Podcasts about vcs

Reid Hoffman, Stacy Brown-Philpot, and Aileen Lee are three of the most successful, legendary leaders and investors in Silicon Valley. (The term “unicorn” for a startup valued at a billion dollars? Well, Aileen coined that.) This power trio sat down with journalist Van Jones live onstage at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit, October 8 in San Francisco, to share candid snapshots of the investor's mindset during this time of rapid change. Learn why VCs have dramatically shifted the way they invest in entrepreneurs this year, how companies can stand out in the crowded AI space, their personal green lights or red flags, and how players on all sides can adapt.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reid Hoffman, Stacy Brown-Philpot, and  Aileen Lee are three of the most successful, legendary leaders and investors in Silicon Valley. (The term “unicorn” for a startup valued at a billion dollars? Well, Aileen coined that.) This power trio sat down with journalist Van Jones live onstage at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit, October 8 in San Francisco, to share candid snapshots of the investor's mindset during this time of rapid change. Learn why VCs have dramatically shifted the way they invest in entrepreneurs this year, how companies can stand out in the crowded AI space, their personal green lights or red flags, and how players on all sides can adapt.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hello, listeners, and welcome back to First Principles, Episode 48, or the 7th episode of season 3. This is part 1 of the conversation.The host, Rohin Dharmakumar, first crossed paths with Deepak Abbot back in April 2015, even before The Ken had been founded. Rohin was chasing down an insightful breakdown of the tech ecosystem's huge user numbers during the Free Basics debate, and Deepak, a veteran operator and former product head at Paytm, was the go-to source for his data-filled, analytical posts.That same data-driven curiosity is what led Deepak to walk away from corporate life in 2019. He was clear: he didn't want to just manage; he had years left to actively "build products, you know, with my own hands". What he built was Indiagold, targeting the massive opportunity of gold in a market VCs often dismissed as an 'old economy product'.In this episode, Rohin sat down with Deepak Abbot, co-founder of Indiagold, to discuss how they are transforming India's massive $1.5 trillion gold reserve—an asset often locked away and doing nothing—into a productive force. Deepak calls this gold a "dead asset" and explains that Indiagold's mission is to change the mindset around it. They are not just giving gold loans; they are monetising a secured asset for the 250 million Indians who are excluded from formal credit due to thin or non-existent credit scores. By enabling customers to safely leverage their gold reserve, the company helps jumpstart a formal credit history and provides essential working capital.Listen in as Deepak charts his operator-to-founder journey, shares how he navigated initial VC skepticism, and details the strategy behind turning a seemingly archaic commodity into a modern fintech solution for one of India's most fundamental credit problems. Plus, a fascinating look inside a unique company culture, including why Indiagold operates without a CEO.*****This episode was mixed and mastered by Rajiv CN.Write to us at fp@the-ken.com with your feedback, suggestions, and guests you would want to see on First Principles.If you enjoyed this episode, please help us spread the word by sharing and gifting it to your friends and family.*****

Chad Peets is one of the greatest sales leaders and recruiters of the last 25 years. From 2018 to 2023, Chad was a Managing Director at Sutter Hill Ventures. Chad has worked with the world's best CEOs and CROs to build world-class go-to-market organizations. Chad is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Lacework and Luminary Cloud and on the boards of Clumio and Sigma Computing. He previously served as a board member for Astronomer, Transposit, and others. He was an early-stage investor at Snowflake, Sigma, Observe, Lacework, and Clumio. In Today's Discussion with Chad Peet's We Discuss: 1. You Need a CRO Pre-Product: Why does Chad believe that SaaS companies need a CRO pre-product? Should the founder not be the right person to create the sales playbook? What should the founder look for in their first CRO hire? Does any great CRO really want to go back to an early startup and do it again? 2. What Everyone Gets Wrong in Building Sales Teams: Why are most sales reps not performing? How long does it take for sales teams to ramp? How does this change with PLG and enterprise? What are the benchmarks of good vs great for average sales reps? How do founders and VCs most often hurt their sales teams and performance? 3. How to Build a Hiring Machine: What are the single biggest mistakes people make when hiring sales reps and teams? Are sales people money motivated? How to create comp plans that incentivise and align? Why does Chad believe that any sales rep that does not want to be in the office, is not putting their career and development first? Why is it harder than ever to recruit great sales leaders today? 4. Lessons from Scaling Sales at Snowflake: What are the single biggest lessons of what worked from scaling Snowflake's sales team? What did not work? What would he do differently with the team again? What did Snowflake teach Chad about success and culture and how they interplay together?  

