Data Planet

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Jason Sammon, founder of FL1 Digital.

Jason shares the story behind building a digital agency from his early work as a developer, and how solving complex technical problems has remained central to the company’s approach to web development, software, and digital solutions.

He also explores the practical impact of AI on development and business, including how AI can accelerate well-defined processes while creating new challenges around expertise, quality, and overreliance on automated tools.

Jason discusses the changing role of developers, the impact of...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Nate Zroh, founder of StoryEngineers.

Nate shares how his team helps B2B technology executives use LinkedIn thought leadership to build trust with ideal customers and turn organic content into business growth. He breaks down StoryEngineers’ approach to content, including three core categories: content designed to increase reach, content that addresses specific buyer pain points, and customer stories that provide proof of expertise.

Nate also explains how marketers can use sales conversations, objections, and LinkedIn comments as sources for stronger content ideas, while keeping the re...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Ben DeBow, Founder and CEO of Fortified.

Ben shares how his background in accounting and technology led him to identify a major blind spot in modern businesses: the difficulty of understanding the true cost of technology at the code, workload, and data level.

They explore FinOps for data, technology cost attribution, and the hidden waste created by legacy systems, technical debt, and inefficient workloads. Ben explains why traditional cloud cost optimization only addresses the surface-level bill and how organizations can look deeper into their applications...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Elise Brown, SVP of Marketing of All Raise.

Elise shares how All Raise works to accelerate the success of women and non-binary investors in venture capital by providing the programs, resources, and community they need to advance their careers, keep their seat at the table, or build their own. She explains how marketing can turn a mission into influence, engagement, growth, and measurable impact, particularly for a nonprofit working to shift capital, decision-making power, and culture across the venture ecosystem.

Elise also discusses her career...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Kalli Prins, Vice President of Growth at The Female Founder Collective.

Kalli shares the unconventional career journey that took her from fashion and product development into technology, startups, and growth leadership, offering lessons on how to navigate major career pivots without starting from scratch.

She explains how her experience at Maker’s Row helped her combine her fashion expertise with an interest in technology, efficiency, marketplaces, and recurring revenue, while also exploring how she helped restructure operations and build more scalable systems. Kalli also discusses he...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Amy Riordan, CEO of Sachin & Babi.

Amy shares how she transitioned from creative-driven marketing into data-informed growth, and how that shift changed the way she evaluates marketing investments, customer behavior, and business performance.

She explains how e-commerce data helped Sachin & Babi better understand what customers wanted, refine merchandising and pricing strategies, and identify an opportunity to focus more deeply on the mother-of-the-bride and special-occasion market.

Amy also discusses building a more customer-centric luxury fashion experience through personalized styling, complimentary alterations, and a data-driven...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Linaeya Horn-Muller, VP of Marketing & Client Success at React Mobile.

Linaeya shares how React Mobile evolved from a personal safety app into a B2B workplace safety and communication platform focused primarily on the hospitality industry, following customer needs, market demand, and changing safety legislation.

She explains how React Mobile combines panic alerts, precise employee location, two-way voice communication, and translation to help organizations protect their teams while reducing communication silos.

Linaeya also discusses the business case for employee safety, including compliance, risk...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Debbie O’Meara, SaaS implementation and scaling consultant and founder of ClearWay Projects.

Debbie shares how she helps SaaS buyers and providers reduce implementation risk, improve customer outcomes, and build scalable processes. She explains why companies should identify the business problem they are actually trying to solve before buying software, assess internal capacity and stakeholder buy-in, and define measurable outcomes before implementation begins.

On the provider side, Debbie discusses the importance of moving beyond founder-led “heroics” by creating repeatable implementation processes that deliver a consistent custom...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Rick Huebner, Chief Executive Officer of VISTECH.

They explore what it takes to build and sustain a technology business through decades of constant change, from the early days of software development to today’s AI-driven landscape.

