School for Startups Radio

May 26, 2025 – Phillies Co-Owner Stan Middleman and Former Editor of Entrepreneur Magazine Amy Cosper

Stanley C. Middleman – Founder & CEO of Freedom Mortgage and Author of Seeing Around Corners: Achieving Success in Business and Life
Stanley C. Middleman is the founder and serves as the President and CEO of Freedom Mortgage, one of the largest and fastest-growing, independent mortgage companies in the country. He is a nationally recognized business strategist, investor, and philanthropist, with nearly 40 years of experience within the mortgage banking industry. Since founding Freedom Mortgage in 1990, Stan has grown the company into one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, both as an originator and servicer. Additionally, Stan is an investor and Vice Chairman of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. Stan’s biography, “Seeing Around Corners,” published by Forbes Books, chronicles his career and shares lessons for entrepreneurs and leaders. In 2024, for the fourth time in a row, Freedom Mortgage was honored with the Top Workplaces USA Award. Stan is a self-made titan in the mortgage industry and has lots of insights to share with budding entrepreneurs, students, and leaders. He enjoys speaking with students and has spoken at Temple (his alma mater), and will soon speak at Drexel, and Rowan College.Amy Cosper – Head of Content at Bizee, Former Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine and Author of The Ultimate Guide to Startup Success: A step-by-step guide for how to form, launch, brand, and grow your startup
Amy Cosper has spent her career at the intersection of business, creativity, and storytelling. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, she shaped the conversation around startups, innovation, and leadership—bringing the journeys of founders and disruptors to millions of readers worldwide. With a career spanning editorial leadership, content strategy, and digital media, Amy has built brands, guided entrepreneurs, and uncovered what makes businesses thrive. Her expertise isn’t just theoretical—Amy has lived and breathed entrepreneurship, working directly with founders, business owners, and industry leaders to understand what separates success from failure. Now, she’s bringing that insight to you.

May 23, 2025 – Guardrailing Michael Bush and Card On Guard Darren Hickman

Michael Bush – Co-Founder of GrowthWays Partners and Author of Guardrailing: Authentically Guide Your Natural Products Company from Spark to Sale
Michael Bush is an accomplished author, speaker, advisor, and co-founder of GrowthWays Partners, bringing over 30 years of leadership experience in venture-backed businesses across the natural products, healthcare, and bioinformatics sectors. At GrowthWays Partners, he leads the firm in delivering strategic advisory services, Guardrailing workshops, and executive coaching designed to drive sustainable success and resilience. His recent book, Guardrailing, presents transformative insights and a soul-searching framework for building successful businesses. Blending practical wisdom with a checklist approach, the book empowers entrepreneurs to clarify their vision and pursue meaningful achievements. Previously, as president and CEO of probiotic innovator Ganeden, Bush expanded the company’s patented ingredient market to more than 65 countries and over 1,000 SKUs, culminating in a $150 million merger with Kerry, Inc. in 2017. Throughout his career, he has helped raise over $200 million in growth capital and participated in M&A transactions totaling more than $325 million in successful exits. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Bush is a husband, father of three daughters, musician, investor, and board member for several for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Passionate about entrepreneurship and the natural products industry, he is a regular speaker at industry events such as BevNet, Natural Products Expo, and Supply Side. He holds degrees in Biomedical Technology and Business Administration and is also a certified Meditation Instructor.Darren Hickman – Founder of Card On Guard
Darren Hickman is the founder of Card On Guard, a company dedicated to revolutionizing pool care with sustainable, chemical-free solutions. With a background in organic skincare and a passion for innovation, Darren developed BioPhotonX™ UV Light Conversion Technology, which reduces the need for chlorine in pools and hot tubs. His mission is to make water maintenance safer, healthier, more enjoyable and more environmentally friendly. Through perseverance and a commitment to problem-solving, he continues to push the boundaries of eco-friendly technology in the pool care industry.

