Liftoff with Keith Newman: For Founders looking for a new growth playbook and further inspiration.

Most AI companies are racing to build bigger models.
Pat Condo is building something different: AI you can actually trust.
In this episode of Liftoff, Keith sat down with Pat Condo, Founder & CEO of Seekr Technologies — a seven-time founder with three decades at the intersection of search, defence, enterprise software, and national security.
Pat shares why most enterprise AI projects fail — and why it’s rarely the model’s fault.
They explore:
→ Why explainability isn’t optional in mission-critical AI
→ The hallucination problem and why enterprises can’t tolerate it
→ How inference costs are quietly destroying AI ROI→ Why specialization beats hyperscaler ambition
→ What defence tech is teaching commercial AI buyers
→ Why policymakers shouldn’t only take advice from AI monopolies
→ The most underinvested AI opportunity today: manufacturing
Seekr is betting that trust, transparency, and domain-specific expertise will outlast hype cycles and model-size wars.
If you’re building, buying, or investing in AI — this conversation cuts through the noise.
Connect with Pat Condo:
Website: https://www.seekr.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-condo-96a905234/
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/
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For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
#ArtificialIntelligence #EnterpriseAI #TrustworthyAI #ExplainableAI #DefenseTech #AILeadership #StartupFounders #TechInnovation #AIInfrastructure #FutureOfAI

Scaling is not about working harder — it’s about thinking differently.
In this episode, Keith sat down with Casey Woo, former operator at WeWork, OpenAI, Flexport, and Zappos, founder of Operators Guild, and Managing Partner at FOG Ventures, to break down what it really takes to scale a company.
Casey introduces the concept of the “Scaler” — the operator who thrives in complexity, builds systems that evolve, and helps companies move from chaos to clarity. He shares how the world’s fastest-growing startups fail not because of bad ideas, but because they lack the operating structure needed for sustainable growth.
They dive into:
Why scaling is a discipline, not a phase
How great operators think across product, people, and process
What founders misunderstand about growth- Why systems—not heroics—create durable companies
How AI is changing the way companies scale
Whether you’re a founder, operator, or investor, this episode is a masterclass in building companies that don’t just grow — they scale.
Connect with Casey Woo:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseywoo/
Sponsor Info: We are strategic business advisors with decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving businesses’ growth. We specialize in creating custom-tailored strategies to introduce your company, drive growth, build leadership teams, and ensure companies implement appropriate compensation programs. Our mission is to utilize our expansive network to benefit your company https://www.compass-strategic-advisors.com/

Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications!
Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589
Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/
Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keithnewman74
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
#TheScaler #StartupScaling #Hypergrowth #Operators #StartupOperators #Founders #VentureCapital #FOGVentures #OperatorsGuild #BusinessGrowth #ScalingStartups #Leadership #SaaS #TechStartups #FutureOfWork

In this episode of Liftoff, Keith sits down with Amos Bar-Joseph, Co-Founder and CEO of Swan AI, to explore a radical shift in how modern companies scale.
Amos shares why the traditional belief that growth equals headcount is breaking down—and how AI is enabling a new model: the autonomous business. At Swan, scale is no longer about adding people—it’s about increasing ARR per employee by embedding intelligence directly into workflows.
They unpack:
Why the old “cog culture” model is collapsing
What collaborative autonomy really means
How Swan’s AI GTM Engineer turns ideas into live go-to-market workflows
Why execution—not creativity—is what AI should automate
And why go-to-market innovation is now more important than product innovation
This is a must-listen for founders, operators, and GTM leaders navigating the AI-native era.
Connect with Amos Bar-Joseph:
Website: https://getswan.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-bar-joseph/
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589
Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/
Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keithnewman74
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
#AutonomousBusiness #AIinBusiness #CollaborativeAutonomy #FutureOfWork #GTMInnovation #SaaSFounders #StartupScaling #AIWorkflows #AgenticAI

In this episode of Liftoff, Keith sat down with Arshavir Blackwell, PhD, AI researcher, founder, and author of The Creative Agency’s Guide to AI, to unpack what’s really happening behind today’s AI boom.With decades of experience building neural networks—from Ask Jeeves to enterprise AI—Arshavir explains why most so-called “AI agents” still don’t have real agency, why vertical focus is the only way startups can survive Big Tech competition, and how the next generation of companies will be smaller, faster, and radically more capital-efficient.They explored AI interpretability, local vs frontier models, privacy-first AI, and what founders should actually be building over the next 24 months.Connect with Arshavir Blackwell: - Newsletter: insidetheblackbox.ai- Book: tinyurl.com/creativeagencybook- App: yourvoicecraft.ai- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arshavirblackwell Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications! Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589 - Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ - Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keithnewman74 For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]#Podcast #ArtificialIntelligence #AITrends #AIStartups #Founders #TechLeadership #FutureOfWork #LiftoffPodcast #AIInnovation

Cold email isn’t dead — but doing it the old way is.
In this episode of Liftoff with Keith, we sit down with AJ Cassata, Co-Founder of Revenue Boost, to break down what’s actually working in outbound lead generation today. AJ has helped 440+ startups, agencies, and SaaS companies build predictable revenue pipelines without relying on paid ads, social media algorithms, or massive budgets.
We dive into:
Why cold email still works — and why most people fail at it
How to build the right outbound list (and why tools matter less than strategy)
Writing cold emails that stand out in crowded inboxes
The role of AI in personalization, research, and outbound scale
How to turn cold outreach into a reliable top-of-funnel growth engine
If you’re a founder, marketer, consultant, or agency owner looking to generate leads consistently — this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately.
🎧 Tune in and learn how to master outbound in today’s competitive market.
Connect with AJ Cassata:
Website: https://revenueboost.net/
Podcast: How to Scale an Agency: https://open.spotify.com/show/1y6g4luPhyXLocfjIH1JKC
Facebook Group: Join our community of 10,000+ in B2B Sales And Marketing Secrets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesandmarketingsecrets
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajcassata/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajcassata1/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ajcassataofficial
Client Case Studies & Testimonials (440+ clients and students served): https://promotion.revenueboost.net/our-results
Subscribe for more founder insights and hit the bell for notifications!
Follow us on our channels for exclusive startup content and behind-the-scenes insights from interviews like this one. -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3cFpLXfYvcUsxvsT9MwyAD?si=f5a14e779777487d
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/liftoff-with-keith-newman/id1560219589
Substack: https://keithnewman.substack.com/ -
Newman Media Studios: https://newmanmediastudios.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/liftoffwithkeith -
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keithnewman74
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: [email protected]
AJ’s Previous podcasts & press:
Foundr (In-Person Podcast): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9u206Zkb1A-
Digital Marketer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ZfW3UkaWQ&t=1s&pp=ygUKYWogY2Fzc2F0YQ%3D%3D
Systemology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eu_Iunl_n4
Instantly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTMapO0Xg_w
Outbound squad: https://www.outboundsquad.com/podcast/aj-cassata-
CEO Sales Strategies: https://ceosalesstrategies.com/mastering-sales-outreach-best-practices/ s
#ColdEmail #OutboundMarketing #LeadGeneration #B2BMarketing #SaaSGrowth #StartupSales #RevenueGrowth #GoToMarket #MarketingStrategy #PodcastEpisode