What if the most powerful tool a leader has isn’t a strategy, but a single question?
In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Bob Brennan, four-time CEO, executive coach, and board director, to unpack how great leaders use inquiry instead of instruction. Bob scaled Iron Mountain from $1.8 billion to $3.2 billion in revenue and led Veracode through its $614 million acquisition by CA Technologies. He explains why his psychology background shaped every company he ran, and why “What can I do to be more effective?” is the one question he insists every leader ask.
Bob breaks down how to step into a company as CEO and cut through competing agendas, why withholding feedback is unkind rather than benevolent, and how getting defensiveness out of an organization changes everything. He shares the two red flags he never ignores in a hire, why most CEOs don’t give themselves time to think, and how to empower a team without micromanaging it.
The conversation also covers managing investors as owners, why a high headline valuation can be a trap, and why the best founders make everyone else the hero. This episode is a practical playbook for founders and executives who want to lead through questions, build future leaders, and scale without losing the people who make it work.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:30 From Psychology Student to Four-Time CEO 03:50 Selling Through Inquiry: People Don’t Argue With Their Own Conclusions 05:05 Stepping In as CEO: Opening the Aperture, Closing the Priorities 08:45 How to Develop Future CEOs 11:00 The One Question Every Leader Should Ask 12:15 Why Withholding Feedback Is Unkind 14:20 Build Your Own Personal Board 15:40 What CEOs Don’t See: The Time to Think 18:05 Hiring for Seed vs. Scale and the Two Red Flags to Watch 22:55 The Psychology of Leadership: Removing Defensiveness 24:30 Managing Investors, Boards, and Term Sheets 27:55 Empowering Teams Without Micromanaging 29:10 Key Takeaways: Make Them the Hero
Connect with the team: 👉 Sage Nye on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sage-nye/ 👉 Venture Guides Website: https://www.ventureguides.com/ 👉 Bob Brennan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbrennan236/ 
You can also listen to our podcast here: 👉 Apple - https://go.fame.so/built-not-born-podcast-apple 👉 Spotify - https://go.fame.so/built-not-born-podcast-spotify 👉 YouTube - https://go.fame.so/built-not-born-youtube

What happens when AI agents scale faster than their economics can support? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with EON co-founders Ki-youn Jung, Co-founder and CEO, and Abhishek Singh, Co-founder and CTO, to explore the infrastructure challenges emerging as enterprises adopt AI agents at scale. They discuss how EON’s experience with escalating compute costs led them from a health-tech application toward building an inference layer designed to anticipate agent behavior, reduce redundant token usage, and lower latency. The conversation examines why token economics could undermine traditional SaaS models, how reusable and deterministic AI outputs can preserve trust through statistical verification, and why infrastructure may represent the bigger opportunity in AI. They also explore the challenges of running agents for weeks or months, including drift, oversight, and maintaining alignment. The episode offers a practical look at building infrastructure for the next era of computing. Here’s what you will learn:How to recognize when you're sitting on a bigger problem than your original business ideaWhy token costs are the hidden killer of AI agent ROIThe "inference layer that thinks ahead" frameworkHow to maintain verifiability and trust when reusing AI outputsWhy long-term thinking beats duct-tape solutions, especially in AI How to structure incentives and human oversight for week-long and month-long running agentsKi-youn Jung is a technology entrepreneur and strategist with deep expertise spanning semiconductors, AI, and complex technology systems. She began her career designing mobile application processors and semiconductor architectures before moving into strategic planning and AI-focused product development at LG Electronics. Her work included developing an on-device AI platform and business model implemented across a $20 billion business. With experience spanning mobile, EVs, and smart homes, Ki-youn combines engineering expertise with strategic foresight to identify emerging opportunities and build scalable technology solutions. Abhishek Singh is a scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur, and Co-founder and CTO of EON. He holds a PhD from MIT and specializes in decentralized AI, precision medicine, and large-scale intelligent systems. His research explores how networks of AI agents can coordinate, adapt, and scale to address complex real-world problems. At EON, he is developing an AI platform that combines health data, scientific research, and agentic intelligence to enable personalized health optimization. His work brings together advanced AI research, systems engineering, and human health. Episode Resources:Ki-youn Jung on LinkedInAbhishek Singh on LinkedIn EON WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if the biggest bottleneck to scaling your startup isn't market demand; it's internal alignment? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Carter Cast, former CEO of Walmart.com and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University, to unpack a hard truth: most startups don’t fail from lack of demand, they fail from lack of alignment. Carter explains why mission clarity must precede growth and how misalignment at the top quietly fractures teams as companies scale. He breaks down what real product-market fit looks like (hint: it’s not fueled by discounts), and why sustainable unit economics are the only green light to accelerate. The conversation also dives into leadership, what separates high-performing teams from dysfunctional ones, how to navigate the shift from generalists to specialists, and why motivation mismatch often masquerades as underperformance. Above all, Carter makes a compelling case that self-awareness isn’t a soft skill; it’s the ultimate competitive advantage that defines how far a founder can go.Here’s what you will learn:How to establish alignment before scalingThe three non-negotiables of product-market fitWhy organic growth beats bought growthHow to validate unit economics before pressing the gasThe organizational structure shift that kills cultureWhy internal misalignment causes more damage than external competitionThe motivator framework that fixes struggling employeesThe metrics that actually matter while scalingCarter Cast is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, a seasoned operator, advisor, and educator with extensive experience leading organizations at scale. As the former CEO of Walmart.com, he spearheaded the transformation of one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms during a pivotal moment in digital retail, ultimately helping Walmart build a $200+ billion internet business. With a background spanning senior leadership roles across consumer and technology companies, Carter brings real-world expertise in scaling, omnichannel strategy, and navigating organizational change. Episode Resources:Carter Cast on LinkedInKellogg School of Management Website5 Tips for Preparing to Scale Your Startup LinkThe Right and Wrong Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made and Unmade LinkSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if the biggest competitive advantage in emerging markets isn't capital, but the people who know how to operate without it? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Alejandro Diez Barroso, Managing Partner at Dila Capital, to unpack what it really takes to build enduring companies in emerging markets. Drawing on his journey as both operator and investor, Alejandro challenges the obsession with valuation, arguing that integrity, execution, and team quality are the true drivers of long-term success. He shares how founders can unlock massive opportunities by solving overlooked problems in underserved markets, and why localization, not capital, is often the biggest hurdle to scaling internationally. The conversation also explores how investors should think beyond check size, how disciplined capital deployment creates resilience, and why reputation compounds faster than money. Packed with practical insights, this episode is a playbook for founders and investors seeking to build durable, high-impact businesses in complex and fast-evolving markets.Here’s what you will learn:The Four Pillars of Exceptional TeamsWhy "Not All Capital Is Created Equal"How to Leapfrog Infrastructure and Build Billion-Dollar ProblemsThe Operator's Advantage in Venture CapitalFocus Only on What You Can ControlLocalization Is Your Biggest Blind Spot When Entering New MarketsBuild Organizations That Work Without YouAlejandro Diez Barroso is the Managing Partner at Dila Capital, one of Latin America's leading early-stage venture capital firms. With a background as a serial founder who built and scaled multiple companies in Mexico during an era when venture capital was barely present in the region, Alejandro brings an operator's mindset to his investment strategy, emphasizing team quality, executional capability, and long-term value creation over short-term gains. His expertise spans early-stage venture investing, founder mentorship, and market entry strategy across Latin America, with a particular focus on identifying and supporting founders who demonstrate integrity, clarity, and resilience.Episode Resources:Alejandro Diez Barroso on LinkedInDila Capital WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if the sales strategies that built a $10B IPO could transform your go-to-market engine?In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Tom Schodorf, the sales leader who helped scale Splunk from startup to a $10B IPO, to unpack what actually builds a high-performing go-to-market engine. Tom explains why defining your ICP and