Shows
DivotThe $1B Startup Betting on Software’s Next Users: AI AgentsIvan Burazin is the co-founder and CEO of Daytona, the AI infrastructure company building computers for AI agents. His 16-person engineering team rebuilt its product with a radical rule: no manually written code. With engineers directing up to 15 agents at once, he offers a firsthand look at the future of software development, where human judgment matters more than typing every line.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Ivan makes a bold case: the next software revolution will be built for agents, not humans. He explains why SaaS could become infrastructure, how AI agents explore multiple paths in...
2026-10-211h 01
DivotEx-Facebook Engineer & Former Dropbox CTO: Is the Superintelligence Era Here?Aditya Agarwal helped build early Facebook and scaled Dropbox’s engineering team from 25 to 1,000. The former Dropbox CTO is now a General Partner at South Park Commons, a venture firm with $2 billion in assets under management whose portfolio includes Baseten, valued at $13 billion in June 2026. His career spans the rise of social media, cloud software, and now artificial intelligence.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Aditya makes a bold case: the superintelligence era is already here. He explains why AI is reshaping software engineering, recalls a 15-second AI diagnosis he estimates would have taken him hours, and re...
2026-10-1449 min
DivotSteve Young: Why Super Bowls Don’t Define His Legacy & How He Measures a Successful LifeSteve Young is a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time NFL MVP, and Super Bowl MVP who threw six touchdown passes to lead the San Francisco 49ers to victory in Super Bowl XXIX. From eighth on BYU’s quarterback depth chart to the NFL’s biggest stage, he built a career under extraordinary pressure. His book, The Law of Love, explores what success means beyond the scoreboard.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Steve reveals what Bill Walsh understood about building winning teams: talent and strategy need trust, love, and accountability. He explains why great players stru...
2026-09-231h 07
DivotHow Google X Makes Radical Innovation Repeatable by Rewarding Intelligent FailureAstro Teller is the entrepreneur, AI scientist, and Captain of Moonshots who has led X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory, for more than 15 years. Under his leadership, X helped incubate Google Brain, Waymo, Wing, and Verily, breakthroughs spanning artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, drone delivery, and precision health. In 2026, Waymo alone raised $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Astro explains how X makes radical innovation repeatable. Teams brainstorm deliberately terrible ideas to unlock creativity, pursue opportunities with only a 1% chance of success, and attack the hardest assumptions before wasting years on comfortable progress. The go...
2026-09-1656 min
DivotFrom His Darkest Moment to 50M Followers: How MDMotivator Turned Pain Into PurposeZachery Dereniowski, better known as MDMotivator, left medical school after the pandemic, a devastating breakup, a torn ACL, and crushing isolation pushed him to the lowest point of his life. Today, his videos about kindness, mental health, and human connection reach more than 50 million followers, have generated over 40 billion impressions, and helped raise more than $5 million for strangers.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Zachery reveals how two strangers saved his life by sitting with him in the rain for 30 minutes, why he walked away from medicine to hug strangers on the street, and how those encounters...
2026-09-091h 12
DivotThe Lean Startup's Creator on Why Good Companies Go Bad & How to Make Yours IncorruptibleEric Ries created the Lean Startup methodology and wrote "The Lean Startup," a New York Times bestseller that has sold more than a million copies in over 30 languages, teaching a generation of founders the MVP and build, measure, learn. He later founded the Long Term Stock Exchange, an SEC-approved exchange that has raised over $170 million, and just published his newest bestseller, "Incorruptible."In this episode with Derek Andersen, Eric explains why "Lean Startup" has held up in the AI era, why AI has made building software nearly free while learning what customers truly need remains the real...
2026-09-0244 min
DivotThe Modern Dating Problem No One Is Actually Talking About Honestly - Shark Tank Dating CoachBlaine Anderson is the Shark Tank dating coach for men who built Dating by Blaine from a COVID-forced career pivot into a company with 7,000 clients and over 1 million followers. She accepted Mark Cuban's $100,000 offer on stage and became the first credible female voice on social media telling men the truth about what is actually going wrong in their dating lives.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Blaine breaks down why the most accomplished men often have the worst dating lives, and what it costs them. She explains why dating apps are designed to keep you searching rather...
2026-08-261h 27
Divot#61: He Built Apple's First Computers for $3 an Hour. Steve Jobs Never Gave Him StockDaniel Kottke met Steve Jobs at Reed College in 1972, traveled with him to India, and spent the summer of 1976 hand-assembling the very first Apple computers in the Jobs family garage in Cupertino, for $3 an hour. He was among Apple's earliest employees, hand-wired the Macintosh prototypes, and left his signature cast inside every original Mac ever made. Apple is now worth $5 trillion.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Daniel reveals what Steve Jobs was really like before Apple: the India trip, Steve's unexplained three-day disappearance in the Himalayas, and the private spiritual life behind the man. He walks...
2026-08-1959 min
Divot#60: Grant Cardone: The Mindset That Built $4 Billion From Zero & Why Ambition Is a Moral ObligationGrant Cardone grew up in the bayous of Louisiana with no money, no connections, and no plan, and spent a decade battling drug addiction before rebuilding from scratch. Today, his privately held companies generate $750 million in gross annual revenue, Cardone Capital manages more than 15,000 apartment units, and the 10X brand has shaped how millions of founders think about ambition and scale.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Grant explains why failing to pursue massive success is somewhat unethical, why the worst advice he ever took came from someone who stopped growing, and how he combines real estate...
2026-08-051h 13
Divot#59: Mark Manson: 20 Million Books, an AI Startup, and Why Most Therapists Don't Actually HelpMark Manson is a three-time NYT number one bestselling author whose book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" has sold more than 20 million copies across 65 languages, hitting number one in 14 countries. He co-wrote Will Smith's memoir and recently co-founded Purpose, an AI mental health startup that hit seven-figure revenue in 12 days.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Mark breaks down the business mechanics behind 20 million books sold, why he treats every book as a product, why aspiring authors must study copywriting, and what deep market research gave "The Subtle Art" its best shot at...
2026-07-291h 27
Divot#58: Greg Isenberg on AI Co-Founders, the Multi-Preneur, and Why Anyone Can Build a Startup NowGreg Isenberg is the entrepreneur and AI strategist behind Late Checkout, a portfolio of AI-native businesses powered by agents and online communities. He founded FiveBuy, acquired by StumbleUpon, and built Islands, acquired by WeWork. Through Idea Browser, Greg's Letter, and the Startup Ideas Podcast, Greg has shared over 2,000 startup ideas with millions of followers and advised the world's largest brands on AI strategy.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Greg explains why AI is only as good as the context you feed it, how to find validated startup ideas through trend data rather than intuition, and why...
2026-07-221h 01
Divot#57: Choose Rich’s Nick O’Neill on Cancer, Crypto, Going Viral & Building a Million-Dollar BrandNick O’Neill is the entrepreneur, software developer, and creator behind Choose Rich, the provocative online character that transformed crypto commentary, luxury satire, and internet outrage into a media business generating millions of dollars a year. After one yacht post exploded to more than 45 million impressions, Nick discovered how attention spreads, how perception shapes reality, and how to build a business around internet culture.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Nick opens up about his Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis after nearly two years of unexplained symptoms, the mindset helping him face chemotherapy, and why he believes, “I’m basica...
2026-07-151h 00
Divot#56: Pixar’s Ed Catmull on Steve Jobs, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Up & Building Creative TeamsEd Catmull co-founded Pixar and helped build the creative engine behind some of the most beloved films of the last 30 years, including Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Long before Pixar changed animation forever, Ed helped pioneer 3D computer graphics, build RenderMan, and partner with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter to create one of the most influential creative companies in history.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Ed reveals how Pixar really became Pixar: the 14-year path to making Toy Story possible, why Steve Jobs stayed out of the Braintrust, how Pixar protected...
