Episodes

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with Dan Eberhard, Founder & CEO of Koho, one of Canada’s most exciting fintech companies. Dan shares how Koho grew from a scrappy idea challenging Canada’s powerful banking system into a company with 2 million customers, hundreds of millions raised, and a real shot at building the next great bank in Canada.Dan opens up about his unconventional path from growing up in a small mountain town in British Columbia t...

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Sho w on Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with Michael Winn of Chartered Wealth for the first installment in a new mini-series on one of the biggest questions founders face: why do so many exits fail? Michael breaks down the surprising statistic that 75% of founder exits are unsuccessful, and explains why selling a company is not just a transaction, but a deeply personal, financial, and strategic process. Michael shares the three areas every founder mus...

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with Anthony Di Iorio, co-founder of Ethereum and one of the earliest builders in the crypto ecosystem, for a wide-ranging conversation on Bitcoin, Ethereum, AI, decentralization, and personal sovereignty. Anthony shares how he first discovered Bitcoin in 2012, bought in when it was under $10, and helped build the Toronto Bitcoin community where he eventually met Vitalik Buterin and became part of Ethereum’s foun...

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with JP Newman, CEO of Thrive FP and founder of Fulfillionaire, for a powerful conversation about success, money, meaning, and what happens after you finally achieve the life you thought would make you happy. JP shares his unconventional path from Sony Pictures and family entertainment to building a real estate platform with more than $2 billion in transactions, and how his early struggles shaped the way he think...

Most people don’t realize how broken drug discovery really is. According to Liran Belenzon, companies can spend seven years and hundreds of millions of dollars on a drug candidate—only to see it fail in human trials. In this episode, Liran explains why biology is one of the most complex systems humans have ever tried to understand and how AI can help researchers uncover patterns humans miss. The discussion explores why even small improvements in success rates could completely reshape healthcare ...

In this special co-hosted episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership, Jess Larsen is joined by top Compass broker Holly Parker for a fascinating conversation with Cayman Islands attorney Daniel Altneu of Bedell Cristin. Together, they unpack why the Cayman Islands has become one of the world’s most sought-after destinations for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, entrepreneurs, and global investors. Daniel breaks down the realities behind Cayman residency, offshore ...

What does it really take to build a $100M–$300M+ home—and work with some of the wealthiest people in the world? In this episode, Grant Bowen, founder of Peak Projects, breaks down the hidden world behind ultra-luxury residential development. From managing complex projects to acting as a trusted advisor, Grant shares how his firm became one of the leaders in the space.But this conversation goes far beyond real estate. Grant reveals what it’s actually like working with ultra-high-net-worth clients—and how the reality is often very different from the stereotypes.He also dives into trust, relationships, and why transactional thinking fails at the highest levels.If you’re building a business, raising capital, or serving elite clients, this episode is packed with lessons you won’t hear anywhere else.

Former Navy SEAL Diego Ugalde returns to The Jess Larsen Show for one of our most thought-provoking conversations yet. In this throwback episode, Diego opens up about the journey behind his book Leading From the Deep and the lessons he learned from BUD/S training, combat deployments, leadership, trauma, and healing. Jess and Diego explore the realities of mental toughness, what elite performance actually feels like under pressure, and why so many high achievers unknowingly run on fear, shame, an...

In this episode of Innovation & Leadership, Jess Larsen sits down with Alex Yeh, founder of GMI Cloud, to explore the rise of AI infrastructure and the idea of a new “AI internet.” Alex explains how this next wave of computing is fundamentally different—where information is generated on demand rather than stored—and how his company is building the systems that power it.Alex shares his journey from fintech founder and crypto investor to building large-scale data centers across the U.S. after Chin...

In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with serial entrepreneur Diaz Nesamoney to explore the evolution of data, AI, and the future of commerce. Diaz shares his journey from growing up across multiple countries to co-founding Informatica—one of the early enterprise software giants that rode the wave of the internet boom—and the hard-earned lessons that came from building and scaling billion-dollar companies. He dives into the realities of entrepreneur...

What if the software running the world’s supply chains could predict the future 10 billion times a day? In this throwback episode of The Jess Larsen Show: Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with Duncan Angove, CEO of Blue Yonder, the company powering supply chains for many of the world’s largest brands. From orchestrating fleets of trucks and warehouses to leveraging AI for real-time decision-making, Duncan breaks down how modern supply chains actually work—and why they’re one of the most ...

What does it really take to go from startup to category leader? In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show: Innovation & Leadership , Jess sits down with Avery Pennarun, CEO of Tailscale, to break down the real mechanics behind product-market fit, scaling to a billion-dollar company, and becoming the default choice in your industry. Avery shares hard-earned lessons from building Tailscale into one of the most respected infrastructure companies in tech—used by thousands of teams worldwide. From why ...