May 21, 2025 – E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner Rich Kahn and Power Grid CEO David Naylor

Rich Kahn – Founder of Anura.io
Rich Kahn is a force to be reckoned with in the world of digital marketing and entrepreneurship. As the proud father of four and a seasoned business professional with over three decades of experience, Rich has established himself as a visionary leader in the industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Anura.io, Rich has led the development of a cutting-edge ad fraud solution that is changing the game for businesses worldwide. Anura’s advanced technology is designed to identify and eliminate fraudulent activity, including bots, malware, and human fraud, helping companies improve campaign performance and increase ROI. Rich’s impressive track record of success includes operating a business that made the Inc. 5000 list for five years in a row and achieving an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for technology. He has also led one of the fastest-growing advertising and marketing companies in the United States, a testament to his expertise and business acumen. With his extensive knowledge, experience, and unwavering dedication to excellence, Rich Kahn is a true inspiration to all those who aspire to make their mark on the world of business and beyond.David Naylor – CEO at Rayburn Electric Cooperative
David Naylor is the President / CEO of Rayburn Country Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Rayburn), a generation and transmission cooperative representing four distribution cooperatives who serve consumers in sixteen counties north and east of the Dallas Metroplex. He has over 25 years of experience in the utility industry. Prior to becoming the President / CEO of Rayburn, David served as Rayburn’s Executive Vice President and was a managing consultant with C. H. Guernsey & Company. He is a licensed Professional Engineer, with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

May 19, 2025 – AI Agriculture Francisco Martin-Rayo and Full Leaf Tea Matt Hammonds

Francisco Martin-Rayo – CEO and Co-Founder of Helios
Francisco Martin-Rayo is CEO and Co-Founder of Helios, an AI platform that identifies agricultural supply chain disruptions before they happen. Utilizing billions of data points, Helios provides a global, real-time view of the climate and economic risks affecting the commodities and regions you care about. Helios is used primarily by consumer goods companies, food processors, distributors, wholesalers and commodities traders who depend on the ability to predict price and supply for agricultural commodities. Francisco is a serial entrepreneur, having started his first company, VuShare, during his senior year at UPenn. Most recently, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Deep Labs, an AI start-up in financial services. Before then, Francisco was a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group, where he focused on digital transformations for Fortune 100 companies. He holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School, a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University.Matt Hammonds – Co-Founder of Full Leaf Tea Company
Full Leaf Tea Company was created by husband and wife duo Matt and Lisa Hammonds. Their love of tea began with the joy of sharing tea with their family and friends. Their passion and enthusiasm grew into a desire to share their experience with others. Through the creation of Full Leaf Tea Company, they have merged two key components in their lives; tea, and relationships. This combination brought to life a dream of developing and serving the highest quality loose leaf teas and Japanese matcha while building a brand revolving around its customers. Full Leaf Tea Company unites pure ingredients with premium teas to develop one of a kind blends. Each tea is individually crafted and hand packaged to preserve the integrity of the “full leaf” and guarantee freshness in each cup!

May 16, 2025 – Golf.com Kass & Mike Lazerow and Fair Trade Founder & Social Entrepreneur of the Year Paul Rice

Kass & Mike Lazerow – Cofounders of Golf.com & Author of Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story
Kass and Mike Lazerow are serial entrepreneurs and investors best known as the cofounders of Golf.com and Buddy Media, a software company that sold to Salesforce.com for $745 million. With a lifetime of stories from decades of building businesses and helping others as investors and advisors, they are in high demand as public speakers, writers, and podcast guests. After selling Golf.com to Time Warner in 2006, Kass and Mike cofounded Buddy Media, which would become the world’s leading social media marketing platform. And since selling Buddy Media to Salesforce in 2012, they have focused on providing capital and advice to the world’s most innovative founders. Kass and Mike have supported close to 100 early-stage startup founders. They served as angel investors and advisors to Scopely, which sold to Savvy Games for $5 billion in 2022, and Liquid Death, the canned water company whose “evil mission” is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink healthy beverages more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution. Kass and Mike live in New York City and the Hudson Valley and have three grown children (Myles, Cole, and Vivian) and two rescue dogs (Cece and Gizmo).Paul Rice – Founder of Fair Trade USA and Author of Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers, Companies, and Consumers Are Changing the World
Paul Rice is an award-winning social entrepreneur and the founder of Fair Trade USA, the leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Under Rice’s leadership, Fair Trade became one of the fastest growing segments of the food and beverage industries in North America, benefitting over 1 million farmers and workers in 70 countries worldwide. Rice has been named Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Business Leader of the Year and has been recognized four times as Social Capitalist of the Year by Fast Company magazine. Rice is also a recipient of the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the World Economic Forum’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year.

