In this episode of Entrepreneur Authorities, Joe Pardavila sits down with Charles Sims, a.k.a. the “Hurricane CTO,” a tech evangelist and investor with deep roots in startups, sports, and entertainment.
Charles shares how he transformed chaotic tech emergencies into calm, how his background in theater sharpened his leadership skills, and what it’s like to work alongside legendary execs like Steve Ballmer. From selling paintballs in college to leading enterprise innovation, Charles’ story is both wild and wildly inspiring.
💡 What You’ll Learn
How to communicate tech clearly to non-technical execs
The value of chaos—and how to lead through it
Why every founder should think like a product manager
The difference between flashy tools and real business value
What the best leaders (like Steve Ballmer) do differently
⏱️ Episode Highlights
[00:01:00] The story behind the “Hurricane CTO” nickname
[00:03:00] Charles’ early entrepreneurial hustle: paintball and Costco
[00:06:00] Theater + business = tech leadership superpower
[00:09:00] Breaking into tech without a comp-sci degree
[00:11:00] Managing fear and the myth of imposter syndrome
[00:14:00] Leading tech inside the LA Clippers and UTA
[00:17:00] Lessons from Steve Ballmer on leadership and memory
[00:19:00] A literal tech emergency: rolling servers across downtown LA
[00:21:00] The “Binary Troubleshooting” method explained
[00:22:00] The secret to translating tech for execs
[00:25:00] AI hype, SaaS overload, and finding what actually matters
[00:29:00] Are all businesses tech businesses? Charles weighs in
[00:31:00] Why Charles left the enterprise world to launch Scaffold Studio
Charles Sims
Charles Sims is a technology evangelist and founder of SkaFld Studios who specializes in empathetic AI implementation that enhances rather than replaces human potential. During his tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers, he spearheaded digital innovation initiatives that revolutionized fan engagement and operational efficiency, and has led over $1.5 billion in M&A transactions across sports, entertainment, and technology sectors. Charles is the creator of the Hurricane Methodology, a distinctive approach that bridges technical precision with…
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