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#213 Dr. Michelle Griffin | Inside the AI Layoff Wave - What Founders Must Learn
Startups love to talk about product, markets, and money. But when hypergrowth hits, people ops is where things break, hiring goes sideways, culture frays, and compliance gets ignored until it’s too late.In this episode, Dr. Michelle Griffin, founder of Griffin Resources, joins Rocco Strydom to unpack how companies can stay human while scaling fast. The conversation kicks off with Accenture’s recent decision to cut 11 000 jobs , citing AI reskilling challenges and explores whether that’s a warning sign for every industry facing automation.What You’ll LearnWhy big firms like Accenture are struggling to “reskill” for AIHow AI is transforming HR, payroll, and workforce planningThe first people systems every startup needs before scalingWhen founders should not outsource HR or accountingHow to protect culture when growth or M&A hits hardWhy listening beats speed in 2025’s hiring landscape
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#212 Robert Grzesik | Build AI Trading Bots with Plain English Prompts
Algorithmic trading is finally getting democratized. Robert Grzesik, founder of Botspot and LumiWealth, has built a platform where anyone can turn plain English prompts into live trading bots — no coding required.In this episode, we dive into how AI is reshaping the trading landscape, why execution is becoming instant, and how the line between idea and deployment is shrinking fast.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeHow Botspot turns English prompts into fully functional trading botsWhy AI is closing the gap between strategy and executionThe power of backtesting and live data to improve performanceHow market signals like tweets and Reddit posts can influence automated tradingThe vision for a bot marketplace where you can buy and sell strategiesWhy democratizing algo trading makes markets more efficient and fairUpcoming features: AI agents, analytics, and monetization for creatorsQuote to Remember“We’re not just hiding the code — we’re giving you a flowchart, a plain-English explanation, and the data to make better trades.” — Robert Grzesik
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#211 Remco Coerman | Global Tax Reform, Governance and Family Office Succession
Half-built businesses often collapse under their own success. Without governance, compliance, and succession planning, big wins become fragile legacies. My guest today, Remco Coerman, has spent more than 25 years advising entrepreneurs, investors, and family offices across Africa and the Middle East. He helps build the scaffolding behind businesses, ensuring wealth and impact survive beyond the first generation.In this episode:What the global minimum tax really means for founders and multinationalsWhy “substance and structure” are now essential in low-tax jurisdictions like the UAEGovernance as the foundation for scaling family officesWhy talent and technology follow strong structuresHow to design investment committees and Chinese walls to avoid conflict of interestLessons from advising families where succession planning went wrongWhy only a third of family businesses survive to the second generationWhen it makes sense to start a family office and how little as €200,000 can get you started abroadThe UK’s tax crunch, inheritance tax, and why more families are moving to the UAEQuote to remember:“You need a system stronger than family emotions.”
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#210 Taylor Halliday | AI Helpdesks
AI at work is more than chatbots. Ravenna is rebuilding internal support systems with modern helpdesk and automation tools designed for Slack, Teams, and everyday workflows. After raising $15 million from top investors like Madrona and Khosla, co-founder and CEO Taylor Halliday (ex-Zapier Engineering / AI lead) joins to talk product, market fit, and what AI really means for operations.In this episode:Why legacy help desks needed rethinkingWhat Ravenna builds beyond bots and macrosLessons from Zapier: deeper automation vs simple integrationsThe listening tour that shaped Ravenna’s directionHow they landed $15M in fundingUsing AI to improve efficiency, not just replace peopleCompeting in a mature internal ops space while staying nimbleWhat real feedback does for product growthWhere AI architecture may plateau, and how Ravenna is preparingRavenna’s roadmap: Slack first UX, analytics, scaling
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#209 Ryan Rottman | Building AthleteAgent with Aaron Rodgers
Most athletes are more than players. They are brands, investors, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. But until now, getting reliable data on endorsements, reps, front office contacts and off-field ventures has meant sifting through rumours and broken links. AthleteAgent.com, formerly OSDB, has rebranded and launched a subscription product that aims to solve that problem. Think IMDb for sports people, with verified contact data and a focus on accessibility for brands, agencies and fans.In this episode:Why AthleteAgent pivoted from a broad sports portal to a focused contact and outreach platformHow the team validated a market need: thousands of monthly users asking for reps and contact info, not stats or editorialWhat makes AthleteAgent different from an AI scrape or a Google search: verified emails and phones, multilayer validation, and industry relationships that unlock previously guarded contactsPricing and model decisions, and why a subscription made sense for teams both large and smallReal user impact, from LinkedIn execs who got replies in hours to minor league teams reconnecting with playersRoadmap priorities: current pro athletes first, later expansion into retired players, NIL and underserved sports like UFC, cricket and lacrosseSafety and trust measures, and how AthleteAgent responds when agents request changes to contact listingsWhy it mattersAthleteAgent.com is built for people who need verified access, fast. For brands and PR teams that used to waste days chasing the right rep, it can be a time saver that pays for itself in a few outreach wins. For athletes, it creates new revenue pathways by making them discoverable for local deals and media opportunities without sacrificing control.Quote to remember"We're not selling gossip. We're selling access with verification. If an email bounces, why would anyone pay for it?"
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