Going Deep With Aaron Watson

Over a decade ago, David Kane realized that there was a painful gap in cybersecurity. He built Ethical Intruder to fill that gap.    Today, Ethical Intruder helps clients across financial services, DoD, healthcare, and nonprofits reproduce vulnerable paths a hacker may take, so they can shore up their defenses. David’s ethical hacker teams conduct simulated malicious breaches of a wide variety of business applications and web-accessible entry points.   David has built his firm to be technology-agnostic, which comes with two benefits. First, they aren’t selling a specific solution regardless of its relevance. Second, they are accustomed to evaluating a dynamic collection of tools to identify the primary point of weakness.   In this conversation, Aaron and David discuss how to seel cybersecurity to any firm, why nonprofits need to keep their data secure, and the    Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   David Kane’s Challenge; Find a way to build someone else up.   Mentioned Csoonline.com Conn

Brent Johnson is a wealth manager at Santiago Capital and a General Partner of the IceCap Strong Dollar Fund. Brent has had a multi-decade career in finance and has been responsible for managing billions of dollars.   Brent is well-known for his Dollar Milkshake Theory, where he expects a rapidly appreciating US Dollar over the next few years, relative to other world currencies.   Because the world is completely run by fiat currencies, cash whose value is not backed by some physical good such as gold or silver, Brent expects a massive devaluation of currencies across the board. Because of the U.S. is a relatively safer, stronger economy, he expects capital to flood into its domestic markets.   There are a lot of implications to the theory.   In this interview, Brent explains to Aaron what the Dollar Milkshake Theory is, how Brent’s career has unfolded, and the implications of a rising dollar for business owners and entrepreneurs.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Brent Johnson’s Chall

Dan Green is the founder and CEO of HomeBuyer, a mortgage lender designed for first-time homebuyers. It’s his 3rd company he’s built in the mortgage industry.   Dan previously founded the consumer-friendly mortgage education company "The Mortgage Reports", which was later acquired in 2014 by Full Beaker.   Dan Green is a 17-year mortgage lending veteran and was a multi-year, number-one loan officer before starting HomeBuyer. His current company utilizes intelligent personalization to deliver timely and precise advice through specific moments of a home buyer's journey and fulfills the buyer's mortgage.    He was part of the Techstars accelerator in 2020.   In this conversation, Aaron Watson and Dan Green discuss how he generated an enormous number of leads with a blog, why mortgage lenders don’t think long-term, and why private mortgage insurance is not the boogeyman.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Dan Green’s Challenge; If you think you will buy a house, reach out to a mortgage loa

Ben Wilson founded Rivers Agile in 2008, in the eye of the Great Financial Crisis. The software consulting firm started focusing on advanced quality assurance and expanded to offer custom software development.    Now, Ben is leading his team through the pandemic, an office change, and a shifting marketplace for software solutions. He believes he’s poised to take advantage of a trend of onshoring and digital reinvention that the circumstances will demand.   In this podcast, Ben and Aaron discuss building a team, what makes for good QA, and the markets that Rivers Agile sells into.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Ben Wilson’s Challenge; Challenge your vendors to find better deals.   Connect with Ben Wilson Linkedin Twitter Instagram Rivers Agile website ben@riversagile.com   If you liked this interview, check out our collection of interviews with Pittsburgh’s top entrepreneurs and leaders.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Un

Tyrone Ross is a financial consultant, community builder, and entrepreneur.   He has been named to Investment News 40 under 40 (2019) and a top ten advisor set to change the industry by WealthManagement.com.   Tyrone has focused on pushing a conservative, stodgy industry forward by focusing on young professionals, embracing financial technology startups, and acknowledging the role crypto assets play in a portfolio.   Aaron and Tyrone talk about fighting financial jargon, why advisors fear crypto, and how Tyrone has never taken a vacation.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Tyrone Ross’s Challenge; Find our leaders. Mold the next generation of young minds.    Connect with Tyrone Ross Linkedin Twitter Website   If you liked this interview, check out our back catalog of finance-focused podcast interviews.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for compan

