Best Chris Eslami Podcasts (2024)

1
LIVE with Bob La Loggia, Mike Roberts and Chris Cardinal 1:01:18

2+ y ago1:01:18

1:01:18

For this episode, we partnered with Startup Grind Phoenix to put together a podcast recording in front of a LIVE audience. It's been a long time since we've hosted -- and attended -- in person events, and it was so great to meet some of our listeners in person! Anything can happen in a live event, especially with the three founders we invited to jo…

1
Aly Saxe, VP of Communications, CampusLogic - Failure, Redemption and ROFL 1:23:55

2+ y ago1:23:55

1:23:55

Aly Saxe knows how to succeed, but she also knows how to fail. More importantly, she knows how to get back up. She's weathered the challenges of raising money to make payroll to sexual harassment to calling it quits. Even after having a stroke, Aly ran her company though she barely had any feeling in the right side of her body and couldn't move any…

1
News RECAP - Week ending Oct. 22 22:06

2+ y ago22:06

22:06

This week, AirGarage, a startup founded in Tempe that's designed to improve the public parking experience, announced a $12.5 million raise led by Andreesen Horowitz. MediaKits, a startup that provides "digital resumes" for influencers, raised $1 million. We also talk about the massive amount of investment capital in Arizona. We also discuss the met…

1
Alexis Krisay & Melissa DiGianfilippo, Co-founders, Serendipit - Brands, BFFs and big ideas 1:05:07

2+ y ago1:05:07

1:05:07

Alexis Krisay and Melissa DiGianfilippo started their brand marketing agency as basically strangers, but after running a company together for 12 years, they've become BFFs. They've got a pretty good "marriage" (as they call it) because they complement each other well and never go to bed angry. They also co-host a podcast called "Will It Stick?", wh…

1
Saeed Eslami, Founder, VisualLive - Augmented reality, bootstrapping and starting from scratch 1:08:25

2+ y ago1:08:25

1:08:25

Saeed Eslami wanted to start fresh after he moved to the United States from Iran. He'd built a successful company in his home country, but he wanted to get an education and find a good job in America. He was willing to work hard and do what it takes. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. So, when he was offered a construction job after he finish…

1
News RECAP - Week ending Oct. 8 43:57

2+ y ago43:57

43:57

This week was Invest Southwest's Venture Madness, where up to 25 startups pitch to an audience for the chance to win $10,000. Hamid was at the conference and on this week's news recap, he tells me all about this year's finalists and winners. We also talk about how big tech is taking over the world. Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/JRmMHVEJLUM…

1
Alexi Venneri, Co-founder & CEO, Digital Air Strike - Company culture, car dealerships and Richard Branson's islands 51:54

2+ y ago51:54

51:54

When you ask Alexi Venneri about the challenges she's had while building Digital Air Strike, a multimillion dollar tech company, she answers with an iteration of one of the quintessential interview answers: "Our challenges have become our strengths." But the thing is, she really means it. Alexi loves her company and team, who she says are like fami…

1
News RECAP - Week ending Oct. 1 28:09

2+ y ago28:09

28:09

This week in Arizona we saw a merger between two drone data collection companies. The first is Skynetwest, which was based here in Chandler, joined forces with Mississippi-based Soaring Eagle Imaging to create Soaring Eagle Technologies. Another bit of news was that Arizona Commerce Authority announced the National Semiconductor Economic Roadmap (N…

1
Matthew Pittinsky, CEO, Parchment - Education, college admissions and Atari 1:13:06

2+ y ago1:13:06

1:13:06

Before Matthew Pittinsky was CEO of the EdTech company Parchment, he was co-founder and CEO of Blackboard, Inc., a software used by universities across the country. If you went to college in the aughts, you likely used Blackboard to submit assignments and interact with your class and professor. Matthew has been passionate about education since he w…

1
Josh Snow (Elizetxe), Snow Founder & CEO - Consumer products, SaaS and navigating success 1:19:05

2+ y ago1:19:05

1:19:05

Josh Snow (formerly Josh Elizetxe) didn't have much as a kid. He grew up in a dangerous part of Phoenix and could've easily joined a gang. Instead, he spent his afternoons in the Phoenix Public Library reading all the "For Dummies" books he could get his hands on. He taught himself to code and used his skills to start a business. By age 17, he was …

1
NEWS RECAP - Week ending Sept. 24 32:16

2+ y ago32:16

32:16

Busy week for Arizona tech news. eVisit and Nextiva raise big. Axosoft makes an acquisition and a few other announcements too. Plus we talk about national tech news from Apple, SpaceX, VW and more.By Hamid Shojaee

1
Kate Gallego, City of Phoenix Mayor - Tech, politics and the future of Arizona 51:27

2+ y ago51:27

51:27

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego made the decision to run for mayor at a time when, she says, her life was falling apart. As it turns out, she won. Now, she's the mayor of the country's 5th largest city and also the youngest mayor of a major city. Kate got into politics to make a difference in current affairs, but she stays in politics to help build a be…

