Join us as Dan Van Tran, CTO of Collectors, shares how a childhood spent reverse-engineering games on a TI-82 turned into a career leading one of the world’s most influential collectibles companies. What started with curiosity, constraint, and a $140 calculator he hoped his parents wouldn’t notice eventually shaped an engineering mindset that powered massive transformation.In this episode, Dan opens up about building games on calculators, discovering software fundamentals through necessity, and later rebuilding the entire technical foundation of a legacy company handling millions of physical collectibles every month. From AI and automation to leadership and trust-building, this is the inside story of scaling a global operation.🔑 KEY HIGHLIGHTSEARLY ENGINEERING ORIGINSHow reverse-engineering TI-82 games taught Dan the fundamentals that shaped his entire career.SCALING COLLECTORSTransforming a 1986-era grading company into a modern tech platform processing over 1.5M items monthly.LEADERSHIP AND CHANGEHow Dan earned trust, rebuilt teams, and introduced new technology into a legacy culture.THE COLLECTIBLES BOOMWhy sports cards, video games, comics—and especially Pokémon—are exploding in value.MENTORSHIP AND DECISION MAKINGHow Dan evaluates career options, chooses the right opportunities, and mentors the next generation.🌐 RESOURCES AND LINKSLearn more about Collectors: collectors.comConnect with Dan Van Tran on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dantranPodcast Website: foundersecretspod.com🔗 CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: /foundersecretspodLinkedIn: /founder-secrets-podcast🎧 LISTEN TO THE PODCASTApple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/4h59tyerSpotify: tinyurl.com/4wjb26v8🔔 DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBEEnjoyed this episode? Like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring founder stories from around the world.