Make Sense with Lindsay Tabas, The Lady Engineer

🎙 Episode Title: Fixing Saas: Lessons for the Next AI Startup WaveHow can we make sense of the real AI Saas Opportunity: building better systems from broken ones?In this episode of Make Sense, Lindsay Tabas talks with Benjamin Garvey, Co-Founder and CTO of Common Paper, about the evolution of enterprise software, particularly Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and how the Zero Interest Rate Policy and the GDP loophole paved the way for a SaaS Boom.. We explore the transition from clunky enterprise software to cloud-based solutions, the challenges faced by the proliferation of SaaS platforms today, and the impact of AI on the future of software development.---🧠 What You’ll Learn:- The key benefits of SaaS tools (e.g. collaboration)- The essential elements any new SaaS startup needs (hint: integrations & APIs)- How understanding user needs will help you stay ahead of AI vibe-coded boom and bust companies---⏱ Timestamps:00:00 – Intro01:35 - Never Have I Ever... 02:19 ...downloaded 12 viruses just to get on mislabeled music track on Napster 03:14 ...gotten in trouble for using Napster or any other file sharing platform 04:16 ....never have I ever put cryptic breakup lyrics 04:46 ...bragged about being a mayor on foursquare 07:20 ....missed Digg but pretended Reddit was just as good 10:20 ...went back in my Twitter timeline to clean it up12:18 Segment Two: Deep Dive on SaaS 13:10 What's the future of the software we use at work? 17:19 Benefits of SaaS: Collaboration and Flexibility 18:12 What benefits did companies gain from going towards Saas? 19:36 The Evolution of SaaS Deployment 21:27 Where did things go wrong for Saas? 23:06 Market Dynamics and SaaS Sustainability 24:04 Zero Interest Rate Phenomenon 24:33 AI's Impact on Software Development 25:55 What are the challenges with a SaaS technology stack? 30:19 Managing SaaS Complexity and App Fatigue 32:25 Lack of Visibility into the SaaS Tech Stack 33:28 The Future of SaaS: Integration and APIs 34:22 Transitioning from Developer to Founder 36:00 Consolidation in the SaaS Marketplace37:36 Segment 3: From Keyboard to Visionboard: The Developer’s Journey to Founder 43:00 Understanding Human Dynamics in Tech Leadership 43:03 Practices or Book Recommendations for Developers 46:41 Wrap Up---📌 Connect with Ben Garvey:Website: https://bengarvey.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjamingarveyBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bengarvey.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengarvey/---💡 Dive Deeper:📚 Explore frameworks and tools to apply this episode: LearnProductMarketFit.com📋 Shape the future of the Make Sense Podcast by filling out this form: https://www.lindsayt.com/ms-feedback---🙌 Stay in the Loop:Subscribe here on YouTube for weekly episodes that decode how creators, founders, and innovators make things make sense.

🎙 Episode Title: Beyond the Build - The Mindset Shifts EVery Creator & Engineer Needs to Make Your Ideas Matter w/ Will Toms, Co-founder REC PhillyHow can we make sense of the balance we need to strike between our values and vision, and creating for others?In this episode of Make Sense w/ Lindsay T., Lady Engineer®, Will Toms, co-founder of REC Philly, explores the journey of transforming personal challenges into community solutions through entrepreneurship. Will didn't set out to launch a startup - he just needed the right tools to create and ended up building one that empowers an entire community. Both Creatives & Engineers start independent projects from a place of filling an intrinsic need. At some point, they have to consider who they serve!🧠 What You’ll Learn:- How to honor your vision before worrying about business- What it means to “debug” your creative idea into a sustainable venture- Mindset shifts that help creators balance purpose and profit⏱ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:42 Segment One: Never Have I Ever02:06 ...gotten in trouble for downloading music from Napster.04:18 ...played Chat Roulette unironically.07:21 ...woken up thinking in 140 characters because I was using Twitter too much.09:28 ...reorganized my MySpace Top 8 for the drama12:25 Segment 2: Debugging Innovation13:14 How do you protect your creative vision from outside influences?19:51 Can you take us back to the moment in the first space where you realized this wasn't just for you anymore?21:19 Building a Community Through Shared Experiences24:25 The Joy of Empowering Others24:33 How do you help creators stay grounded in their why?31:24 Is there a mindset that you had to unlearn on your path from passion to profit?38:35 What advice do you have for creators who feel stuck?38:57 Staying True to Your Vision40:34 Building Beyond Yourself

Government Efficiency is a hot topic in 2025, given most interactions with the government elicit a groan. But how do real public servants gain efficiency? And, what does innovation mean in a sector where citizens simply need things to work. What does optimizing and streamlining the public sector with technology look like?

