Episodes

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Jeremy Ames, Co-Founder and CEO of Guidant Financial, a company that has helped over 30,000 entrepreneurs fund their businesses using US retirement funds. Jeremy shares his unconventional path into entrepreneurship, the rise of Main Street innovation, and what truly holds people back from launching businesses. This is a masterclass in testing ideas, avoiding costly mistakes, and seeing opportunities where others don’t—plus a ref...

In this episode, I sit down with Greg Marlin, the CTO of ZKcandy, to explore the evolving intersection of AI agents, blockchain infrastructure, NFTs, and the gaming world. We dive deep into how Greg is building seamless onboarding for Web3 gaming, how AI agents are redefining non-player characters and companions, and why encrypted AI agent NFTs might just be the future of user-owned digital experiences. Whether you’re a founder building in Web3, an investor watching the AI frontier, or jus...

In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Mauro Battellini, co-founder of Black Unicorn PR, to break down why PR is no longer optional for startups—and how the rise of AI-powered search is changing what investors and customers see first. From fundraising strategy to media perception, Mauro explains how to build legitimacy, earn visibility, and outperform better-funded competitors—even if you’re not in Silicon Valley. Whether you’re a first-time founder or a repeat entrepreneur, this epi...

In this episode of The CTO Show, Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Cosmin Ivan, CEO of Platinumlist, the leading event and ticketing platform in the MENA region. From selling tickets by hand to building a platform used for the biggest concerts and sporting events, Cosmin shares his 18-year journey and how Platinumlist became a trusted tech partner for global entertainment brands. They unpack the power of secure, scalable event tech, what it takes to expand across culturally diverse markets, an...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Eric Müller, Product Engineering Associate Director at Work & Co, to unpack the evolving intersection of AI adoption, digital security, and empathetic leadership. With a career that spans cybersecurity, product architecture, and agency collaboration, Eric shares how to lead engineering teams through complexity without losing the human touch—especially in today’s AI-driven landscape. Whether you’re a founder, CTO, product l...

In this episode, Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Mary Moore-Simmons, VP of Engineering at Keebo AI, to unpack what it really takes to scale high-performing engineering teams in today’s AI-powered environment. From DevOps and ML Ops to building team culture that lasts, Mary shares hard-won insights from over a decade in engineering leadership across startups and high-growth tech companies. This is a must-listen for founders, CTOs, and venture investors seeking clarity on where engineering, AI...

In this episode of The CTO Show, Mehmet welcomes Keith Cassar, CTO at Game Lounge, who shares his journey from SQL developer to tech leader, and what it takes to evolve from a data specialist into a cross-functional CTO. Together, they explore how to make data genuinely useful, what AI can and can’t solve, and how to scale high-performing tech teams without overengineering. 📌 Key Takeaways • The shift from developer to data leader to CTO — and what changes at each level • Why avai...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Dr. Andrey Kunov — serial entrepreneur, founder of Silicon Valley Innovation Center, and AI advisor — joins us from the heart of Silicon Valley to dissect what truly makes the Valley unbeatable. We explore why other ecosystems struggle to replicate it, what founders in emerging markets should focus on instead, and how AI is reshaping the rules of startup creation and capital. 🧠 What You’ll Learn • Why disruption doesn’t start with capital — it s...

In this episode, host Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Mohamed Ahmed, an engineer-turned-founder and author of The Inside-Out Entrepreneur. Together, they unpack the mental, emotional, and strategic conditioning required for engineers to become successful startup founders. From navigating early-stage chaos to managing the emotional rollercoaster of startup life, Mohamed offers frameworks, stories, and tools that every founder needs to hear. 🎯 Key Takeaways • Why building a business is radical...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Cheryl Cunningham, CEO of Huro AI, to explore how agentic AI is reshaping entrepreneurship as we know it. From her early days in the food industry to building a quantum-informed AI company, Cheryl shares the journey behind Huro’s mission: enabling solopreneurs and SMBs to go from vision to execution with a single personalized operating system. Whether you’re a future founder, tech leader, or just AI-curious — this is an unmissab...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we sit down with Michael Cutajar, CEO of AI Partners, who’s on a mission to fix the broken world of accounting through the power of AI agents. From his early days as a PwC accountant in Malta to founding multiple startups—including a VR venture and now an AI-driven automation company—Michael shares what it takes to go from employee to entrepreneur, how to close six-figure enterprise deals, and why cultural resistance to failure is holding regions like...

Mehmet sits down with Nahed Khairallah, founder of Organized Chaos, to discuss why startups that reach initial traction often stall or fail due to people-related blind spots. With experience advising over 150 startups globally, Nahed unpacks the tactical, cultural, and strategic layers of building scalable teams that last. 🔑 Key Takeaways • 🚫 The real reason startups fail after product-market fit isn’t product—it’s people decisions • 🧠 Why founders struggle to let go—and how that bottle...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Naga Vadrevu, Chief Technology Officer at Wonderschool and former engineering leader at Square, Adobe, and Autodesk, shares his journey from big tech to startup disruption. Naga dives deep into how he applies AI and machine learning to revolutionize childcare access in the U.S., and why modern CTOs must evolve from coders to orchestrators. He also reflects on the tough decisions leadership demands, including disbanding QA teams and embracing lean, imp...

