Shows
The Aperiam PodcastNot Taking Sides with GameraGareth Glaser, CEO and founder of Gamera, joins Corey and Joe fresh off announcing his fundraise. Gareth—former chair of Prebid.js and founder of RTK—explains Gamera's mission: creating a shared inventory identifier so buyers actually know what placements their ads run on. They discuss why the sell side has been "the Wild West," how the MFA crackdown proved transparency works, and why his "Gareth Hates Ad Tech" blog built trust before he hired salespeople. The goal? Make the open web work as efficiently as walled gardens—without taking sides.
2026-01-2841 min
The Aperiam PodcastCES 2026 DownloadFresh from the show floor, Joe Z and Erica Chriss join Corey Ferengul to break down CES 2026. This year felt different—less hype, more real momentum behind AI transformation. From seamless home habitats to ad tech innovations with actual case studies, the team explores why this CES marked a turning point. They discuss the collapse of the "tale of two shows," agencies finally leaning forward on transformation, and why human connection matters more than ever as we navigate historic change. Plus: Why is there so much smoke at CES? And who's still booking bands for 50-year-olds?
2026-01-2139 min
The Aperiam Podcast2025 Wrap Corey Ferengul and Joe Zawadzki wrap up the year by breaking down the biggest shifts in advertising and marketing technology—and what they signal for 2026. They discuss the TVScientific–Pinterest acquisition, trends in ad-tech investing, the rise of AI and agents across the ad stack, growing bot traffic, and mounting pressure on legacy platforms. The episode closes with predictions on LLM ad models, creative disruption, and an expected wave of M&A
2026-01-1335 min
The Aperiam PodcastThe Hidden Cost of ConnectivityJoe and Corey speak with Heather Macaulay, co-founder of MADConnect and Audience Choice winner at the Marketecture Startup Challenge.There is a problem that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: integration debt. Every audience sync, conversion pull, and cross-platform workflow depends on APIs that are expensive to build, harder to maintain, and constantly breaking. That hidden “connectivity tax” is quietly draining engineering time across AdTech and MarTech.When the plumbing underneath isn’t solid, everything above it stalls. Learn more about what is needed from the underlying infrastructure to enable data to really work for a company
2025-12-1732 min
The Aperiam PodcastAssessing AI ImpactAI is reshaping every corner of the advertising ecosystem—faster than most organizations can absorb. Joe and Corey dig into what they're seeing on the ground: agencies rethinking their operating models, brands finally experimenting with AI in planning and measurement, and programmatic moving toward a more automated, decision-driven future.The through-line: this isn’t about replacing people overnight. It’s about rebuilding workflows, challenging long-held assumptions, and getting comfortable experimenting with tools that didn’t exist a year ago.If you’re not testing, learning, and pushing your teams to understand what AI can unlock, you...
2025-12-1032 min
Momentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon32. Guest Tom Alexander on A Face Up World: Culture, Loyalty, and the New Rules of WorkMost companies say “people are our most important asset,” but few can prove it. Tom Alexander is trying to change that.As co-founder and CEO of Holistic, Tom is building tools to help companies actually understand and improve the employee experience. Not with vague platitudes, but with measurable, actionable data. In this episode, we dig into what’s really changed since the early days of Holistic, how the modern employee mindset has evolved, and why transparency isn't just a buzzword. It's a survival strategy.From his time shaping ecosystems at 1871 to building a company rooted...
2025-12-0840 min
The Aperiam PodcastLeading Through Change with Jenna GriffithJoe and Corey sit down with Jenna Griffith for a conversation about what leadership really looks like when a company is going through change. The consistent theme: clarity wins. If you don’t communicate clearly and often, people fill in the gaps on their own—and usually incorrectly.They discuss how to handle internal agendas, why you start with customers when you’re trying to understand what's actually happening, and how AI is forcing every organization to rethink roles, expectations, and pace. The next generation is already adapting; the question is whether leaders are listening closely enough to kee...