This episode features Eliza Erickson, a government innovation executive, and host Lindsay Tabas exploring technology challenges in government, including outdated technologies, bureaucratic processes, and the need for a cultural shift towards better service delivery and citizen experience.

Eliza shares her insights on how incremental improvements can lead to significant changes in citizen experiences and the importance of attracting talented individuals to the public sector. The conversation emphasizes the need for a balance between innovation and efficiency to enhance government services for citizens.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

02:07 Segment One: Never Have I Ever

19:14 Segment Two: Deep Dive on Innovation in Government

19:50 Why do so many digital government services feel outdated?

23:45 The framework Eliza uses to describe government innovation and technology

25:09 The lack of competition in the public sector affects the approach to efficiency

28:59 Can Net Promoter Score be implemented for government agencies?

31:19 Defining Innovation in the Public Sector

36:00 The Risk of Innovation vs. The Risk of Inaction

41:43 If it's not "innovation," what is it?

44:30 The Future of Government: Attracting Talent for Change

#governmentefficiency

#publicsectorinnovation

#digitaltransformation

#citizenexperience

#technologyingovernment

#bureaucraticprocesses

#customerexperience

#legacysystems

#processimprovement

#governmentservices

There are three major conversations happening over dinner tables around the world and particularly in the United States. How fast is AI really moving? Is social media okay for the kids? How will the US election go in the beginning of November? They all seem different right? Well you'll be surprised how connected it all is as Dan Perkel and I explore the interconnected conversations happening around AI, social media, and the upcoming US elections. We delve into the cultural implications of digital habits, the impact of technology on youth, and the evolving landscape of copyright in the age of AI. We also have some fun during Make Sense's new segment - 'Never Have I Ever', and reflect on personal digital experiences before transitioning into a deeper discussion on copyright issues related to AI and the ethical considerations surrounding data usage. Join us as we talk about the complexities of internet morality, the evolving persona of tech CEOs, and the challenges of balancing visionary ideas with market needs. The dialogue emphasizes the need for humility and respect in innovation, advocating for a culture of improvement and interdisciplinary teamwork.

Startup unicorns have grown significantly in the past decade, but economic productivity indicators remain stagnant. I sit down with Anthony Putignano to explore the connection between venture capital and creative waste in the tech industry. We cover everything from the need for a new playbook tech startups need in order to survive, the democratization of technology, DIY software development, and the challenges of over-engineering. We'll also cover some of the latest hot tech headlines, including the role of social media in job searching, the use of AI in customer service, and the spread of disinformation in the digital age. By the end, you'll walk away know what the signs of wastefulness in companies are, the importance of focusing on customer needs, the importance of focusing on outcomes rather than credentials, the need for more thoughtful and purposeful innovation and how to do better planning and resource management.

Individuals are the driving change in the work place.In this conversation, Lindsay T., Lady Engineer® sits down with Ben Brooks, founder and CEO of PILOT inc, to discuss the importance of company values, the impact of technology on work, and the dissatisfaction with enterprise software in today’s workforce. We explore the role of humans need to control technology, the unintended consequences of technology, and its decline in over the years. The conversation delves into the challenges of enterprise software systems, the impact on workplace culture, and the role of individuals in driving change. There is a need for balance between technology and human behavior and how it can promote creativity and innovation in the workplace. Show notes00:00 Introduction 08:41 Cynical or Sensible: Decoding the Reality of Technology Decision Making 09:59 "We must not accept any technology as the default solution for our problems" 11:10 "Under the pretense of solving problems and making people's lives easier, most of our technological innovations just get people out of the way" 13:00 "Enhancing one job-friendly metric with technological intervention or replacement just leaves other, likely more important values behind." 19:50 Deep Dive: Why do people hate their jobs and what does enterprise software have to do with it? 25:25 Economic indicators of productivity have been stagnant, so it can't be that helpful 36:17 Balancing Technology and Human Behavior in the Workplace 44:30 Promoting Creativity and Innovation in the WorkplaceMake Sense is a video-first podcast that simplifies complex issues at the intersection of tech & people. Whether you’re ready for the robot takeover or want to delete all your socials, I’m here to help you make sense of what’s going on so we can design the human experience into the future. Top 10 Clips from the first 30 episodes! Dive into the most insightful clips without having to watch full episodes by visiting LindsayT.com/MS-Top10.

