Tales From The Sky Lounge

Hosted by Todd Merrill

Todd Merrill is an experienced software executive who typically assists clients as a fractional or interim CTO and CiSO. He has served in a series of companies as a C-Level executive focused on leveraging the Cloud to bring SaaS offerings to market. As an entrepreneur, turn-around expert, technology and product leader, and mentor, Todd has held full corporate P&L and product development responsibilities and directed diverse international teams of Engineering Managers, Mobile Architects, Developers, Dev Ops, QA, and Customer Success professionals.

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Ep 48 Kumar Ampapathini: What Builders Get Wrong About Capital—From Someone Who's Lived Both Sides

Ep 48 Kumar Ampapathini: What Builders Get Wrong About Capital—From Someone Who's Lived Both Sides

Kumar Ampapathini, a fractional CFO with Wall Street experience and a computer science background, discusses the intersection of technology and finance in startup investing. He explains how AI is transforming business operations, why institutional investors prioritize profitability pathways over pure growth, and how the fractional executive model delivers high-level expertise to early-stage companies at accessible costs.

AI Adoption TrendsAI Workflow AutomationAngel Investing+4 more
Ep 47 Karen Rands—The Compassionate Capitalist: Inside Secrets to Angel and Crowdfund Investing

Ep 47 Karen Rands—The Compassionate Capitalist: Inside Secrets to Angel and Crowdfund Investing

Karen Rands, founder of the Compassionate Capitalist movement, discusses her mission to democratize angel and crowdfund investing. She shares her career journey from IBM through angel investing leadership, explains how individuals can build wealth by funding entrepreneurs aligned with their values, and introduces her new book following 'Jane's journey' into accessible startup investing through diversified portfolios including revenue-share models.

Angel InvestingIntrapreneur Transition
Ep46-Rachel Zeller: Hiring Humans in an AI World

Ep46-Rachel Zeller: Hiring Humans in an AI World

Rachel Zeller, Managing Director at Kitces.com, discusses how her company maintains human-centered hiring practices in an AI-saturated world. She shares strategies for identifying authentic candidates, including requiring AI transcripts with work samples, conducting process-focused interviews, and deliberately slowing down applications by turning off easy-apply features. The conversation explores balancing AI as a productivity tool while preserving genuine human connection in recruitment.

Merit-Based HiringRemote Work Infrastructure
Ep45 John Church: Crypto Grows Up: Building at the Intersection of Blockchain and AI

Ep45 John Church: Crypto Grows Up: Building at the Intersection of Blockchain and AI

John Church, lead product manager at Nethermind and adjunct professor at Duke University, discusses his journey from DAO leadership to institutional blockchain work. The conversation covers stablecoins, zero-knowledge cryptography, the intersection of AI and blockchain, and how crypto is maturing from speculative technology to institutional infrastructure. Church emphasizes the importance of fundamental understanding as AI transforms software development and entrepreneurship.

Conversational Software DevelopmentLow-Barrier AI Entrepreneurship
Ep44 Niral Shah: A Trauma Surgeon & Entrepreneur Talks Healthcare, AI and What’s Next

Ep44 Niral Shah: A Trauma Surgeon & Entrepreneur Talks Healthcare, AI and What’s Next

Niral Shah, a trauma surgeon and serial entrepreneur, discusses his journey from starting a search engine company during the dot-com boom to becoming a physician entrepreneur focused on healthcare innovation. He shares lessons from shutting down his first startup responsibly, explains why healthcare's structural inefficiencies are ripe for disruption, and identifies promising areas for AI and biotech innovation including at-home diagnostics, drug discovery using incomplete datasets, and real-time health monitoring.

Early E-commerce InnovationHealthcare InnovationMedical Market Research
Ep43 John Yates and Gregg Bedol—How Two Industry Veterans Are Solving Business Dev with TractionBD

Ep43 John Yates and Gregg Bedol—How Two Industry Veterans Are Solving Business Dev with TractionBD

John Yates, a tech attorney with 44 years of experience, and Greg Bedol, a serial entrepreneur and consultant, discuss their new venture Traction BD—a voice-enabled AI platform that automates business development for professionals. They explore how AI is revolutionizing relationship-based selling by making it easier to maintain consistent, personalized outreach without the emotional fatigue and time constraints that cause most professionals to abandon prospects after just 2-3 touches.

AI Workflow AutomationBusiness DevelopmentCRM Implementation+2 more

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