Pitch, Build, Scale - Startup Founder Stories in the Age of AI

Chris Fanchi

That spark of innovation? It's just waiting for the perfect combination of tools and talent to bring it to life. This is "Pitch, Build, Scale": Each episode, we connect with the builders, the visionaries, and the problem-solvers who are redefining what's possible with today's technology - and pioneering the websites, apps, and software products of tomorrow. These are the conversations that transform how we build, how we sell, and how we scale technology businesses in a world where the tech evolves by the minute. Ready to stay ahead of the curve? This is "Pitch, Build, Scale".

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    048 - AI, Cloud, and the Future of Software Teams with Joel Garcia, CEO of Allcode

    AI is rewriting the rules of software development. Joel Garcia believes that if your devs aren’t using AI, they may not be devs for much longer. In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Joel Garcia, CEO of Allcode, an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner helping startups and SMBs modernize, migrate, and scale in the cloud. Joel shares how AI is transforming development speed, the future of cloud automation, and why success now depends as much on adaptability as it does on code. From refactoring technical debt to closing enterprise deals, Joel explains how to build a company that moves faster and smarter in the era of intelligent automation. If you lead a dev team or SaaS company, this is a must-listen on how to stay competitive as AI reshapes the industry. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Introduction — AI as a game-changer for developers 02:45 Joel’s early tech roots and startup journey 05:20 How Allcode helps startups migrate and modernize in the cloud 08:30 Partnerships, clients, and scaling through AWS 09:45 “If your devs aren’t using AI, they may not be devs for much longer” 11:15 Amazon Q Developer and the future of developer productivity 13:50 Adapting to new client expectations in the AI era 15:30 Modernizing legacy codebases and migrating from colo to cloud 18:40 Customizing AI to internal codebases and workflows 19:35 Turning forms into conversations: real-world AI applications 21:00 Using Bedrock, Crew AI, and SageMaker to automate at scale 22:30 Breaking into enterprise and landing government deals 23:30 The biggest bottleneck: closing deals in a technical sales cycle 24:03 Where to learn more about Allcode 🔗 Resources 🌐 Allcode: https://www.allcode.com 🌐 Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com 💡 Ready to grow your tech company? If you’re a founder or CEO looking to generate qualified leads and close bigger deals, visit Big North Marketing. 👉 Learn more at BigNorthMarketing.com

    25 min

  2. 5 DAYS AGO

    047 - Building Trust in AI: The Future of Risk and Compliance with Lily Yeoh, CEO of C1Risk

    AI is rewriting the rules of enterprise risk management, but can we trust the systems shaping our decisions? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Lily Yeoh, founder and CEO of C1Risk, a governance, risk, and compliance platform that helps enterprises automate cybersecurity programs using AI. Lily shares her journey from early days in cybersecurity at Texas Instruments and RSA to leading C1Risk — and the lessons she’s learned about AI trust, data transparency, and responsible automation. You’ll learn: - How AI is transforming compliance, risk, and cybersecurity oversight across industries - Why enterprises need standards for AI transparency and model integrity - How C1Risk is building GRC assistants that leverage AI ethically to improve accuracy and productivity - The future of AI governance and how companies can prepare for new risk models 🕒 Chapters 00:00 Intro & AI Trust in Data 02:00 Lily Yeoh’s Path into Cybersecurity 06:00 Evolution of Cyber Threats Over 25 Years 10:00 Why She Founded C1Risk 14:00 Building API-First Compliance Automation 20:00 Who Owns Risk in the Enterprise? 23:00 The AI Triad: Misinformation, Models & Cost 27:00 How C1Risk Uses AI Internally 31:00 Building AI-Driven GRC Assistants 33:00 Scaling Challenges & AI Talent Demand 35:00 Funding, Focus & Her “Magic Wand” Wish Resources • C1Risk — Enterprise GRC platform: https://C1Risk.com • Big North Marketing — growth for dev shops & SaaS: https://BigNorthMarketing.com Want pipeline you can measure and a podcast that drives sales conversations, not just downloads? → Book a Free Growth Plan consult at BigNorthMarketing.com or DM me “GROWTH” and I’ll send the 3-part Creator to Client checklist we use to turn episodes into revenue.

    37 min

  3. 7 OCT

    046 - Viral Trends to Enterprise Strategy: How AI is Reshaping Marketing w/ Chelsie Hall, CEO, ViralMoment