2025-12-0435 min
The Aperiam PodcastReshaping CreativeA conversation with Oz Etzioni, CEO of Clinch, to talk about something a lot of brands and agencies are wrestling with right now: the widening gap between media and creative — and how AI is rapidly changing what’s possible in that space.Clinch has been focused for years on the connective layer between creative and media. The idea is simple to say, but hard to execute: unify the creative strategy with the media plan so that the right message can be delivered to the right audience in real time, across every channel. And now, with the acceleration of A...
2025-11-1936 min
The Aperiam PodcastFate of The Open WebJoe and Corey are joined by Erica Chriss and we dug into a question that’s coming up everywhere: what happens to the open web as more consumer activity moves into AI-driven interfaces?There’s no doubt the landscape is shifting — from checkout happening inside chat to new tools that shape how brands appear in LLM environments. But that doesn’t mean the open web is disappearing. It means publishers, advertisers, agencies, and platforms have to rethink how they show up. The advantage will go to those who adapt their business models, not just their tech stacks. Flexibil...
2025-11-1235 min
The Aperiam PodcastBuilding a business beyond MVPIn this episode of the Aperiam Podcast, Joe Zawadzki and Corey Ferengul talked about the hardest step — turning a great idea into a repeatable business. You can’t outsource that early work. The founder (and early team) have to be with customers, hearing what works, what doesn’t, and adjusting without losing sight of the bigger vision.The mistake we see most often? Hiring a senior “head of sales” too early. The better move is to find a player-coach — someone who can sell alongside the founder and start building process without losing momentum.Whether you’re a startup o...
2025-10-1537 min
The Aperiam PodcastYobi Striving to Redefine Consumer DecisioningOn this episode, we spoke with Max Snow and Frank Portman, the founders of Yobi.Yobi started in 2019 as a research lab with roots in Princeton’s behavioral science program. From day one, they focused on predicting consumer behavior ethically and with privacy at the forefront—being “born post-GDPR” gave them an early framework to build responsibly.What stood out in our conversation is how they’ve turned that foundation into one of the most powerful data estates in the market—investing over $100M to partner with enterprises like retailers and banks to assemble unique first- and s...
2025-10-0838 min
The Aperiam PodcastThe Outsourcing Pendulum in MarketingIn our latest Aperiam Podcast, Joe and Corey dug into the ongoing tug-of-war every CMO faces: what to keep in-house and what to outsource.This isn’t a new debate. Marketing has always lived on a continuum—search once started outsourced, then became core. Social was brought in-house, then pushed out again. Creative has cycled between internal teams and outside agencies. And now AI is adding a new twist, with vendors pitching both sides of the argument: “AI makes it simple enough to run internally” vs. “AI lets us scale your marketing more cost-effectively.”See where we thi...
2025-10-0129 min
The Aperiam PodcastProgrammatic with Yield Author Ari PaparoOn this week’s Aperiam Podcast, Joe and I were joined by Ari Paparo to talk about his new book.For years, Ari’s been both a builder and a commentator in our industry. From helping shape the foundations of programmatic to calling it like it is on his blog, he’s influenced how many of us understand ad tech. His book takes that further—capturing the history of programmatic, the personalities behind it, and the lessons learned along the way.What I appreciate is that Ari doesn’t write like an outsider looking in. He’s lived...
2025-09-2434 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon31. Guest John Moakley on Pattern Recognition, Private Equity, and Playing the Long GameJohn Moakley has spent decades building, running, and investing in data-driven companies—long before “data science” had a name. In this conversation, John joins Mike and Corey to pull back the curtain on what private equity really looks for, how companies often miss the value sitting right in front of them, and why the current hype around AI mirrors the early days of data monetization.From turning a magazine subscription list into a revenue stream, to helping scale a $70M data business, to earning the nickname Dr. No inside a private equity firm, John shares lessons from both t...
