23h ago

Brian Garrett: Rebuilding the Palisades & Betting on Frontier Tech

“The tragedy helped me become as clear as I’ve ever been about what matters.” - Brian Garrett Brian Garrett is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Crosscut, one of Los Angeles’ longest-standing early-stage venture capital firms. In this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin joins Brian for a drive through Pacific Palisades—past the neighborhood where Brian grew up, the home his family lost in the fire, and the community he is now helping rebuild. The conversation explores two forms of rebuilding: restoring a community after devastating loss and reinventing a venture firm for the next era of innovation. Brian shares how Crosscut evolved from its original mission of catalyzing Southern California’s technology ecosystem into a frontier-tech investment firm focused on energy and power, space and defense, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, robotics, and resilient supply chains. He explains why the next wave of value creation will be driven by “AI-powered, bits-enabled atoms,” why Southern California is uniquely positioned to lead it, and what distinguishes the deeply mission-driven founders building mission-critical companies. Brian also shares the personal story of losing his family home in the Palisades fire, the realities residents face as they attempt to return, and his vision for Palisades Towne Hall—a nonprofit community gathering place designed to help residents reconnect, recover, and rebuild together. This is a conversation about frontier technology, resilience, community, leadership, and the clarity that can emerge from unimaginable loss. CHAPTERS 00:00 Episode preview01:47 Touring the Palisades after the fire02:52 How Crosscut began in 200804:29 Why Brian went all-in on frontier technology06:14 From software to “AI-driven, bits-enabled atoms”07:17 Insurance and the difficult road to rebuilding08:49 Brian’s roots in Pacific Palisades11:23 The vision for Palisades Towne Hall16:04 Displacement and the loss of community services18:24 Can frontier technology help prevent the next wildfire?19:53 Reinventing Crosscut around frontier tech22:30 Directed energy, autonomous warfare, and energy security25:15 What makes frontier-tech founders different27:19 Mission-critical companies and the risks of rebuilding33:44 The day Brian and his family lost their home37:05 Resilience, family, and redefining what matters40:09 Community, clarity, and learning to ask for help LEARN MORE ABOUT BRIAN AND CROSSCUT Brian Garrett and the Crosscut team: https://crosscut.vc/team/ Crosscut: https://crosscut.vc/ SUPPORT PALISADES TOWNE HALL Help create a nonprofit gathering place where Palisades residents can reconnect, share resources, and rebuild together. One hundred percent of operating profits will support local nonprofits rebuilding the 90272 community. https://www.pledge.to/towne-hall](https://www.pledge.to/towne-hall ABOUT TECH SCENES Tech Scenes brings viewers inside the communities shaping the future through candid conversations with founders, investors, CEOs, and operators about innovation, leadership, growth, and the realities of building something that matters. Hosted by Jeff James Martin, Founder and CEO of Collective Genius, creator of Peak OS™, and author of Peak Teams. BUILD AN ORGANIZATION THAT EXECUTES TOGETHER Collective Genius helps growth-stage and mission-critical organizations improve alignment, visibility, accountability, decision-making, and execution through the Peak Operating System™. Learn more about Collective Genius and Peak OS™ https://www.collective-genius.com/ Explore Peak OS™ software https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-os-software Read Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu](https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu Related Collective Genius Insights Articles: https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/why-frontier-tech-companies-need-a-mission-critical-operating-system-brian-garre

