Shows
The Early TeamEpisode 044 - Vishak Visvanathan, Early EngineerVishak was one of the first engineering hires at Postscript. He is a coding bootcamp graduate with a background in mechanical engineering, and has worked at early stage SaaS startups since 2015.Vishak is currently a Staff Engineer at Postscript, where he leads product strategy and architecture, drives solutions and tech partnerships, and helps hire and onboard high-performing engineering teams.In this conversation, we talk about:The benefits and challenges associated with going the coding bootcamp routeThe importance of tailoring communication that resonates and is easy to digest by non-technical colleaguesAnd the impact triaging customer...
2024-01-071h 09
The Early TeamEpisode 043 - Taylor Udell, Early Heap & ChampifyTaylor is Head of Growth at Champify, which monitors job changes to help go-to-market teams turn existing relationships into new business opportunities that actually close. She began her career as a classroom teacher through Teach for America, before transitioning into tech as an early employee at Heap.In this conversation, we talk about:The overlaps between teaching and working as an early stage startup employeeHow working at Twilio helped her sharpen her product marketing craft, within a large organization And why staying hyper-focus on a particular persona is even more critical during the current ma...
2023-12-171h 06
The Early TeamEpisode 042 - Jessie Gold Koester, VP of OperationsJessie was the fourth employee at Collectly, starting as Head of Customer Success. Her background is in Customer Success and Account Management at start-ups, specifically focusing on developing relationships and growth within existing accounts. She is currently the Vice President of Operations where she focuses on overseeing multiple internal teams, building the strategy and plans for the company, hiring new employees, and more. In this conversation, we talk about:Lessons learned from managing up in roles that face high management attritionHer approach to building trust with clients in order to achieve win-win scenariosAnd her re...
2023-11-131h 06
The Get Paid to Live Podcast💸 Get Rich Slow: Living for More Than Money (Ep. 0)Welcome to Episode 0! This is not a podcast about money. It’s something much larger than that.
It’s about feeling rich in your purpose which should ultimately lead to the same effect in your pocket. 💸
Welcome to the Get Paid to Live Podcast, a space where we explore how to live first and get paid second. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, employee, or curious about creating your dream life, in these episodes you’ll find inspiration, tips, and motivation from our honest reflections as new entrepreneurs and candid interviews...
2023-10-2840 min
The Early TeamEpisode 041 - Alessandro Chesser, 1st Sales Hire at CartaAlessandro was the 1st sales hire at Carta. During his 8 year tenure, he played a major role in helping Carta find product market fit, managed hundreds of people, and took Carta from 0 to 300m+ ARR. Now, Alessandro is taking his learnings from Carta and transferring them to his new company GetDynasty.com where he is democratizing access to the most powerful wealth creation tool available to Americans - the living trust.In this conversation, we talk about:His approach to building deep and long term trust with his clientsHow he established the sales function a...
2023-10-231h 07
The Early TeamEpisode 040 - Kasra Khalili, Product Marketing LeaderKasra's career is set at the intersection of product strategy and marketing leadership — composed of his time building products as a founder (Mintor and IntroHero), driving community growth (Startup Grind, On Deck), and leading marketing initiatives (Coho). His career also includes studying for and working in occupational safety, running a restaurant, and even penning a book.In this conversation, we talk about:The parallels between working in safety (OSHA) and at startupsHow his background, both as a founder and as an immigrant, has contributed to his confidence of figuring it out, as an early stag...
2023-09-261h 12
The Early TeamEpisode 039 - Ashley Acosta, Early Brex & PipeAshley is the CEO & Founder of Maca, building the first platform for iterative pricing. She went through hyper-growth as the 7th employee of Brex, the fastest company in B2B history to surpass $100M ARR in 18 months. She then joined Pipe’s founding team as VP of Revenue to stand up the operations and early go-to-market teams - they issued $1B+ in capital in 10 months and became the fastest fintech to reach a $2B valuation in history.In this conversation, we talk about:How “figuring it out” has been a pillar for her career, both in...