2026-07-081h 50
Divot#55: The Best Lessons From 50+ Divot Conversations | Special RecapAfter more than 50 episodes of Divot, Derek Andersen celebrates conversations that have inspired, educated, and reached millions. This special recap features Doug Leone, former Global Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital, the legendary venture firm behind Apple, Google, YouTube, Airbnb, WhatsApp, Stripe, and Nvidia; Justin Kan, the Twitch co-founder behind a nearly $1B Amazon exit; Charlie Rocket, the brain-tumor survivor who lost 120 pounds and became a Nike athlete; Marc Randolph, the Netflix co-founder and first CEO; and James Dumoulin, the School of Hard Knocks co-founder who built a 22M-follower media empire.You’ll also hear Guy Kawasaki, the fo...
2026-07-0130 min
Divot#54: The Human Data Engine Training Smarter AI Models | Micro1 CEOAli Ansari is the founder and CEO of Micro1, the human data engine helping AI labs train foundational models and enterprises build better AI agents. With more than 5M people screened, Micro1 provides expert data, frontier evaluations, reinforcement learning environments, and contextual agent evaluations for the next generation of AI systems.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Ali explains how large language models actually learn, why human judgment still drives AI progress, and why real-world company data may become one of the most valuable assets in the AI economy. He breaks down long-horizon tasks, compounding errors, post-training...
2026-06-2455 min
Divot#53 Part 2: Charlie Rocket on Manifesting Backwards, Winning Streaks & Making Impossible Dreams RealCharlie Rocket believes your dream may already be done; time just has not caught up yet. In Part 2 of this conversation, the Dream Machine Foundation founder explains how the things that light you up can become a signal, a direction, and a reason to move before the world gives you proof.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Charlie breaks down manifesting backwards, speaking the future before it exists, and building a winning streak in your mind. He shares why he walked away from a $15M business to chase becoming a Nike athlete, how writing things down makes...
2026-06-1740 min
Divot#53 Part 2: Charlie Rocket on Manifesting Backwards, Winning Streaks & Making Impossible Dreams RealCharlie Rocket believes your dream may already be done; time just has not caught up yet. In Part 2 of this conversation, the Dream Machine Foundation founder explains how the things that light you up can become a signal, a direction, and a reason to move before the world gives you proof.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Charlie breaks down manifesting backwards, speaking the future before it exists, and building a winning streak in your mind. He shares why he walked away from a $15M business to chase becoming a Nike athlete, how writing things down makes...
2026-06-1740 min
Divot#53: Brain Tumor, Losing 120 Pounds & Becoming a Nike Athlete: Charlie’s Delusional Optimism FormulaCharlie Rocket helped create major cultural moments in hip hop, working with artists like 2 Chainz, contributing to Grammy-winning campaigns, winning an Emmy, and managing some of the biggest names in music. But after facing obesity, depression, burnout, and a brain tumor, Charlie reinvented everything: he lost 120 pounds, became a Nike athlete, ran across America, and turned Dream Machine Foundation into a global movement for impossible dreams.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Charlie breaks down his Delusional Optimism Formula: how to turn pain into proof, proof into belief, and belief into action. He explains why the key...
2026-06-101h 01
Divot#52: He Built a 22M Media Empire by Interviewing Tom Cruise, Shaq, Brady & 52 BillionairesJames Dumoulin built School of Hard Knocks into a 22M-follower business media empire by turning street interviews into a new form of financial education. By 23, he had interviewed 52 billionaires and major icons like Tom Cruise, Tom Brady, and Shaquille O’Neal, after once posting hundreds of times with almost no audience.In this episode with Derek Andersen, James breaks down the creator economy, the pivot that changed everything, and how he mastered organic content, watch time, hooks, and distribution. He explains why the first 3 seconds decide whether a video survives, why quantity creates quality, and how founders ca...
2026-06-0322 min
Divot#51: Justin Kan on Success, Happiness & Why Achievement Never Feels Enough | Twitch FounderJustin Kan helped build Twitch into one of the most influential companies in internet history, changing gaming, streaming, and creator culture forever. After selling the company for nearly $1 billion to Amazon, becoming one of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable entrepreneurs and investors, Justin realized something uncomfortable: achievement alone does not create fulfillment.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Twitch co-founder Justin Kan breaks down the hidden psychology behind ambition, money, status, comparison, and happiness. He explains why success quickly becomes your new baseline, why social media quietly destroys mental health, how gratitude journaling completely rewired his brain, an...
2026-05-2827 min
Divot#51: Justin Kan on Success, Happiness & Why Achievement Never Feels Enough | Twitch FounderJustin Kan helped build Twitch into one of the most influential companies in internet history, changing gaming, streaming, and creator culture forever. After selling the company for nearly $1 billion to Amazon, becoming one of Silicon Valley’s most recognizable entrepreneurs and investors, Justin realized something uncomfortable: achievement alone does not create fulfillment.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Twitch co-founder Justin Kan breaks down the hidden psychology behind ambition, money, status, comparison, and happiness. He explains why success quickly becomes your new baseline, why social media quietly destroys mental health, how gratitude journaling completely rewired his brain, an...
2026-05-2727 min
Divot#50: Claude, AI Agents & the End of Traditional SaaS | Navin ChaddhaNavin Chaddha is the Managing Partner of Mayfield, one of Silicon Valley’s most legendary venture capital firms with over $3B under management and more than 120 IPOs. A 17-time Forbes Midas List investor, Navin was an early backer of companies like Lyft, HashiCorp, Poshmark, SolarCity, and Nuvia, which sold to Qualcomm for $1.4B. In this episode with Derek Andersen, Navin Chaddha breaks down why AI may become a bigger technological shift than the internet, why tools like Claude are changing software engineering forever, and why AI agents could replace many traditional SaaS workflows. He explains how companies li...
2026-05-2028 min
Divot#49: Success, Loneliness, Ambition & Why High Performers Never Feel Enough | David SpinksDavid Spinks spent years building one of the most respected communities in Silicon Valley, co-founding CMX, advising top companies on belonging, and helping define an entire industry around community building. But beneath the success, achievement, and ambition, he still felt empty.In this episode with Derek Andersen, David Spinks breaks down the hidden emotional cost of high performance, why so many ambitious people struggle with loneliness, burnout, self-worth, and fulfillment, and why success alone never creates lasting happiness.He explains the dangerous relationship between ambition and identity, the loneliness epidemic affecting modern society, why high...
2026-05-1348 min
Divot#48: Wiz, Datadog & The Mindset Behind Billion Dollar Companies | Shardul Shah Index VenturesShardul Shah has backed some of the most important technology companies of the last decade. From Datadog to Wiz, his investments have helped shape the future of cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and enterprise software.In this episode, Derek Andersen, Shardul Shah, partner at Index Ventures, breaks down the mindset behind billion-dollar startups, how elite founders think about AI, venture capital, acquisitions, intuition, ambition, and building category-defining companies.He explains why most startup founders misunderstand venture capital, why imagination matters as much as execution, and the two questions every entrepreneur must answer before selling their...
