Ascend: Stories of Scale Wed, 19 Aug 2026 14:57:24 -0400 https://ascendstoriesofscale.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 Ascend: Stories of Scale yes c911a6da-2aee-5885-a1a9-1ba48756d7d7 AScaleX episodic false Ascend is a go-to-market podcast featuring founders and CEOs successfully building and scaling companies. 


Hosted by Angelique, each episode breaks down real-world go-to-market strategy, growth tactics, customer acquisition, revenue strategy, and the hard lessons behind scaling. No fluff. No recycled advice. Just practical insights from leaders driving measurable growth.


If you’re serious about building smarter and scaling faster, Ascend delivers the tactical frameworks and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) AScaleX https://storage.buzzsprout.com/ilejplcp783vrmi82mf72617vnsg?.jpg Ascend: Stories of Scale https://ascendstoriesofscale.buzzsprout.com AI Governance for Banking and Fintechs: Building Trust, Audibility and Automation AI Governance for Banking and Fintechs: Building Trust, Audibility and Automation Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is transforming every industry, but few sectors face greater challenges than financial services. 

In this episode, Angelique Strauss sits down with Wael Elsahhar, the Co-Founder and CEO of MidLyr, to explore how they’re building bank-grade AI infrastructure capable of automating some of the most complex and highly regulated workflows in finance.

Rather than focusing on flashy customer-facing experiences, MidLyr is tackling the operational backbone of banking.


Wael Elsahhar

CEO/Co-Founder, MidLyr

Wael Elsahhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of MidLyr, a company building AI infrastructure for regulated financial institutions. Prior to founding MidLyr, he held leadership roles across product, engineering, and operations at Imprint, Amazon, Qualtrics, and McKinsey. 

With a background spanning fintech, enterprise software, and banking infrastructure, Wael focuses on helping financial institutions deploy AI safely, efficiently, and in compliance with complex regulatory requirements.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is transforming every industry, but few sectors face greater challenges than financial services. 

In this episode, Angelique Strauss sits down with Wael Elsahhar, the Co-Founder and CEO of MidLyr, to explore how they’re building bank-grade AI infrastructure capable of automating some of the most complex and highly regulated workflows in finance.

Rather than focusing on flashy customer-facing experiences, MidLyr is tackling the operational backbone of banking.


Wael Elsahhar

CEO/Co-Founder, MidLyr

Wael Elsahhar is the Co-Founder and CEO of MidLyr, a company building AI infrastructure for regulated financial institutions. Prior to founding MidLyr, he held leadership roles across product, engineering, and operations at Imprint, Amazon, Qualtrics, and McKinsey. 

With a background spanning fintech, enterprise software, and banking infrastructure, Wael focuses on helping financial institutions deploy AI safely, efficiently, and in compliance with complex regulatory requirements.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> AScaleX Buzzsprout-19636069 Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0700 1465 1 8 full false The New Moat: Scalable GTM in Regulated Crypto Markets The New Moat: Scalable GTM in Regulated Crypto Markets Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is shifting from experimental tech to core infrastructure for the next generation of finance. As blockchain and digital assets mature, the real frontier is building systems where intelligent agents can actively participate in the economy.

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, host Angelique Strauss sat down with Sagar Shah, Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, about building the infrastructure layer for next-generation digital asset markets and how crypto is evolving into a new operating system for finance.


Sagar Shah

Chief Business Officer, Evernorth

Sagar Shah is the Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, a digital asset treasury platform backed by Ripple, SBI Holdings, and Arrington Capital. 

Sagar brings deep experience across traditional finance, enterprise tech, and crypto infrastructure. He previously spent five years at Ripple, where he held leadership roles across RippleNet, digital asset custody (including the acquisition of Metaco), and stablecoins, helping launch RLUSD.

Earlier in his career, he worked in investment banking at Citi and private equity at Brentwood Associates, and held strategy roles at Salesforce and WeWork.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is shifting from experimental tech to core infrastructure for the next generation of finance. As blockchain and digital assets mature, the real frontier is building systems where intelligent agents can actively participate in the economy.

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, host Angelique Strauss sat down with Sagar Shah, Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, about building the infrastructure layer for next-generation digital asset markets and how crypto is evolving into a new operating system for finance.


Sagar Shah

Chief Business Officer, Evernorth

Sagar Shah is the Chief Business Officer at Evernorth, a digital asset treasury platform backed by Ripple, SBI Holdings, and Arrington Capital. 