2023-09-111h 01
The Early TeamEpisode 038 - Jackie Miller, Corporate Innovation LeaderJackie Miller has had a dynamic career spanning NGOs (Amnesty International), social enterprise (Venture for America), major corporate brands (Chobani and Chanel), and venture backed startups (On Deck), with the red thread criss-crossing of accelerators, corporate venture, and strategic partnerships. She's exploring her next chapter and weighing the thrill of joining the early team of a dynamic, fast-paced growth company or the stability and ready resources of an established player. In this conversation, we talk about:How learning to be resourceful while working at a non-profit enabled her success working at startupsWhat it takes to...
2023-08-211h 03
Hemispheres Archives - KGNU Community RadioIranians in Boulder assess the past, present and future of social movements back homePhoto by Alexis Kenyon
It’s been nearly a year since women-led protests erupted in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini. As part of international solidarity actions connected to the protests, a group of Iranians, Iranian-Americans and supporters in Boulder created an affinity group called Boulder4Iran.
For the July 25, 2023 edition of Hemispheres, KGNU News Director Shannon Young spoke with five members of the group; Shideh Dashti, Shawhin Roudbari, Rumi Natanzi, Sina Khosh and Sabrina Sideris.
Listen:
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Iranians in Boulder assess the past, present and future of social mo...
2023-07-2600 min
The Early TeamEpisode 037 - Shweta Shrivastava, Founding EngineerShweta is a Founding Engineer at Leda Health. She has worked within core engineering teams at different B2B SaaS, EdTech, and now Health-Tech startups, building out the product vision and implementing best practices for engineering teams. She currently works on full-stack web development, cloud technologies, compliance, and security. She strives to work on projects big or small, that not only challenge her professional skills but also help her empower more women in tech. In this conversation, we talk about:How an internship during her masters program introduced her to the world of startupsThe les...
2023-07-101h 01
The Early TeamEpisode 036 - Kera DeMars, Head of MarketingKera is the head of marketing at Hustle Fund, where she oversees their content and events. Previously she was the first employee at The Hustle, a media company with 1m+ subscribers (acq by HubSpot), where she held a variety of roles including Director of Operations and Director of Events. In this conversation, we talk about:How her separate experiences in both the restaurant and events industries, paired with her major in English, set her up for success in wearing many hats in her first startup roleThe challenges of planning successful conferences and her advice for startups loo...
2023-06-0551 min
The Early TeamEpisode 035 - Alex Valeyev, Mechanical EngineerAlex is a mechanical engineer based out of the Bay Area working in the field of fluidics and water chemistry. At Sutro he has worked on developing low-cost, automated water monitoring technology with the mission of ensuring access to safe, clean water to all. In this conversation, we talk about:How his curiosity and the ability to figure things out led his role at TechShopThe challenges of being an early employee and what it took to get Sutro to its current stageAnd the critical role his advisors have played in his growth
2023-05-2258 min
The Early TeamEpisode 034 - Nate Elliot, Chief of StaffNate is a dad of 3 boys, bar licensed attorney, and early-stage generalist. He’s currently chief of staff at web3 design studio, Airfoil, and was previously employee #1 at Barracuda. When not working, he’s playing with his kids, drinking soda, or attending a concert. In this conversation, we talk about:How his law degree enables his success working at early stage startupsHow he landed his first role at a startup through cold direct messaging on TwitterAnd what the role of the chief of staff means to him and his approach to excelling in the role
2023-05-0853 min
The Early TeamEpisode 033 - Anthony Nardini, Job Seeker AdvocateAnthony is the founder of NEXT, a community for entrepreneurial mid-career and exec-level job-seekers who want to be intentional about their next career chapters. He's helped hundreds and hundreds of job-seekers during his past 4 years in the career development space, which is his second act after spending a decade at Goldman Sachs.In this conversation, we talk about:How his tenure at Goldman Sachs set the trajectory of his growth, founded on team-success mentalityHis learnings from building the On Deck First 50 program, focused on helping fellows navigate the startup ecosystemAnd his advice for those s...