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for emerging manager VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with with Max Spero of Pangram, an AI detector tool. We talk about the challenges of AI in the classroom when it comes to plagiarism, and tips for how to use AI the right way to generate good content. Max also shares his journey from the Stanford dormitories to raising $4m from Semil Shah of Haystack Ventures and Kevin O'Connor of ScOp VC. Learn more at https://www.pangram.com/. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $21 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC, venture studio or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

What makes great leaders truly exceptional? In this Grownlearn episode, host Zorina Dimitrova sits down with Sébastien Page, Chief Investment Officer at T. Rowe Price, who joins in his personal capacity to explore the psychology of leadership, emotional intelligence, and the art of building high-performing teams. From his journey as a Canadian immigrant to leading one of the world's top investment divisions, Sébastien shares real-world insights on resilience, mindset, and leadership growth—themes drawn from his new book, The Psychology of Leadership. In it, he bridges lessons from sports psychology, personality science, and positive psychology to reveal how leaders can elevate performance in any environment. You'll learn: ✅ How to apply emotional intelligence and resilience like elite athletes do ✅ Why introverted leaders often outperform expectations—and how to empower them ✅ The secret link between personality balance and business success ✅ What Roger Federer can teach us about handling setbacks ✅ How to build teams that combine technical skills and personality harmony for sustainable growth

Send us a textEmbark with us and transmedia producer Louie Olivas as we explore the future of mankind on the galactiport, Jancroon! Jancroon: https://jancroon.com/Jancroon takes place over a thousand years in the future deep in space on a galactiport named Jancroon.  Humankind has long since left Earth and now exist in these self-contained galactiports.  Jancroon is one of these havens but is also the first of its kind.  Spanning 800 miles in diameter and featuring star-scrapers, Jancroon is home not to just mankind, but an entirely different species of intelligent life, the Croon.  Humans and Croon co-habitat this galactiport but are sequestered to either side with a large dome in between them.  There is tension mounting, mistrust between the species, and a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled.We spoke about galactiports, human v. croon, and all about the inter-workings of the story world.  After setting the scene we explored new content Louie is already working on and suggested some interesting concepts to grow his audience as he waits for larger investments from VCs.The Croon are brooding and the prophecy is waiting to come to fruition!  Come travel to Jancroon with us!Support the showAre you an intrepid explorer with your own story world? You should be a guest on Story World Explorers! Connect with us here: https://clovispointcm.com/be-a-guest

When Adam and Patrik met on the Slovakian National Swim team, they never imagined they'd build a startup together in the US. Can they get the VCs on board with their made-in-America electric mini skid steer, or will the blue collar market scare them away? This is The Pitch for STAG. Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Jesse Middleton, Laura Lucas, and Mike Ma. ... Watch Adam and Patrik's pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund RSVP for one of our LP meetups: pitch.show/events *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in STAG is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today's show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today's episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to another EUVC Podcast, where we gather Europe's venture family to share the stories, insights, and lessons that drive our ecosystem forward.Today we dive into the world of gaming with Alper Oner, Co-founder of Agave Games, and Enis Hulli, General Partner at e2vc. Agave has taken the gaming world by storm with its hit “Find the Cat” — a quirky hidden-object game that has become a global revenue driver, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in daily revenue. But this wasn't a straight line: Agave started as a publisher, pivoted into building games in-house, and is now raising big rounds to expand with its new hit “What the Hex.”Agave has taken the gaming world by storm with its hit “Find the Cat” — a quirky hidden-object game that climbed global charts, hitting tens of thousands of dollars in daily revenue and inspiring a wave of imitators. But the road here was far from linear: Agave began as a publisher, pivoted to a studio model, and has since raised an $18M Series A led by Baldur's Gate Capital, Felicis, and e2vc to fuel its next big title — “What the Hex.”Together, Enis and Alper unpack how to back founders over ideas, pivot at the right time, and scale when metrics explode — all while explaining why Turkey has quietly become Europe's mobile gaming superpower.

