The Startup Junkies Podcast
by Startup Junkie
Candid conversations with the founders, operators, and investors building companies in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.The Startup Junkies Podcast is hosted by Jeff Amerine, founder of Startup Junkie, a Northwest Arkansas organization that has provided no-cost consulting, programs, and events to entrepreneurs for more than 15 years. Each week Jeff and the Startup Junkie team sit down with people who have actually done it: first-time and serial founders, small business owners, investors, accelerator alumni, and the ecosystem builders working alongside them.Expect real stories, not lectures. How they got started, how they found their first customers, how they raised money or chose not to, what nearly broke them, and what they would do differently. Topics range from validating an idea and finding capital to hiring, marketing, leadership, scaling, and selling the business.With more than 450 episodes since 2015, the back catalog covers nearly every stage of building a company in Arkansas a
Episodes
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From School Project to Financial Literacy App with Kanishk Sasikumar
Every business worth building starts with a problem you've felt yourself. This high school senior turned his into an app. In this entrepreneur interview, Kanishk Sasikumar, a Bentonville High School senior and co-founder of Investo, shares how a DECA competition project became a gamified…
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Using AI Medical Record Audits to Reduce Claim Denials with Dmitry Karpov of Adentris
Insurers have thousands of engineers building systems to deny claims. Most healthcare providers have no one on the other side of the table. In this entrepreneur interview, Dmitry Karpov — serial founder and CEO of Adentris — explains how AI can audit medical records in real time, why behavioral...
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How a Dentist Grew a Telehealth Startup 1,200% with Dr. Maria Kunstadter
Toothaches are one of the top reasons people end up in the emergency room, where there’s no dentist to treat them. In this entrepreneur interview, Dr. Maria Kunstadter, dentist and founder of The TeleDentists, shares how a national conference on the opioid crisis sparked the idea for virtual...
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How Cities Can Make Starting a Business Easier with Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn
Starting a small business is full of unknowns. Fayetteville's mayor says City Hall should be the one predictable part. In this entrepreneur interview, Molly Rawn, Mayor of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and part of the founding team behind the Scott Family Amazeum, talks about leading a city with a...
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How Small Businesses Can Win Defense Contracts with Chip Laingen
Small businesses, not the big defense primes, are where the Department of Defense is looking for its next breakthrough. Here's how to get noticed, and how to be ready when you do. In this entrepreneur interview, Chip Laingen breaks down what it really takes for a small business or startup to sell...
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How Korean Founders Break Into the US Market: Founder Interviews from Startup Crawl 2024
What does it take for a startup from Korea to break into the US market? Four founders share how they're doing it. Recorded live at Startup Crawl in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this episode features founders from the Korea Global Expansion Accelerator. They build AI companion robots for isolated...
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How AI Agents Fix Denied Insurance Claims with Shahbaz Virk of Cair Health
Denied insurance claims cost clinics money, staff time, and patient care, and AI agents are starting to change that. In this entrepreneur interview, Shahbaz Virk (co-founder of Cair Health) explains how AI agents can handle medical billing from start to finish. That covers checking eligibility,...
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AI and Data Privacy for Growing Companies with Carl Maloney of FloX
On this episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast, hosts Daniel Koontz and Caleb Talley sit down with Carl Maloney, founder of FloX, a technology consulting firm helping mid-sized companies replace spreadsheet chaos with AI-driven systems. Carl shares his journey from a decade-plus corporate career...
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Lawn Care Olympics in Fayetteville, Arkansas with Quinn Childress of Willow Street Lawns
Quinn Childress, owner of Willow Street Lawns and founder of the digital lawn care marketplace Lawnly, joins the Startup Junkies Podcast to talk about the first-ever Lawn Care Olympics coming to Fayetteville, Arkansas on September 20th. Quinn shares how he went from experiencing homelessness as a...
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Cutting Health Care Costs for Self-Funded Employers with Kirat Kharode of HealCo
Employer health care costs have risen 70% over the last decade while wages have grown just 30%. Kirat Kharode, CEO and Founder of HealCo, joins the Startup Junkies Podcast's Fuel Accelerator health tech series to break down why self-funded employer health plans are becoming unsustainable, and how...
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How to Be a Great Startup Mentor with Permjot Valia & Ross Webb
In this episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast, host Caleb Talley sits down with Permjot Valia, founder of Mentor Camp, and Ross Webb, a longtime AI product manager and returning Mentor Camp mentor, to unpack the philosophy behind one of the most unusual mentorship models in the startup world.…
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How Northwest Arkansas Funds Its Startups with Chris Ehrhardt
Most founders think you need a $250,000 VC check to get funded, but angel investors will write you a check for $5,000, actually get to know you, and stick around as a mentor long after the money lands. In this episode, Chris, the new director of 412 Angels, explains the real difference between...