2026-05-0656 min
Divot#47: The 5 Types of Wealth & Why You’re Chasing the Wrong One | Sahil BloomSahil Bloom grew up with one scoreboard: money. He worked his way into top private equity firms, built a career most would envy, and still felt hollow, until he started questioning what wealth actually means.In this episode with Derek Andersen, Sahil Bloom, NYT bestselling author of The Five Types of Wealth, breaks down the framework redefining how millions think about success, time wealth, social wealth, mental wealth, physical wealth, and financial wealth.He explains the arrival fallacy that traps high achievers, why ambition without direction destroys more lives than failure ever could, and how...
2026-04-291h 01
Divot#46: Elder Neil L. Andersen (Faith Conversation with a Latter-day Saint Apostle, My Dad)Before becoming a global spiritual leader, Neil L. Andersen was a farm boy learning discipline, responsibility, and faith long before the world ever knew his name. For Derek Andersen, this isn’t just another interview, it’s a conversation with his father.In this conversation, he shares his journey from building a successful business to serving worldwide as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, traveling across 50+ countries, and speaking to millions about faith, resilience, and purpose.He explains how faith is built like a muscle, why humility is the foundation of real stre...
2026-04-221h 19
Divot#45: The Mindset That Builds Champions | BYU Athletic Director Brian SantiagoBrian Santiago is the Athletic Director at BYU, one of the most respected leaders in college sports. Over nearly three decades inside BYU athletics, he rose from the coaching staff to Athletic Director, helping lead one of the most competitive and values-driven programs in the country into the Big 12 and national relevance.But his journey wasn’t just about winning. From losing control as a young competitor to learning how to channel intensity, Brian shares the defining moments that shaped his leadership. From showing up for athletes in their hardest moments to building meaningful relationships across the wo...
2026-04-151h 20
My 99 Cousins67 - WhitneyWhitney and Derek share a warm, thoughtful conversation about family, faith, and the moments that shaped their life together. Whitney reflects on growing up in the Anderson family, remembering cousins, reunions, and the love of a large extended family that gave her a sense of belonging from an early age. She also shares meaningful memories of aunts and uncles whose kindness, service, and simple words of wisdom left a lasting mark on her life.The episode also tells the story of how Whitney and Derek met. Their first connection came in college at BYU, where they crossed...
2026-04-121h 03
Divot#44: Why You Feel Disconnected, How She Built a 25,000+ Global Community | Creative Mornings FounderTina Roth-Eisenberg is one of the most influential community builders in the world, founder of Creative Mornings (25,000+ people, 70+ countries), and the creator behind multiple iconic products like Tattly, TeuxDeux, and CreativeMornings’ global movement. Often called the Michael Jordan of community, she has spent nearly two decades building brands, products, and spaces that bring people together at scale.Before all of that, she felt completely alone after moving to New York. That experience led her to create a simple, free gathering that turned into a global movement. In this conversation with Derek Andersen, she breaks down why most co...
2026-04-0844 min
Banned Books435: Andersen - Ritual as the Whole Way of LifeFeatured text: "In Defense of Christian Ritual" — David Andersen The Power of Ritual! In this episode, we learn from David Andersen about Christian ritual. What's the purpose and goal of ritual? How does Christian ritual differ from other religious rituals? Where do we find ritual and ceremony outside "religious" observances? When we forget or ignore ritual and ceremony, what is the effect on individuals, groups, and societies? That and much, much more in this episode of the podcast. SHOW NOTES: In Defense of Christian Ritual https://shop.1517.org/products/9781948969642-in-defense-of-christian-ritual?_pos=1&_sid=ce681aa...
2026-04-022h 46
Divot#43: Success Won’t Fix You (What a $4B CEO Learned Too Late)Before leading a $4B company, Adam Edmunds spent years trying to prove he was good enough. From cold emailing CEOs as a student to building his first company, his journey started with uncertainty and a relentless need for validation.In this conversation with Derek Andersen, Adam shares how he became CEO of Entrata, a platform powering over 20,000 apartment communities worldwide, raising $700M+ and reaching a $4B+ valuation. He breaks down what it really takes to scale a company at that level.Adam explains why relationships are the most valuable currency in business, how great leaders...
2026-04-011h 08
Divot#42: How Crumbl Founder Built a $1B Cookie Empire From One CookieBefore building Crumbl, Jason McGowan was a tech founder focused on virality, creating products used by over 120 million people. He then made a bold move: leaving tech to start a simple cookie business.In this conversation with Derek Andersen, Jason shares how Crumbl grew from one chocolate chip cookie into a $1B+ franchise with 1,000+ locations across the U.S. He explains how product-market fit, A/B testing, and viral growth turned a simple idea into a national brand.Jason breaks down why product matters more than marketing, how customer obsession drives growth, and how Crumbl...
2026-03-251h 01
Divot#41: Stanford Negotiation Expert Reveals the Psychology of Winning Any NegotiationBefore teaching negotiation at Stanford, Stan Christensen spent decades advising leaders on high-stakes negotiations around the world. From corporate finance on Wall Street to the consulting arm of the Harvard Negotiation Project, he has worked across more than 75 countries helping leaders navigate complex negotiations where the outcome can shape companies, careers, and international relationships.In this conversation with Derek Andersen, Stan explains why most people misunderstand negotiation. Instead of treating it like a battle where one side wins and the other loses, he argues that the best negotiators focus on preparation, deep listening, and creative problem-solving to...
2026-03-1847 min
Divot#40: How Filevine Founder Ryan Anderson Built a $3B Legal AI PlatformBefore building one of the fastest-growing legal technology companies in the United States, Ryan Anderson was a practicing lawyer frustrated by deadlines, paperwork, and systems that made it easy to miss critical details. Instead of accepting the chaos of legal operations, he decided to build a better system.In this conversation with Derek Andersen, Ryan shares how that decision became Filevine, a legal tech platform now serving nearly 6,000 customers, employing more than 700 people, and generating more than $200 million in annual revenue. He explains how AI is transforming legal work and why technology can dramatically improve outcomes for...
2026-03-111h 07
Divot#39: How Master Mechanic Dave Bell Built an 8M-Follower YouTube EmpireBefore becoming one of the most respected independent mechanics in the United States, Dave Bell was a young man battling addiction, jail time, and the fear of losing everything. Over the past 36 years, he rebuilt his life the same way he rebuilds engines, with discipline, precision, and relentless ownership.In this conversation, Dave shares how he grew from a one-bay storage unit during the 1990 recession into a 33,000-square-foot auto center with 35 employees, and how an unexpected leap into social media led to more than 8 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. He explains why opposition is an...
2026-03-041h 16
Divot#38: Building Great Products, Product Leadership & the Future of Work with Tomer Cohen (LinkedIn)Recorded at LinkedIn headquarters in Mountain View, this episode features Tomer Cohen, former Chief Product Officer of LinkedIn and one of the product leaders behind how over one billion professionals connect, work, and create economic opportunity at global scale.In conversation with Derek Andersen, Tomer breaks down what it takes to build great products inside large organizations, how LinkedIn evolved into a mobile-first platform, and what product leadership really means when operating at massive scale.The discussion expands into AI and the future of work, where Tomer explains the rise of the full-stack product builder...
2026-02-251h 07
Divot#37: AI, Venture Capital, Faith & The Future of Work with Mamoon Hamid (Kleiner Perkins)Recorded on Sand Hill Road at the iconic offices of Kleiner Perkins, this episode features Mamoon Hamid, one of the most influential investors of this generation. Mamoon has backed category-defining companies, including Slack, Figma, Box, Yammer, Glean, Intercom, and more, and now serves as a partner stewarding one of Silicon Valley’s most historic venture firms.In conversation with Derek Andersen, Mamoon breaks down how great investors evaluate founders, why conviction starts with why, and what separates category creators from incremental startups.The discussion expands into AI, where Mamoon shares why this cycle is fundamentally di...
