Passion to Profession: Steve Sloan from Heystack on Innovation, Escape, and What the Hobby Needs Next

Stacking Slabs

In this episode of Passion to Profession (sponsored by eBay), I’m joined by hobby veteran Steve Sloan, CEO of Haystack—a company quietly becoming the go-to infrastructure partner for hobby businesses.

Steve’s career path includes stops at Upper Deck, PSA (where he was President), and now Heystack, where he's building tech to solve real pain points in the card ecosystem. We talk about how his love of collecting started with Garbage Pail Kids and a copy of Beckett, and how that evolved into a life and career inside the hobby.

Topics covered include:

• Why Beckett was the original collector content engine
• What Exquisite meant to the hobby—and why innovation at Upper Deck still matters
• Lessons from PSA during the backlog era
• Why he believes the hobby is an escape and what that means for customer experience
• Building Heystack to make life easier for sellers, breakers, and marketplaces
• What it’s like going from corporate to startup mode in the hobby
• What Steve looks for when hiring in the space

This is a collector-turned-operator who understands the full picture. Whether you're building a business or building your PC, there’s something in here for you.

A special thank you to eBay for sponsoring Passion to Profession. The biggest and best marketplace to buy your next favorite trading card.

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