Our guest today is Jamie Van Doren — Founder & CEO of NeverEnding, a Cleveland-based gaming and entertainment start-up that aims to change how stories are told and by whom.NeverEnding is a new kind of social media platform, with easy-to-use art and animation tools that help you bring your stories to life! With NeverEnding you can create fantastic custom illustrations and animated videos, without relying on complicated, time-consuming tools. Initially, targeting gamers and fans of pen and paper RPGs, NeverEnding builds on the popularity of live streams and podcasts, by allowing anyone to transform their recorded audio into animated videos.Jamie Van Doren is an entrepreneur and gamer, with an unusual background; a mixed-race Latino who grew himself from teen homelessness to the C-Suite. He’s been successful in a variety of industries including consumer products, professional services, even clinical research and non-profit management. I loved hearing Jamie’s inspiring story, his path to entrepreneurship, perspective on the market at large from the metaverse, to NFTs, to pseudonymity, and the ambitious vision he’s set out building NeverEnding — please enjoy my conversation with Jamie Van Doren about empowering a whole new generation of storytellers!Learn more about NeverEndingConnect with Jamie on Linkedin

Our guest today is Ryan Lambacher —  Founder & CEO of Graffle, a venture-funded web3 infrastructure provider for projects built on blockchain (starting with Flow) — which recently closed on a nearly $4 million-dollar round. Ryan has a unique cross-section of skills that accelerated him ahead of the competition in the world of NFTs. First, his technical experience building product at Drips (with former Lay of the Land guest, AC Evans) and second, years of building hype and generating sales with his marketing firm. This combination allowed him to see the value of NFTs and recognize the massive opportunity in solving the infrastructure layer for every project built on blockchains.For context, the Flow blockchain, which was originally conceived by the team behind CryptoKitties and has since powered applications like NBA Topshot and established partnerships with organizations like the UFC and Dr. Suess — is a blockchain designed from the ground up to support consumer user experience at mainstream scale with a growing community of brands and web3 builders leveraging its infrastructure.From entrepreneurship to Flow to NFTs, we make our way down the crypto rabbit hole and cover a wide range of topics here through the lens of Graffle — please enjoy my conversation with Ryan Lambacher!Learn more about GraffleConnect with Ryan on Linkedin

Our guest today is Cal Al-Dhubaib — Founder & CEO of Pandata.Pandata helps innovative organizations design and develop human-centered, trusted AI. They are a team of creative thinkers, relationship builders, and problem solvers from diverse backgrounds, both professionally and personally. They believe that diversity leads to Trusted AI.Their high-performance AI solutions drive business transformation while addressing privacy, fairness, and transparency.Cal is a data scientist, entrepreneur, and professional speaker on AI. He founded Pandata on the core values of "Approachability and Ethics". Empowering organizations to design and develop AI solutions that grow their bottom line, Pandata has overseen 80+ transformative projects with leading global brands including Parker Hannifin, the Cleveland Museum of Art, FirstEnergy, and Penn State University.Cal is especially passionate about the ethics of AI and how organizations can orchestrate the right talent to support AI initiatives. Cal has been recognized as a Notable Immigrant Entrepreneur, Crain's Cleveland 20 in their 20s, and two-time Cleveland Smart 50 recipient. In addition to becoming the first data science graduate from Case Western Reserve University, Cal is also known for his role in advocating for careers and educational pathways in Data Science through workforce development initiatives.Learn more about Pandata: https://pandata.co/ Follow Pandata on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohpandataFollow Cal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/caldhubaibConnect with Cal on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhubaib/

Our guest today is Daniel Brown — Co-Founder of Rust Belt Riders and Tilth Soil.Rust Belt Riders provides businesses, organizations, and individuals with a clean, timely, and community benefiting alternative to landfills for their food waste — namely composting! These services produce Tilth Soil a line of organic, biologically active soils that help to advance regenerative agriculture. Together these efforts demonstrate a model for advancing our circular economy that is centered around workplace democracy, climate justice, and regenerative agriculture — all terms and concepts which we’ll explore more fully in this conversation.While the majority of the work Dan and his partners are doing through Rust Belt Riders and Tilth Soil is focused locally here in Cleveland and the greater North East Ohio region, we also cover how this local model works at scale and how Dan is shaping these reusable economic models and spurring their development and implementation across the country.Please enjoy my conversation with Daniel Brown.————Connect with Daniel Brown on LinkedInLearn more about Rust Belt RidersFollow Rust Belt Riders on TwitterFollow Rust Belt Riders on Instagram