2025-09-1835 min
The Aperiam PodcastBeyond Attention: The Trust Gap in a Fragmented WorldAudience fragmentation isn’t just about where people spend time—it’s about who they trust.In this episode of the Aperiam Podcast, Joe Zawadzki and Corey dive into how the splintering of media channels has reshaped trust itself. We discuss:Why traditional anchors of credibility—publishers, institutions, even brands—no longer carry the same weight.How trust is migrating to influencers, niche communities, and peer networks.What this means for advertisers trying to build durable connections with their audiences.The conversation highlights a critical point: in today’s environment, earning attention isn’t enough. You also have...
2025-09-1729 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon30. Guest Ira Weiss on Boardroom Strategy, Leadership Fit, and the Power of PersistenceWhat does a board member really look for in a CEO? What signals competence, and what quietly erodes confidence?In this episode, Mike and Corey sit down with returning guest Ira Weiss—educator, investor, and longtime board member—to decode the often-misunderstood relationship between boards and founding teams. Drawing from over 60 investments and hundreds of founder interactions, Ira shares how he evaluates early-stage CEOs, the underrated power of persistence and curiosity, and the true markers of success (spoiler: it’s not always the outcome).They dive into:How founders can turn board meetings into strate...
2025-09-0424 min
The Aperiam PodcastFrom Opaque to Essential: The Return of the Ad NetworkIn this episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Joe, Erica, and Corey dig nto a topic that has come back in force: ad networks.For years, “ad network” was a dirty word in our industry. They were seen as opaque, arbitrage-driven, and destined to disappear as programmatic brought transparency. But here we are—everywhere we look, the network model is back.A few themes from our discussion:- Everything looks like an ad network again. Retail media, CTV, mobile gaming, even agencies—if you’re aggregating supply, demand, and data, you’re operating with network char...
2025-09-0334 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon29. Guest Anar Isman on Turning a Mission into $70M in RevenueAnar Isman didn’t start Ageless RX to build a business—he started it to challenge one of humanity’s most accepted limitations: aging. What began as personal curiosity turned into a mission-driven company now generating over $70 million in annual revenue.In this conversation, Anar joins Mike and Corey to unpack how he built Ageless RX from a late-night side project into a fast-growing, telemedicine-powered platform at the center of the longevity movement. He shares how COVID unlocked the company’s early traction, how off-label science meets mainstream demand, and why he still interviews every hire to protect...
2025-08-2833 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon29. Guest Kelsey Behringer on Leading Before You Have the TitleWhen Kelsey Behringer stepped into the CEO role at Packback, it wasn’t the typical path to the top. She rose through customer success—not sales or finance—but quickly proved that deep team insight and executional trust can be a powerful foundation for transformative leadership. In this conversation, Kelsey returns to unpack the story behind the leadership transition, the strategy that brought the board and team along, and the 18-month process that set the company up for a successful exit. She shares what it took to gain trust, how storytelling and data shaped Packback’s go-to-market, and why b...
2025-08-2823 min
The Aperiam PodcastAI Meets Creative Meets Media With Victoria Milo of MonksOn the latest episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Joe and I sat down with Victoria Milo from Monks to talk about how AI is reshaping the way brands, agencies, and platforms work together.One of the most striking takeaways: the real shift isn’t just AI itself—it’s the ways of working. Media and creative teams can no longer operate in silos. Platforms are building their own creative studios. CFOs are getting as involved in measurement as CMOs. And AI is the driver behind this convergence.AI is forcing collaboration, breaking down walls between creati...
2025-08-2741 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon28. Guest Andrew Gunderman on Building an Empire of RelationshipsFrom a farm town in Ohio to penthouse events with billionaires in Chicago—Andrew Gunderman’s journey is anything but ordinary. By his early twenties, he had already founded and sold a startup, built founder communities from scratch, and begun curating some of the city’s most exclusive circles of entrepreneurs, investors, and influencers.In this conversation, Andrew joins Mike Shannon and Corey Ferengul to unpack the strategy behind building Renowned Chicago, why exclusivity works when it’s paired with openness, and how relationships—not just capital—can accelerate a founder’s trajectory. He shares how aggressive outreach, ment...
