Dan Pilone's guest appearances

Dan Pilone

Casual Space

Minds Behind Maps

Elon Musk

Phil Smith

Chris Mason

Tim Bailey

Zach Weinersmith

William Shatner

Adam Frank

Bill Nye

Pete Davidson

Stephanie Murphy

Michael Wall

Tim Gagnon

Dan Jacobs

Ron Moore

Marcelo Gleiser

OwlTail

Robert Cheetham is the founder of Azavea, founded all the way back in 2000 and Dan Pilone one of the founders of Element84, started in 2010. Recently Element84 acquired Azavea to expand from large scale computing to also analysis. I wanted to talk to Robert &amp; Dan about why they went for an acquisition and why now, if both companies had both been around for so long. Both companies also have not taken outside investment, which made this acquisition all the more interestingSupport the podcast on PatreonAbout Dan &amp; RobertDan's LinkedInRobert's LinkedInShownotesNote: Links to books are Amazon Affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy any of these books.Element84AzaveaDan's Previous Appearance on Minds Behind MapsB-Corporation CertificationBook &amp; Podcast RecommendationsThinking In Bets by Annie Duke (Affiliate Link)Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Affiliate Link)Mike Duncan: History Of RomeMike Duncan: RevolutionsEnlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (Affiliate Link)The better Angles of Our Nature (Affiliate Link)Timestamps(00:00) - Introduction(03:05) - How would you describe yourself?(04:26) - What is Element84 today?(08:13) - History of Element84(10:43) - From Landscaping &amp; Japanese Studies to Starting a Software Company(24:57) - What prompted Robert to start a business(29:00) - From Solo Entrepreneur to Building a Team(32:56) - From Desktop GIS to Developing Open Source Tools(42:09) - Building Companies that Last(53:43) - Why a B-corp?(01:01:53) - What is a B-corp?(01:07:39) - Why An Acquisition?(01:29:42) - What does the future look like for Element 84?(01:41:16) - Balance Long Term Thinking with the Urgency of Climate Change(01:49:56) - Beyond Geospatial?(01:56:39) - Deciding on a Company Strategy(01:59:57) - What are Robert &amp; Dan Excited about for the Future?(02:14:28) - Book and podcast Recommendations- Support the podcast on Patreon- Website- My Twitter- Podcast Twitter- Read Previous Issues of the Newsletter- Edited by Peter Xiong. Find more of his work

Robert Cheetham is the founder of Azavea, founded all the way back in 2000 and Dan Pilone one of the founders of Element84, started in 2010. Recently Element84 acquired Azavea to expand from large scale computing to also analysis. I wanted to talk to Robert &amp; Dan about why they went for an acquisition and why now, if both companies had both been around for so long. Both companies also have not taken outside investment, which made this acquisition all the more interesting<a href="https://www.patreon.com/mindsbehindmaps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Support the podcast on Patreon</a>About Dan &amp; Robert<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpilone/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan's LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcheetham/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robert's LinkedIn</a></li></ul><h3>Shownotes</h3>Note: Links to books are Amazon Affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy any of these books.<ul><li><a href="https://element84.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Element84</a></li><li><a href="https://www.azavea.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Azavea</a></li><li><a href="https://youtu.be/D0SIXJORQLc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan's Previous Appearance on Minds Behind Maps</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B-Corporation Certification</a></li><li>Book &amp; Podcast Recommendations<ul><li>Thinking In Bets by Annie Duke (<a href="https://amzn.to/3KlUx3I" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Affiliate Link</a>)</li><li>Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (<a href="https://amzn.to/3DF2kFK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Affiliate Link</a>)</li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmhKTejvqnoOrQOcTY-pxN00BOZTGSWc3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Duncan: History Of Rome</a></li><li><a href="https://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/revolutions_podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Duncan: Revolutions</a></li><li>Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (<a href="https://amzn.to/43HOFbO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Affiliate Link</a>)</li><li>The better Angles of Our Nature (<a href="https://amzn.to/3DGBihf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Affiliate Link</a>)</li></ul></li></ul>Timestamps(00:00) - Introduction(03:05) - How would you describe yourself?(04:26) - What is Element84 today?(08:13) - History of Element84(10:43) - From Landscaping &amp; Japanese Studies to Starting a Software Company(24:57) - What prompted Robert to start a business(29:00) - From Solo Entrepreneur to Building a Team(32:56) - From Desktop GIS to Developing Open Source Tools(42:09) - Building Companies that Last(53:43) - Why a B-corp?(01:01:53) - What is a B-corp?(01:07:39) - Why An Acquisition?(01:29:42) - What does the future look like for Element 84?(01:41:16) - Balance Long Term Thinking with the Urgency of Climate Change(01:49:56) - Beyond Geospatial?(01:56:39) - Deciding on a Company Strategy(01:59:57) - What are Robert &amp; Dan Excited about for the Future?(02:14:28) - Book and podcast Recommendations- <a href="https://www.patreon.com/mindsbehindmaps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Support the podcast on Patreon</a> - <a href="https://mindsbehindmaps.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxLenormand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Twitter</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/MindsBehindMaps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcast Twitter</a> - <a href="https://mindsbehindsmaps_newsletter.ck.page/posts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read Previous Issues of the Newsletter</a> - Edited by <a href="https://twitter.com/cellobuddy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Xiong</a>. Find <a href="https://symphoniclandscapes.squarespace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more of his work</a>

