017 - Random New Ideas

The Robot Factory

#Tech #Entrepreneur #Business #Jonathan Bowers #Caleb Sharp #Startup #Software #Buildinpublic

34:07

In this insightful episode of The Innovators & Investors Podcast, host Kristian Marquez sits down with Jay Crone, Managing Director and Venture Capitalist at Deloitte Ventures, to explore the firm’s strategic approach to corporate venture capital. Jay shares Deloitte Ventures’ investment thesis, focusing on supporting innovative Canadian startups at Series A and B stages across key sectors like cybersecurity, climate tech, fintech, future of work, health tech, and AI. Listeners will gain an inside look at how Deloitte leverages its vast network of 1,500 partners and 15,000 employees to source deals and add value beyond capital by helping startups navigate Deloitte’s complex ecosystem and access enterprise clients. Jay also discusses his diverse career journey—from government and investment banking to entrepreneurship and corporate VC—and how those experiences shape his investment philosophy. The episode delves into Deloitte’s due diligence process, the importance of founder relationships, and the firm’s strategic role as a co-investor. Jay highlights emerging trends, particularly the promise of vertical AI tailored to industry-specific needs, and shares his bullish outlook on fintech innovations like stablecoins and cross-border payments. He offers candid advice for entrepreneurs on risk-taking and aligning business vision with funding goals. This episode is a must-listen for founders, investors, and anyone interested in the evolving landscape of corporate venture capital and innovation in Canada. Learn more about Jay's work at https://www.deloitte.com/ca/en/services/program/ventures.html Connect with Jay on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaycrone/ Think you'd be a great guest on the show? Apply at https://finstratmgmt.com/innovators-investors-podcast/ Want to learn more about Kristian Marquez's work? Check out his website at https://finstratmgmt.com…

3 years ago 22:19

MP3•Episode home

Jonathan and Caleb discuss how walking can help you think and code, how we make client gifts, and some random ideas for new businesses.

(00:00) - 017 - Happy Holidays
(02:21) - Intro
(03:17) - Changing Newsletter Providers
(05:13) - How to subscribe to the po dcast
(06:26) - Holiday Gifts for Clients
(08:58) - AI Art Biz Idea
(12:50) - No-code tool to share Figma designs
(21:44) - Outro

The Products: Raisonne.gallery, OpenHouse.social

Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com

Twitter: @twostoryrobot

Instagram: @therobotfactorypod

Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron

Follow Caleb: @calebissharp

27 episodes

017 - Random New Ideas

The Robot Factory

published 3 years ago

MP3•Episode home

Jonathan and Caleb discuss how walking can help you think and code, how we make client gifts, and some random ideas for new businesses.

(00:00) - 017 - Happy Holidays
(02:21) - Intro
(03:17) - Changing Newsletter Providers
(05:13) - How to subscribe to the po dcast
(06:26) - Holiday Gifts for Clients
(08:58) - AI Art Biz Idea
(12:50) - No-code tool to share Figma designs
(21:44) - Outro

The Products: Raisonne.gallery, OpenHouse.social

Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com

Twitter: @twostoryrobot

Instagram: @therobotfactorypod

Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron

Follow Caleb: @calebissharp

27 episodes

#Tech #Entrepreneur #Business #Jonathan Bowers #Caleb Sharp #Startup #Software #Buildinpublic

All episodes

The Robot Factory

1
026 - We Launch Our Hiring App 18:52

2 years ago18:52

18:52

We launched our hiring app, HappyHire, to help companies hire without bias. While celebrating, Caleb was sending some sick lines on his bike and bit it. Though battered, bruised, and one-armed, we persevered to launch HappyHire on schedule. Caleb is slowly mending and the rest of us remain unscathed...for the moment! Chat with us if you need help hiring well or just want to commiserate about the perils of stunt biking. (00:00) - 026 - Breaking Arms and Launching Hiring Apps (01:48) - Intro (03:41) - We Went on Retreat (08:04) - We Named The Hiring App (10:07) - Caleb's Reaction To HappyHire.team (13:52) - Chatting With a Potential HappyHire Customer (18:37) - Outro The Products: HappyHire.team , Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
025 - We Build Our Hiring App 26:02

2 years ago26:02

26:02

Between cleaning peanut butter out of his mouth with club soda and building an AI, Caleb’s been busy. Speaking of busy, we've built our hiring app and are just about ready for testing/launch. (00:00) - 025 (01:04) - Intro (03:42) - Recap of Values Based Hiring (05:47) - How Would a New User Use Our Hiring App? (06:52) - Caleb Wants The Company Card (08:35) - The Features We Built Into The Hiring App (15:10) - Caleb Built an AI BRAIN (25:07) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
024 - We Hear From a Listener About Our Hiring App 19:16