On this episode of Make Sense, Lindsay T. sits down with Lauren Maffeo, Senior Service Designer at Steampunk and Author of "Designing Data Governance from the Ground Up", to discuss the disconnect between the hype around AI and the reality of its impact on work. They explore topics from the fear of #ai taking #jobs, the need for better AI #guardrails and data encryption, and the importance of data comprehension over accumulation. Lauren shares her journey from being a journalist, to an award-winning author, to a thought leader in data, AI, and innovation. You won't want to miss her tips if you're an aspiring #writer wanting to get into the #tech industry. The conversation then focuses on the question of "why does enterprise software suck?" They discuss the challenges like the lack of investment and poor user experience and how implementing AI can help improve these issues as long as organizations have clear business requirements and data governance practices before implementing. Show Notes 00:00 Introduction and Overview 02:54 The Fear of AI Taking Jobs 10:30 Prioritizing Data Comprehension over Accumulation 15:07 The Importance of Data Governance and Involving Stakeholders 31:55 The Problems with Enterprise Software 33:52 The Role of AI in Improving Enterprise Software 43:47 The Power of Incremental Improvements in Enterprise AI Make Sense is a video-first podcast that simplifies complex issues at the intersection of tech & people. Whether you’re ready for the robot takeover or want to delete all your socials, I’m here to help you make sense of what’s going on so we can design the human experience into the future. Top 10 Clips from the first 30 episodes! Dive into the most insightful clips without having to watch full episodes by visiting LindsayT.com/MS-Top10.

Enterprise software is often clunky and inflexible due to complex systems and technical debt.

This week on Make Sense, I sit down with Bermon Printer to discuss the challenges of enterprise software and the need for organizations to prioritize simplicity and user-centric design in enterprise software. We touch on the importance of data comprehension over data accumulation and highlight Capital One as an example of a company that has successfully integrated innovation and improved the user experience.

Bermon and Lindsay make sense of what composable architecture is an evolution in enterprise software that allows for more flexibility and adaptability by breaking down monolithic systems into modular components that serve specific functions.

Join us for this conversation highlighting the ongoing shift in the industry that is driven by the need for personalized and seamless customer experiences.

Show Notes 00:00 Introduction and the Challenges of Enterprise Software

14:01 Understanding Enterprise Software and its Complexity

25:42 Capital One: Integrating Innovation and Improving User Experience

30:33 The Need for Simplicity and User-Centric Design in Enterprise Software

30:37 The Clunky Nature of Enterprise Software

35:14 Introduction to Composable Architecture

39:55 Benefits of Composable Architecture

41:36 Empowering Marketing Teams

49:19 Enhancing Customer Support

54:25 The Impact on the Employee Experience

In this episode, I interview Professor Robert Glushko about the importance of sense making and organizing in our daily lives. We discuss how organizing affects how we interact with the world, the challenges of teaching organizing skills to students, and the role of organizing in problem solving and design. Despite the obstacles, we find hope in incremental change and the importance of problem-solving and focusing on real-world impact. Show Notes 00:00 Introduction and Overview 03:18 The Importance of Sense Making and Organizing 11:09 The Role of Organizing in Problem Solving and Design 19:02 Applying Organizing Concepts in Everyday Life 35:09 Challenges in Data Standardization 39:10 The Complexity of Government Systems 42:11 The Consequences of Poorly Designed Systems 45:46 The Disconnect Between Academia and Industry 51:41 Overcoming Ego and Focusing on Problem Solving 53:34 Key Takeaways and Closing Remarks

