Technori

Packaging is important; it's the first thing your consumer sees

McDonald’s, Oreos, and Aquafina are all renowned for memorable packaging. Now you can beautify your packaging tubes. Paper Tube Co. Founder David Molo helps artisans and luxury-brands create customized, tubed packaging that’s just as good as the product inside. Hear the inside “scope” of how packaging can make you the top dog.

Get your selfie on TVs at Hooter's, Dunkin, and more

UPshow transforms TV screens into social media broadcasting for anyone wanting to throw their pictures on screen. Strike your best pose! Host Scott Kitun talks with CEO Adam Hirsen about his admiration for the growing company, and his love for Hooters wings. Hooters is now officially an UPshow client with many more chains like Dunkin’ Donuts getting on board.

IT specialists: the modern superhero

ImagIT Solutions CEO Brian Gardner keeps businesses, with multiple locations, running. The company offers services in 45 countries after humble start in 1999, when Gardner was only 14. When WiFi drops and you need help, ImagIT is there. Host Scott Kitun and Gardner go down the wire and discuss how to best deck-out your office and stay connected from coast-to-coast.

FivetoNine founder Jasmine Shells

Who are kids in school looking up to? Is it the Fortune 500 CEO or Diddy? Five to Nine CEO Jasmine Shells is connecting city millennials in new and exciting ways. The platform allows users to find events and groups around the city they probably didn’t know about. The Technori crew digs into how the millennial is networking, connecting and changing workplace culture. They also share their WORST networking experiences.

WolfPack is the newest buddy system for road hogs

Wild-road hogs and bicyclists are getting a new tech friend, WolfPack Systems, Inc. Scott Kitun and Beth Bond are joined by Founder Jonathan Chashper to talk about the evolution of community biking. Don’t get lost from your pack! You can invest in WolfPack with Republic.

P. Diddy or Bill Gates? Who do kids these days look up to?

Who are kids in school looking up to? Is it the Fortune 500 CEO or Diddy? Five to Nine CEO Jasmine Shells is connecting city millennials in new and exciting ways. The platform allows users to find events and groups around the city they probably didn’t know about. The Technori crew digs into how the millennial is networking, connecting and changing workplace culture. They also share their WORST networking experiences.

A simple way to help your debt stop piling up

Rent roll and operating expenses can and will add up quickly. With Lucro, your money can sit still and pile up while you make deals instead of crunching numbers. Break the model. Break your predicted earnings. Buy Lucro.

Daily office activities to improve morale and health

Using positive psychology, ProHabits develops daily activities that can inspire personal and professional growth. Remove certain negative words from your day’s vocabulary or take 10 minutes to daydream and recharge your brain. A little professional habit goes a long way.

Tech-savvy Square Roots Kitchen serves fresh food, fast

An elevator in a city can be the deciding factor between a healthy lunch and an unhealthy one. Square Roots Kitchen is a tech-enabled, fast-casual restaurant that provides guests with fresh ingredients and tasty dishes that won’t break the bank (or your belt).

ReAir: Gogo COO John Wade

Scott talks to Gogo Air COO John Wade about the exciting innovations coming to the world of airline web services. March 2nd, 2017.

What will flying in the future look like?

Gogo is one of Chicago’s brightest startups. They made a name extending Wi-Fi on flights. But the transformation of flying is just getting started. Gogo’s SVP Global Account Manager Dave Bijur stops in to talk about how your flight will feel different soon. GoCivic’s Beth Bond joins the conversation.

The future of the US economy is in Latin countries

TechBridge is literally bridging Latin talent to America. The US is becoming increasingly Spanish-speaking and Latin countries are disrupting the global economy with new ideas. How should Chicago integrate with this change? TechBridge Managing Director Alfred Stevens is joined by AOS International Co-Founder Luis Calciedo to talk about partnering talents across hemispheres. GoCivic’s Beth Bond joins the conversation.