2025-08-2132 minThe Aperiam PodcastFragmented Audiences & Billion-Dollar CartsConsumer behavior is shifting fast—and marketers need to catch up.In this episode of the Aperiam Podcast, Joe and Corey cover two trends reshaping digital advertising:Audience fragmentation: consumers live across Roblox, Twitch, TikTok, Discord, podcasts, and more. The challenge is stitching a story across all of them.Live stream shopping: TikTok alone drove $26B in GMV in the first half of 2025. For many brands, the ad is now the storefront.These shifts dramatically impact how you reach your audience and not giving them attention means missing your consumer.
2025-08-2031 minThe Aperiam PodcastAI In Development Survey ResultsIf You’re Not Using AI in Dev, You’re Already BehindAI is now a standard part of software development—at least for Aperiam’s portfolio. Every single company we surveyed is already using it. But only 9% have formal policies in place.In our latest Aperiam Podcast, Joe Zawadzki and Corey Ferengul dive into what that tells us—and what it doesn’t. They cover:The real impact of AI on developer productivityWhy vibe coding is more than a trendHow tools like Cursor are reshaping prototypingThe rise of agents as business infrastructureAnd why some exe...
2025-08-1332 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon27. Managing Uncertainty: Control, Contingency, and the CEO’s Real JobUncertainty isn’t just a buzzword -- it’s basically the operating environment for every leader in 2025. From economic volatility to the unknowns of AI’s impact, executives are navigating conditions where the variables outside their control keep multiplying. In this episode, Mike and Corey break down how to lead through the fog—identifying what’s controllable, building flexible plans for the uncontrollable, and creating the right communication cadence with boards, teams, and customers. They share real-world stories of pandemic playbooks, financial “break points,” and unpopular calls that paid off. The takeaway: leading in uncertainty isn’t about having all the answers...
2025-08-1324 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon26. Guest Arnav Dalmia on Finding Product-Market Fit Where No One Was LookingArnav Dalmia didn’t set out to build a fitness brand for older adults—but listening to customers led him there. In this conversation, Arnav joins us to unpack the unlikely evolution of Cubii, the company he co-founded that sold for north of $100 million after a decade-long grind that began with Kickstarter and a desk pedal idea.They dig into why early investors passed, what everyone got wrong about the market, and how a hard-earned product-market fit with seniors turned Cubii into a category-defining brand. Arnav shares the inflection points that changed the company’s course: from bootst...
2025-08-0728 minThe Aperiam PodcastThe Attention AwakeningOn the latest episode of the Aperiam Podcast, Corey Ferengul and Joe Zawadzki are joined by Erica Chriss to unpack why “attention” is more than a buzzword—it's continuing to become the new currency of advertising.They cover: What attention metrics really mean Why omni-channel chaos demands a normalized metric How attention bridges brand, performance, and publisher value Where AI helps (and where it doesn’t—yet)If you care about outcomes, creative quality, or modern measurement, this episode is worth your full attention.
2025-08-0638 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon25. More Than a Notetaker: Building AI That Actually Works for PeopleIn this episode, Corey and Mike dive deep into one of the defining trends shaping AI’s next chapter: verticalization. They explore why general-purpose AI isn’t enough—and how the most compelling solutions are now being purpose-built for specific industries, starting with Mike’s own experience building an AI operating system for independent financial advisors.The conversation traces the journey from general tools to tailored workflows, covering:How to choose the right vertical by listening for signal, not just scaleWhy true differentiation lies in domain depth, not just technical featuresAnd how trust, service, and context are shap...