We’re revisiting one of our most fascinating conversations on The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership . In this throwback episode, Jess sits down with billionaire investor, entrepreneur, and futurist Jim Mellon to explore the ideas shaping the future of business, technology, and human life itself. From his early days witnessing the rise of Silicon Valley alongside figures like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, to building a global investment career across emerging markets, Jim shares the mindse...

This episode is a masterclass in leadership, scale, and hard-earned business wisdom. Jess sits down with Gary Kusin—founder of GameStop (formerly Babbage’s), former CEO of Kinko’s, and a leader behind one of the most impressive turnarounds in retail history—to unpack the lessons that shaped his career. Gary shares the real story behind taking Kinko’s from negative EBITDA to a $2.4B acquisition by FedEx, what it was like working directly with Fred Smith, and the leadership principles he developed...

From Wall Street to humanoid robotics, Andrew Kiguel has built a career at the edge of what’s next—and in this episode, he sits down with Jess to unpack what it actually takes to bet on the future before it’s obvious. Andrew, CEO of Realbotix, shares how his journey through investment banking, crypto mining, and high-growth ventures led him to one of the most controversial and fascinating frontiers today: human-like AI robots. From building a $140M revenue crypto company to now developing lifeli...

In this episode, Jess sits down with Ross Buhrdorf, Co-Founder and CEO of ZenBusiness, to unpack what it really takes to build companies that matter. From helping lead HomeAway through its massive growth and $3.9 billion exit to Expedia, to building ZenBusiness into a billion-dollar platform serving entrepreneurs across America, Ross shares lessons from the front lines of scaling, fundraising, product-market fit, and leadership. He explains why small businesses are the backbone of the economy, h...

What if the most powerful business strategy today isn’t AI, automation, or scale… but relationships? In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership, Jess sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Noah Berkson to talk about the surprising power of real human connection in a digital world. Noah shares how he went from a self-described terrible student with ADHD to building and exiting multiple companies—including a recent sale of his farmland marketplace—by focusing on re...

In this episode, Jess sits down with bestselling author Nir Eyal to unpack his newest book, Beyond Belief — and the conversation goes far deeper than productivity hacks or surface-level motivation advice. Nir, the author of Hooked and Indistractable, explains why knowing what to do isn’t the problem. We already have more information than ever. The real challenge is understanding why we don’t do what we know we should. He breaks down the hidden power of belief — how limiting beliefs quietly sabot...

What does it take to jump into a war zone, break a world record, and still come home grounded? In this episode of The Jess Larsen Show , Jess sits down with former Tier 1 Special Boat Service operator Dean Stott to unpack a life that sounds like fiction—but isn’t. Dean shares what it really means to pass one of the world’s toughest special forces selections, why humility and integrity matter more than bravado, and how mindset separates those who quit from those who finish. He opens up about unde...

We’re revisiting one of our standout conversations on The Jess Larsen Show on Innovation & Leadership . In this throwback episode, Jess sits down with Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, to unpack the leadership story behind one of the internet’s most remarkable growth narratives. From navigating the dot-com crash to steering through global uncertainty and economic downturns, Glenn shares how long-term thinking, disciplined execution, and relentless focus on product and service helped transfor...

Throwback episode alert. We’re re-releasing one of the most replayed conversations on The Jess Larsen Show. Jess sits down with retired FBI international kidnapping negotiator Chris Voss, bestselling author of Never Split the Difference. Chris takes you inside real hostage negotiations and breaks down the skills that actually move people: tactical empathy, listening for what’s unsaid, staying calm under pressure, and using the right words when stakes are high. This one isn’t just for dealmakers....

This is a repost of one of our favorite episodes. Jess Larsen is joined by Dr. Greg Bailey (biotech investor behind the $11.6B Nurtec exit and a $14.3B Pfizer deal) and Brant Pinvidic, the Hollywood pitch guy who’s sold more than 300 shows and wrote The 3 Minute Rule. Brant talks about leaving Canada, landing in the U.S., and why the “big ideas” weren’t the problem. The problem was getting people to understand them fast. He breaks down why so many founders and CEOs struggle to say what their com...

This is an older episode, but it’s one of those conversations that still holds up. Jess Larsen sits down with Jim Stengel to talk about what actually makes companies and leaders last. Not trends. Not hacks. Just the hard-earned lessons that come from seeing brands grow, stumble, and sometimes lose their way. They talk about focus, trust, and why the best organizations are built around serving people—not chasing the next shiny thing. It’s calm, thoughtful, and surprisingly grounding. We’re repost...

We’re resurfacing a favorite Jess Larsen Show conversation with Keith Ferrazzi—bestselling author of Never Eat Alone and the follow-up, Never Lead Alone. In this episode, Keith breaks down why the next era of leadership isn’t “hero CEO” energy—it’s teams stepping into leadership together. Jess and Keith connect the dots between lean/TQM, agile, and what Keith calls the real opportunity right now: re-engineering collaboration and workflows (not just debating office polices). You’ll hear practical...