Founders in Full

Erika Warren | Inciteful Med

Erika Warren, Co-Founder of Inciteful Med, shares the story behind building a healthcare research and self-advocacy platform designed to help patients and caregivers better understand complex medical information and make more informed decisions. Before starting Inciteful Med, Erika spent her career in education and consumer technology marketing — never expecting to become a healthcare founder. But after her co-founder used a research discovery tool he built to help uncover a missed cancer diagnosis in his own family, everything changed. That experience revealed a massive problem hiding in plain sight: patients and caregivers are often expected to become experts in life-changing medical conditions with very little support, clarity, or transparency. In this conversation, we explore: ✅ The unexpected story that led to the creation of Inciteful Med ✅ Why patients and caregivers often feel lost inside the healthcare system ✅ How AI is changing healthcare research and patient self-advocacy ✅ Why trust, transparency, and citations matter so much in healthcare AI ✅ The challenges of marketing products for people navigating stressful, emotionally overwhelming situations ✅ How patient communities, storytelling, and founder-led marketing are shaping the company’s growth Erika’s story is a powerful reminder that some of the best startups don’t begin with a business opportunity — they begin with a deeply human problem that somebody simply refuses to ignore. 👉 Learn more about Inciteful Med: https://incitefulmed.com/ [https://incitefulmed.com/] 👉 Connect with Erika on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-warren/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-warren/] Connect with me (Dan Ritzke): I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results. 👉 Visit my website: https://danritzke.com/ [https://danritzke.com/] 👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/ [https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/] Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder: 👉 Founders in Full: https://danritzke.com/podcast/ [https://danritzke.com/podcast/]

Jonathan Carone | Healthy Sports Parents

Jonathan Carone, founder of Healthy Sports Parents, shares how a lifetime around sports — from coaching and athletic departments to marketing and entrepreneurship — ultimately led him to build one of the fastest-growing parenting platforms focused on youth sports culture today. What started as frustration watching unhealthy behavior from parents on the sidelines quickly turned into a much bigger mission: helping families navigate youth sports in a healthier, more sustainable, and more human way. After years building websites and helping organizations clarify their messaging through the StoryBrand framework, Jonathan unexpectedly found himself at the center of a growing conversation around pressure, burnout, identity, and what youth sports should actually teach kids. In this conversation, we explore: ✅ Why so many parents feel pressure to push kids harder in sports ✅ The emotional dynamics that often drive sideline behavior ✅ Why 70% of kids quit sports by age 13 ✅ The long-term impact of tying love and approval to performance ✅ Why process matters more than outcomes — both in sports and life ✅ The dangers of early specialization and burnout ✅ What healthy support actually looks like for young athletes ✅ How Jonathan grew Healthy Sports Parents into a platform reaching hundreds of thousands of families Jonathan’s story is a powerful reminder that youth sports are about far more than winning. At their best, sports can help kids build confidence, resilience, discipline, and relationships that last a lifetime — but only if adults create environments where kids feel safe, supported, and loved regardless of performance. 👉 Learn more about Healthy Sports Parents: https://healthysportsparents.com/ [https://healthysportsparents.com/] 👉 Follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents/ [https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents/] 👉 Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-carone-52145778/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-carone-52145778/] Connect with me (Dan Ritzke): I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results. 👉 Visit my website: https://danritzke.com/ [https://danritzke.com/] 👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/ [https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/] Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder: 👉 Founders in Full: https://danritzke.com/podcast/ [https://danritzke.com/podcast/]

