LoneStartup

Pat Killoren
  • 5.0 (18)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

LoneStartup is your front-row seat to the entrepreneurial spirit of Austin, Texas. Hosted by Pat Killoren, this podcast dives deep into the backstories of the city's most inspiring founders, CEOs and Creators. From humble beginnings to house-hold brands (and some still undiscovered), Pat uncovers the origin stories, pivotal influences, and unique challenges that shaped their journeys. Each episode offers a candid conversation that’s equal parts insightful and entertaining—perfect for anyone looking to be inspired by the people driving Austin’s dynamic business scene.

  1. The Care Gap America Has Overlooked

    JAN 22

    The Care Gap America Has Overlooked

    Melissa Keller is the founder of the Abigail Keller Foundation. When she brought her daughter Abigail home from the hospital after she was born, everything seemed fine. What followed was a journey far too many families are forced to navigate. Abigail was a medically fragile child whose life was split between home and the hospital. For eleven years, Abigail fought. And she lived a life filled with as much joy, love, and light as possible. It wasn’t easy. Not for her, and not for her family. In the United States, there are only five pediatric hospice and respite care centers. For context, there are hundreds in the U.K. I sat down with Melissa to talk about her journey, the creation of the Abigail Keller Foundation, and her mission to help bring Texas its first pediatric hospice and respite care center. This is a heavy conversation. It’s also a hopeful one. I encourage you to visit aekellerfoundation.org to learn more and support the foundation’s mission.

    24 min
  2. Less Hustle, More Rhythm with Gevity’s Founders

    JAN 15

    Less Hustle, More Rhythm with Gevity’s Founders

    There’s a new workspace buzzing around Austin right now, and it’s called Gevity. Co-founders Espoir and Connor Michalek set out to create something different. A place where wellness isn’t an afterthought, but the foundation of how work gets done. More than just co-founders, Espoir and Connor are partners in life. A married team aligned around a shared vision to build a space where wellness, productivity, and community come together with real intention. After years of traveling the world, climbing mountains, and leading grassroots initiatives in East Africa, they reached a simple but urgent realization: if this kind of space was going to exist, they couldn’t wait for someone else to build it. They had to build it themselves. In this conversation, They share the origin story behind Gevity, their personal journeys through wellness and burnout, and what it actually takes to turn a deeply personal vision into a real, operating business. Learn more at: ⁠https://www.livegevity.co/

    44 min
  3. An Accountant’s Path to CEO with Bart Davis

    12/18/2025

    An Accountant’s Path to CEO with Bart Davis

    Today I’m talking with Bart Davis, Co-founder and CEO of 512 Financial, one of Austin’s most trusted accounting partners for startups. As we’re closing the books on 2025, this felt like the right conversation to end the year on. Most people think accounting is just taxes and compliance. But in startups, it’s really about operations, decisions, and cash flow. Knowing how long you can survive and what actually matters. Bart’s path wasn’t linear. He was pulled out of PwC by his mentor Joel Trammell and ended up leading a firm that’s already done two acquisitions this year and is scaling fast. We talk about cash flow as a lifeline, accounting as a strategic advantage, and taking the leap when opportunity shows up.

    34 min
  4. How a Coral Reef Injury Led to a Skincare Company: The Tano Story

    12/11/2025

    How a Coral Reef Injury Led to a Skincare Company: The Tano Story

    Long before Tano existed, a moment on a beach in Brazil changed everything. As a kid, Sean Finney was swept into a coral reef and sliced his leg open from knee to ankle. A local ran over, snapped a banana tree bark in half, and squeezed the sap over the wound. The bleeding stopped instantly, and that experience stayed with him. Decades later, after a career in the Navy and later at Tesla, Sean kept coming back to that day on the beach. In this episode, Sean and Annie Finney share how their desire to help other people combined with years of research became the foundation for Tano Skincare. This episode gets into the heart of what it means to chase something that’s has purpose built into the fabric of the brand. It’s also an incredible reminder that you don’t have to follow the trends and do what everyone else does when creating a company. Sean and Annie have listened to their gut and are quietly building one of the most effective skincare companies on the market. Learn more at: https://tanoskincare.com/

    33 min
  5. Longevity with Purpose: Jim Donnelly’s Journey Building Humanaut Health

