Pitch, Build, Scale - Startup Founder Stories in the Age of AI

054 - Building the Future: How AI is Reinventing Pre-Construction with Steve Dell’Orto, CEO, Concntric

What happens when a 26-year construction veteran decides to reinvent an entire industry? In this episode of "Pitch, Build, Scale", host Chris Fanchi sits down with Steve Dell’Orto, Founder & CEO of Concntric, to explore how his company became the first AI-powered pre-construction platform, uniting data, workflows, and people into a single, intuitive system. Steve shares what it means to “bear hug AI”, why simplicity is the hardest design challenge, and how the right UX can turn skeptics into advocates in one of the world’s most traditional industries. From eliminating redundant workflows to building an agentic AI layer that helps teams do the work of ten people, this conversation reveals how Concntric is unlocking capacity and transforming how the built world gets built. Chapters 00:00 Intro – Why Construction Needed a New Operating System 02:08 From Builder to Founder: Steve Dell’Orto’s Leap Into Tech 07:44 The Problem Hidden in Plain Sight 10:21 Building Concntric: From Stealth Mode to Scale 15:54 “Make Less Work, Not More” – The Simplicity Principle 17:42 How Concntric Is “Bear Hugging” AI 19:03 Agentic AI: The Future of Pre-Construction 25:14 Building Faster Through Human + AI Collaboration 26:40 The Moat: Domain Expertise as the True Differentiator 29:17 Hands-On Relationships in a High-Tech World 32:14 The Magic Wand Question – What’s Next for Concntric 34:26 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Steve Resources 🔗 Concntric – https://www.concntric.com [https://www.concntric.com] 🔗 Connect with Steve Dell’Orto on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedellorto [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedellorto] 🔗 Big North Network – https://bignorthnetwork.com/managing-ai [https://bignorthnetwork.com/managing-ai] 📘 Learn More Managing AI: Humans, Agents, and the Future of Work — out now from Chris Fanchi. Learn more and order at https://bignorthnetwork.com/managing-ai [https://bignorthnetwork.com/managing-ai]

053 - Rethinking Customer Data: From CRM Chaos to Customer Outcome Maps w/ Tim Gosnell, CEO, CommonThread

What if your customer data could think - and show you exactly where revenue is won or lost? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Tim Gosnell, Founder of CommonThread AI, to explore how agentic AI is redefining how RevOps and SaaS companies understand customers. Tim shares the journey from early Atari programming days to building a system that maps every touchpoint and outcome in real time, revealing where relationships thrive, where churn begins, and how AI can elevate human connection rather than replace it. If you’ve ever struggled with messy CRMs, disconnected pipelines, or “data-driven” decisions that still miss the mark, this conversation will change how you think about growth. 🕒 Chapters 00:00 The Next Revolution: Why AI Is Bigger than E-Commerce 02:00 Tim’s Origin Story: From Atari to AI 06:20 Lessons from Early Startups and the Birth of CommonThread AI 08:45 Fixing CRM Chaos and Building Better Data Pipelines 11:40 Customer Journeys vs. Customer Outcome Maps 15:00 Deep Understanding over “Insights” 17:00 From Retention to Evangelism Why Positive Impact Matters 20:00 RevOps Use Cases and Why Messaging Matters 23:45 AI’s True Impact — A 100-Year Revolution 28:40 Workflow Transformation and AI Specialization 33:00 Agentic AI and the Next Wave of Automation 36:20 Fear, Faith, and the Human Side of AI 40:00 Leadership, BHAGs & Redefining Success 42:00 Where to Connect with Tim Gosnell 🔗 Resources CommonThread AI → https://www.commonthread.ai [https://www.commonthread.ai] Connect with Tim on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/somepeoplecallmetim/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/somepeoplecallmetim/] Grow your revenue with host Chris Fanchi's Big North Marketing → https://bignorthmarketing.com [https://bignorthmarketing.com] Conversations like this feed the new book "Managing AI: Humans, Agents, and the Future of Work" by Chris Fanchi — releasing November 18. Visit https://bignorthmarketing.com/managing-ai [https://bignorthmarketing.com/managing-ai] to learn more and pre-order today! #customerjourney #crm #revops

052 - Agent-Based AI & Nation-Scale Digital Twins: Future Decision Making w/ John Cordier, CEO, Epistemix

What if governments and companies could run simulations to test policy, forecast epidemics, or predict product adoption — before making a single decision? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with John Cordier, CEO of Epistemix, to explore how digital twins and agent-based simulation are reshaping the way organizations understand human behavior and forecast change. Epistemix’s platform builds synthetic populations — nation-scale digital twins that help health systems, pharma brands, and governments model complex societal scenarios from pandemics to consumer trends. Their work helped reopen the global events industry months ahead of schedule during COVID and is now redefining how data science teams simulate real-world systems at scale. John shares how Epistemix is bridging public health, AI, and behavioral economics, using LLMs to generate models faster, reduce time-to-value from months to a week, and make simulation accessible for both data scientists and decision makers. If you’ve ever wondered what “SimCity for the real world” looks like, this is it. 🕒 Chapters 00:00 Intro — From AI Agents to Faster Simulations 01:42 John Cordier’s Origin Story and Epistemix’s Founding 06:34 What Is a Digital Twin and How It Works 10:00 Why Pharma and Insurers Are Adopting Simulation 12:36 How Epistemix Helped Reopen the Global Events Industry 15:39 Using Data to Drive Better Decision Making 18:09 Integrating LLMs and AI to Reduce Time-to-Value 21:19 AI, Policy Modeling, and Empathetic Decision Making 25:59 The Future of Simulation in Health and Consumer Markets 28:55 What Success Looks Like in the Next 12 Months 31:41 Making Agent-Based Simulation as Accessible as ChatGPT 33:36 Where to Connect with John Cordier and Epistemix 🔗 Resources 🌐 Epistemix — https://www.epistemix.com [https://www.epistemix.com] 💼 Big North Marketing — https://www.bignorthmarketing.com [https://www.bignorthmarketing.com] 💬 Work With Chris & Big North Marketing Are you a SaaS founder or software agency owner looking to turn your expertise into a revenue-generating content engine? At Big North Marketing, we help tech leaders build audiences and close clients through podcasts, content, and AI-driven outreach. 👉 Book a free growth session at BigNorthMarketing.com [https://www.bignorthmarketing.com]

051 - Modernizing Depositions and Discovery with AI - Featuring Tom Irby, Co-Founder, Skribe.ai

What happens when decades of courtroom tradition meet the power of AI? In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Tom Irby, Co-Founder of Skribe.ai, to explore how his company is transforming how testimony is captured, managed, and authenticated in the legal system. After selling his first court reporting business to industry giant Veritext, Tom saw firsthand how outdated and inefficient the process was — and decided to rebuild it from the ground up. Skribe.ai replaces stenographs and videographers with an AI-powered testimony intelligence platform that’s faster, more accurate, and fully admissible in court. Tom shares how they’re navigating regulation, building trust in a risk-averse market, and redefining what “official record” means in the digital era. Plus, he offers a refreshingly grounded take on AI adoption, innovation cycles, and the power of human adaptability. 🔑 Key Topics & Chapters 00:00 – The disruption of court reporting and testimony capture 02:00 – From PC industry to legal tech: Tom’s founder journey 05:45 – How Skribe.ai was born from pandemic-era change 09:45 – Turning depositions into a live, AI-powered platform 12:40 – Why generic transcription tools don’t work for legal testimony 14:20 – Ensuring court admissibility in every state 18:00 – Navigating old rules and modernizing legal frameworks 23:15 – From paper to video: The new gold standard in testimony 25:00 – Expansion beyond civil litigation and into law enforcement 30:20 – “You won’t lose your job to AI – you’ll lose it to someone who uses AI” 35:15 – The “magic wand” lesson: education, adoption, and early adopters Resources 🌐 Skribe.ai — https://www.skribe.ai [https://www.skribe.ai] 🚀 Learn more about Big North Marketing — https://www.bignorthmarketing.com [https://www.bignorthmarketing.com] Are you a SaaS founder or dev agency owner ready to grow your pipeline, scale your content, and attract higher-ticket clients through authority-driven media? 👉 Visit BigNorthMarketing.com [BigNorthMarketing.com] to book your free growth consultation today. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Startup #FounderStory

050 - The End of SaaS as We Know It: AI Agents & the Future of Work with Jim Weldon, CEO of Prospect Desk

Some interviews are all business - and some interviews take you by surprise. In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Jim Weldon, CEO of Prospect Desk, for an unfiltered conversation that spans the entire spectrum - from being ahead of the curve on AI and machine learning to navigating leadership in an increasingly divided world. Jim shares how his team is building one of the most advanced independent data networks on the planet, what he’s learned scaling a $10K startup into a $60M business, and why the next era of work will be defined by AI agents, not SaaS apps. This episode dives deep into the intersection of technology, humanity, and responsibility — and what it means to build something that lasts when the world around you is changing by the minute. 🔍 Chapters 00:00 From Filing Systems to $60M Startup 04:45 The Early Days of Machine Learning and Data Cooperatives 09:10 Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital in the Age of AI 11:00 Smart Agents and the End of the SDR Role 17:45 Building the Largest Independent Data Graph 25:40 The Future of Automation and Human Work 31:10 SaaS Moats Are Dead — Here’s What’s Next 39:10 Technology, Politics, and the Human Divide 46:00 What It Means to Lead with Integrity in a Time of Change 📚 Resources Prospect Desk → https://www.prospectdesk.ai [https://www.prospectdesk.ai] Connect with Jim → jim@prospectdesk.ai Big North Marketing → https://bignorthmarketing.com [The SaaS revolution is over. AI agents are the next wave. In this episode of Pitch, Build, Scale, host Chris Fanchi sits down with Jim Weldon, CEO of Prospect Desk, to explore how agentic AI, data cooperatives, and smart automation are redefining what it means to build and scale a technology company. From his early days scaling a $10K startup into a $60M business to leading one of the most powerful independent data networks in the world, Jim shares hard-earned insights on leverage, innovation, and why the companies of tomorrow won’t just use AI—they’ll be built on it. 🔍 Topics include: - The rise of agentic AI and “digital twins” for every employee - Why SaaS companies no longer have a true moat - How Prospect Desk powers 25,000+ client sites through identity resolution - The death of entry-level white-collar work - and where opportunity will reappear How automation will reshape industries from finance to healthcare to logistics 🧭 Chapters 00:00 Jim’s Origin Story: From Filing Systems to $60M Startup 04:45 Machine Learning, Data Exhaust, and Applied Intelligence 09:10 The Future of Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital 11:00 Smart Agents and the End of the SDR Role 17:45 Building the Largest Independent Data Cooperative 25:40 How Fortune 500s Are Falling Behind in AI 31:10 The Collapse of SaaS Moats and the Rise of Custom AI 34:30 Where the Next Generation Should Focus 39:10 The Workforce of the Future: Robotics, Data, and Humanity 46:00 Surviving the Chaos: Integrity and Optimism in the Age of AI 📚 Resources Prospect Desk → https://www.prospectdesk.ai Connect with Jim → jim@prospectdesk.ai Big North Marketing → https://bignorthmarketing.com Grow your SaaS or dev agency with our Founder’s Growth Stack — personalized strategy, outreach, and podcast-led marketing systems designed to scale your revenue without scaling your workload. #HumanWorkAfterAI #SaaS #AIFuture] Grow your SaaS or dev agency with our Founder’s Growth Stack — personalized strategy, outreach, and podcast-led marketing systems designed to scale your revenue without scaling your workload. Learn more at BigNorthMarketing.com [https://bignorthmarketing.com] #HumanWorkAfterAI #SaaS #AIFuture