🎙️ In this episode, we chat with Tapanjyothi (Tukan) Das — serial entrepreneur, data innovator, and now CEO & Co-Founder of Gia AI, a platform on a mission to empower a million entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their consulting businesses. Before Gia, Tukan built and scaled LeadSift, the pioneering intent data company that helped B2B tech giants like VMware, MuleSoft, and IBM uncover buying signals across the web — later acquired by Foundry (an IDG company backed by Blackstone).

At Gia, Tukan is rewriting the playbook for independent consultants and agencies. His team is building AI agents that act as growth partners — automating lead generation, pipeline management, and content creation so knowledge workers can focus on impact, not admin. In this conversation, Tukan shares his lessons from selling LeadSift, why he believes the AI era will unlock a wave of “solopreneurship,” and how he’s using AI to help consultants scale like 50-person firms without the overhead.

If you’re a founder, freelancer, or agency owner exploring how AI can become your growth co-pilot, this episode is packed with insights from someone who’s done it — twice.

#AI #Entrepreneurship #Consulting #LeadSift #GiaAI #StartupPodcast #Solopreneur #IntentData

🎙️ In this episode, we chat with Jake Isham — founder and CEO of My Influencer Agency (MIA), one of the most dynamic players at the intersection of influencer marketing, AI, and performance-driven storytelling. Jake’s journey from Hollywood film production to building a next-generation influencer agency is nothing short of remarkable. He’s worked with hundreds of brands and creators, helping them turn authentic content into measurable business outcomes.

At MIA, Jake is leveraging AI-powered creator matching, predictive analytics, and data-driven campaign design to revolutionize how brands collaborate with influencers. Instead of relying on vanity metrics, his team uses machine learning to identify the right creator-brand fit, forecast engagement outcomes, and optimize ROI in real time. The result? Scalable influencer campaigns that actually convert.

We dive into Jake’s philosophy on the future of AI in creator marketing, how data and storytelling can coexist beautifully, and why traditional advertising is giving way to personality-led content ecosystems.

This episode is packed with insights for marketers, founders, and creators looking to scale brand impact through AI and authentic influence.

#InfluencerMarketing #AIinMarketing #CreatorEconomy #JakeIsham #MyInfluencerAgency #MarketingPodcast #BrandStrategy #PerformanceMarketing

🎙️ In this episode, we chat with Jason Dea — Venture Chief Product Officer at Koru, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan–funded venture studio. Jason helps discover, validate, build, and launch new ventures across OTPP’s portfolio, turning ambiguous ideas into high-conviction bets. A trusted startup advisor & coach, he guides founders from pre-MVP to post-raise with crisp product strategy and go-to-market focus.

Previously, Jason led product at Uberflip (acquired by PathFactory in July 2024), where he scaled an AI-enabled content experience platform, overseeing Product, UX, Product Marketing, Data Science, Services, and Support. Earlier roles at TELUS Health, Honeybee Benefits (acquired by Green Shield Canada), and Intelex sharpened his edge in data-driven product building, predictive analytics, and category storytelling.

We dig into how Jason uses AI across the venture lifecycle: rapid opportunity shaping, LLM-assisted discovery, experiment-driven validation, agentic workflows for GTM, and pricing & packaging informed by data. He also shares hard-won lessons on post-acquisition integration, ethical AI in enterprise, and building the right cadence between founders, PMs, and data science.

This episode is a tactical playbook for venture studios, product leaders, and B2B founders shipping faster with AI.

🔍 Topics we cover:

• AI-native venture validation

• Content experiences & personalization

• Zero-to-one product strategy

• Pricing, packaging, and GTM loops

#AI #VentureStudio #Koru #OntarioTeachersPensionPlan #ProductLeadership #JasonDea #Uberflip #PathFactory #B2BSaaS #GTM #TorontoTech