2 years ago19:16

19:16

We heard from a listener, two actually. We discuss how our hiring app idea might resonate with fellow values oriented companies and what our next steps are for validating the idea. (00:00) - 024 - Getting Feedback On Our Hiring App (02:45) - Intro (03:21) - Emails From Listeners (04:39) - Feedback on our Hiring App Idea (10:38) - Building a Community Around Values First Principles (13:26) - Improving Diversity of Job Applicants (15:29) - Validating With Some HR Professionals (18:15) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
023 - We Plan Validation 19:15

2 years ago19:15

19:15

Caleb, Daila, and Jonathan discuss building a community backyard sharing marketplace and how to gather an audience of folks who would want to build similar marketplaces. (00:00) - 023 - We Plan Validation (00:41) - Intro (01:58) - Thinking About A Local Marketplace (15:50) - How Will We Actually Build a Course? (19:01) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
022 - We Hire a Listener 15:04

2 years ago15:04

15:04

We hired someone who listens to the podcast. We also hint at a new app we're building for festival badges. (00:00) - Podcast (01:26) - Introduction (02:19) - Expanding Our Audience One Farm Dog At A Time (04:19) - Expanding Our Team One Listener At A Time (08:10) - Close to Launching an Event Badge App (12:39) - Updates On The Hiring App (14:36) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
021 - We Build The Hiring App 18:31

2 years ago18:31

18:31

Caleb, Daila, and Jonathan chat about how we built a hiring app that we hope to productize. We're also going to eat our own dog food and use it for some hiring that we anticipate having to do. (00:00) - 021 - We Built a Hiring App (00:35) - Introduction (02:13) - Taxes (03:22) - Daila Does Her Homework (04:39) - Daila Built the Hiring App (11:25) - Scratching Our Own Dog Food (18:05) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
020 - We Productize Hiring 20:51

2 years ago20:51

20:51

We discuss meeting a fan of the podcast and how we're going to try to productize our hiring process. (00:00) - 020 - We Productize Hiring (00:50) - Introduction (01:05) - Daila met a fan (03:03) - Daila's homework (03:49) - Aiming for a new Little Robot website (09:01) - Can we productize our hiring process (15:10) - Can we build a marketplace course (20:20) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
019 - We Launch a Game 23:13

2 years ago23:13

23:13

We launch a new educational game for Alberta schools teaching how to use cattle grazing as a tool for sustainable grassland management. We also talk a bit about AI and maybe our next game. Play the game: gotggame.ca Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
018 - We Went To Texas 16:09

2 years ago16:09

16:09

Jonathan, Daila, and Caleb talk about a recent trip to Texas to start a new company helping with the issue of challenged books in Texas public school. (00:00) - We Went To Texas (01:22) - Introduction (02:04) - Caleb is nearly a fully formed human (03:39) - Jonathan went to Texas (09:11) - Applying lessons to other projects (15:54) - Outro Creators & Guests Caleb Sharp - Host Jonathan Bowers (he/him) - Host Daila Duford - Host…

The Robot Factory

1
017 - Random New Ideas 22:19

3 years ago22:19

22:19

Jonathan and Caleb discuss how walking can help you think and code, how we make client gifts, and some random ideas for new businesses. (00:00) - 017 - Happy Holidays (02:21) - Intro (03:17) - Changing Newsletter Providers (05:13) - How to subscribe to the po dcast (06:26) - Holiday Gifts for Clients (08:58) - AI Art Biz Idea (12:50) - No-code tool to share Figma designs (21:44) - Outro The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
016 - Festival Transportation w/ Kristina Lorson 42:57

3 years ago42:57

42:57

Kristina Lorson taught herself Bubble and turned her clunky spreadsheet into a functioning app successfully transporting bands for 4 music festivals. In this first interview with Kristina we discuss the background pain that Kristina experienced and how she overcame some challenges to build the whole app herself. Traverse is well positioned to take on even more growth in 2023 and we'll be here for a front row seat. (00:00) - 016-kristina (00:34) - Kristina Lorson (03:03) - Traverse, Transportation Management (10:56) - Festival Transportation is Massively Overlooked (13:19) - When Transportation Doesn't Go Right (14:56) - Traverse So Far (17:16) - Finding Potential Investors in Your Users (18:08) - How Has This Not Been Solved Before? (22:00) - How Big Is This Opportunity? (23:18) - How Can We Also We Get Volunteers to Want to Invest? (25:55) - When a Founder Feels The Pain Their Product Solves (29:25) - Deciding to Try Building It Myself (31:21) - Goals For The Upcoming Festival Season (34:45) - Can Traverse Be Acquired (39:41) - Solving Your Own Problems The Products: Raisonne.gallery , OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp Creators & Guests Jonathan Bowers (he/him) - Host Kristina Lorson Little - Guest…