2023-04-241h 00
The Early TeamEpisode 032 - Ankit Raj, Product & Growth ExpertAnkit is a product & growth expert who has worked with multiple early stage startups, playing a crucial role in scaling them from pre-seed to Series B.In this conversation, we talk about:His experience at ELSA and how he was able to introduce and expand the product in the Indian marketHis insights into assessing major trends and whether to adopt them or stay the courseAnd how he currently supports startups and founders at different stages, based on the growth challenges they’re experiencing
2023-04-0357 min
The Early TeamEpisode 031 - Thalida Noel, Engineering LeaderThalida is a Product Engineering Leader who loves a good spreadsheet. They've spent their entire career in Product Engineering and Engineering Management at companies like OkCupid, Etsy, and Webflow. Thalida is now the Co-Founder and CTO of Tourus, a prop-tech startup with a mission to improve the rental experience for everyone involved. Thalida is a queer Trinidadian-American and avid Minecrafter based in New York. In this conversation, we talk about:How they mapped out their career journey as an engineer, by gaining experience at various sized startupsThe challenges they faced in the industry and th...
2023-03-201h 01
The Early TeamEpisode 030 - How to scale intimacy, with Community Architect Taylor HarringtonTaylor is on a mission to create the opposite of loneliness in the world. She’s Head of Community at Groove, which is an extraordinary, free app for solo workers from all over the world to instantly connect and conquer their to-dos alongside each other. Before joining Groove, Taylor designed online learning experiences with best-selling author, Seth Godin. In her free time, she hosts special gatherings for community leaders and friends in New York City.In this conversation, we talk about:How a wacky job opening with no description or title led to her wor...
2023-03-0659 min
The Early TeamEpisode 029 - EJ Oruche, Product LeaderEJ is a Husband, Father, Entrepreneur, and a first-generation America raised by Nigerian parents. He is an experienced leader in launching new products in both startup and corporate environments, including CBS Interactive and Seed&Spark, and co-founded his own startup, Bosa, a life management platform for working moms.In this conversation, we talk about:His first experience at a startup, right after graduating from collegePacking up his bags, moving to LA, and building his product craft at CBSAnd how “figuring it out” has been a pillar in his success, especially when navigating the unknown
2023-02-201h 07
Getting Back Into PlaceGermane Barnes - Afrofuturism, the Architectural 'Canon', and Truly Authentic Social ImpactGermane Barnes is the Principal of Studio Barnes, and Associate Professor and the Director of the Community Housing & Identity Lab (CHIL) at the University of Miami School of Architecture. Barnes’ practice investigates the connection between architecture and identity, examining architecture’s social and political agency through historical research and design speculation. Believing strongly in design as a process, he approaches each condition imposed on a project as an opportunity for transformation. Born in Chicago, IL, Germane Barnes received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Architecture from Woodb...
2023-02-071h 04
The Early TeamEpisode 028 - Gabrielle Turner, HR DirectorGabrielle is an HR Director, with extensive experience as a leader at both startups and large companies. She is passionate about empowering her team and enabling their growth, while cultivating a culture that focuses on belonging. In this conversation, we talk about:Her approach to setting up and scaling the HR function at early stage startupsHow she has navigated the layoff environment and the impact it has had on herAnd the questions she asks during the interview process, when assessing potential new employers
2023-02-061h 06
The Early TeamEpisode 027 - Tamara Dottin, Lead EngineerTamara has been a career Software Engineer, working on complex systems. She is currently a Lead Engineer at Acre, a growing real-estate tech startup redefining how we buy and live in our homes, where she joined as employee #1.In this conversation, we talk about:Her experience working at larger companies, such as Raytheon and Red Hat, where she gained the expertise that empowered her work at early stage startupsHow she has been able to level up, at each stage, while managing imposter syndrome as part of the processAnd how she has been able to lead at...
2023-01-2357 min
The Early TeamEpisode 026 - Jonatan Littke, Early SpotifyJonatan is a founder, engineer, and product leader. He was an early employee at Spotify, where he began as the first web-developer on the team. Currently, he’s the CEO at Squadformers, working to build exceptional Squads that accelerate meaningful missions.In this conversation, we talk about:How at the age of 12, he started and grew a gaming community to over 20 million active usersLessons learned while working at Spotify in the early daysAnd what it’s like to work at an early stage startup, while relocating from Sweden to the US
2023-01-091h 02
The Early TeamEpisode 025 - Tyler Hall, CEO Coach & AdvisorTyler is a successful founder, CEO, tech leader, investor, advisor, motorcycle enthusiast, dad and husband. As the founder and CEO of a VC backed automotive tech company Drivably, Tyler led the company through an acquisition in 2022. Prior to that was an early employee and executive at Domo and HireVue. He currently coaches, advises, and invests in start up companies, CEO's and executive teams.In this conversation, we talk about:How his mentality and grit of flipping cars, while in college, set the foundation for his success at his first startup role and thereafterLessons learned a...