Are you part of the 64% of tech workers planning to look for a new job in the coming year? Unfortunately, the power dynamic favors companies right now. In this week's episode of Make Sense w/ Lindsay T., Lady Engineer®, my guest is Josh Goldstein, Co-founder of Underdog.io and Delightful Jobs. Josh and I discuss: * Why hiring the right talent is a significant challenge for companies * The current tech job market * AI copyright cases and the predictions for this year * The extensive interview gauntlet Join us as we look at insights into proactive hiring and adapting to changes in the hiring landscape, including the shift to remote work and the use of platforms like Underdog. We focus on the challenges in the tech industry, discussing talent acquisition, the competitive job market, retention, AI's impact on copyright, and the fear of job loss due to AI. Timeline 00:00 Introduction 03:19 Crystal Ball: Predictions for the Future 16:15 The Tech Job Market and Layoffs 25:44 Challenges in Hiring Tech Talent 34:33 Tips for Searching, Hiring, and Onboarding Technical Roles 45:28 Surveying the Landscape in a Remote Work World 51:45 Where to Find Charlie

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Charlie O’Donnell, founder and general partner of Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. He also publishes a weekly newsletter called Next NYC and his thoughtful writings on his blog thisisgoingtobebig.com. We discuss the startup ecosystem and the differences between NY and Silicon Valley cultures, the state of funding, understanding risk-taking, and the importance of failures and vulnerability in entrepreneurship.

Note: Charlie is not making new investments right now and is an investor coach for venture professionals.

00:00 Introductions

01:25 Crystal Ball: Predictions for The Future

05:13 AI investment Opportunities

08:36 VCs Investing in Internal Operations

13:45 Scarcity of Growth Funding For Climate Companies

22:13 Bringing Vulnerability into Entrepreneurship

31:48 Is Slowing Down Imperative For Critical Thinking

37:56 The Openness of the New York Ecosystem

44:41 To Stay or To Go - The State of Substack

53:00 Where to find Charlie Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry.

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Cassandra Kane, founder of Sieme, an upcycled luxury accessory company and co-founder of Zerolab in Florence, the first leather upcycling center and sustainable design hub in Italy. In this episode, we talk about augmented reality in fashion, recyclable materials, and sustainability, a growing factor in customers' decision-making process, will push brands to meet green-minded consumers' demands 00:00 Introduction 2:10 Crystal Ball: All About Augmented Reality 03:54 Crystal Ball: Hyper Personalization in Fashion 7:22 Crystal Ball: Material Sustainability Reporting Challenges 19:21 Sustainability and Circular Economy 32:02 Technology and the Circular Economy 45:58 Challenges with RFID and Consumer Education 47:03 Recyclable Materials 52:50 The need for technology to serve stakeholders 57:00 The Challenge of Collaboration in the Fashion Industry Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry.

About Cassandra KaneCassandra is an outerwear and accessories designer with over 10 years of experience in design, sourcing, and development of outerwear, luxury bags, and accessories. She has extensive experience with international product development and production oversight, working with independent designers, brands, retailers, and private labels worldwide.Cassandra is the the founder and designer of Sieme, an ethical luxury accessories brand that crafts beautiful handwoven accessories from rescued luxury leather, handcrafted in Tuscany. She's also the co-founder and chief impact officer of Zerolab, the first leather upcycling center and sustainable design hub in Italy. Cassandra is passionate about designing circular solutions that eliminate material waste and build the circular fashion industry of the future. She is based in both NYC and Florence, and a certified member of the Female Founder Collective.

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Rob Kingyens, President and CEO of Yellow Brick, an online learning platform that empowers the next generation in the entertainment and creative arts industries. In this episode, we talk about technology in education, the entertainment industry, and AI lawsuits in Hollywood and beyond. 00:00 - Class action lawsuits against AI... eek! 00:19 - Meet Rob and Lindsay 02:17 - Upturning the school to work path 04:18 - VR and AR teaching... is this happening? 06:45 - Are we seeing AI-powered code generators for developers? 09:38 - Is AI really fulfilling its prophecy potential? 11:08 - Commoditizing software engineering 12:59 - Programmers, engineers, and coders... what's the difference? 15:30 - An actor's voice was stolen by AI 27:17 - The business side of the entertainment world Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry. About ROB KINGYENS Co-founder & CEO, Yellowbrick Rob Kingyens is the President and CEO of Yellowbrick (www.yellowbrick.co), and online education company empowering the next generation of talent to upskill and advance their career within the creative arts, media and entertainment fields. In partnership with the best brands and leaders in the creative arts, media, entertainment field — Yellowbrick develops experiences that help the next generation of leaders achieve their career objectives. Prior to Yellowbrick, Rob served in various executive and founder roles at the intersection of online education, technology, and media — including COO, CTO, and CMO executive roles —leading learning solutions for global brands and educational organizations, including Cornell University (eCornell), Global Learning Systems, Discovery Education, Intel, Red Cross, GE, Microsoft, McDonald’s, Goodwill, Boston Consulting Group, and others. Rob currently serves as a director on the boards of Yellowbrick, Genius Academy, and Global Learning Systems. Learn more at www.yellowbrick.co

