The Human Connection Podcast

Is your business’s growth stalled? Employee churn eating into your profits? Struggling with customer retention? 

You need stronger connections.

Every Tuesday, connect with an expert who’s sharing actionable advice for building stronger relationships with your customers, clients, and stakeholders. Hosted by Karl Pontau, a storytelling super-connector, content system strategist, and survivor of two childhood brain tumors, this podcast’s mission is to fix the underlying cause of workplace and societal dysfunction: the lack of human connection.

Learn more at www.thehumanconnectionpodcast.com

Podcast Host

Squash and Stretch Productions

My heroic mission involves guiding teams to bring visionary Content Systems and strategies to life. By fostering a creative environment where complex ideas transform into compelling visual stories, I've helped clients achieve remarkable results. What drives me is connecting clients' missions with audiences through visually striking content that sparks action. By nurturing talent and overseeing seamless workflows, I ensure our work not only captivates but also delivers on strategic goals.

▶️Led Enovix’s team to clearly and concisely explain the value of their innovative battery tech - taking them from a 45 minute explanation to a 2 minute video – supporting their $1.13B SPAC event and their $250 million contract with the US Army. Optimized creative strategy and message to grab and hold viewer’s attention. Navigated around two major holidays and an unexpected scope change to deliver on time and under budget.

▶️Recruited and managed the team, budget, and timeline for a collaborative animation project that convinced the San Jose City Council to require life-saving firefighting tech in high-rises, catalyzed adoption in 18 other cities, and contributed to a $100M IP sale for my client. 

▶️Designed flexible content system for La Familia's anti-Fentanyl campaign, enabling rapid pivot when major challenge arose; directed production and content adaptation while production team saved two lives through Narcan administration during new on-site shoot; final campaign successfully deployed regionwide.

Freelance Art Director / Senior Digital Creative Producer

SAE Expression College

As a Brand Story Coach, I've helped entrepreneurs translate their knowledge into actionable ideas for their ideal consumer. Additionally, in the classroom, I've had the joy of shaping future creatives. Through developing curricula and adapting to diverse learning styles, I created supportive environments where innovation thrives and students discover their creative potential.

▶️Advised a local coach on connecting client challenges to his solutions, boosting referrals and sales through improved value communication.

▶️Mentored college students at SAE Expressions in advanced motion graphics, editing, and branding, guiding them through complex software challenges to enhance their technical proficiency and creative output. 

▶️Inspired young minds aged 9-17 at iD Tech Camps, fostering creativity and teamwork while leading students through courses including web design, animation, and robotics.

Storytelling Coach / Teacher / Mentor

GuideSpark

My leadership journey began as a production team member, where I discovered my passion for contributing toward a shared vision. I learned that great leadership creates harmony in both team dynamics and the final product. I also learned that my favorite projects are socially impactful and profitable. Each project laid the foundation for my skills in leading cross-functional teams, managing end-to-end production, and turning creative challenges into opportunities for growth and connection. 

▶️Fostered open communication between animators and VFX coordinators and ensured director feedback was thoughtfully implemented as Animation Coordinator for The Glass Butterfly.

▶️Created intricate 3D facial animations for a confidential project, honing my ability to deliver exceptional work on time and under budget while honoring client trust at FlickerLab.

▶️Collaborated with a remote team to explain organizational change strategies and processes that help companies be more agile at Fire Tribe, Inc. 

▶️Contributed to a local team that created 1,700+ accurate employee benefit animations in 3 months at GuideSpark.

▶️Championed i-GATE's vision for a thriving Tri-Valley startup community that now brings new tech from local labs to the marketplace.

Contract Motion Designer

Health/Med Tech companies and nonprofits have vital - yet difficult - stories to tell. 

So, they struggle to explain their value and attract their best clients.

What makes a story difficult?

Stories that…

😨Cover emotionally triggering subjects... (Cancer, Overdoses, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)
😵Focus on complex or abstract ideas... (Battery tech, Air Tank Refill Systems)
😳Reveal deeply personal experiences... (Founder Stories, Mental Health, Loss)

...are all difficult to effectively tell.

But, I am uniquely equipped to solve these challenges because I:

💗 Show empathy and compassion for clients, team members, and audiences via active listening
🧠 Bring a deep understanding of human decision making and behavior to every project
🚀 Employ an entrepreneurial mindset honed from running my small production agency

I was inspired to focus on these skills after overcoming two malignant brain tumors when I was 15, and am forever grateful for my family, friends, and medical team for showing me what can be accomplished when people care for each other, clearly communicate, and work towards a common goal. 

Once you optimize your story, you’ll need to get it in front of your audience.

That takes a Content System.

These:

💡 Starts with a comprehensive Content Strategy
📚 Delivers a custom asset library for your brand
📲 Generates adaptive content for multiple platforms
💰 Results in greater cost savings and ROI over time

For example:

🎉 Led Enovix’s team to clearly and concisely explain the value of their innovative battery tech - taking them from a 45 minute explanation to a 2 minute video – supporting their $1.13B SPAC event and their $250 million contract with the US Army. Optimized creative strategy and message to grab and hold viewer’s attention. Navigated around two major holidays and an unexpected scope change to deliver on time and under budget.