2025-07-3122 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon24. Guest Divey Gulati on Culture, Customers, and Leading Through HypergrowthIn this episode, Mike and Corey sit down with Divey Gulati, co-founder of ShipBob, to explore a challenge few founders navigate successfully: staying in the seat as your company scales from basement hustle to global operation. They unpack what it takes to evolve from a single-product startup to a multi-product logistics platform, and why ShipBob’s culture—rooted in transparency, customer obsession, and founder access—has become its real competitive edge.From rethinking product strategy around customer behavior to transforming internal processes for a 1,200-person team, the conversation offers a rare inside look at how to scale withou...
2025-07-2435 minThe Aperiam PodcastThe Evolution of Agencies with Jay FriedmanWhat do agencies, AI, and Domino’s pizza have in common?In our latest episode of the Aperiam Podcast, we sit down with Jay Friedman—former CEO of Goodway Group—for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about the future of marketing, agency reinvention, and what bold leadership really looks like.From offshoring and AI-driven disruption to the broken brand/agency model and why most boards ignore $1.75B marketing budgets while obsessing over $50M factory build, lots to discuss!
2025-07-2433 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon23. Inject or Eject: How AI is Dividing the Business LandscapeIn this episode, Mike and Corey dive into one of the most urgent divides forming in the business world: AI-native startups vs. legacy companies scrambling to retrofit their operations. They explore what it really means to build with AI at the core—not just as a tool, but as a fundamental shift in how problems are defined and solved.From legal bottlenecks to misaligned incentives, the conversation unpacks the cultural, operational, and strategic barriers that slow-moving companies face. And they don’t just talk theory—they lay out a practical framework for how businesses should be thinking about...
2025-07-1723 minThe Aperiam PodcastAI, Algorithms & more with Tylynn Pettry of ChaliceWhat really goes into building a custom algorithm? Tylynn Pettrey, VP of Data Science at Chalice, joins us to unpack how marketers are shifting from out-of-the-box algos to precision-built decision engines.We cover: ✅ The path to becoming a VP of Data Science (spoiler: it's rarely linear) ✅ How Chalice builds reusable AI microservices ✅ When to use platform algorithms vs. custom models ✅ The rise of containerized RTB and sell-side decisioning ✅ Why inclusion/exclusion lists might be killing your scale ✅ And yes... a horror story involving hallucinated LLM sales personas
2025-07-1633 min
Open MarketEverything About Boards with Aperiam Partner Corey FerengulSerial CEO and board member Corey Ferengul joins Eric Franchi and Joe Zappa to teach the audience everything they need to know about boards, especially from the founder's perspective. When do you assemble a board? Who should be on it? How do you structure it? What types of questions are great for boards? How do you prepare for updates? And how does the marketing leader communicate with the board? Corey provides the deepest dive out there on boards for adtech founders and marketers.
2025-07-1648 minThe Aperiam PodcastThe Brand PerspectiveHow do brands really think—and what do startups get wrong when selling to them?In this episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Joe and Corey sit down with our partner Danilo Toro, who brings a rare perspective as a marketer-turned-technologist with experience at P&G, Amazon, and Uber.The team discusses:What’s actually top of mind for CMOs in 2025 (spoiler: it’s not just AI)Why the “job to be done” always trumps the tech specsHow brands make decisions about switching vendors (hint: your pitch probably isn’t as unique as you think...
2025-07-0928 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon22. Guest Howard Tullman on The New Rules of Value, Trust, and WorkGuest Howard Tullman shares hard-won lessons from decades in tech—on grit, leadership, and why most startups are built on shaky ground. From AI’s limits to the collapse of workplace culture, this is a candid take on what founders, CEOs, and Gen Z need to hear right now.
