The Trick Is to Never Talk About the Environment – With Josh Dorfman, founder of Plantd

How AI Can 10x your sales team - with David Pratley Mc-Gill

In this episode of Building Great Tech, Anastasija and Simon talk with David Pratley Mc-Gill, Client Solution Director, GTM & AI Labs at Salt. The episode explores how AI can empower sales teams to become more efficient. AI can conduct research for market outreach and even send emails on your behalf, but to what extent is AI actually harmful to the sales process? And could you replace your whole sales team with AI? ABOUT DAVID: My career has centred on building momentum where growth is being blocked. That has meant different things at different stages, from recruitment and talent solutions, to digital business building, to helping shape the commercial direction of an AI SaaS product. Most recently, I played a key role in developing @Answertree’s commercial engine, website, messaging, SEO foundations, outbound structure and enterprise-facing positioning during a critical stage of growth. I am now Client Solution Director, GTM & AI Labs at Salt, where my focus is on helping build new AI-enabled and platform-led solutions that bring together talent, teams and transformation in a more connected and commercially effective way across the group. GUEST LINKS: David's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pmcg/?originalSubdomain=uk BUILDING GREAT TECH: Website: ⁠⁠https://buildinggreattech.com/⁠⁠ Anastasija’s Linkedin: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Simon’s Linkedin: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/⁠

$4M Fire, Grandfather Clock and $800B Market - with Rich Amsinger founder ManyCo.ai

In this episode of Building Great Tech, Simon and Anastasija are in conversation with Rich Amsinger founder ManyCo.ai. An Ai-Driven inventory sell through engine. Rich explains how he let his Ai run wild with the company credit card, sometimes making werid and wonderful purchasing decisions. He also tells the story of how he lost $4 Million in shop inventory in a fire! ABOUT RICH: I’m the co-founder of The Many Company, where we’re building software to solve one of the most persistent and expensive problems in commerce: what happens to inventory after full-price selling ends. In a market defined by fragmented tools, manual workflows, and disconnected resale channels, we built a unified SaaS platform that gives brands and retailers a single system to manage excess inventory, returns, and resale. Our software uses proprietary data and decisioning to determine where each item should go to generate the most profit, reach new customers, and reduce cost, while maintaining brand control. The Many Company was founded with my co-founder and CEO, Carolyn Butler, on the belief that post-purchase commerce needed its own operating system—one built for margin recovery, compliance, and scale. Today, I focus on helping brands turn excess inventory from a cost center into a strategic revenue layer. We’re building the infrastructure that modern apparel companies rely on as commerce, regulation, and consumer behavior continue to evolve. GUEST LINKS: See how Manyco.ai can help you - https://www.manyco.ai/ [https://www.manyco.ai/] Connect with Rich on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardamsinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardamsinger/] The Many Company on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-many-company/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-many-company/] BUILDING GREAT TECH: Website: ⁠https://buildinggreattech.com/⁠ [%E2%81%A0https://buildinggreattech.com/%E2%81%A0] Anastasija’s Linkedin: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/⁠⁠⁠ [%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Simon’s Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/%E2%81%A0]

How to Price Your SaaS in the Age of AI - with Fessal Rahman

In this episode of Building Great Tech, Simon and Anastasija speak with Fessal Rahman, Commercial Operator and expert in PE value creation, about the impending upheaval of SaaS platforms due to AI integration. Is the "SaaSpocalypse" real? And is it coming sooner than we anticipated? They also discuss what the PE landscape looks like in 2026, and what PE firms are looking for when investing in the ever changing markets. ABOUT FESSAL: Commercial leader focused on value creation across PE backed software portfolios and high growth SaaS. Proven record of scaling ARR, NRR, and EBITDA through commercial execution and operating model design. Build and buy environments, leading performance, integration and alignment. I build and operationalise GTM, pricing, and packaging strategies that drive >10% top line growth, strong EBITDA conversion, and uplift in GRR (+6%) and NRR (+9%) across software businesses ranging from $50m to $1b in ARR. Experienced at board and investor level, partnering across Product, Sales, CS, and Finance to embed repeatable commercial excellence frameworks that unlock sustainable growth and recurring revenue quality. THE PODCAST: Growing, scaling, and selling tech businesses. Building Great Tech takes you inside the product decisions that drive growth, protect margins, and make tech companies worth buying. What's killing your conversion. Why your customers churn. Where the real product value sits before, during, and after a deal. Hosted by Simon Hook & Anastasija Krysa. Two product value creation specialists behind £41M and $87M exits, a 156% conversion increase, and a 93% retention uplift. Expert interviews with PE investors, CEOs, founders, and operators. Real case studies. Practical playbooks for growing, scaling, and selling tech businesses. GUEST LINKS Connect with Fessal on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fessal/?originalSubdomain=uk [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fessal/?originalSubdomain=uk] BUILDING GREAT TECH: Website: https://buildinggreattech.com/ [https://buildinggreattech.com/] Anastasija’s Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%80%A8]Simon’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/%E2%81%A0]

