DARE

In this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Charity Andrews, CEO & Founder of Stellify, a company that helps growing organizations turn operational chaos into structured, scalable workflows.This conversation dives into the gap between buying tools and actually making them work: the behavior change, the process design, and the human elements most teams overlook. Charity shares why the real problem is rarely the software,  and what it takes to build systems where technology handles the manual work, so people can focus on what actually matters.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.TikTok/@darwoftInstagram/@darwoftLinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Tim Hysell, Co-Founder & CEO of Zinc Five Inc., the world leader in nickel-zinc battery technology with over 80 patents and nearly 2 gigawatts deployed globally.This conversation dives into the infrastructure behind AI: the batteries that power data centers through outages, millisecond spikes, and the growing demands of machine intelligence. Tim shares the company's journey from backup power for traffic stoplights to becoming a critical piece of the AI revolution, and why safety, sustainability, and speed are not trade-offs. They're the product.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.TikTok/@darwoftInstagram/@darwoftLinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

What does it take to keep a tech ecosystem alive when the rules of the industry are changing? 🤔💭In this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Soley Azer, Executive Director of Silicon Forest Partnership and former Intel leader, to explore what’s really at stake in the future of semiconductors.This conversation dives into the real challenges behind the chip industry—from Moore’s Law hitting physical limits to the fragmentation of talent and resources—and what it takes to build something resilient in response. Because the future of technology doesn’t just depend on chips. It depends on the ecosystems that make them possible.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

What does it really take to make AI work in the real world?In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Santosh Kaveti, CEO & Founder of ProArch, to explore what happens after the AI hype, when companies actually try to implement it.This episode is about building technology that works in the real world, and using AI not just to optimize systems, but to solve meaningful challenges for humanity. Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

What if your symptoms weren’t the problem, but the clue?In this thought-provoking episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Haresh Patel, Founder of DiagnosticMD AI, to explore a new approach to healthcare, one that goes beyond treating symptoms to uncovering root causes.This is a conversation about redefining diagnosis, embracing a more human approach to health, and daring to ask better questions.Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this inspiring episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Dr. Jennifer Berry, CEO of SmartLab, to explore how hands-on, project-based learning is transforming the way students connect with STEM.If you care about the future of education, innovation, and empowering the next generation, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this powerful episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Tyrone Poole, CEO & Founder of OneApp, a platform transforming the rental process to make housing more accessible—especially for those who need it most.This conversation dives into entrepreneurship, systemic barriers, and the role of community in building solutions that truly scale. This isn’t just a startup story, it’s a story about resilience, impact, and daring to change systems from within.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Brianne Mees, CEO & Co-Founder of Tender Loving Empire, a multi-million dollar retail business supporting hundreds of artists across Oregon and Washington.If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, the creator economy, or building businesses with purpose, this episode is for you.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Katie Thomson, Co-Founder & CEO of Square Baby, to unpack the reality behind baby nutrition—and how one startup is working to change it.If you care about food innovation, entrepreneurship, or building products that truly impact people’s lives, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. 🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.Social Media.TikTok/@darwoft Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Tyler Wells, CTO and co-founder of BrainGridAI, to explore how AI is reshaping the earliest stages of software development.If you're thinking about how AI is transforming the way software gets built, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.🎙️ Watch and listen to the full episode on all platforms.

Welcome to a new season of #DAREwithDarwoft! The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and 'startup leaders' who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation, traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment.In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Mike Vaona, founder of Rose Hill Sourdough, to explore an unexpected founder journey rooted in craft, community, and curiosity. This episode is about craftsmanship, community, and daring to build something tangible in a digital-first world.Social Media.Tik Tok /@darwoftInstagram/darwoftLinkedIn/DarwoftCompany

Welcome to a new season of #DAREwithDarwoft! The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and 'startup leaders' who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation, traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment.In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned Hayes sits down with Kyra Boveda, Founder & CEO of Conello, a social platform designed to help teams build real connections through play, appreciation, and meaningful engagement.Social Media.Tik Tok /@darwoftInstagram/darwoftLinkedIn/DarwoftCompany