Jul 8

Tech Scenes at Enterprise Rising 2026: Midwest CEOs, founders and investors

What does it really take to build, scale, and lead technology companies that last? In this episode of Tech Scenes, we go inside Enterprise Rising for a fast-moving conversation with founders, operators, investors, and serial entrepreneurs shaping the future of Midwest tech, enterprise SaaS, sports technology, recruiting, workflow automation, edtech, digital platforms, and startup execution. Live from Enterprise Rising, this conversation captures the energy of the Midwest startup ecosystem and the builders who are helping move it forward. The episode covers what it takes to find the real constraint in a business, build technology for industries that need it, lead through growth, improve how teams work, and create companies with the discipline to execute. This episode features: Andre “Dre” Creighton, Dick Polipnick, Doug Berg, Joe Keeley, John Sundberg, Jon Maichel Thomas, Michael Gorman, Scott Burns, and Mark Lacek Chapters: 00:00 — Opening hook: focus on the real constraint 00:34 — Tech Scenes at Enterprise Rising 01:06 — Andre “Dre” Creighton: finance, operations, and founder perspective 01:15 — Dick Polipnick: GoRout and sports technology adoption 01:21 — Doug Berg: Match2, recruiting, and helping people find the right fit 01:32 — John Sundberg: Kinetic Data and enterprise workflow 01:55 — Jon Maichel Thomas: MadeDaily, UX, design, and secure digital platforms 02:10 — Michael Gorman: Cascade Reading, edtech, and investing 02:24 — Scott Burns: investing, entrepreneurship, and pattern recognition 02:54 — Mark Lacek: serial entrepreneurship and builder perspective 03:30 — Why old industries need better technology 04:28 — Enterprise software, workflow, and solving real customer pain 05:10 — Design, trust, security, and digital product experience 06:01 — Founder finance, constraints, and scaling choices 06:51 — Talent technology, recruiting, and the candidate experience 07:33 — Joe Keeley on coaching, leadership, and the human side of entrepreneurship 08:26 — Building durable products and earning user trust 09:42 — Investor and operator lessons on focus and execution 11:28 — Hard-earned founder lessons from scaling companies 12:25 — AI, recruiting, workflow, edtech, and real-world adoption 13:09 — Coaching, leadership, and company-building 14:05 — Reading technology, education, and thoughtful investing 14:45 — Startup pattern recognition and practical execution 15:53 — Final founder reflections from the room 18:26 — Closing thoughts on execution, conviction, and Midwest momentum 19:19 — Outro Topics include: Startup execution Founder leadership Enterprise SaaS Midwest technology companies Sports technology Recruiting and talent technology Workflow automation Venture investing Product focus Leadership alignment Operating rhythm Team execution Scaling growth companies The Minneapolis, St. Paul, Twin Cities, and Midwest startup ecosystem At Collective Genius™, we help CEOs build organizations that execute together through the Peak Operating System™ — aligning people, priorities, metrics, and operating rhythms so growth teams can move faster with clarity and focus. Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habits of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies: https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™: https://www.collective-genius.com/ Explore Collective Genius™ insights on leadership, execution, scaling teams, operating rhythm, and organizational alignment: https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/ Insights Article Why Growth Companies Need Operating Discipline Before They Scale - https://awesome.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-operating-discipline-before-they-scale-mrc6dala Subscribe to Tech Scenes for conversations with founders, CEOs, investors, operators, and builders shaping the future of technology, leadership, and growth.

May 13

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Brian Wang

“Recycling internally by complaining is a blind spot.” - Brian Wang In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Brian Wang, a former venture-backed CEO turned executive coach who helps founders evolve into high-performance leaders. Brian brings a rare combination of operator experience and deep coaching expertise, having led companies himself and coached over 50 CEOs through the complexities of scaling. His focus is simple but powerful: helping leaders shift their mindset and behaviors to reduce friction, improve decision-making, and create teams that operate with clarity and alignment. The conversation explores the critical transition from builder to leader, the importance of systemic coaching and feedback loops, and how founders can identify blind spots that quietly limit their effectiveness. Brian also shares practical frameworks for reducing team chaos, improving communication, and creating environments where teams can perform at a high level with less stress and more confidence. They also dive into how AI is reshaping team dynamics, accelerating workflows, and increasing the need for strong leadership systems — not replacing them. Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Difficult Conversations 01:06 Transitioning from Founder to Leader 03:02 The Role of Coaching in Leadership 06:40 The Need for Support Systems 08:08 Feedback and Learning Loops 11:22 Key Behaviors of High-Performing Teams 17:16 Identifying Blind Spots in Leadership 24:09 Aligning Team Goals and Revenue Expectations 26:26 The Importance of Context in Conversations 28:43 Creating a Safe Space for Open Dialogue 30:33 The Role of Technology in Team Dynamics 34:18 Navigating AI and Autonomous Workflows 41:17 The Intersection of Leadership and Jiu-Jitsu Watch now to learn how founders can lead with more clarity, reduce internal friction, and build teams that actually perform — especially as AI accelerates the pace of work. Collective Genius Insights Article: Why Leadership Blind Spots Become Organizational Constraints https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-brian-wang 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Founders #Startups #TeamAlignment #AI #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

