DARE

Hosted by Darwoft

Technology

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Episodes

153

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The show for innovators, entrepreneurs, and startup leaders who dare to shape the future. In each episode, we dig into the journey of innovation -- traveling through doubt, failure, and experimentation on the path toward success and fulfillment. A master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership, and how you too can dare to dream big. New episodes every Tuesday.

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60 recent

October 6, 2026Episode 3618 min

S4E36 | From idea to launch in 16 years: Building a hunt rain gear brand

Sixteen years passed between the first idea and the first product launch. Gunnar Allen kept going, and Ghost Bull Hunting is the result. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Gunnar Allen, founder of Ghost Bull Hunting , joins Ned to talk about building rain gear for Pacific Northwest hunters, bootstrapping a seasonal business, and keeping manufacturing local in Oregon. 🎙️ Follow us! Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany TikTok/@darwoft

September 29, 2026Episode 3521 min

S4E35 | The private label playbook: How a self-funded founder built an 18-year specialty food brand

Staying small on purpose is a strategy, and Nikki Guerrero has spent 18 years proving it works. Hot Mama Salsa grew through specialty grocers, self-funding, and a refusal to chase the biggest retailers. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Nikki Guerrero, owner of Hot Mama Salsa , joins Ned to talk about building a specialty food brand without outside capital, how private label partnerships fit into her growth plan, and why she wants her company to be an alternative to big agriculture. 🎙️ Follow us: Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany TikTok/@darwoft

September 22, 2026Episode 3426 min

S4E34 | The B2B pivot that saved a startup: From retail hustle to high-margin accounts

A retail space seemed like the obvious next step, until it turned into the most expensive lesson of the business. Chris Hull found his real growth engine somewhere else entirely: B2B. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Chris Hull, founder of Cloud Candy Co , joins Ned to talk about pivoting from retail hustle to high-margin B2B accounts, why viral content didn't translate to sales, and what it took to reinvent a 100-year-old treat. Follow us on: LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany Instagram/@darwoft TikTok/@darwoft

September 15, 2026Episode 3318 min

S4E33 | How she built a gourmet food company from scratch (and 5X'd sales in one month)

A 7-year shelf life and zero refrigeration required changed everything for one backpacking trip, and it became the foundation of an entire company. Sara Willis built Luxefly Basecamp from that single insight. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Sara Willis , founder of Luxefly Basecamp, joins Ned to talk about building a gourmet freeze-dried food brand as a solo founder, what it took to 5X sales in a single month, and her plan to turn a backpacking staple into a billion-dollar company. Follow us 👇 Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany TikTok/@darwoft

September 8, 2026Episode 3222 min

S4E32 | Why 600,000 surgeries a year could soon disappear

Surgery is currently the second most common intervention for older men, right behind cataract surgery, and it comes with a steep cost to quality of life. Tushar Sharma thinks there's a better way. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Tushar Sharma , founder and CEO of Vivify Medical , joins Ned to talk about building a non-invasive alternative to a widespread surgical procedure, what it took to move from biomedical research to clinical trials, and why he believes hundreds of thousands of surgeries could one day be unnecessary. 🎙️ Follow us: TikTok/@darwoft, Instagram/@darwoft, LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

September 1, 2026Episode 3124 min

S4E31 | How small businesses can use AI without losing the human touch

Most small businesses don't need another AI tool, they need the work actually completed. Jojo Palacio built Cheerzz to be the operations team that gets it done, with a human always in the loop. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Jojo Palacio, founder of Cheerzz, joins Ned to talk about ethical AI implementation, why the 80% of the economy without an AI department deserves support too, and what it took to go from HR leader to first-time founder. 🎙️ Follow us! Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany TikTok/@darwoft

August 25, 2026Episode 3039 min

S4E30 | Innovation in the era of distributed teams

Most companies are good at OKRs and rear-view metrics. Almost none of them are good at forward-looking strategy, especially when the team is spread across time zones. Dave Scott wrote the playbook to fix that. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Dave Scott , three-time CPO, founder of ProductLeap , and author of "Product at a Distance," joins Ned to talk about his "Product House" framework, the real difference between product managers and product owners, and how he kept an entire product team in Ukraine aligned without ever being in the same room. 🎙️ Follow us! LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompanyInstagram/@darwoftTikTok/@darwoft

August 19, 2026Episode 2922 min

S4E29 | Building a beverage startup from scratch: A unique innovation journey

Sparkling wine and coffee, in one can, has never existed anywhere in the world. Andrew Smith is betting Brut Cafe is about to change that. On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network , Andrew Smith , founder of Brut Cafe , joins Ned to talk about building a brand-new beverage category from a 20-year winemaking career, why the "weird" reactions are actually the point, and what it takes to launch a ready-to-drink product from scratch. 🎙️

August 12, 2026Episode 2827 min

S4E28 | The future of EV Charging: Breaking through high infrastructure costs

Most EV charging problems aren't about the car, they're about the electrical panel behind it. Tyler Hughes and Brian Breniser of Positron Charging spent a year figuring out how to route power to multiple cars without the six-figure infrastructure bill. On this episode, Tyler Hughes and Brian Breniser , founders of Positron Charging , join Ned to talk about their patented multiplexing tech, the "last mile problem" of EV charging, and why apartment complexes could be the next big frontier for affordable charging access. 🎙️ Follow us! Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany

August 4, 2026Episode 2721 min

S4E27 | How to supervise AI: Practical strategies for managing Large Language Models

Most companies didn't fail at social media because the tech was bad. They failed because nobody managed the transition. Ami Maceira-Lopez thinks we're about to make the same mistake with AI, unless managers step up now. In this episode, Ami Maceira-Lopez , founder of Everyday Future , joins Ned to talk about Task Technology Fit, the digital literacy gap hiding in plain sight, and what it actually takes to supervise a large language model without losing your team's trust. 🎙️ Follow us! Instagram/@darwoft LinkedIn/@DarwoftCompany TikTok/@darwoft