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You're Not Thinking Big Enough with Congressman Steve Womack
He slept on the floor of a radio station he couldn't afford to staff, got told by the local coffee shop crowd he'd be out of business in six months, and ran that station for 45 years. Before he was a U.S. Congressman, Steve Womack was a Startup Junkie: a broadcaster's son who talked his way into…
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This Restaurant Won 5 Awards in Its First Year with Maria Smith
Most restaurants don't survive their first year. This one won five awards in it. Including back-to-back People's Choice titles and a top finish for Best Asian Business in the entire state of Arkansas. Maria Smith left a long corporate career (including years at Sam's Club) to open Lasang Pinoy…
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Why We Don't Let AI Predict Your Orders - with Foreko
Everyone's racing to bolt AI onto everything, but Foreko co-founders Homero Ruiz and Alexis Rodas found the biggest opportunity in something almost boring: 76% of procurement teams are still running on spreadsheets. In this episode, they break down why they deliberately avoided fully automating...
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The Fundraising Mistakes That Kill Startups Before They Start with Jeff Amerine
Less than 1% of U.S. businesses that ever raise outside money end up raising venture capital, and most founders chasing it don't actually need it. In this entrepreneur interview, Jeff Amerine — a venture capital investor and longtime advisor in the startup ecosystem — breaks down the real…
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I Trust My Gut 70% of the Time - Here's Why with Dr. Joshua Upshaw
Insurance paperwork is delaying treatment for patients who don't have time to wait. One founder built a company to fix it. In this entrepreneur interview, Dr. Joshua Upshaw — founder and CEO of Hidalgo Technologies and a PhD in cognitive neuroscience — shares how a family health crisis pushed him...
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This Founder Can Read Your Vitals From a Phone Call with Nyamitse-Calvin Mihanda
Most founders obsess over their product. The real skill is knowing which problem to fall in love with instead. In this entrepreneur interview, Nyamitse-Calvin Mihanda — founder of Vital Audio and a Techstars and Fuel Accelerator alum — shares how his company extracts heart rate, respiratory rate,...
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Why Bentonville's Startup Ecosystem Is More Powerful Than You Think | Zak Morris
What happens when a mentor gets more out of an accelerator than the founders do? Zak Morris joined the Fuel accelerator as a subject matter expert in AI — but quickly realized he was learning just as much as the companies he was advising. In this episode, Zak breaks down how working with startups...
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How Stefanie Hammett Is Rewriting Consent Laws One State at a Time
What does affirmative consent law reform, university sex education, and AI-powered law enforcement tools have in common? They're all part of Stefanie Hammett's ambitious startup, HMS. HMS (Have More Safety · Have More Sex · Have More Space) is a consent education company with a bold 2036 goal:...
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454: Why Aha Moments Are Less Instantaneous Than You Think
Summary Innovation isn’t a lightning bolt, it's a process. That’s the message threaded throughout the latest episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, where Eva Fast, director of the University of Arkansas MSPI program, joined hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley for a deep dive into product...
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453: The Power of Print in a Digital World
Summary What happens when passion for storytelling meets the entrepreneurial spirit? In this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, Danielle Keller, media entrepreneur, award-winning podcaster, and editor-in-chief of Northwest Arkansas’s beloved Peekaboo magazine, joins Daniel Koonce, Caleb...
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452: Building a Culture of Fun and Community with Arkansas Track Club
Summary What does it take to build a thriving running community from scratch—and keep it going year after year? In this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, Daniel Koonce, Ty Steele, and their guests dig into the passion, patience, and persistence behind the Arkansas Track Club’s rise and...
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451: How a Northwest Arkansas Dad Transformed His Love for Water Adventures into a Business
Summary Ever thought about what’s missing from your community—and what could happen if you decided to fill that gap yourself? That question is at the heart of Ozark Float Park, the innovative family-friendly business featured in the latest episode of the Startup Junkies podcast. In a region known...
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450: How Black Paper Party Turned a Pandemic Passion Into a Multi-Retail Success
Summary Have you ever wondered how a simple idea born from a desire to spread joy can transform into a thriving business that redefines representation during the holidays? The latest episode of the Startup Junkies podcast offers a powerful glimpse into the origin and phenomenal growth of Black...
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449: How CeCe Marie Turned Hard Times Into a Dance Revolution
Summary In this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast sponsored by Bank of America, CeCe Marie, dancer, choreographer, and founder of The Vibe, joins Daniel Koonce and Ty Steele to share her inspiring journey of resilience, culture, and community through dance. Raised in a culturally diverse...
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448: The Banking Relationship Every Startup Needs to Survive and Thrive with James Norman
Summary In this special episode of the Startup Junkies podcast sponsored by Bank of America, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley are joined by James Norman, Relationship Manager at Bank of America, to explore the evolving needs and challenges of today’s entrepreneurs. The conversation opens with...
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447: The Secret That Changes Everything for Startup Success with Benjamin Greene
Summary In this powerful episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, Benjamin Greene shares his candid and deeply personal journey – from his early battles with adversity to his success as a co-founder of Green Performance & Wellness Coaching. Interviewed by Daniel Koonce, Cindy Lin, and Grace Olson,...
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446: Why NWA Is the Best Place for Entrepreneurs with Randy Wilburn
Summary On this insightful episode of Startup Junkies, the team sits down with Randy Wilburn, director of communications and marketing at the Fayetteville Public Library and founder/host of the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast. Randy shares his journey moving from Boston to Northwest Arkansas in...
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445: The Untold Challenges of Rapid Growth with Thomas Healy
Summary In this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, hosts Caleb Talley and Grant Boston sit down with Thomas Healy, founder of Hyliion, to dive deep into his entrepreneurial journey and the innovative path his company is charting in the power generation space. Thomas shares how Hyliion moved...
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444: How a Failed Entertainment Venture Shaped a Real Estate Empire
Summary In the latest episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, hosts Daniel Koonce and Grant Boston sit down with real estate mogul Ari Rastegar, founder and CEO of Rastegar Capital, to discuss entrepreneurship, investing, and the value of failure. Calling in from Austin, Texas, Ari Rastegar…
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443: Trucking, Tech, and Taking Risks: Inside Hemet’s Founding with Alex Kruchten
Summary On this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, Alex Kruchten, co-founder of Hemut, joins Caleb Talley and Harrison Kitson to share his journey from adventurous student to tech entrepreneur and how Hemut is revolutionizing the trucking industry. Alex unpacks the founding story of Hemut, a...
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442: The Power of Persistent Capital: Lessons for Rural Economies
Summary The latest episode of the Startup Junkies podcast shines a spotlight on the enduring legacy and forward-thinking strategies of ACC Capital (formerly Arkansas Capital Corporation). Host Caleb Talley, joined by Jeff Amerine, welcomes Sam Walls, who shares the rich history and impact of ACC…
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441: Connecting Korean Ventures to US Markets with Louis Diesel
Summary On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley and Daniel Konnce sit down with Louis Diesel, director of Startup Junkie Asia. Based in Seoul, South Korea, Louis shares the journey of connecting Korean startups to the US market, emphasizing Korea’s powerhouse status in public and...
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440: Unlocking Arkansas’s Outdoor Economy with Katherine Andrews & Yoon Kim
Summary On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Katherine Andrews, director of the Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation, to explore the dynamic growth of outdoor recreation in Arkansas. Established in 2021, the Office of Outdoor Recreation was…
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439: Demystifying Startup Law and Compliance with Phil Pesek
Summary On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley sit down with Phil Pesek, founder of the Law Office of Philip A. Pesek, to unravel the mysteries of business law and compliance for entrepreneurs and startups. With over thirty years of legal experience spanning...
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438: Why Repair Is Easier Than Manufacturing: Inside Upkept’s Disruptive Vision
Summary On this episode of Startup Junkies, Robin Atkinson, founder and CEO of Upkept Inc., shares her fascinating entrepreneurial journey, which began in the nonprofit arts sector before evolving into building a tech-driven apparel repair company. Hosted by Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley, this...
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437: How Startups Are Bringing Transparency and AI Innovation to Land Acquisition with Acres
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, Maddison Tailor and Audrey Hickox join hosts Caleb Talley and Daniel Koonce to share the genesis and growth of Acres.com, a platform revolutionizing land acquisition and management. Acres began as an internal solution to disjointed and…
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436: Solving Agriculture’s Biggest Challenges Using Biotechnology Innovation with Joseph Batta-Mpouma
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley sat down with Joseph Batta-Mpouma, founder and CEO of CelluDot, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and how CelluDot is tackling critical issues in agriculture through innovation. Joseph, whose background…
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How Believ.ai Powers Seamless Onboarding for Supply Chain Platforms with Sanjay Ahuja
Summary In this episode of the Fuel Podcast, host Caleb Talley sits down with Sanjay Ahuja, founder of Believ.ai, to discuss his inspiring entrepreneurial journey. Sanjay shares how, after twenty-seven years of thriving in global corporate roles across India, Dubai, and the U.S., he embraced his...