Welcome to a new season of #DAREwithDarwoft! The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and 'startup leaders' who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation, traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment.A master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership, and how you too can dare to dream big.New episodes every Tuesday on all platforms. 🎙️ In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, Ned sits down with Aaron Huang, Founder of OoNee Sea Ranchi, a company sustainably raising sea urchins on land for high-end sushi markets.Aaron shares his journey from digital product management to building a systems-driven sustainable food company focused on ecosystem regeneration. Social Media.Tik Tok /@darwoftInstagram/darwoftLinkedIn/DarwoftCompany

Welcome to a new season of #DAREwithDarwoft! The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and 'startup leaders' who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation, traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment.A master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership, and how you too can dare to dream big.New episodes every Tuesday on all platforms. In this new episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, we sit down with David Spitzer, founder of Spitzer Technical Consulting, to explore a different way of building and supporting technology—one rooted in transparency, accessibility, and real human connection.Social Media.Tik Tok /@darwoftInstagram/darwoftLinkedIn/DarwoftCompany

Welcome to a new season of #DAREwithDarwoft! The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and 'startup leaders' who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation, traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment.A master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership, and how you too can dare to dream big.New episodes every Tuesday on all platforms.Social Media.Tik Tok /@darwoftInstagram/darwoftLinkedIn/DarwoftCompany

Relive the best startup advice, innovation strategies, and founder stories from 2025! 🚀 In this special year-end rewind, we’ve compiled the most powerful moments from our interviews with top global entrepreneurs who are reshaping the tech industry. In this episode, we cover: Best Moments of 2025, what is happening with startups? What failure teaches you? , the future of tech entrepreneurship in 2026 and more... Listen to THE FULL EPISODES on all platforms!

As founder of Volcano Veggies, Shannon Barra has been through the full cycle of entrepreneurship. Shannon shares with us lessons learned from her deep experience as a venture-funded entrepreneur. She is helping new business owners, and often her advice is “Don’t Start That Business.”

Jack Phan is a dynamic entrepreneur and visionary leader with over two decades of experience driving innovation across AI, tech, and digital marketing. He has a strong track record of launching and scaling successful ventures, and was recently selected as the new Director for the Oregon AI Accelerator, a new statewide initiative launched in late 2025, backed by Google and key Oregon partners (universities, investors, tech orgs) to boost early-stage AI startups by offering mentorship, funding (grants up to $50k), and resources to build globally competitive companies with an emphasis on ethics, innovation, and community impact.Jack tells us about his history as an entrepreneur and gives us all the details about the Oregon AI Accelerator. Applications for the accelerator close on December 15, 2025.

Bet Hannon is the CEO & founder of AccessiCart, a global services agency that helps eCommerce brands widen their audience and become more inclusive through digital accessibility, including ADA & EAA compliance.

Brecht Palombo built and sold a software business. Now he is running Arx Brokers, a modern M& firm and business brokerage selling businesses with $1M-$25M in revenue.Arx combines advanced data insights, cutting-edge technology, and a network of global talent to craft sophisticated, targeted campaigns that reveal a business’s true worth. The Arx approach doesn’t just connect business owners with a buyer—it ensures the business find the right buyer who sees the full value of what you've built.

John Jackson is an IT and cybersecurity expert with over a decade of experience in solving complex tech problems for businesses.John founded Bytagig here in Portland Oregon to provide premium IT and cybersecurity services, making top-tier resources accessible and affordable for companies of any size.

Mony Coffman is an engineer and entrepreneur developing an early stage startup, OMNI Electric. OMNI Electric specializes in mobile electric charging, automated battery swap stations and a peer-to-peer charge sharing app.

Gary Jin is the CEO of Surge Motion, a company that started in body motion analytics using mobile IoT, edge and cloud AI + ML. Today, Surge Motion is focused on stitching together wearables, IoT, mobile, edge, cloud, AI / ML to a good use - reducing elderly fall and improving functional mobility.

Zack Holland is a Brooklyn-based startup founder, author, and GTM consultant. He has spent his entire career building companies, or obsessing over how to help others grow efficiently. He is the CEO and founder of Averi, the first AI Marketing Manager.