Ryan Young is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Fello (formerly FlashHouse) where he's on a mission to create a seamless real estate experience, empower realtors, and simplify the stressful process of buying and selling homes.Ryan was born with real estate in his blood as a third-generation in this industry. He is also the CEO of the Young Team, named by Real Trends and The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 250 real estate teams In the country where they have helped thousands of clients buy and sell homes.We cover the ins and outs of iBuying, trends in the larger real estate industry (and here in Cleveland), Ryan's journey as an entrepreneur, and how FlashHouse has differentiated itself in a truly competitive market — please enjoy my conversation with Ryan Young.--Learn more about FlashHouseConnect with Ryan on LinkedIn

Our guest today is Jack Grover — Founder and CEO of Grove Bags, a provider of cannabis packaging specifically tailored for the unique physiology of the plant to create the perfect climate for cannabis preservation.After graduating from Babson College in 2014, Jack was inspired by his brother Charlie’s battle with cerebral palsy to enter the cannabis industry and create packaging that preserves medicine at its highest quality. Four and a half years later, Jack’s company Grove Bags continues its commitment to manufacturing products in the United States and has gained industry-wide praise for its proprietary TerpLoc technology — which we'll explore in great detail in our conversation. Grove Bags' growth and positioning to take advantage of the growing cannabis space is more than apparent here — we cover the ins and outs of the cannabis industry, the history and challenges of marijuana's legalization and regulatory standing, and building a market-leading company in the space. Connect with Jack Grover on LinkedInFollow Grove Bags on TwitterLearn more about Grove Bags

Our guest today is Dr. Daniel German — founder & CEO of orthobrain!Dr. Dan German is a man who loves smiles. All kinds of smiles. So much so, he’s devoted a lifetime to bringing more of them to the world. Thirty-plus years ago, Dr. German started an orthodontic practice that became one of the largest privately held practices in the country; he has cared for 30,000 patients. Through this, he became an orthodontic pioneer in the field and today he is well known throughout the dental world for educating 1,000s of professionals.In 2016, Dr. German transitioned from his practice to found orthobrain®.  orthobrain has effectively transformed the delivery of orthodontics, solving the global orthodontic skills shortage with proprietary technology that puts a virtual orthodontist chairside with every dentist. Now, dental practices from around the globe have access to Dr. German’s predictable and proven systems -- and to the orthodontic expertise that enables them to create successful orthodontic outcomes for their patients at scale.He has served as Faculty in Orthodontics at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, where he trained post-doctoral residents and was an attending clinical doctor, and for the past 25 years he has traveled the world as a keynote speaker, teaching orthodontics and business optimization to specialists and general practitioners alike. This includes teaching tours in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and throughout the USA. Recently, he was a full-day keynote speaker at the Global Orthodontic Program at the Greater New York Dental meeting where 53,000 people attended the conference.In 2014, Dr. German received what he considers the crown jewel of his career - The Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Louisville Orthodontic Department. This is only the second time the award has been bestowed.Throughout Dr. German’s career, all of his energy has consistently been focused on giving people the confidence they need to achieve more and to make smiles happen. I can tell you that Dan made me smile more than a few times throughout this conversation — very much enjoyed this one and I hope you all do as well.————Connect with Dr. Daniel German on LinkedInFollow orthobrain on TwitterLearn more about orthobrain————Learn more about Jeffrey Stern @ https://jeffreys.pageConnect with Jeffrey Stern on Linkedin or on TwitterFollow Lay of The Land on Twitter and on LinkedIn

