The Deep Dive Lab

Stephen Sakach, CEO & founder of Zero company, >70k on his mailing list, coined BLISS: Build Love into Scalable Systems.

His idea: random acts of kindness —> predictable, repeatable systems that drive both customer loyalty and internal cohesion.

He believes businesses that lead with purpose and empathy are the ones that last.

Empathy isn’t just a nice-to-have*.* It’s a proven growth driver

• Emotionally connecte...

I thought sustainability meant choosing between profit and “doing good for the planet”. My chat with Josh proved me WRONG.

“Stop selling sustainability. Start selling something BETTER that happens to be sustainable.”

A bit about Josh Dorfman:

CEO of Supercool, co-founded Plantd (a manufacturer of carbon-negative building materials) with ex-Tesla employees named Fast Company’s 2024 Most Innovative Companies, launched and led mu...

Eli Portnoy (with $66M in exits) taught me the importance of REALLY listening to your customers. TLDR from his chat:

1. Listen to what customers actually mean - during COVID, his customers asked to stop payments, but Instead, he asked: “how do we make sure we're giving them enough value that they wanna pay us?”. He pivoted, new product gained traction which led to acquisition (full story on the pod)
2. Your idea may change comp...

If you’re pressing "00000" to escape the bot, that's not user error - that's design failure. And it may be why people think AI chatbots suck (I don’t).

Most bots are built backwards.

Companies think "how can we handle more customers with less staff?"

Instead of "how can we actually improve customer experience”.

In this episode, I sat down with AI conversational technologist, Peter Swimm: fou...

We sit down with Amir Kiani — a PhD in Mathematical Philosophy and Logic, and a senior analyst in the healthcare industry — to unpack one of the biggest questions in tech and philosophy: Can AI truly be conscious?

Here we dig into what consciousness really means — beyond the buzzwords. We explore how subjective experience is defined in humans and whether AI systems like LLMs (Large Language Models) are anywhere close to developing o...

Flora Fertility: The First Individual Fertility Insurance for Women

One in five women will need fertility treatments—but who’s paying for it? Meet Dr. Christy Lane and Laura McDonald, co-founders of Flora Fertility, the first-ever individually owned fertility insurance. They’re tackling the financial gap in reproductive healthcare, giving women the power to plan on their own terms.

We dive into their journey—why they built Flora, the...

Startups fail fast. But what if you could test an idea even faster—before spending months (or years) building the wrong thing?

David Hirschfeld has built and sold companies, helped 70+ startups, and developed Launch First, a way to validate ideas before writing a single line of code. We talk about:

• The biggest mistake founders make
• How to sell an idea before building it
• Why startups fail (and how to avoid it)

This episode will ...

In this episode, we sit down with Amir Feizpour, founder of Aggregate Intellect, to explore the future of work with AI agents andhumans.

Topics include:

• The rise of AI copilots and their role in transforming workflows.
• How human creativity complements machine efficiency through exploration and exploitation.
• The potential for single-person startups powered by AI agent ecosystems.
• Insights into leadership, communication, and conflict ...

Today, we’re sitting down with Sundar Narayanan, an AI ethicist who’s on a mission to make sure technology doesn’t just work for us but works ethically for future generations too.

Sundar dives into the tough questions around AI—like balancing innovation with responsibility—and why embedding ethics in tech early on is crucial. But here’s the thing: Sundar isn’t just about AI. He’s fascinated by everything from neuroscience to space ...

In this episode, we sit down with Akash Shetty, the founder of Publicus, an AI startup that aims to bridge the gap between people and government using advanced AI systems.

Akash, who also happens to be an ultra-endurance athlete, dives deep into the potential of AI agents to transform everything from content creation to complex decision-making. We discuss the evolving role of AI in productivity and research, the challenges around ...

Ever wondered if AI could help detect mental health issues like anxiety or cognitive decline before they become serious problems? In this episode, we sit down with Marija Stanojevic, a machine learning researcher with a decade of experience working at the intersection of AI and healthcare. Marija shares how her work is helping to revolutionize mental health treatment by using AI to find patterns that human doctors might miss, all w...

1. Top Cloud Influence: Jo is recognized as a Top Cloud Influencer by Onalytica, “a major player in the cloud arena” by Silicon Republic
2. Business Leadership: As the Vice President of Cloud and Security Services at Clarify360, Jo crafts sol...

In this episode, we dive deep into the exciting world of healthcare and technology with Rachel Barker, the Program Director at SE Health. 

Join us as we explore how AI is revolutionizing healthcare, making doctors' lives easier, and enhancing patient experiences. 

Discover the balance between technology and the human touch, the skills needed in this evolving field, and the surprising ways AI is transforming y...

This week, we're delving into the world of government issues and the exciting realm of gov tech, where technology becomes the catalyst for solving crucial public problems.

Join me, along with the brilliant Madison Dias, GovTech & SaaS Leader and Vice President of Sales at Envisio. Together, we'll explore his remarkable experiences in overcoming major challenges, such as policy work and DEI initiatives.

If you&...

This week, I'm joined by Beth Nuniam, the esteemed Management Consulting Manager at KPMG Canada. Get ready to unlock the secrets of becoming a top-tier problem solver as Beth shares her invaluable experiences and expertise.

Throughout the conversation, we'll delve into the intricacies of the healthcare industry, and Beth will provide exclusive insider information on its future. This is your chance to gain a competitive edg...

In this episode, we explore Glenn Poulos' journey from being a civil servant to becoming a successful businessman. Glenn has experienced two successful exits by building two companies from scratch and is recognized as an award-winning author for his book titled "Never Sit in the Lobby". 

Whether you're in sales, or in any field, it can always be helpful to learn how to sell an idea. Join my chat with G...

From a troubled past and gang affiliations to earning a PhD at Oxford, a fellowship at Harvard, and becoming the CEO of Donsfield, Dr Pradeep is a true testament to the power of hustle and resilience. Get ready to be inspired and discover the secrets behind his incredible transformation.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan : https://www.linkedin.com/in/pksacitharan/  

Connect with me on Socials:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin...

This week, I chatted with Melissa Lobato,  Senior Program Manager at IDEO. We dived into the world of program management and scaling teams, uncovering the secrets to success. Melissa shared her invaluable insights, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and triumphs of expanding a team. We discussed practical strategies, real-life examples, and innovative approaches that will revolutionize how you scale your own team....

In this episode, we chat with Jeremy Woo, Global Compensation Manager at NewRocket, about the importance of human capital in driving business success. 

We explore the challenges that companies face in attracting and retaining top talent, and discuss effective strategies for developing and managing human capital. Jeremy shares insights into what makes an organization attractive to job seekers, and offers advice for those in...