In this Podcast Episode

Rob McNealy interviews Matt Galligan, CEO and Co-Founder of Socialthing, Inc., producer of Socialthing!, a digital life manager that pledges to make your online life easier.

Matt Galligan’s Bio

Matt Galligan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Socialthing, Inc., a company that was chosen to be part of the inaugural year of TechStars, a program that provides seed capital and mentorship for startups. Socialthing, Inc. produces Socialthing!, a first-of-its-kind digital life manager that pledges to make your online life easier.

Currently in private beta, Socialthing! created a strong buzz at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2008, and since then, the Socialthing! team has been working hard on creating, and releasing version 2.0 of their digital life manager.

Matt’s background is in graphic design and user interface, working for MonsterCommerce, now Network Solutions, based out of St. Louis, MO. He got his start in computers and design while working for Evans Services, Inc., a disaster restoration company out of Illinois before he turned 16.

Socialthing! is a Boulder, Colorado based provider of services and applications that make interacting with web-based content easier and more productive. The company’s first service is a digital life manager designed to offer a single, interactive window into multiple social networks and make interacting with social networks more efficient.

In this Podcast Episode

Rob McNealy interviews Louis Foreman, Creator, Executive Producer and Lead Judge of the Everyday Edisons® television show.

Louis Foreman’s Bio

In 2004, Louis Foreman began developing the concept for a reality show that would help make inventors’ dreams come true, while educating America about the complex product development process. Today this award winning national PBS reality series is known as Everyday Edisons® and its mission reflects Louis’ biggest aspiration: to fuel the innovative American spirit. In addition to being an inventor, Louis is also committed to educating others on the topic of intellectual property.

Louis’ experience as Founder and Chief Executive of Enventys®, an integrated product design and engineering firm, led him to develop this educational reality series featuring ordinary inventors. A surprising number of inventors are ordinary people with great ideas that aren’t necessarily interested in developing a business around their invention. Most are looking for someone to take their idea, validate it and develop it for them. Louis developed this concept for Everyday Edisons, a show which could develop the brilliant ideas of ordinary people who otherwise would never pursue their innovative dreams.

Louis is a prolific inventor, holding nine registered U.S. patents. He is also a founding member of The Inventors Network of the Carolinas, a non-profit organization that empowers inventors through education, support and networking opportunities. In 2007, Louis became the publisher of Inventors Digest, a 20-year-old publication devoted to the topic of American innovation.

In December 2007, he was appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to serve for a three-year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Over the past 20 years, Louis has also created five successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of more than 10 others. His interest in entrepreneurialism and developing innovative products began while a sophomore in college, with his first company founded in his fraternity room. Louis graduated from The University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science in Economics.

In this Podcast Episode

Rob McNealy interviews Patrick Michael Byrne, Chairman and CEO of Overstock.com, about Deep Capture, his effort to increase awareness and knowledge regarding the facts, culprits and economic implications of naked short selling.

Patrick Byrne’s Bio

Patrick Michael Byrne is Chairman and CEO of Overstock.com, Inc., a publicly traded, Utah-based internet retailer. Under Patrick’s leadership the company’s annual revenue has soared from $1.8 million in 1999 to $760.2 million in 2007.

Before founding Overstock.com, Patrick served as Chairman, President and CEO of Centricut, LLC, a manufacturer of industrial torch consumables, then held the same three positions at Fechheimer Brothers, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company and manufacturer of police, firefighter, and military uniforms.

In 2001, Patrick began Worldstock.com, Overstock.com’s socially responsible marketplace for handcrafted products created by artisans from developing nations and in rural areas of the United States. On average, artisans receive about 60% of the sales price. To date, more than $30 million dollars has been returned to artisans, allowing them to better their lives through re-training and making improvements to their housing and healthcare.

Patrick is a former professor whose education includes a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in philosophy and Asian studies, a master’s degree in philosophy from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar, and a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford University. In the United States, he is active in the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and supports legislative reform. Patrick has also founded 19 schools internationally that currently educate more than 6,000 combined students.

A self described “classical liberal,” Patrick believes that sound financial policy is essential to our nation’s economic health. In 2005, he began a vigorous campaign against securities manipulation. His stance quickly caught the attention of Wall Street analysts and reporters and remains a point of high controversy today.

Patrick has a black belt in tae kwon do and once pursued a career in boxing. After surviving cancer, he cycled across the country four times. His last ride, in the summer of 2000, helped raise awareness and record-breaking funds for cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.