In this week's episode: Episode 100: reflections from 100 episodes.  Blackbird funds change hands at steep discounts, rattling investors. How Australia's top VCs are rethinking startup moats. Sharts.   hello@tribeglobal.vc 

Itamar Novick, founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, explains how a repeat-founder's playbook shapes better early-stage investing. Itamar draws on 25 years of startup experience (including executive roles at Gigya and Life360) to describe the firm's disciplined pre-seed focus, how he evaluates founders and markets, and why AI applications built on first-party data will create the next wave of meaningful enterprise value. He shares concrete advice on what founders should share with VCs before/during the first meeting, how Recursive filters opportunities, what makes an investable TAM, and the common reasons he passes after initial interest.In this episode, you'll learn:[03:18] The journey from founder to VC and back again[07:42] How Recursive defines “pre-seed” and why focus matters[12:51] What Itamar looks forward to in the first call with a founder[18:34] Data defensibility and AI applications: where value is created[25:07] The math and reasons behind saying no[31:40] What founders misunderstand about TAM sizing[36:58] Staying emotionally resilient as a founderThe nonprofit Itamar supports: Anti-Defamation League (ADL)About Itamar NovickItamar Novick is the founder and General Partner at Recursive Ventures, a pre-seed focused venture firm investing in AI-driven applications and data-advantaged software products. Before becoming an investor, Itamar spent over two decades as a founder and operator, including leadership roles at Gigya (acquired by SAP) and Life360. His approach to venture blends hands-on operator judgment with disciplined portfolio construction and deep founder support.About Recursive VenturesRecursive Ventures is a founder-GP led fund specializing in pre-seed and seed companies building AI-powered applications with strong data defensibility. The firm operates with a focused portfolio model, quick decision cycles, and direct founder support — avoiding the AUM-driven growth strategies common in larger firms. Recursive backs founders who combine technical depth, market insight, and authentic obsession. Portfolio companies include Life360, Ring, Tile, DataJoy, Armory, Placer.ai, Deel, May Mobility, Akash Network, Tomato AI, Anjuna Security, Harmony.ai among others.Subscribe to our podcast and stay tuned for our next episode.

What makes a great venture capitalist — luck, timing, or the ability to see what others miss?Brij Bhushan (Prime Venture Partners) and Pratik Poddar (Nexus Venture Partners) talk about the long game of venture capital; the waiting, the lessons hidden in mistakes, and the emotional ride of backing founders through years of uncertainty.With Pratik, we dive into some of the biggest names in the Nexus portfolio: his first meeting with Rapido's founder before he even joined Nexus, the Meesho pitch that became a big miss, and his first call with Zepto's founders. Nexus was one of Zepto's earliest investors and has backed the company in every round since. Pratik speaks with great clarity about conviction, timing, and what truly defines great investing.Brij reflects on his decade of building Magicpin, what it means to “build the same company three times,” and how that journey reshaped the way he now works with founders. Having lived through the chaos of scaling, near-failure, and reinvention, he brings the founder's perspective back into venture capital.Together, Brij and Pratik capture the essence of the VC game — how the industry is evolving, why consensus rarely creates outliers, how real decisions are made inside funds, and why the best founders often seem “too early” rather than too late. We talk about everything that shapes a VC's everyday life, and above all why Brij and Pratik believe it's still the best job in the world.0:00 – Trailer01:59 – Biggest learnings from 10 years as a VC05:00 – Rapido as a counterintuitive bet06:49 – Meesho was a big miss10:20 – Why Venture capital is the best job?12:35 – Every meeting could be life-changing14:54 – Knowing you are NOT in an Operating role16:55 – How often are VCs wrong about market size?18:58 – Where to invest in Consumer companies?25:33 – How consumer VCs bet on behavior change27:12 – Is e-commerce truly built for young users?28:10 – How do Investors deal with Bias?30:04 – Are VCs only remembered for success stories?37:45 – Why good deals rarely come from Consensus?39:24 – The first call with Zepto's founders41:10 – How often do you meet truly exceptional founders?43:45 – Should VCs react to market shifts?46:42 – How long VC's take to make an investment decision?50:53 – How founders should approach fundraising54:27 – Can India produce 50 decacorns in the next few years?55:51 – Best way to play VC game is to have right fund size56:42 – Not Knowing is a pre-requisite for a VC1:00:41 – Exceptional founders have this superpower1:02:02 – Where Indian founders have a real edge1:05:14 – Building AI in India: local maxima or global maxima?1:09:00 – When will Indian Co's acquire Indian startups for $Billions?1:11:55 – Why Zomato & Swiggy aren't true Consumer Co's?-------------India's talent has built the world's tech—now it's time to lead it.This mission goes beyond startups. It's about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India.What is Neon Fund?We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that's done it before.Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we're doing it all at Neon.-------------Check us out on:Website: https://neon.fund/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShowwConnect with Siddhartha on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7Send us a text

