Middle Tech

Ankur Gopal is the founder and CEO of Interapt, a Louisville-based software development company with a focus on training tech talent. By providing custom training solutions, Interapt allows their newly trained developers to seamlessly step into roles with their client companies. Our conversation with Ankur covered the importance of developing tech talent when building an emerging tech ecosystem, how Interapt maintains a balanced remote work culture, and the vision Ankur has for the Kentucky technology ecosystem. Learn more about Interapt at Interapt.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Bolt Marketing The Johnson Law Group Render Capital

Nate had a lot of time to think over the holiday break. Going down the Web3 rabbit hole was a common past time, and it occurred to him that the more he learned the more he realized he didn't know. For a concept that is supposed to revolutionize industries with mass adoption, the barrier to entry is way too high. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Nate, Logan, and Evan discuss the James Webb telescope, the concept of ownership as it pertains to the Wordle game, and Evan's experiences in the San Fransisco tech ecosystem. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Adrian Garcia-Aranyos is the Global President of Endeavor, a global organization that supports high impact entrepreneurship and works to connect regional, national, and international startup ecosystems by providing mentorship, a robust network, and funding through their Catalyst fund. Prior to becoming Endeavor's Global President, Adrian was the first President of Spain's Endeavor office in Madrid, and also held positions at well known companies such as JP Morgan and The Economist. We discuss Adrian's experience setting up an Endeavor office in an emerging market, the global trends he sees in entrepreneurship, and the role Endeavor plays in creating what they refer to as the "multiplier effect". Learn more about Endeavor at Endeavor.org Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Bolt Marketing The Johnson Law Group Render Capital

Logan and Evan are joined by Nate Antetomaso and Tj Barnett to recap all that went on throughout season 4 of Middle Tech and what we plan to accomplish in season 5. A lot happened in season 4 - we invested heavily in social media by bringing Tj on the team, launched several new series, monetized the podcast, and recorded interviews with some incredible entrepreneurs. We have even bigger plans for season 5 and are very excited to announce Middle Tech's new partners going into 2022 (announcement coming on the first episode of season 5).  To all those who have supported us along the way - thank you. Your support gives us the energy to continue to grow Middle Tech and this region's startup ecosystem. Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter Nate's Twitter Tj's Twitter

Evan analyzes if there can ever be true scarcity on the internet, and how digital assets compare to the oldest and most directly scarce asset: land. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Lamar Wilson is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of the Black Bitcoin Billionaires group, a social media group with a mission of educating people about Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Lamar has been involved in the bitcoin space since 2011 and has become a well known figure within the crypto community. We discuss why Bitcoin has gotten to where it is today, what the future could potentially look like for Bitcoin, and the impact that it could have on civilization. Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

Tj wonders how the future, and the metaverse specifically, will change social media and expand its influence on our lives. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Nate, Logan, and Evan discuss Kickstarter adopting a blockchain protocol, Roku and YouTube reach an agreement, and the WikiLeaks founder being extradited to the US. Honorable mention headlines: - Life360 is selling their users precise location data. - Commonwealth Fusion Solutions announced a $1.4 billion round of funding last week, led by Tiger Global and Bill Gates. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Taylor Desseyn is a Senior Recruiter Advocate at Vaco, a talent solutions company with a focus in the technology industry. Through his work as a recruiter, Taylor has taken a slightly different approach by creating daily content to help match the top tech talent with the top tech companies. He's currently the host of the Guidance Counselor 2.0 and Unicorn Finder podcasts, using that content to educate and connect with those in his field. We discussed the trends Taylor has seen in the industry over the years, how he creates as much content as he does, and the effect that the shift to remote work has had on technology careers & recruiting. Learn more about Taylor at taylordesseyn.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

Logan explores the role that curiosity plays in entrepreneurship and personal development. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Evan, Nate, and Logan discuss Jack Dorsey stepping down as Twitter CEO, SpaceX production troubles, and the religious app Glorify just raised $40M. Honorable mention headlines: - Tesla released a cyberquad ATV for kids - Twitter bans posting pics/vids of private individuals against their wishes - Rumors are that Apple is planning to release an AR headset near the end of 2022 Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Roger Shuman is the Senior Relationship Manager for TechPoint, an Indianapolis-based organization that exists to serve the ecosystem through building talent pipelines, connecting companies to venture capital, and promoting the companies currently building there. Roger has been at the center of all of this for the past twenty years, gathering experience in various startups before joining TechPoint to help grow the Indy ecosystem. We discussed the programs they’ve put in place to grow Indy’s talent pipeline, what they’ve learned from watching their tech ecosystem grow, and the advice they have for up and coming cities working to build their tech ecosystems. Connect with Roger on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/rshuman/ Learn more about TechPoint at techpoint.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

Christopher Day is the Founder and CEO of DemandJump, a software that helps companies automate keyword and seo research, so that they can provide more valuable content, more consistently. In addition to assisting with content marketing, DemandJump can also attribute revenue to specific pieces of content, allowing companies to focus on what's working. DemandJump has recently just closed a $20mm round of funding to help grow the business. We discuss Christopher's background as a serial entrepreneur, DemandJump's approach to content marketing, and how they plan to use AI to grow their business. Learn more about DemandJump at DemandJump.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

Nate ponders the how White Claw's continued dominance of the growing Hard Seltzer industry teaches us about jumping on opportunities and embracing innovation. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Nate and Logan discuss more Apple Car leaks, the new name for LA’s Staples Center, and the Satoshi Nakamoto lawsuit. Honorable mention headline: Russia has cause a bit of an issue with space debris after destroying one of their satellites. Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Chris Goode is the founder and CEO of Climavision, a Louisville based startup building the infrastructure to offer weather data as a service. In June of 2021, Climavision came out of building in "stealth" to announce that they had raised $100 million from TPG. Through building and operating their own radar systems and partnering with Low Earth Orbit satellite companies, Climavision will be collecting massive amounts of raw weather data, feeding that data into its algorithms, and then providing the data and insights to their clients via API. Our conversation with Chris covers his extensive background in weather technologies, the significance of the data that Climavision is collecting, and the potential impacts that AI will have on the weather data that they're collecting. Learn more about Climavision at Climavision.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter

Logan looks at the space industry opening up due to SpaceX's Starship rocket, and contemplates the downstream business effects of this rapidly expanding industry. Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com 

Logan, Evan, and Nate discuss Elon selling his Tesla shares after a Twitter poll and Twitter’s new paid features. Honorable mention headlines: Rivian goes public with $0 revenue SpaceX crew 2 safely returns to earth Robinhood gets hacked Watch Middle Tech's Friday Updates LIVE at 8:30am EST on Instagram every week! @MiddleTechPod

Steve Cadigan served as LinkedIn's first Chief HR Officer, advises multiple startups, and most recently published his book, Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working. Steve sat down with us to talk about the ongoing effects that COVID-19 has had on work, where things will go from here, and what Kentucky can do to prepare for this new paradigm. Learn more about Steve and Workquake at SteveCadigan.com Visit us at MiddleTechPod.com  Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter