CEO.com Podcast | Dispatch from the frontier of leadership

Justin Beck, CEO of Gravyty, joins Clint Betts for a conversation on AI, higher education, student engagement, fundraising, and the future of universities.Gravyty helps colleges, universities, K-12 schools, and nonprofits create meaningful human connections at scale through AI-powered engagement tools. By connecting student support systems, fundraising platforms, alumni engagement, and institutional data, Gravyty helps organizations deliver better experiences while operating more efficiently.In this episode, Justin shares how AI is reshaping higher education, why student belonging and retention matter more than ever, and how universities are navigating growing financial pressures while still delivering meaningful outcomes.00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Gravyty00:00:22 - Formation and Evolution of Gravyty00:00:55 - Justin's Career Journey00:01:44 - Justin's Experience in EdTech00:02:05 - Gravyty's Role in Higher Education00:02:27 - Integration with LMS and CRM Systems00:03:11 - Breaking Down Silos in Education00:03:53 - Future of Higher Education00:04:25 - Value of Campus Connections00:05:07 - Administrative Challenges in Education00:05:33 - Traditional Methods vs. AI Solutions00:06:49 - Impact of Government Funding Cuts00:07:13 - Enhancing Donor Engagement00:08:17 - AI in Fundraising and Advancement00:09:46 - NIL Deals and Athletic Departments00:11:10 - Role of University Presidents00:13:46 - Day in the Life of a CEO00:16:51 - Funding and Private Equity00:19:49 - Future of AI in Education00:21:49 - Book Recommendation: "The Score That Matters"00:23:23 - Building Company Culture00:25:34 - Macroeconomic Environment and Education00:27:06 - Importance of Trade and Vocational Programs00:27:19 - Reflecting on Career Opportunities00:27:49 - Conclusion and FarewellIf you're interested in AI, education, leadership, fundraising, edtech, or the future of higher education, this conversation offers valuable insights into how institutions are adapting to a rapidly changing world.Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and leaders shaping the future of business and technology.

Dr. Myra Ahmad, Founder & CEO of Mochi, joins Clint Betts for a conversation on obesity medicine, GLP-1 medications, telehealth, healthcare innovation, and the future of personalized metabolic care.Mochi is building a marketplace for evidence-based healthcare, helping patients connect with providers for customized treatment plans focused on obesity, metabolic health, menopause care, skincare, and more. In this episode, Dr. Ahmad explains why GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are fundamentally changing healthcare — and why obesity should be treated like any other chronic medical condition.The conversation also explores telemedicine, personalized medicine, healthcare costs, startup culture, compounding pharmacies, and the growing role of technology in healthcare delivery.00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:13 - What is Mochi?00:00:31 - Revolution in Metabolic Health00:01:01 - Mochi's Unique Approach00:01:48 - Future of Healthcare00:02:11 - Dr. Ahmad's Background and Inspiration00:02:33 - The Obesity Epidemic00:03:37 - Factors Contributing to Obesity00:04:12 - Socioeconomic Factors in Obesity00:05:02 - Government and Food Industry's Role00:05:24 - Decline in Obesity Rates00:05:55 - Anti-GLP-1 Sentiment00:06:19 - Medication Management and Supervision00:07:29 - Personalized Medication and Compounding00:08:28 - Understanding Compounded GLP-1s00:09:47 - Future of Personalized Medication00:10:17 - Why Drugs are Expensive00:11:27 - A Day in the Life of a CEO00:12:05 - Funding and Profitability00:12:24 - Competitive Landscape00:13:18 - Building the Team and Culture00:13:37 - Advantages of Starting in San Francisco00:14:03 - Startup Culture in San Francisco00:14:55 - Reading Recommendations for CEOs00:15:29 - Regulatory Hurdles in Health Tech00:16:40 - Transition from Medicine to Startup00:17:42 - Impact of Being an MD00:18:29 - Macroeconomic Environment00:19:45 - Political Impact on Healthcare00:20:49 - Final Question: Who Gave You a Chance?00:21:21 - Closing Remarks and Future PlansIf you’re interested in healthcare, startups, telemedicine, GLP-1s, entrepreneurship, or the future of metabolic medicine, this conversation is packed with insights on where healthcare is heading next.Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and leaders shaping the future of business and technology.