    11/20/2025

    Longevity with Purpose: Jim Donnelly’s Journey Building Humanaut Health

    My guest today is Jim Donnelly, founder and CEO of Humanaut Health. Jim’s building a new kind of health company focused on extending healthspan, not just lifespan. And he’s doing it through regenerative medicine. Stem cells, peptides, hormone optimization – treatments that used to feel fringe are quickly becoming part of a new model for staying healthy longer. Humanaut is helping lead that shift. Before Humanaut, Jim co-founded Restore Hyper Wellness, where he opened more than 225 locations and helped bring cryotherapy, red light therapy, and IV treatments into everyday wellness culture. That experience gave him a deep understanding of what people actually stick with, and why making health feel fun and joyful matters more than most realize. Jim’s path is also a story of building companies through every chapter of life. Before kids, with little kids, with teens at home – he’s always managed to turn his personal environment into a business that reflects where he is and what he’s learning. In this episode, Jim talks about the personal and professional events that pushed him to start Humanaut, why regenerative medicine is gaining so much traction, and the mindset required to build mission-driven businesses. Learn more about Humanaut Health at: https://humanauthealth.com/

    34 min
  6. From Frog Dissection to Building the Future of Prosthetics

    11/13/2025

    From Frog Dissection to Building the Future of Prosthetics

    My guest today is Dr. Connor Glass, founder and CEO of Phantom Neuro. Connor's building technology that could change how humans and machines connect. But instead of focusing on the brain like everyone else, he's reading electrical signals from muscles to control prosthetic and robotic limbs with far greater precision. It's called a muscle-machine interface, and it's minimally invasive. His team is creating what could become the operating system for the next generation of prosthetics. Before Phantom Neuro, Connor's path took some unexpected turns. He was drawn to military special operations, which led him to medicine and neuroscience. Along the way, a simple compliment from a teacher during a frog dissection sparked a fascination with surgery that would eventually lead him here. In this episode, Connor shares how he stumbled upon this breakthrough technology, what it's actually like to build something this innovative from scratch, and why the future of human-machine connection might not be where everyone's looking. Learn more about Phantom Neuro at: https://phantomneuro.com/

    31 min
  7. Flipping the Healthcare Incentive Model with Dr. Clay Johnston

    11/06/2025

    Flipping the Healthcare Incentive Model with Dr. Clay Johnston

    My guest today is Dr. Clay Johnston, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Harbor Health. Clay’s the kind of person who doesn’t just talk about fixing healthcare. He’s actually doing it. Before launching Harbor, he was the founding dean of Dell Medical School in Austin, where he helped reimagine how medicine connects with business and community health. Now he’s taking on one of the toughest challenges in the industry: changing how we reward care. Harbor Health is building a system that pays for better outcomes, not more procedures, combining strong primary care with an insurance model built to support it. In this episode, Clay shares how he got to Austin, what it was like to build a medical school from the ground up, and the experiences that inspired his mission to redesign how healthcare actually works. Learn more about Harbor Health at: https://harborhealth.com/

    32 min
  8. The Bachelorette Star Who Built a Better Soap

    10/30/2025

    The Bachelorette Star Who Built a Better Soap

    Mike Johnson is the founder of Oshun Soap, a premium organic soap made with goat milk and clean ingredients for people with sensitive skin. But before he started a skincare brand, Mike lived a few very different lives. He served in the military, traveled the world, and even became a fan favorite on The Bachelorette. After dealing with what one doctor called the worst case of eczema he had seen in twenty years, Mike decided to take matters into his own hands. He set out to create a soap that actually worked, one that could help people who had been struggling like he had. In this episode, we talk about how those experiences shaped him as a founder, what it means to lead with authenticity, and how turning personal pain into purpose can change everything.

    36 min
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5
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

LoneStartup is your front-row seat to the entrepreneurial spirit of Austin, Texas. Hosted by Pat Killoren, this podcast dives deep into the backstories of the city's most inspiring founders, CEOs and Creators. From humble beginnings to house-hold brands (and some still undiscovered), Pat uncovers the origin stories, pivotal influences, and unique challenges that shaped their journeys. Each episode offers a candid conversation that’s equal parts insightful and entertaining—perfect for anyone looking to be inspired by the people driving Austin’s dynamic business scene.

Information

  • Creator
    Pat Killoren
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    41
  • Show Website
    LoneStartup