Startup Stories with Silicon Florist

About Startup Stories with Silicon Florist

Interviews with startup founders and early stage employees in Oregon and Southwest Washington

Publisher

Rick Turoczy

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Oct 2025

Latest episode

17 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

41 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Sept 2026

   No more menu anxiety – Emmy winner uses filmmaking to fix menus

   Menus haven't fundamentally changed since they first appeared in France 200 years ago—and PDF QR codes didn't make them any better. Now, this Emmy winning founder is looking for ways to improve the ancient document. Dru Holley, cofounder of MenuMingle, discusses how "menu anxiety" affects 1 in 3 diners (and 9 out of 10 Gen Z diners), why flat text menus hurt restaurant profit margins, and what it really takes to transition from creative storytelling into tech entrepreneurship. CHAPTERS 00:00 - What is "menu anxiety"? (1 in 3 diners & Gen Z) 00:40 - Why menu anxiety is a P&L problem for restaurants 01:05 - The Vancouver waterfront epiphany & 200-year-old menus 02:18 - What is MenuMingle: Visual, contextual menus that sell 02:45 - The leap: Transitioning from Emmy-winning filmmaking to tech 03:32 - Founder advice: Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint 04:22 - Surviving the grind: Quitting drinking, wellness & peer mentorship 05:40 - How to support MenuMingle & wrap-up https://menumingle.com FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://patreon.com/turoczy - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - Portland Oregon startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699 - Portland Oregon startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ - Startup Stories on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Tk7bbzaNYowGouI9ucKC3 - Startup Stories on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-stories-with-silicon-florist/id1849468494 - The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457 - The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://pdxslack.com ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   Why it’s "too easy" to start a company today – Peter Kirwan on the pitfalls of founders

   Peter Kirwan, co-founder and CEO of mebot ai, joins me on Startup Stories to discuss the evolution of AI digital twins, what it takes to scale human presence, and the gritty realities of entrepreneurship in the age of rapid AI acceleration. We dive into how mebot pivoted from early VR experiments into identity-bound digital twins that can collaborate 24/7, why building software moats has completely changed, and Peter’s candid advice on the personal trade-offs every founder must face. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Meet Peter Kirwan, Co-founder & CEO of mebot ai 00:23 - How identity-bound digital twins work 01:14 - The evolution and pivot of mebot ai 02:40 - Overcoming the uncanny valley in AI 04:46 - Advice for new founders: The impact on relationships 05:53 - Why too many companies are getting started 07:12 - Features vs. products vs. companies 08:00 - Finding defensibility when software is commoditized 09:28 - Managing founder burnout and intensity 11:04 - Where mebot is headed and how to give feedback https://mebot.ai FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://patreon.com/turoczy - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - Portland Oregon startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699 - Portland Oregon startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ - Startup Stories on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Tk7bbzaNYowGouI9ucKC3 - Startup Stories on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-stories-with-silicon-florist/id1849468494 - The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457 - The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://pdxslack.com ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

3. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Why you should start before you're ready

   In this episode of Startup Stories, Rick Turoczy sits down with Tarek, the founder of Prdikt, an AI co-pilot designed to help product managers bridge the gap between requirements and execution. With over two decades of experience in program management, Tarek shares his insights on "failing fast," the importance of strong advisors, and how AI tools are becoming essential thought partners in the modern startup ecosystem. Whether you're an aspiring founder or a seasoned product leader, Tar's advice on starting before you're ready and iterating toward a minimum viable product is a must-listen. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 00:38 - Identifying the pain point 01:44 - The importance of product management 02:21 - Advice for new founders: Start before you're ready 03:45 - Essential resources: Advisors and AI tools 05:19 - How to support prdikt and provide feedback https://www.prdikt.com/ FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT… - https://patreon.com/turoczy - https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy - Portland Oregon startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699 - Portland Oregon startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ - Startup Stories on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Tk7bbzaNYowGouI9ucKC3 - Startup Stories on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-stories-with-silicon-florist/id1849468494 - The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457 - The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA - https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social - https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ - https://pdxslack.com ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneur

Contact Startup Stories with Silicon Florist

Guest appearances

Books guests

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