From the White House to AI Entrepreneur for Democracy - with Dr. Travis Hoppe founder of GroundVue

In this episode of Building Great Tech, Simon and Anastasija are in conversation with Dr.Travis Hoppe, Chief AI Officer at GroundVue and Former White House Assistant Director of AI Research and Development at OSTP. Travis also co-developed The Pile, the first open-source data pile for large language models. In this episode they discuss how AI will shape the future of democracy and the science behind developing large language models. ABOUT TRAVIS: Dr. Travis Hoppe is a physicist, AI researcher, and public health data leader focused on advancing artificial intelligence in government and healthcare. He previously served as the first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he led the agency's AI portfolio and launched its first enterprise AI strategy to accelerate data modernization, outbreak detection, and public health decision-making. During his tenure, Travis helped position CDC as a federal leader in AI adoption. Under his leadership, the agency became the first federal organization to adopt generative AI at scale, commission a government-wide study on generative AI return on investment, and publish early guidance on emerging deep research technologies for public health agencies. Travis also served at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as Assistant Director of AI Research and Development, where he helped shape federal AI policy and coordinate AI strategy across agencies. His work focused on bridging cutting-edge AI research with practical government implementation, advancing responsible AI adoption across the federal ecosystem. ABOUT THE PODCAST: Growing, scaling, and selling tech businesses. Building Great Tech takes you inside the product decisions that drive growth, protect margins, and make tech companies worth buying. What's killing your conversion. Why your customers churn. Where the real product value sits before, during, and after a deal. Hosted by Simon Hook & Anastasija Krysa. Two product value creation specialists behind £41M and $87M exits, a 156% conversion increase, and a 93% retention uplift. Expert interviews with PE investors, CEOs, founders, and operators. Real case studies. Practical playbooks for growing, scaling, and selling tech businesses. FOLLOW TRAVIS Travis' Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-hoppe-17902b59 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-hoppe-17902b59] GroundVue - https://www.groundvue.org/ [https://www.groundvue.org/] The Pile - https://pile.eleuther.ai/ [https://pile.eleuther.ai/] CDC Vision and Retun on Investment: https://www.cdc.gov/ai/vision/index.html [https://www.cdc.gov/ai/vision/index.html%20] More background on GroundVue and the Founders: https://fedscoop.com/former-federal-technologists-tap-public-meetings-data-new-ai-venture/ [https://fedscoop.com/former-federal-technologists-tap-public-meetings-data-new-ai-venture/] BUILDING GREAT TECH: Website: https://buildinggreattech.com/ [https://buildinggreattech.com/] Anastasija’s Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Simon’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/%E2%81%A0]

The Trick Is to Never Talk About the Environment – With Josh Dorfman, founder of Plantd

https://buildinggreattech.com/ [https://buildinggreattech.com/] In this episode of Building Great Tech, Simon and Anastasija talk with Josh Dorfman, Founder of Plantd and host of The Supercool Podcast. They talk about how AI will actually save the planet from climate change, and why companies need to STOP talking about the environment to actually make consumers care! Follow Josh on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorfmanjosh/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorfmanjosh/] About Supercool - https://getsuper.cool/about/ [https://getsuper.cool/about/] Buy Josh's Book "The Lazy Environmentalist" - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Environmentalist-Guide-Stylish-Green-Living/dp/1584796022 [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Environmentalist-Guide-Stylish-Green-Living/dp/1584796022] About Josh: He is co-founder of Plantd, a carbon-negative materials company that converts atmospheric carbon into high-performance products, starting with building materials. As CEO, Josh led the company through its Seed and Series A rounds and helped secure a partnership with D.R. Horton, which has since scaled to more than 10 million carbon-negative structural panels. He recently returned as fractional CMO to lead Plantd’s brand evolution, market positioning, and commercial strategy as the company scales. Josh is also co-founder and host of Supercool, a media platform covering the companies building the low-carbon economy. Through founder interviews and editorial storytelling, Supercool highlights how climate companies gain market adoption by leading with performance, cost, and customer value. Follow us on Linkedin! ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasijakrysa/]⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonvhook/] Building Great Tech is the podcast that helps mission-driven tech businesses become more profitable and customer-focused. Whether you're just starting out or optimising what you’ve already built, each episode helps you drive conversion, retention, and real business growth. We dive into customer-focused strategies, killer product experiences, ethical tech, team dynamics, and smart roadmaps. Expect expert interviews, startup case studies, and practical advice to help make your tech profitable, scalable, and deeply aligned with your mission. Build better tech. Serve more customers. Scale with purpose.