Building Fires

#56 Founder - Roper | Maeve Garigan

Maeve Garigan is an extremely successful entrepreneur who holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Her company, Roper, is Leading the development and commercialization of high-value technology for smart and sustainable beef production. In other words, they've created a high-tech ear-chip for cattle that allows ranchers to track their whereabouts and vitals. This leads to a much higher quality of beef and makes the rancher's job much easier. Over the years she has h...

#55 Founders - Lazarus 3D | Jacques & Smriti Zaneveld

Smriti & Jacques Zaneveld are two of the most brilliant minds that I've ever had the privilege of speaking to, let alone interviewing. Combined, they have about 40 awards, degrees, masters, PhD's, etc. and they have brought their powers together for the greater good. They currently run Lazarus 3D which is a 3D printing company that creates body parts (blood vessels, tissue, and all) to enable surgeons to master their surgical abilities. Right now, your surgeon more than likely practiced thei...

#57 Founders - Lazarus 3D | Jacques & Smriti Zaneveld

Smriti & Jacques Zaneveld are two of the most brilliant minds that I've ever had the privilege of speaking to, let alone interviewing. Combined, they have about 40 awards, degrees, masters, PhD's, etc. and they have brought their powers together for the greater good. They currently run Lazarus 3D which is a 3D printing company that creates body parts (blood vessels, tissue, and all) to enable surgeons to master their surgical abilities. Right now, your surgeon more than likely practiced thei...

#56 PinkDear CEO | Heather Pink

For the past 10+ years Heather Pink has worked in the world Sports and now she's moved on to create her own company. Heather spent years as a reporter and editor for Fox Sports & Time Warner until she was hired by the NFL. Heather quickly rose the ranks and became a producer for NFL Fantasy Live and was put in charge of social media for the NFL Fantasy Football accounts. She realized she wanted to work for herself so she and a colleague left and started pinkdearllc.com Listen in and follow...

#54 PinkDear CEO | Heather Pink

For the past 10+ years Heather Pink has worked in the world Sports and now she's moved on to create her own company. Heather spent years as a reporter and editor for Fox Sports & Time Warner until she was hired by the NFL. Heather quickly rose the ranks and became a producer for NFL Fantasy Live and was put in charge of social media for the NFL Fantasy Football accounts. She realized she wanted to work for herself so she and a colleague left and started pinkdearllc.com Listen in and follow...

#55 CEO - SurviVR | Brian Hoang

Brian Hoang is a master of VR and AR technology....so much so that in college he founded the Society for VR and the Society for AR. During his college career he also got started on his first VR company and the rest is history. Since then, Brian has worked at multiple VC firms (soaking up all the information he needed for fundraising), created a new company VR company, and then pivoted to create what is now Survivr. Survivr is the ultimate VR experience for law enforcement and first responde...

#53 CEO - SurviVR | Brian Hoang

Brian Hoang is a master of VR and AR technology....so much so that in college he founded the Society for VR and the Society for AR. During his college career he also got started on his first VR company and the rest is history. Since then, Brian has worked at multiple VC firms (soaking up all the information he needed for fundraising), created a new company VR company, and then pivoted to create what is now Survivr. Survivr is the ultimate VR experience for law enforcement and first responde...

#52 Founder - Labdoor | Neil Thanedar

Neil Thanedar graduated from college and immediately got to work. His company, Labdoor, is arguably the best company on the planet when it comes to independent research of the supplement industry. I actually purchased a pre-workout off of their website before recording this interview (and if you can get a broke startup-founder like me to spend $40+ on something online, then you know you have a quality product). They have made millions of dollars, raised $7M in funding from notable investors ...

#54 Founder - Labdoor | Neil Thanedar

Neil Thanedar graduated from college and immediately got to work. His company, Labdoor, is arguably the best company on the planet when it comes to independent research of the supplement industry. I actually purchased a pre-workout off of their website before recording this interview (and if you can get a broke startup-founder like me to spend $40+ on something online, then you know you have a quality product). They have made millions of dollars, raised $7M in funding from notable investors ...