May 14, 2025 – Contract Entrepreneur Praful Saklani and Portland Crazy Rick Turoczy

Praful Saklani – Founder and CEO of Pramata
Praful Saklani has deep expertise in the artificial intelligence technologies core to Pramata, and experience in delivering enterprise process solutions. Prior to co-founding Pramata, he founded and served as CEO of Yatra Corporation, which leveraged artificial intelligence and Internet technologies to optimize travel management processes. Previously, he was co-founder and managing partner of consulting firm, Invotech Systems, and a key executive of Waterhealth International, a social start up focused on bringing affordable drinking water purification solutions to developing countries. He graduated from Swarthmore College, where he received High Honors in economics and political science. Praful sold his first startup at the age of 25. The idea for Pramata came as he was going through due diligence; as the attorneys started rifling through contracts in a legal banker’s box. It illuminated a fundamental problem: most companies don’t know where their contracts are and what is in them.Rick Turoczy – Founder and Editor of Silicon Florist and Co-founder of PIE
Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland startup community for 30 years. As founder and editor of Silicon Florist, he has written about Portland startups for nearly 20 years. In 2009, Rick cofounded PIE, an ongoing experiment that creates mutually beneficial collaborations between the Portland startup community and more well-established entities like corporations, government organizations, and educational institutions. Partners in the experiment have included Autodesk, Coca-Cola, Daimler, Google, Intel, Nike, Prosper Portland, Puppet, the State of Oregon, Stoel Rives, Target, and Wieden+Kennedy, among others. Karina, Media Relations Manager for Rick Turoczy, co-founder and general manager of PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment). Rick has spent the last 30 years deeply embedded in Portland’s startup ecosystem, exploring how startups and established organizations—corporations, educational institutions, and government—can work together to drive innovation and mutual success. Through PIE, Rick has fostered partnerships with major players like Nike, Google, Intel, Autodesk, Coca-Cola, and Wieden+Kennedy, to name a few, and has helped shape a unique model for collaboration between startups and large entities. Rick has a wealth of experience in building vibrant startup communities and fostering collaboration with established organizations, and he has a unique perspective on the myths and realities of the startup world. His approachable and “chill” demeanor makes him a great conversationalist, and he’s always eager to share insights about how to cultivate healthy ecosystems that benefit everyone involved.

May 12, 2025 – #CookieWars Lawsuits Bennett Maxwell and Random Acts of Automation Craig LeClair

Bennett Maxwell – CEO of Franchise KI
Bennett Maxwell is the founder of Dirty Dough, one of the fastest-growing restaurant concepts in the country, with over 80 open locations nationally and 450 slated for development. Their story has been one of rising success but also filled with adversity and challenges that changed their growth trajectory- battling through the internationally covered. #CookieWars lawsuits against multiple startups nearly took them out of the running before they had even begun. They leveraged some wildly novel yet accessible business and marketing strategy that took this lawsuit from liability to growth generator and he has a lot of insights to share with other entrepreneurs and innovators on growth, the adversity to success pipeline and controlling your own business narrative in 2025 and beyond. Dirty Dough uses centralized production with special machines to produce the world’s first 3 layer cookie. This also allows for a franchise to open up at half the cost of the competition, half the labor, while lowering ongoing costs. Other issues of waste, quality control, supply chain etc. are handled on the corporate level, resulting in the most simple food franchise concept in existence. Bennett Maxwell is a multifaceted entrepreneur renowned for his innovative approach to business and commitment to enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape. He was the driving force behind Dirty Dough Cookies, a fast-growing national cookie brand with over 65+ stores open and dozens more set to launch this year. Maxwell’s career spans diverse industries, from real estate in Utah to co-founding and successfully selling Switch to Solar. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, he is a sought-after speaker who regularly shares insights with the media. Bennett also hosts the Deeper Than Dough podcast, launched in 2023, where he explores finding joy and fulfillment in life through entrepreneurship and beyond.Craig LeClair – VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research and Author of Random Acts of Automation: How to Fight Back When Automation Threatens Your Work, Your Life, and Everything You Do and Invisible Robots in the Quiet of the Night: How AI and Automation Will Restructure the Workforce
Craig LeClair is Author of “Random Acts of Automation,” a blueprint for young people entering the workforce and for workers to deal with the advancement of AI in the workplace. I am a VP and principal analyst at Forrester, where I’ve worked for over 15 years. I’m recognized worldwide as a leading industry analyst on AI and automation, and the future of work. I’ve authored two previous books, How To Succeed In The Enterprise Software Market, and Invisible Robots In The Quiet Of The Night. Invisible Robots became the defining book on how the robots you don’t see are transforming the workforce. Prior to joining Forrester, I held senior positions at ADP, MITRE, and BBN Technologies. I’m frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, and many other publications and media outlets. I earned a BS in economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from George Washington University, where I taught Economics and Finance. Craig serves enterprise architecture and business process professionals. He is an internationally recognized expert in automation, AI, and the future of work. His technology coverage areas include robotic process automation, AI solutions in financial services, and the potential workforce disruption due to these technologies. His 2019 book, Invisible Robots in the Quiet of the Night, has been met with wide acclaim. A prolific writer and speaker, Craig is frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, and many other publications and media outlets. Dynamic case management, electronic signature, and customer communications management round out his coverage. Craig brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Forrester through his 25 years of experience in IT and business process transformation. Prior to joining Forrester, he was a vice president at ADP, focusing on next-generation strategies for investor communications. He holds a patent for electronic delivery of compliance information. Craig was also a cofounder of docHarbor, an early SaaS provider. He has both a strong business and technology background, including time at Mitre and BBN.