2022-12-261h 01
The Early TeamEpisode 024 - Valerie Estrina, Content & Community CreatorValerie is a community manager, avid writer, and digital content creator with a Gen Z outlook on the world. She founded the popular Instagram entertainment community, Astrowonders (420k followers), where she has worked with big-name companies like Urban Outfitters, Estrid, and Parade. She’s currently leading & growing community at an early-stage startup Melon, a social platform for self-learning and upskilling. In this conversation, we talk about:How she managed to break into tech and how her freelance experience set her up for successWhat she has learned from imposter syndrome and how she has built up h...
2022-12-0544 min
The Early TeamEpisode 023 - Lucy Arnold, Product LeaderLucy is a product leader based in San Francisco, with 9 years of experience in early stage startups, across various industries. She lives with her fiancee, their husky, two cats, and a fan of natural wine.In this conversation, we talk about:How raising her hand for a project that was outside her scope of responsibilities began her journey of becoming a product managerLessons learned from building high quality products that were met with initial adoption frictionAnd the art of knowing when to recreate the wheel to gain leverage
2022-11-141h 06
The Early TeamEpisode 022 - Nick Kuzma, Head of GrowthNick is an early stage growth leader, most recently at Carrot (addtocarrot.com), a visual bookmarking app for shoppers. His experience working with over a dozen companies across varied industries has given him a unique perspective on the universal aspects of growth in any business, the technology sphere we live in, and the tradeoffs of different modes of working.In this conversation, we talk about:The structural lessons he gained while working at large companies and how they enabled his success at smaller onesHow his music background continues to show up in his individual and leadership...
2022-10-241h 00
The Early TeamEpisode 021 - Janice Cheng, Head of CommunityJanice is a Community Growth and Brand Marketing Specialist based in Vancouver, with a passion for early-stage mission-driven startups. She’s currently the Head of Community at Pineapple, the professional network for Gen-Z. In this conversation, we talk about:Her eagerness to take ownership of new initiatives, while in her first role as an Executive Assistant, becoming the brand manager at BlumeHow her experience building a DTC brand enabled her to build a community in the tech spaceAnd lessons learned from building an authentic community focused on Gen-Z
2022-10-1042 min
The Early TeamEpisode 020 - Amna Hashmi, Sr. Product ManagerAmna is an early employee and Sr. Product Manager at Zus Health, empowering an entirely new wave of healthcare builders to create technologies and services without the usual blockers.In this conversation, we talk about:Her transition from a software developer to a product managerHer experience at Zus and the efforts required for taking initiatives from 0-1, in the HealthTech spaceAnd the similarities between being a PM and writing RomCom scripts for movies
2022-09-1940 min
The Early TeamEpisode 019 - Michelle Kwok, Head of Community GrowthMichelle is the Head of Community Growth at Scale, building the go-to platform and community that helps ambitious people supercharge their success at work with guided sprints & 1:1 guidance from experienced coaches. Prior to Scale, she co-founded FLIK and has been recognized as BC Business’ 30 Under 30. In this conversation, we talk about:How her entrepreneurship craft began developing during college that led to starting her own companyHow she transitioned from being a founder to an operator and the lessons learned along the wayAnd how building a community begins by first creating immense value for your inte...
2022-09-1243 min
The Early TeamEpisode 018 - Katy Culver, Director of Customer SuccessKaty is a Director of Customer Success at Dover, a recruiting orchestration platform built for hiring managers and talent leaders to hire faster and more seamlessly. Prior to that, she was a strategy consultant at Accenture, focused on growth and digital strategy in the retail space. In this conversation, we talk about:How she was able to say no opportunities that didn’t align with her intentions, during her startup searchWhat consulting elements enabled her to succeed early on, while others she had to unlearnAnd how her curiosity and passion for shipping new projects is guiding her...