The Robot Factory

1
015 - Art Galleries 19:38

3 years ago19:38

19:38

Jonathan, Caleb, and Daila discuss our newest project, raisonne.gallery . What started as a client project has turned into one of our first real products. It aims to solve the needs of art galleries who want to share their collection online and with other galleries. [01:53] New Product for Art Galleries [03:28] Building a Custom Database for Kamloops Art Gallery [08:02] Launching a Landing Page for Raisonné [09:34] Checking Our Spelling [12:01] Caleb Groans While He Works [13:53] Raisonne.gallery Creators & Guests Jonathan Bowers (he/him) - Host Caleb Sharp - Host Daila Duford - Host The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
014 - Coda Packs with Courtney Milligan 24:49

3 years ago24:49

24:49

We lucked into getting our first revenue generating Coda pack more-or-less paid for. Listen as guest Courtney Milligan shares how we build packs for Coda that export data to Excel and Google Workspace. [00:43] What is Coda [01:51] Tracking a saw mill in Coda [05:57] Courtney's background [08:32] Coda Packs [16:31] Paid packs [20:48] Working with Coda Find our Coda Packs in the Pack gallery: Export Tables (free): https://coda.io/packs/export-tables-10648 Export Tables Pro: https://coda.io/packs/export-tables-pro-10652 Export to Google Workspace: https://coda.io/packs/export-to-google-workspace-11813 The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
013 - We Increase our Luck 21:33

3 years ago21:33

21:33

Jonathan, Caleb, and Daila discuss how turning satellite imagery into animated gifs is like building property management software, in that it's just a bunch of random coincidence and that we can increase our likelihood of luck. [00:39] Building a dynamic image generator Bubble plugin [02:57] Can we take screenshots of Google Maps? (No) [08:51] Accounting and property management [14:17] Accidentally creating things The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
012 - We Think About a Plugin 15:12

3 years ago15:12

15:12

Daila couldn't make it on this episode, so Caleb and Jonathan explore some of the details of the free tier of OpenHouse.social, how easy it is to build forms with Tally.so, and if we might re-use the tech for OpenHouse.social to power a Bubble Plugin. Form builder: Tally.so The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
011 - We Are Now Three 19:45

3 years ago19:45

19:45

For the first time, we now have three co-hosts. We discuss what "free" even means and what features we might want to change for OpenHouse.social to make a free tier and we discuss some light upcoming plans for the property management app. [03:01] What does free mean? [05:47] Should we make OpenHouse.social free (as in beer)? [08:53] We still want Caleb as a co-host [10:48] Back to property management stuff The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
010 - We Welcome Daila 24:26

3 years ago24:26

24:26

Caleb was unable to make it after feeling a bit under the weather. So we introduce Daila Duford as another host of the show. Caleb is still going to be a host, he hasn't been replaced. We talk about how Daila and the Little Robot team was able to build one of the features for the new property management software in just an afternoon. We also discuss what no-code is and why we are excited about if for new products. [01:24] Feedback from a listener, we don't have an audience. [02:39] Building some initial property management features [05:00] What is Figma and Bubble [07:02] What is Little Robot [10:23] Failing faster [14:58] Back to property management The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
009 - We Replace a Host 18:55

3 years ago18:55

18:55

Fresh off a trip to Disneyland, Caleb discovers he might be replaced as co-host of the podcast. Jonathan and Caleb decide it's probably best to just add more hosts and pivot to property management. We also talk about road signs. [00:27] Welcome back from Disneyland, Caleb [01:54] Caleb thinks he's getting replaced [03:48] We learn about the gap in property management software [09:31] On road construction signs [12:56] Tweaking the music for the podcast [15:33] More ideas about automation The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
008 - We (maybe) Pivot 37:55