In this episode, we sit down with Michelle Urben, Managing & General Partner of the Synergos Fund, an innovative firm that is challenging the traditional VC model. They've launched a "continuum fund," a new structure designed to support transformative companies through their entire lifecycle, from seed to commercialization.We dive deep into why they "don't invest for an exit," their mission to build "very durable companies that we want to own forever," and how they are tackling some of the world's biggest problems, from the global energy demand to recycling spent nuclear fuel.⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.comSynergos Fund - https://www.synergosholdings.com/general-7Michelle Urben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-boquiren-urben-0538852

Last month I attended the WHX TECH event, focuses on Technologies that are changing the healthcare sector. I was lucky enough to see, hear and speak with Sally Ann Frank who delivered a keynote on How To Craft A Compelling Value Proposition For Investors & CustomersSally Was kind enough to speak with me after and I was cheeky enough to ask her to do a quick podcast interview With more than 25 years of experience in high-tech business development, sales, and marketing, Sally is passionate about helping health and life sciences companies and startups use Microsoft technology to provide better, more-cost effective care. As the WW Lead for Health & Life Sciences at Microsoft for Startups, Sally works directly with founders, VCs, M12 and others in the industry to partner with Microsoft and accelerate their development and growth.Through business strategy planning, go-to-market development, and technical excellence, Sally enable startups to achieve their short-term revenue goals and long-term visions. I also leverage my extensive network and expertise to mentor, advise, and support startups in various programs and initiatives. In addition, Sally is a board member, speaker, and thought leader, who enjoys learning about the latest trends and innovations in the health and life sciences sector.✅ The biggest mistakes founders make when pitching✅ Why starting with a clear “what” and “why” is essential✅ How to build a strong go-to-market and business model✅ The power of storytelling and empathy in corporate selling✅ The importance of bringing the right people into your journey – and letting go of ego✅ Real-world insights from Microsoft's startup ecosystem✅ Lessons from unicorn founders and successful healthcare startups✅ The mindset needed to show up confidently on stage✅ Surprising wisdom from therapy dogs and emotional connection✅ Why repetition and feedback are key to great presentationsThank you for doing this pop up podcast, I really enjoyed it and know the audience will get value from your insights Feel free to connect with Sally on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyafrank/She has also published some great books that dive deeper into these topics https://www.sallyannfrank.com/

Ever wondered who's actually teaching ChatGPT and Claude how to think? Meet Caspar Eliot from Invisible Technologies - the company behind 80% of the world's top AI model training. In this eye-opening conversation, we uncover the massive human workforce behind "artificial" intelligence, why your League of Legends skills might land you an AI job, and the shocking mistakes enterprises make when deploying AI.We discuss:• How AI models really learn (hint: it's not just scraping the internet)• Why data quality beats data quantity every time• The Charlotte Hornets' revolutionary AI scouting system• Whether robots will actually take your job (spoiler: probably not)• The $14.8 billion Scale AI valuation and what it means• Why Mark Andreessen thinks VCs won't be automatedPlus: Caspar reveals the #1 mistake companies make with AI deployment and why "AI-ifying" your current process is doomed to fail.Subscribe to The Neuron newsletter: https://theneuron.aiConnect with Caspar on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/caspar-eliot-46b9a55aLearn more about Invisible Technologies: https://invisibletech.aiPlease check out the sponsor of this video, Warp.dev: https://warp.dev