Apr 21

Tech Scenes Santa Barbara with Ryan Millner CEO and Cofounder of Unwrap

“What if we could read every piece of customer feedback, every single day?” In this episode of Tech Scenes Santa Barbara, Jeff Martin sits down with Ryan Millner, Co-founder & CEO of Unwrap, to explore how AI is transforming how companies truly understand their customers. Ryan’s journey spans early startup experience at Graphiq (acquired by Amazon) and years at Amazon helping scale Alexa’s intelligence systems — giving him firsthand insight into the power and limitations of natural language processing. That experience led to a simple but powerful idea: companies struggle to understand customer feedback at scale — what if AI could solve that? Unwrap was built to do exactly that. The platform ingests massive volumes of customer feedback — from support tickets, calls, surveys, and social channels — and turns it into clear, actionable insights for product, engineering, support, and executive teams. Companies like DoorDash, Stripe, and Southwest Airlines use Unwrap to stay in sync with what their customers are actually experiencing. The conversation dives into the rise of AI-native products, the acceleration of learning loops inside organizations, and the growing gap between those building with AI and those unaware of its capabilities. Ryan also shares insights on pricing, moving upmarket, and why the bar for product excellence is rising faster than ever. They also explore the realities of building in AI — from guardrails and data privacy to deciding when to build vs. buy — and why focusing on core competency is more important than ever in an AI-driven world. Chapters 00:00 The Rise of AI and Customer Understanding 01:28 What Unwrap Does and Why It Matters 04:40 The Evolution of AI Interfaces and Chat 07:48 Guardrails, Data Privacy, and Enterprise Complexity 10:43 Founder Journey and the Idea Behind Unwrap 13:20 Learning Loops in the Age of AI 15:16 Why This AI Moment Is Different 17:31 Build vs Buy in an AI World 20:19 What People Still Don’t Understand About AI 26:19 Startup Lessons: Pricing and Moving Upmarket 28:37 AI Coding and the Future of Product Development 29:29 The Ever-Rising Bar for Product Excellence Collective Genius Articles: https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-faster-organizational-learning-loops-mq8ltb1i https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-solve-problems-they-have-lived-mq8lbc8t https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-santa-barbara-with-ryan-millner-ceo-and-cofounder-of-unwrap Watch now to understand how AI is reshaping the feedback loop between companies and customers — and why the teams that learn fastest will win. 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #UnwrapAI #AI #CustomerExperience #ProductDevelopment #Startups #Leadership #NLP #Innovation #PeakTeams

Feb 25

Tech Scenes Malibu Canyon with Casey Allen of Enterprise Rising

“Start deep and narrow.” - Casey Allen In this episode of Tech Scenes Malibu, Jeff Martin sits down with Casey Allen, founder of Enterprise Rising, to talk about grit, failure, and building the Midwest startup ecosystem from the ground up. Casey’s journey didn’t start with privilege. Raised by a single mom and determined to create opportunity, he became an entrepreneur out of necessity — launching his first company at 18. He went on to start four more profitable companies, but without major exits. His reflection? Early success without mentors left him stuck below the $1M revenue ceiling. Now, he’s committed to changing that for the next generation of founders. The conversation dives into the rise of Midwest SaaS, the launch of Enterprise Rising as a focused room for enterprise tech founders, and why community matters more than hype. They explore the impact of AI on entrepreneurship, the increasing importance of unit economics, and why founders must raise their bar for metrics and discipline in today’s funding environment. Casey also shares candid lessons on failure, ego, and what it really takes to build something meaningful outside Silicon Valley — emphasizing that the future of innovation isn’t coastal, it’s distributed. Chapters: 00:00 The Midwest Startup Landscape 02:09 Enterprise Rising Conference: A Celebration of SaaS 04:50 The Impact of AI on Entrepreneurship 09:05 Unit Economics and the New Funding Landscape 11:48 The Importance of Metrics in Startups 16:16 Embracing Failure in Entrepreneurship 19:46 The Journey of a Founder 27:02 Creating Community for Entrepreneurs 32:29 The Art of Hosting Meaningful Events Watch now to hear why the Midwest startup ecosystem may be one of the most underrated forces in tech — and what founders must master to thrive in today’s environment. Collective Genius Articles: https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-need-systems-that-scale-beyond-the-founder-mq8lwu6y https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-malibu-canyon-with-casey-allen-of-enterprise-rising 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ Software 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #EnterpriseRising #MidwestStartups #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #FounderJourney #StartupMetrics #CommunityBuilding #AI #PeakTeams

