The Seed Talk Podcast

Seed Talk Podcast #179 From Indiana to Austrian MVP: Chris Squires' Unconventional Baseball Journey

Former Indiana pitcher Chris Squires joins Sterling Mack to share his journey from suburban youth baseball to college closer, a stint in pro ball, and a surprising second act as an MVP and coach in Austria.

They discuss recruiting, role changes, navigating being a Black player in the Midwest, the decision to play overseas, building the Love It lifestyle brand, and advice for athletes facing crossroads in their careers.

Seed Talk #178 | Parul Khosla & Adriene Bueno of Arena: The Matchmaker for Sports & Entertainment Professionals

In this episode, founders Adriene Bueno and Parul Khosla discuss Arena, a curated matchmaking platform designed to connect mid‑to‑senior level professionals, athletes, and organizations across sports, media, and entertainment. They explain how Arena streamlines introductions with weekly curated matches, enforces engagement to prevent ghosting, and helps members turn conversations into concrete opportunities.

We cover the founder's journey, athlete involvement, upcoming events and mobile app plans, and why curated, intentional networking is becoming essential as the industry grows and converges.

Seed Talk #177 | Chad Wilton & The Peak Conference: Where Sports, Tech & Finance Meet in Las Vegas

We have Chad Wilton, co-founder of the Peak Conference, joining the pod to discuss launching their inaugural sports technology and innovation event in Las Vegas. We cover the conference goals, partners, and why bringing startups, investors, and enterprise teams together matters for speeding up sports innovation.

The conversation highlights programming like startup pitch competitions, exhibitor opportunities, marquee partners (NBA, FIFA, AWS, Lenovo, NVIDIA), networking tools, and the conference’s energetic approach — balancing business, deal-flow and fun activities for the sports tech community.

Come join the convo! #SeedTalk

Seed Talk #176 | Shawne Merriman’s Playbook for Athletes Turned Entrepreneurs

NFL great Shawne Merriman joins Seed Talk to discuss his transition from elite athlete to entrepreneur, building the Lights Out brand and Lights Out Extreme Fighting, and leveraging TV, advertising, and AI-driven tech to grow fan engagement.

He shares practical advice for athletes: find the passion that drives you, surround yourself with the right team and mentors, learn the business before launching, and create solutions that fill market gaps.

Seed Talk #175 | NBA Viewership & All-Star Weekend

Come join Sterling to talk some hoops as the NBA continues to search for the viewership answer as All-Star weekend concluded. Talking the Wuthering Heights review, FIBA video program and finish out with some quick sports tech updates.

Seed Talk #174 | Interview with Founders Cassandra Toroian & Tracy Thomas of 'Volleybird' & 'Ruley'

Come join the discussion and take a listen. We have the co-founders of Volleybird, which is a groundbreaking new athletic lifestyle subscription service built for racket sports. They are also the Founders of Ruley, an AI referee jargon app that helps fans to understand the ins and outs of what referees are ascribing throughout games.

Seed Talk #173 Interview with Danny Cortenraede

Sterling of the Seed Talk Podcast sits down with entrepreneur, and founder of InStudio  Ventures Danny Cortenraede 

Seed Talk #172 | CEO Chris Donnell & Founder Colin Szumski of Chummy's Customs

We have the Founder & CEO from Chummy's Customs joining the pod today. Come hear how this innovative Custom Sneaker business got its start. Chris & Colin, breakdown what makes Chummy's Custom sneakers truly 1 of 1 in the sneaker game. Hear about their innovation and creative process , and some breaking news on some up coming releases!

Seed Talk #171 | Meta Glasses, AI at Ryder Cup & NBA Launchpad

Neve Clark and Sterling Mack discuss the Oakley Meta Vanguard performance AI Glasses, HPE AI at the Ryder Cup, CVC Capital, sports tech funding rounds, and NBA Launchpad.

Seed Talk #170 | Yannick Yoshizawa Co-Founder of Intennse Tennis, Reshaping the Tennis World

Come join the conversation with Yannick Yoshizawa from Intennse Tennis. We're bullish on this new tennis league, as Intennse is a modern take on the sport that puts strategy, energy, and connection at the center of the experience!

- Hear about the orgins of the league

- Impact for tennis players on their pro journeys 

- The league reshaping how tennis is consumed and played

This league is shaking up the tennis world, come and enjoy the listen!