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Founders in Full
Dan Ritzke
22 episodes
1 week ago
Anthony Snowell, Founder of LifeSummary.ai, shares how his background in computer science—and his personal experience navigating the chaos of family documents after losing his mother—inspired him to build an AI-powered platform that helps families simplify, organize, and truly understand the most important parts of their lives. What began as a personal challenge to make sense of everyday financial and insurance paperwork has evolved into a mission-driven company using AI with intention: not a...
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Entrepreneurship
Business
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All content for Founders in Full is the property of Dan Ritzke and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Anthony Snowell, Founder of LifeSummary.ai, shares how his background in computer science—and his personal experience navigating the chaos of family documents after losing his mother—inspired him to build an AI-powered platform that helps families simplify, organize, and truly understand the most important parts of their lives. What began as a personal challenge to make sense of everyday financial and insurance paperwork has evolved into a mission-driven company using AI with intention: not a...
Show more...
Entrepreneurship
Business
Episodes (20/22)
Founders in Full
Anthony Snowell | LifeSummary.ai
Anthony Snowell, Founder of LifeSummary.ai, shares how his background in computer science—and his personal experience navigating the chaos of family documents after losing his mother—inspired him to build an AI-powered platform that helps families simplify, organize, and truly understand the most important parts of their lives. What began as a personal challenge to make sense of everyday financial and insurance paperwork has evolved into a mission-driven company using AI with intention: not a...
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1 week ago
1 hour 13 minutes

Founders in Full
Barrie Farivar | Leaf
Barrie Farivar, Founder of leaf, shares how her experience at Google—and her life as a mom—sparked the idea for a private audio app designed to help families preserve the voices and stories that matter most. What began as a personal project to capture her children’s first words has evolved into a mission-driven platform empowering families to build digital legacies that feel as intimate and meaningful as old photo albums. We explore: ✅ How Barrie’s own family experiences inspired her to crea...
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3 weeks ago
1 hour 8 minutes

Founders in Full
Tim Carstensen | Foam Party All Stars
Tim Carstensen, Founder of Foam Party All Stars, shares how a summer side hustle turned into a thriving entertainment business that brings joy to kids (and relief to parents) across the Chicago suburbs. A full-time elementary PE teacher by day, Tim started the business with one foam cannon, a DIY website, and a few postcards—and quickly grew it into a multi-location operation serving hundreds of daycares, schools, and families each year. We explore: ✅ How Tim’s entrepreneurial streak—and a kn...
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1 month ago
1 hour 2 minutes

Founders in Full
Lauren Clough | bQuest
Lauren Clough, Co-Founder of bQuest, shares her path from a 13-year career in her multigenerational family business and a stint in private equity to building a mission-driven platform that helps families navigate aging, loss, and end-of-life care. Lauren explains how bQuest pivoted from a direct-to-consumer idea to partnering with financial advisors—giving them tools to guide families through life’s most emotional transitions. We explore: ✅ How personal caregiving experiences revealed the nee...
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1 month ago
1 hour 8 minutes

Founders in Full
Paul Richardson | Tumbleweed
Paul Richardson, Founder of Tumbleweed, shares how his own family experiences—and a 20-year career in healthcare—sparked the idea for a digital platform that helps families plan for aging and end-of-life. After losing six loved ones in six years and seeing first-hand how disorganized the process can be, Paul built Tumbleweed to simplify everything from storing key documents to closing gaps in planning and even supporting families after a death. We explore: ✅ How a four-month cross-country roa...
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1 month ago
1 hour 23 minutes

Founders in Full
Michael Taverna | The Ad Village
Michael Taverna, Founder of The Ad Village, shares his journey from a career in digital marketing and ad tech to building a mission-driven platform designed to protect kids online. Drawing on his experience working with major automotive brands and mobile data startups, Michael explains how he’s repurposing the very tools advertisers use—pixels, ad tracking, and programmatic buying—to disrupt harmful ads and instead serve children positive, uplifting messages. We explore: ✅ How Michael combine...
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2 months ago
1 hour 12 minutes

Founders in Full
Greg Hearn | Petunia
Greg Hearn, Founder of Petunia, shares his journey from a career in automotive and tech to creating a mission-driven platform that helps families navigate the complex, emotional process of senior living. Inspired by his own family’s experience, Greg talks about building Petunia as a solo founder, the lessons he’s learned in the AgeTech/FamTech space, and why he sees a huge opportunity to rethink how families discover and decide on assisted living and memory care. We explore: ✅ How personal ex...
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2 months ago
1 hour 9 minutes

Founders in Full
Erica Bethe Levin | Globowl
Erica Bethe Levin, Founder of Globowl, joins me to talk about her entrepreneurial journey—from launching one of Chicago’s first digital publications to helping scale a venture-backed hospitality tech startup, to now leading a mission-driven CPG brand rooted in culture, nutrition, and flavor. We dive into how Erica went from being a food writer and new mom to building a baby and toddler food brand that’s challenging the status quo. She shares the pivotal moment that sparked the idea for Globo...
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3 months ago
1 hour 22 minutes

Founders in Full
Cindy Abel | Vescent
Cindy Abel, Founder of Vescent, joins me to share how her career in tech and decades of experience running a consulting firm—combined with her personal experience as a parent—led to building a mission-driven platform that supports teen girls through mentorship, mental health literacy, and community. In this episode, we cover her career path, the early warning signs she noticed around social media and mental health, the evolution of Vescent, lessons from launching with limited resources, and ...
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3 months ago
1 hour 5 minutes

Founders in Full
Sara Mauskopf | Winnie
Sara Mauskopf, Co‑Founder & CEO of Winnie, joins me to share how her background in tech and product leadership at companies like Google, Twitter, and Postmates led to building a fast‑growing marketplace that helps parents find childcare. In this episode, we cover her career path, what drew her to Silicon Valley, the origin and evolution of Winnie, lessons learned from early pivots, and how she’s scaling a platform that supports both parents and childcare providers. 👉 Learn more about Wi...
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3 months ago
1 hour 6 minutes

Founders in Full
Katie Taylor | Child Life On Call
Katie Taylor, Founder & CEO of Child Life On Call, joins me to share how her background as a certified Child Life Specialist led to building a podcast and a parent‑facing app that supports families through medical experiences. In this episode, we cover her career path, the origin of the Child Life On Call podcast, how it evolved into a hospital‑licensed app, what she’s learned from early customers, and how she’s growing a community of child life professionals. 👉 Learn more about Child L...
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3 months ago
1 hour 6 minutes

Founders in Full
Dale Jarosz | Bschool Travel
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Dale Jarosz, co-founder of Bschool Travel, a company that designs immersive international learning experiences for MBA and university students. Dale’s journey started in mechanical engineering, took him to Caterpillar designing hydraulic valves, and eventually led him to business school at Michigan—where travel, entrepreneurship, and frustration with the status quo planted the seeds for a new kind of company. What began as a scrappy startup run...
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4 months ago
1 hour 14 minutes

Founders in Full
Chris Borek | Spira Farms
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Chris Borek, co-founder of Spira Farms, a Chicago-area vertical farm growing nutrient-dense microgreens for restaurants, grocery stores, and health-conscious consumers. Chris’s journey started in a condo during grad school, growing greens for his family while researching sustainability and nutrition. After his mother’s cancer diagnosis, what began as a personal health project quickly turned into a purpose-driven business rooted in freshness, l...
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4 months ago
1 hour 26 minutes

Founders in Full
Lauren Cain | Elm Dirt
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Lauren Cain, founder of Elm Dirt, a company reinventing the way we care for lawns, gardens, and soil health—using the power of microbes, composting worms, and a lot of trial and error. Lauren’s path started in chemical engineering, took her through a high-pressure career at ExxonMobil, and eventually led to launching an e-commerce business with her husband. After years of freelancing and experimenting with product ideas, it was a dirt-loving to...
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4 months ago
1 hour 7 minutes

Founders in Full
Joe Weber | Four Star Mushrooms
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Joe Weber, founder of Four Star Mushrooms, a Chicago-based mushroom company on a mission to transform our food system through regenerative agriculture, chef-driven partnerships, and urban farming innovation. Joe’s journey began with a deep interest in ecology and sustainable agriculture. But after a lightbulb moment listening to a Paul Stamets podcast, he realized mushrooms could be the keystone species that brought his vision to life. With no...
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5 months ago
1 hour 8 minutes

Founders in Full
Sarah Spliethoff | Sunniemade
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Sarah Spliethoff, founder of Sunniemade, a personal care brand on a mission to make sustainability feel effortless with plant-powered, plastic-free products that people genuinely love using. After more than a decade in the agency world—working in experiential marketing, creative strategy, and brand development—Sarah set out to build a brand of her own. What started as a side hustle making bar soap in her kitchen has grown into a thriving busin...
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5 months ago
1 hour 3 minutes

Founders in Full
Will Nitze | IQBAR
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Will Nitze, Founder and CEO of IQBAR, a company on a mission to fuel brain and body with clean-label functional nutrition products—from protein bars to hydration mixes and brain-boosting coffee. Will shares his unconventional path from selling software to oil and gas companies to launching a brain-focused nutrition brand out of pure obsession, grit, and a little bit of gray-hat marketing. His story is a masterclass in strategic product developm...
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5 months ago
1 hour 4 minutes

Founders in Full
Rich Cohen | Elevate Packaging
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Rich Cohen, founder of Elevate Packaging, one of the first companies in the world to focus exclusively on compostable packaging. Rich shares how a sabbatical and a global backpacking trip led him to rethink the future of packaging—and ultimately build a business that's making a real environmental impact. We dive into: How Rich bootstrapped a mission-driven business before “sustainability” was a buzzwordThe real (and often misunderstood) c...
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6 months ago
1 hour 25 minutes

Founders in Full
Kristian Altuve | Dance Motion Marketing
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Kristian Altuve, co-founder of Dance Motion Marketing, a growing agency that helps dance studios across the country fill their classes and grow their businesses through done-for-you marketing. Kristian shares how he went from corporate consulting to freelancing in video production—and how hitting rock bottom eventually led to building a company that now serves over 120 studios every month. We dive into: The messy early years of freelancing, bur...
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6 months ago
58 minutes

Founders in Full
Mike Valente | Renovation Sells
In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Mike Valente, founder and CEO of Renovation Sells, a fast-growing franchise business that helps homeowners prepare their homes for sale through smart, design-driven renovations. Mike shares how he went from hauling beer on Wrigleyville rooftops to launching a remodeling business—and ultimately building a national brand by finding a niche and committing to it. We dive into: The winding journey from inside sales to real estate, construction, and ...
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6 months ago
1 hour 14 minutes

Founders in Full
Anthony Snowell, Founder of LifeSummary.ai, shares how his background in computer science—and his personal experience navigating the chaos of family documents after losing his mother—inspired him to build an AI-powered platform that helps families simplify, organize, and truly understand the most important parts of their lives. What began as a personal challenge to make sense of everyday financial and insurance paperwork has evolved into a mission-driven company using AI with intention: not a...