1
BONUS: Hamid and Adrienne wrap up Season 1 of the AZ Tech Podcast 30:11

3y ago30:11

30:11

Hamid talks to AZ Tech Podcast producer Adrienne about their favorite parts of Season 1 and what can be expected this summer before the podcast returns with Season 2 later this year.By Hamid Shojaee

1
Chris Ronzio, Founder, Trainual 1:07:29

3y ago1:07:29

1:07:29

One day, Chris Ronzio was running a highly-profitable consulting business. The next, he launched Trainual, one of the fastest growing companies in Arizona that streamlines businesses’ training processes. Watching his mom start her own esthetician business and his dad work and travel often for his corporate job influenced Chris on his path to busine…

1
JT Marino, Co-founder, Tuft & Needle 1:47:17

3y ago1:47:17

1:47:17

Tuft & Needle co-founder JT Marino could be the poster child of how to bootstrap your way to success. When he was first exploring ideas for the type of startup he wanted to build, he and his friend and co-founder Daehee Park made a very specific set of constraints that included never raising capital. The two decided to design a way to make buying a…

1
Grant McFadden, Researcher, ASU Biodesign Institute 1:11:47

3y ago1:11:47

1:11:47

Dr. Grant McFadden is trying to find out if a virus fatal only to rabbits might also destroy cancer cells. He became interested in the myxoma virus in grad school. The virus was first released in Australia in the 1950s to try to control a massive rabbit population . Since then, Grant has turned his interest into a lifelong pursuit of understanding …

1
Greg Head, Founder & CEO, Scaling Point & Gregslist 1:09:55

3y ago1:09:55

1:09:55

Greg Head is one of the biggest champions of Arizona's tech scene. Even though he's now based out of Dallas, he runs Gregslist in Phoenix, one of the best resources for entrepreneurs, investors and founders in the valley. Not only that, but he has the experience of marketing major startups and helping them scale to multimillion dollar companies. In…

1
Chris Cardinal, Co-founder, Synapse Studios & CarbonQA 1:40:44

3y ago1:40:44

1:40:44

Chris Cardinal has a lot to say, and he proved as much on our latest podcast episode. The co-founder of Synapse Studios and CarbonQA shared his philosophy on balancing big deadlines, while also building positive culture at new companies. He talked about how CEOs of the Big 5 companies, like Elon Musk or the late Steve Jobs, aren't exactly who he lo…

1
Ibrahim Mesbah, Co-founder & CEO, RevolutionParts 1:06:33

3y ago1:06:33

1:06:33

Ibrahim Mesbah is building the Amazon of buying and selling car parts. It's a very specific market, but that's what's made his company RevolutionParts so successful. It addresses a major inefficiencies and unnecessary costs in the retail car parts market which, as it turns out, is pretty big. Ibrahim talks to Hamid about growing up in Zambia, his h…

1
Danny Jacobs, Researcher, ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration 1:19:59

3y ago1:19:59

1:19:59

Dr. Danny Jacobs is, in a way, a space explorer. As part of his research at ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration, he's trying to understand how the universe began. Danny's whole goal is to answer some of life's biggest and most basic questions, like where did we come from and how did we get here? Not only that, but he's also building satelli…

1
Pat Sullivan, Founder & CEO, Defendry 1:06:54

3y ago1:06:54

1:06:54

Pat Sullivan has built several successful companies in his almost 40-year career as an entrepreneur. One of his biggest successes was ACT, the very first CRM software. With his newest venture Defendry, Pat is trying to literally save lives by using AI and drones to reduce the number of people killed in mass shootings. Even though the pandemic broug…

1
Clate Mask, Co-founder & CEO, Keap 1:15:37

3y ago1:15:37

1:15:37

Keap, formerly known as Infusionsoft, is one of Arizona’s most successful software companies, but the company's had really high highs and really low lows. In this episode of AZ Tech Podcast, Keap co-founder Clate Mask shares the intimate and emotional roller coaster that comes with building a $100 million revenue SaaS company, including the three y…

1
BONUS: Hamid and Adrienne talk startups, challenges, fundraising and more 1:15:50

3y ago1:15:50

1:15:50

This week, Hamid talks to AZ Tech producer Adrienne St. Clair about what it takes to build, lead and exit a startup.By Hamid Shojaee

1
Mike Roberts and Bob La Loggia Return 1:53:01

3y ago1:53:01

1:53:01

We're trying something a little different this week. Hamid invites Mike Roberts and Bob LaLoggia back on the podcast to "shoot the shit." They discuss the nature of a founder, how to be happy and they actually do end up talking about shit. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OEJ54oYtEw0By Hamid Shojaee

1
Jamie Baxter, Co-founder & CEO, Qwick 1:05:41

3y ago1:05:41

1:05:41

Jamie Baxter's company Qwick was almost a casualty of the pandemic. As an on-demand staffing startup for food and beverage contract employees, the shutdown of the food and beverage industry was nearly a death sentence. But Jamie and his team got creative to stay alive and now Qwick is doing better than ever. In this episode, Jamie tells Hamid the w…

