth, commercialization, and team leadership.   Dr. Mark Katakowski received his Ph.D. in Medical Physics from Oakland University. He has over 15 years experience investigating bone mesenchymal stem cell therapies for neurological disease, and an extensive scientific publication record.   Dr. Katakowski was first to demonstrate that microRNA functions as an intercellular communication molecule between brain tumor cells. This work led to his finding that bone marrow MSCs communicate with the nervous system via blood-born exosomes. Dr. Katakowski's hypothesis that bone marrow cell degradation contributes to aging and age-related disease is the founding principle of Forever Labs. Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here. Steven’s Challenge; Find someone over the age

Tren has studied the most successful people on Earth and distilled their wisdom into a new book. I love reading his blog posts and his commitment to concise communication.   Tren Griffin is an executive at Microsoft. Before joining Microsoft, Tren was a partner at the private equity firm Eagle River which makes investments telecommunications businesses and startups. He previously worked as a consultant in Australia and Korea. He writes a weekly blog and has published 7 books.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Tren’s Challenge; Study Charlie Munger and be a learning machine. Any year that you don’t reject a view you held, is a wasted year.   Tren’s Book A Dozen Lessons for Entrepreneurs by Tren Griffin   Connect with Tren Twitter Website   If you liked this interview, check out previous episodes with Wealthfront founder Andy Rachleff  and Li Jiang, and angel investor and venture capitalist. Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay

So excited to share this mix with you. Totally Normal is a young DJ on the rise in the Pittsburgh scene.   Make sure to stick around to the end for our interview about his development as an artist. Connect with Totally Normal Soundcloud Facebook Instagram Twitter If you liked this interview, check out the last time we went in the mix, featuring DJ JRod.

Amy‘s dating app, MeetMindful, has almost 1 million members. It is one of the fastest growing dating sites in the world, and is connecting like-minded singles interested in mindful living, health and wellness, and personal growth (unlike the typical swipe dating apps).   Based in Denver, MeetMindful is a Techstars Boulder alumni, has grown to 16 employees, and has raised $3.7 million in capital from top investors, and world-renowned mindfulness teacher, Tara Brach.   Amy's journey towards mindful living started after years of growing early-stage startups in New York. She wanted to put that same ambition and drive inwards towards herself, so she quit her job, sold all her possessions, and bought a one-way ticket to travel through India, Thailand, Bali, and Cambodia for an entire year to expand her mind, body, and spirit.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.   Amy’s Challenge; Look up and start paying attention to the world around you. See if it makes you feel more connected to the world a

Nomiku launched its first Kickstarter campaign in 2012 after Lisa and Abe Fetterman, Nomiku co-founders, decided to create their own sous vide machine that was affordable, well-designed, and powerful. Nomiku had a total of two successful Kickstarter campaigns raising over $1.3 million and are proud to manufacture our product locally in San Francisco.   Sous vide technology, before Nomiku came along, was expensive and unwieldy, which in itself made it very limiting to who could actually experience sous vide. Only those who could afford to the tech could replicate their experiences at the restaurants at home, and even then, they had to work with industrial grade equipment that was unnecessary for home use. And those who couldn’t afford the tech - which was upwards of $1,000 at the time - would only be able to enjoy sous vide cooking to restaurants (and only restaurants that they knew used sous vide).   Today, Nomiku has developed an easy to use and affordable product that lets anyone cook like a professional ch

John Rosso is the CEO of Sandler Training by Peak Performance Management. He is recognized nationally as a business-development expert, specializing in executive-sales consulting and sales-productivity training as well as the best-selling author of Prospect The Sandler Way.     John is a dynamic, enthusiastic speaker who informs, entertains, and motivates presidents, CEO's, other senior managers and sales professionals. More than 50,000 sales professionals have listened to John speak, and more than 95 percent rate his content and presentation of sought-after selling solutions the best they've ever heard.   His authentic, real-world approach to the sales process speaks to visionary business leaders who want the freedom success brings.   In 1994, John founded Peak Performance Management, Inc. an authorized Sandler Training Center. With 250 offices worldwide, Sandler is the global leader in sales and sales management training.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   John’s C

