#148 Syed Omar: Building a Voice AI Company at 20

#148 Syed Omar: Building a Voice AI Company at 20

Syed Omar is the founder of LOLA AI, a voice agentic platform that handles inbound and outbound phone calls for businesses, qualifies leads, and books meetings automatically. He started his entrepreneurial journey at 13 with a streetwear brand, built a media agency in Bangalore handling influencer deals and brand campaigns, and pivoted to AI after recognizing it as the next major shift in how businesses operate. In this episode, Syed shares how he built LOLA without a technical background using AI tools, why he deliberately chose not to have LOLA close sales (and why trust still requires a human in the loop), and what it took to get the voice quality to feel almost human. He talks about the difference between building a service business and building a product, the moment a demo failed live in front of a client, and what he learned from it. Syed also reflects on working with friends and the hard lesson of not expecting others to match your drive. He shares his take on finding the right mentors and why he only listens to people whose lives he would actually want to live. At 20, with two paying customers and more in the pipeline, he is just getting started. About Syed Omar Founder of LOLA AI, a voice AI platform for business lead qualification and meeting booking. - https://www.linkedin.com/in/syed-omar-0168aa2a9/ - https://lolaai.org About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎 🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/ - 🌐 https://densitylabs.io - ✅ https://prevetted.ai 🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡 - 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast - 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast 00:00 Introduction to Siet Omar and Lola AI 02:18 The Problem Lola AI Aims to Solve 05:16 The Role of AI in Business Communication 07:51 Building Lola AI Without Technical Skills 10:39 Curiosity and Learning in Entrepreneurship 13:32 Navigating Team Dynamics and Expectations 16:05 The Challenges of Building Trust in Business 18:44 Voice Technology and Human-Like Interaction 21:22 Addressing AI Concerns Among Business Owners 25:09 Adapting to the AI Era 31:18 Building a Product vs. Service 35:54 Finding Product-Market Fit 38:43 The Importance of Mentorship 47:06 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations

#147 Mike Carraggi: Local News, Responsible AI, and the Reporter's Edge in Product

Mike Carraggi started writing for a weekly paper in Everett, Massachusetts at fourteen years old, went on to The Boston Globe, and eventually made an unlikely pivot into product management at Patch.com without a business degree, without a technical background, and without what he calls a Marty Cagan product upbringing. Today he leads product at Patch across more than 14,000 communities nationwide. In this episode Mike makes the case that the local layer of the internet is fragmented and largely broken, and that a trustworthy hyperlocal source is more valuable now than ever. He shares the philosophy behind Patch's approach to AI: use it to moderate comments at scale, save reporters from low-touch summary work, and raise the technical floor for everyone, while protecting the journalistic trust that is the whole product. As Mike puts it, the moment AI casts doubt on whether the content is real, you have lost the plot. We get into the overlap between journalism and product management. A reporter, like a PM, has to become an overnight expert, translate complexity for laypeople, and read what people mean as well as what they say. Mike argues that as AI dulls some old edges, it raises floors everywhere else, and that the people who win in this era pair judgment with discipline. He shares the framework he leans on hardest: the right decision, the wrong decision, or no decision, and only the no-decision will kill you. The closing thought is a bigger bet on where work is going. Mike thinks the product, design, and engineering roles are collapsing into one within a few years, and that local news will increasingly need to act as a stamp of authenticity in an age of memeification and AI-generated everything. If you build product, lead a non-traditional team, or care about what local news becomes next, this one is for you. About Mike Carraggi 📰🛠️🏘️ Head of Product at Patch.com | Former Boston Globe reporter | Non-traditional PM - 🌐 https://patch.com/ - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-carraggi-60110726/ About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎 🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/ - 🌐 https://densitylabs.io - ✅ https://prevetted.ai 🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡 - 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast - 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast 00:00 Introduction to Local Journalism and Patch.com 03:02 The Importance of Local News 06:07 Challenges in Local Journalism 09:00 Product Strategy and Editorial Background 12:10 The Role of AI in Local News 15:07 The Future of Community Publishing 17:47 Navigating Change in Journalism 21:06 The Balance of Technology and Human Judgment 28:02 The Role of AI in Local News 30:28 Ethics and Trust in Journalism 32:41 The Importance of Local News 33:58 Monetization and Content Integrity 35:38 User Experience and Product Development 42:45 The Future of Patch and Community Engagement

#146 Marc Shenkman on Mortgage Banking, Over-Regulation, and What Homebuyers Really Need

Marc Shenkman is President and co-founder of Priority Financial Network, a privately owned mortgage banker based in Calabasas, California. He has spent decades in the industry, from trading mortgage-backed securities at major firms to building a direct lending operation that has funded billions in home loans. In this episode, Marc breaks down how independent mortgage banks actually work, why they originate over 80% of mortgages in America, and what most people never understand about the lending process. He also shares his work on the board of the Community Home Lenders Association of America, where he advocates for consumers and fights regulatory overreach. Key topics include the real difference between banks, brokers, and independent mortgage bankers, how post-2008 regulation raised costs without protecting borrowers, the FICO score monopoly, and what first-time homebuyers should ask before signing anything. Whether you are buying your first home or just want to understand how money moves in real estate, this conversation gives you the unfiltered view from someone who has been in the industry for decades. About Marc Shenkman 🏦 President and Co-Founder, Priority Financial Network | Board Member, CHLA - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-shenkman-496bb7240/ - 🌐 https://www.priorityfinancial.net/ About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎 🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/ - 🌐 https://densitylabs.io - ✅ https://prevetted.ai 🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡 - 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast - 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast 00:00 Introduction to Mortgage Solutions 02:33 Understanding Independent Mortgage Banking 04:59 Risk Management in Mortgage Lending 07:34 The Four C's of Borrowing 10:02 The Unique US Mortgage Market 12:47 Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis 15:25 Current Real Estate Trends and Predictions 17:59 Impact of Inflation on Real Estate 20:29 The Lock-In Effect in Mortgages 23:01 Regulatory Challenges in Mortgage Lending 25:53 Advocacy for Independent Mortgage Bankers 28:31 The Role of Community in Mortgage Lending 31:12 Advice for First-Time Homebuyers 33:31 The Future of the Mortgage Industry

#145 Grant Byron: From Blank Canvas to Business, 20 Years Across Product, Operations, and AI

Grant Byron spent two decades building things from scratch, first as a designer turning blank pages into products, then as a product and operations leader helping companies scale. In this episode, Grant shares how he evolved from web design into general management, why being a generalist is a superpower, and what he learned leading product at complex marketplace platforms like Delivery.com. We also dig into his social impact work, his experience with international accelerator programs, and why he recently launched Forward, a consulting firm helping mid-sized businesses cut through the AI hype and actually implement technology that works. Whether you're an engineer thinking about leadership, or a founder trying to bridge product and operations, this conversation is packed with practical insight from someone who has lived both sides. About Grant Byron 🏗️ 🧠 Product & Operations Leader | 🚀 Founder of Forward Consulting | 20+ Years Building Teams, Products & AI-Driven Businesses - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantbyron/ About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎 🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/ - 🌐 https://densitylabs.io - ✅ https://prevetted.ai 🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡 - 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast - 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 01:04 Grant's Current Focus on AI and Digital Transformation 02:16 Early Passion for Design and Creativity 03:20 The Purpose of Building Products and Impact 04:22 Transition from Coder to Leader 06:12 The Value of Being a Generalist 08:47 Building Teams and Helping People Grow 10:56 The Complexity of Building Teams with Agency 14:13 Intersection of Product and Operations 17:41 The Role of Context in AI and Business 19:25 AI as an Amplifier for Engineers 23:30 AI in MVP Development and Prototyping 26:51 Using AI to Accelerate Requirements and Testing 30:36 Importance of Upfront Planning and Design 33:36 The Role of UX and AI in Design 38:51 When AI Makes Sense in Business 44:03 Leveraging AI in Software Development 49:12 Maximizing Developer Productivity with AI 52:53 Closing Remarks and Final Advice

#144 Sayan Bhattacharya on Building the Connective Tissue of Business Operations

Sayan Bhattacharya is Head of Engineering at LINK and the creator of LinkToAny.com, a platform that helps businesses migrate from legacy systems to the cloud and connect their critical tools. With a decade of experience building full-stack systems across retail, supply chain, and marketplace platforms, Sayan specializes in solving the complex challenges of data migration and system integration. In this episode, we explore how businesses can overcome the fear of modernization, what makes integrations truly reliable, and the patterns that emerge when building systems that scale. Sayan shares insights on leading small, globally distributed engineering teams and how AI is transforming integration infrastructure. We discuss the hardest technical problems in building connective tissue for business operations, what founders need to understand about scalable systems, and practical advice for engineering leaders balancing hands-on coding with team leadership. Whether you're grappling with fragmented operations or building the next generation of business platforms, this conversation offers valuable lessons on making technology invisible, indispensable, and inevitable. About Sayan Bhattacharya 🚀👨‍💻🌐 🔧 Head of Engineering at LINK | 🛠 Builder of LinkToAny.com | 🔗 Connecting business systems and enabling cloud migration - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinnker14/ - 🌐 https://linktoany.com/ About Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎 🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers - 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/ - 🌐 https://densitylabs.io - ✅ https://prevetted.ai 🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡 - 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast - 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod - 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast 00:00 Introduction to Sayan Bhattacharya and LingQ 02:33 The Role of AI in Data Migration 05:13 Understanding Link to Any and Its Functionality 07:54 Challenges of Fragmented Operations 10:31 Approaching Large-Scale Data Migration 15:10 The Importance of Data Cataloging 17:33 Patterns Across Industries 21:06 Maintaining Quality with a Lean Team 30:15 Learning from Mistakes in Hiring 31:14 The Importance of Technical Know-How 33:30 Managing Distributed Teams Effectively 37:56 AI in Hiring: Pros and Cons 40:49 Leveraging AI Tools in Engineering Teams 43:56 Advice for Aspiring Engineering Leaders