Sagar brings deep experience across traditional finance, enterprise tech, and crypto infrastructure. He previously spent five years at Ripple, where he held leadership roles across RippleNet, digital asset custody (including the acquisition of Metaco), and stablecoins, helping launch RLUSD.

Earlier in his career, he worked in investment banking at Citi and private equity at Brentwood Associates, and held strategy roles at Salesforce and WeWork.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> AScaleX Buzzsprout-19441673 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 -0700 1377 1 7 full false Building the Operating System for Global Work: Ontop CEO on Payroll, Compliance & Scale Building the Operating System for Global Work: Ontop CEO on Payroll, Compliance & Scale Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, Angelique sits down with Julian Torres Gomez, CEO of Ontop, to explore what it takes to build the backbone of global work in a world without borders.

From early investor advice that reshaped his approach to compliance, to the realities of operating across 150+ countries, Julian shares what it means to build where regulation, trust, and execution intersect.


Julian Torres Gomez

CEO & Co-Founder, Ontop

Julian Torres Gomez is the CEO & Co-Founder of Ontop, where he is building the financial infrastructure for the global workforce. 

Prior to Ontop, he founded Fitpal, one of Latin America’s leading fitness and wellness apps, and was part of the 500 Startups Miami 2018 cohort. He is also an author published by Penguin Random House, with works including La Estupidez Colectiva (2019) and Hábitos Poderosos (2022), with a third book in progress inspired by Wu Wei.

Julian has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at InQlab, lived in China, and studied Business at Universidad de los Andes.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, Angelique sits down with Julian Torres Gomez, CEO of Ontop, to explore what it takes to build the backbone of global work in a world without borders.

From early investor advice that reshaped his approach to compliance, to the realities of operating across 150+ countries, Julian shares what it means to build where regulation, trust, and execution intersect.


Julian Torres Gomez

CEO & Co-Founder, Ontop

Julian Torres Gomez is the CEO & Co-Founder of Ontop, where he is building the financial infrastructure for the global workforce. 

Prior to Ontop, he founded Fitpal, one of Latin America’s leading fitness and wellness apps, and was part of the 500 Startups Miami 2018 cohort. He is also an author published by Penguin Random House, with works including La Estupidez Colectiva (2019) and Hábitos Poderosos (2022), with a third book in progress inspired by Wu Wei.

Julian has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at InQlab, lived in China, and studied Business at Universidad de los Andes.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Buzzsprout-19323016 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:00:00 -0700 1463 1 6 full false How AI Is Transforming Sales Coaching and Sales Performance | Yogi, Founder of People Lens How AI Is Transforming Sales Coaching and Sales Performance | Yogi, Founder of People Lens Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

In this episode, Angelique and Tracey sit down with Yogi, founder of PeopleLens, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales management and coaching.

The assumption that more tools lead to better outcomes is one of the biggest misconceptions in modern sales. 

Sales teams have more technology than ever before, yet many managers still struggle to answer a basic question: Why is a rep underperforming?

In this episode, Angelique and Tracey sit down with Yogi, founder of PeopleLens, to discuss the hidden challenges of sales management, the limitations of traditional CRM systems, and how AI is helping managers become more effective coaches.

Together, they explore why most sales technology focuses heavily on customers while overlooking the people responsible for driving revenue, and how that gap creates missed opportunities for coaching and growth.


Yogi Panjabi

CEO/Co-Founder, PeopleLens

Yogi Panjabi is the CEO/Co-Founder of PeopleLens, a platform dedicated to helping sales managers become better coaches through AI-driven insights and performance intelligence. His mission is to empower managers with the context they need to develop stronger teams, improve sales performance, and create more meaningful coaching conversations.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

In this episode, Angelique and Tracey sit down with Yogi, founder of PeopleLens, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping sales management and coaching.

The assumption that more tools lead to better outcomes is one of the biggest misconceptions in modern sales. 

Sales teams have more technology than ever before, yet many managers still struggle to answer a basic question: Why is a rep underperforming?

In this episode, Angelique and Tracey sit down with Yogi, founder of PeopleLens, to discuss the hidden challenges of sales management, the limitations of traditional CRM systems, and how AI is helping managers become more effective coaches.