2026-02-181h 01
Divot#36: AI Shopping, The Future of Commerce & Why Trust Matters More Than TechBefore becoming a leader at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology, Julie Bornstein built her career through persistence, curiosity, and conviction. Early on, she broke into the industry by reaching out directly to designers she admired, setting the foundation for a career that would later span Nordstrom, Sephora, Stitch Fix, and multiple consumer technology companies shaping how people discover what they wear.In this conversation, Julie shares what she learned building and scaling consumer products and why fashion is one of the most complex categories for technology to understand.Julie also reflects on the...
2026-02-1146 min
Divot#35: Investing Before Consensus, The AI Shift & What Makes Great Founders WinBefore becoming one of the most respected early-stage investors in Silicon Valley, Niko Bonatsos was an immigrant from Greece navigating academia, visas, and uncertainty while searching for opportunity in the United States. Over the next 15 years, he became a Managing Director at General Catalyst, investing in iconic companies like Snap and Discord and backing technical founders long before their ideas became obvious to the world.In this conversation, Niko shares what he learned investing through multiple technology cycles and why most successful companies don’t start with the right idea.Niko also reflects on the re...
2026-02-0453 min
Divot#34: Creativity, Obsession & Building Products That Change the WorldBefore becoming one of the most influential evangelists in the history of technology, Guy Kawasaki was part of Apple’s original Macintosh team, working directly with Steve Jobs during the early days of personal computing. His career has been defined by independent thinking, deep curiosity, and a lifelong commitment to building and evangelizing products that truly matter.In this conversation, Guy reflects on working with Steve Jobs, the difference between mission-driven and ego-driven leadership, and why the best products are built by people solving problems for themselves. He shares hard-earned lessons from Silicon Valley on creativity, obsession, gr...
2026-01-281h 01
Divot#33: Mastery, Craft & Surfing Giants - Shaping Boards That Defined Big Wave SurfingBefore becoming one of the most respected surfboard shapers in the world, Bob Pearson built his craft through obsession, experimentation, and more than six decades of hands-on learning. Since shaping his first board in 1964, Bob has remained committed to one belief: mastery is never finished.Over his career, Bob has shaped more than 100,000 surfboards, becoming a defining force in modern surfboard design and big wave surfing. From his factory in Santa Cruz, California, he has worked closely with legendary surfers including Laird Hamilton, Jay Moriarty, Jamie Mitchell, and others who pushed the limits at waves like Mavericks...
2026-01-211h 02
Divot#32: Risk, Freedom & Building Billion-Dollar Companies Before the World BelievedBefore becoming one of the most influential venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, Tim Draper built a career defined by early conviction, independent thinking, and a willingness to back ideas long before they reached mainstream belief. Over decades, Tim has invested in and supported some of the most transformational companies of the modern era, shaping how the world communicates, moves money, explores space, and builds technology.In this conversation, Tim reflects on backing category-defining companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Skype, Hotmail, Twitch, and Robinhood, investments that went on to create hundreds of billions of dollars in enterprise value and...
2026-01-1458 min
Divot#31: How AI Is Transforming Product Building, Leadership, and the Future of WorkIn this episode of Divot, we sit down with Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer for AI at Microsoft, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way products are built, teams collaborate, and companies scale in an increasingly automated world.Aparna has spent her career at the intersection of technology and human behavior, from leading product at Google and YouTube to shaping Microsoft’s AI strategy today. In this conversation, she shares how the rapid acceleration of AI is compressing years of innovation into months, forcing leaders to rethink how they build, experiment, and make decisions....
2026-01-0721 min
ConspiritualityBrief: Class Wars on ChristmasHave you seen the “Grinch prank” video trend? Bad parenting, yes. But also a nod to the conflicts, ancient and modern, embedded in Christmas.
Contrary to what Bill O’Reilly would tell you, there has never been a “war on Christmas.” Rather, Christmas itself has always been a battleground over love, dignity, and resources. What we’re really fighting over is who gets care in systems built on scarcity and extraction.
Vignette 1: The Original Creche
Vignette 2: Krampus
Vignette 3: Dickens, Chekhov, and Andersen
Vignette 4: The Christmas Truce, 1914
Vignette 5: Dr. Seuss and the Grinch
Show Notes
Andersen, H...
2026-01-0335 min
Divot#30: How Gusto’s CEO Built a Category-Defining Company - Leadership, Scaling & Long-Term GrowthJosh Reeves, co-founder and CEO of Gusto, shares how he built one of the most trusted platforms for small businesses, and what it truly takes to scale a company with purpose.In this episode, Josh breaks down the realities of building and leading a high-growth startup, navigating regulation, designing products for long-term impact, and maintaining culture as teams and responsibilities scale. He explains how focusing on customers, discipline, and long-term thinking has shaped Gusto’s journey and why sustainable growth matters more than chasing short-term wins.This conversation is a deep dive into founder mindset, le...
2025-12-3135 min
Divot#29: Survival, Courage & Storytelling - Fire, War & The Brother Who Never Walks AwayBefore he became an award-winning filmmaker and humanitarian, Brandt Andersen built a tech company from scratch, scaled it to tens of millions in revenue, and sold it before moving into filmmaking, where he went on to produce major films like Everest, Lone Survivor, and American Made. But behind the success is a life shaped by extremes: a skydiving accident that nearly killed him, surviving the Malibu fires with his son, and years spent inside war zones helping people in crisis.In this conversation, Brandt shares the real stories behind I Was a Stranger, his new film inspired...
2025-12-171h 31
Divot#28: Reinvention & Resilience - Faith, Failure & Becoming Who You Are Meant to BeBefore he became chairman of the Napoleon Hill Institute, David Meltzer lived a life driven by scarcity, ambition, and the need to prove himself. Raised by a single mother in Akron, he chased success to change their future, eventually becoming a multimillionaire and CEO in the sports world. But behind the achievements was an identity built on ego, bad habits, and external validation, leading to the breaking point that forced him to confront who he’d become.In this conversation, David shares the mindset shift that saved his marriage, the four values that rebuilt his identity, and ho...
2025-12-1056 min
Office Hours with David MeltzerPam Meissner, Derek Andersen, Liesel Mertes | Office Hours: The Human ExperiencePam Meissner
Pam Meissner is a distinguished leader in finance and operations, having held CFO, COO, and CEO roles across various industries. Renowned for scaling companies to billion-dollar valuations, she specializes in transforming complex financial data into clear, strategic insights that empower executives to make confident, growth-driven decisions. Her global experience—shaped by extensive travel and exposure to diverse cultures—deepens her approach to leadership, emphasizing adaptability, innovation, and inclusive thinking. Pam’s story is also one of remarkable resilience. Recently widowed after 30 years of marriage, she continues to lead with purpose while honoring the partnership that shaped...
2025-12-0834 min
Divot#27: The Art of Photography, Vision, Rejection & Timeless StorytellingBefore becoming the photographer trusted by the world’s biggest icons, Squint built his path on discipline, creativity, and a lifelong commitment to mastering storytelling. Raised in Palo Alto and shaped by years inside a TV studio before he turned 18, he grew from a kid with a camera into a filmmaker and cinematographer behind iconic portraits of Nas, Michael B. Jordan, Dave Chappelle, Draymond Green, and Steph Curry. As co-creator of the New York Times bestselling book Shot Ready, his black-and-white, emotionally driven style reflects a belief that great photography comes from patience, intention, and truly seeing people....