Rick shares why businesses should define their processes and problems before adopting new technology, arguing that AI is ultimately a business process implementation rather than simply a technology upgrade. He also explains how VISTECH has grown through client retention, referrals, and long-term partnerships rather than relying solely on traditional sa...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Jono Andrews, Marketing Advisor at BlueroomHQ.

Jono shares how he helps early-stage and scaling companies identify the marketing strategies that actually drive growth without wasting valuable budget, emphasizing the importance of finding product-market fit, understanding your ideal customer profile, and recognizing the “golden goose” that can be amplified into a scalable growth engine.

They explore why founders should resist premature paid media investments, how marketers can build stronger feedback loops between marketing, sales, finance, and product, and why attribution and customer economics matter when deciding wher...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Barrett Cox, Director of Performance Marketing at Net32.

They explore the complexities of performance marketing in a highly specialized B2B marketplace and how marketers can make smarter decisions when traditional attribution models tell an incomplete story.

Barrett shares how Net32 approaches incrementality testing to identify where advertising actually drives additional revenue, why customer segmentation matters when determining where to allocate ad spend, and how the team balances reliable channels with harder-to-measure opportunities such as demand generation, Performance Max, and connected TV.

He...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Andy Bowden, a product management and marketing specialist.

Andy shares lessons from more than 20 years in product management, product marketing, finance, and enterprise technology, drawing on his experience at HP, HPE, and technology startups. He explains how to translate complex and often invisible technologies such as cloud, cybersecurity, and software into clear financial value propositions that resonate with both technical users and C-suite decision-makers.

Andy also explores how technical users can become internal champions, how companies can navigate long enterprise sales cycles, and why understanding...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Joseph Adams, VP of Production & Services Growth at CRAFTSMAN+.

They explore how interactive and playable advertising can expand the performance marketing mix beyond traditional static, video, and social ads, including applications for non-gaming brands such as skincare and consumer products.

Joseph explains how CRAFTSMAN+ uses its interactive ad platform to accelerate creative production, built-in analytics to understand user engagement, and dynamic advertising to personalize experiences based on factors such as location, time, and weather.

Throughout the episode, Joseph emphasizes the importance of testing...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Kevin Williams, Founder and CEO of Ascend AI Labs.

They explore what effective AI adoption actually looks like inside modern organizations, from moving beyond AI experimentation to building practical, organization-wide capabilities.

Kevin shares his perspective on SEO, AEO, and GEO, explaining how marketers can structure brand information, schema, and contextual signals to help AI systems deliver more confident and relevant answers.

He also breaks down the three major ways businesses can use AI—to replace tasks, augment human work, or create entirely new ca...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Jack Scotti, Director of Marketing at ReciPal. Jack shares how ReciPal’s bootstrapped, customer-first approach has helped the SaaS company build sustainable growth without chasing outside investment, hypergrowth, or unnecessary bureaucracy.

They explore how being “disarmingly chill” with customers—through flexible pricing, no lock-in, accessible data, and high-touch support—can create lasting loyalty and turn word-of-mouth into a powerful growth engine.

Jack also explains why ReciPal stays intentionally small, focusing on expanding capabilities rather than teams, processes, and red tape, and how putting every employee directly i...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Francois Gau, Founder and CEO of GrowthHive.

Francois shares his perspective on the future of agencies as AI and automation continue to reshape marketing execution, explaining why agencies will need to differentiate through specialization, strategic counsel, authenticity, and measurable business value. He and Emma also explore what makes a bad-fit client, from unrealistic ROI expectations and guaranteed results to slow decision-making, misaligned objectives, and relationships where agencies lack a meaningful seat at the table.

Francois explains how GrowthHive approaches business development by connecting marketing and...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Umesh Krishna, Head of Marketing at AOT Technologies.

Together they explore how AOT Technologies helps governments, healthcare organizations, financial institutions, and enterprises modernize complex, highly regulated systems through workflow automation, system integration, and responsible AI adoption.