Our guest today is Jane Alexander, who is the Chief Digital Information Officer for The Cleveland Museum of Art where she is responsible for creating awe-inspiring and iterative digital projects supporting a vision of innovation, technology implementation, and digital transformation that exemplify the CMA’s mission. In her tenure at the museum, Jane has moved the organization to be a data-driven, forward-thinking institution through championing endeavors like the Open Access initiative in 2019, allowing the public to share, collaborate, remix, and reuse high-resolution images of 30,000 public-domain artworks as well as metadata for 61,000 artworks for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Jane has led the many iterations of ARTLENS Gallery, originally known as Gallery One. This world-renowned, innovative experience uses cutting-edge technology to inspire visitors to look closer, dive deeper, and connect with the museum's encyclopedic collection.Jane also leads the development of in-gallery digital experiences, including Revealing Krishna, an unprecedented, immersive mixed-reality exhibition that opened in November 2021, an entirely new museum experience where technology is used alongside exceptional Cambodian artworks, to tell the story of these objects and their restoration. This will be the first scholarly exhibition of its kind.Prior to joining the CMA, Jane developed and directed Columbia University’s distance education program and has served as the technology director and design consultant to Frank Gehry's Peter B. Lewis Campus at Case Western Reserve University and as the virtual CIO to Great Lakes Science Center.This was an awesome conversation — I hope you all enjoy it.————Connect with Jane on LinkedInFollow Jane on TwitterLearn more about The Cleveland Museum of ArtLearn more about Revealing Krishna Exhibition Learn more about Open Access: Learn more about ArtLens Gallery————Learn more about Jeffrey Stern @ https://jeffreys.pageConnect with Jeffrey Stern on Linkedin or on TwitterFollow Lay of The Land on Twitter and on LinkedIn

Our conversation this week is with Eric Diamond who is the co-founder and CEO of Central Kitchen, which has a massive physical presence here in Cleveland, hundreds of thousands of square feet out of their main food hub headquarters located at 7501 Carnegie Ave. off East 77th where former lay of the land guest Cleveland Kraut (now Cleveland kitchen) operates out of in addition to other staples like Cleveland Bagel!From incubating startups, to co-packing for successful brands like Randy's Pickles, to supporting ghost kitchens, to educating aspiring food entrepreneurs, to trends like fermenting and veganism, Central Kitchen is the driving force behind the local craft food scene here in Cleveland and it's clear from Eric's passion and vision they’re just getting started!Previously Eric spent over twenty years in banking, lending and community development. Throughout his career, Eric has developed a passion for helping small businesses and entrepreneurs start and expand their businesses — realizing their aspirations and seeing them through. Loved learning the story of Central Kitchen and the outsized impact it has had on Cleveland's food scene and some of my own favorite local brands. Please enjoy my conversation with Eric Diamond————Connect with Eric on LinkedInFollow Eric on TwitterLearn more about Central KitchenFollow Central Kitchen on Instagram————Learn more about Jeffrey Stern @ https://jeffreys.pageConnect with Jeffrey Stern on Linkedin or on TwitterFollow Lay of The Land on Twitter and on LinkedIn

Our conversation this week is with David Boone Jr. — co-founder and CEO of BlendED — an education technology company which has raised over $1mm in funding from leading education-technology investors and local-Cleveland investors like Jumpstart.David is a Cleveland native who has recently boomeranged back to Cleveland from Seattle, where he gained experience leading data teams at Microsoft, to found and grow his company BlendED — an instructor experience platform, making hybrid learning experiences more accessible for instructors. David experienced firsthand the discrepancies in available resources of college instructors between Ivy League schools and community colleges, which account for 0.4% and 46% of U.S. undergraduates, respectively. So he set out to create an all-in-one solution for multi-modal digital resources with a specific focus on community colleges.Based here in Cleveland, the company will be launching in the spring semester of 2022 with Lorain County and Wake Technical Community Colleges.I know I've said this a few times, but genuinely one of my favorite conversations so far hearing David's story and the work he's doing with BlendED. We're lucky to have him back here in Cleveland and look forward to collaborating with him going forward! Please enjoy my conversation with David Boone.————Connect with David on LinkedInLearn more about BlendEDFollow BlendED on TwitterFollow David on Twitter————Learn more about Jeffrey Stern @ https://jeffreys.pageConnect with Jeffrey Stern on Linkedin or on TwitterFollow Lay of The Land on Twitter and on LinkedIn