Stephen Gurgovits is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Tecum Capital, a $750+ million private investment firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. Tecum’s committed capital is deployed as mezzanine debt, subordinated notes, and private equity into lower middle market businesses across the US.   During his career, Stephen has been directly involved in over $1 billion of aggregate financial transactions, both public and private.   Prior to spinning Tecum Capital out of First National Bank, he was President and CEO of F.N.B. Capital Corporation, a wholly-owned merchant banking subsidiary of FNB.   Stephen currently serves on the board of directors for Western Allegheny Capital, Gibraltar Cable Barriers, Uncle Charley’s Sausage Company, Auburn Gear, Inc., Oberg Industries, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth.   In this podcast, Aaron and Stephen discuss launching the firm, how they allocate debt and equity investments, and Stephen’s interpretation of current market dynamics.   Pittsburgh’s

Brian Burley is the founder of YNGBLKPGH, a book and community of talented black professionals in and around the city of Pittsburgh.   Brian came on Going Deep to discuss the absolute necessity of cities and corporations adopting more empathetic and diverse approaches to attracting and retaining talent.   He has a distinct perspective that he has earned through writing his book profiling over 100 black professionals, working in economic development for the Pittsburgh region, and leading conversations about diversity at ADP.   Aaron and Brian also cover the rise of Juneteenth into the national conversation and effective ways to market & message these important ideas.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Brian Burley’s Challenge; Go learn something new about someone else’s culture or experience. Try to put yourself in their shoes.   Connect with Brian Burley Linkedin Brian’s Instagram YNGBLKPGH Instagram Facebook   If you liked this interview, check

Henry Schuck founded his company, originally named DiscoverOrg, in 2007 at the age of 23. The company IPO’d on June 4th, 2020.   After acquiring ZoomInfo in 2019, they took the new name and consolidated their position as one of the leading sources of business information and now drive the go-to-market initiative of over 15,000 companies worldwide.    Henry sees ZoomInfo changing the way every company goes to market, the way sales reps engage with buyers, the way marketing targets, and the way HR recruits.   In this episode, Henry and Aaron discuss bootstrapping the company to $25 million, the IPO roadshow during a pandemic, and Henry’s skills as a sales trainer.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Henry Schuck’s Challenge; The professional you are today, isn’t who you need to be to accomplish your goals. Take an inventory of where you need to improve and go execute on it.   Connect with Henry Schuck Linkedin Twitter Website henry.schuck@zoominfo.com

Joe Hipsky’s long career in financial services have allowed him to identify and develop a solution to the pipes of the financial system.   His company, iraLogix, is aimed at reducing the administrative burden placed on financial service providers.    In this conversation, Joe and Aaron discuss fundraising, why the financial services industry has been slow to adapt, and the regulatory climate for fintech.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Joe Hipsky’s Challenge; If you’re looking for investors, study the investment process and how venture capitalists make decisions.    Connect with Joe Hipsky Linkedin iraLogix.com   If you liked this interview, check out episode 231 with Andy Rachleff where we discuss how he identified the opportunity to build Wealthfront.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.    Our clients become better storytellers.

Charlie Dolan is the founder of Sequoia Waste Solutions, a technology company aimed at modernizing waste management.   When Charlie first looked at the waste management industry, he saw business still being run on paper with enormous inefficiencies needing to be addressed. So, he started building.   Today, the firm employs more than a dozen people and offers a suite of software and hardware solutions that drastically reduce costs associated with billing for and hauling away garbage.   In this conversation, Aaron and Charlie discuss the evolution of the company, the benefits of bootstrapping, and when to ‘build’ vs ‘buy’.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Charlie Dolan’s Challenge; Realize most of the world around you was designed by another human. Use that to build confidence in your own ability to make an impact.   Connect with Charlie Dolan Linkedin Twitter SequoiaWaste.com Discoveryapp.io   If you liked this interview, check out more interviews