Feb 10

Tech Scenes Beverly Hills with Peter Brack

“Leadership isn’t about having fewer fears — it’s about learning how to lead with them.” - Peter Brack In this episode of Tech Scenes Beverly Hills, Jeff Martin sits down with Peter Brack, a trusted executive coach to some of the world’s most accomplished founders and CEOs. Peter works with high-performing leaders backed by firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator, helping them build enduring companies while navigating the internal and external complexity that comes with growth. His career spans the full arc of company-building — from launching CNN and Turner Broadcasting in Asia at Time Warner, to serving as President of Time Inc. Asia Pacific, to co-founding and leading two companies through IPOs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Now, as a credentialed executive coach (ICF), Coaching Fellow at the Institute of Coaching, and co-founder of an early-stage venture firm and startup studio, Peter brings rare perspective into what truly shapes great leadership over time. The conversation explores fear, confidence, and decision-making at the highest levels, the methodologies behind effective coaching, and how founders and CEOs can scale themselves alongside their organizations. They also dive into team dynamics, organizational growth, and why the inner work of leadership becomes more—not less—important as companies grow. Chapters 00:00 Leadership at the Highest Levels 04:12 The Role of Fear in Leadership 09:03 Confidence vs Certainty 14:27 Founder and CEO Dynamics 20:41 Coaching Methodologies That Work 27:18 Scaling the Leader as the Company Scales 33:56 Team Dynamics and Organizational Growth 41:02 Decision-Making in Complexity 48:15 Preparing for the Next Chapter Watch now to hear how elite founders and CEOs think about leadership beneath the surface — and what it really takes to build companies that endure. Collective Genius Articles: https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-leaders-create-space-between-fear-and-decision-making-mq8m1evs https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-ceos-treat-leadership-as-a-craft-mq8mf3ka https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-founders-struggle-to-become-ceos-mq8mj597 https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-beverly-hills-with-peter-brack 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak OS™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #CEOLife #Founders #TeamDynamics #BusinessStrategy #PersonalGrowth #PeakTeams

Feb 4

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Cody Bardo, CEO and Co-founder of Trust & Will

“Always be transaction ready.” - Cody BarboIn this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff Martin sits down with Cody Barbo, Founder & CEO of Trust & Will, to explore how WealthTech, AI, and thoughtful design are reshaping one of the most overlooked — and most important — areas of financial life: estate planning.Cody shares the journey of building Trust & Will from the ground up, modernizing an industry that historically felt complex, expensive, and inaccessible. Since launching in 2017, Trust & Will has helped more than 1 million Americans start their estate plans, raised $83M+ in capital, completed the first electronic will in history, and partnered with institutions like AARP, UBS, Fifth Third Bank, Northwestern Mutual, and more.The conversation dives into the evolution of WealthTech, what it means to be AI-first in a highly regulated industry, and how Trust & Will’s newest platform, EstateOS™, is redefining how families and professionals plan, manage, and preserve legacies. Cody also reflects on scaling teams, staying transaction-ready as a startup, and balancing leadership, growth, and family as a founder and dad of two.Chapters00:00 The Evolution of WealthTech and AI Integration06:35 The Journey of Trust & Will: Founding Story13:28 Building a Digital Estate Planning Platform19:31 Scaling Operations and Team Dynamics35:07 Navigating Growth and Future Aspirations47:40 Personal Reflections and Future DirectionsWatch now to hear how Cody is transforming estate planning into a modern pillar of financial care — and why AI, trust, and experience design matter more than ever in building enduring companies. Collective Genius Articles: https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-growth-companies-eventually-outgrow-founder-bandwidth-mq8n61u7 https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-reinvent-their-companies-before-they-have-to-mq8n9nq1 https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-ai-is-forcing-growth-companies-to-rethink-their-operating-systems-mq8nczad https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-cody-bardo-ceo-and-co-founder-of-trust-will 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessmentMusic by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com#TechScenes #TrustAndWill #WealthTech #AI #EstatePlanning #StartupJourney #Leadership #FounderStories #DigitalTransformation #PeakTeams