Sameer Goyal | Kidzovo

Sameer Goyal, Co-Founder of Kidzovo, shares the journey of building a new kind of learning platform for kids — one that transforms passive screen time into interactive learning experiences. After spending years as a software engineer at Amazon, Sameer never planned to become a founder. But a combination of curiosity, emerging AI technology, and conversations with parents revealed a massive opportunity: kids spend hours watching videos online, yet very little of that time actually helps them learn. Kidzovo was born from a simple but powerful idea — meet kids where they already are (video), and layer in the kind of interaction, questioning, and guidance a parent or teacher might provide during co-viewing. In this conversation, Sameer walks through the winding path from engineer to founder, the early struggles of building a media platform from scratch, and what it really takes to create meaningful educational experiences for kids in a world dominated by screens. We explore: ✅ Sameer’s early fascination with computers — starting with programming classes as a kid ✅ His career at Amazon and the moments that sparked his interest in entrepreneurship ✅ The surprising insights from interviewing dozens of parents about kids and screen time ✅ Why engagement — not education — had to come first when designing Kidzovo ✅ The challenge of licensing kids’ video content with no industry connections ✅ How AI and human educators work together to make video interactive for kids ✅ Why many “educational apps” fail to keep kids coming back ✅ The marketing lessons Sameer learned the hard way while building a startup from scratch ✅ How Kidzovo helps parents stay connected to what their kids are learning Sameer’s story is a great reminder that building a product for families requires more than great technology — it requires empathy for parents, curiosity about how kids actually learn, and a willingness to rethink what “screen time” can be. 👉 Learn more about Kidzovo: https://kidzovo.com/ [https://kidzovo.com/] 👉 Connect with Sameer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameergoyal91/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sameergoyal91/] Connect with me (Dan Ritzke): I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results. 👉 Visit my website: https://danritzke.com/ [https://danritzke.com/] 👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/ [https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/] Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder: 👉 Founders in Full: https://danritzke.com/podcast/ [https://danritzke.com/podcast/]

Paul Sullivan | The Company of Dads

Paul Sullivan, Founder of The Company of Dads and longtime former New York Times columnist, shares how a personal decision inside his own family led to a broader mission: redefining what modern fatherhood looks like at home and at work. When Paul’s wife launched her own asset management firm in 2013, he stepped into the role of “lead dad” — the go-to parent managing the mental load, logistics, and day-to-day responsibilities of raising their three daughters. What began as a quiet, almost “undercover” shift evolved into a national platform serving millions of fathers navigating similar transitions. We explore: ✅ Why COVID became the catalyst that moved him from “undercover lead dad” to founder ✅ The data behind the 25 million lead dads in America — and why they’ve been largely overlooked ✅ How workplace culture still discourages fathers from taking leave or stepping fully into caregiving ✅ Lessons from leaving a high-profile career at The New York Times to build something from scratch ✅ The painful (and expensive) early founder mistakes that reshaped his approach to growth ✅ Why supporting fathers isn’t just about dads — it’s about equity for working moms and healthier companies Paul’s story is a powerful reminder that cultural change doesn’t start with policy — it starts with visibility. By giving fathers language, community, and credibility, he’s helping reshape the future of work and family in real time. 👉 Learn more about The Company of Dads: https://thecompanyofdads.com/ [https://thecompanyofdads.com/] 👉 Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sullivanpaulj/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sullivanpaulj/] Connect with me (Dan Ritzke): I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results. 👉 Visit my website: https://danritzke.com/ [https://danritzke.com/] 👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/ [https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/] Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder: 👉 Founders in Full: https://danritzke.com/podcast/ [https://danritzke.com/podcast/]

Dr. Ashley Blackington | Dovetail

Dr. Ashley Blackington, Founder of Dovetail, shares how her 15+ years as an occupational therapist—and one unforgettable hospital moment—shaped her mission to build better infrastructure for caregivers. After watching families navigate medical crises alone and overwhelmed, Ashley set out to create tools that reduce friction, increase clarity, and keep caregivers from falling through the cracks. What began as a hand-drawn paper planner during the early days of the pandemic evolved into a digital platform designed to help families coordinate care, communicate clearly, and stay organized during some of the most stressful seasons of life. We explore: ✅ The hospital experience that cemented her focus on caregivers—not just patients ✅ Why she chose to build outside traditional healthcare and insurance systems ✅ How a COVID-era paper planner became the foundation for a tech startup ✅ The decision to go direct-to-consumer before pursuing larger B2B channels ✅ Lessons learned building a tech company without a tech background Ashley’s journey is a reminder that caregiving spans every stage of life—and that the best FamTech solutions are built from lived experience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the people they serve. 👉 Learn more about Dovetail: https://dovetaildesigns.co/ [https://dovetaildesigns.co/] 👉 Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/] Connect with me (Dan Ritzke): I’m a Fractional CMO who helps FamTech companies position their brand, sharpen their messaging, create marketing strategies that drive growth, and oversee execution to make sure those plans turn into results. 👉 Visit my website: https://danritzke.com/ [https://danritzke.com/] 👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/ [https://linkedin.com/in/ritzke/] Apply to be on the podcast or nominate a founder: 👉 Founders in Full: https://danritzke.com/podcast/ [https://danritzke.com/podcast/]