Product-Market Fit Validation

Ep40—Steve Subar—Business Model First, Product Second: Thirty Years of Building Smarter

SpeedRun Ep19 Marketing Plans with Virginie Glaenzer - Tales from the Sky Lounge

Todd and Virginie demonstrate live how to build a complete marketing plan using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. They identify lack of clarity as the biggest barrier to AI adoption among executives, design a five-step 'AI Value Blueprint' service offering targeting CMOs, CROs, and COOs in B2B SaaS, and develop persona-specific messaging and automation workflows—all within one hour using conversational AI.

Ep32 Joe Gruca—From Pink Slip to Pivot: Predictable Sales in Unpredictable Markets

Joe Gruca shares his journey from corporate VP of Sales at Computer Associates to co-founding Higher IQ, an AI-powered interview automation platform, after being laid off in 2008. He discusses pivoting the business model, raising venture capital, successfully exiting, and now helping early-stage tech CEOs as a fractional revenue leader at Tech CXO. The conversation covers sales methodology evolution, startup lessons, and navigating economic uncertainty.

Ep31 Mike Biwer—The Hidden Engine of the Economy: Unpacking the Power of Distribution with Cavallo

Mike Biwer, CEO of Cavalo, discusses how his company helps wholesale distributors optimize profitability through technology that controls pricing and margins at the line-item level. Founded by a distributor who built software to solve his own business problems, Cavalo evolved from a Microsoft Dynamics add-on to a multi-platform solution serving the $10 trillion distribution industry. Biwer shares insights on navigating ERP migrations, maintaining product-market fit, and competing in a fragmented market where average pre-tax profit margins are under 5%.

Ep18 Ghazenfer Mansoor — A Born Entrepreneur Talks Startups, Product Blueprints, and Global Scaling

Ghazenfer Mansoor, founder of Technology Divers, shares his journey from Pakistan to the US, building a mobile app development company that evolved into a product development consultancy. He discusses his 'blueprint methodology' for converting napkin sketches into production-ready software, managing distributed teams across multiple continents, and helping non-technical founders navigate the complexities of software development. The conversation covers entrepreneurial mindset, AI's impact on software development, and the importance of peer groups for founders.

Ep 11 - Rob Reesor: Insights, Tips, Tricks and Wisdom from a Tech Veteran

Rob Reesor shares his four-decade technology career journey from early AI expert systems at Intellicorp through pioneering e-commerce at Virtual Vineyards to executive leadership roles across multiple private equity-backed companies. He discusses the evolution of software development, the challenges of technical debt management, building trust with non-technical stakeholders, and navigating acquisitions while emphasizing transparency and team empowerment.

Ep 08 - David Morczinek: Machine Learning at MIT to Entrepreneurial Growth and Fundraising Success.

David Morczinek, CEO of Airworks, discusses his journey from aerospace engineering at Airbus to co-founding a geospatial AI company at MIT. He explains how Airworks uses computer vision to analyze aerial data from drones, satellites, and aircraft, pivoting from pure automation to a hybrid service model when customers struggled with AI adoption. The conversation covers fundraising progression from friends-and-family to private equity, balancing technical innovation with market readiness, and building a sustainable company culture.