Jan 14

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Marshall Hawks Author of Venture Debt Deals

“Execution is everything in startups.” - Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Marshall Hawks, author of Venture Debt Deals and a longtime leader in venture banking and lending. Before becoming an author, Marshall spent more than two decades in venture banking, including sixteen years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he held nine different roles across three countries. Most recently, he led SVB’s Relationship Management organization in Northern California and oversaw the bank’s in-house private credit team, the Strategic Capital Group. Over his career, Marshall has worked closely with hundreds of startups — including Airbnb, Twitch, Fitbit, Planet Labs, Tubemogul, and Egnyte — giving him a rare, front-row view into how founders use (and sometimes misuse) venture debt. The conversation dives deep into the mechanics of venture debt, how banks actually think about underwriting risk, and why venture debt can be a powerful — but often misunderstood — tool for extending runway and minimizing dilution. Marshall also shares candid insights on team dynamics, execution, and how the venture lending landscape has evolved in the wake of SVB’s collapse. They explore what great lenders look for, how founders should evaluate financing options, and why building strong relationships with capital partners is just as important as raising the money itself. Chapters: 00:00 The Role of Banks in Venture Debt 01:34 Introduction to Venture Debt Deals 04:03 The Journey to Authorship 09:07 History and Evolution of Venture Lending 12:22 Understanding Venture Debt 17:49 The Underwriting Process in Venture Debt 21:44 When to Use Venture Debt 25:19 Evaluating Team Dynamics 29:33 The Importance of Team Functionality 36:31 Case Study: Airbnb’s Success 46:03 The Impact of SVB’s Failure 51:26 Conclusion and Book Release Watch now to understand how venture debt really works, what founders often get wrong about it, and how the best teams use capital as a strategic advantage — not a crutch. Collective Genius Insights Articles:https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-great-founders-build-relationships-before-they-need-capital-mq8ngbsj https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-capital-doesn-t-fix-execution-problems-mq8nj8yu https://www.collective-genius.com/insights/why-organizational-systems-matter-more-as-companies-scale-mq8nmt9e https://www.collective-genius.com/blog/tech-scenes-unplugged-with-marshall-hawks-author-of-venture-debt-deals 📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu 🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/ ⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment #TechScenes #VentureDebt #Startups #Financing #Entrepreneurship #VentureCapital #SVB #Leadership #TeamDynamics #PeakTeams

Tech Scenes with Jeff James Martin

Brian Garrett: Rebuilding the Palisades & Betting on Frontier Tech

Tech Scenes at Enterprise Rising 2026: Midwest CEOs, founders and investors

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Brian Wang

Tech Scenes Santa Barbara with Ryan Millner CEO and Cofounder of Unwrap

Tech Scenes Malibu Canyon with Casey Allen of Enterprise Rising

Tech Scenes Beverly Hills with Peter Brack

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Cody Bardo, CEO and Co-founder of Trust & Will

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Marshall Hawks Author of Venture Debt Deals

Ratings & Reviews

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Tech Scenes with Jeff James Martin

Episodes

Brian Garrett: Rebuilding the Palisades & Betting on Frontier Tech

Tech Scenes at Enterprise Rising 2026: Midwest CEOs, founders and investors

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Brian Wang

Tech Scenes Santa Barbara with Ryan Millner CEO and Cofounder of Unwrap

Tech Scenes Malibu Canyon with Casey Allen of Enterprise Rising

Tech Scenes Beverly Hills with Peter Brack

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Cody Bardo, CEO and Co-founder of Trust & Will

Tech Scenes Unplugged with Marshall Hawks Author of Venture Debt Deals

Ratings & Reviews

About

Information