Ogi Kavazovic, co-founder and CEO of House Rx, joins the show to unpack what most product leaders miss about building for enterprise software. Drawing from two decades in tech, Ogi breaks down how product management shifts when you move from B2C or “B to small B” to true enterprise—what he calls “B to Big B.” He explains why traditional user research frameworks don't hold up, how buyer research should actually be done through sales and marketing motions, and how to keep engineering teams aligned when the product takes years to build.Key Takeaways• Building for enterprise (B to Big B) requires selling to buyers and users—two very different audiences with distinct needs.• Buyer research is not user research—it happens through early sales decks, vision slides, and iterative storytelling that test how well a concept resonates before code is written.• Pre-selling a “fantasy product” through slides helps validate the market fit and shapes the first version of your product strategy.• Engineering for enterprise software demands simulated iteration—testing features internally long before the MVP is complete.• Vision alignment between product, marketing, and engineering is crucial to avoid two-year build tunnels and ensure team motivation.Timestamped Highlights[03:12] The overlooked divide between B2B and true enterprise—why “B to Big B” changes everything for product teams.[10:47] How buyer research actually works and why it starts with slides, not software.[17:40] The difference between pitching VCs and pitching enterprise buyers—and why they care about totally different things.[22:29] The engineering challenge of building massive enterprise systems and why agile methods fall short.[30:11] How to keep teams motivated and moving forward when the product roadmap spans years.Standout Moment“You can pre-sell a product before it even exists. That sales and marketing artifact—the deck you built to sell your vision—can become the blueprint for your product strategy.”Pro TipsStart with conversations, not code. Use early customer and buyer meetings to validate your story through slides, then hand your engineers a vision they know can sell.Call to ActionIf you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow product leader or founder navigating enterprise challenges. Follow The Tech Trek for more conversations that connect people, impact, and technology.

Venture capital isn't dead — it's evolving. Carta's Head of Insights, Peter Walker, joins Jon Bradshaw and Peter Harris to unpack what the data really says about the 2025 market. From the AI-fueled bifurcation to shrinking equity packages and a wave of secondaries, this episode breaks down how founders, VCs, and LPs are adapting in real time.Peter shares Carta's inside view on:The comeback of deal flow and valuationsWhy down rounds are easing but hiring hasn't reboundedHow founder dilution and equity norms have shiftedThe rise of liquidity via secondaries and fund-to-fund capitalWhat signals matter most heading into 2026If you care about where venture is heading next — this is the episode.Follow the PodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/venturecapitalfm/Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcpodcastfmLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/venturecapitalfm/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BQimY8NJ6cr617lqtRr7N?si=ftylo2qHQiCgmT9dfloD_g&nd=1&dlsi=7b868f1b72094351Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/venture-capital/id1575351789Website: https://www.venturecapital.fm/Follow Jon BradshawLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrbradshaw/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjonbradshaw/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrjonbradshawFollow Peter HarrisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterharris1Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevcstudentInstagram: https://instagram.com/shodanpeteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@peterharris2812

Astasia Myers, General Partner at Felicis, breaks down how venture capital is betting on AI and why over 80% of their recent investments are in this space. But this isn't just another “AI is the future” conversation. We dig into the real ROI happening right now in healthcare voice agents, why MIT says 95% of GenAI projects fail to reach production, and what needs to happen for that number to flip. If you're building, investing, or just trying to understand where enterprise AI is actually working (not just hyped), this episode cuts through the noise.What You'll LearnThe labor replacement opportunity: Why outcome-based AI solutions are targeting the $35 trillion labor market instead of just software budgets and how that changes everything for startups and investors.Voice AI's healthcare breakthrough: How voice agents are finally solving the operational bottlenecks in patient scheduling and communication, driving 24/7 availability with better NPS than human operators.Why 95% of GenAI projects still fail: The technical and infrastructure gaps that prevent most AI initiatives from making it to production and what's needed to fix that in 2026.The new technical risk era: After years of focusing purely on market risk, VCs are back to evaluating deep technical challenges in agentic systems, browser automation, and continuous learning loops.The exceptionalism filter: How early-stage investors are separating signal from noise when everyone can spin up an AI startup and why founder insights and lived experience matter more than ever.Timestamped Highlights00:31 – What Felicis invests in and the types of AI companies dominating their portfolio right now02:58 – Why healthcare tech is finally ready for its AI moment after years of long sales cycles and unclear ROI08:15 – How outcome-based pricing is changing the VC evaluation playbook and unlocking 10x larger TAMs13:26 – The mythical one-person billion-dollar company: Is it real, and how would investors even spot it?17:18 – Voice AI as the gateway for enterprise adoption and why this modality is different from Siri and Alexa20:08 – Democratizing AI: What ChatGPT did for consumers and what needs to happen for enterprise buildersOne Thing Worth Remembering“These technologies can price towards the labor replacement markets, which is about 10x the size of the software market itself. The ROI right now is so tangible that it is a time to invest.”Subscribe and Stay in the LoopIf this episode gave you a new angle on where AI is actually delivering value, share it with a founder or investor who needs to hear it. Subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation, and drop a comment if there's a topic or guest you want us to tackle next.

