I, Zara Bartels, sit down with my friend and brilliant mind, Jason Pinto, a prominent entrepreneur, and always engineer. Jason shares what makes his journey unique with his Caribbean multicultural roots, educational pursuits at MIT & Cambridge, and diverse career trajectory culminating in the co-founding of the tech company, Pace, ultimately merging with Flyr. Jason gives us invaluable insights on balancing heart and intellect in leadership, the role of grit, customer understanding, and the culture of startups, adaptability, and intellectual horsepower, blending technical expertise with empathetic leadership. As always we end with ‘Lipton Tea Time'. This is a good one.  OH! and when you get to it CORRECTION: Did the googling -  and it wasn’t Wendell Pierce’s character in The Wire that is known for “ssshhhhiiittt” it was the character ‘Senator Clay Davis’ played by Isiah Whitlock Jr. MEET MY GUEST … Jason Pinto. An Engineer. Scientist. Investor. Builder. Lover Of All Things Tech. Is a Trinidadian-Jamaican and exited co-founder and COO of Pace, an industry-leading commercial operating system for the hospitality industry acquired by Flyr in 2022.  Prior to co-founding Pace, Jason was a partner at Amadeus Capital, a leading European technology venture capital firm. Earlier he was a key member of the technology and product team at E Ink Corporation, the company that created the electronic ink technology behind the Amazon Kindle eReader. Jason holds advanced degrees in Physics and engineering and consequently spends his free time thinking about the future of AI and dreaming of beaches and better weather. You can reach out to Jason on LinkedIn, Instagram & X (formerly Twitter) @JsnPints THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER HE SAID: (paraphrased) Spend more time with customers and understanding the customer journey and challenges. Fundraising is essentially a sales exercise - manage that pipeline, read the situation, read the people and get a sense of whether your momentum is moving to a yes. One of the best things an entrepreneur can do is generate optionality for any situation you have. Intellectual horsepower balanced with human connection -  being able to read people, be empathetic, connect to different spaces. PEOPLE AND THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT Flyr acquires Pace E-ink  Deep Mind  Lee Sodol vs AlphaGo  Jens Munch  John-Paul Clarke Chapters 00:40 Meet Jason Pinto: Engineer, Scientist, and More 04:29 The Journey to MIT and Beyond 06:15 Venturing into the Startup World 13:16 The Birth of Pace and Dynamic Pricing 30:38 A Chance Meeting and Building Connections 37:59 Navigating the Pandemic: A Test of Grit and Resilience 40:06 The Harsh Realities of Cost-Cutting 41:03 Supporting Employees Through Tough Times 43:41 Personal Struggles and Family Support 46:16 Emerging Stronger: Lessons Learned 50:26 The Role of a Founder and COO 53:08 Fundraising and Strategic Decisions 01:00:15 The Decision to Sell: Weighing Options 01:04:16 Reflecting on Success: The Importance of Grit and Luck 01:09:53 Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Reflections 01:11:22 Lipton Tea Time