May 9, 2025 – ADP’s Erron Stark, Business Leader of the Year Paul Rice and New Dating Trend Cindy Lim – National Small Business Week!

Erron Stark – General Manager and Vice President, Small Business Services at ADP
For more than 60 years, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated National Small Business Week (NSBW) to acknowledge the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. Serving more than 900,000 small businesses across all industries, ADP has a unique view into the trends impacting small business owners today. In this interview, ADP’s Erron Stark will talk more about how small businesses can embrace change and be adaptable – finding ways to innovate and drive efficiencies while navigating the evolving compliance landscape. He’ll also reveal insights gained from nearly 18,000 small businesses across the U.S., as a result of ADP’s Grit & Wisdom Contest, which invited small business owners to share their best strategies for success to empower fellow entrepreneurs. A native of Staten Island, New York and currently living in New Jersey, Erron is an avid golfer when not spending time with his wife Marissa and his three young children or traveling the globe. Erron and his wife are active fund raisers for their Foundation that benefits Pediatric Heart Disease research.Paul Rice – Founder of Fair Trade USA – Author of Every Purchase Matters: How Fair Trade Farmers,  Companies, and Consumers Are Changing the World 
Paul Rice, founder of Fair Trade USA, has spent nearly four decades building a movement to answer these questions and change the world through business. He is the founder of Fair Trade USA and a pioneering figure in the conscious capitalism movement. He has been named Ethical Corporation’s 2019 Business Leader of the Year and Social Capitalist of the Year by Fast Company magazine. Rice was also named Outstanding Social Entrepreneur by the World Economic Forum. He lives in Berkeley, California. In his forthcoming book, Rice explores the  untold story of the Fair Trade movement, uncovering insights and motivation for conscious capitalists and consumers alike. He shares his own deeply moving journey from the war-torn highlands of Nicaragua to the founding of Fair Trade USA, illuminating the inside story of the birth of a movement  that has impacted millions of farmers, workers, companies, and consumers. Rice gives voice to the key protagonists that joined him to help build the ethical sourcing movement, from farmers and workers to  activists and the pioneering corporate leaders working for change, including Doug McMillon (CEO of  Walmart), Ryan Gellert (CEO of Patagonia), Libby Wadle (CEO of J. Crew), and John Mackey (founder of Whole Foods). Every Purchase Matters shows with optimism and urgency how business can (and must) be a force for good, making the case for a future in which ethical sourcing is the new normal. At the same time, it  encourages us all to understand the powerful difference we can make, as conscious consumers, one purchase at a time.Cindy Lim – Connection Expert and Head of Brand at YUZU
Cindy Lim, Connection Expert and Head of Brand at YUZU, Match Group’s social and dating app designed for the Asian community. She brings a fresh and personal take on “floodlighting”—the trending dating phenomenon where people share deeply emotional or personal details early in relationships. While experts often frame it as overwhelming, Cindy sees its potential: when the recipient is ready to invest time and curiosity, floodlighting can lay the foundation for profound connection. What sets Cindy apart is her own experience—she floodlighted in her relationship, sharing significant pieces of her story upfront, and it brought her and her partner closer. She argues that success hinges on gauging readiness and ensuring context isn’t lost. “If they’re engaged, asking questions, and care about the why behind your words,” she says, “early vulnerability can spark something real. But without that space, it’s a risk.” With her branding expertise at YUZU and a nuanced perspective shaped by real-life insight, Cindy is poised to offer your audience a compelling mix of professional authority and relatable storytelling.

May 7, 2025 – Homeless to CEO Darryl Kelly and Rightsize Today Marni Jameson

Darryl Kelly – Chief Executive of Aspect Software, Futurist, 3x Founder, 7x Board Member, Angel Investor and Podcast Host 
When he was a middle school student, his family was homeless, but it never deterred him from being a great student and citizen. He excelled in high school, taking numerous advanced placement courses. He then entered college at sixteen and eventually received my Bachelor’s degree, MBA and MFA. Darryl Kelly’s professional career, much like his younger life, was full of twists, turns, challenges and triumphs. He began as a consultant with Accenture and evolved his career to a revenue and strategy C-suite executive roles. During that time he successfully implemented complex initiatives, transformed organizations, solved knotty problems, and helped organizations increase their productivity and profits.Marni Jameson – America’s most beloved lifestyle columnist and Author of Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow: A Motivational Guide for Those Seeking Their Ideal Home Later in Life
Marni Jameson is America’s most beloved home and lifestyle columnist, reaching 3 million readers weekly through her syndicated column, “At Home with Marni Jameson.” She is the author of seven bestselling books, including Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow and Downsizing the Family Home, which offer practical advice with Marni’s signature humor and heart. A longtime journalist for the Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel, Marni has also written for top outlet Woman’s Day. She’s a sought-after speaker and has appeared on NBC Nightly News, Fox & Friends, and Martha Stewart Living.

May 5, 2025 – Founder Effect Lawrence Lam and Health Online Ryan Matt Reynolds

Lawrence Lam – Managing Director & Founder of Lumenary Investment Management and Author of The Founder Effect: Three Pillars of Success in Founder-Led Companies
Lawrence Lam is the Managing Director and Founder of Lumenary Investment Management, a funds management firm. He specializes in strategic investments in global, founder-led companies. Prior to founding Lumenary in 2017, Lawrence was an investment banker with Royal Bank of Scotland and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, a derivatives consultant with Deloitte, and a financial regulator with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).  Lawrence holds a Master of Applied Finance, Graduate Diploma in Corporations & Securities Law and Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Science), all from The University of Melbourne. The Founder Effect is his first book.Ryan Matt Reynolds – Founder/CEO of Barbell Logic, TurnKey Coach and Author of Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things that Matter Most
Ryan Matt Reynolds is on a mission to help strength coaches and personal trainers turn in the keys to the gym and reclaim their life by embracing an online coaching business model. With 25 years of experience competing at a high level in strength sports and coaching barbell-based strength and conditioning, Matt transitioned from the classroom to the world of business ownership in 2008 when he founded STRONG Gym in Springfield, MO. Matt honed his business and customer service acumen, and STRONG quickly became one of the strongest and largest strength gyms in the country. And while Matt was the owner of the gym, he was also the lead trainer, and quickly began to see the tremendous limitations of the antiquated traditional personal training model. Personal training is prohibitively expensive, it locks clients and coaches into inflexible schedules & locations, and worst of all, it’s inundated with uneducated, unqualified, and inexperienced trainers. So when he sold the gym in 2015, he set out to solve the problems with traditional personal training. What he developed was a unique asynchronous professional coaching model, in that it provided access to the perfect expert coach for clients all over the world. It removed geographic boundaries that limited coaches’ potential client pool. The price was less than one-third of traditional personal training. And, best of all, it allowed people to train anywhere, any time, and with the equipment they already had access to while creating new opportunities for the coaches to work from anywhere in the world on their own schedule. It scaled their services, turning an hour’s work into mere minutes, exponentially increasing their potential client pool, roster, and hourly rate of pay. This unique, intelligent online coaching model helped grow Barbell Logic into one of the largest online strength & nutrition coaching companies in the world. Needing to better serve their clients and coaches with superior service than what third-party applications could offer, Barbell Logic developed its own proprietary platform to manage an online coaching business, TurnKey Coach. Today Matt’s focus is on redefining traditional personal training by creating connections in the online space to give anyone with a smartphone access to a personal, professional strength & nutrition coach forging opportunities for the world to experience a life improved by strength. Ryan Matt Reynolds is the author of the Amazon and Barnes & Noble Best-Selling Book Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things That Matter Most, published by Forbes. He is also the cohost of the Build Your Business Podcast, where he shares insights and strategies for entrepreneurs and business owners.