In this episode of the Beyond the Build podcast, hosted by Kevin Carney of Kingsmen Software, listeners get an insightful look into Catapult, a platform revolutionizing the RFP process for businesses. Justin Witz, co-founder and CEO of Catapult, shares the journey of developing a system that drastically reduces the time and complexity associated with RFPs. The discussion covers Catapult's beginnings, its impact on various industries, and how it uses AI to improve efficiency and decision-making. The episode also dives into the challenges and breakthroughs encountered while building an enterprise-quality software solution, highlighting Catapult's role in helping companies navigate the RFP process more effectively.

Key Takeaways:

· Revolutionizing RFPs: Catapult's journey to streamline the RFP and RFQ processes, making them more efficient and less time-consuming.

· The Power of AI and Data Analytics: How Catapult leverages artificial intelligence to offer predictive insights, saving companies countless hours.

· Global Impact and Industry Adaptation: With over $340 billion worth of RFPs processed, Catapult's significant footprint across multiple sectors including finance, healthcare, and technology.

Learn more about our guest:

Justin Witz, a seasoned U.S. Air Force veteran with experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, serves as the Co-Founder

and CEO of Catapult HQ, Inc. This company offers a versatile Request for Proposal ("RFP") platform that accommodates various industries and project types, including RFPs, RFIs, RFQs, DDQs, Cybersecurity, Government, and more. Catapult HQ has garnered numerous awards both locally and globally, recognized as a leading startup to watch for its groundbreaking, time-saving technology, widely adopted by Fortune 500 companies. Catapult HQ streamlines the RFx workflow for organizations worldwide, achieving efficiency improvements of over 90% while standardizing their internal processes.

Furthermore, Justin has earned widespread acclaim for his technological contributions, particularly in the Financial Services - Retirement sector. He has developed three Target Date Solutions for prominent institutions like AllianzGI, Merrill Lynch, and the highly successful Principal Financial Group's Target Date Analyzer. Additionally, he has crafted custom solutions for Vanguard, Nationwide, and other notable entities. His work has been featured in publications by Google, Atlassian, Balsamiq, Forbes, ASPPA's Plan Consultant Magazine, Bloomberg BNA, 401kWire, 401k Help Center, StartCharlotte, and the Charlotte Business Journal. Justin has also shared his expertise on a global stage, speaking at industry-related conferences hosted by Google, Atlassian, Startup Grind, NAPA, Excel 401(k), and CFDD, covering topics such as project management, team empowerment, collaboration, entrepreneurship, and more.

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Production Credits: Produced in partnership with Mistry Projects: https://mistryprojects.com/ Connect With Us on LinkedIn

Summary:

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Kevin Carney interviews Lauren Goodell, founder and CEO of Zinnia, an AI-powered relationship intelligence platform. They discuss how Zinnia integrates with your calendar to create short "dossiers" on people you're meeting, gathering insights to help you build connections. Lauren shares her background working at Microsoft and Salesforce before founding startups, and how Zinnia uses AI like GPT-3 to summarize information. They also talk about Zinnia's future roadmap including more personalization and fun features like facial recognition at events, lessons learned from quick iteration, and supporting female founders.

Key Takeaways:

· Zinnia creates short summaries on people you're meeting to help you make meaningful connections. It integrates with your calendar and gathers insights using AI.

· Lauren believes in launching quickly and getting customer feedback early, avoiding perfectionism. She's incorporating learnings into Zinnia's future roadmap.

· Organizations like Gwen (Growing Women Entrepreneurs Network) provide important support for female founders, who get only 1.9% of VC funding.

Learn more about our guests:

Lauren Goodell is the founder and CEO of Zinnia, is an innovative, AI-powered tool designed to revolutionize meeting preparation for sales professionals. She is celebrated as one of the "100 Women to KNOW in America," by JPMorgan Chase and Top 25 Women in Business by

Charlotte Business Journal for her influential and commendable contributions in entrepreneurship and community building. From her corporate experience at Microsoft and Salesforce, to her entrepreneurial journey, her focus has centered on the power of human connection.