Together, they explore why most sales technology focuses heavily on customers while overlooking the people responsible for driving revenue, and how that gap creates missed opportunities for coaching and growth.


Yogi Panjabi

CEO/Co-Founder, PeopleLens

Yogi Panjabi is the CEO/Co-Founder of PeopleLens, a platform dedicated to helping sales managers become better coaches through AI-driven insights and performance intelligence. His mission is to empower managers with the context they need to develop stronger teams, improve sales performance, and create more meaningful coaching conversations.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Buzzsprout-19346728 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 02:00:00 -0700 1370 1 5 full false Balancing Automation and Human Insight in the Age of AI Balancing Automation and Human Insight in the Age of AI Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

How do you build AI products that solve real problems instead of just adding more features? Yan Grinshtein, founder of Cepien AI, shares his perspective on startup resilience, customer understanding, and building AI tools that deliver meaningful value.

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, Angelique and DJ sit down with Yan Grinshtein, founder of Cepien AI, to discuss building startups in today’s AI-driven world. 

From resilience and founder mindset to AI-powered research, the conversation explores what it takes to create products people truly need.

Yan also shares why understanding real customer needs is a key competitive advantage, and how Cepien AI is transforming research synthesis by turning weeks of analysis into minutes while keeping human insight at the center.


Yahn Grinshtein

CEO/Co-Founder, Cepien AI

Yan is a global design leader, startup builder, and entrepreneur whose journey spans immigration, homelessness, and multiple successful startup exits. As the first designer at four startups, he helped shape products and systems that scaled globally and contributed to lasting company growth.

Now serving as CEO/Co-Founder, Yan brings a grounded perspective on leadership, design, resilience, and building products that genuinely matter.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

How do you build AI products that solve real problems instead of just adding more features? Yan Grinshtein, founder of Cepien AI, shares his perspective on startup resilience, customer understanding, and building AI tools that deliver meaningful value.

On this episode of Ascend: Stories of Scale, Angelique and DJ sit down with Yan Grinshtein, founder of Cepien AI, to discuss building startups in today’s AI-driven world. 

From resilience and founder mindset to AI-powered research, the conversation explores what it takes to create products people truly need.

Yan also shares why understanding real customer needs is a key competitive advantage, and how Cepien AI is transforming research synthesis by turning weeks of analysis into minutes while keeping human insight at the center.


Yahn Grinshtein

CEO/Co-Founder, Cepien AI

Yan is a global design leader, startup builder, and entrepreneur whose journey spans immigration, homelessness, and multiple successful startup exits. As the first designer at four startups, he helped shape products and systems that scaled globally and contributed to lasting company growth.

Now serving as CEO/Co-Founder, Yan brings a grounded perspective on leadership, design, resilience, and building products that genuinely matter.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> AScaleX Buzzsprout-19257029 Thu, 28 May 2026 22:00:00 -0700 1494 1 4 full false The Secret to Scaling Custom AI Solutions Without Venture Capital The Secret to Scaling Custom AI Solutions Without Venture Capital Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

How does a bootstrapped AI company scale to 9-figure revenue while serving enterprise and government clients? In this episode, D.R. Sara, CEO of Vidamonti, shares his approach to building mission-critical AI, delivering custom solutions, and fostering trusted partnerships. He explains why one-size-fits-all SaaS models often fail in high-stakes environments, how to maintain operational discipline and credibility, and the critical role of trust, reputation, and human-AI collaboration in successfully deploying AI at scale.


D. R. Sara

CEO/Founder, Vidamonti

D. R. Sara, founder of Vidamonti,  is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and executive with nearly 20 years of experience building and scaling high-impact businesses. He is a global leader in explainable AI for mission-critical operations, delivering tailored solutions for enterprise and government clients. Known for aligning vision with execution, D. R. combines strategic insight, operational discipline, and a focus on results to drive meaningful impact.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

How does a bootstrapped AI company scale to 9-figure revenue while serving enterprise and government clients? In this episode, D.R. Sara, CEO of Vidamonti, shares his approach to building mission-critical AI, delivering custom solutions, and fostering trusted partnerships. He explains why one-size-fits-all SaaS models often fail in high-stakes environments, how to maintain operational discipline and credibility, and the critical role of trust, reputation, and human-AI collaboration in successfully deploying AI at scale.