2025-12-0359 min
Divot#26: How Great Founders Win - Global Insight, Humility & Long-Term ThinkingBefore helping elevate the rise of global entrepreneurship, Christine Tsai, CEO & Founding Partner of 500 Global, built her path on curiosity, consistency, and an instinct for spotting potential early. From her beginnings in tech to guiding an investing platform that now reaches founders across dozens of countries, her journey reflects a belief that great companies can start anywhere, and that humility, resilience, and long-term thinking still define the world's strongest leaders.In this conversation, she breaks down the traits she's seen across exceptional founders, the realities of building companies through cycles, and how early-stage investing has evolved over...
2025-11-2652 min
Divot#25: How Great Leaders Think - Integrity, Impact & Making Things HappenBefore helping lead the transformation of Salt Lake City’s urban core, Mike Maughan’s journey was shaped by discipline, faith, service, and a belief that leadership is defined by integrity above everything else.In this conversation, he shares how he built his career across organizations with massive community impact, from Qualtrics to Smith Entertainment Group, and the lessons behind navigating billion-dollar city projects, activating live experiences, and helping bring an NHL team to Utah. He breaks down the principles that great leaders use to build trust, make clear decisions, and “never get blocked,” even in environments filled w...
2025-11-191h 08
Divot#24: From Detroit to Silicon Valley: Faith, Grit & Leading With Purpose in Tech & VentureBefore leading global teams and raising more than $170 million to back exceptional founders, this journey started in a crowded home on the West Side of Detroit filled with Motown, discipline, and faith.In this conversation, she shares how she went from Detroit public schools to Cass Tech and Wharton, then entered Silicon Valley and scaled teams from 14 to more than 1,000 at Google. From global leadership assignments to becoming a first-time CEO, she breaks down the lessons behind leading with conviction, humility, and principle.She reflects on navigating high-stakes decisions, building trust at the executive level...
2025-11-121h 13
Divot#23: The Box Story: Startup Lessons, AI Disruption, and the Future of WorkBefore the cloud powered the modern enterprise, it started with a college dorm, a borrowed garage, and a vision to make work simpler.In this conversation, Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box, shares how he turned a college project into a billion-dollar SaaS company. From building during the early days of the internet to leading through massive technological shifts, Aaron reveals the lessons behind Box’s evolution from a storage startup to a global platform used by 70% of the Fortune 500.He reflects on the rise of AI, how it’s reshaping the software industry, and...
2025-11-0544 min
Divot#22: The Radical Candor Mindset: Honest Leadership, Feedback, and the Power of TruthBefore Radical Candor reshaped how leaders give feedback, it began with a simple idea, that caring personally and challenging directly can coexist.In this conversation, leadership expert Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor and Radical Respect, reflects on how honesty, empathy, and courage transform the way we work and lead. She shares the real story behind creating Radical Candor, coaching top CEOs at Dropbox and Qualtrics, and how her experiences at Google and Apple University shaped her approach to management and life.You'll learn how to give feedback that inspires growth, build teams rooted...
2025-10-291h 11
Divot#21: The Netflix Story: Building, Failing, and Finding Balance from the Early Days of the StreamingBefore Netflix changed entertainment forever, it began with a small idea, mailed in an envelope, and a lot of doubt.In this conversation, Marc Randolph, co-founder and first CEO of Netflix reflects on how experimentation, rejection, and persistence shaped one of the world’s most influential startups. He shares the real story behind challenging Blockbuster, creating the first subscription model, and learning why curiosity often matters more than certainty.You’ll hear rare insights on how to test ideas quickly, stay optimistic through failure, and build a lasting culture without losing yourself in the process. More...
2025-10-221h 31
Divot#20: Founding Atari & Chuck E. Cheese, Shaping Silicon Valley, and Reinventing Education with AIThe journey from playful ideas to world-changing companies is never simple.Known as the father of the video game industry, the founder of Atari, and Chuck E. Cheese has spent five decades at the intersection of play, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, he shares how fun, innovation, and relentless curiosity shaped Silicon Valley, and why the future of learning depends on making it fun.From pioneering the first home video games and building Atari into a cultural phenomenon, to creating Chuck E. Cheese and inspiring a generation of entrepreneurs, including Steve Jobs, he has...
2025-10-1554 min
Divot#19: Leading with Curiosity, Building Culture, and Finding Joy at WorkWork is changing fast, but how do you build cultures and teams that thrive through it?In this episode, Anne Raimondi, COO and Head of Business at Asana, shares lessons from two decades leading fast-growth companies like Zendesk, SurveyMonkey, and TaskRabbit, serving on boards including Gusto and Patreon, and teaching leadership at Stanford GSB.She opens up about growing up as the child of immigrants, why curiosity became her leadership superpower, and how she balances ambition with humility. You'll hear her talk about building resilient culture, using humor in high-pressure rooms, navigating perfectionism, and bringing...
2025-10-0854 min
Divot#18: Building Angel, Disrupting Hollywood, and Surviving $60M Disney LawsuitIn this episode, Neal Harmon, CEO and co-founder of Angel, reveals how he went from a dairy farm in Idaho to building one of the fastest-growing entertainment companies in the world. Angel is behind global hits like Sound of Freedom, The Chosen, and Dry Bar Comedy — all chosen and funded by audiences, not executives.Neal shares the painful story of surviving a Disney lawsuit, why The Chosen split was harder than Disney, and how resilience, faith, and community helped Angel scale against all odds. He explains the secrets to viral storytelling, why constant testing wins, and how co...
2025-10-011h 08
Divot#17: Reinventing Traeger, Building Skullcandy, and Leading Through CrisisThe journey from startup to global brand is never easy, but it’s the moments of crisis that define true leaders.In this episode, Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Grills and former CEO of Skullcandy, shares how he transformed two consumer brands into icons. From taking Skullcandy public to reinventing Traeger into the world’s number one wood-pellet grill company, Jeremy reveals the resilience and grit required to lead through chaos, culture shifts, and the toughest year of his career after going public.We dive into the formula for building products people love, why culture and...
2025-09-241h 19
Upstate ImpactEP 19 - Derek BaichiIn this episode of Upstate Impact, Luke sits down with the Mayor of Solvay, Derek Baichi.This conversation explores Derek's campaign experience and his passion for building a better community.Learn more about Derek on FacebookConnect with Derek on LinkedInToday’s episode of Upstate Impact is brought to you by Renewal by Andersen of CNY.Summer’s here—and it’s the perfect time to upgrade your windows. With Renewal by Andersen’s exclusive Fibrex® material and expert installation, you’ll get a cool...
2025-09-1134 min
Divot#16: AI Will Turn Every Business Into an AI Business (No Exceptions)The world is changing fast — and there’s no going back.In this episode, legendary Silicon Valley investor Navin Chaddha (Managing Partner at Mayfield) lays out a powerful prediction: “Every business will become an AI business — no exceptions.”We dive into what that really means for founders, industries, and the future of work. Navin introduces the concept of “vibe coding”, where 8 billion people can become builders — simply by describing what they want. He shares why SaaS is dying, how vertical AI models will dominate entire industries, and why physical AGI will transform the real world — from robots to log...
2025-06-2528 min
What Are You Doing in Denmark?103 | Sankt Hans Special: Weird Danish HistoryBonfires, jesters, glass kings, pirate royals. Danish history is weirder than you think. Released for Sankt Hans—Denmark’s midsummer celebration of fire and folklore—this episode brings the heat with tales that blur the line between fact and legend. Comedian Adrian Mackinder joins Derek, Brooke, and Conrad to explore everything from a court jester fired by a funnier king, to Hans Christian Andersen’s fear of being buried alive. If you’re gathering around a fire tonight, this is the perfect episode to spark conversation—and maybe a little disbelief. Listen now.What Are You Doing in Den...
