Uncharted Podcast

Ryan Fox-Tyler, founder of the AI platform Hypermode and former product lead at Astronomer, shares his journey through the tech landscape. He discusses how digital access is reshaping children's learning and the role of AI in fostering curiosity. Ryan also reflects on his diverse career in financial services, highlighting the balance of innovation and growth. He dives into the evolution of Hypermode, focusing on democratizing AI development, and tackles themes of self-doubt and risk-taking, all while emphasizing the importance of maintaining focus in an ever-changing tech world.

In this episode ofUncharted, we explore the power of collaboration in sales and leadership. Our guest shares insights on how a strong partnership mindset—rather than a zero-sum approach—can drive bigger wins, foster trust, and create lasting professional relationships. From splitting deals to scaling success, we discuss the key ingredients that make teamwork thrive and how these lessons apply to leadership, decision-making, and career growth. Tune in for stories of mutual support, business insights, and advice on building relationships that stand the test of time.

Poya Osgouei, the founder of Event Sponsors, shares insights on the evolution of B2B tech events, the art of relationship building, and how to create valuable networking experiences. From his journey starting at Oracle to becoming an events expert, Poya discusses the shift toward niche communities, measuring event ROI, and strategies for meaningful professional connections.

This episode of the Uncharted podcast features Phil Carr, a tech entrepreneur discussing his journey from founding and exiting My PT Hub (a successful B2B2C fitness platform) to his current venture, Upzelo. Phil shares insights about his recent pivot from a SaaS retention product to an e-commerce loyalty platform, discussing the challenges of second-time entrepreneurship, knowing when to pivot, and his perspective on AI's impact on technology. The conversation covers valuable lessons about self-awareness in entrepreneurship, raising capital, and adapting to changing market conditions. This episode is brought to you by Netsuite, learn more at Netsuite.com

In this episode of Uncharted, Poya kicks off 2025 with an insightful conversation with Haroon, CEO of Autoblocks AI, a company pioneering tools to ensure the safe deployment of AI. Haroon shares his journey from being an ML engineer to co-founding Autoblocks, highlighting his passion for building trust in AI systems. The discussion explores the AI industry's rapid evolution, the challenges startups face in standing out, and the strategic importance of solving immediate customer pain points. Tune in to hear Haroon's grounded perspective on navigating the hype around AI, his thoughts on the battle between AI-native startups and industry incumbents, and advice for those entering the space. About our guest: Haroon is the Co-Founder & CEO at Autoblocks AI, one of the first-ever AI evaluation platforms.  He is also the host of the Building With AI podcast, where he interviews & distills best practices from top AI product teams at companies like OpenAI, Intercom, and Retool.  Haroon previously founded one of the top AI literacy nonprofits in the US, AI For Anyone, and is passionate about democratizing knowledge about AI. Brought to you with support from Netsuite. Learn more at Netsuite.com/scale

Today's guest is Firaas Rashid, CEO and Founder of Hook. Hook is the B2B SaaS platform focused on predictable revenue growth from existing customers. Backed by Lightspeed and LocalGlobe, Hook is revolutionising the way companies forecast their revenue growth using product usage and customer data. He is passionate about changing the way Customer Success is run and building the leading workplace for ambitious people who want to be part of a team. Before founding Hook, Firaas was CTO and Head of Customer Success (EMEA) at AppDynamics, scaling from $170m to $550m Annual Recurring Revenue in 2 years. He led a rapid journey of rebuilding Customer Success to focus on data-driven prioritisation and scale. Prior to that he was a Director of IT at Credit Suisse. Beyond his role, Firaas finds joy in travel, exploring new restaurants, and even taking to the skies. This episode is brought to you with support from Oracle Netsuite. Learn more at Netsuite.com/scale

This episode of Uncharted, Poya sits down with Dean Shu, founder and CEO of Arphie (⁠https://www.arphie.ai⁠), an AI-driven platform that accelerates RFP and questionnaire responses. Dean shares his journey from software consulting and investing to scaling startups like Scale AI, where he learned the skills that prepared him for entrepreneurship. He discusses how personal pain points and deep market research inspired him to become a founder, as well as shares his approach to founder-led sales, building customer trust, and differentiating in a crowded AI market. Dean emphasizes the importance of choosing the right co-founder, setting realistic expectations, and staying outcome-focused. Tune in for insights on navigating startup challenges and lessons from Dean’s entrepreneurial path. About our Guest: Dean Shu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Arphie (https://www.arphie.ai), a platform that streamlines the process of responding to tedious requests for proposal (RFPs), security questionnaires, and more. Arphie was born out of his prior experience in responding to these RFPs at Scale AI, where he was the General Manager of a software business unit. Prior to Scale AI, Dean invested in B2B software companies at Insight Partners, a $90B fund based in New York, and served as a consultant to tech companies at McKinsey & Company. Dean graduated from Harvard University, where he met his Arphie co-founder Michael Chen. When he's not building Arphie, Dean spends time with his wife and their Samoyed puppy.

This week's episode features Ashley Montgomery, the CEO of Montgomery Entertainment, a boutique event production agency with over 20 years of experience creating unforgettable moments across the globe. Ashley shares her approach to selecting clients, the key ingredients for successful collaborations, and why trust is at the heart of her work. Ashley's stories inspire and offer valuable lessons in leadership and integrity. Plus, she opens up about her annual 25 Days of Giving initiative, where she’s bringing holiday cheer through community partnerships and exciting giveaways. Tune in for a conversation filled with actionable insights, heartwarming stories, and the spirit of giving. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, event enthusiast, or just looking for a dose of inspiration, this episode is for you!

Chris Gannon is the Founder of Captivate Talent, a recruiting firm specializing in hiring top-tier go to market talent. In this episode, Chris dives into the importance of culture, importance of healthy decisions and the value of bringing authenticity to business. Genuine, insightful, and refreshingly no-nonsense, Chris is a leader who truly walks the talk. This episode is brought to you with support from Oracle Netsuite. Learn more at netsuite.com/scale that is NetSuite dot com slash SCALE

This week's guest is Ashley Wilson, the co-founder and COO of Momentum.io. Prior to Momentum, she founded Olivine, a product marketing agency, working with companies like ServiceNow, Aruba, Diligent, and Mercury. Before that, she was an early employee and marketing leader at Sauce Labs. Ashley lives in Argentina, by way of SF, and is the mother of 3 energetic kids.