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435: From Idea to Impact: Inside the Pivot X Approach with Heather Applegate
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, host Caleb Talley sits down with Heather Applegate, founder of Pivot X Coaching, for a conversation packed with wisdom on entrepreneurship, coaching, and personal growth. Heather shares her unique journey from studying psychology to launching…
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Navigating Data Complexity Using Agentic Workflows with Ravinder Sharma
Summary In this episode of the Fuel Podcast, Grace Gill welcomes Naukr.ai CEO, Ravinder Sharma, for an insightful dive into the transformative journey of data science and AI. With over fifteen years in the field, Ravinder shares his expansive career journey, spanning both U.S. coasts, India, and...
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434: Building a Sustainable Outdoor Brand: How LIVSN Designs Found Success
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley sat down with Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, founder of LIVSN Designs, a Bentonville-based outdoor apparel company with a mission to create high-quality, versatile clothing for outdoor enthusiasts who value experiences...
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433: Reinventing Private Aviation Staffing with Tyler Flagg and Flying Company
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, host Daniel Koonce sits down with Tyler Flagg, founder and CEO of Flying Company, to discuss his mission to transform private aviation and put Bentonville, Arkansas, on the map as an emerging aviation tech hub. Tyler shares his unique journey…
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The Transship Story: A Journey from Cold Storage to AI-Powered Shipping with Amit Hasak
Summary In this episode of the Fuel Podcast, Grace Gill sits down with Amit Hasak, CEO of Transship Corp, to dive into the challenges and innovations reshaping the logistics and supply chain industry. As a seasoned supply chain logistics professional, Amit recounts his two-decade journey running…
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432: Transforming How Locals Connect with NWA Patio Community
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley sit down with Patrick Pulliam and Thomas Burkholder, founders of the NWA Patio Community, to explore the power of building meaningful connections through local social events. The conversation kicks off with a...
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27: De ONG a Startup: El viaje emprendedor de Diego Angarita
Summary En este inspirador episodio de Querido Emprendedor, Ignacio Balderrama conversa con Diego Angarita, un gerente de producto en Walmart con una trayectoria única que combina emprendimiento, trabajo en organizaciones sin fines de lucro y una profunda conexión con la comunidad latina. Diego...
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26: Logística Y Pasión Al Servicio Social: El Desafío De Llevar Alimentos A Quienes Más Lo Necesitan
Summary En este inspirador episodio de "Querido Emprendedor", tenemos de invitada a Nicole Guerrero, una joven boliviana que desde los 21 años ha liderado una revolución social y ambiental en Bolivia. Nicole es la fundadora del Banco de Alimentos de Bolivia, una organización que transforma el...
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431: Inside Peanut Pupper: Turning Customer Needs Into a Growing Pet Startup
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Caleb Talley sit down for an engaging conversation with Daniel Schroeder and Brent Reader, co-founders of Peanut Pupper, a startup helping anxious dogs with their CBD products. The conversation explores how Peanut Pupper...
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430: Bringing Italian Wine Culture to Northwest Arkansas with adwinesor
Summary In this week’s episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Jeff Amerine are joined by Yulia Batalina and Paolo Piraino, co-founders of adwinesor, a company offering curated wine experiences in NWA. With a shared passion for innovation and problem-solving, Paolo and Yulia have...
About this show
Candid conversations with the founders, operators, and investors building companies in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.The Startup Junkies Podcast is hosted by Jeff Amerine, founder of Startup Junkie, a Northwest Arkansas organization that has provided no-cost consulting, programs, and events to entrepreneurs for more than 15 years. Each week Jeff and the Startup Junkie team sit down with people who have actually done it: first-time and serial founders, small business owners, investors, accelerator alumni, and the ecosystem builders working alongside them.Expect real stories, not lectures. How they got started, how they found their first customers, how they raised money or chose not to, what nearly broke them, and what they would do differently. Topics range from validating an idea and finding capital to hiring, marketing, leadership, scaling, and selling the business.With more than 450 episodes since 2015, the back catalog covers nearly every stage of building a company in Arkansas a
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Startup Junkie
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