2025-06-2438 min
Divot#15: Escaping Dictatorship, Hacking the Internet, and Building a World-Class AI PlatformHow do you build an AI company trusted by the world's top enterprises, while surviving political oppression, hacking a country's internet, and rewriting the future of work?In this episode, Waseem Alshikh, co-founder and CTO of Writer, shares his extraordinary story. At 17, he launched his first startup in Syria — only to be imprisoned when the government tried to steal it for one dollar. In retaliation, he shut down the country's internet and fled to Lebanon. From there, he taught himself English, built groundbreaking NLP tools, and eventually launched one of the world's most trusted AI platforms....
2025-06-1840 min
Divot#14: Choosing Good Quests: Innovation, AI, and Winning in a World of RegulationHow do you choose the right quest — the kind of mission that truly matters, and can survive in today’s world of regulation, politics, and entrenched incumbents?In this episode, Founders Fund General Partner and Anduril co-founder Trae Stephens shares his philosophy of “Good Quests” — and what entrepreneurs must get right when tackling hard, meaningful problems. We dive deep into how AI will transform defense and national security, why the future of warfare is distributed and AI-driven, and how entrepreneurs can navigate government sales and political opposition.From raising capital to surviving regulated markets, this is a tacti...
2025-06-1123 min
Divot#13: AI, Work, and the Future of Life: Lessons on Success, Resilience, and ReinventionIn this inspiring conversation, we explore how AI will transform the future of business and work, and what it means for us as humans. You’ll hear why AI will soon perform 80% of human jobs, why full AI-first tools will surpass today’s co-pilots, and why most of AI’s impact will happen outside of tech.But this is also a powerful life masterclass. From building billion-dollar startups to raising a family and staying energized at 70, we dive deep into resilience, happiness, and living an internally driven life.You’ll learn how to power through failure...
2025-06-0452 min
Divot#12: It Takes What It Takes – Mastering Mindset, Pressure, and PurposeIn this episode, Kobie Fuller invites us into his home gym — and into the mindset that’s driven him through elite athletics, startup investing, fatherhood, and personal growth. From sprint workouts to 24-hour fasts, Kobie shares how he uses physical discipline to sharpen mental clarity and lead with purpose.He breaks down two core ideas that changed his life: “It takes what it takes” and neutral thinking — frameworks he learned from late mentor Trevor Moawad to overcome self-doubt, pressure, and negativity.We explore how Kobie handles failure, centers his faith, coa...
2025-05-2846 min
Divot#11: 50 Years in Silicon Valley; Surviving Vietnam, and How to Stay MarriedMost people fail at leadership because they complicate what should be simple. Greg Osborn’s approach is different. After leading in Vietnam, raising a family with old-school work ethic, and building businesses in Silicon Valley as the tech boom took off, he learned that success comes from two things: giving people the right training and keeping them motivated.In this conversation, Greg breaks down why teams succeed or fail based on this simple principle — and how you can apply it in business, family, and life. You’ll hear how his leadership lessons from the Vietnam battlefield translated into m...
2025-05-211h 31
What Are You Doing in Denmark?98 | Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid: The Strange Saga of Denmark’s Most Famous StatueYou’ve seen the Instagram photos and passed the crowds in Copenhagen, but how much do you really know about the Little Mermaid statue?In this episode, Derek, Mike, and Conrad have a laugh-filled discussion about the strange history of Denmark’s most iconic statue. From her origins in a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale to being commissioned by a Danish beer magnate, to her many beheadings and even a diplomatic detour to China — the Little Mermaid has seen it all.Laugh along as the guys explore her controversies, vandalism, obscure trivia, and some o...
2025-05-2027 min
Divot#10 Part 2: How the U.S. Can Win the Innovation Race with Startup ThinkingAmerica used to lead the world in innovation. Now, it's falling behind — and no one in power wants to face the truth.In Part 2 of this eye-opening conversation, we dive into how the U.S. lost its edge in science, technology, and defense. From bloated bureaucracies to outdated mindsets, the systems that once fueled American greatness are now holding it back.You'll hear war stories from the frontlines of government innovation, uncover the forgotten WWII playbook that built modern America, and learn how China quietly leapfrogged U.S. capabilities. We explore why bold ideas get ki...
2025-05-141h 05
Divot#10 Part 1: Startup Playbook Silicon Valley Doesn’t Want You to KnowMost founders follow advice that sets them up to fail.In this episode of Divot, we sit down with one of the most influential minds in startup history — Steve Blank.Before reshaping modern entrepreneurship, Steve co-founded E.piphany, a CRM company that went public in 1999 and soared to an $8 billion valuation. After multiple startups and hard-won lessons, he created the startup playbook that changed how companies are built — from customer discovery to the Lean Startup.Steve’s teachings are used at Stanford, Columbia, and Berkeley, adopted by Y Combinator, and taught in U.S. national securi...
2025-05-071h 08
Divot#9: From Diminishing to Multiplying: How Real Leaders Unlock Team PotentialLiz Wiseman is one of the world’s leading voices on leadership and talent development. A Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Multipliers and Impact Players, Liz’s work has helped shape leaders at Apple, Google, Meta, and beyond.In this episode, she shares how growing up in Silicon Valley, facing early life challenges, and leading major teams taught her the power of multiplying — not diminishing — the people around you.Learn why most managers accidentally hold teams back, how to create real ownership, and what separates contributors from true impact players.Follow Liz – X (Twitter...
2025-04-301h 31
Divot#9: From Diminishing to Multiplying: How Real Leaders Unlock Team PotentialLiz Wiseman is one of the world’s leading voices on leadership and talent development. A Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Multipliers and Impact Players, Liz’s work has helped shape leaders at Apple, Google, Meta, and beyond.In this episode, she shares how growing up in Silicon Valley, facing early life challenges, and leading major teams taught her the power of multiplying — not diminishing — the people around you.Learn why most managers accidentally hold teams back, how to create real ownership, and what separates contributors from true impact players.Follow Liz – X (Twitter...
2025-04-301h 31
Divot#8: Personal Loss and Tragedy: Rebuilding Life After Losing Everything In Palisades FireHis family lost their home, memories, and peace — in minutes. What came next would define his legacy. Rich Raddon, co-founder and co-CEO of ZEFR, opens up about losing everything in a wildfire — and what it taught him about rebuilding, resilience, and leading with heart.From sleeping in his office to supporting a 200-person team while navigating grief, Rich shares how tragedy transformed his leadership — and how ZEFR became a category leader in brand safety, working with billions of impressions across YouTube, TikTok, and Meta.We go deep on faith, therap...
2025-04-2343 min
Divot#7: Investor Behind 45 Exits & 40,000 Jobs — AI, Karma, and How to Sell a StartupWhat does it take to create $100B+ in value while staying grounded, humble, and deeply human?In this episode of Divot, Derek sits down with one of Silicon Valley’s most respected VCs — a former founder turned long-term investor who’s helped build companies like Lyft, HashiCorp, and Poshmark, with more than 45 IPOs and acquisitions and over 40,000 jobs created across his portfolio.As Managing Partner of Mayfield Fund, Navin Chaddha shares his journey from IIT Delhi to Stanford, from founding three companies to backing over 60, and how his core philos...
2025-04-161h 37
Divot#6: How Stephen Curry & Analytics Broke the NBA — and What Comes NextWhat if the biggest problem in the NBA today was also the key to unlocking its future?In this episode, we sit down with Kirk Goldsberry — bestselling author of SprawlBall and Hoop Atlas, current University professor, former NBA strategist and ESPN analyst — to talk about how spatial analytics, Steph Curry, and the three-point revolution changed the game forever. And why it might be time to change it again.From his early days mapping court data to working with the Spurs, MIT, and Harvard, Kirk shares the inside story of how shot charts became mainstream, why he b...
