Ep 314: Beyond the Download: The Business of Mobile Apps with Ghazenfer Monsoor, Founder and CEO of Technology Rivers; Reston, VA, USA
If your product strategy stops at the download, you’re leaving impact—and revenue—on the table.
In this conversation, I sit down with Ghazenfer Mansoor, CEO & founder of Technology Rivers, to talk about building software that actually gets used, loved, and shared. Ghazenfer has been in mobile since the pre-iPhone days and has led the build of nearly 60 apps, primarily in healthcare. We explore ideas from his forthcoming book, Beyond the Download, including why retention beats acquisition, when a mobile app truly makes sense (and when a web experience is smarter), and how AI-driven, proprietary workflows can become a company’s real moat.
We also step into leadership, including what it takes to fix “broken” projects, the values that guide his global remote team (transparency, fairness, and getting things done), and why peer networks and coaching matter for founders. It’s a practical, fast-moving chat for leaders who want their technology to create efficiency, differentiation, and long-term value.
Here are some highlights:
-Retention over acquisition: Ghazenfer shares practical ways to design for daily use and bring people back because downloads without engagement aren’t success.
-“Do you really need an app?”: We unpack decision criteria for native vs. web, and why solving a real, repeat problem is the first gate before writing any code.
-Workflow is the moat: How codifying proprietary processes, especially in healthcare and HIPAA-sensitive environments, creates efficiency, margin, and higher valuations.
-Fixing broken projects: Common failure patterns (from feature chasing to UX missteps) and how to course-correct so you “build it right the first time.”
-Leading a global team: The operating system behind Technology Rivers; clear KPIs, remote-first communication, fairness, and a growing commitment to women in tech. Plus the role of EO/Vistage-style peer groups and coaching for tough decisions.
About the guest:
Ghazenfer Mansoor is the founder and CEO of Technology Rivers, a Washington, D.C.–area software firm specializing in HIPAA-compliant healthcare SaaS and mobile apps. A mobile veteran since the pre-iPhone era, he has led the build of 59+ apps and numerous AI-powered workflow platforms that help service businesses scale, boost margins, and increase valuation. Known for “building it right the first time,” Ghazenfer is frequently tapped to rescue broken software projects. He’s the author of the forthcoming book Beyond the Download: How to Build Mobile Apps That People Love, Use, and Share Every Day and host of the podcast Lessons from the Leap. Active in EO and other CEO peer groups, he leads a global, values-driven team grounded in transparency, fairness, and getting things done.
Connect with Ghazenfer:
Website: https://technologyrivers.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmansoor/
Connect with Allison:
Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web, and it is ranked the number 6 CEO podcast to listen to in 2025! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/
#CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast
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