3 years ago37:55

37:55

Jonathan and Caleb sit down with Brendan Shaw to chat about OpenHouse.social and instead think about a pivot into a different product entirely. [00:39] Welcome Brendan [01:51] How does an 18 year old become a real estate agent? [07:51] On not trading hours for dollars [09:15] Give us your feedback Brendan Shaw [19:19] What part of Brendan's business could be automated [30:00] Does Brendan just want to become a tech entrepreneur? [36:57] How to get ahold of Brendan Find Brendan Shaw: Web: bsre.ca Email: brendan@bsre.ca Twitter: @brendanshawbc Instagram: @brendanshaw The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
007 - We Wonder About AI 19:04

3 years ago19:04

19:04

Jonathan and Caleb discuss how AI might be helpful for content writing and how agencies might use OpenHouse.social. Also, this episode shouts out to the moms that are listening. Hi Moms! Also, checkout our Instagram page, @therobotfactorypod for a collection of AI generated alternatives to our podcast cover art. If your interested in AI generated art, we mentioned DALL-E but we also recommend checking out Midjourney [00:30] We can accept payments now [06:02] What do real estate marketing agencies do [16:36] What's left to do The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
006 - We Finally Launch (Softly) 24:11

3 years ago24:11

24:11

Caleb and Jonathan talk about how satisfying it is to watch our animated image of the OpenHouse.social app working and other less important things, like a working billing system. [00:16] Maybe we are waiting too long to launch anything [04:08] We have a few of our Mom's subscribed to the newsletter 👋🏼 [05:07] OpenHouse.social is now live but how do we build an audience [07:23] We made a cool interactive animation for our landing page [09:15] Is this a bad time to launch a real estate tool? [10:12] Cover art for the podcast [11:27] We can't even take anyones money if they wanted to pay us [21:47] How can we get some paid users? The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
005 - We Fix a Few Bugs 19:08

3 years ago19:08

19:08

Jonathan and Caleb share some progress updates and how we do image processing in the browser to cut costs. [01:23] Shower thoughts: reducing image size in the browser [06:44] Creating a user account and removing background from profile photos [12:28] We have a logo and a landing page The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Instagram: @therobotfactorypod Follow Jonathan: @thejonotron Follow Caleb: @calebissharp…

The Robot Factory

1
004 - We Talk to a Real Estate Agent (Vann De Marco) 31:11

3 years ago31:11

31:11

Jonathan and Caleb chat with Vann De Marco, a real estate agent from Vancouver, to get his raw feedback from an early version of the OpenHouse.social tool. Vann tries generating a social media image for an actual listing of his while we watch. [00:35] Our guest, Vann De Marco [03:11] What's up with rising real estate prices? [04:25] Getting Vann to try OpenHouse.social [05:53] Watching Vann experience OpenHouse.social for the first time [08:42] We try to guess the price of a condo [11:51] Vann generates an image [14:24] How does Vann normally post to social media [18:35] How do you use Canva [21:23] What are other agents doing? [25:29] Should we add custom templates? [27:58] What's the real estate season like? [29:35] How to get ahold of Vann The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot Vann De Marco https://vanndemarco.com/ Instagram: @vann.demarco Or just phone him apparently: 604-356-5643…

The Robot Factory

1
003 - We Bought a Domain Name 20:56

3 years ago20:56

20:56

Jonathan and Caleb share the new domain that they purchased for the real estate product and discuss how writing good code could increase the acquisition price. [00:37] Costco will answer your questions [03:12] We bought the domain OpenHouse.social [04:56] Can we charge more for the app if the code is good? [09:30] How do we generate images dynamically [14:28] A landing page for OpenHouse.social [17:08] What should our landing page look like [19:14] Next time, our friend Vann comes on the show The Product: OpenHouse.social Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot…

The Robot Factory

1
002 - We Have a Name 18:30

3 years ago18:30

18:30

Jonathan and Caleb discuss ideas for a name for the product and some of the technical details of how it is built. [00:48] We may have a name [03:02] Update on progress so far [04:34] How are we deploying this product [07:31] Trying out some new tech and how much time did it take [09:40] How much data can we share in the open [11:36] We could always pivot to something else [13:12] What's next [18:17] What kind of music plays in our club Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot…

The Robot Factory

1
001 - Our First Product 17:13

3 years ago17:13

17:13

Jonathan and Caleb discuss the first steps of their first product. They answer who is it for and what does it do. [01:07] What is the podcast about? [03:36] What is our first product? [07:13] What is our business model? [09:55] What tech are we using? [11:38] What do people currently do? [14:05] What are we calling this tool? [14:43] What's next? Newsletter: factory.twostoryrobot.com Twitter: @twostoryrobot…

The Robot Factory

1
The Robot Factory Trailer 1:27

3 years ago1:27