aligning company-wide messaging matter far more than aggressive hiring, and how documenting a repeatable sales process creates sustainable growth. He also shares hard-earned lessons about hiring the right support structure around sales teams, avoiding short-term thinking, and building a culture rooted in discipline, coaching, and accountability. From the “unit of one” hiring framework to adapting sales strategies in the AI era, this conversation offers founders and revenue leaders a practical blueprint for scaling without losing focus, clarity, or long-term momentum in increasingly competitive markets today. Here’s what you will learn:How to define your ICP as the foundation for everythingThe whiteboarding exercise that aligns your entire company on messagingWhy a documented sales process scales faster than individual heroicsThe "unit of one" framework for hiring support roles, not just quota carriersHow to hire for the long term, not just growthWhy your CEO's 88th Floor "don't screw it up" moment should reshape how you leadThe difference between early-stage and scale-stage sales hiringHow to cut through AI noise and stay focused on timeless value creationTom Schodorf is a veteran sales and go-to-market executive best known for helping scale Splunk from startup to a $10B IPO. A former SVP of Field Operations at Splunk, he now serves as a board member, advisor, and coach to cybersecurity and AI infrastructure companies. With deep expertise across SaaS, cloud, and enterprise technology, Tom specializes in building scalable revenue organizations, aligning culture with execution, and driving long-term growth. His leadership philosophy combines disciplined processes, ethical decision-making, and customer-first thinking to create durable, high-performing teams. Episode Resources:Tom Schodorf on LinkedInThe Success Cadence, the definitive guide to building rapid growth sales culturesSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if the real edge in building and investing in companies is knowing exactly where your knowledge stops? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Dave Fachetti, Partner at Venture Guides, to unpack the operator–investor mindset that drives durable outcomes. Drawing on decades of experience, Dave explains why great founders prioritize solving painful, urgent problems before optimizing execution, and how this “efficacy before efficiency” mindset underpins true product-market fit.He introduces his “know what you don’t know” test as a lens for evaluating founders, emphasizing self-awareness, curiosity, and coachability as critical traits. The conversation also explores cap table strategy as a long-term system, the importance of aligning all stakeholders, and why board dysfunction guarantees failure. Dave shares practical frameworks for hiring, leadership, and navigating AI opportunities, while highlighting the balance between conviction and listening. It’s a grounded playbook for founders and investors aiming to build resilient, high-performing companies.Here’s what you will learn:How to evaluate founders using the "Know What You Don't Know" testThe critical difference between efficacy and efficiency in product-market fitWhy "painful problems" are your moat in B2B softwareThe cap table management principle that founders ignore at their perilHow to build a leadership team that scales without micromanagingThe "dysfunction guarantees failure" principle for board dynamicsWhy the "move fast and raise big" AI strategy works for only a fewHow to structure investor relationships that actually helpDave Fachetti is a Partner at Venture Guides, a seed-stage investment firm focused on helping early-stage founders navigate the path from idea to growth. With nearly three decades of experience at the intersection of venture capital, cybersecurity, and executive leadership, Dave brings a rare dual perspective as both operator and investor. His career spans managing directorships at GlobeSpan Capital Partners, where he backed companies acquired by Citrix and Pegasystems, to serve as Chief Strategy Officer at BitSight, a cyber risk intelligence leader with $200M+ in revenue. Dave's operating experience includes scaling Family Education Network to 4M+ monthly visitors before its $175M acquisition by Pearson.Episode Resources:Dave Fachetti on LinkedInSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What happens when a former teenage hacker builds AI that can find security vulnerabilities before attackers do? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye speaks with cybersecurity expert, CAIO, Founder, and CEO of Assail, Alissa Knight, about the rapidly evolving intersection of AI and offensive security. Once arrested for hacking as a teenager, Alissa went on to build Ares, a powerful AI model that autonomously discovers vulnerabilities in APIs, mobile apps, and web applications. She explains why the age of adversarial AI means companies must shift from preventing attacks to continuously identifying weaknesses faster than attackers can exploit them. The conversation explores the rise of AI-driven security testing, the emerging “one-person unicorn” founder model, and how startups should think about hiring, fundraising, and defensibility in an AI-first world where directing intelligent systems may matter more than traditional expertise.Here’s what you will learn:Why the genie is already out of the bottle, and why you must embrace adversarial AI How to democratize expert-level security talent through AIThe founder principle of interviewing your investors, not just the other way aroundHow to hire on personality first, skills second, and why it mattersThe critical difference between "building AI safely" and "building AI defensively"Why the future of enterprise work is human operators managing AI agentsAlissa Knight is the Founder, CEO, and Chief AI Officer of Assail, where she leads the development of agentic AI systems for continuous exposure management. With more than 26 years in offensive security, she is widely recognized for uncovering vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure and enterprise APIs. A two-time founder with successful exits, Alissa has raised over $65 million and architected Ares, a 14-billion-parameter AI model designed for autonomous vulnerability discovery. Her research has influenced public policy, advised military institutions, and shaped modern cybersecurity practices.Episode Resources:Alissa Knight on LinkedInAssail AI WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if your multi-million-dollar GPU investment was quietly delivering less than half its potential? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on why AI infrastructure performance often lags far behind spend, and how continuous profiling is emerging as a real competitive edge.Join host Sage Nye as she sits down with Israel Ogbole, CEO and cofounder of zymtrace, to explore why most GPU clusters run at just 20–40% utilisation, how traditional observability tools miss the real bottlenecks, and why profile-guided optimisation can unlock massive efficiency gains without demanding deep CUDA expertise. Israel shares hard-won lessons from building a must-have infrastructure product: validating real willingness to pay, avoiding “nice-to-have” traps, and navigating early founder dynamics. The discussion also dives into the growing talent gap in low-level systems engineering, and how rich profiling data can become context for LLM-driven optimisation workflows. It’s a practical, insight-dense conversation for founders, operators, and AI leaders focused on extracting real returns from AI infrastructure, not just scaling hardware.Here’s what you will learn:How to move beyond traditional observability toolsThe ROI-driven shift in enterprise AI strategyWhy existing GPU profiling solutions create impossible operational burdens The three-question framework for validating product-market fitHow to recruit and retain specialist talent in niche infrastructure markets Profile-guided AI optimization: leveraging LLM context for automated code improvementIsrael Ogbole is CEO and Co-Founder of zymtrace, an infrastructure optimization platform specializing in GPU and CPU workload profiling and efficiency. With a background spanning observability and monitoring at industry leaders including Microsoft, New Relic, AppDynamics, and Elastic, Israel brings deep expertise in continuous profiling, performance optimization, and distributed systems. He is recognized for pioneering profile-guided AI optimization techniques that leverage profiling data to enhance compiler efficiency and LLM-assisted code optimization.Episode Resources:Israel Ogbole on LinkedInzymtrace WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if getting rejected 172 times was the best thing that could happen to your startup? In this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye sits down with Stuart Lombard, co-founder and former CEO of ecobee, to unpack the grit and strategic clarity required to build a lasting company. After 172 investor rejections, Stuart transformed ecobee into a trusted smart home brand competing against giants like Google and Nest. He shares how founders must develop the judgment to filter advice, balance hardware’s operational rigidity with software’s agility, and recognise true product-market fit before scaling. Stuart also explains why culture, transparency, and mission-driven leadership aren’t soft ideals but competitive advantages. From navigating hardware complexity to building a 600-person organisation, this conversation reveals how resilience, focus, and long-term thinking turn scrappy startups into market leaders.Here’s what you will learn:How to filter venture capital advice without becoming dismissive of itWhy hardware and software require fundamentally different operational culturesThe leadership reinvention framework for scaling from 10 to 600+ employeesHow to identify and exploit a competitor's structural weaknessesThe two non-negotiable signals before scaling aggressivelyWhy transparency and mission-driven culture are competitive advantagesStuart Lombard is co-inventor and former CEO of ecobee, and an accidental entrepreneur whose career began after quitting a comfortable job to start one of Canada’s largest internet service providers. An engineer by training and former venture capital partner, he has built and scaled companies at the intersection of hardware and software. Passionate about sustainability, culture, and customer insight, Stuart believes businesses are community citizens. Under his leadership, ecobee became a globally loved smart home brand, helping save over 30 terawatt hours of energy.Episode Resources:Stuart Lombard on LinkedInecobee WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if your product development cycle could be compressed from 12 months to weeks? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation focuses on unpacking why physical product companies struggle to move fast and how they can build agility into their DNA.Host Sage Nye sits down with Brian Lindauer, Founder and CEO of VibeIQ, as Brian shares lessons from two decades across retail and product development, explaining how fragmented systems, unstructured data, and siloed teams quietly slow decision-making and inflate inventory risk.The conversation explores how true product-line understanding can compress development cycles from months to weeks, and why AI’s real power isn’t automation, but prediction to help teams assess feasibility, margins, and manufacturability earlier in the process.Brian also dives into building enterprise tools people actually want to use, scaling go-to-market strategies for physical goods, and hiring A-players who thrive in ambiguity. It’s a practical, grounded discussion for founders and operators looking to turn product development from a bottleneck into a strategic advantage.Here’s what you will learn:Why physical product companies struggle to achieve a 12+ month GTM cycle How to build enterprise software users actually *want* to adopt instead of resistingThe expansion revenue playbook for infrastructure productsHow to identify your ICP and go-to-market playbook without losing early momentumWhy AI's biggest leverage in product development isn't automation, it's prediction and agilityThe non-negotiable leadership principle: hire relentlessly for character and cultureBrian Lindauer is the co-founder of VibeIQ and a longtime leader in merchandising and product development for consumer and retail brands. After two decades helping teams build assortments that drive revenue, reduce markdowns, and deepen customer loyalty, Brian saw how outdated, siloed data slowed critical decisions. In 2020, he launched VibeIQ, the first assortment lifecycle platform unifying real-time product data and visuals, helping teams collaborate earlier, move faster, and turn assortment complexity into clarity.Episode Resources:Brian Lindauer on LinkedInVibeIQ WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility.Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering.The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable.Here’s what you will learn:Why the CloudFlare outage exposed a critical business riskHow to build a "must-have" product instead of a "nice-to-have."The framework for building a tier-A team without compromisingHow to stay engaged in sales without micromanagingThe power of decoupling bundled services on the edgeWhy 2026 is the inflection point for edge resilienceBuilding for the long term, not the quick fixEdward Tsinovoi is the Co-founder and CEO of IO River, and a deep tech entrepreneur and infrastructure expert with 20+ years building the backbone of the internet. Previously leading engineering initiatives at industry giants like Akamai and Dell, Edward co-founded IO River to redefine content delivery across the edge through a next-generation virtual edge and multi-edge infrastructure platform. His work directly addresses one of the internet's most critical vulnerabilities: single points of failure in CDN infrastructure, a challenge brought into sharp focus by recent major outages like the Cloudflare incident.Episode Resources:Edward Tsinovoi on LinkedInSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure.Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilizing and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox.Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritize impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organizations designed to last.Here’s what you will learn:How to reframe platform shifts around customer problems, not technology featuresWhy infrastructure software is your silent foundation for revenue, not a cost centerThe three-horizon framework for deciding between quick fixes and long-term solutionsWhen to buy from innovative startups versus battle-tested enterprise vendorsThe biggest mistake startups make in enterprise pitchesLeadership is about people first, strategy secondIan Penny is a globally recognised technology and operations leader with 25 years of experience driving large-scale digital transformation across leading financial institutions. A former UK CIO of the Year and