You’re wasting money on software without Flexera

We know too little about software. Which is dangerous since it’s so global. Flexera CEO Jim Ryan is making the process of selling software more transparent, secure and effective. With software being so rooted in our everyday life, there’s a lot of room for sunk costs and dysfunction. Flexera seeks to solve this. Scott and Jim also reminisce about life at Marquette in Milwaukee and how that experience shaped their professional lives.

Three rules for building a community

The Community Company Co-Founder Ryan Paugh built world-renowned community strategy for massive brands. Brands and publishers need an extra hand connecting with users and that’s where The Community Company fits in. Community builder Beth Bond from GoCivic Chicago joins the conversation. Ryan lays out what is needed to build a strong community.

You're wasting money on software

We know too little about software. Which is dangerous since it’s so global. Flexera CEO Jim Ryan is making the process of selling software more transparent, secure and effective. With software being so rooted in our everyday life, there’s a lot of room for sunk costs and dysfunction. Flexera seeks to solve this. Scott and Jim also reminisce about life at Marquette in Milwaukee and how that experience shaped their professional lives.

Hire tomorrow's business leaders today

City Colleges of Chicago Executive Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement Eric Lugo joins the show the show to talk about training students for tech. City Colleges offers free coding classes and cybersecurity bootcamps that helps underprivileged students get into the tech scene. Lugo is providing quality tech training for students. GoCivic’s Beth Bond joins the conversation.

Could Jane Technologies become the Amazon for cannabis?

Jane Technologies CEO Socrates Rosenfeld joins the show to talk about iheartjane.com, an online marketplace for ordering pick up/delivery of legal cannabis, currently in California. Could this be a blueprint for additional marketplaces as the industry gets stronger and legalization moves business into new states like Illinois?

Let AR design your home before you spend a penny

Accessible clean-eating in your office

A version of Google street view, but for indoors

Panoskin and LCP360 CEO Wojciech Kalembasa is taking visual tours, like Google street view, to the next level. When Google wanted to get off the streets and indoors, Kalembasa saw an opportunity. He sold his car and decided to get into the 360 visual business. The first client was Merchandise Mart and other Chicago landmarks soon followed while on boarding thousands of photographers across the globe.

STEM is just like the schools we grew up with

Rajiv Nathan... aka Raj Nathan... aka RajNation joins Scott Kitun and Beth Bond in-studio at WGN Radio to talk about his many career hats, his thoughts on social media, and why STEAM seems like it's just school!

Are Chicago startups playing it too safe?

Kin is a fast-growing, tech-first, property insurance company co-founded by Sean Harper. Harper goes into the weeds when it comes to finding what impacts the cost of your home insurance. For example, clean your gutters more. He’s a multi-time founder who has learned how practicality can be your friend and your enemy. Where do you draw the line when you consider how much capital you should raise?

Mediafly: Close more deals by leading with content

Mediafly is not the company it was day one. CEO Carson Conant and VP of Marketing Isabelle Papoulias are now offering up evolved selling with Mediafly. Delusional optimism was the original driving force, but after time passed, he found himself doing work for Disney. It’s a wild ride going from the early days of Mediafly, podcasting, to the pivot toward enhancing sales engagement for Fortune 1000 organizations. Quick tip: facts do better than anecdotes.

Enterprise drone usage starts to soar

Uplift President Suzanne EL-Moursi is taking companies to the skies. Using drones, Uplift collects data for enterprise businesses who need hard-to-get data. Construction companies can get a look at worksites, for example. Getting this data helps companies scale. What are some of the barriers to building a drone company? How much can drones change the game?

What happens when financial planners go into business with architects?

Co-founders Adam Hengels and Brian Ahmes built a company that thinks like a developer and designs like an architect. Say hello to Parafin. The Parafin tools help real-estate developers automate design. This saves massive amounts of time and money. The founders matches an expertise in finance and architecture. How do these co-founders share leadership?

For companies looking to grow, Theron sees the path forward

After the success of SMS assist, Alex Rothman started fielding questions about how he did it. That’s where Theron Technology Solutions was founded alongside his father, Mike Rothman. The Co-Founders teach other startups how to scale. The Theron story shows how one business can be flipped into an entirely new one. Every company has distinct needs, why isn’t the market meeting them?