Ray is reshaping what it means to be creative in an AI-powered world. With a background at TikTok and a mission-driven approach to building Atria in public, he’s a rare blend of strategist, builder, and thoughtful contrarian—unafraid to challenge the assumptions of traditional marketing and startup culture.

Zeke Camusio is a Stanford-trained data scientist, serial entrepreneur, and founder of Data Speaks, an AI-powered analytics platform that helps brands understand what drives their sales.Over the last two decades, he has built machine learning and AI solutions that empower marketing leaders to make informed decisions, eliminate waste, and accelerate growth.

Medisi came about through Miranda Cabral scratching her own itch! She tried various topical steroids, dermatologist consultations, naturopaths, and home remedies but found no lasting relief. After years of trial and error, she uncovered the root cause of her condition and discovered the role of digestive health in eczema healing. This breakthrough inspired Miranda to create Medisi, a supplement brand dedicated to helping others find relief and regain control of their skin health.

Mara McLoughlin is a speech-language pathologist and founder of IRL Social Skills — empowering autistic and other socially struggling teens, young adults, older adults and families with the skills to make real-world connections, In Real Life. Mara's team has a mission to provide direct, explicit instruction and practice with the skills to initiate, cultivate, and sustain relationships.

MD Patel is a biomedical-engineer-turned-entrepreneur and the inventor of TrainSnap. TrainSnap provides real-time alerts for blocked railroad crossings, reducing delays and improving safety for drivers and emergency responders.

The Maupin Coffee Company has been roasting beans in Central Oregon since 2020 when the roastery moved from Portland where operations began in 2013. Producing a range of blends and single origin beans that are bold, robust and incredibly delicious, we source only the finest organic beans. We air-roast small 5lb batches in downtown Maupin, ensuring the freshest, most flavorful coffee in your cup. A daily moment of pure delight.

Med Yacoub, Marketing Director, TraDesk SecuritiesRevolutionizing retail investing as the visionary behind Tradesk, a groundbreaking fintech platform that empowers modern investors through unshakeable trust, elegant simplicity, and cutting-edge AI-powered tools.

Ali Greco, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and user experience leader with a background in anxiety treatment, systems theory, and organizational psychology. She has worked in prisons, colleges, and community mental health settings. She spent much of my career in UX design and research in healthcare. She recently launched Parathera, a new emotional support service for people who need more than a friend—but less than therapy.

Harry Herzberg is a programmer and accessibility advocate who created Transcribbit, an innovative classroom tool inspired by his own experience navigating school with muscular dystrophy. Transcribbit helps make learning more inclusive by offering live transcription, translation, and tools that support students in asking questions and staying engaged.Congratulations to Harry for winning the recent Demolicious contest from the Upstart Collective!

Tyson Trejo is the CEO & Founder of E.N.G. Media, a company that partners with technology and software businesses to scale their revenue with done-for-you solutions.

Kate Woods is an operational strategist specializing in empowering womxn and BIPOC-owned small businesses. She transforms chaotic operations into streamlined systems, freeing up executive time for focused growth. Her mission is to cultivate thriving businesses by pruning inefficiencies and planting the seeds for lasting success.

Dr. Melissa Bird is a descendant of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes. She is a nationally recognized lay preacher, author, public speaker, and podcaster. Together with her husband, Army Veteran James Kelly, she founded the start up farm The Mermaid's Garden, with a mission of connecting people to the land, their bodies, and their food. A place for people of all abilities, The Mermaid's Garden hopes to become a premiere retreat space and recirculating aquaculture farm in the heart of Oregon.

Justin Gravett and David Ashton tell us about their startup Canopii -- a small but burgeoning Oregon company developing fully automated greenhouse farms. Our farms use custom cost-effective automaton to perform all processes for leafy greens and herb production, from seed to harvest. Canopii is determined to support local and resilient agricultural production that is accessible to all.