#51 Co-Founder @ CrossNet | Chris Meade

The storyline for the company that was created by Chris Meade and his friends almost sounds made up. They wrote out a list of company ideas and the final thing they didn't erase was '4-way Volleyball'. They quit their jobs, moved away from home, and years later they have millions in sales. Sounds like a fantasy company, right? Well, Chris and his team have endured so much over the years and sacrificed everything to get to this point. Throughout the podcast, we cover their years of dedicatio...

#53 Co-Founder @ CrossNet | Chris Meade

The storyline for the company that was created by Chris Meade and his friends almost sounds made up. They wrote out a list of company ideas and the final thing they didn't erase was '4-way Volleyball'. They quit their jobs, moved away from home, and years later they have millions in sales. Sounds like a fantasy company, right? Well, Chris and his team have endured so much over the years and sacrificed everything to get to this point. Throughout the podcast, we cover their years of dedicatio...

#52 CEO of Kanna - Farhaj Mayan

This week I interviewed Farhaj Mayan, CEO & Founder at Kanna (hirekanna.com), and their company helps people find gigs/jobs in the Cannabis industry. Farhaj is one of those stop-at-nothing-to-succeed entrepreneurs and he actually fell on this new company by accident. He previously was running a mobile app for barbers called Fade, already was thinking of transitioning in a different direction, and then he stumbled upon a huge gap in such a growing industry. Throughout the podcast, Farhaj dis...

#50 CEO of Kanna - Farhaj Mayan

This week I interviewed Farhaj Mayan, CEO & Founder at Kanna (hirekanna.com), and their company helps people find gigs/jobs in the Cannabis industry. Farhaj is one of those stop-at-nothing-to-succeed entrepreneurs and he actually fell on this new company by accident. He previously was running a mobile app for barbers called Fade, already was thinking of transitioning in a different direction, and then he stumbled upon a huge gap in such a growing industry. Throughout the podcast, Farhaj dis...

-WeStrive Holiday Break-

Hey all! The WeStrive App launches this week (sign up at WeStriveApp.com) so our team has decided to take a few weeks off from the WeStrive Podcast. We also want to make sure that the guests we interviewed have listeners (since everyone will be home for the holidays). Thanks again and subscribe if you haven't! See you in a few weeks. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/westrive/support

#51 Co-Founder InHouse produce | Andrew Blume & Trevor Hudson

Andrew Blume & Trevor Hudson are two amazing entrepreneurs that are transforming the ag-tech industry. Trevor is a software engineer who grew up in Asia and speaks fluent Mandarin. Andrew has amassed 10,000 ag-tech hours and has worked in the ag-tech industry with companies like Microsoft, Philips, Ikea, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Southern Company, Agritecture, Square Roots, the Mayor's Office of Atlanta, LACI, Plenty, Aerofarms, and more. What is their product? Using a combinat...

#49 Co-Founder InHouse produce | Andrew Blume & Trevor Hudson

Andrew Blume & Trevor Hudson are two amazing entrepreneurs that are transforming the ag-tech industry. Trevor is a software engineer who grew up in Asia and speaks fluent Mandarin. Andrew has amassed 10,000 ag-tech hours and has worked in the ag-tech industry with companies like Microsoft, Philips, Ikea, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Southern Company, Agritecture, Square Roots, the Mayor's Office of Atlanta, LACI, Plenty, Aerofarms, and more. What is their product? Using a combinat...

WeStrive: The Entrepreneurship Podcast (Trailer)

#50 Cory Mckane - WeStrive Founder

For our 50th episode, I'm flipping things around and actually posting an interview of myself getting interviewed by Axel York (episode 49). Throughout the episode, I speak about my journey to get WeStrive to where it is today, all the hurdles I've had to go through, the different lessons I've learned along the way, and so much more. Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness...

#48 Cory Mckane - WeStrive Founder

For our 50th episode, I'm flipping things around and actually posting an interview of myself getting interviewed by Axel York (episode 49). Throughout the episode, I speak about my journey to get WeStrive to where it is today, all the hurdles I've had to go through, the different lessons I've learned along the way, and so much more. Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness...

#49 CEO - Cloud Sherpas | Axel York

Axel has been ambitious and adventurous all his life so it makes that when his boss brought up expanding into Asia, he was the first one to raise his hand to volunteer. Moving a business, getting office space, hiring employees, and growing a company may be one of the most difficult things a human being can do...now imagine doing that all in the Philippines. After years of doing this in the Phillippines for another company, (and a successful ongoing career at V3 Electric) he decided it was ti...

