Category: Culture
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Building Data-Driven Consumer Experiences: Q&A with Jonathan Yaffe of AnyRoad
A neuroscientist by training and a marketer by trade, Jonathan Yaffe is passionate about harnessing data to understand how experiences affect human behavior. After receiving a degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California Berkeley, Jonathan spent many years managing experiential marketing for Red Bull before founding AnyRoad, the first data and analytics platform…
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Designing the Future with Tom Lahat of Tailor Brands
Tom Lahat has seen millions of logos. And no, we’re not exaggerating. As the Chief Designer and Co-Founder of Tailor Brands, he’s helped nearly nine million customers across 35 countries create everything from simple logos to full brand identities. Founded in 2014, Tailor Brands uses machine learning and automation to help non-designers develop their own…
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Venture For America CEO Amy Nelson to Headline Startup Day 2018
Venture For America CEO Amy Nelson will be the featured speaker for Innov865 Week’s Startup Day 2018. Venture For America is a nonprofit fellowship program that connects recent college graduates with jobs at startups, forging a community of entrepreneurs committed to building companies that matter and creating economic opportunity in American cities. “Knoxville has a…
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How One U.S. Student is Fueling a Movement Against Drug-facilitated Sexual Assault
It’s a problem that’s been under-reported, under-addressed and under-combatted. Until now. The #MeToo social movement has made international headlines following the 2017 Harvey Weinstein scandal. As a result, public awareness about sexual violence is at an all-time high. One facet of that crime is drug-facilitated assaults. With more than 50 total accusers, Bill Cosby was convicted of…
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Why You Should Put People First, Even in a Growing Tech Business
Tech is built by people, for people, but it doesn’t feel that way sometimes. There’s been a lot of talk about this on the West Coast, and we feel it here in the South too. Privacy concerns with Facebook—and the recently shutdown Google+—have people asking questions like, “can we trust technology these days?” and “do…
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5 Tips for Growing A Technology Services Company into a Top-Ranked Brand
In the technology industry, professional services companies are often overlooked in comparison to SaaS or technology-platform companies, especially in the eyes of investors and public relations. This paradigm has always seemed odd to me. Of course, I understand why investors may seek out technology-based companies over service-based companies as the return on investment has the…
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Live from DIG on the 1/2 Shell: The Future of Outsourcing with Andy Hilliard of Accelerance
From the main stage at DIG on the 1/2 Shell, Accelerance President Andy Hilliard shares how to vet and manage offshore tech talent. Interviewed by new South Pod co-host Joel Sadler, Andy relays inspired tales from his world travels and testifies that building an outsourced team doesn’t have to be bad, scary or overwhelming. Catch…
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Successful People Know the Value of Advice
The most valuable lessons any entrepreneur can learn are from the successes and failures of others. As Confucius said, “Study the past if you would define the future.” For some people, it’s not so easy. A study by Harvard Business School professor, Francesca Gino, says that because our views of our own competence are often overly…
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Six finalists to compete for $10,000 at Startup Day 2018, Traction Award nominees announced
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Innov865 Alliance has selected six East Tennessee startups as pitch competition finalists and three Traction Award nominees for Startup Day 2018. The winners of the pitch competition and Traction Award will be announced on Sept. 25 during the signature event of Innov865 Week, an annual celebration of Knoxville’s thriving entrepreneurial community…
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Jon and Stanfield’s Rookie Season: How Does this Pod Thing Work?