Dan Munro is a writer and speaker on the topics of innovation, cybersecurity, and policy as they intersect with one of America’s largest industries – healthcare.  Starting as a Forbes Contributor in 2011, Dan has since appeared in a wide range of globally recognized publications.     His first book was published in 2016 and he is also a Top Writer on Quora (five consecutive years).     Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Dan’s Book Casino Healthcare: The Health of a Nation: America's Biggest Gamble by Dan Munro

I’m fairly certain that Jordan is a human, but I’m not sure. He has traveled to 32 countries, lived in China for 18 months, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a private pilot, SCUBA dives, and speaks Mandarin Chinese. He’s also founded Debt Maven, a platform for middle market borrowers, lenders, and service providers to transact with each other for debt capital financings.   Jordan previously spent six years in cross-border investment banking advising global corporates and private equity firms on M&A deals up to $250 million. From pig farms to printers, and car components to cardboard boxes, Jordan worked on deals in a wide array of industries.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Jordan’s Challenge; Start something today. Speed is better than perfection.   Connect with Jordan LinkedIn Website jordan@debtmaven.com If you liked this interview, check out previous episodes with Larry Gioia where we discuss connecting the dots or Scott Rogerson where we discuss startin

The world is a funny place. Every once in awhile, you run into someone cut from the same cloth as you. Whenever you find someone like that, i recommend recording a podcast together!   My guest, Li Jiang is a venture capital specialist, angel investor, and a co-owner of the San Francisco Flamethrowers. After leaving investment banking, he moved to Silicon Valley and has amassed a portfolio of angel investments and a family of entrepreneurs to support.   As a student, Li founded a student storage and shipping company and grew it into Northwestern University’s largest student company.   You’re gonna like this interview.   Resources AngelList Syndicates Bill Campbell   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.    Li’s Challenge; Go and try to help someone without any way for them to repay you. Ask them to pay it forward.

Newspapers and other forms of old media are struggling to adapt to to this new world of digital media. In their stead, pioneering creators like Foo Conner are rising to report, document, and move our collective conscious.   In this interview, we cover Foo’s activism, how he’s gone about growing his massive social following (2 million readers a month, 115k Twitter followers, 500k YouTube subscribers, and more than 50k email subscribers), and his commitment to supporting cultural drivers like Thrival and Randyland.   In addition to serving as a cultural curator, Foo is a willing connector and intent on building bridges.   Say hi then next time you see this professional party crasher around Pittsburgh.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh.    Foo’s Challenge; Write to your heroes. You'll be shocked who responds.   Resources SEMrush BuzzSumo   Connect with Foo YouTube Twitter Instagram Jekko Randyland   If you liked this interview, check out previous interviews with Pittsburgh power players l

Amazon's HQ search, Reaction Videos on YouTube, and more.   Attend the GOING DEEP SUMMIT this January. Meet Pittsburgh influencers like Zak Slayback, Ed Latimore, Leah Lizarondo, Adam Haritan, and Dan Bull.

Iba Masood founded her first startup at 22 as a fresh college graduate in the United Arab Emirates. The initial goal was to connect recent grads in the Middle East to employers. Now, she and her team have evolved TARA into an Artificial Intelligence platform for recruitment and project management.   Iba was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2015 class and is a past winner of the MIT Global Business Plan competition, a finalist of MassChallenge and recipient of the Arabian Business “Young Achiever of the Year” award. Gulf Business named Iba one of the 30 most influential individuals under the age of 30 in the Middle East, and she’s the youngest person ever to receive a Cartier Women’s Initiative Award.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Iba’s Challenge; Read a book that is completely outside your area of expertise or comfort zone.   If you liked this interview, check out previous interviews with futurist Kevin Kelly on the technological trends shaping the future and v