#47 CEO - Qloud Sherpas | Axel York

Axel has been ambitious and adventurous all his life so it makes that when his boss brought up expanding into Asia, he was the first one to raise his hand to volunteer. Moving a business, getting office space, hiring employees, and growing a company may be one of the most difficult things a human being can do...now imagine doing that all in the Philippines. After years of doing this in the Phillippines for another company, (and a successful ongoing career at V3 Electric) he decided it was ti...

#49 CEO - Qloud Sherpas | Axel York

Axel has been ambitious and adventurous all his life so it makes that when his boss brought up expanding into Asia, he was the first one to raise his hand to volunteer. Moving a business, getting office space, hiring employees, and growing a company may be one of the most difficult things a human being can do...now imagine doing that all in the Philippines. After years of doing this in the Phillippines for another company, (and a successful ongoing career at V3 Electric) he decided it was ti...

#46 CEO - JetCet Lifestyle Backpacks | Nick Ordoñez

Nick Ordoñez was introduced to me by a previous interviewee, Brodi Nicholas (episode #35), since Nick's company does a lot of work with Brodi's Cancer charity, campaignoaat.org. Nick runs an amazing travel/lifestyle backpacking company called Jetcet that he started several years ago. His passion for travel and hard work are what forged his company and those ambitions all started as a little kid. Nick's best friend/brother has down-syndrome and that had a big impact on how Nick lived his life...

#48 CEO - JetCet Lifestyle Backpacks | Nick Ordoñez

Nick Ordoñez was introduced to me by a previous interviewee, Brodi Nicholas (episode #35), since Nick's company does a lot of work with Brodi's Cancer charity, campaignoaat.org. Nick runs an amazing travel/lifestyle backpacking company called Jetcet that he started several years ago. His passion for travel and hard work are what forged his company and those ambitions all started as a little kid. Nick's best friend/brother has down-syndrome and that had a big impact on how Nick lived his life...

#45 Kanye's CTO, CEO - Number 5 | Adam Ayers - Part 2

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's...

#47 Kanye's CTO, CEO - Number 5 | Adam Ayers - Part 2

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's...

#46 Kanye's CTO, CEO - Number 5 | Adam Ayers - Part 1

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's...

#44 Kanye's CTO, CEO - Number 5 | Adam Ayers - Part 1

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's...

#43 SEO Legend, CEO-GoPure Brands | Alex Keyan

Alex is actually the former Co-Founder of David Levich's (Episode #1) earlier company before SunStaches. David introduced me to Alex and told me that Alex is not only one of the best guys he knows, but he's also a wizard with SEO...so, of course, I wanted to get him on the podcast. After years of helping grow the company (now called Sunstaches), Alex decided he wanted to go off on his own. He launched GoPureBrands back in 2006 and he hasn't looked back since. As the CEO/Founder, Alex takes ...

#45 SEO Legend, CEO-GoPure Brands | Alex Keyan

Alex is actually the former Co-Founder of David Levich's (Episode #1) earlier company before SunStaches. David introduced me to Alex and told me that Alex is not only one of the best guys he knows, but he's also a wizard with SEO...so, of course, I wanted to get him on the podcast. After years of helping grow the company (now called Sunstaches), Alex decided he wanted to go off on his own. He launched GoPureBrands back in 2006 and he hasn't looked back since. As the CEO/Founder, Alex takes ...

#44 Top Angel Investor | Christopher Grey

After founding/selling multiple companies, Christopher Grey decided to get into Angel investing. Now, he has one of the best angel rates there is with only 3 out of 40 of his investments failing. Typically, around 50-90% of Angel investments end up failing so his rate of only 7.5% is insane. Throughout the episode, we cover his company CapLinked, what it's like to be an angel investor, how to properly vet companies, and what it takes to succeed in the entrepreneurial world. For more inform...

#42 Top Angel Investor | Christopher Grey

After founding/selling multiple companies, Christopher Grey decided to get into Angel investing. Now, he has one of the best angel rates there is with only 3 out of 40 of his investments failing. Typically, around 50-90% of Angel investments end up failing so his rate of only 7.5% is insane. Throughout the episode, we cover his company CapLinked, what it's like to be an angel investor, how to properly vet companies, and what it takes to succeed in the entrepreneurial world. For more inform...

