Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

Former journalist turned Silicon Valley dealmaker and entrepreneur Keith Newman talks with Founders, Innovators and Influencers who share their stories of success, pain and impact with a bit of humor and nostalgia mixed in. Hear from great leaders of the past along with some of the latest founders and growth strategists like Maverick Mark Cuban, SuperAngel Ron Conway, Ann Winblad, Mitch Kapor, Steve Blank and Founders of GameStop, Ancestry, JotForm, Fry's, Intuit, and more. Find 150+ Episodes https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD

Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights is a business podcast hosted by Keith, with 147 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Keith hosts Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights, a business show with 147 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

  The Hidden Problem Behind Every IPO (And How It's Being Fixed) | Rob Schoder

  Aug 17, 202635 min

  Most founders never think about transfer agents... until they become a problem. In this episode of Liftoff with Keith Newman, Keith sits down with Rob Schoder, Co-Founder & CEO of Vinyl Equity, to discuss why one of the most important pieces of capital markets infrastructure has remained stuck in the past—and how modern technology is changing it. Drawing from his experience leading portfolio operations at AngelList, Rob explains why outdated shareholder systems create unnecessary friction for founders, investors, and public companies, and how Vinyl is building the next generation of ownership infrastructure. In this episode you'll learn: Why transfer agents are critical to every public company The biggest challenges companies face during IPOs How legacy infrastructure slows innovation Why API-first platforms are changing capital markets The growing role of AI in shareholder management Lessons from building a regulated fintech startup Why founders should market their wins earlier What the future of capital markets could look like Whether you're a founder, CFO, investor, legal professional, or fintech enthusiast, this conversation offers valuable insights into the technology powering modern equity ownership. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/ Connect with Rob: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwsjr/ Website: https://www.vinylequity.com/ Vinyl Equity LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinyl-equity/home/ Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithNewman285 Website: https://liftoffwithkeith.com/ Want to build a high-growth company without falling into the administration trap? Subscribe to Liftoff with Keith and follow for weekly conversations with the founders building what's next.

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  Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

  Growth Doesn't Kill Startups. Management Does | Hunter Hastings

  Aug 11, 202630 min

  What if the biggest threat to your startup isn't competition, funding, or even product-market fit—but your own management team? In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, I sit down with entrepreneur, investor, and author Hunter Hastings to explore one of the most important—and controversial—ideas in modern entrepreneurship. Hunter is the co-author of Venture Mode: Escape the Administration Trap by Finding and Unleashing Entrepreneurial Leaders, where he argues that companies rarely fail because they grow too quickly. Instead, they lose the entrepreneurial behaviors that made them successful in the first place. As organizations scale, speed gives way to bureaucracy, customer obsession is replaced by internal process, and entrepreneurial leaders become administrators. We dive into what Hunter calls "The Administration Trap"—and how founders can avoid it. In this episode we discuss: Why management—not growth—is often what kills startups The earliest warning signs that bureaucracy is taking over How founders can add structure without losing entrepreneurial culture Why customer value—not internal metrics—should drive every decision How to identify and empower entrepreneurial leaders inside your company Why traditional MBA thinking often fails founders Cash flow, value creation, and building resilient businesses How AI is changing the economics of startups and leadership The biggest misconceptions founders and investors have about scaling companies Hunter's personal lessons from decades as a CEO, investor, executive, and educator If you're a founder, executive, investor, or anyone leading a growing company, this conversation offers a fresh framework for scaling without sacrificing innovation. Connect with Keith If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another founder or operator. Follow Liftoff with Keith for conversations with the entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators building the future. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Hunter: Book: Venture Mode: Escape the Administration Trap by Finding and Unleashing Entrepreneurial Leaders https://www.amazon.in/Venture-Mode-Administration-Unleashing-Entrepreneurial-ebook/dp/B0FQWF2FP5 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterhastings/ Website: https://venturemode.biz/ Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 Substack : https://keithnewman.substack.com/ Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithNewman285 Website: https://liftoffwithkeith.com/ Want to build a high-growth company without falling into the administration trap? Subscribe to Liftoff with Keith and follow for weekly conversations with the founders building what's next.