Umesh explains why the company prioritizes customer outcomes over vendor lock-in, sharing how flexible licensing models and open technologies enable long-term partnerships built on trust rather than contracts. He also discusses the realities of bringing AI into compliance-heavy environments, why organizations should resist chasing every technology trend, and how...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Taylor Jones, Managing Owner of Wishbone Advisory.

They explore the rapidly growing world of retail media and how e-commerce brands can use marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Wayfair, and Home Depot to drive profitable growth. Taylor shares how brands can determine whether retail media is the right growth lever by evaluating margins, product reviews, inventory capacity, and channel fit, while also explaining why ROAS alone may not tell the full story.

He breaks down the importance of measuring total ad cost of sales (TACOS), understanding...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Brian Bennett, Director of Strategic Growth at System Automation Corporation.

Brian shares what it really takes to grow a GovTech company serving highly regulated government agencies, where software sales cycles often stretch beyond two years and modernization projects can take even longer. He explains why public sector procurement is uniquely complex, the biggest barriers agencies face—from funding constraints to organizational change management—and how System Automation helps licensing boards and regulatory agencies replace outdated spreadsheets, paper processes, and legacy systems with its purpose-built low-code regulatory management plat...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Joya Scarlata, Director of Marketing at InterraIT.

Joya shares how modern B2B technology companies can stand out in a crowded IT services market by focusing on industry expertise, customer trust, and differentiated messaging instead of trying to appeal to everyone. She explains why successful marketing begins with identifying what a company truly wants to be known for, leveraging proven experience in key industries, and building credibility through targeted positioning rather than broad, generic messaging.

The conversation also explores the growing importance of AI literacy...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Meghan Hakey, Director of Go-To-Market at DriveCentric.

Meghan shares how the automotive industry is evolving beyond legacy CRM systems by combining AI-powered automation with authentic human relationships to improve dealership performance and customer loyalty.

She explains why modern dealerships are embracing intelligent engagement platforms that automate follow-ups, personalize customer communications, and help sales teams focus on building lasting relationships rather than administrative work.

Together, Emma and Meghan discuss the importance of aligning sales and marketing through data, tailoring messaging to different buyer personas...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Kate Minnema, go-to-market strategist and AI adoption consultant at Magenta GTM Solutions.

Kate shares why successful AI adoption starts with strong go-to-market strategy rather than simply choosing the latest tools, explaining how AI accelerates execution without replacing strategic thinking.

She introduces her business ethics framework for responsible AI adoption, covering transparency, fairness, accountability, data privacy, and governance, while highlighting the importance of keeping humans accountable for AI-assisted decisions.

The conversation also explores how organizations can evaluate existing AI capabilities before investing in new...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews strategic marketing leader Mahsa Malekyar.

Mahsa shares how combining project management with modern marketing operations creates stronger alignment, more efficient execution, and better business outcomes. She explains why communication—not just time management—is the foundation of successful cross-functional marketing teams, and how project management helps eliminate silos, keep stakeholders aligned, and prevent scope creep.

The conversation also explores the balance between data and intuition, emphasizing that while experience shapes decision-making, marketers must continually validate assumptions with performance metrics and customer feedback.

Mahsa disc...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Caitlin Cassady, Vice President of Marketing at Beyond.

They explore how the short-term rental revenue management platform leverages massive datasets to help property owners optimize pricing, automate decision-making, and improve overall booking performance.

Caitlin breaks down how Beyond turns complex signals like comp set performance, guest search behavior, and seasonal demand trends into actionable recommendations that help hosts maximize revenue without being overwhelmed by dashboards full of raw data. She also dives into how AI and machine learning are increasingly used to surface the “right” insi...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Robin Bowling, fractional CMO and CRO and author of Clarity Curve, an independent marketing and leadership strategist operating in a fractional executive capacity. They explore how modern growth teams can unlock performance through leadership clarity, organizational alignment, and simplified execution frameworks.

