Rust Belt Startup

About Rust Belt Startup

Reconstructing Remarkable - Website Development, Digital Strategy, Video, and the $100 Cup of Coffee based in Utica NY

Publisher

Rust Belt Startup

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Apr 2018

Latest episode

17 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 59 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   17 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Building A Tech Startup as a Non-Technical Founder | Kevin Barone of Vlawsity

   Host interviews Kevin Barone, co-founder of Vlawsity, about the challenges and triumphs of building a tech startup as a non-technical founder.

2. 

   11 Mar 2026

   The Top Secret Drone Company Hiding In Plain Sight | Justin Call, Modovolo

   What if one of the most interesting startups in New York is being built quietly in a barn in Vernon? In this episode of Rust Belt Startup, I sit down with Justin Call, founder and CEO of Modovolo (https://modovolo.com), a company designing a new kind of drone — and doing it far from the typical startup scene. Instead of chasing hype or venture capital headlines, Justin and his team have been focused on something much harder: patiently building a real company, solving real problems, and learning what it takes to bring a complex idea to life. In our conversation, Justin shares the story behind Modovolo — how the company got started, why they chose a very different approach to designing drones, and what it’s like to build a startup in a small community in Upstate New York. We also talk about some of the lessons entrepreneurs can take from his journey, including: • Why staying focused matters more than trying to grow too fast • What it’s really like to build a product that has to work in the real world • The importance of patience when you’re building something new • Why great companies can be built outside Silicon Valley • And how small teams can quietly do big things This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how startups actually get built — not just the highlight reel. If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, building things from scratch, or the future of innovation in places like Upstate New York, this conversation is for you. Rust Belt Startup (https://soundcloud.com/user-649200611) · The Top Secret Drone Company Hiding In Plain Sight | Justin Call, Modovolo (https://soundcloud.com/user-649200611/the-top-secret-drone-company)

3. 

   16 Feb 2026

   The Abolitionist Movement as an Early American Startup | Max Smith

   I can say, without exaggeration, this is one of the most extraordinary stories that I’ve ever heard. and maybe one of the most important, so my guest today is Max Smith. He’s a historian, a storyteller, and a lifelong steward of the history of Peterborough New York. So this is a tiny village in Madison County that most people have never heard of, but that quietly shaped the course of American history. So what you’re about to hear. Is the story of how the abolitionist movement functioned in many ways, like an early startup, so a small group of people that had an idea that was considered radical, dangerous, and disruptive, and the epicenters of that abolitionist movement. it wasn’t Boston or Washington. it was right here in upstate New York. The story starts with the drunken mob shutting down an abolitionist meeting in Utica and how that meeting was reborn the next day in Peterborough. And hundreds of people walked miles overnight to continue that work, and those choices sent ripples across the country that still shape our politics today. Now Max walks us through the life of Gerrit Smith, whom I’m sure you’ve probably never heard of. I’ve never heard of him, but he was one of the wealthiest men in America in the 18 hundreds. And after this event, he started giving away his fortune to fund abolition, women’s suffrage and civil rights. He was hosting Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, and formerly enslaved people at his own dinner table, and his mansion in Peterborough became one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. This is also a deeply personal story for Max. It’s one that connects his own family lineage directly to the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and the long arc of freedom in this country. So if you care about how change actually happens and how movements are built, how courage, community, and conviction scale over time. This is a conversation you are not going to forget. It’s not a startup story in the way we usually tell them, but it might be one of the most powerful ones we’ve ever shared. Learn more about The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (https://www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org/) and the Abolition Walk  (https://www.abolitionroad.org/) Rust Belt Startup (https://soundcloud.com/user-649200611) · The Abolitionist Movement as an Early American Startup | Max Smith (https://soundcloud.com/user-649200611/the-abolitionist-movement-as)

Inside a recent episode

Building A Tech Startup as a Non-Technical Founder | Kevin Barone of Vlawsity

Published 17 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And the people that you deal with, you need to find the right people. Luckily, we're with a company that is ridiculously smart. Once we started dealing with them, not only did they show us where the technology has to be, but also the business strategy behind it. So these guys were extremely smart. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

6,166

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

23 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

59

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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