ECB/PRA/FCA Approved Executive (SMF24), he has held senior roles including CIO at Hiscox and COO of Luminor Group, delivering major cost reductions, resilience improvements, and cloud-led modernisation. Ian combines deep operational control, strategic board advisory experience, and geopolitical and AI foresight to help organisations align technology investment with sustainable growth.Episode Resources:Ian Penny on LinkedInSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t.Sage Nye interviews Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth.Here’s what you will learn:How to identify and respond to early failures quickly while maintaining team moraleThe "Passion, Mastery, Accountability" framework for hiring early-stage sales talentWhy collaboration and competition aren't mutually exclusive, and how to leverage bothStructuring cross-functional alignment with sales, marketing, and customer successThe importance of breaking down processes into measurable, celebratable milestonesHow to balance data-driven decision making with relationship-focused sellingWhy team selling is crucial for enterprise deals and how to orchestrate multiple stakeholdersThe critical balance between maintaining rapid growth and sustaining operational excellenceHow to create effective handoffs between sales and customer success teamsEthan Schechter is a seasoned go-to-market and sales leader, currently serving as SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo. With over two decades of experience in scaling high-growth SaaS and developer tool businesses, he has helped multiple organizations grow from early stage to $100M+ in revenue. Known for his expertise in developer tooling and his hands-on approach to early-stage market development, Ethan has been at the forefront of selling to developers "before it was cool." His experience includes being the first sales leader at four consecutive companies, where he successfully built and scaled commercial engines from the ground up.Episode Resources:Ethan Schechter on LinkedInQodo WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose.Here’s what you will learn:How to transform necessity into innovation: From limited resources to programming games and building mobile appsWhy deep customer relationships trump transactional sales approaches The "People, Process, Tools" framework for evaluating and implementing any solutionHow to approach AI adoption through hands-on experimentation Why impact and passion should drive career choices The importance of creating reusable relationships in your professional network How to balance maintaining personal time while scaling impact with mentorshipThe power of embracing and learning from difficult moments rather than avoiding themWhy strong teams and genuine relationships matter more than individual achievementsThe critical difference between wanting to make money versus wanting to build a meaningful companyMiguel Navarro is Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank and Chief Digital & AI Officer at Educate to Protect. From programming video games in the Philippines to pioneering early mobile apps, Miguel has built a career at the intersection of innovation, fraud prevention, and customer-centric technology. A passionate mentor and thought leader in AI, Web3, and emerging tech, he champions collaboration, authentic relationships, and community impact while guiding teams and founders through the complexities of digital transformation.Episode Resources:Miguel Navarro on LinkedInKeyBank WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy.In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation.Here’s what you will learn:How to identify product-market fit through real-world pain points The critical transition from bootstrapping to securing first customers and fundingWhy targeting the right organizational level is crucial for enterprise sales success How to balance remote and in-person team dynamics while building company cultureThe framework for choosing investors beyond valuationWhy founders must actively lead change rather than delegating initiativesThe importance of building with customer feedback rather than engineering in isolationHow to structure hybrid teams for maximum collaboration and information exchangeAndrios Robert is the founder and CEO of hoop.dev, a venture-backed startup transforming infrastructure access security for engineering teams. With over a decade in financial services and software engineering, he was an early employee at Pismo, contributing to its billion-dollar exit. Inspired by firsthand challenges managing secure access at scale, he launched hoop.dev to eliminate VPNs and shared credentials while enhancing security. A technical founder and hands-on sales leader, Andrios offers deep expertise in startup execution, product development, and B2B go-to-market strategies.Episode Resources:Andrios Robert on LinkedInHoop.dev WebsiteSage Nye on LinkedInVenture Guides WebsiteBuilt Not Born on Apple PodcastsBuilt Not Born on SpotifyBuilt Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so