2025-07-0936 minThe Aperiam PodcastIf You Were Starting an AdTech Company Today…If you had a blank slate—what kind of AdTech company would you build?On this episode of the Aperiam Podcast, Joe and Corey kick around startup concepts, inspired by a little help from ChatGPT. From closed-loop attribution in Canada to influencer infrastructure, orchestration platforms, and agentic media buying—we cover the real whitespace in today’s adtech landscape.We talk:What LLM-native ad formats might look likeWhy influencer tech is underbuilt—and underestimatedWhy orchestration and AI middleware are must-build categoriesWhat it takes to reassemble a fractured media ecosystem
2025-07-0228 minThe Aperiam PodcastCannes Observations and Retail Media ThoughtsJoe and Corey give their thoughts on this year's Cannes Lion conference and unpack the many retail media announcements. From Amazon’s partnerships with Roku and Disney to the rise of verticalized commerce stacks, it’s clear: retail media is no longer a niche—it’s the connective tissue of modern advertising.We explore:Was AI the only theme in Cannes?Whether "retail media" is still a useful termThe role of AI in empowering indie agenciesHow marketers should rethink audience, measurement, and branding in an outcomes-driven worldWhy every company is becoming an ad businessIf you’re tr...
2025-06-2727 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon21. Second Time Smarter: Discovery, Discipline, and the Startup Learning MachineWhat really changes when you build your second company? In this episode, Corey and Mike discuss the mindset shift that happens when you’ve done it before—from forcing a business plan onto the world to discovering what’s actually needed. They dive into why iteration beats vision, how to turn low-fidelity ideas into learning engines, and the underestimated power of staying lean. Whether you're scaling your first startup or rethinking your next move, this conversation unpacks how second-time founders think, move, and build differently.
2025-06-2525 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon20. Guest Tim Huelskamp on Culture, Retention, and the New Rules of WorkWhat happens when a private equity executive and a PhD scientist team up to fix the way we consume news? In this episode, Mike Shannon and Corey Ferengul sit down with Tim Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of 1440, the fast-growing media startup with over 4.5 million subscribers and some of the most enviable unit economics in digital publishing. Tim breaks down the strategic bets, early missteps, and flywheel mechanics behind building a high-trust, curiosity-driven brand from scratch. From his days turning around industrial companies in Alabama to building a fully remote team with zero employee churn, Tim shares what it really...
2025-06-1836 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon19. Karl Hughes on Building Companies that Don't BreakKarl Hughes has done what many founders aim for but few actually achieve: he built a company that didn’t need him. In this episode, Karl shares how he scaled a technical content agency to seven figures, took a full month off, and began acquiring other small service businesses through micro M&A.We dive into: – How to design for founder independence – Why reps beat perfection when building teams – The overlooked opportunity in acquiring niche agencies – How to grow sustainably without outside fundingIf you're a founder thinking long-term, this episode is a blueprint...
2025-06-1230 minThe Aperiam PodcastDid the cookie crumble… or crack open the door to something better?On the latest episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Corey Ferengul moderates…sort of a debate…between Joe Zawadzki and Erica Chriss on whether cookie deprecation was a crisis or a catalyst.Was identity always essential—or have retail media and curation shown us a better path?Smart, fast-paced, and full of insights for CMOs, investors, and adtech insiders.
2025-06-1131 minThe Aperiam PodcastWhat makes a startup investable?On this episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Corey Ferengul and Joe Zawadzki go deep on what really drives investment decisions and even surface some disagreements. From exit potential and market understanding to founder grit and AI integration, what factors into the thinking.No checklists. Just real talk on how VCs actually evaluate opportunities—and why trust, logic, and the route to market matter more than you think.Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just curious how the venture sausage gets made, this one’s for you.
2025-06-0428 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon18. Guest Eric Mills on How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Company BuildingAI isn't just another tool—it’s a complete shift in how companies are being built, scaled, and operated. In this episode, Mike and Corey sit down with Eric Mills, founder of Density and Y Combinator alum, to explore what it really means to build an AI-native company. From early-stage experimentation to shipping with agents and orchestrated workflows, Eric brings a practical lens to the hype and a systems-level view on what’s actually working.They dig into how AI is collapsing cost structures, changing the rules of offshoring, and reshaping org design—from engineering teams to mid-leve...