#41 Founder Instasteam | Ari Hirsch

Ari was traveling through Europe when he realized that his closed were constantly wrinkled. He thought to himself, "why isn't there a portable solution for steeming your clothes?". Well, after he got back to the United States, he started working on just that. In just a few months he already had a prototype ready to go and a few months after that his product was featured on HSN. Tune in this week to hear his story on how he created Instasteam and how he's going to change the world of steaming...

#43 Founder Instasteam | Ari Hirsch

Ari was traveling through Europe when he realized that his closed were constantly wrinkled. He thought to himself, "why isn't there a portable solution for steeming your clothes?". Well, after he got back to the United States, he started working on just that. In just a few months he already had a prototype ready to go and a few months after that his product was featured on HSN. Tune in this week to hear his story on how he created Instasteam and how he's going to change the world of steaming...

#42 COO/Co-Founder @ FitSpot | Sammy Courtright

Sammy Courtright and her Co-Founder have taken FitSpot from nothing and transformed it into one of the top Corporate Fitness Platforms on the planet. They recently raised their Series A funding (Congrats to them) and are in the process of revamping FitSpot. Listen in to hear about what it takes to grow a company, how/when to pivot, and where FitSpot is going in the next few years. Check them out at https://fitspotwellness.com/ Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if y...

#40 COO/Co-Founder @ FitSpot | Sammy Courtright

Sammy Courtright and her Co-Founder have taken FitSpot from nothing and transformed it into one of the top Corporate Fitness Platforms on the planet. They recently raised their Series A funding (Congrats to them) and are in the process of revamping FitSpot. Listen in to hear about what it takes to grow a company, how/when to pivot, and where FitSpot is going in the next few years. Check them out at https://fitspotwellness.com/ Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if y...

#41 Founded 15+ Companies | Gabriel Stein

Gabriel Stein has been around the block a few times. This guy has started more than 15 successful companies and he isn't slowing down anytime soon. Basically, he finds a problem in the world and then he solves it. At the core of entrepreneurship, this is exactly what you're supposed to do.  A few of his companies, Helpful Systems (https://www.helpfulsystems.com/) and Pure Web Services (https://www.purewebservices.com/) have been around for years and have helped countless entrepreneurs/busin...

#39 Founded 15+ Companies | Gabriel Stein

Gabriel Stein has been around the block a few times. This guy has started more than 15 successful companies and he isn't slowing down anytime soon. Basically, he finds a problem in the world and then he solves it. At the core of entrepreneurship, this is exactly what you're supposed to do.  A few of his companies, Helpful Systems (https://www.helpfulsystems.com/) and Pure Web Services (https://www.purewebservices.com/) have been around for years and have helped countless entrepreneurs/busin...

#40 Over $200M Ad Spent | Jack Paxton

Jack Paxton has been involved in the marketing world for years. After gaining almost a decade of experience, he decided it was time to open his own shop. His marketing company, including his own experience, have spent nearly 200 Million Dollars on ads amongst Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more.....200....Million....Dollars. That's a lot of coin, so I think Jack knows what he's talking about. In addition to spending 1/5 a billion on ads, Jack also runs RGrowth, a Software company with mul...

#38 Over $200M Ad Spent | Jack Paxton

Jack Paxton has been involved in the marketing world for years. After gaining almost a decade of experience, he decided it was time to open his own shop. His marketing company, including his own experience, have spent nearly 200 Million Dollars on ads amongst Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more.....200....Million....Dollars. That's a lot of coin, so I think Jack knows what he's talking about. In addition to spending 1/5 a billion on ads, Jack also runs RGrowth, a Software company with mul...

#37 Celebrity Trainer/Founder- Zoned | Phil Catudal

Phil Catudal is many things. He's a father of three, has his MBA, is a celebrity personal trainer, he survived cancer, he created and exited a nutrition company, and he still finds time in life for friends & family.  This podcast takes you on a journey through Phil's life and how he got to where he is today. The most important things in Phil's life are his family, friends, and helping people achieve their goals. Read more about Phil and purchase his new book - Just Your Type - https://train...