2022-08-2241 min
The Early TeamEpisode 017 - Hanna McPhee & Drew Cosgarea, Brand + ProductHanna and Drew were respectively employees #1 and #6 at Fellow, a design driven coffee gear company. Hanna helped build the brand from the ground up. Drew developed a handful of Fellow's early products. Now as co-founders of NANU, they've shifted their focus from coffee to products that recalibrate our relationship with time and routine. In this conversation, we talk about:How they adapted to the startup environment, specifically building and marketing physical productsHow they adjusted to the company’s hyper-growth success, during the pandemicAnd how their experience is now enabling them launch their own company and products
2022-08-151h 01
The Early TeamEpisode 016 - Charles Mbaruguru, Business OperationsCharles is Head of Business Operations at Zestworld, which enables creators to control and monetize their IP rights. Previously, he spent extensive time building and lead consulting teams. In this conversation, we talk about:His journey as a consultant and the transition to a startupHow his passion for entertainment and using technology as a connector led him to ZestworldAnd what he had to learn and unlearn, in order to succeed in this new world
2022-08-0153 min
The Early TeamEpisode 015 - Mohamed Kazaz, Employee #1Zaz is a serial investor and employee #1 at VGS (Very Good Security). Currently, he’s part of the VGS Sales team and advises numerous startups.In this conversation, we talk about:His initial approached to employment at VGSHis process for engaging with the founders when he needed supportAnd how being early at the company enabled him to transition into a sales role
2022-07-2556 min
The Early TeamEpisode 014 - Simran Handa, OperationsIn this episode, I speak with Simran Handa. Simran is a Business Operations Manager at Sequin (YC S21), helping women get better access to credit. She was the second employee of the company and is passionate about feminism, financial freedom and fashion!In this conversation, we talk about:Her transition to a FinTech company and how her role has evolved over timeHow her time at an early stage company is enabling her own projectAnd how her mindset shift about sales is empowering her to shoot her shot
2022-07-1840 min
The Early TeamEpisode 13 - Pablo Pinto, Program DirectorIn this episode, I speak with Pablo Pinto. Pablo is a talent-oriented founder and product manager with experience in startup recruiting, go-to-market strategy, and ops. Currently, he’s the Director at On Deck First 50, a program helping people get jobs at startups.In this conversation, we talk about:How he sets an over-arching theme for every five-year-segments of his careerThe 3-pillars of risk that he evaluates, before making a move to a new startupAnd how his experience is empowering him to support others making similar transitionsWith that, let’s dive in. Enjoy.
2022-07-1157 min
The Early TeamEpisode 12 - Elizabeth Dlha, Community & PartnershipsIn this episode, I speak with Elizabeth Dlha. Elizabeth is the Head of Partnerships & Community at Deepnote, a company building a collaborative workspace for data teams. Before Deepnote, Elizabeth spent her career as an analyst and building analytics tooling, first as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, later as a Product manager at Periscope.In this conversation, we talk about:How working at a global consulting firm enable her to go deep in many industries, quicklyHow her role has grown over the last 2 years at Deepnote, moving from an Individual contributor to a hybrid of both leading...
2022-07-0449 min
The Early TeamEpisode 11 - Sanjay Krishna, GrowthIn this episode, I speak with Sanjay Krishna. Sanjay leads growth at Quolum, an early stage startup backed by Sequoia. He started his journey in corporate law, and then ran his own Ed-tech venture for a soft exit to a unicorn.In this conversation, we talk about:His career and the force behind wanting to join a smaller companyHow his corporate law experience is empowering his success in his sales roleAnd the similarities he sees between playing tennis and working at an early stage company
2022-06-2050 min
The Early TeamEpisode 10 - Rich Burke, Head of GrowthI speak with Rich Burke. Rich is Head of Growth at Parentaly, an employee benefit startup that helps improve the parental leave experience. Prior to that, he spent time at CEB, Manage by Q, and Vista Equity Partners.In this conversation, we talk about:Similarities, differences and lessons learned between corporate America and startups.Playing the long-game and filling in the skill gaps to get thereAnd his approach to understanding and executing in a new industry that’s ripe for change.
2022-06-1353 min
The Early TeamEpisode 9 - Mariah Sharp, People Ops (DEI)In this episode, I speak with Mariah Sharp. One notion that I love about this conversation is the ability to feel how mission driven Mariah is, focusing her energy towards making an impact. She is a former 6th grade social studies teacher, turned People Ops lead at an Educational Tech company, to now one of the co-founders of Envision Inclusion.In this conversation, we talk about:How she transitioned from teaching to an early stage tech company and the similarities between the twoWhat it was like to define her role and how it evolved during her...