Joe Bender, Decentralization Engineer - ConsenSys Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Joseph Bender is a decentralization engineer, solidity developer, blockchain evangelist, Ethereum aficionado, and all-around CryptoNerd. After graduating, he moved to New York to follow his passion for blockchain and began employment at ConsenSys. ConsenSys is a venture production studio building decentralized applications (dApps) and various developer and end-user tools for blockchain ecosystems, primarily focused on Ethereum. At ConsenSys, Joe is technical lead in the alignment circle working directly with Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin. He oversees development of a full stack product including various decentralized applications, developer tools, and protocol layer frameworks.   Tom Marnik, Director, Worldwide Consulting - ANSYS Over 25 years experience in all aspects of the enterprise software business including product strategy and development, marketing, business development, pre and post sales support, and implementation.  

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz has used data from the internet -- particularly Google searches -- to get new insights into the human psyche.   Seth has used Google searches to measure racism, self-induced abortion, depression, child abuse, hateful mobs, the science of humor, sexual preference, anxiety, son preference, and sexual insecurity, among many other topics.   His book, Everybody Lies, describes his research and argues for social scientists to make greater use of internet data. It was a New York Times bestseller and received widespread media attention.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Seth’s Challenge; Read a book per week for the next year. If you liked this interview, check out my most popular episodes.

Scot MacTaggart is the creator and host of The Pitchwerks Podcast.  Having logged more than 20 years in sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship, Scot has built a diverse portfolio of experiences helping businesses of all sizes to get to the next level.     If you're in sales, biz dev, marketing, product management or politics, The Pitchwerks Podcast is a fast, easy way to sharpen your tools each week.   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Scot’s Challenges; 1. Find the reason why you can unleash your creativity. 2. Determine the reason you’re doing what you’re doing.   Connect with Scot Facebook Twitter Instagram Website   If you liked this interview, check out previous episodes with Pittsburgh podcasters Marta Mazzoni and the Drinking Partners Ed Bailey & Day Bracey. Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay

Joe Calloway has no time for BS real estate gurus standing in front of Ferraris.   Instead, he’d prefer to offer his perspective. He’s built a $40,000,000 real estate portfolio through hard work, persistence, and patience. Being raised by a single parent in a two bedroom, low income apartment in Mt. Oliver doesn’t usually breed success, but Joe Calloway’s story is anything but usual. Joe went from those unfortunate circumstances to being the largest single family home buyer in Pittsburgh.   With little direction in life and few marketable skills, Joe enlisted in the US Navy in 1997. Using his military reenlistment bonus, Joe bought his first property in 2004. For his early projects he served as investor, contractor, designer, and property manager, giving him first-hand experience which proved to be invaluable.   Joe formed RE360 in 2009 and has grown the company’s rental portfolio to 270 units with a monthly gross rental income of $229,000. 2014 alone saw the rags-to-riches Calloway invest $5 million and purc

When you are on a mobile device that does not use blockers against ads and trackers, YOU ARE PAYING $23 per month just to load the tracking and targeting scripts for ads. It’s a payday for both advertisers and your telecommunications provider.   This was part two. Don't miss part one!   Attend my one-day conference January 27th in Pittsburgh. Learn more here.   Brendan’s Two Challenges; 1. Adopt an good ad blocker like uBlock or Disconnect Me. 2. Read a real physical book in the sunlight.   Resources NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking (Washington Post) Mobile Ads Cost you $23 per month (Medium) Basic Attention Token Raises $35 Million in 30 Seconds (CoinDesk)  

This interview has been split into two parts to make it more digestible.   Brendan Eich is an American technologist and creator of the JavaScript programming language. He is currently the CEO of Brave software, the next generation web browser. Brave loads major news sites 2 to 8 times faster than Chrome and Safari on mobile and is 2 times faster than Chrome on desktop.   If you liked this interview, check out the rest of my interviews with leaders in the blockchain and crypto space and my interview with Kevin Kelly about technological trends.