"You have to hire for judgment." - Chris Andrew

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Chris Andrew, CEO and co-founder of Scrunch — the platform helping brands navigate the AI-first customer journey. Scrunch enables companies to monitor their brand presence, gain actionable insights, and generate AI-friendly versions of their sites to influence LLM results.

The conversation dives deep into the transformative impact of AI on customer engagement and marketing, exploring how buyer journeys are becoming increasingly AI-driven. Chris shares lessons on building adaptable teams, optimizing content for AI search, and making fast, thoughtful decisions in an environment defined by constant change.

They also discuss leadership, empathy, and how the future of commerce will shift toward personalized, chat-based experiences — redefining how brands connect with customers in an AI-powered world.

Chapters

00:00 The AI Revolution in Customer Engagement

02:23 Building an AI-First Buyer Journey

05:18 The Role of Content in AI Search

07:56 Leadership and Team Dynamics in Startups

11:14 Hiring for Growth and Adaptability

13:39 Navigating Change in a Fast-Paced Environment

16:55 The Future of Commerce and Consumer Behavior

19:33 Personal Insights and Reflections

22:27 The Journey of Building Scrunch

25:30 Patience in Product Development

28:41 Decision-Making in a Rapidly Changing Landscape

31:18 Cultural Reflections and Personal Favorites

Watch now to explore how Chris and Scrunch are helping brands stay visible, adaptive, and authentic in the era of AI-driven commerce.

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies 👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up 👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

Music by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com

#AI #Scrunch #TechScenes #CustomerJourney #Marketing #Startups #Leadership #Commerce #ContentOptimization #PeakTeams

"You’re using AI to build an AI product." - Jason Eubank

In this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Jason Eubanks, CEO and co-founder of Aurasell, the world’s first AI-native CRM built to replace Salesforce, HubSpot, and the bloated ecosystems holding teams back.

A multi-time CRO and go-to-market leader, Jason shares how years of building high-performance revenue teams inspired him to reimagine the CRM from first principles — not as another SaaS layer, but as an intelligent platform designed for how modern GTM teams actually work.

The conversation explores the future of AI in product development, how Aurasell is collapsing 15+ tools into one unified system, and why AI-native architecture is transforming how teams build, sell, and scale. Jason also discusses how his engineers and PMs use AI to accelerate innovation — from no-code AI agents to fully autonomous workflows — and what it means to unleash human potential through intelligent systems.

Chapters
00:00 The Acceleration of AI in Business
00:38 Building an AI-Native Architecture
00:44 The Fast-Paced AI Race

Watch now to hear how Aurasell is leading a new era of product development — where AI builds AI, and teams focus on what truly moves the needle.

📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies > https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™ > https://www.collective-genius.com/

⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up > https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment

Music by: andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com

#AI #Aurasell #TechScenes #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #Engineering #CRM #Startups #Leadership #PeakTeams

"You want to do well by doing good." - Austin GadientIn this episode of Tech Scenes Unplugged, Jeff Martin sits down with Anthony and Austin Gadient, the father-and-son founders of Vali Cyber — the company behind ZeroLock, the first Linux security platform to protect hypervisors against ransomware in real time.With deep experience spanning startups, software engineering, and military service, the Gadients share how they’ve built a company focused on protecting one of the most overlooked layers in cybersecurity — the hypervisor. They unpack the realities of fighting ransomware, the discipline behind risk management, and the lessons of building a business together as family.The conversation dives into the importance of communication, patience, and data-driven decision-making in scaling a sustainable company — and how Vali Cyber’s approach is transforming enterprise and defense-grade security for the Linux ecosystem.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Vali Cyber01:55 Understanding Hypervisors and Their Importance03:48 Market Focus and Competition in Cybersecurity05:44 Founding Story: Family Dynamics and Entrepreneurship07:42 The Impact of Ransomware on Society09:38 Building a Sustainable Business11:16 Organizational Structure and Military Influence15:23 Communication and Team Dynamics in Startups20:37 The Importance of Managing Risk23:25 Lessons in Patience and Persistence26:22 The Learning Loop in Growth Companies28:41 The Role of Data in Decision Making30:29 Teaching Entrepreneurship: Key Insights34:39 Future Product Developments and PatienceWatch now to hear how Anthony and Austin are redefining Linux and hypervisor protection — and what it takes to scale a mission-driven cybersecurity company from the ground up.📘 Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-Backed Companies👉 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu🌐 Visit Collective Genius™ to build your growth team with the Peak Operating System™👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/⏱️ Got 5 minutes? Take the Peak Teams Assessment to see where your team can level up👉 https://www.collective-genius.com/peak-teams-assessment#Cybersecurity #ValiCyber #ZeroLock #TechScenes #Startups #LinuxSecurity #Entrepreneurship #RansomwareProtection #Leadership #PeakTeams