2022-06-061h 08
The Early TeamEpisode 8 - Juraj Pal, VP of PartnershipsHey y’all and welcome to another episode of The Early Team. In this episode, I speak with Juraj Pal. Juraj was one of the first hires at Slido, the Q&A and polling platform where built out the partnerships function from scratch and led the product team. Juraj is based in Vancouver, BC and currently in-between things, spending time with his family as a new dad.In this conversation, we talk about:Being able to say yes to opportunities that came his way, enabling him to live globallyDealing with imposter syndrome, while joining the exec te...
2022-05-3053 min
The Early TeamEpisode 7 - Melissa Henderson, Journalistic Community BuilderHey y’all and welcome to another episode of The Early Team. I’m excited to introduce you to Melissa Henderson, Head of Community at ApeWorx and Founder of the Violet Summer Exchange.During our conversation, we talk about:How she made the transition from working at traditional large publications to a small, fully remote companyHer approach to adapting to a new environment and using her journalism experience to establish herself in a new spaceAnd what it takes to run a community without burning outBefore we get started, I want to point out that in t...
2022-05-2351 min
The Early TeamEpisode 6, Jet Zhou, Software EngineerHey y’all and welcome to another episode of The Early Team, where I speak with Jet Zhou.Jet is a software engineer with 10 years of industry experience. He has worked across different company sizes and different verticals, including Amazon, ClassDojo, an EdTech company, and Gem, which focuses on recruiting. Currently, he is aiming to hike all the dog friendly trails around the Bay Area.During our conversation, we talk about:What it was like for him, transitioning from a global company to a much smaller oneHow things changed as the team around him gr...
2022-05-1650 min
The Early TeamEpisode 5 - Harrison Johnson, Employee #1Welcome to another conversation on The Early Team, where I speak with Harrison Johnson. Currently, Harrison is a co-founder at Driveway, a powerful tool that helps remote employees ramp up faster. However, the scope of our chat revolves around his time at Managed by Q, an office management platform, where he was employee #1.In our conversation, we talk about:The concept of house of cards and what failing fast means when you’re at an early stage companyHow he had to learn to detach his passion for the company & his line of responsibilities, so that he co...
2022-05-0947 min
The Early TeamEpisode 4 - Vic de Aranzeta, Founding DesignerHey y’all, and welcome to another conversation on The Early Team, where I speak with Vic de Aranzeta. I’ve known Vic for a while now, and even then, her story had me at the edge of my seat. She is a 2x founding product designer at early stage startups, has a background in cultural anthropology and field archaeology, and began her journey as an illustrator and designer. She’s passionate about environmental and animal justice, and finding the perfect cannoli.She’s currently in San Francisco and was previously in Portland, Oregon for 8 years.In our...
2022-05-0243 min
The Early TeamEpisode 3 - Neil Eads, Technical Quality ManagerIn this episode, I speak with Neil Eads, a technical quality manager at Figma. Neil has spent roughly the last 15 years at tech startups, and with it, has an abundance of insight into what it’s like to be at various early stage companies.In our conversation, we talk about:What QA is and how it fits into the overall team & companyHow he has been able to navigate across many industries, with successWhat characteristics he looks for when he’s hiring someone to join his teamEnjoy and let’s jump in.
2022-04-2444 min
The Early TeamEpisode 2 - Nihana Porbanderwala, Creative OperationsIn this episode, I speak with Nihana Porbanderwala, a member of an early stage company, called Drop Party, where she runs Creative Ops. Her background is in film and fashion - her love lies in culture and trend. The perfect party mix! She currently lives in Austin, TX and is originally from South Florida.In our conversation, we talk about:How she navigated her interests, transitioning from the corporate world to a startupThe habits she had to unlearn that were no longer serving her and the new ones she had to learnWhat its like creating a...
2022-04-1436 min
The Early TeamEpisode 1 - Introduction to The Early Team ShowWelcome to the inaugural episode of The Early Team. In this short episode, I walk through:- Why this podcast has been created- What to expected from the upcoming conversations- Who it is geared for and will benefit from it
2022-04-0808 min