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  Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

  The AI Assistant That Actually Gets Work Done | Jean-Denis Greze, Town

  Aug 4, 202653 min

  What if your AI assistant didn't just answer questions—but actually understood how you work and helped get things done? In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, Keith sits down with Jean-Denis Greze, Co-Founder & CEO of Town, to explore the future of personalized AI assistants and what it takes to build AI that can work across the tools people already use. The conversation dives into how AI can move beyond the traditional chatbot experience to help manage tasks, workflows, email, calendars, and more—while learning from the context of how each person actually works. Jean-Denis also shares insights into building an AI product, the challenges of creating a truly useful assistant, and the broader opportunity to make AI more accessible to everyday users and businesses. If you're interested in AI, AI assistants, startups, productivity, entrepreneurship, and the future of work, this episode is for you. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/ Connect with Jean-Denis: Website: https://www.town.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeandenisgreze/ Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithNewman285- Website: https://liftoffwithkeith.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share.

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  Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

  From Combat Logistics to Autonomous Freight: Building the Future of Road-to-Rail | Kevin Damoa

  Jul 27, 202631 min

  What do Iraq, SpaceX, the EV boom, and autonomous freight have in common? In this episode of Liftoff, Keith sits down with Kevin Damoa , Army combat veteran and founder & CEO of Glīd, to explore the future of logistics and the technology transforming how freight moves between road and rail. Kevin shares how nearly 25 years of logistics experience, including military logistics, SpaceX, and leadership roles across the EV industry, inspired him to tackle one of the biggest challenges in global supply chains: making rail transportation more accessible. We discuss how Glīd is building autonomous vehicles designed to streamline the road-to-rail transition, why the company has focused on building more cost-efficiently, and how Kevin's experiences at SpaceX shaped his approach to culture, innovation, and solving seemingly impossible problems. Kevin also shares lessons on: Building hard tech with limited capital Why culture can make or break a startup The importance of solving customer pain before commercialization How to evaluate risk before launching an MVP The future of autonomous freight and physical AI Why logistics is facing a growing labor and infrastructure challenge What SpaceX taught him about belief, ingenuity, and making the impossible possible From combat logistics to rocket logistics to autonomous freight, this is a conversation about building technology that could fundamentally change how the world moves. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/Connect with Kevin Damoa: Website: https://www.glidtech.us/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-a-damoa-9b514770 Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith Website: https://liftoffwithkeith.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share.

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  Liftoff with Keith: Conversations with Super Founders and Growth Experts sharing useful insights

  How Physical AI Will Transform Manufacturing | Paul Powers, CEO of Physna | The Liftoff

  Jul 20, 202630 min

  What if AI could understand the physical world as well as it understands text? In this episode of The Liftoff, Keith sits down with Paul Powers, CEO & Co-Founder of Physna, to explore why the next wave of AI won't just generate content—it will understand objects, manufacturing, engineering, and supply chains. Paul explains how Physna's "Physical DNA" technology enables AI to understand 3D objects, helping companies dramatically improve product design, procurement, robotics, digital twins, and manufacturing intelligence. The conversation also covers reshoring manufacturing, AI infrastructure, startup timing, and why physical AI could become one of the biggest technology shifts of the decade. In this episode: What Physical AI actually means How Physna teaches computers to understand 3D objects Why AI struggles with the physical world today Saving manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars Digital twins, robotics & engineering AI The future of manufacturing and reshoring AI, 3D printing & security challenges Startup lessons from building deep-tech companies Why timing matters more than most founders realize If you enjoy conversations about AI, startups, innovation, deep technology, and entrepreneurship, don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and Share. Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/ Connect with Trip Hawkins: Website: https://www.ea.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triphawkins/ Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith Website: https://liftoffwithkeith.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Subscribe and Share. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #PhysicalAI #Physna #PaulPowers #Manufacturing #Engineering #Robotics #DigitalTwins #SupplyChain #Innovation #DeepTech #Startup #Entrepreneurship #TheLiftoff

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