Robin shares how most teams don’t struggle due to lack of talent, but due to misaligned priorities and constant shifts in direction that create confusion disguised as productivity. She breaks down the leadership principle that clarity drives momentum, explaining how simplifying expectations and reducing over-management al...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Sav Khetan, Vice President Product Marketing, and Meghan Whinery, VP of Growth Marketing at Tealium.

Together, they explore how product marketing and growth marketing teams collaborate to drive enterprise pipeline growth, customer engagement, and long-term retention in today’s rapidly evolving AI-driven landscape.

The conversation dives into how Tealium aligns messaging, data strategy, and campaign execution across complex enterprise sales cycles while balancing brand awareness, pipeline acceleration, and customer expansion.

Sav and Meghan share practical insights into measuring marketing effectiveness beyond vanity metrics, ad...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Brenna McNally, Director of Marketing of Craftable. They explore the growing reality of AI superusers, the emotional toll of managing agentic AI workflows, and how high-performing professionals are navigating burnout in an always-on productivity culture.

Brenna shares her firsthand experience using AI-driven systems to scale marketing operations while balancing the constant micro-decisions, quality assurance demands, and mental fatigue that come with orchestrating multiple AI tools at once. The conversation dives into the hidden costs of AI adoption, including unrealistic productivity expectations, the psychological impact on overachievers, and...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Jack Markham, Chief Marketing Officer of Inside Real Estate. Jack shares how his transition from Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth to CMO has shaped a revenue-first approach to marketing leadership, creating stronger alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success.

Jack also discusses the complexity of serving multiple audiences within the real estate ecosystem—from enterprise brokerages and large teams to individual agents and consumers—and how Inside Real Estate helps organizations scale through its BoldTrail platform.

Listeners will gain insights into connecting marketing metrics to b...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Bilal Ahmed Khan, Senior Director of Inbound Marketing at Software Finder. They explore how SaaS companies can improve software discovery, lead generation, and marketplace visibility in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.

Bilal shares how Software Finder differentiates itself from legacy review platforms through personalized software recommendations, human-centered consultations, and tailored growth models for SaaS vendors.

Bilal also explains why human guidance still matters in high-stakes software purchasing decisions, how Software Finder helps startups accelerate discoverability and rankings, and why modern SaaS companies need more than just...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Richard (Rick) Weithas, former product marketing leader at NAVEX.

They discuss the evolving role of product marketing in private equity-backed SaaS companies, including how product marketers drive pipeline growth, align sales and marketing teams, and balance short-term revenue pressure with long-term market positioning.

Rick shares practical insights on improving win rates through better go-to-market alignment, reducing “close-no-decision” deals, and identifying urgency within the customer journey.

The conversation also explores the growing impact of AI on modern marketing teams, why over-automation can weaken brand diff...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Brandon Painter, Senior Director of Growth Strategy and Operations at Retrochem Inc. They explore how Retrochem is structured as a diversified consortium of service-driven divisions and why this multi-pillar model supports sustainable business growth across different market segments. Brandon breaks down the critical prerequisites for successful paid digital marketing, emphasizing that companies must first establish proven product-market fit, build conversion-ready digital experiences, and implement clean sales and marketing data infrastructure before investing in paid channels. The conversation also dives into the role of brand strategy as the foundation for...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Rob Stanley, Senior Director of Growth Marketing at Miva. They explore how modern growth teams are building scalable, measurable systems that blend field marketing, AI-driven research, and tight sales alignment to drive real pipeline impact.

Rob shares how Miva supports high-growth B2B and D2C ecommerce brands at scale, and how his role focuses on testing unconventional but high-impact growth strategies such as trade shows, direct outreach, and consistent offline channels like postcards—while ensuring every initiative is tied to measurable outcomes through landing pages, scheduled fo...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Heather Adams, Principal Strategist of Catalyst GTM.