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Production Credits: Produced in partnership with Mistry Projects: https://mistryprojects.com/

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Summary: 

In this insightful episode of the Beyond the Building podcast, host Kevin Carney sits down with Gloria Folaron, the founder and CEO of Lean Time. The episode delves into the unique approach Lean Time brings to project management software, aiming to create a system that people genuinely want to use.

Key Topics:

1. Gloria's Background: From an ER nurse to an alpaca farmer, Gloria's diverse experiences have shaped her innovative approach to project management.
2. Lean Time's Philosophy: Focused on using behavioral science and motivational psychology, Lean Time is designed to intrinsically motivate users, prioritizing goals and strategy over mere task execution.
3. Impact of ADHD: Gloria shares personal insights on how ADHD influenced her vision for Lean Time, emphasizing cognitive accessibility and motivation.
4. The Challenge with Traditional Project Management: Discussion about the limitations and inconsistencies in traditional project management methodologies.
5. Future Plans: Gloria discusses upcoming features, integrations, and growth strategies for Lean Time, including fundraising efforts and participation in accelerator programs.

Learn more about our guests:

Gloria Folaron, Founder & Head of Product of Leantime

Little unknowns about Gloria include her experiences in using old school floor looms to weave baby carriers out of the alpaca fibers that Marcel was wrangling. Her background is as a ER and research nurse but has spent the most recent years as a project and product manager in tech focused startups.

https://www.kingsmensoftware.com/beyond-the-build-podcast/leantime

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Summary: 

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Kevin Carney sits down with Landon Glenn, the CEO of ASA Financial. Together, they explore the disruptive potential of fintech in the banking sector, the significance of ASA Financial's product 'ASA vault', and its implications for traditional banks and credit unions. Dive deep into the nuances of creating a user-centric banking experience, the importance of a robust platform infrastructure, and the future of banking as envisioned by industry pioneers.

Key Topics:

• The role of fintech in transforming the banking industry.

• How ASA vault stands out as an embedded App Store for banks and credit unions.

• The vision behind ASA Financial and its potential impact on traditional banking.

Learn more about our guests:

Landon Glenn is the CEO and founder of ASA, an embedded app store inside of the bank or credit union mobile banking app providing relevant fintech solutions that not only increase engagement, retention, new business and accounts, but also share revenue back with the financial institution. Overseeing the company vision and strategic initiatives within the organization, Landon’s primary focus is on financial empowerment and creation of opportunity.  Landon has spent his career across multiple spaces within the financial services industry. ASA is the next step to financial enablement by removing the barriers to technology adoption, democratizing access to innovation.

Production Credits:

Produced in partnership with Mistry Projects: https://mistryprojects.com/

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In this episode of Beyond The Build, host Kevin Carney invites Teddy Fitzgibbons and Mike Kerr from StreetFair, a disruptive startup that aims to make neighborhood services like gutter cleaning, lawn aeration, and other home maintenance tasks more accessible and efficient. The episode delves into how StreetFair is revolutionizing the way people approach these everyday chores by leveraging technology and community engagement.

Learn more about our guests:

StreetFair, founded in 2021, is an online service that seeks to more efficiently connect home-service providers with neighborhoods.

Teddy Fitzgibbons and co-founder Mike Kerr, both formerly with Charlotte's Passport, created StreetFair due to poor personal experiences — including the process of vetting service providers and obtaining multiple quotes.

StreetFair benefits not only residents but the home-service providers. Services are based on route density, with companies calculating the labor and gas costs to provide those services. Customers in the same neighborhood would significantly cut those costs. 

Production Credits:

Produced in partnership with Mistry Projects: https://mistryprojects.com/

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Summary: 

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Kevin Carney and David Stunja deep-dive into the world of PetScreening. They elaborate on how data and their unique platform are transforming pet screening processes for property managers. Also, they discuss the novel scoring system that provides a "FICO score" for pets. The discussion further expands to their office operations, staff engagement, and their commitment to excellent customer service. Don't miss out on this episode to understand how PetScreening is changing the property management landscape.

Learn more about our guests: 

https://www.kingsmensoftware.com/beyond-the-build-podcast/petscreening-david-stunja

Production Credits:

Produced in partnership with Mistry Projects,  https://mistryprojects.com/

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