2025-06-0433 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon17. Guest Amanda Lannert on Designing Moments That MatterThis week on Momentum Mode, we’re joined by Amanda Lannert, longtime CEO of Jellyvision, for a conversation that goes deep into the mechanics of building a strong, sustainable company culture. Amanda breaks down how Jellyvision’s values—like trust, responsiveness, and the deceptively powerful mantra “be helpful”—translate into everyday decisions, from hiring and onboarding to managing through layoffs. With clarity and candor, she shares the thinking behind the systems and rituals that have made Jellyvision consistently recognized as a great place to work.We also explore the evolution of leadership in fast-growing companies, what post-COVID culture buil...
2025-05-3022 minThe Aperiam PodcastAdTech M&A: Strategies, Stories, and SurprisesM&A in AdTech: Dead or Just Sleeping?In this week's Aperiam Podcast, Corey and Joe dive into what’s really happening in the M&A market, why being “ready” matters even when you're not for sale, and how founders should think about story, data, and the art of the soft pitch. Get an indepth view on how Corey and Joe think about running an M&A process.Plus, an Easter egg offer for our listeners…
2025-05-2833 minThe Aperiam PodcastThe Xander Shutdown And The Future Of DSPs Is Microsoft’s DSP shutdown a bold AI bet or a quiet surrender? In this episode, Joe Zawadzki and Corey Ferengul unpack Microsoft's decision to wind down Xandr by 2026 — and what it signals about the future of DSPs in an agentic, AI-driven world. 🚫📈🤖 We talk: Why big companies fail at ad tech rollupsHow agentic AI disrupts the programmatic modelThe rise of modular, API-first ad stacksWhether we’re heading toward 3 mega-DSPs or 3,000 micro-platformsWhy Microsoft might be doing with ads what Harvard once did with linguistics (yes, really)If you care about the future of ad te...
2025-05-2124 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon16. Guest Dan Dal Degan on Strategy, Culture, and What Really Moves the NeedleWhat does it really take to lead a company through high-stakes growth, acquisitions, and transformation? Dan Dal Degan—known to many as Triple D—returns for a deep dive into what most leadership playbooks leave out.Drawing on decades of experience scaling enterprise software companies, including an early role at Salesforce, Dan shares what it means to build strategy that’s not just understood by the C-suite but felt across the company. We get into why trust is the bedrock of strategy, how culture shapes execution, and what it looks like to lead with clarity during times of pre...
2025-05-1622 minThe Aperiam PodcastCuration Nation or Buy Side Story? A DebateIn this spirited edition of The Aperiam Podcast, Corey Ferengul moderates a dynamic debate between Joe Zawadzki and Erica Chriss on one of ad tech's most pressing questions: Is the future of programmatic driven by curated SSPs or discovery-oriented DSPs?Framed around the buzzword “curation,” the trio unpacks whether the power in ad tech is shifting toward pre-packaged inventory strategies or remains in the hands of data-driven, algorithmic buying. From vertical ad stacks to AI agents, the discussion spans tactical considerations and broader philosophical implications—including who should own performance and how both sides can (and mu...
2025-05-1432 minThe Aperiam PodcastPOSSIBLE 2025 RecapFresh off the beach and deep in conversation, Joe Zawadzki and Corey Ferengul break down everything they saw and heard at Possible 2025 in Miami—from the undercurrent of AI innovation to the silence around macroeconomics.They discuss:Why AI was everywhere—but not just as a buzzword.The conspicuous absence of macroeconomic discussion—and why politics might be the reason.The impact of the Google verdict on the market..Hiring freezes, AI-native companies, and the rise of lean startups.