Robert Cheetham & Dan Pilone: Building Businesses that Last, Bootstrapping & Acquisitions - MBM#48

Dan Pilone is the CEO and co-founder of Element84, a software engineering company focused on building geospatial solutions at scale. We touch on Dan's experience working on geospatial software engineer problems and how those have changed over the past decade. We discuss the work Element84 has done to contribute to AWS's Open Data program, as well the journey of co-founding a company with Dan's wife Tracey, and how they're thinking of growth through a people-focused mindset.---Find previous episodes and other show notes at mindsbehindmaps.comIf you'd like to help support the podcast, please consider leaving a review directly on the website, or on Apple Podcast. This helps showcase the value of the podcast when reaching out to new potential guests. ---About Dan:LinkedInTwitterElement84 website Time-stamps:03:16 - Conversation starts, Dan present himself07:03 - Presenting Element8409:33 - Element84’s early days - Moving towards geospatial over time12:16 - Problems change over time16:15 - Scale changes too20:48 - Contributing to Amazon’s Open Data Registry26:16 - Making Sentinel data more accessible34:30 - Getting nerdy: What do Dask &amp; Xarray mean for the future of geospatial data processing40:16 - Moving towards more layers of abstraction41:52 - Business model behind different open data contributions45:11 - A game theory approach to Open Source50:28 - The Openness of Geospatial compared to other fields56:16 - Co-founding a company as a couple1:04:21 - Preventing people “careering out” of the company1:11:19 - People-focus growth1:16:58 - Element84’s hiring process1:21:14 - Changing culture as the company grows1:27:54 - How Dan’s role has changed over the years1:30:47 - The relevance (or not) of keeping a foot in the code as a CEO1:33:29 - Opportunity cost from Dan’s point of view1:36:34 - Book &amp; podcast recommendations Show notes:Earth SearchBook &amp; podcast recommendation:Great game of business Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management by  Jack Stack, Bo BurlinghamDear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity by Melvin J. Gravely IIFour Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanManager Tools podcastTugboat GroupInterview with Dan &amp; his wife Tracey on co-founding Element84 together Please feel free to reach out!My TwitterFor news about the podcastWebsite

Dan Pilone is the CEO and co-founder of Element84, a software engineering company focused on building geospatial solutions at scale. We touch on Dan's experience working on geospatial software engineer problems and how those have changed over the past decade. We discuss the work Element84 has done to contribute to AWS's Open Data program, as well the journey of co-founding a company with Dan's wife Tracey, and how they're thinking of growth through a people-focused mindset.---Find previous episodes and other show notes at <a href="http://mindsbehindmaps.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mindsbehindmaps.com</a>If you'd like to help support the podcast, please consider leaving a review <a href="https://mindsbehindmaps.com/reviews" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">directly on the website</a>, or on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minds-behind-maps/id1563147579" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcast</a>. This helps showcase the value of the podcast when reaching out to new potential guests. ---About Dan:<ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danpilone/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/danpilone" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.element84.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Element84 website</a></li></ul> Time-stamps:<ul><li>03:16 - Conversation starts, Dan present himself</li><li>07:03 - Presenting Element84</li><li>09:33 - Element84’s early days - Moving towards geospatial over time</li><li>12:16 - Problems change over time</li><li>16:15 - Scale changes too</li><li>20:48 - Contributing to Amazon’s Open Data Registry</li><li>26:16 - Making Sentinel data more accessible</li><li>34:30 - Getting nerdy: What do Dask &amp; Xarray mean for the future of geospatial data processing</li><li>40:16 - Moving towards more layers of abstraction</li><li>41:52 - Business model behind different open data contributions</li><li>45:11 - A game theory approach to Open Source</li><li>50:28 - The Openness of Geospatial compared to other fields</li><li>56:16 - Co-founding a company as a couple</li><li>1:04:21 - Preventing people “careering out” of the company</li><li>1:11:19 - People-focus growth</li><li>1:16:58 - Element84’s hiring process</li><li>1:21:14 - Changing culture as the company grows</li><li>1:27:54 - How Dan’s role has changed over the years</li><li>1:30:47 - The relevance (or not) of keeping a foot in the code as a CEO</li><li>1:33:29 - Opportunity cost from Dan’s point of view</li><li>1:36:34 - Book &amp; podcast recommendations</li></ul> Show notes:<ul><li><a href="https://www.element84.com/earth-search/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Earth Search</a></li><li>Book &amp; podcast recommendation:<ul><li><a href="Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Great game of business Unlocking the Power and Profitability of Open-Book Management</a> by  Jack Stack, Bo Burlingham</li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58503361-dear-white-friend" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dear White Friend: The Realities of Race, the Power of Relationships and Our Path to Equity</a> by Melvin J. Gravely II</li><li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54785515-four-thousand-weeks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals</a> by Oliver Burkeman</li><li><a href="https://www.manager-tools.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Manager Tools</a> podcast</li></ul></li><li><a href="https://www.thetugboatgroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tugboat Group</a><ul><li><a href="https://www.tugboatinstitute.com/partners-at-work-home-insight-into-building-an-evergreen-company-with-your-spouse/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Interview with Dan &amp; his wife Tracey on co-founding Element84 together</a></li></ul></li></ul> Please feel free to reach out!<ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/MaxLenormand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/MindsBehindMaps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">For news about the podcast</a></li><li><a href="https://mindsbehindmaps.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a></li></ul>