Olivier Egli is a work educator and guide who supports new founders in building the businesses they are naturally meant to build by bringing together universal principles of nature, leadership, neuroscience, and biology. His company has helped transform hundreds of entrepreneurs into what 'intupreneurs' who use their intuition instead of traditional approaches to build human value the world desperately needs. He is also engaged in the realm of business education and startup programs with the long-term vision to shift the perception on work on a global scale.

Johnny “Doc” Hudson Jr., U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, and co-founder of ODIN Materials, innovating advanced materials for aerospace, robotics, and supercomputing. Passionate about driving technology advancements through material science. Dedicated to pushing the boundaries of innovation and engineering.

Tim Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Pour Soul Systems. His company has a unique value proposition in the beverage industry -- they've developed an loT platform to track, classify, analyze, and report on every beverage pour for the $50 billion on-premise draft beverage industry.

Joey Repice is the founder and chief chef for Joey's Hot Sauce, based in southern Oregon. The product Joey has created has a spectrum of unique taste profiles -- it's an all roasted pepper all organic ingredient small batch Hot Sauce produced exclusively in southern Oregon -- and it's already in many stores throughout the Pacific Northwest!

Calvin Gower is the CEO and Founder of Stiira, a Portland-based SaaS company revolutionizing how businesses manage government-regulated leaves of absence. With a career devoted to developing and marketing digital HR solutions that simplify complex problems, Calvin launched Stiira with his co-founders in February 2023 to deliver the first leave management software tailored for the unique needs of third-party administrators and in-house teams alike. Just two years since its launch, Stiira has emerged as a trusted, cost-effective solution for leave administrators nationwide.

Andy Seykora is the co-founder and CEO of Axia Orthopedics, a medical device company focused on empowering orthopedic surgeons to achieve better outcomes faster. Andy has previously managed product development teams at companies like Acumed and played key roles in the growth of startups such as Acute Innovations and Outerpull.

Hollie Miller was a freelance strategic and financial consultant for non-profits in the Portland area, and she was frustrated that there were no supports for freelancers like herself to plug into for benefits, admin support, or government provided safety nets. So Hollie started Guilds with Benefits to provide those services to freelancers and small business owners alike. She believes self-employers deserve benefits, tools, support, and protections just like traditional employers, and that's what Guilds with Benefits does today! (We're happy to launch this episode on LAUNCH WEEK for this exciting venture! Congrats to Guilds with Benefits!)

Cindy Anderson is a long-time entrepreneur who has a passion for health and wellness. She started Manny's Choice after being diagnosed with severe gluten-intolerance and breast cancer. After much research, she found that Italian or European wheat did not react like other wheat products, making her feel wonderful. Today, Cindy is on a mission to bring Manny's Choice products to everyone so they can also experience clean healthy eating.

Carter Guddell is the Regional Specialist for the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE). He's based in Bend, where he helps out organizations that encourage investment and entrepreneurship in central Oregon. His work serves a wide span of the region -- his county coverage includes Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook, and South Wasco.

Yalda Moshiri is the Angel Oregon Program Director for the Oregon Entrepreneurs' Network. Yalda grew up in Silicon Valley where she was deeply influenced by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit, fueling her curiosity for innovation from an early age. She launched her career with renowned Fortune 50 companies, including Disney and Amazon. Her entrepreneurial spirit eventually led her to co-found two startups. Today, Yalda is dedicated to strengthening early-stage entrepreneurs across Oregon.

Toby Roberts is the former President of the famous Pok Pok restaurant chain here in Portland. Today he has a new company that is focused on bringing the ingredients that can help you create amazing Thai food yourself. His first product is high quality charcoal from Thailand. High, consistent heat, long burn time, no smoke, and made from orchard bi-product. A fascinating culinary startup story!

Founded by Susan & Joseph Piacenza, SeaStereo stands at the forefront of aquaculture innovation, committed to advancing the sustainability and vitality of aquatic populations. The mission of this innovative startup is to empower the industry with precise, AI-enabled monitoring solutions that safeguard marine health, enhance productivity, and ensure a thriving future for our global ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Cori Omundson is the Founder, CEO and chief Winemaker at Rising Wines Collective -- an innovative company that is opening the doors to quality small-production wines you might only find by traveling to wine country.  Rising Wines gives access to wines all over the country for any consumer.