2025-04-091h 14
Divot#5: StockX, ghostwrite, and Economics Behind The Hype EconomyHow do you go from sneakers to $4B in sales, revolutionize collectibles, and invent a new market for toys? In this episode, Josh Luber, co-founder of StockX and the creator of Ghosts, breaks down his game-changing journey in the hype economy.From building StockX — the $4B sneaker resale platform — to launching Ghosts, his innovative collectible toy brand, Josh reveals his secrets to turning scarcity, storytelling, and data into something people are obsessed with.We dive deep into the science behind hype, how Josh uses Dutch auctions to drive fair pricing, and why collectibles have become emot...
2025-04-021h 10
Divot#4: The Brand Wizard Shaun Neff On Building Multiple +100M Culture Driven BrandsHow does a creative entrepreneur go from selling beanies to becoming the "Branding Whisperer" behind some of the most culturally iconic brands of our time? Shaun Neff is the legendary brand builder and founder of Neff Headwear, and the force behind Moon, Pattern, Base, and Sun Bum. He’s partnered with stars like Kendall Jenner, Millie Bobby Brown, and Snoop Dogg — and he's also co-owner of the X Games and LAFC.In this inspiring conversation, Shaun breaks down the mindset, strategy, and raw storytelling behind his brand magic. You’ll hear how he spots breakout markets, builds produc...
2025-03-261h 04
Divot#3: From $700 to Silicon Valley’s #1 Seed Investor – Pejman Nozad’s Unbelievable JourneyHow does someone go from washing cars and selling rugs to investing in billion-dollar startups like Dropbox and DoorDash? Pejman Nozad arrived in America with $700, no English, and zero connections, but today, he’s one of the most influential investors in Silicon Valley.In this episode, Pejman shares his extraordinary journey from immigrant to Forbes’ #1 seed investor, revealing the networking secrets, mindset shifts, and high-stakes risks that changed his life. He breaks down how he built relationships with top VCs, the strategy behind spotting unicorn startups early, and how much he learned from a $500M mistake on inve...
2025-03-1956 min
Divot#2 Twitch Co-Founder: Net Worth, Self Worth, Gratitude, and the Hedonic TreadmillJustin Kan built Twitch, sold it for nearly $1 billion, and still felt unfulfilled. In this episode, he shares the truth about money, success, and happiness—and how to break free from the endless chase for more.Who is Justin Kan?Justin Kan is a tech entrepreneur, investor, and former Y Combinator partner, best known as the co-founder of Twitch, which Amazon acquired for $970 million in 2014. Before that, he launched Justin.tv, one of the first live-streaming platforms, which later pivoted into Twitch. He also co-founded Socialcam (acquired by Autodesk for $60 million) and At...
2025-03-121h 02
Divot#1: Sequoia’s Doug Leone: Trauma, Hardship, Purpose, and Silicon Valley’s Top FirmDoug Leone believes that the toughest challenges create the strongest people. From immigrating to the U.S. at age 11 and struggling through his teenage years to becoming the global leader of Sequoia Capital, Doug’s journey is filled with hard-earned lessons on resilience, success, and leadership.Who is Doug Leone?Doug Leone is a billionaire venture capitalist and former Global Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital. He joined Sequoia in 1988 and became a managing partner in 1996, later taking on the global managing role in 2012. Throughout his career, Doug has played a pivotal role in backing companies li...
2025-03-051h 02
Intentional Teaching, a show about teaching in higher educationTeaching with AI in Technical Courses with Jingjing LiShare your thoughts about this episode as a text message. In my new job at the University of Virginia, I recently met Jingjing Li, Andersen Alumni associate professor of commerce. Jingjing teaches business intelligence at both the undergraduate and Master’s levels, and her research interests include artificial intelligence and data analytics. She has conducted some very thoughtful experiments in her courses in using generative artificial intelligence to teach about machine learning in business analysis. In our interview, we talk about her scaffolded assignments, the metaphors her students use to describe working with generative AI, an...
2024-11-1942 min
Inside The Workflow#10 - Derek Andersen, CEO Bevy/StartupGrind, The Future of Community EngagementGet ready for an inspiring episode featuring Derek Andersen, the dynamic co-founder and CEO of Bevy, a platform transforming community-building and events. With a career that spans over 15 years, Derek has played key roles at companies like Salesforce and Google, and he co-founded Startup Grind, a global entrepreneurial network with over 600 chapters worldwide. Derek’s journey is one of resilience and innovation, driven by his passion for creating community-driven growth.In this episode, Derek opens up about his entrepreneurial path, sharing how his early ventures shaped his approach to leadership and community building. He...
2024-09-1933 min
The Junior Jobs Podcast63 | How a Long Resume Format Got Him His First Job in Tech | Junior JobsTrack, organize and visualize your job search with an AI-powered assistant Huntr https://huntr.co/?via=erik
Today I chat with Derek Kim, a career changer, about how his long resume format and unique approach to LinkedIn outreach got him his first job in tech.
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2024-09-0923 min
What Are You Doing in Denmark?49 | 10,000 Krone Pyramid with Coping in CopenhagenGet ready for the cross-over episode you never realized you were missing! Annie and Derek are joined by Abby, Marius, and Owen, the hilarious hosts of the Coping in Copenhagen podcast. We linked up for a laugh-filled, super group style, episode of What Are You Doing in Denmark. In this episode, Derek hosts an incredible game show based on the $100,000 Pyramid with a Danish twist and a lot of creative clues and ridiculous guesses.Along the way, Derek presents a deep discussion on H.C. Andersen's dirty little habits and Marius describes chocolate milk in a...
2024-07-3031 min
Startup Istanbul PodcastWhy Your Startup's Community is Worth More Than MoneyI recently had an insightful conversation with Derek Andersen, the visionary founder of Bevy and Startup Grind, on my podcast. Derek's journey is a testament to the power of community building and the transformative impact it can have on businesses and individuals alike. I wanted to share some key takeaways from our chat in this blog post.From Startup Grind to Bevy: A Founder's JourneyDerek's passion for community building led him to create Startup Grind in 2010, a global platform that connects and supports entrepreneurs. Startup Grind's success is a testament to its core values...
2024-06-2440 min
Silicon Slopes | Leaders Interviewing LeadersBuilding an AI-Driven Platform for a Thriving Tech Community | Derek Andersen, Co-Founder BevyThe co-founder of Bevy, Derek Andersen, joins Clint Betts and Garrett Clark for this episode of the Silicon Slopes podcast. Bevy is an AI-driven community platform and tool that enterprises use for customer discussions, events, and data optimization. They talk about life in Silicon Valley versus Silicon Slopes and how Utah is becoming a major hub for tech startups. To build a thriving tech and startup ecosystem, egos need to be checked at the door, and they chat about the ethos leaders need in order to be successful in such an environment. They touch on the topic of AI and...
2024-05-0758 min
Silicon Slopes | Leaders Interviewing LeadersBuilding an AI-Driven Platform for a Thriving Tech Community | Derek Andersen, Co-Founder BevyThe co-founder of Bevy, Derek Andersen, joins Clint Betts and Garrett Clark for this episode of the Silicon Slopes podcast. Bevy is an AI-driven community platform and tool that enterprises use for customer discussions, events, and data optimization. They talk about life in Silicon Valley versus Silicon Slopes and how Utah is becoming a major hub for tech startups. To build a thriving tech and startup ecosystem, egos need to be checked at the door, and they chat about the ethos leaders need in order to be successful in such an environment. They touch on the topic of AI and...
