The Startup Junkies Podcast

What happens when a mentor gets more out of an accelerator than the founders do?

Zak Morris joined the Fuel accelerator as a subject matter expert in AI — but quickly realized he was learning just as much as the companies he was advising. In this episode, Zak breaks down how working with startups across cybersecurity, AML, and healthcare sharpened his own thinking, why Bentonville's density of world-class talent is an underrated advantage, and how one early conversation with a founder led to a permanent board seat.

Whether you're a founder, a seasoned professional sitting on the sidelines, or someone who's never thought of themselves as a mentor — this one's for you.

🎙️ Startup Junkies is a podcast celebrating the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Northwest Arkansas and beyond. Subscribe for more! 

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🔗 Connect with Zak Morris:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakmorris/

🔗 Connect with Startup Junkie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-koonce-3a446a21b/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-talley-25189211b/
https://startupjunkie.org/

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⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction – AI in Healthcare Documentation
00:18 What Brought Zak to the Fuel Accelerator
01:10 Learning the Language of Startups
01:55 The Two-Way Value of Mentorship
02:33 Standout Moment: The Cybersecurity Cohort
03:18 From Mentor to Board Member
04:28 Why Bentonville Is a Rare Ecosystem
05:20 Connecting Talent, Interns & Local Networks
06:31 The Flywheel Effect: Keeping Talent in Arkansas
07:40 A Call to Action for Potential Mentors
08:45 What Mentors Get Out of It
09:10 How to Get Involved with Fuel

What is The Startup Junkies Podcast?

Candid conversations with the founders, operators, and investors building companies in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

The Startup Junkies Podcast is hosted by Jeff Amerine, founder of Startup Junkie, a Northwest Arkansas organization that has provided no-cost consulting, programs, and events to entrepreneurs for more than 15 years. Each week Jeff and the Startup Junkie team sit down with people who have actually done it: first-time and serial founders, small business owners, investors, accelerator alumni, and the ecosystem builders working alongside them.

Expect real stories, not lectures. How they got started, how they found their first customers, how they raised money or chose not to, what nearly broke them, and what they would do differently. Topics range from validating an idea and finding capital to hiring, marketing, leadership, scaling, and selling the business.

With more than 450 episodes since 2015, the back catalog covers nearly every stage of building a company in Arkansas and the Mid-South. If you are starting something, growing something, or helping founders do either, this show is for you.

This feed also carries Querido Emprendedor, our Spanish-language founder series, and the Fuel Podcast, featuring companies from Startup Junkie's Fuel Accelerator.

New episodes weekly. Show notes, transcripts, and the full archive at startupjunkie.org/podcast.

Startup Junkie's mission: improving lives through innovation and entrepreneurship, from Northwest Arkansas around the globe.