John Feghali’s technology startup blends augmented reality, digital media, and animation to enable a new style of storytelling.   Most animated videos take thousands of hours of work and come with hefty price tags. For example, Frozen 2 cost $150 million and Toy Story 4 cost $200 million.   John’s company, Toaster Pets Cartoons, allows children and adults to make their own animated cartoons by recording cardboard cutouts and using artificial intelligence to translate the live action into a digital cartoon.   Explainer Video   In this episode, Aaron and John discuss how he found this market opportunity, the technology powering the service, and the enormous potential of the Intellectual Property.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   John Feghali’s Challenge; Create opportunity for others.   Connect with John Feghali Linkedin Instagram Twitter ToasterPets.com Getpaperstudio.com   If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where

Luke Glass is building a digital marketplace for land rights in the US. That means that any property owner can list their property’s rights to timber, solar, wind, or oil & gas for sale.   Luke’s company, RealX is aiming to unleash the trends of digitization, globalization, and virtualization on a marketplace that still operates on postcards and paper contracts.   As vice president and general manager of ListHub, which was purchased by Move in 2010, Luke Glass grew the platform into the nation’s largest online real estate listing syndicator.   In this podcast, Luke and Aaron discuss how this platform allows landowners to identify more buyers, why Luke believes solar will be more dominant over the next 20 years, and why he’s not the Garbage King of West Virginia.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Luke Glass’s Challenge; Find a local Food Bank and donate.     Connect with Luke Glass Linkedin RealX.io   If you liked this interview, check out our i

Luke Skurman is the CEO and Founder of Niche.com. Niche is an informative website that provides insight and analysis from experts and neighbors to help people choose colleges, K-12 schools, and places to live.    Niche, formerly College Prowler, was founded in 2002 and recently raised $35 Million to expand its client base and grow its team. This Series C funding was led by the New York-based Radian Capital and San Fransisco-based Salesforce Ventures.    Luke has been at the helm of this college resource dynamo since its founding and has led it through tremendous years of growth. In 2019, Niche grew its client-base by 60% and increased annual recurring revenue over 100%.   In this episode, Aaron and Luke discuss the Series C funding, how to grow a tech business in Pittsburgh, and the future of remote work in lieu of COVID-19. Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Luke Skurman’s Challenge; Increase your level of empathy for others.   Connect with Luke Sk

Keith Hamon has over 30 years of operational restaurant experience, with 10 years in active financial management and 7 years of direct experience owning, operating, growing, and stewarding a small group of restaurants.    His firm, Alchemy Financial, serves as a bookkeeper, financial planner, and CFO for clients in the hospitality space.   Keith is committed to helping small restaurants and bars survive and thrive using better financial planning and thinking strategically about pricing.   In this episode, Keith and Aaron discuss pricing strategy, how restaurants deal with food delivery, and Cloud Kitchens.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Keith Harmon’s Challenge; Be mindful of everything.   Connect with Keith Harmon   Linkedin We Live to Serve Twitter Alchemy Financial Website alchemyboston@gmail.com    If you liked this interview, check out two interviews with award-winning chefs and entrepreneurs. Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors was named one of

Ben Hunt is the creator of Epsilon Theory and co-founder of Second Foundation Partners.    Epsilon Theory is a newsletter and website that studies markets using game theory and history. It is read by over 100,000 professional investors and allocators across 180 countries.   Ben is the founder of two technology companies, a past professor of political science, and a successful investor. He’s worked in venture capital and subsequently on two long/short equity hedge funds. He evolved to blend his background as a portfolio manager, risk manager, and entrepreneur with academic experience in game theory and econometrics to improve client outcomes.   In this conversation, Ben and Aaron discuss how Ben outlined the false numbers coming out of China in a blog post titles Body Count, how to channel anger into Hope, and how he thinks about fatherhood.   Essential Reading Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose Things Fall Apart #1 Things Fall Apart #2 Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Hea

