Épisodes

  • When the Internet Breaks: Building Infrastructure Resilience with Edward Tsinovoi

    When the Internet Breaks: Building Infrastructure Resilience with Edward Tsinovoi
    Jan 15 2026
    What if a single internet outage could take down your entire business? In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation unpacks a growing but under-discussed risk in modern infrastructure: edge fragility. Host Sage Nye sits down with Edward Tsinovoi, Co-founder and CEO at IO River, to discuss that as digital businesses scale, the risk of a single CDN outage can cascade into massive financial and operational damage. Edward draws on decades of experience in deep-tech infrastructure to explain why edge resilience has become mission-critical in 2026, and how multi-CDN strategies can be implemented without months of custom engineering. The conversation spans both technology and leadership, covering vendor lock-in, fault-tolerant system design, and the importance of decoupling edge infrastructure from application services. Edward also shares hard-earned lessons from building and scaling a deep-tech company, from assembling world-class teams to creating products that move from “nice-to-have” to truly indispensable.
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    26 min
  • UK CIO of the Year, Ian Penny: Why Great Tech Strategies Start with Customer Problems

    UK CIO of the Year, Ian Penny: Why Great Tech Strategies Start with Customer Problems
    Jan 8 2026
    Infrastructure decisions rarely feel glamorous, but they often determine whether a company scales or stalls. In this episode of Built Not Born, the conversation centres on how technology choices, leadership, and customer focus intersect under real-world pressure. Host Sage Nye sits down with Ian Penny, a global technology leader with over two decades of experience stabilising and scaling complex systems across organisations like JPMorgan, Barclays, and Hiscox. Ian shares why the most effective technology strategies start with customer problems, not platforms, and how reframing infrastructure as a business enabler changes executive buy-in. Together, they unpack the trade-offs between startup and enterprise software, the long-term cost of unchecked technical debt, and the leadership habits that help teams consistently deliver. From communicating infrastructure value in human terms to building teams that prioritise impact over novelty, this episode offers practical insight for leaders making high-stakes technology decisions while building organisations designed to last.
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    24 min
  • 90% of Startups Fail: What $100m Sales Teams Do Differently with Ethan Schechter

    90% of Startups Fail: What $100m Sales Teams Do Differently with Ethan Schechter
    Dec 11 2025
    Leadership in high-growth environments comes with moments of pressure, complexity, and rapid change. For go-to-market executives, your approach in those moments sets the tone for the entire team. In this episode of Built Not Born, Ethan Schechter shares how he keeps teams laughing through the lows, turns competition and collaboration into motivation, and helps build startups that endure when many don’t. Sage Nye sits down with Ethan Schechter, a go-to-market leader and SVP of Global Sales & Customer Success at Qodo, to discuss what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams from the ground up. Ethan shares how to balance structure with creativity, foster accountability, and turn failure into growth. From his “Passion, Mastery, Accountability” hiring framework to practical insights on cross-functional selling and customer success alignment, this conversation offers a blueprint for scaling revenue engines that endure the chaos of startup growth.
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    27 min
  • Relationships over Transactional Sales: The Secret to Lasting Growth with Miguel Navarro

    Relationships over Transactional Sales: The Secret to Lasting Growth with Miguel Navarro
    Nov 20 2025
    Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Applied Emerging Technologies at KeyBank, to unpack why authentic relationships outlast transactional sales and why genuine passion beats chasing quick profits. From cold calls in Times Square to leading in AI and emerging tech, Miguel shares how deep immersion, curiosity-driven learning, and reusable customer relationships built on mutual trust create lasting impact. Tune in for practical insights on building meaningful companies and scaling with purpose.
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    25 min
  • From Problem to Product: How Andrios Robert Solved Engineering's Biggest Bottleneck

    From Problem to Product: How Andrios Robert Solved Engineering's Biggest Bottleneck
    Oct 30 2025
    Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye interviews Andrios Robert, founder and CEO of Hoop.dev, on his journey from engineer to security startup leader. Andrios shares how firsthand frustrations with infrastructure bottlenecks sparked Hoop.dev’s creation, eliminating VPNs and shared credentials. He reflects on navigating early pivots, securing product-market fit, and targeting enterprise customers effectively. Listeners will gain insights into building high-performance hybrid teams, balancing culture across remote and in-office setups, and why selecting investors goes beyond chasing the highest valuation.
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    20 min
  • Hockey Stick Effect: The Customer-Obsessed Framework for Exponential Growth with Naj Husain

    Hockey Stick Effect: The Customer-Obsessed Framework for Exponential Growth with Naj Husain
    Aug 21 2025
    Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. On this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Najaf (Naj) Husain, four-time founder and CEO of Elastio, to unpack how startups can stay relentlessly customer-focused while pushing the boundaries of innovation. With over 25 years of experience in building software companies, Naj shares hard-earned lessons on building defensible IP, validating ideal customer profiles, and navigating investor dynamics. Whether you're scaling in cybersecurity or any tech field, this episode offers strategic insights on scaling with purpose, transparency, and a deep customer connection.
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    27 min
  • Leadership Lessons from Corey Thomas: Scaling Rapid7 from Startup to IPO

    Leadership Lessons from Corey Thomas: Scaling Rapid7 from Startup to IPO
    Jul 16 2025
    Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. What does it really take to scale a cybersecurity company from startup to IPO? On this episode of Built Not Born, host Sage Nye interviews Corey Thomas, Chairman and CEO of Rapid7. Corey shares hard-earned leadership lessons from his 16-year journey, from navigating international expansion and acquisitions to building elite teams and mastering product-market fit. Whether you're a founder or an executive, this episode delivers real-world strategies for scaling with discipline, crafting winning narratives, and making smart, sustainable growth decisions.
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    39 min
  • Practitioner to Founder: How Stas Bojoukha Is Reinventing IT GRC with Compyl

    Practitioner to Founder: How Stas Bojoukha Is Reinventing IT GRC with Compyl
    Jun 5 2025
    Welcome to Built Not Born: The Startup Go-To-Market Podcast, the podcast for early-stage founders and startup leaders who know that great companies aren’t lucky… they’re built through smart execution and a bulletproof go-to-market strategy. In this episode, host Sage Nye sits down with Stas Bojoukha, founder and CEO of Compyl, to unpack his transition from CISO to compliance tech founder. Stas shares practical insights on identifying product-market fit, scaling a distributed team, and evolving from founder-led sales to a structured GTM engine. With lessons on hiring, fundraising, and selling complex enterprise solutions, this conversation is a must-listen for technical founders navigating the compliance space.
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    29 min