In this episode of the [A] Growth Ventures Podcast, Hamlet Azarian sits down with Tom Thompson, Chief Economist at Havas Edge - the world's largest full-service performance marketing agency - and Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.

With roots in naval intelligence, game theory, and behavioral economics, Tom spent over two decades applying the science of consumer decision-making to how the world's biggest brands generate leads and convert customers.

This conversation unpacks Tom's unconventional journey - from submarines and Gulf War intelligence operations to the U.S. Department of Treasury's housing crisis response, to becoming the in-house economist reshaping performance marketing strategy at global scale.

His central insight: most conversion friction isn't informational - it's psychological. And until marketers understand that, they'll keep optimizing the wrong things.

In this episode of the [A] Growth Ventures Podcast, Hamlet Azarian sits down with Michael Slawson, President of Apparel Advisors, and the go-to expert PE firms call when their portfolio companies need a serious go-to-market overhaul.

With a background spanning international consulting, the World Bank, clean energy entrepreneurship in Kenya, and hypergrowth stints at Hum Capital and Clipboard Health, Michael brings a rare blend of global perspective and on-the-ground sales execution to every engagement.

This conversation explores Michael's journey — from co-founding a pyrolysis-based clean energy charcoal company in East Africa and learning hard lessons about willingness to pay, to doing door-to-door pest control sales, to now building full GTM systems from scratch for sponsor-backed B2B companies.

His central insight: go-to-market is never just a hire — it's a system built around four pillars: accounts, channels, messaging, and RevOps. And if you're not building that system with flexibility baked in, you're accumulating GTM debt that future you will regret.

In this episode of the [A] Growth Ventures Podcast, Hamlet Azarian sits down with Jason Jones, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Tellen, a vertical AI company reinventing how accounting firms conduct audits.

With a background in venture capital, hedge funds, fintech, and DeFi, Jason brings decades of experience in identifying disruptive trends and translating them into scalable businesses.

This conversation explores Jason’s journey - from investing in early Web 1.0 companies and launching Lending Robot, to pioneering securitization protocols on the blockchain, and now building AI-powered tools for the audit and accounting space.

His central insight: disruption always follows a recognizable pattern, and opportunity lies in spotting it early.