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Aasim Sani, a 2x AI company founder and Techstars 2018 Alum who has also been featured on Forbes 30 under 30. We talk about tech trends, how artificial intelligence is changing, and the uncomfortable parts of entrepreneurship. 00:00 - Is ChatGPT's new version... worse? 00:15 - Meet Aasim and Lindsay 02:13 - Nations give animals, trees, and rivers the rights of people 03:05 - VCs are betting on India 05:18 - The age of the tech CEO hero will come to an end 08:50 - Aasim tells his personal story as a young entrepreneur: successes, failures, and everything in between 32:01 - AI's evolution into GPT-4 Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry. About Aasim Sani "I'm a 2x AI startup founder - and I like working on tools that enable change makers - most recently I founded CopyCat, a tool to help development teams speed up their web development process by up to 80%. CopyCat uses AI to convert their Figma designs directly to React.js code and has reached 20k+ developers worldwide. I previously also co-founded Orai, an AI-powered public speaking app that reached more than 500k+ people worldwide."

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Celi Arias. Celi coaches founders to grow their businesses into solid a foundation of strong operations, clear strategy, and mindset. We talk about Instagram's Threads app, 2023 tech predictions, and early entrepreneurial failures. 00:00 - Make sense of Meta's Threads 00:25 - Meet Celi and Lindsay 02:10 - Celi xrays Lindsay... what does she see beyond surface skin? 07:15 - Celi's take on Threads 27:36 - Is the school to work path turning on its head? 30:39 - Shorter workweeks... the norm? 36:02 - Mushroom and seaweed as clothing 37:48 - Using the sea for energy 40:00 - Commercialization of the moon 45:29 - Immortality as a service 52:00 - Celi's number 1 mistake as an entrepreneur Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry. Celi Arias helps frustrated entrepreneurs find the shortcut to building their dream business (and life) so they can stop wasting time and start increasing their revenue. From founder to marketing to corporate sales to operations, she has sat in every possible seat within a business. After earning an MBA she served as a startup COO and has partnered with powerhouses like Lululemon, Reebok, 2X, Alex+Ani, Happy Not Perfect, Trap Yoga Bae, Systems Saved Me and more. Celia knows numbers, systems, leadership and operations. She's passionate about helping founders find their unique strategy to revenue growth and fulfillment.

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Sheena Franklin, an entrepreneur and speaker at the intersection of healthcare policy and tech. She is also founder of K’ept Health, a Techstars company that provides a diagnostic clinical support system with a focus on dermatology. We talk about how the healthcare industry is doing, where AI might be able to help the healthcare industry, and the legal issues surrounding AI sites like ChatGPT and Dall-E. 00:00 - The AI problems are real 00:14 - Meet Sheena and Lindsay 02:23 - Turning to technology to solve our healthcare worker shortage 07:15 - Health monitoring will continue to collect data from afar 09:41 - Femtech focusing on menopause 12:11 - Cosmetic procedures without the cost, pain, and downtime 17:50 - What Sheena learned at Digital Health Startup Day hosted by The Consumer Technology Association 20:20 - Will AI replace physicians? 29:29 - ChatGPT's use in healthcare 31:50 - Let's focus on interoperability, health equity, access, privacy/data sharing, decentralized clinical trials, and real-world evidence 41:15 - How this all is affecting K’ept Health 47:01 - The comedian Sarah Silverman has joined  2 other authors in a class action lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind popular AI tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry. About Sheena Franklin Sheena D. Franklin is the CEO and founder of K’ept Health. For more than 20 years, she has been a healthcare and consumer advocate and a technology enthusiast, usually all at once. In 2020, Sheena and her team launched K’ept Health, to address the systemic gaps in healthcare for women with a particular focus on Black and Brown women. With K'ept Health's integrative and inclusive A.I., K’ept Health allows women to manage their overall health and wellness through triage care messaging and virtual care from medical and skin health professionals who are skilled in skin of color and women’s health. The advent of tele-dermatology and virtual first care championed by K’ept Health means that people with chronic skin diseases or whose internal health issues are overlooked will get the expert care they need much sooner for better, long-term health outcomes. Sheena has been recognized for the foresight and innovation that has helped her to create initiatives to enact meaningful public policies and reimagine the way we use technology in healthcare. She has been recognized as an Alumni Trailblazer in Advocacy by The George Washington University, as a Founder to Watch by the Washington Business Journal, and by Columbia University’s HITTLAB as The Women’s HealthTech Company of the Year. She has also been a featured speaker on impact entrepreneurship, business and public policy, and the future of healthcare for such organizations as Reckitt Health, Howard University School of Business, New Voices + Essence Magazine Entrepreneur Summit, IBM’s Voice of the Entrepreneur Program, Unilever’s Prestige Marco Spaces Event, Startup Health’s Healthcare Transformer Showcase, Consumer Technology Association, The Virtual First Care Summit by Takeda Pharmacituals, and Techstars. Sheena also has continued her advocacy work by participating in various congressional initiatives including the U.S. House Committee on Small Business - Tech Founders Roundtable and the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations - Women and Minority Health Innovation Gaps & Opportunities Congressional Briefing. Learn more about K'ept Health at https://www.kept.health/ Follow K'ept Health on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kepthealth/