Unlock the secrets to sales in 6 months with Sales Assembly

VentureSCALE Co-Founders Jeff Rosset and Matt Green join Scott in-studio at WGN Radio to talk about building sales organizations with Sales Assembly. The Chicago tech community raised $1.7 billion in 2017 but many startups struggle with getting access because they don’t understand sales.

Can Curable heal your chronic pain?

50 million American adults suffer from severe, chronic pain according to the NIH. Meanwhile, the US is caught in an opioid epidemic. Startups are finding healthier solutions to chronic pain. Curable CEO John Gribbin also suffered from years of lower-back pain. He found success in cognitive behavioral therapy. The solution to chronic pain may not be physical, but perception based.

This Dentist became a techie to provide better dental care

Dr. Rajan Sharma emigrated to the United States 30 years ago to become a dentist. He later entered the startup business to create state-of-the-art dental care clinics. Eon Clinics specialize in dental implants. Sharma has adopted new tech that has made for huge advancements.

Off The Record With Caleb Gardner: Net Neutrality

Caleb Gardner joins Scott Kitun for a bonus interview to discuss the ramifications of the FCC possibly changing net neutrality. How could this impact your internet experience? And what can you do to have your voice heard? Gardner was an organizer for the Obama campaign and is currently co-founder of 18 Coffees digital consultancy.

What does local food actually mean? This startup had to find out

FarmLogix CEO Linda Mallers is on a mission to make food commerce more transparent. Mallers is following the consumer-driven change in the food industry and helping distributors meet it. It was challenging to find interest in her startup at the get go, but Mallers found a way to break through.

Learn how to utilize your Gmail like a pro

GMass Founder Ajay Goel turns your email inbox into a marketing platform. That makes things easier, doesn’t it? Goel realized he was “living” inside Gmail and wanted to find a way to drive more value for marketers and beyond within Google’s staple service. According to Goel, email is thriving more than ever.

How to sell your data with Pearachute CEO Desiree Vargas Wrigley

Desiree Vargas Wrigley continues to build her startup Pearachute and is entering new fundraising after a recent Shark Tank appearance. Pearachute helps parents find classes to sign their kids up for. Appearing on Shark Tank wasn’t all a fairy tale, but Vargas Wrigley is a multitime founder and has lessons for any founder that’ll help them along their path.

Gesture modernizes auctions

Gesture CEO Jim Alvarez is updating the charity auction process. His company puts the pen and paper into your smartphone in order to incentivize donations and keeps people involved with text updates. Alvarez thought it was wrong to make people wait to donate money. Gesture is involved with thousands of charity events. How do they make it work?

Look out for self-serving beer taps in Chicago

Do you want to pour your own beer at the bar? Enter Josh Goodman, CEO of PourMyBeer. This startup turns dispenser systems at bars and restaurants into a self-serving tap. Currently the system is set up in Logan Square and Wicker Park and measures drinks by ounce. Hear Goodman’s early struggles and how that led him to where he is today.

Updating the Real Estate Industry with Buildout

Is commercial real estate finally getting a modern makeover? Vishu Ramanathan is the Co-Founder and CEO of Buildout. His startup is cutting away complexities in order to automate a giant market with lagging technology.

Modobag turns your luggage into a kart

Do you ever worry that you won’t make your flight? Hit the gas! Modobag is the first rideable suitcase. It also charges your phone! Kevin O’Donnell is the Co-Founder of Modobag. The bag is decked out with features that’ll make any flyer swoon. Why would you walk at the airport?

Meet your future Illinois state governor JB Pritzker

JB Pritzker, running for governor of Illinois, joins Scott in-studio to talk about the campaign and what he's going to do for tech.

TopStep Trader founder Michael Patak

TopStep Trader founder and CVO Michael Patak joins the show with host Scott Kitun.

Raise founder George Bousis continues to impress

George Bousis, founder and Chairman of Raise.com joins the show with Scott Kitun