AZ Tech Podcast Hamid Shojaee

For this episode, we partnered with Startup Grind Phoenix to put together a podcast recording in front of a LIVE audience. It's been a long time since we've hosted -- and attended -- in person events, and it was so great to meet some of our listeners in person!

Anything can happen in a live event, especially with the three founders we invited to join us. Hamid talked with three of his good friends: Bob La Loggia, founder of AppointmentPlus; Mike Roberts, founder of SpyFu; and Chris Cardinal, founder of Synapse Studios and CarbonQA. 

The guys don't hold back as they discuss unrealized capital gains, NFTs, outer space and the metaverse.

Watch the discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MQPaSYIsOMI

Aly Saxe knows how to succeed, but she also knows how to fail. More importantly, she knows how to get back up.  She's weathered the challenges of raising money to make payroll to sexual harassment to calling it quits. Even after having a stroke, Aly ran her company though she barely had any feeling in the right side of her body and couldn't move any part of the left side. Aly's learned that taking care of yourself and your family should always be the priority, no matter what.

In this episode, Hamid talks to Aly about how raising money is actually very hard, how she decided to sunset her company and how she recovered from a massive stroke in her 30s. And Aly turns the tables and interviews Hamid. 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G9SKGkKs8yg

This week, AirGarage, a startup founded in Tempe that's designed to improve the public parking experience, announced a $12.5 million raise led by Andreesen Horowitz. MediaKits, a startup that provides "digital resumes" for influencers, raised $1 million.  We also talk about the massive amount of investment capital in Arizona. 

We also discuss the metaverse, the new MacBook Pro and Donald Trump's new social media platform. 

Watch the discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dFeBkemiHNE

Alexis Krisay and Melissa DiGianfilippo started their brand marketing agency as basically strangers, but after running a company together for 12 years, they've become BFFs. They've got a pretty good "marriage" (as they call it) because they complement each other well and never go to bed angry. They also co-host a podcast called "Will It Stick?", which dives deep into some of the best - and worst - marketing campaigns in history. They call themselves "marketing junkies," entrepreneurs and moms. 

In this episode, Hamid talks to Alexis and Melissa about their company, their podcast and a condom campaign. 

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/50ynVCYPX0M

Saeed Eslami wanted to start fresh after he moved to the United States from Iran. He'd built a successful company in his home country, but he wanted to get an education and find a good job in America. He was willing to work hard and do what it takes. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. So, when he was offered a construction job after he finished his graduate degree in engineering, he took it. That job would give him the idea that would change his life.

In this episode, Hamid talks to Saeed about living in Iran, taking advantage of life's opportunities and embracing hard work. 

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JO_SZKpDJPs

This week was Invest Southwest's Venture Madness, where up to 25 startups pitch to an audience for the chance to win $10,000. Hamid was at the conference and on this week's news recap, he tells me all about this year's finalists and winners. We also talk about how big tech is taking over the world.

Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/JRmMHVEJLUM