Startup Daze

Daniel Porada and Charles Lankau are co-founders of Synapse, a finely crafted, fast-acting supplement designed to deliver exceptional memory function, increased focus, and improved mental clarity while providing the body with a physical energy boost that doesn’t sacrifice health for performance. A can of Synapse stands apart from other energy drinks because it contains exactly 0mg of caffeine. Synapse uses effective natural ingredients such as nootropics (vitamins, minerals, herbs, and...

Carolyn Pitt, Esq. is the founder of Film Connx. In this episode, Shannon and Carolyn discuss how Film Connx is revolutionizing the film industry, being an entrepreneur from a young age, and more. Learn more about Film Connx: https://filmconnx.org/ https://www.instagram.com/filmconnx/ Special Guest: Carolyn Pitt.

Alex and Ruwan are the co-founders of Replantable, a startup working to make growing your own food as easy as making a cup of coffee. In this episode, Alex and Ruwan chat about finding product/market fit, their passion for fresh food, running a Kickstarter campaign, and more. Special Guests: Alexander Weiss and Ruwan Subasinghe.

Leslie Zinn is the co-founder and CEO of Arden's Garden - a cold pressed juice, smoothie, and vegan foods company on a mission to cultivate an oasis of health and wellness. Arden's Garden started in Leslie's mother's (Arden's) kitchen in the early 90's. Today the team has grown to roughly 150 employees, and you can find Arden's Garden in nearly 900 stores across 7 states. In this episode, we chat about building a health oasis, finding a balance between money and mission, and what to do...

Tony Riffel is a co-founder of Pancake Social, an all-day coffeehouse and breakfast restaurant set to open in late 2018 in Atlanta's Ponce City Market. Previously he co-founded Octane Coffee, where he served as CEO until Octane was aquired by Revelator Coffee Company in 2017. In this episode, Sanjay and Shannon chat with Tony about starting a brand that became an Atlanta staple, the time Hillary Clinton dropped by for a cappuccino, a new venture featuring all-day pancakes, and more....

Jeff Lane is a managing partner of Messner Lane Capital LLC. He also serves on the BME advisory board for the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory and provides mentorship to a variety of startups. Previously, Jeff was a partner at McKinsey and Company and worked at Procter and Gamble in addition to founding multiple companies. He holds a degree in biology from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Northwestern. In this episode, Shannon and Jeff chat...

Karen Anderson is the co-founder, principal artist and director of Tiny Doors ATL. She holds a degree in visual art from Rutgers University. When she’s not working on doors, Karen does public speaking, corporate and private sculpture installations, and was also the volunteer Applied Arts Director for Girls Rock Camp ATL. In this episode, Sanjay and Karen talk about the big work that goes into making tiny doors. Special Guest: Karen Anderson.

Ned Hill is the managing director of technology at Square 1 Bank in Atlanta. Ned has over 25 years of experience as an operator, consultant and investor in technology companies. Prior to joining Square 1, he spent 15 years as a venture capitalist with successful exits including an IPO and several strategic acquisitions. He previously held positions with McKinsey & Co. and BellSouth Internet. Ned was also an early employee at RTP-based start-up BroadBand Technologies which went public in...

Daniel Roberts is the founder of Friendly Human, a video and media agency created around the idea that well-directed, authentic passion is the key to compelling storytelling. Through specialized direction and editing, Daniel and his team at Friendly Human help people and organizations find and tell their story in remarkable ways. In this episode, Sanjay and Daniel chat about company culture, how Friendly Human got their name, the story of Rhino Man, and more. Special Guest: Daniel Roberts.

Susan Davis is the founder and Executive Director of Improve International, a mission-driven research and consulting firm that seeks to improve the responses to the water and sanitation crises. Susan has 27 years of not saving the world experience, and has developed a healthy sense of skepticism after evaluating or supporting international development activities in 22 countries. Based on her own and other’s failures, she advises donors, impact investors, and donor advisors on how to better...

Josh Luber is the co-founder and CEO of StockX, the “stock market of things,” where users can buy and sell authentic sneakers, streetwear, watches, and handbags. Josh, a self-proclaimed sneakerhead, began a data platform in 2012 under the name Campless. In 2016, he teamed up with Dan Gilbert and Greg Schwartz to co-found StockX, which has attracted investors such as Eminem, Mark Wahlberg, Scooter Braun, and more. This past week StockX announced a $44 million Series B. In this episode,...

Jordy Gamson is the founder of The Icebox Cool Stuff. The Icebox began in 2001 and has steadily grown from a few employees to a full-service team of over 80 employees and over 7000 customers. In this episode, Sanjay and Jordy chat about how the Icebox building became a top Instagrammed spot, the rapid growth of Atlanta, hiring the right people, and more. Special Guest: Jordy Gamson.

Missy Mostrom and Alixx Hetzel Smith are first time entreprenuers and co-owners of Vesta Movement, an Atlanta kickboxing and strength gym that has shown a 20x membership increase in the past three years. In this episode, Missy and Alixx about maintaining a strong vision, the importance of community, and why you should work with your best friend. Special Guests: Alixx Hetzel Smith and Missy Mostrom.

Startup Daze is a weekly podcast providing a behind-the-lens look into the lives of founders and investors. This week's guest is Arun Mohan. Arun is a physician executive, entrepreneur and Angel investor with a passion for improving healthcare delivery. Currently, he serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Radix Health, a technology company that partners with leading medical groups to improve patient access. In this episode, Sanjay and Arun discuss growing up in small southern towns as...

Jasmine Burton is the founder and president of Wish for Wash, a social impact organization that seeks to bring innovation to sanitation through culturally-specific research, design, and education. Shannon and Jasmine chat about the human centered design, the challenges of the social impact sector, and how to stay sane while building a business. Special Guest: Jasmine Burton.

Dennis Hayes is the founder of Hayes Microcomputer Products, which was a U.S.-based manufacturer of modems known for the Smartmodem. Today almost all modems use a variant of the Hayes command set. Dennis has worked with the Speaker of the House (& Staff), spoken infront of Congress, been featured in Forbes & Business Week & INC, and appreared on Bloomberg, CNN & CNBC. Mr. Hayes has an exhibit dedicated to him and his invention in the Smithsonian. Special Guest: Dennis Hayes.

This week’s guest is actually the host of the Startup Daze podcast - Sanjay Parkeh! Back in the late 90s, Sanjay invented IP location technology, which lead to his first startup, Digital Envoy. Since then Sanjay has founded numerous companies and shared his knowledge to futher the community through his work with Startup Riot and Prototype Prime. Sanjay and Shannon chat about knowing when to make a big career leap, the importance of having co-founders, and the things that no one tells you...

Lara Hodgson is the President & CEO of NOW Corp - a revolutionary payments company for B2B, inspired by the success of her previous start-up, Nourish, which sold a patented line of spill-proof purified water for infants and toddlers. Lara and Sanjay chat about what company metrics are most important to celebrate, why starting a company is the easy part, how to find the right people to hire, and lots more! Special Guest: Lara Hodgson.

Startup Daze is a weekly podcast sharing the stories of business founders and investors. New episodes will be available each Friday!