334 Startup Exits, America’s Moneyball City, and Your Phone’s Geo-Tracking w/ Alison Alvarez

Alison Alvarez knows a lot about a lot.   In just 30 minutes, she taught me about Charleston, West Virginia, the power of geo-tracking, and how she does market research. We didn’t even get into Japanese literature.   Alison is the CEO and co-founder of BlastPoint. She has spent years building big data tools for large companies and became convinced that more affordable and accessible solutions should exist.   She has emerged as an expert consultant regarding large geospatial data systems, lecturing around the country to teach people how to use data tools for themselves, and developing a library of free interactive coding lessons.   She currently sits on the advisory board of Y-Combinator’s Valor Water If you liked this interview, check out previous tech CEO interviews like TrackMaven CEO Allen Gannett, AlphaLab Gear alum Avi Geller, and CivicMapper founder Emily Mercurio. Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.   Alison’s Challenge; Try building new skills outside of your core focus. Stretch yourself.   Book Mentioned Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond   Connect with Alison LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Website Underwritten by Piper Creative A digital agency that provides strategy, delivery, and analysis specializing in a few key service offerings. Documentary-as-a-Service (Vlogging 2.0) Instagram Content Production & Account Building Podcast Production, Strategy Consulting, and Guest Acquisition   If you aren’t creating or curating content regularly, your clients and customers might forget you’re open for business. YouTube Inst