Ep 16 - Dan Pilone - Element84, Large Scale Computing, Enabling Open Data & People Focused Growth

There are *billions* of dollars’ worth of invaluable imagery, information, and data available, for free from NASA, NOAA, ESA, and more but unfortunately, sometimes it can be hard to get to… and hard to use. The folks at Element 84, a software development firm specializing in large scale geospatial data systems and remote sensing believe that the more they can help make that data accessible and usable, the more we can learn about our planet and how it's changing.    “How hard can it be?” is a question Dan Pilone often asks his team. As the CEO &amp; CTO of Dan oversees the architecture, design, and development for Element 84's commercial and government data clients including NASA, USGS, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Capella Space. “   About Element 84  “We are impatient optimists.”  “It's not magic, but it can *feel* like that - you can literally *see* the world changing, see storms, progress of wildfires, patterns of burning and growth, how to plan for changing water levels, how to help people impacted by disasters, or even just see some fantastic images of leaves changing in the fall.... Space gives us an incredible view of the planet we live on- and we want as many people to be able to take advantage of that unique view as possible.” – Dan Pilone   More at: www.element84.com    Dan mentions:   FunCube: https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/funcube-cubesat/   More about Dan Pilone:   ​Dan has supported NASA's Earth Observing System for over 15 years; currently acting as Chief Technologist for the NASA EOSDIS Evolution and Development contract. He has supported transitioning NASA’s Petabyte scale archive to the cloud, contributed to metadata standards, led multiple working groups on data services and cloud architectures, authored studies on architecture and transition plans for cloud-native data management solutions, and helped shape software development processes for both government and commercial clients. Mr. Pilone has authored multiple books on software development and taught Software Engineering at Catholic University in Washington DC.

There are *billions* of dollars’ worth of invaluable imagery, information, and data available, for free from NASA, NOAA, ESA, and more but unfortunately, sometimes it can be hard to get to… and hard to use. The folks at Element 84, a software development firm specializing in large scale geospatial data systems and remote sensing believe that the more they can help make that data accessible and usable, the more we can learn about our planet and how it's changing.  “How hard can it be?” is a question Dan Pilone often asks his team. As the CEO &amp; CTO of Dan oversees the architecture, design, and development for Element 84's commercial and government data clients including NASA, USGS, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Capella Space. “ About <a href="https://www.element84.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Element 84</a>  “We are impatient optimists.”  “It's not magic, but it can *feel* like that - you can literally *see* the world changing, see storms, progress of wildfires, patterns of burning and growth, how to plan for changing water levels, how to help people impacted by disasters, or even just see some fantastic images of leaves changing in the fall.... Space gives us an incredible view of the planet we live on- and we want as many people to be able to take advantage of that unique view as possible.” – Dan Pilone   More at: <a href="http://www.element84.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.element84.com</a> Dan mentions:   FunCube: <a href="https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/funcube-cubesat/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://amsat-uk.org/funcube/funcube-cubesat/</a> More about Dan Pilone:   ​Dan has supported NASA's Earth Observing System for over 15 years; currently acting as Chief Technologist for the NASA EOSDIS Evolution and Development contract. He has supported transitioning NASA’s Petabyte scale archive to the cloud, contributed to metadata standards, led multiple working groups on data services and cloud architectures, authored studies on architecture and transition plans for cloud-native data management solutions, and helped shape software development processes for both government and commercial clients. Mr. Pilone has authored multiple books on software development and taught Software Engineering at Catholic University in Washington DC.