1
Howard Lindzon, Partner, Social Leverage 1:25:54

3y ago1:25:54

1:25:54

Howard Lindzon is an expert in investing and has bet on a wide range of startups, from Robinhood to Manscaped. In this episode, Hamid and Howard talk about investment strategies, the problem with millennials and why Jurassic Park is a great model for the stock market. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=432exTPtWYY…

1
Introducing AZ Tech Podcast 4:38

3y ago4:38

4:38

We're 11 episodes in on the AZ Tech Podcast and we're having the best time. The conversations have been insightful, inspiring, funny, emotional and raw. Here's a quick glimpse into what's happened so far. If you love the podcast, share this promo with your friends and family. Also, let us know what you think by giving us a rating and leaving a revi…

1
Kelly Smith, Founder & CEO, Prenda 1:08:51

3y ago1:08:51

1:08:51

Kelly Smith is changing the way America thinks about education. He founded Prenda, a company that empowers parents to choose the learning that's best for their children. Listen to Hamid and Kelly talk about Prenda's explosive growth, the education system and its flaws, and random topics like Nuclear Physics, which happens to be another one of Kelly…

1
Kate Rogers Sieker, Executive Director, PHX StartupWeek 1:16:40

3y ago1:16:40

1:16:40

Kate Sieker loves Arizona. Like really loves Arizona. She loves it so much that she's made it her job to convince others to love Arizona, too. One of Kate's projects is PHX StartupWeek, where she's the executive director. The week-long conference at the end of April will be virtual for the first time ever. She's still got a lot of work, but she lov…

1
Romi Dhillon, CEO, Co-Founder, Sonoran Founders Fund 1:25:51

3y ago1:25:51

1:25:51

Romi Dhillon believes in Arizona’s potential to produce startups that can deliver what he calls “Bay-area results.” In fact, that belief is the foundation of Romi’s mission at Sonoran Founders Fund. One of the most important questions he asks himself when analyzing a potential investment is, “Is there a chance to be a disruption here?” In this epis…

1
Brad Thomas, Co-Founder, Evercast 1:35:10

3y ago1:35:10

1:35:10

Brad Thomas's company Evercast grew more than 10x during the pandemic. How did that happen? Hamid talks to Brad about things like Evercast's success over the past year, the intense fear entrepreneurs experience and his advice to overcome bumps in the road. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGz7p1PQC_0&t=106s…

1
Francine Hardaway, Co-founder, Stealthmode Partners 1:15:37

3y ago1:15:37

1:15:37

Francine Hardaway is a force to be reckoned with. She's always known how to make things happen, though she credits a lot of the success she's had in her life to karma. During the pandemic, Francine became a beta user for Clubhouse. Now she credits the growing tech app with helping her through. Francine turns 80 years old this year, but she has no i…

1
Gregg Scoresby, Founder & CEO, CampusLogic 1:29:09

3y ago1:29:09

1:29:09

Gregg Scoresby wants to be the most active investor in Arizona, but he'd love for someone to give him a run for his money. Gregg is passionate about the Arizona tech community and hopes to see it continue to grow. But he's not just on the lookout for the next great Arizona startup. He's also running CampusLogic, a multimillion dollar tech startup b…

1
Mat Sherman, Entrepreneur, Podcaster 1:27:42

3y ago1:27:42

1:27:42

Mat Sherman knows how to hustle. He calls himself a "startup guy," because he's so passionate about startups, entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley. He's willing to do what it takes to make things happen, and his latest venture is a podcast all about founders across the country and how they do what they do. Hamid and Mat discuss things like Mat's passio…

1
Jenny Poon, Founder & CEO, CO+HOOTS/HUUB 1:14:31

3y ago1:14:31

1:14:31

Jenny Poon has been running CO+HOOTS, a co-working space in Phoenix, with her husband for more than 10 years. During that time, she's found several opportunities to give back to her community by helping fledgling entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Now, Jenny has launched HUUB, which is a platform to provide entrepreneurs from all backgrounds with…

1
Mike Roberts, Founder, SpyFu 1:43:58

3y ago1:43:58

1:43:58

This discussion is guaranteed to entertain! Hamid interviews Mike Roberts, founder of Arizona-based SpyFu, an ad-tech and SEO tools company for marketing teams. Discussions range from how he built his company, to his investment strategies, to homeschooling his kids and even the new Electric motorcycle he just bought. Watch the episode on YouTube: h…

1
Todd Belfer, Managing Partner, Canal Partners 1:03:07

3y ago1:03:07

1:03:07

Hamid and Todd Belfer discuss investing strategies, the stock market, and Bitcoin. Belfer also opens up about the wins (and losses) he’s seen in his long investing career. Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmxQ3LreGAQ&t=1122sBy Hamid Shojaee, Todd Belfer

1
Bob La Loggia, Founder, Appointment Plus 1:15:40

3y ago1:15:40

1:15:40

Your host, Hamid Shojaee (https://twitter.com/hamids) interviews Bob La Loggia, founder of Arizona-based Appointment Plus, an appointment scheduling software company. Discussions range from the sale of his company to the stock market, to due diligence to world problems and even the Gamestop stock. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.c…