Main Street Minds: Success Beyond Limits with Amish Munshi

In this exciting episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with Neethu Elizabeth Simon, a Senior Software Engineer at Intel, to explore her journey from studying engineering in India to driving innovation in AI and computer vision in Arizona.

Neethu shares how her love for science (and a few helpful cousins) led her into tech, and how she's now helping shape the future of intelligent hardware and software opti...

In this insightful episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with Siddharth Dalal, an experienced technologist and serial startup contributor, currently leading the way as a fractional CTO and co-founder of Broke Robotics. Siddharth shares his journey from his early days in the U.S., his work with startups spun out of the University of Virginia, and how he’s scaled tech teams across the globe.

He opens up abou...

In this value-packed episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, host Amish Munshi sits down with Keshav Kolur, a former Amazon and Meta software engineer turned real estate and private equity investor. Keshav shares how a single book changed the trajectory of his life, prompting him to explore financial freedom through real estate syndications and oil & gas ventures.

You'll hear about:

• Keshav’s leap from tech to finance

• W...

In this episode, host Amish Munshi chats with Ankur Mathur, a lifelong learner, passionate builder, and current CTO at Expirator. Ankur walks us through his fascinating story—from growing up in Calcutta, diving into sci-fi and neural networks, to working with giants like Macy’s and IBM, and now building intelligent marketing agents like Zyra.

You’ll hear about:

• The early seeds of Ankur’s AI passion through Isaac Asimov’s book...

In this insightful episode, Fernando Fernandes joins Amish Munshi to talk about his journey from a small city in Brazil—fittingly named Natal (which means Christmas!)—to creating impactful enterprise systems across continents. Fernando discusses his early years learning Pascal, his deep technical experiences with Java and enterprise systems, and what it takes to develop software that genuinely improves lives.

They dive into some of...

In this fascinating episode, Amish Munshi welcomes AI pioneer and computer vision expert Christopher Stauffer, whose journey through MIT, DARPA projects, Facebook, and startups is a masterclass in applied innovation. Christopher shares his evolution from working on foundational AI problems to co-founding Your Move, a platform revolutionizing video editing using AI and personalization.

Listeners will get a rare peek into the early d...

Adel Danandeh, Global IT leader at DataStax, shares his journey from tinkering with tech as a kid to transforming enterprise IT systems with AI and automation. In this candid and insightful conversation, Adel reflects on the evolving role of IT, the importance of curiosity, and the mindset shift from traditional troubleshooting to proactive problem-solving.

Adel discusses the tools and frameworks he uses to stay organized in a fast...

In this episode, Karlo Kilayko shares his journey from game development to leading cutting-edge iOS mobile applications. A veteran of THQ, Skyward, and Bluevine, Karlo discusses the importance of native app development, why businesses shouldn't overlook mobile-first strategies, and how working in games prepared him to build successful teams in fast-paced environments.

The conversation covers:

• Karlo’s evolution from indie game...

What happens when you blend deep technical knowledge with business smarts and fearless leadership? In this episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with Ronnie Mack, founder of Mirror Progress, to explore exactly that.

Ronnie shares his unconventional path from studying physics at Berkeley to leading a tech solutions firm that helps organizations—from government entities to law firms—modernize their systems t...

In this episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with the incredibly insightful Julie Chatman, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for Finance at the Virginia Information Technologies Agency. Julie’s journey from the U.S. Navy to cybersecurity leadership is nothing short of inspiring.

Julie shares how her early beginnings in medical technology and her federal experience with the FBI laid the groundwork ...

In this episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast with Amish Munshi, we sit down with Ajay Murali—a data science leader whose journey spans roles at Meta, Atlassian, and several other industries including healthcare, startups, and government consulting. Ajay shares how his passion for mathematics and early exposure to data infrastructure set the foundation for a career that now blends storytelling, technical skill, and strategic thin...

In this exciting episode, Amish Munshi sits down with gamification expert and founder of Blue Rabbit, Bernardo Letayf. Broadcasting from Miami, Bernardo dives deep into how we can make education fun, engaging, and meaningful through game-based learning platforms.

He shares the winding journey of starting Blue Rabbit, how he navigated through major ups and downs—including losing investors and pivoting into new markets—and why gamifi...

On this episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with Casey Carlton, a tech industry veteran turned venture capital enthusiast, based in San Francisco. From working at enterprise giants to navigating fast-paced startups, Casey shares how his curiosity led him to the dynamic world of venture capital.

This candid conversation covers everything from Casey’s early tech career, his unexpected path into VC, the imp...

In this inspiring episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast, Amish Munshi sits down with Josh Tenenbaum, VP of Engineering at First Advantage, to explore his dynamic career journey from business major to engineering executive. Josh shares how early challenges shaped his perspective, the unexpected wisdom he received from a CTO, and how emotional intelligence has played a crucial role in his leadership style.

Listeners will get a fron...

In this inspiring episode, Amish Munshi welcomes tech veteran Shawn Knight for a raw and fascinating conversation that spans nearly three decades of experience in software development, freelancing, corporate life, AI, and beyond. From humble help desk beginnings to navigating ageism in corporate America and landing in a dream full-stack dev role—Shawn’s journey is as real as it gets.

Shawn opens up about making bold career pivots, ...

What if planning group travel could actually be stress-free—and even fun? In this episode, we sit down with Will Schmahl, founder of HousMthr, a travel app that’s changing how families and friends travel together.

Expanded Description: Will Schmahl joins Amish Munshi on this episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast to share the story behind his innovative group travel app, HousMthr. Designed for families, friends, and even college g...

How do you go from customer service to becoming a software engineer at Microsoft? Burton Smith did just that—and his journey is full of lessons on mindset, transformation, and staying curious.

Summary: In this inspiring episode of The Mainstreet Minds Podcast with Amish Munshi, we sit down with Burton Smith, a passionate technologist and open source advocate working at Microsoft. Burton shares his unconventional path into tech, sta...

In this insightful episode, host Amish Munshi sits down with Dr. Rajesh Krishnan—a visionary in the intersection of technology, insurance, and finance. From his beginnings as an engineer in India to becoming a thought leader in U.S. financial services, Rajesh shares his unique journey of blending data, empathy, and innovation to make insurance and financial tools more accessible to everyone.

They explore how AI, data intelligence, ...

In this fascinating conversation, Surya Satyavolu—engineer, innovator, and investor—joins Amish Munshi to share his entrepreneurial journey, from embedded systems and avionics to the cutting edge of automated electric vehicle infrastructure. A graduate of IIT Madras and Clemson University, Surya opens up about the vision behind his startup, his experience with global innovation ecosystems, and the deeper purpose driving his work.

T...