    That viral moment your brand missed? It’s probably already costing you. In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Chelsie Hall, CEO of ViralMoment, whose company helps brands like Coca-Cola, Disney, and Warner Brothers decode social video before the rest of the world catches on. We explore: - How AI is reshaping social video monitoring and trend detection - Why deepfakes pose the next big risk to brands and personal reputations - The difference between going viral vs. understanding virality - How even small brands can now access enterprise-level intelligence If you want to understand the future of social media and how AI is changing what it means to protect and grow a brand, this episode is for you. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Generative AI and the deepfake challenge 01:36 Chelsie’s path from Carnegie Mellon to ViralMoment 03:26 Building AI that can actually read video 07:18 The Coca-Cola “Healthy Coke” turning point 09:31 How ViralMoment lands enterprise clients 12:39 Democratizing brand intelligence for smaller companies 13:58 The shift from social networks to algorithmic feeds 16:16 Detecting AI-generated and deepfake content 17:45 Personal brands as the new frontier of brand safety 18:52 Rethinking metrics for measuring social video 19:47 Platforms to watch and how to prioritize 20:14 Long-form video support and enterprise use cases 🔗 Resources ViralMoment: https://www.viralmoment.com Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com 💡 Your company’s next growth engine might be sitting idle in your pipeline. At Big North Marketing, we help SaaS companies and dev agencies land bigger clients and scale faster using modern growth systems. 👉 Want to see how it could work for you? Connect with us at BigNorthMarketing.com.

    31 min

  4. 4 OCT

    045 - Automating Marketing Strategy for Small Business Growth with Brett Hollman, Co-Founder & CEO, Enji

    How much more can one person do with AI? For Brett Hollman, the answer is: a lot more. In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Brett Hollman, Co-Founder & CEO of Enji and former engineering leader at Amazon and Intuit. Brett shares how he and his wife turned years of marketing consulting experience into an AI-powered platform that helps solopreneurs and small business owners build marketing strategies that actually work. We explore: - Brett’s journey from leading massive AI teams at Amazon and Intuit to building Enji - Why small businesses often fail at marketing (and how AI can fix it) - How Enji blends human expertise with automation to create actionable strategies - The future of AI for small business: enablement vs. replacement - Scaling a startup from founder-led sales to product-led growth Whether you’re a SaaS founder, software development leader, or solo entrepreneur, this episode offers a candid look at how AI is reshaping marketing and what it really takes to scale. Chapters 00:00 Intro: Doing more with AI, not less 01:11 Brett’s early tech journey 05:20 From Amazon to AWS leadership 07:25 Building AI platforms at Intuit 10:23 Why Enji exists: solving marketing by accident 18:28 How Enji’s AI is different from a ChatGPT wrapper 29:36 The road to automated marketing 32:05 Startup bottlenecks: founder-led sales vs PLG 35:26 Where AI is headed for small business 38:06 Where to find Brett and Enji Resources 🔗 Automate your marketing strategy with Enji: https://enji.co 🔗 Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com 👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more conversations with tech leaders shaping the future of work. #smallbusiness #ai #marketingautomation

    40 min

  5. 29 SEPT

    044 - Blending AI and Human Touch in Travel Experiences with Robert Coverdale, Founder of Khonsu

    What happens when you take enterprise-level AI innovation and apply it to one of life’s most human experiences - travel? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we speak with Robert Coverdale, Founder of Khonsu, about how his platform blends artificial intelligence and local expertise to transform the way people experience cities like New York. Robert shares his journey from flipping a coin between photography and computer science to building innovation labs at LivePerson, and eventually launching Khonsu, a travel company that prioritizes authentic, human-driven experiences powered by AI behind the scenes. We explore the challenges of scaling human interaction with AI tools, why simplicity often wins over complexity, and how trust in real experiences is becoming more valuable in an AI-saturated world. Whether you’re a SaaS founder, software agency leader, or tech executive, Robert’s story is a blueprint for combining human value with AI scale. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Robert’s Iron Man Analogy: AI as Human Empowerment 01:27 Welcome and Guest Introduction 02:15 Flipping a Coin into Tech: Robert’s Origin Story 03:21 Early Entrepreneurship: Penny Candy Hustle 04:11 Innovation Labs at LivePerson 05:45 The Aha Moment: Travel Meets Technology 06:09 Khonsu’s First Iterations with AI 08:01 Testing the Model During the Pandemic 09:46 Who Khonsu Serves: Leisure vs. Business Travelers 13:47 Monetization and Local Designers 14:59 Scaling City by City 16:06 AI Behind the Scenes, Humans Up Front 17:43 Hotel Concierges Reimagined with AI 20:09 Pricing Tiers and AI vs. Human Options 22:24 Growth Goals: Expanding to Washington, DC and Beyond 23:16 B2B Partnerships and Perks 23:59 The Challenge of Content Creation 25:14 Marketing Bottlenecks in 2025 26:13 How to Try Khonsu Today 📚 Resources Travel with Khonsu: https://www.askkonsu.com Connect with Robert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertcoverdale Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com

    27 min

  6. 26 SEPT

    043 - Scaling Cybersecurity with AI, Automation, and MSP Partnerships with Garret Grajek, CEO of YouAttest