Ximena Aleman, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Prometeo, joins Clint Betts for a conversation on fintech infrastructure, AI agents, open banking, stablecoins, and the future of financial systems across Latin America.Prometeo has built one of the largest open banking networks in Latin America, connecting more than 1,200 financial institutions across 11 countries. In this episode, Ximena shares how her team identified the infrastructure bottlenecks slowing fintech innovation in the region — and why solving those problems became the foundation for Prometeo.The conversation explores AI inside financial services, regulatory complexity, stablecoin adoption, startup culture, and what it takes to scale infrastructure across emerging markets.00:00:00 - Introduction and Background00:00:19 - Early FinTech Ventures00:00:52 - Building Prometeo00:02:28 - FinTech Ecosystem in Latin America00:05:33 - AI in FinTech00:07:38 - Security and Compliance in AI00:10:36 - Cryptocurrency Adoption in Latin America00:14:03 - A Day in the Life of Samantha00:16:19 - Funding and Investment Journey00:18:39 - Macroeconomic Environment Impact00:20:44 - Company Culture and Remote Work00:24:40 - The Importance of Giving Chances00:26:32 - Closing RemarksIf you’re interested in AI, fintech, open banking, payments, crypto, entrepreneurship, or the future of financial infrastructure, this conversation is packed with insights on where the industry is heading next.Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and leaders shaping the future of business and technology.

Andrejka Bernatova, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Dynamix, joins Clint Betts for a conversation on energy, AI, investing, crypto, SPACs, and the mindset required to build an extraordinary life.Born in communist Czechoslovakia, Andrejka shares the remarkable story of raising money at age 14 to come to America, how that experience shaped her approach to fundraising and entrepreneurship, and why the American Dream fundamentally changed her worldview.Today, Dynamix operates across private equity, SPACs, energy infrastructure, and digital assets — with a major focus on the intersection of AI and energy.00:00:00 - Introduction and Background00:00:11 - Journey from Czechoslovakia to America00:01:24 - Fundraising for the American Dream00:02:50 - Pitching the Dream to Potential Donors00:04:43 - Inspiration to Move to America00:06:40 - First Impressions of America00:09:03 - Early Career Aspirations00:10:36 - Founding Dynamics and Initial Vision00:13:30 - Impact of AI and Energy on Business00:17:22 - Future of Energy and Digital Assets00:19:59 - A Day in the Life of a CEO00:22:17 - Macroeconomic Perspectives00:25:19 - State of Public Markets and SPACs00:29:51 - Acknowledging Key Supporters00:32:30 - Closing Remarks and ReflectionsIf you’re interested in AI, energy, investing, entrepreneurship, crypto, geopolitics, or leadership, this conversation is packed with insights on where the world is heading next.Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and leaders shaping the future of business and technology.

Shensi Ding-Lopez, Co-Founder & CEO of Merge, joins Clint Betts for a conversation on AI agents, integrations, startup culture, and the future of enterprise software infrastructure.Merge helps B2B software companies securely integrate with third-party systems across HR, accounting, ATS, ticketing, file storage, and more through a unified API platform. In this episode, Shensi explains why integrations are becoming one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI adoption — and why secure infrastructure for AI agents may become one of the most important categories in enterprise software.The conversation also explores startup fundraising, product-market fit, technical leadership, company culture, and what it takes to build deeply technical products at scale.00:00:00 - Introduction and Background00:00:22 - Founding Merge00:00:54 - Launching the Second Product00:02:05 - AI Agents and Security00:03:36 - Fundraising Journey00:04:36 - Early Customer Validation00:05:10 - Co-Founder's Background00:06:00 - A Day in the Life of a CEO00:07:16 - Technical Contributions00:08:22 - Future of AI00:09:01 - Economic Environment and Optimism00:10:01 - Company Culture and Hiring00:11:56 - Reading Habits and Recommendations00:13:32 - The Importance of Giving Chances00:14:51 - Closing RemarksIf you’re interested in AI, APIs, enterprise software, cybersecurity, startups, or the future of agentic workflows, this conversation is packed with insights for founders, operators, and technical leaders alike.Subscribe for more conversations with founders, CEOs, and leaders shaping the future of business and technology.