The conversation explores how modern B2B organizations can eliminate friction between sales and marketing by aligning teams around shared revenue goals, pipeline accountability, and data-driven collaboration.

Heather breaks down the evolution from traditional MQL-focused marketing to integrated go-to-market systems built on revenue impact, ABM execution, and buyer group engagement. She also shares practical frameworks for defining ideal customer profiles, creating messaging that resonates with enterprise buyers, and building fast feedback loops between SDRs, sales teams, and marketing...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Christine Royston, Chief Marketing Officer of Wrike. They explore how modern marketing organizations can move beyond traditional siloed structures and redesign the way work flows to drive more cohesive growth.

Christine shares how Wrike—a leading enterprise work management platform—rethought its marketing operating model by introducing cross-functional “pods” centered around audiences and business outcomes rather than isolated functional teams.

Christine also unpacks the realities of change management, including how to secure buy-in, address concerns around shifting priorities, and ensure teams understand the “why” behind the transfor...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Will Devlin, Senior Vice President of Marketing of MessageGears, a customer engagement software platform for enterprise B2C brands.

They explore how modern enterprise companies are struggling to turn massive volumes of fragmented customer data into meaningful, personalized marketing experiences, and how MessageGears helps solve this by enabling brands to activate data directly from their data warehouses for more efficient audience building and campaign execution.

Will Devlin breaks down the realities of enterprise B2B marketing, including long 6–12 month sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders across IT...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Katie Jones, EVP of Marketing and Operations and Chief of Staff at PathFactory. They discuss how modern B2B marketing is evolving as buyers increasingly expect personalized, self-guided digital experiences similar to Netflix or Amazon.

Katie shares how PathFactory uses AI-powered content personalization and buyer engagement analytics to help enterprise companies create scalable one-to-one and one-to-few ABM strategies that accelerate pipeline and improve customer engagement.

The conversation explores how lean marketing teams can successfully scale personalized campaigns, why today’s buyers delay conversations with sales un...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Hadar Livne, Fractional CMO specializing in B2B tech marketing. They explore how growing companies can transform marketing from a support function into a true growth engine by combining data-driven decision-making with strong customer-centric messaging.

Hadar shares her approach to stepping into scaling organizations, identifying gaps in positioning, and building end-to-end marketing frameworks that connect strategy with execution.

The conversation highlights two key themes: first, why data alone is insufficient for effective marketing—emphasizing the need to interpret meaning, understand customer psychology, and craft messaging th...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Kate Galligan, Director of Growth Marketing at the Appalachian Mountain Club.

They explore how a 150-year-old, mission-driven organization approaches modern growth strategy by balancing revenue generation with conservation impact.

Kate shares how her team prioritizes initiatives based on immediate revenue impact and long-term scalability, while simultaneously building systems to support sustainable growth.

Appalachian Mountain Club website: https://www.outdoors.org

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Timothy Calder, Director of Global Event Marketing at Achievers. They explore how modern marketing teams can transform event marketing from a high-cost, hard-to-measure channel into a scalable, data-driven growth engine.

Timothy breaks down how Achievers structures its event strategy to directly influence pipeline and revenue, including the importance of aligning marketing, sales, and operations around shared metrics and outcomes.

The conversation dives into building a consistent event tech stack, leveraging real-time data capture like badge scanning, and ensuring clean handoffs to sales teams to maximize...

In this episode of Data Planet, host Emma Davis interviews Charles Lim, Head of Brand and Communications at PartnerStack. They explore how modern B2B companies are using partnerships as a scalable growth lever, moving beyond traditional channels like paid acquisition and outbound sales.

Charles breaks down the different types of partnership models—including affiliate, referral, and reseller—and explains how businesses can transition from early experimentation to building structured, revenue-driving partner ecosystems.

Additionally, Charles shares insights on the shift from SEO to AI-driven discovery, including the rise of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and how thir...