    In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Garret Grajek, CEO of YouAttest, to explore the future of identity governance, automation, and cybersecurity in an AI-driven world. Garret has spent over 30 years shaping enterprise security, holding 13 patents and building solutions at RSA, SecureAuth, and now YouAttest. His perspective is clear: data is the crown jewel, and automation is the key to protecting it. We discuss how enterprises can move beyond spreadsheets and manual audits to achieve rapid, scalable user access reviews, why non-human identities (NHIs) are the next big security frontier, and how managed service providers (MSPs) are reshaping go-to-market strategies in security and SaaS. If you’re a SaaS founder, software agency leader, or enterprise innovator, this episode is packed with insights on scaling securely while embracing AI and automation. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Garret’s journey into cybersecurity 05:56 Building SecureAuth and the shift to YouAttest 08:34 Why identity governance is the missing link in Zero Trust 12:22 Data as the true battleground in 2025 16:07 The rise of non-human identities (NHIs) 19:34 Using AI to create identity trust scores 22:39 Scaling through MSPs and service-first resellers 27:47 Verticalization as a market advantage 29:17 Garret’s “magic wand” for growth 30:33 Advice for new founders in cybersecurity Resources 🔗 YouAttest: https://youattest.com 🔗 Big North Marketing: https://bignorthmarketing.com

    33 min

  7. 23 SEPT

    042 - Transforming Patient Engagement with AI-Driven Digital Outreach with Yossi Abraham, CEO, Zappix

    What happens when a tiny startup with one client grows into a customer-funded, enterprise-ready SaaS platform in healthcare? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Yossi Abraham, President & CEO of Zappix, to unpack how his team bootstrapped growth in one of the toughest markets: healthcare. Yossi shares insights on: - Overcoming the “pilotitis” problem in AI adoption - Building customer-funded SaaS without venture backing - Driving growth through partnerships and referrals - Hyper-personalization in digital patient engagement - Why lead generation is the single biggest constraint for SaaS founders in compliance-heavy markets This conversation is a playbook for founders navigating complex sales, compliance barriers, and the messy reality of AI implementation. Chapters 00:00 Intro & Yossi’s Background 03:25 Joining Zappix at Near Zero Revenue 06:09 From Visual IVR to Digital Engagement Platform 07:59 Scaling in Healthcare: Reducing No-Shows, Increasing Revenue 10:03 Where AI Fits into the Process 12:06 The AI “Implementation Gap” in Healthcare 15:38 Future of RAG and Conversational AI in Patient Journeys 18:26 Hyper-Personalization with Data 19:02 Growth Goals: 50–100% in 24 Months 21:30 Lead Gen Challenges & Partnerships 25:03 Outbound in Healthcare vs. Other Verticals 26:37 The Magic Wand: Fixing the Top of Funnel 26:50 Advice for Bootstrapped SaaS Founders Resources 🔗 Automate patient engagement with Zappix: https://www.zappix.com 🔗 Grow your revenue with Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com #healthcare #saas #podcast #ai

    29 min

  8. 16 SEPT

    041 - Managing the Rise of AI Agents: Building a Multi-Sapiens Future with Tatyana Mamut, CEO, Wayfound.ai

    What if AI agents aren’t just tools... but coworkers? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, we sit down with Tatyana Mamut, CEO of Wayfound.ai, to explore why the future of work isn’t about clamping down on AI, but learning to manage it with the same dignity, respect, and feedback we give humans. Tatyana shares her journey from anthropology to Amazon, Salesforce, IDEO, and now Wayfound, where she’s building the world’s first AI supervisor platform: a manager for AI agents that ensures compliance, trust, and performance across the enterprise. We dig into: - Why cultural change - not technology - is the biggest barrier to AI adoption - How ethnography helps predict what’s next in tech - Why managing AI agents like employees could define the next era of business - What a “multi-sapiens” future looks like when humans and AIs collaborate - Where she sees AGI vs. ASI heading, and why supervision matters more than guardrails 👉 If you’re a SaaS founder, dev shop leader, or tech executive, this episode will shift how you think about AI, jobs, and organizational design. Chapters 00:00 Intro: Why We Need to Rethink AI Agents 02:11 Tatyana’s Unconventional Path into Tech 06:57 Anthropology Meets Product Management 09:08 Founding Wayfound.ai: Supervising AI Agents 13:57 Guardrails vs. Guidelines: Building Trust in AI 17:23 Early Adoption in Finance, SaaS, and Services 24:30 Reorganizing Companies Around Human Skills 30:49 The AGI vs. ASI Debate 37:16 Building Institutions for a Multi-Sapiens Future 40:19 Why Culture Change is the Real Challenge 43:16 First Steps for Leaders Exploring AI Agents Resources 🌐 Wayfound.ai: https://www.wayfound.ai 🔗 Connect with Tatyana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmamut 🚀 Big North Marketing: https://www.bignorthmarketing.com

    45 min
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That spark of innovation? It's just waiting for the perfect combination of tools and talent to bring it to life. This is "Pitch, Build, Scale": Each episode, we connect with the builders, the visionaries, and the problem-solvers who are redefining what's possible with today's technology - and pioneering the websites, apps, and software products of tomorrow. These are the conversations that transform how we build, how we sell, and how we scale technology businesses in a world where the tech evolves by the minute. Ready to stay ahead of the curve? This is "Pitch, Build, Scale".

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