Flori Marquez is the cofounder of BlockFi, a fintech firm that provides wealth management products to investors in cryptocurrency.   BlockFi currently offers interest-bearing crypto accounts, crypto trading, and crypto-backed loans.   In the last year, BlockFi has raised an $18.3 million Series A and a $30 million Series B from investors like Morgan Creek Digital, Fidelity, the Winklevoss twins, and Valar Ventures.   Flori has spent her career managing alternative lending products, including a $125MM portfolio for Bond Street (acquired by Goldman Sachs).    In this conversation, Flori and Aaron discuss the founding of the company, the new customers BlockFi is targeting, and why banking people across the world is challenging.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680   Flori Marquez’s Challenge; Take $100 and invest in something new or different.   Connect with Flori Marquez Linkedin Twitter Website support@blockfi.com   If you liked this interview, check out our past blockchain and crypto intervie

The Coronavirus (rightfully) gets most of the headlines. However, we are also living through an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that has worldwide ramifications.   Matt Wieszczyk is the Managing Member of Par City Holdings, a land services company that specializes in the acquisition of oil and gas mineral and royalty rights. At PCH, he has placed $15mm for various investors in SW Appalachia.   Prior to Par City, Matt was Acquisitions Manager & General Counsel for San Jacinto Minerals. At SJM, he placed $39mm in 15 months, leading the mineral market in Washington and Greene Counties, in PA.   In this interview, Matt and Aaron discuss the shale industry in Appalachia and how the price war could positively affect the region. They also discuss Matt’s business model and how he got into the industry. Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680   Matt Wieszczyk’s Challenge; Write someone a handwritten note.   Connect with Matt Wieszczyk Linkedin Facebook parcityholdings@gmail.com   Mentio

LBRY is a place where they can find great videos, music, ebooks, and more. How? LBRY started as a new protocol that allows anyone to build apps that interact with digital content on the LBRY network.    Apps built using the protocol allow creators to upload their work to the LBRY network of hosts (like BitTorrent), to set a price per stream or download (like iTunes) or give it away for free (like YouTube without ads). The work you publish could be videos, audio files, documents, or any other type of file.   Traditional video (or other content) sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify store your uploads on their servers and allow viewers to download them. They also allow creators to make some money through advertising or other mechanisms. However, there are some well-known drawbacks, especially for people whose material is perceived as not being advertiser-friendly.   Jeremy Kauffman created LBRY because he fell in love with the idea of shared, global content registry that is owned and controlled by no on

Two years ago, Ian Rosenberger and his company took a leap forward by launching a backpack. It was made from Thread International’s first product, fabric made from plastic waste that had been recycled.   The backpack raised $571,000 on Kickstarter and represented an important new chapter for the business.   At the beginning of 2020, they launched two specific brands; Day Owl (for consumers) and First Mile (for brands like Reebok, Puma, and Converse to buy the fabric).   In this conversation, Ian and Aaron discuss the strategy behind the rebrand, managing a retail company through the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, and how Day Owl re-tooled their facility to make Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Ian Rosenberger’s Challenge; Identify the Day Owls in your world and figure out how you can support them.   Connect with Ian Rosenberger Day Owl Website Day Owl Instagram   If you liked this interview, check

Anthony Pompliano is a co-founder & Partner at Morgan Creek Digital. He leads investments in early-stage startups and cryptocurrency.   He was formerly a product manager at Facebook.   He writes a daily letter analyzing crypto news for institutional investors and a prolific podcast with other top thinkers in finance and crypto.   In this conversation, Pomp and Aaron discuss the Bitcoin halving, economic stimulus, and kindness.   Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.   Anthony’s Challenge; Remember to be kind to one another.   Connect with Anthony Pompliano Linkedin Twitter The Pomp Podcast   If you liked this interview, check out our collection of past interviews covering blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies.    Our clients become better storytellers.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepre