How NOT To Build: Startup Stories | A Jemini Podcast

How We Survived Losing 90% of the Business w/ Saul Bankaitis @ Collinear Group

Today I talk with Saul Bankaitis, CEO of Collinear Group. A little backstory, Collinear Group was the second company I worked at in my professional career. So it was a privilege for me to sit down with him and get his point of view on everything that’s happened over the past several decades of that industry. We cover * His critical advice for anyone thinking about an engineering career * How to the tough politics of struggling companies * And one leadership move that you do not what to undervalue As the President and CEO of Collinear Group, Saul leverages deep expertise in serving commercial clients and government agencies operating at the highest levels of aviation and aerospace. His industry-leading consulting team helps manufacturers, suppliers, and operators reach new heights by bringing intelligence and technology to solve the most complex challenges in aerospace. 00:00 — Introducing Saul 04:10 — What AI Is Doing to the Next Generation of Careers 06:00 — “Do You Even Need to Care About the Code Anymore?” 08:25 — Saul’s First Experience Seeing the SR-71 Blackbird 10:10 — The NASA Job Saul Hated — And Why It Changed Everything 11:55 — The Leadership Culture That Changed Saul’s Career 15:20 — The Biggest Mistake Saul Made at Techtura 18:55 — The Brutal Reality of Not Being Able to Pay Your People 21:05 — Why Most Engineers Struggle to Add Real Value 22:40 — “What’s the Real Requirement?” 25:35 — Why Job Fulfillment Matters More Than Ever 29:55 — How Saul Accidentally Became an Entrepreneur 33:15 — The 95-Hour Weeks That Built Collinear 36:40 — How Collinear Exploded From 2 People to 40 39:10 — The Leadership Lessons Learned During COVID and the MAX Crisis 41:15 — How Collinear Survived Losing 90% of Its Business 43:35 — The Leaders Who Saved the Company 45:20 — Why “Industry 4.0” Was Mostly Hype 47:05 — The Hardest Part of Leading Through Chaos 49:10 — Why Followership Is a Dying Art 50:25 — Saul’s Biggest Leadership Regret 52:05 — The Future of Aerospace, AI, and Advanced Air Mobility 53:35 — Why Remote Work Makes Mentorship Harder 55:10 — The Real Opportunity in Aerospace AI 57:10 — What’s Next for Collinear

The Future of Healthcare: AI Hospitals That Think for Themselves w/ Claus Jensen @ UT Medical Center

On today’s episode, I got the host Claus Jensen the CITO @ the University of Texas Medical Center. We talk about - What if the hospital building itself became part of the medical team? - In an AI-driven world, standardization might actually become suboptimization. - Defensive programming shouldn’t just happen at the code level. It has to happen at the business level. Claus has 2 decades of transformation and technology experience and is currently leading the innovation, technology, automation, and AI elements of establishing a new Academic Medical Center, the first such in the Austin metropolitan area. He’s taking a future backwards approach to what integrated care should look like. Over the next 5 years he plans to grow the Dell Medical School, expand the Research mission and build a new 300 bed specialty hospital. By integrating clinical science, technology, logistics, behavioral science and data science we are creating a differentiated and unique environment and experience, with digital first as a foundational principle. This is episode 21 of How NOT to Build. 00:00 — The Hospital That Thinks for Itself 03:38 — Why Standardization Might Be Killing Innovation 07:58 — Can AI Personalize Hospital Operations in Real Time? 13:40 — From Pigeon Racing Software to the C-Suite 16:50 — The Truck Drivers Who Threatened a 15-Year-Old Programmer 18:20 — What Hasn’t Changed in Tech Since 1982 19:25 — AI Can Build Faster — But Can Humans Keep Up? 20:38 — The AI Model That Learned the Wrong Thing 24:58 — The $738 Billion Bug That Almost Broke a Bank 27:40 — Why Good People Still Make Dangerous Mistakes 28:45 — The Most Important Skill for CTOs and Founders 32:45 — The Leadership Mistake That Changed Claus Jensen’s Career 35:20 — Why Technical Mastery Alone Isn’t Enough 38:05 — How to Separate AI Hype From Real Innovation 40:40 — The Future of Healthcare Isn’t What You Think

Navigating Growth as a Healthcare Startup: A Year in Review w/Greg Prosser from Hansel Medical

In this episode, Dan Villa catches up with Greg Prosser, CEO and founder of Hansel Medical, to reflect on nearly a year of entrepreneurial journey, recent milestones, and strategic pivots. Greg shares insights on fundraising, product development, and balancing the demanding life of a founder in the healthcare tech space. Main Topics: * Greg's recap of Hansel Medical’s progress over the past 11 months, including funding and team growth * The importance of design partnerships and transitioning to early adopters * Pricing models for hardware and SaaS in medical device industries * Leveraging AI and automation to accelerate product engineering and testing * Challenges faced during product iteration, including manual device tagging and sterilization considerations * Personal reflections on work-life balance, mental resilience, and the mindsets of successful founders * The strategic decision to own hardware assets versus leasing or selling equipment * Future outlook, including growth targets, customer acquisition goals, and fundraising plans Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Housekeeping 01:57 Funding and Team Developments 05:49 Design Partners and Product Development 10:53 Transitioning to Early Adopters 16:10 Pricing Strategy and Market Fit 21:45 AI's Impact on Productivity 27:20 Design and User Experience 31:35 The Evolution of Engineering with AI 33:48 Spec-Driven Design: Bridging Business and Engineering 35:25 Curiosity and Exploration in Product Development 38:02 The Role of Engineers in a Rapidly Changing Landscape 42:18 Learning from Mistakes: Embracing the Journey 49:16 Setting Realistic Goals and Managing Expectations 58:03 Building Relationships and Future Opportunities Resources & Links: Jemini.io [jemini.io] FanBravo - Dan @ Jemini [https://app.fanbravo.com/danjemini] Dan's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-villa/] Connect with Greg Prosser: Hansel Medical [https://www.hanselmedical.com/] Website Greg's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-prosser/] Additional Notes: * Greg emphasizes that product market fit is within reach, but strategic pricing and hardware ownership models are crucial for sustainable growth. * The conversation highlights the importance of embracing micro failures as learning opportunities and maintaining mental resilience. * AI's role is seen as a productivity enhancer, yet automation and deterministic code remain vital for scalable, reliable solutions. * The episode closes with Greg inviting potential team members, partners, and investors to connect early and explore meaningful collaboration. ⁠Greg Prosser⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-prosser/?skipRedirect=true] is the Founder and CEO of Hansel Medical, leading innovation in surgical equipment tracking to help orthopedic distributors and manufacturers save millions by eliminating lost inventory and wasted search time. With a background in engineering and business from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Greg combines technical expertise with strategic leadership to develop cutting-edge solutions for the medical device industry. Intro Music by Eggy Toast

Innovating Healthcare with AI w/ Jonathan Miller @ Chiron Medical

Join me as I chat with Jonathan Miller, CEO of Chiron Medical Technologies, about transforming healthcare through innovative AI solutions. From his startup journey in travel tech to solving physician shortages, Jonathan shares lessons learned in navigating tech, product market fit, and regulatory landscapes in healthcare. Discover the underlying systems theory approach that sets his medical AI apart and the future of AI-enabled diagnostics. Main Topics Covered: * The evolution of AI in healthcare and its potential to augment physicians rather than replace them * Technical details of how Chiron Medical's proprietary system organizes medical data for real-time diagnosis support * Lessons learned from startup failures: importance of market research, user-centric design, and rapid iteration * How system theoretical approaches can outperform traditional NLP models in complex problem-solving * The impact of AI on addressing the global physician shortage and improving access to timely care * Future trends in medical tech: automation, low-cost diagnostics, and democratization of healthcare expertise This episode emphasizes the importance of a systems theory approach in AI development, applied across travel, airline, and health tech sectors. Jonathan's insights highlight the immense potential of AI to augment medical decision-making, especially amid doctor shortages and increasing medical data complexity. The discussion explores not just technological innovation but strategic evolution, market awareness, and philosophical foundations underpinning AI systems in healthcare. 00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections 02:30 Business Outlook and Economic Perspectives 04:55 Hope for Technological Advancements in Healthcare 07:39 The Journey to CTO: Founding a Travel App 10:22 The Problem with Travel Booking: A Personal Experience 13:21 Building the Travel App: From Idea to Execution 15:50 Innovative Approaches to Travel Technology 18:36 The Future of Travel Tech and AI Integration 21:55 The Evolution of Travel Technology 25:42 Pivoting from Consumer to B2B 27:24 Lessons from Startup Challenges 31:40 Navigating Novelty in User Experience 36:17 Understanding Customer Acquisition Costs 38:30 Transitioning to CEO at Box Compliment 43:42 Lessons from BoxComplement 46:13 Transitioning to Chiron Medical Technologies 48:27 Challenges in Clinical Reasoning 50:00 Enhancing Doctor's Capabilities with AI 54:08 A New Approach to AI in Healthcare 58:05 The Role of Technology in Patient Care Resources & Links: Fanbravo - Dan @ Jemini [https://app.fanbravo.com/danjemini] Jonathan Miller LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/intrepid-miller/] Chiron Medical Technologies Blending a strong mathematical foundation with a business education, ⁠Jonathan Miller⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/intrepid-miller/] is drawn naturally to complex problem domains characterized by end-to-end intractability and systemic-level challenges. A prolific innovator, Jon has co-authored multiple patents that advanced fields like traveler inference, multi-attribute platforms, natural language fulfillment, and integrated medical systems. As the primary inventor of the patent governing Chiron’s technology solution, he leads the company in the development of its proprietary AI-driven clinical decision support tools. Music by Eggy Toast

Building in the AI Era: Avoiding Regret, Learning Fast, and Deploying Daily w/ Nathan Anderson of Tú TeleDoc

Dan Villa sits down with Nathan Anderson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanedwardanderson/], CTO at Tú TeleDoc [https://www.linkedin.com/company/tuteledoc/], to talk about how AI is transforming tech—and how founders and builders can avoid AI regret. Nathan shares practical advice for newcomers entering this brave new technical world, the skills that matter most in an AI-driven era, and how he achieved continuous daily deployments at previous startups. They also discuss what it takes to move fast, build effectively, and keep up as technology evolves. A fun, insightful conversation on building smarter in the age of AI. Nathan Anderson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanedwardanderson/] is a Chief Technology Officer and an experienced leader in Software Engineering, DevOps, and Product. He has a passion for connecting technical challenges to delightful customer outcomes and focuses on building and maintaining highly engaged teams. In his current role as Co-Founder and CTO of Tú TeleDoc, Nathan is dedicated to building the technology platform to help transform healthcare access in Latin America. Keywords AI, software engineering, tech evolution, job security, product management, leadership, junior engineers, tech stack, telemedicine, career advice, software engineering, product management, communication, AI in tech, career progression, telehealth, engineering culture, startup life, leadership, technology strategy Sound Bites "It's an exciting time to be in tech." "AI won't fully replace our jobs." "Learn new stuff to survive in tech." Chapters 00:00 The Excitement of Tech Evolution01:06 AI Took This Architect's Job 05:36 Who's Impacted Most by AI?06:55 How do Newcomers Get Started in Tech? 11:48 Startup Life and AI Hype13:57 Nate's Tech Stack15:40 Getting Past the Hype17:12 Starting the Journey toward CTO24:13 AI Doesn't Matter, Invest in These Things30:07 You're a Manager, not a Buddy34:10 Learning not to Undervalue a Good Mentor38:22 The Best Measure of Success; and How To43:08 The Intersection of Product Management and Engineering48:09 Bridging the Gap: Communication Between Engineers and Product Teams53:55 The Role of AI in Software Development01:04:08 Career Progression: From Rackspace to CTO01:09:07 Mastering 15 Deploys Per Day 01:19:20 The Biggest Failure as a CTO01:25:15 Building a Telehealth Platform: Challenges and Opportunities Music by Eggy Toast