In this episode, Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Nelson Nigel, the founder of Kidmoto, a ride-hailing service designed specifically for families traveling with young children. From driving a yellow cab in New York to building a tech-enabled transportation service operating in 64+ cities, Nelson shares how he bootstrapped his company past $1M in revenue—without external funding, without a co-founder, and without chasing VC hype. It’s a raw, refreshing look at building a real business in a noi...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we’re joined by John Carse, Field CISO at SquareX, to explore a fast-emerging shift in cybersecurity: the browser as the new endpoint. John shares why traditional tools like EDR and CASB are no longer sufficient, how modern threats are bypassing enterprise defenses, and what CISOs need to prioritize in a SaaS-first, GenAI-driven world. With decades of leadership across Dyson, Rakuten, Expedia, and the U.S. Navy, John brings both a practitioner’s...

In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Jan van Schuppen, a seasoned sales entrepreneur and founder of Ideas in Spades, who has led global B2B sales teams for over 30 years. They explore the biggest myths in go-to-market (GTM) strategy, the traps of founder-led content, how to balance automation with authenticity, and why selling before building is often the smartest startup move. Whether you’re a founder looking for early traction or a tech leader rethinking your sales stack in the age of ...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet , we’re joined by Ali Hafizji, founder of the product development agency Wednesday , for a candid look into one of the most overlooked phases in startup growth: the dangerous gap between MVP and Product-Market Fit (PMF). We explore why many startups lose momentum after MVP, how to avoid premature scaling, the role of AI in early-stage execution, and what it really takes to survive the chaos between MVP and PMF. 💡 Key Takeaways • Why the MVP...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet , we dive into the transformation of the global music industry with Jeremy Sirota , CEO of Merlin , the world’s leading digital licensing partner for independent music labels. Jeremy unpacks how Merlin is leveling the playing field for indie artists, leveraging tech and AI to streamline music licensing, and helping startups access curated music legally and efficiently. Whether you’re a tech founder, investor, or platform builder, this conversatio...

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet , we dive deep into what it really takes to implement AI that works —not just experiments, but systems that scale. Joining us is Matt Leta , founder & CEO of Future Works, an AI-native company built alongside generative AI as his co-founder. 🔑 Key Takeaways • AI alone isn’t enough —without workflow integration and people buy-in, the tech fails. • 20% of teams may never adapt to AI , and that has structural consequences. • Digital transfo...

In this thought-provoking episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet , we welcome Sam Sammane , physicist, serial entrepreneur, and author of The Singularity of Hope . With a background in nanotechnology, life sciences, and AI, Sam offers a rare mix of technical depth and philosophical insight. Together, we explore how AI is reshaping business, creativity, and even our understanding of intelligence—and why the future belongs to those who amplify human potential , not replace it. 🧠 What You’...

In this episode, Mehmet is joined by Josh Dorfman , CEO of Supercool and host of the Supercool podcast. Josh is a serial sustainability entrepreneur, former investor, and media trailblazer with two decades of experience scaling climate-focused ventures. From founding The Lazy Environmentalist to helping build a company that landed a 10M panel deal with D.R. Horton, Josh shares why storytelling—not tech specs—is what drives results in climate tech today. 📌 Key Takeaways: • Why outcomes matt...

In this episode, Mehmet sits down with Anya Cheng , the founder and CEO of Taelor , a fashion-tech startup revolutionizing how busy men dress—without shopping or doing laundry. With past leadership roles at Meta, eBay, and McDonald’s, Anya brings a unique product mindset and startup resilience that shines through her journey from MVP to raising millions. This is a masterclass in product thinking, perseverance, and staying focused—even when things get scrappy. 🔑 Key Takeaways • Start ...

Episode Overview In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet , Andy Cwik—co-founder and CEO of Hubub—shares his lessons from three startups, including the painful failures and meaningful wins. From crashing his first startup to exiting a telehealth company, Andy now leads Hubub, a SaaS platform that automates client entertainment for B2B teams. He opens up about what truly makes a startup successful (hint: it’s not the idea), how AI fits into real business workflows, why network effects...

In this episode of The CTO Show , serial entrepreneur and podcast host Anthony Franco joins Mehmet to unpack how AI is fundamentally reshaping how businesses operate—beyond the hype. With six exits under his belt and decades of experience launching and scaling ventures, Anthony shares what it really takes to operationalize AI in today’s organizations and why the real disruption isn’t about job loss—it’s about organizational survival. 💡 What You’ll Learn • Why most leaders still misundersta...