#39 Celebrity Trainer/Founder- Zoned | Phil Catudal

Phil Catudal is many things. He's a father of three, has his MBA, is a celebrity personal trainer, he survived cancer, he created and exited a nutrition company, and he still finds time in life for friends & family.  This podcast takes you on a journey through Phil's life and how he got to where he is today. The most important things in Phil's life are his family, friends, and helping people achieve their goals. Read more about Phil and purchase his new book - Just Your Type - https://train...

#36 Former SEO Lead AirBnb/PayPal | Tommy Griffith

Tommy ran SEO for both AirBnb & PayPal so he obviously knows what he's doing when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Several years ago he decided to branch off on his own and create the company ClickMinded. To date, ClickMinded has helped 1000's of entrepreneurs and business owners dominate SEO rankings over the years. On this podcast, Tommy takes us through his journey going from a high-end job at AirBnb to all of a sudden being on his own. How will he do in the entrepreneur wor...

#38 Former SEO Lead AirBnb/PayPal | Tommy Griffith

Tommy ran SEO for both AirBnb & PayPal so he obviously knows what he's doing when it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Several years ago he decided to branch off on his own and create the company ClickMinded. To date, ClickMinded has helped 1000's of entrepreneurs and business owners dominate SEO rankings over the years. On this podcast, Tommy takes us through his journey going from a high-end job at AirBnb to all of a sudden being on his own. How will he do in the entrepreneur wor...

#35 | $800K Indiegogo/PrepDeck Founder | Alexander Eburne

Alexander created Prepdeck based on his love for cooking and the need he found for more organization/tools in the kitchen. After a long creation/design/building process, they decided to launch an Indiegogo. To date, they've raised over $800,000 for prepdeck and are one of the most sought after cooking tools on the planet. I hope you learn a lot from this podcast and if you want to learn more about prepdeck you can visit the link below! https://www.prepdeck.com/ Be sure to check out the WeS...

#37 | $800K Indiegogo/PrepDeck Founder | Alexander Eburne

Alexander created Prepdeck based on his love for cooking and the need he found for more organization/tools in the kitchen. After a long creation/design/building process, they decided to launch an Indiegogo. To date, they've raised over $800,000 for prepdeck and are one of the most sought after cooking tools on the planet. I hope you learn a lot from this podcast and if you want to learn more about prepdeck you can visit the link below! https://www.prepdeck.com/ Be sure to check out the WeS...

#36 CEO of Vinder | Sam Lillie

After hiking from Mexico to Canada, Sam found himself in Port Orchard, WA. During a Town Hall meeting, he noticed that people in his city had a very difficult time getting fresh fruits and vegetables. On his way home he asked a guy with an apple tree if he could sell the apples for him. After speaking with dozens of people at the gym, Sam found a buyer and Vinder was born. What started off as Sam on his bike running his neighbor-made produce buy/sell/trade platform turned into a viral sensat...

#34 CEO of Vinder | Sam Lillie

After hiking from Mexico to Canada, Sam found himself in Port Orchard, WA. During a Town Hall meeting, he noticed that people in his city had a very difficult time getting fresh fruits and vegetables. On his way home he asked a guy with an apple tree if he could sell the apples for him. After speaking with dozens of people at the gym, Sam found a buyer and Vinder was born. What started off as Sam on his bike running his neighbor-made produce buy/sell/trade platform turned into a viral sensat...

#33 Cancer Charity CEO | Brodi Nicholas

Brodi Nicholas is a wonderful human being who runs a company that helps kids with cancer and other deadly diseases. It all started when he noticed that the girl who lived across the street from him, who used to play Basketball outside everyday, all of a sudden just wasn’t outside. Brodi discovered that she was diagnosed with leukemia and he was determined to do what he could to help. All she wanted to do was swim with her friends, ride a bike again, and learn to play the drums. He rallied hi...

#35 Cancer Charity CEO | Brodi Nicholas

Brodi Nicholas is a wonderful human being who runs a company that helps kids with cancer and other deadly diseases. It all started when he noticed that the girl who lived across the street from him, who used to play Basketball outside everyday, all of a sudden just wasn’t outside. Brodi discovered that she was diagnosed with leukemia and he was determined to do what he could to help. All she wanted to do was swim with her friends, ride a bike again, and learn to play the drums. He rallied hi...