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Jose Puga, the CEO and Co-founder of Imaginario AI, a Techstars company that makes brand's and creator's video libraries searchable with contextual AI. We talk about what VCs are looking for these days, AI innovation, and the importance of building your network. 00:00 - How can we make sense of AI innovation? 00:10: Meet Jose and Lindsay 01:36 - What was the Techstars experience like for Jose? 03:24 - Social media users will turn their backs on the algorithm 07:12 - AI will gain multiple senses 12:25 - Digitizing scent is making progress 14:27 - VCs will start looking for workhorses 20:42 - Making sense of Open Source AI and Hugging Face 31:50 - Jose's shift from the corporate world to the startup world and the invaluable lessons learned Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry. About Jose Puga As CEO and Co-Founder of Imaginario.ai, Jose is dedicated to transforming and democratizing video search, discovery, and curation through AI-driven creativity and personalized automation. Prior to establishing his own startup, he gained over 15 years of experience in business development and strategy for media and tech companies in international markets, including the UK, EMEA, and LATAM. His specialization lies in cultivating new business ventures from scratch, both independently and in collaboration with technology and media firms such as content producers, electronics manufacturers, digital incumbents, telcos, VOD platforms, publishers, and startups. Transitioning from the corporate sphere to the startup ecosystem, he became a founder-in-residence at Entrepreneur First, Europe's leading pre-company incubator, across London and Berlin. Although initial funding efforts were unsuccessful due to an ill-suited target and go-to-market strategy, this setback only motivated us to pivot and create Imaginario.ai. Their venture was later accepted into the Techstars Comcast NBC Universal LIFT Labs accelerator in the US. His interests span a range of topics, including creative AI and machine learning, premium content, consumer platform businesses, startup and scale-up ventures, private equity, SaaS, as well as augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies. Learn more about Imaginario.ai at https://www.imaginario.ai/.

In this episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Kathryn Harrison, CEO and founder of Magpie, the SaaS platform to help collectible sellers scale efficiently. We talk about fintech and cryptocurrency, secondhand fashion, and the fascinating world of collectibles.

00:00 - What do hobby shops selling baseball cards have in common with boutiques selling luxury handbags?

00:15 - Meet Kathryn and Lindsay

01:12 - Kathryn entered the 2023 class of Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy

04:05 - The age of the tech CEO hero is coming to an end

06:00 - Old clothes will make for big business

09:00 - Crypto is facing a trust crisis but...

12:58 - How the finance world is changing

18:53 - Insight into the collectible world

30:28 - The future of collectibles and what Magpie is doing for the industry

41:56 - What habits have been the most grounding?

*Note: The book mentioned in this episode is The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Dan Sullivan.

Make Sense is a weekly series dedicated to talking about startup stories from the past, hysterical or mind-numbing blunders, how to do better. We also discuss how tech impacts us and how we can raise the bar when it comes to the ethics, morals, and standards in the tech industry.