🥂 Recruited and managed the team, budget, and timeline for a collaborative animation project that convinced the San Jose City Council to require life-saving firefighting tech in high-rises, catalyzed adoption in 18 other cities, and contributed to a $100M IP sale for my client.

If you are interested in discussing how I can add value to your team and accelerate your company's growth, please email me at kpontau@gmail.com or send a DM.

Let's talk!

(I’m open to contract or full time employment.)

Karl Pontau

Denis Shatalin

SaaS Camp

• Over 100 startups have successfully completed the program
• Over 90 percent of startups participate in all sessions after 4 months in the program

SaaS Camp is a Performance-based Accelerator specializing in sales and marketing for B2B SaaS startups.

https://saascamp.co/

Highlights from founders inside the program:

✅ 16 demos and 4 deals in 21 days for Powerleads IO
✅ 8X increase in profit after restructuring positioning for Feedbucket
✅ 23 demos in the first week for Ethos
✅ Cold B2B sale 6 days after launching campaigns for MiloTree Cart
✅ 83 demos in 4 months with a 25% average close rate for Perci

Want to be our next success story? Visit saascamp.co.

Founder

In my third year of coaching startups, Univercity College London invited me to be their guest lecturer and startup mentor. Helping young entrepreneurs get to their startup goals faster.

Startup Mentor

Founder Coach

Razum

MentalTech Platform for Startup Founders.

SaaS for Exam Preparation

Coaching startups on sales, marketing strategy, positioning, idea validation, and user acquisition.

Founder & CEO

Sobachii Kaif

Co-Founder & CEO

Peer - to - peer accountability network for startup founders

Okinawa Techwear

Global Markets Research Analyst

Textura jewelry

Founder and CEO at Private Accelerator SaaS Camp | Coach | Angel Investor | Help SaaS Startups Dominate the Market Growing By 15% Every Month

How I added millions in revenue for SaaS startups without scaling a single one myself:

I was working at a Big 4 consulting firm, but understood that corporate life wasn't for me...

I left to launch ecom businesses. Have grown a jewelry store, dropshipped backpacks, and even sold dog toys on marketplaces.

The e-com businesses were working, but I wanted a new challenge and started building startups with no-code tools.

I spent years making every startup mistake you can imagine, spent tens of thousands of dollars, and earned a ton of expensive scars.

After one of the products got traction, other founders approached me to ask for sales and marketing tips.

I enjoyed helping them, and one day, I decided to pause other ventures to go into coaching full-time.



Since then:

● I have built Go-To-Market strategies for over 100 startups, in nearly every niche you can imagine, that have generated millions in new revenue.

● I built an outbound campaign for an AI Property startup Realiste, that helped them close a $52M deal with the #1 investment fund in Dubai.

● My coaching practice has grown into a Performance-Based Accelerator, where more than 80% of founders still attend every session after being in the program for 6 months.

● I made an Angel Investment in a B2B SaaS startup that helps football teams manage their finances and see how much they've made on each transfer. Within 7 months they’ve gone up from £400k to £950k in annual revenue (by closing a few US and Italian teams) which has grown their valuation from mid 7 to 8 figures. 



How I did this:

1) Tested a hell lot with every startup I worked with (I'm talking tens of thousands of messages, multiple personas and channels)

2) Noted every strategy that worked, acknowledged it when one didn't, and saved why this happened

3) Continuously analyzed common patterns between startups that add revenue and those who don't

4) Focused on doing one thing for years

5) Have always been testing my approaches on my own business. Customer acquisition, sales, operations. Whatever I coach on, I tried in the past or currently doing for myself.

Niching down to B2B SaaS who are selling through product demos made my business & life a ton easier:

I get 30-50 calls a month through LinkedIn, cold email and SEO, closing 20%-30% of them. My "simple" business is coaching B2B SaaS founders on how to get 30-50 sales calls a month through LinkedIn, cold email and SEO, and close 20%-30% of them.

Over the years I learned who I can and can't help, which allowed me to get into a performance-based model with a refund guarantee.

• Over 60 startups have successfully completed the program
• Over 1.1M new revenue generated for early-stage B2B SaaS in 2022 with 0 ad spend
• Over 90 percent of startups participate in all sessions after 3 months in the program

SaaS Camp is a Private Accelerator specializing in sales and marketing for B2B SaaS startups.

Highlights from founders inside the program:

✅ 8X increase in profit after restructuring positioning for Feedbucket
✅ 23 demos in the first week for Ethos
✅ Cold B2B sale 6 days after launching campaigns for MiloTree Cart
✅ 83 demos in 4 months with a 25% average close rate for Perci

Want to be our next success story? Visit saascamp.co.

taplio

The Battle

Karl Pontau

Denis Shatalin

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