In this episode of the Give First podcast, David Cohen sits down with longtime Techstars friend Andy Sack and former Starbucks Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman, co-CEOs of Forum3 and co-authors of AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand.

They explore why AI isn’t just another vertical, but the foundation of how companies will be built, operated, and scaled in the years ahead. Andy and Adam share insights from their work on what it means to be an “AI-native” founder, why iteration and prompting are becoming core entrepreneurial skills, and how disruption could lead to billion-dollar companies run by just a handful of people.

The conversation covers practical takeaways for entrepreneurs, lessons from their entrepreneurial journeys, and why adopting an AI-first mindset may be the difference between thriving and being left behind in the next wave of innovation.

Get Andy and Adam’s book ➡️ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8TZDR74?ref=KC_GS_GB_US

Follow Andy Sack on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andysack/

Follow Adam Brotman on LinkedIn ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambrotman/

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In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld talks with Scott Dorsey, co-founder of High Alpha and former CEO of ExactTarget, the email marketing pioneer acquired by Salesforce. Scott shares his journey from launching a startup with no technical background to building a company of 2,000 employees, going public, and running Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

The conversation dives into why relationships and core values matter as much as product and market, how emotional intelligence shapes leadership, and what it means to mentor by guiding rather than controlling. Scott also reflects on failure, empathy for founders, and the importance of playing multi-turn games in venture.

For founders wondering how to practice give first without being taken advantage of, Scott offers timeless advice: everyone can be both a mentor and a mentee, no matter where they are in their journey.

Scott Dorsey ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-dorsey-096b393/

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In this episode of the Give First podcast, Brad Feld talks with Elizabeth Gore, co-founder and president of Hello Alice, about what it takes to build and scale a platform serving over 1.5M small business owners.

Elizabeth shares how Hello Alice became a critical lifeline during COVID, launching grant programs, pivoting product builds, and creating community hubs for entrepreneurs in crisis. She reflects on the tension of running a venture-backed social enterprise, the lessons from winning a landmark federal lawsuit, and how AI and open banking could transform access to capital for underrepresented founders.

This conversation shines a light on the entrepreneurs who keep our communities running, and the technology helping them thrive.

Follow Elizabeth Gore here 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethgoreusa/

Check out Hello Alice 👉 https://helloalice.com/

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