Testing … testing … ahem … Co-hosts Jon Yarian and Stanfield Gray embarked on a weekly podcast last January. The goal was simple: expand on their passion for showcasing stories of entrepreneurs, executives and experts in the South. Eureka! SOUTH POD was born. We thought it would be fun to share a few outtakes from…
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The Heart of It: Startup Support with Oracle’s Jason Williamson
While many believe money is the foundation of a healthy startup, it’s actually relationships that form the core. Jason Williamson, Vice President, Startup Ecosystem at DIG SOUTH sponsor Oracle, joins the pod to share about their support of the startup community, why they do not take equity in exchange for investments and how you can…
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The New Way to Work with Helpfully’s Zach Pousman
Zach Pousman, Founder of Atlanta-based Helpfully, joins us on the podcast live from DIG SOUTH 2018 to discuss the new way to work. While many firms simply tell you how to do something, Helpfully gets down in the dirt to help other companies see the future and create what’s needed. We talk digital project design,…
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Beyond What Is: Getting to What Can Be with Under Armour’s Jeremy Brodey
“We didn’t put guardrails on what could be.” Jeremy Brodey literally fell into his job at Under Armour. Now, nearly 15 years later and with the title of Global Director of Entertainment + Branded Partnerships, Jeremy joins SOUTH POD to share his story… and talk business too! From the “why” of Under Armour’s products, to…
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Lift Off! How to Maintain Values Despite Rapid Growth with Shipt’s Sam Lederman
Sam Lederman, Growth Manager of the United States’ fastest growing, on demand grocery delivery service, Shipt joins the pod live from DIG SOUTH 2018 in Charleston. We take a look at business in the South (vs business in the North) and how to foster loyalty among both customers and employees. Bonus: Sam shares how…
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Adapt Your Customer Service: Abby Leibowitz CEO of Call Experts Tells All
May is Female Leaders Month and we are celebrating in style on SOUTH POD with the fabulous Abby Leibowitz, CEO of Call Experts. In this episode, we will talk about adapting and finding commonalities when it comes to customer service. Tune in for the universal truths. Catch a new episode of SOUTH POD every Tuesday…
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Charleston’s Galloping Gazelles
The Economist recently reported that while overall business formation is down nationwide, fast-growing startups are in high gear. These fast-growth new businesses or “gazelles” have disproportionately positive impact on employment & economic growth, and are no longer limited to Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York. In fact, the Charleston metro scores as one of the highest-growth entrepreneurial…
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How to Create a Collaborative Culture with Leadership Expert David Metcalf
Face it: your workforce has made the digital shift. We’re spending less face time interacting with our fellow team members and more time in front of a screen. So how do we establish and sustain trust? Find out on this edition of South Pod as Spencer Stuart Leadership Consultant, David Metcalf, and South Pod co-host,…
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Propelling Towards the Future: Atlatl CEO Marc Murphy Talks Scaling Up
Life is full of change. And dramatically change he did when Marc Murphy shifted from a career in the military to a corporate gig to the scrappy hustle of helming a venture backed startup. Now CEO of Charleston-based Atlatl Software, Murphy reflects on the evolving local tech scene and shares his forward looking view of…
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Ch-ching! Making Money Online with Compare Cards Founder Chris Mettler
Entrepreneurs are the masters of “crazy” ideas. Before the Internet was what it is today (and with no technical background), Chris Mettler was already building online-based businesses in college. Now, he’s Founder and President of Compare Cards by LendingTree. In this episode of South Pod, Chris shares insights for hiring, best practices for using venture…
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From Gaming to Saving Lives: ZIAN CEO Mark Semler on Moving Medical Products to Market
A creator at heart, Mark Semler, CEO of ZIAN at Medical University of South Carolina, thrives on creating what’s missing. His team moves ideas “out of surgeons’ heads into product creation,” including an “uncheatable” concussion diagnostic device that’s already saved many lives and helped others recover from strokes. In this episode of South Pod, Mark…
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Tapping Beer: A Data Story
Imagine running a business where you never get to interact with your customers or see how they actually use your product. There are a significant number of industries that suffer this challenge, with multiple go-betweens, resellers, distributors and other entities that separate the original producer from their end user. The Internet of Things (IoT) is…
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Swell Timing: Startup Expert Jack Harvey Explains How to Catch a Clean Tech Wave
“It’s not just the team, it’s not just the capital, it’s not just the idea. The thing that trumps all of them is timing.” In this podcast, Accelarise CEO Jack Harvey shares in-depth insight on what it takes to be an entrepreneur, current tech trends on where the market is headed and just how he…
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Hey, Alexa: Will Amazon’s New HQ2 Roost in the South?
Nine southern metros sailed through the first round of Amazon’s selection process in a highly public and fiercely competitive bid for their second headquarters. Dubbed “HQ2”, the move by Amazon will bring enormous changes to the winning metro, with an estimated 50,000 highly paid technology and executive jobs, $5 billion in local investment and momentous…
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How Snagajob’s COO Jocelyn Mangan is Challenging the Tech Status Quo
With more than two decades of experience growing iconic global mobile apps and software products for brands like OpenTable and Ticketmaster, Jocelyn Mangan knows a thing or two about what it takes to build a great technology company. She now serves as COO of Snagajob. The company, with four corporate locations in Richmond, VA.; Arlington, VA.;…
