TFTSL Ep44—Niral Shah
Today in the Sky Lounge, we are joined by Niral Shah — trauma surgeon, serial entrepreneur, and one of the more unusual career arcs you’re likely to hear about. Niral started medical school at 19, paused to build a search engine in Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom, went back to finish his MD, became a trauma surgeon, and then in 2018 decided healthcare was headed for a reckoning and he needed a seat at that table.
This conversation covers a lot of ground. Niral talks about pitching Nokia Ventures without a deck — and not even knowing he was going to pitch. He walks through why he chose Chapter 7 over keeping the cash when his first company ran out of road, and what that decision meant for his reputation with investors. On healthcare, he’s direct: the U.S. spends 18-21% of GDP on it and gets outcomes roughly equivalent to Albania. He explains where the fat actually is, why the end user and the buyer are almost never the same person in healthcare, and where he thinks entrepreneurs should be focusing right now. Plus, his wife’s very unexpected airport lounge conversion story.
TFTSL Ep24 – Alan Gold
Joining us today in the Sky Lounge is Alan Gold, a marketing and sales strategist with decades of experience in M&A, startups, and growth strategy. Alan has been on both sides of the table—helping companies scale, navigating acquisitions, and leading turnarounds. From being part of the launch team for Wi-Fi technology to working on speech recognition and AI-powered business tools, he’s seen how markets evolve and what it really takes to stay ahead.
We dive into:
M&A trends—why some companies are stuck while others are thriving
The hard truth about growth and why some businesses hit a ceiling
The real role of strategy in marketing (hint: it’s not just about SEO and PPC)
How AI is reshaping sales and marketing, and what’s next for the industry
Why most companies miss the mark when hiring sales leadership
Plus, Alan shares hilarious and wild travel stories, including a baboon with an attitude and getting detained in Colombia.
If you’re in startups, consulting, M&A, or just trying to grow a business, this one’s for you.
TFTSL Ep21 — James Rozich
In this episode of Tales from the Sky Lounge, Todd Merrill speaks with Adam Lehde, co-founder of Happen Technologies, about his journey in building a hybrid software development team that leverages talent from Ukraine. They discuss the cultural differences encountered while working with Ukrainian developers, the impact of remote work dynamics post-COVID, and the potential for a thriving startup culture in Ukraine as the country looks towards recovery from conflict. In this conversation, Adam Lehde shares his journey through mobile development, the challenges of cross-platform technology, and the importance of user engagement in apps. He discusses the balance between family and career, his transition to entrepreneurship, and how fitness plays a crucial role in managing stress. Adam also reflects on his travel experiences and the cultural insights gained along the way, emphasizing the value of community and personal growth.