2024-05-0745 min
Ventured Growth with Hercules Capital#17 – Overcoming Failure and Surviving Entrepreneurship | Derek Andersen, CEO of Bevy and Founder of Startup GrindShare your thoughts with us!The challenges of launching a startup can seem endless when you are just starting out. Truth be told, the magnitude of these challenges will only grow as your business grows. But don’t let this deter you.Derek Andersen understood that the obstacles he was facing in entrepreneurship were not unique to him. This notion led him on his quest to create a community for entrepreneurs to share their advice and inspirations with others, proving that entrepreneurs are in fact, stronger together.In this episode, Hercules Capital host Ed...
2022-11-0334 min
Lonely Town a Killers PodcastAlec Andersen Interview - SLC Reasons Drummerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi-T-i3hOdw
17 or 18?
Drumming history
Preparing for the opportunity
Nerves?
Killers history
Posters and getting noticed
Interactions with Brandon and Ronnie
For Reasons Unknown
Overcoming Covid challenges
Pressure Machine and other favorites
Aquabats connection
@aandersen_04 on Instagram
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2022-09-1840 min
Penguin Magic PodcastKim Andersen - Creativity Through Play - S3E29Kim Andersen joins the show to discuss the creation of his brand new effect Shrapnel. Nick Locapo stops by the show to discuss the featured download of the week from Scott Alexander. Before all of that the show kicks off with Derek Ostovani talking to us about his top five tricks in under five minutes on the Top Five Under Five.___Shrapnel by Kim Andersen: https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/16918The Magic of Derek Ostovani: https://www.penguinmagic.com/magician/derek-ostovaniArt...
2022-05-0531 min
Remote Work Life PodcastRWL 082 - The importance of Community Featuring Derek Anderson CEO of Startup GrindAnd On Today’s Episode … We’re spoiled with the presence of yet another Remote CEO rockstar in Derek Andersen who is at the helm of a successful business that’s driven by values and a mission that focuses on community and building friendships. Communities, friendships and networks are so important for you to grow your location-independent career and Derek shares his insights on how to find and grow your tribes so that you can optimise your search for remote opportunities.Looking for Remote Work?Click here remoteworklife.io to access a...
2021-01-1952 min
Create CommunityScaling the World's Largest Startup Community with Startup Grind's Derek AndersenHow exactly did Startup Grind grow to become the world's largest community for entrepreneurs? In this episode, Derek Andersen (Co-Founder & CEO of Startup Grind) and Marsha Druker (Founder of Fuckup Nights Toronto) chat about growing a global community, letting go of control and empowering chapter leaders, why right now is such an exciting and pivotal time for the community industry, and so much more.
Startup Grind is a community of 600 Chapters in 125 countries designed to educate, inspire, and connect startup people. Since 2012, Startup Grind has hosted 10,000 events for more than 500,000 people.
Derek is also the C...
2020-07-1436 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 156 How I Raised It with Derek Andersen of Bevy and Startup GrindProduced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Derek Andersen, founder of Startup Grind (www.startupgrind.com) and now Bevy (www.bevy.com), a platform to host virtual online events and build a community.
In this episode, Derek talks about the ROI of building a community and the benefits of word-of-mouth marketing, how he grew Startup Grind to over 500 chapters worldwide without raising capital, why he decided to go the VC route for Bevy, what he looked for in a VC partner, how to create...
2020-07-0846 min
Sit Down StartupStartup Grind’s Derek Andersen on virtual C2C strategyDerek Andersen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Startup Grind, a global community for educating and connecting entrepreneurs. He chats with Marcio Arnecke, Zendesk’s VP of Regional Marketing AMER, on the value of investing in community, especially in a post-COVID world.
2020-06-3026 min
The Midnight Myth PodcastEpisode 129: Let It Go | Frozen, The Snow Queen & Scandinavian FolkloreThe snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen… Come with us to the fairy tale kingdom of Arendelle, the setting of Disney’s 2013 megabit: Frozen. Hot (or cold) on the heels of the release of Frozen’s long-awaited sequel, we’ll unpack the meaning of Anna and Elsa’s journey into the depths of winter. You’ll hear the story Frozen is inspired by—Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’—and an analysis of the changes Disney made to the source. We’ll talk trolls and magic in Norse myth and Scandinavian folklore. Together, we’l...
2019-11-241h 09
The Poetry Vlog (TPV): A Poetry, Arts, & Social Justice Teaching ChannelFlash Briefing: Derek Andersen from Shirley Magazine reading "Male Bonding" for The Poetry Vlog This episode is part of a month-long literary journal, podcast, and YouTube teaching collaboration with Shirley Magazine, a fiction and hybrid forms magazine in Portland, OR. Editors Colleen and Lauren present selections from previous publications of the journal, leading up to a longer episode on the launch of the latest issue.
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Today's reader: Derek Andersen reading "Male Bonding."
For more, follow this link to Shirley Magazine and stay tuned for this piece in the upcoming issue, which will be released April 29th.
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2019-04-1104 min
Powderkeg - Unvalley#15: How Startup Grind Bootstrapped from Zero to One Million with Derek AndersenDerek Andersen was a bit of a world traveller growing up, as his family split their time between several countries in Europe and their home in Tampa, Florida. He kept traveling as an adult, jetting all around the globe to build startup communities and connect with entrepreneurs, wherever they were.
These communities are part of Startup Grind, an organization that nurtures startup ecosystems through events, media and partnerships with organizations like Google for Entrepreneurs. Andersen founded Startup Grind in 2010 with one location in Silicon Valley. Today, it’s active in nearly 100 countries around the world, including over 200 cities.
Over the ye...
2017-02-0750 min
The Comics AlternativeEpisode 194: Reviews of The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan, Bird in a Cage, and Hellbound LifestyleThis week The Comics Alternative's blog editor, Paul Lai, joins Derek to discuss three recent titles. They begin with Bryan Doerries's The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan (Pantheon). Illustrated by a variety of artists -- Jess Ruliffson, Joëlle Jones, Justine Mara Andersen, Dylan Macon's, and Nick Bertozzi -- the book brings Homer's classic into contemporary contexts. On the eve of their return home from Afghanistan, Marine Corps sergeant Jack Brennan shares with his men the epic tale by applying it to their own lives as soldiers. Within this frame narrative, Doerries recounts Odysseus's various attempt to return home, each one...
2016-06-2900 minThe Comics AlternativeOn Location - The March Visit to Collected Comics and GamesDerek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, for the March on-location episode of podcast. (Unfortunately that was no February episode at Collected due to unforeseen circumstances.) While there, he talks with several shop employees and customers about a variety of comics-related matters. Folks spend a lot of time discussing some of the titles they've been reading lately. Matt Kuzio, who usually participates in these shows, was unable to be there this month, but he shared in absentia some of the comics he's been enjoying, including Emma Ríos and Kwei Lim's Mirror (Image...
2016-03-2500 min
Startup GrindThe Startup Grind Story with Derek Andersen, Founder of Startup GrindHey there and welcome to Monday’s episode of the startup grind podcast. Today we have something a bit different. our founder Derek andersen who is also our Silicon Valley chapter director is used to asking the questions at his events; is in this episode he is the featured guest at our chapter in phoenix Arizona. Director Christie Kerner goes over Derek’s early life, professional experience and the origin story of the worlds largest entrepreneurial community. Lets listen into this chat with Startup Grind’s Founder and CEO Derek Andersen:
2015-10-0555 min