D. R. Sara

CEO/Founder, Vidamonti

D. R. Sara, founder of Vidamonti,  is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and executive with nearly 20 years of experience building and scaling high-impact businesses. He is a global leader in explainable AI for mission-critical operations, delivering tailored solutions for enterprise and government clients. Known for aligning vision with execution, D. R. combines strategic insight, operational discipline, and a focus on results to drive meaningful impact.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Buzzsprout-19138077 Wed, 06 May 2026 17:00:00 -0700 1485 1 3 full false Beyond Automation: The Rise of On-device Superintelligence Beyond Automation: The Rise of On-device Superintelligence Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is no longer just about smarter chatbots. Div Garg of AGI Inc. shares how autonomous AI agents are redefining digital work by acting on behalf of users across apps and workflows. From building real-world benchmarks to scaling adoption, we discuss why go-to-market strategy and ecosystem reach will determine who wins in the agentic AI era — and why simply having AI is no longer a competitive edge.


Div Garg

Founder & CEO, AGI Inc.

Div is an AI researcher and entrepreneur focused on advancing general-purpose intelligence. He is the founder of AGI Inc., where he builds autonomous AI agents designed to handle everyday digital tasks. His work spans deep learning, reinforcement learning, robotics, and computer vision, with notable contributions to efficient learning systems and real-world AI applications. He has also taught Stanford’s first course on transformers and collaborated with leading AI institutions, including OpenAI, DeepMind, and Apple.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

AI is no longer just about smarter chatbots. Div Garg of AGI Inc. shares how autonomous AI agents are redefining digital work by acting on behalf of users across apps and workflows. From building real-world benchmarks to scaling adoption, we discuss why go-to-market strategy and ecosystem reach will determine who wins in the agentic AI era — and why simply having AI is no longer a competitive edge.


Div Garg

Founder & CEO, AGI Inc.

Div is an AI researcher and entrepreneur focused on advancing general-purpose intelligence. He is the founder of AGI Inc., where he builds autonomous AI agents designed to handle everyday digital tasks. His work spans deep learning, reinforcement learning, robotics, and computer vision, with notable contributions to efficient learning systems and real-world AI applications. He has also taught Stanford’s first course on transformers and collaborated with leading AI institutions, including OpenAI, DeepMind, and Apple.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> AScaleX Buzzsprout-19088478 Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:00:00 -0700 1278 1 2 full false How AI Will Change Sales Teams Everywhere How AI Will Change Sales Teams Everywhere Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

Is AI coming for your sales team or coming to its rescue? 

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Darrow, CEO of Vivun, to cut through the hype and get practical about AI sales enablement. From how sales teams can thoughtfully adopt AI without losing what makes them effective, to the common pitfalls that trip up even the savviest orgs, Matt shares hard-won insights for anyone building, leading, or reimagining a sales team in the age of AI. 

Walk away with real takeaways you can put to work immediately.


Matt Darrow

CEO, Vivun

Matt Darrow is the Co-Founder of Vivun, a company on a mission to build the world’s most powerful AI Teammate for Sales. An engineer by training, Matt began his career at Deloitte building custom software for some of the world’s largest enterprises, then spent 12+ years in Sales Engineering and Product Management at startups, which ultimately inspired him to co-found Vivun and apply his unique expertise in B2B and AI to transform the way sales teams work.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> Any feedback would mean a lot for us. We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes!

Is AI coming for your sales team or coming to its rescue? 

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Darrow, CEO of Vivun, to cut through the hype and get practical about AI sales enablement. From how sales teams can thoughtfully adopt AI without losing what makes them effective, to the common pitfalls that trip up even the savviest orgs, Matt shares hard-won insights for anyone building, leading, or reimagining a sales team in the age of AI. 

Walk away with real takeaways you can put to work immediately.


Matt Darrow

CEO, Vivun

Matt Darrow is the Co-Founder of Vivun, a company on a mission to build the world’s most powerful AI Teammate for Sales. An engineer by training, Matt began his career at Deloitte building custom software for some of the world’s largest enterprises, then spent 12+ years in Sales Engineering and Product Management at startups, which ultimately inspired him to co-found Vivun and apply his unique expertise in B2B and AI to transform the way sales teams work.

Thank you for listening! This podcast is a passion project of AScaleX. Know more about us through the links below:

]]> AScaleX Buzzsprout-19062156 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:00:00 -0700 2193 1 1 full false