2025-05-0722 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon15. Guest Kelsey Behringer Redefines Leadership After a Private Equity ExitWhat actually happens after a founder steps aside and a new CEO steps in? Kelsey Behringer, CEO of Packback, joins us to unpack the emotional and operational realities of leading a company through a major transition—from a VC-backed startup to a growth-stage business under new ownership.Kelsey opens up about what surprised her most in the CEO seat, including the often-unspoken loneliness of leadership, and how she’s built systems of support, communication, and culture from the inside out. We get into how her background in teaching shaped her approach to change management, why financial tran...
2025-05-0123 minThe Aperiam PodcastRetail Media, Telco Innovation & Ad Tech Resilience with Ana MilicevicIn this episode of The Aperiam Podcast, Corey Ferengul and Joe Zawadzki are joined by Ana Milicevic—ad tech pioneer, board member at ID5, and co-founder of Sparrow Advisers—for a deep dive into the intersection of telco, identity, and innovation.The trio unpacks:How Bell Canada is building a future-facing retail media stackWhy Canada is the ideal test market for global media innovationThe evolution of retail media networks beyond traditional retailLessons from past failures in telco-ad tech marriages, and what’s different nowWhat it takes to build resilient, anti-fragile companies in uncertain timesWhy AI investment is mis...
2025-04-3034 minThe Aperiam PodcastCheck Out Of The Hotel GoogleforniaJoe and Corey discuss a different take on the federal ruling that Google is a monopoly. They focus on what's next for marketeers, publishers and start ups.
2025-04-2411 minThe Aperiam PodcastDebate: CTV Walled Garden vs. Open GardenMedia companies are bouncing between open and closed ecosystems for their CTV inventory. Joe and guest Erica Chriss debate the both sides - should a media provider have an open garden or an closed one?
2025-04-2330 minThe Aperiam PodcastCreatively CreativeJoe and Corey discuss the state of creative tech in the market and where it's going.
2025-04-1629 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon14. Guest Ira Weiss Dives Into the Hidden Work of High-Impact BoardsVenture capitalist and Booth professor Ira Weiss joins Momentum Mode to break down what great board members actually do, how investor dynamics shift across funding stages, and why early-stage founders should rethink how they engage with their boards. A candid conversation on strategy, signals, and the real work of scaling.
2025-04-1623 minThe Aperiam PodcastI Want My CTV.Joe and Corey discuss the current Connected TV landscape and business models for the technology players.
2025-04-0927 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon13. Guest Amanda Lannert on Accidental Leadership and Scaling with HeartAmanda Lannert became CEO of Jellyvision by surprise—literally. In this episode, the longtime leader of Jellyvision shares how she grew into the role, navigated scale without losing soul, and learned to balance rapid change with operational stability. It’s a candid look at leadership, authenticity, and building with intention, even on the fly.If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re ready for the next big role—or if you’re already in it and figuring it out as you go—this one’s for you.
2025-03-3123 minThe Aperiam PodcastAI and AdvertisingJoe and Corey discuss the AI impact the advertising world, now and in the future. Also, updates on Aperiam Ventures.
2025-03-2738 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon12. Guest Dan Dal Degan Unpacks Building, Selling, and Leading Elite CompaniesWe’re back—with a new name! Opening the C-Suite is now Momentum Mode. Same podcast, same candid conversations—now with an even sharper focus on building and sustaining momentum in leadership and business.In this episode, Dan Dal Degan (Triple D) joins us to unpack the realities of leadership, mentorship, and company-building. A seasoned SaaS executive, investor, and board member, Dan has played a pivotal role in scaling companies like Salesforce and leading major acquisitions—including a $250M sale to DocuSign.Whether you’re leading a company, building a career, or investing in the next gener...
2025-02-2824 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon11. First-Time CEO: Navigating the Transition with Confidence
2024-12-1318 minMomentum Mode w/ Corey Ferengul & Mike Shannon10. Mergers and Acquisitions: What Every CEO Should Know
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