The U.S. crypto scene is finally waking up.After years of regulatory uncertainty and innovation flight, the winds are shifting. Charlie Shrem sits down with Jesse Darnell, former Marine and founder of ADVXNCE Protocol, fresh off Token2049 in Singapore, to talk about why global builders are suddenly turning their eyes back to America.They dive into:What Token2049 reveals about the real direction of crypto in AsiaHow the U.S. is quietly reopening for crypto innovation — from Wyoming to D.C.The rise of “AI + Blockchain” startups and why VCs are finally paying attention againWhat it means to build a company that's both community-driven and battle-testedLessons from the Marines on leadership, pain, and moving fast in chaosWhy meme coins and serious protocols actually depend on each otherIt's a grounded, hopeful conversation about where the next wave of building will happen — and what it'll take to win.Jesse Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jemappellejesse Thank you for listening to The Charlie Shrem Show. For more free content and access to over 400 episodes, visit www.CharlieShrem.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Murray sits down with Nathan Gwilliam, the founder and CEO of PodUp, for an in-depth look at building and scaling a SaaS business in the ever-evolving world of podcasting. Nathan shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur, from launching his first business at BYU to building and selling three successful companies—including Adoption.com, the world's most-used adoption platform. Nathan takes us behind the scenes of PodUp, a platform designed to streamline every aspect of podcast creation, growth, and monetization through a suite of over 60 integrated tools—including sophisticated AI features. He opens up about the inspiration behind PodUp, the challenges of integrating dozens of technologies for content creators, and how a focus on both software and done-for-you services (through Pod Allies) is redefining the podcasting ecosystem. Together, Ben and Nathan discuss PodUp's fundraising journey, the nuances of working with angel investors versus VCs, and key metrics that drive sustainable SaaS growth. Nathan also offers practical advice for founders on raising capital, finding the right investors, and why bootstrapping a functional MVP can dramatically improve your fundraising odds. Whether you're a creator, entrepreneur, or SaaS enthusiast, this episode is packed with firsthand insight and actionable takeaways for anyone looking to win big in the creator economy. Show Notes: 00:00 "Integrated Platform Solving Time Constraints" 06:23 "Comprehensive Content & Monetization Tools" 07:40 Podcast Monetization Strategy Explained 12:56 "Board Accountability and Updates" 14:11 Bootstrap Before Raising Money 18:13 DIY Software Market Challenges 22:13 Key Metrics for SaaS Survival 26:39 "Choosing SaaS Use Cases Wisely" 27:26 "SaaS vs Service Business Valuations" 30:37 "Start & Grow Your Podcast" Links: SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/podup-raises-5-8-million-in-funding Nathan Gwilliam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ PodUp's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/poduppodcasting/ PodUp's Website: https://podup.com/ To learn more about Ben check out the links below: Subscribe to Ben's daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to Ben's SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/ Join Ben's SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray

Our show today is being sponsored by Free Float Analytics, the only platform measuring board power, connections, and performance for FREE.DAMIONAmazon to announce largest layoffs in company history, in AI push. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Former CEO Jeff BezosAICovid (This wave of layoffs results from overhiring during the pandemic)Executive Chair and largest shareholder Jeff BezosF5 Expects Revenue Hit From Cyber Attack. F5, a $20B billion technology company with impressive gross profit margins of 81%, experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain company systems by a sophisticated nation-state threat actor. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The Risk committee: Dreyer, Klein, Montoya, Budnik*Chair Marianne Budnik is deemed to have Cybersecurity experience because she serves as a Chief Marketing Officer in the cybersecurity industryPeter Klein was the CFO at Microsoft for less than 4 years, then was the CFO for WME for 6 months and then has only been a director since 2014.Risk committee member Michael Montoya specifically. F5 revealed that the director mysteriously resigned in the same filing it disclosed the cyberattack, despite having served for only 4 years. According to the proxy, had “extensive experience as an information security executive.” Following his resignation from the Board, Mr. Montoya continued his service with the Company and has been appointed as F5's Chief Technology Operations Officer.The entire board, for doing dumb modern day board things: announced that CEO François Locoh-Donou, would assume the additional role of Chair of the Board following the Company's next Annual Meeting of Shareholders 12 days after they announced the cyberattack.Investors. 98% YES average this year: 7 over 99.2%, including Risk Committee Chair Marriane Budnik with 99.6%. Nobody feels like they have to work hard to impress anyoneF5! It's a god damn cybersecurity company!How climate change is fueling Hurricane Melissa's ferocity. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Exxon CEO Darren Woods because he sued his own shareholders last year: Arjuna Capital, LLC and Follow ThisExxon CEO Darren Woods because just yesterday: Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosuresExxon CEO Darren Woods because gas and oilClimate ChangeOpenAI says U.S. needs more power to stay ahead of China in AI: ‘Electrons are the new oil' WHO DO YOU BLAME?The fear-and-spending geniuses behind the original Cold War: Truman, Stalin, ChurchillPeople who historically ignored Eisenhower and his statements on the U.S. military-industrial complex when he explicitly warned that defense contractors and the military could exert undue influence on government policy. Sound familiar?Anyone who empowered the board to not be empowered when they tried to fire Sam Altman for such reasons as:Conflicts over OpenAI's rapid growth and direction, especially the tension between aggressive AI deployment vs. safety oversight.Power dynamics between Altman, key researchers, and board members — some may have felt he had too much unilateral control.The college that let Sam Altman drop outSammy Altman Citi's Jane Fraser consolidates power with board chair vote — and a $25 million-plus bonus to boot. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The entire Compensation, Performance Management and Culture CommitteeThese two long-tenured Compensation, Performance Management and Culture Committee membersDiana L. Taylor* 10 other directorships: Brookfield Corporation, Accion (Chair), Columbia Business School (Board of Overseers),Friends of Hudson River Park (Chair), Mailman School of Public Health (Board of Overseers), The Economic Club of New York (Member), Council on Foreign Relations (Member), Hot Bread Kitchen (Board Chair), Cold Spring Harbor Lab (Member), and New York City Ballet (Board Chair)Peter B. Henry*8 other directorships: Nike, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., National Bureau of Economic Research (Board), The Economic Club of New York (Board), Protiviti (Advisory Board), Biospring Partners (Advisory Board), Makena Capital (Advisory Board), and Two Bridges Football Club (Board)The lowest common denominator effect of bank compensation committees:Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf: ~$30M special equity grant tied to becoming Chair as well as CEO (3 months after meeting)Goldman Sachs: CEO David Solomon & COO John Waldron ~$80M each (retention RSUs vesting in ~5 yrs)KeyCorp: CEO Chris Gorman & four other senior execs: ~$8M for Gorman; ~$17M combined for the five NEOsThe passive ownership (re: management-friendly) of BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard (combined 22%): without their votes at Goldman then Say on Pay was nearly tied, which might have dissuaded the year of one-off bonuses for banking CEOs??The world is about $4.5 trillion short of securing a sustainable food supply for the future, global food and ag business CEO [Sunny Verghese, CEO of food and ag company Olam Group] says. WHO DO YOU BLAME?The world's top 28 richest people (those worth ~$160 B each) together would equal $4.5 trillionThe world's greatest sycophant Tesla chair RobynDenholm: “On the pay package specifically: “It's not about the money for him. If there had been a way of delivering voting rights that didn't necessarily deliver dollars, that would have been an interesting proposition.”Any two of these basically redundant techbro companies' market caps would sufficeNvidia ~$4.2 trillion Microsoft ~$3.8 trillion Apple ~$3.1 trillion Amazon ~$2.4 trillion Alphabet ~$2.2 trillion Meta Platforms ~$1.8 trillion Broadcom ~$1.3 trillion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company ~$1.2 trillionBill Ackman. Because he's a douche.MATTTarget is eliminating 1,800 roles as new CEO Michael Fiddelke gets set to take over the struggling retailer - WHO DO YOU BLAME?Current CEO Brian Cornell, who's “stepping down” to the role of Executive Chair - which is basically still CEO, just on the board and doesn't have to talk to employees anymore, so he can eliminate 1800 jobs and then fade away into a multimillion dollar unaccountable board roleFuture CEO Michael Fiddelke, who starts February 1, 2026, but is current COO and was forced to send the memo to employees telling them 8% of the workforce will be cutMonica Lozano, chair of the compensation and human capital management committee of the board, who's also on the BofA and Apple boards and is the most connected board member at a highly connected board - does the chair of the human capital committee have to weigh in on firing?OpenAI - the memo makes zero mention of the fact that part of Target's problem is that it shit on gays and blacks because of a feckless internet toad named Robby Starbuck, but feels very written by AI which would account for phrases like:“Adjusting our structure is one part of the work ahead of us. It will also require new behaviors and sharper priorities that strengthen our retail leadership in style and design and enable faster execution so we can: Lead with merchandising authority; Elevate the guest experience with every interaction; and Accelerate technology to enable our team and delight our guests.”Does anyone know what that word salad actually means? Doesn't it just mean “you're fired because we basically sucked at our jobs”?Hormel recalls 4.9M pounds of chicken possibly 'contaminated with pieces of metal' - WHO DO YOU BLAME?The audit committee, the closest committee responsible for enterprise risk (ie, metal in chicken) - Stephen M. Lacy, William A. Newlands (also lead director), Debbra L. Schoneman, Sally J. Smith (chair), Steven A. White, Michael P. ZechmeisterThe governance committee - James Snee, the now retired CEO who retired somehow in January but the company still hasn't found a permanent replacement 9 months later - so they're being run by Jeff Ettinger, interim CEO? Chair Gary C. Bhojwani, Elsa A. Murano, Ph.D., William A. Newlands (also lead director), Debbra L. Schoneman, Steven A. WhiteThe one black guy on the board - Steve White - who works at Comcast, is somehow qualified to be on Hormel board, and is on BOTH the audit committee AND governance committeeThe conveyor belt that spit pieces of metal as large as 17mm long into “fire braised chicken” sent to hotels and restaurantsCervoMed appoints McKinsey veteran David Quigley to board of directors - WHO DO YOU BLAME? Board is 2 VCs, a longtime biotech CFO, and five MD/PhDs. And among those 8, there are just two woman - the co-founder/wife of the CEO and a VC. And when they did their search, they could only find a longtime professional opinion haver - a consultant from the big three?Nominating committee for lack of imaginationEx or current McKinsey, Bain, and BCG employed directors - the opinion industrial complex - make up a whopping 4% of ALL US DIRECTORSAmong boards with MULTIPLE ex opinion directors: Kohl's is 25% consultantStarbucks is 27% consultantDisney is 30% consultantsWilliams-Sonoma is 38% consultantCBRE is 40% consultant!Nominating committee chair Jane Hollingsworth, for not looking around the room and saying, “hey dudes, can we add, like, maybe, ONE other lady?”Co founders Sylvie Gregoire and John Alam (also CEO) who own 17.3% of voting power - add in Josh Boger, board chair and 12.3% voter, and you basically have the CEO daddy and his buddy Josh with 29.6% of voting controlSylvie and John's bios, which neglect to mention they're married to one anotherWe are all terrified of the future - which headline is worse for your terror? WHO DO YOU BLAME?The world is about $4.5 trillion short of securing a sustainable food supply for the future, global food and ag business CEO saysBill Gates Says Climate Change ‘Will Not Lead to Humanity's Demise' - ostensibly because billionaires in bunkers will, in fact, survive on cans of metal-filled Hormel chili.Sorry, Yoda. Mentors are going out of styleMan Alarmed to Discover His Smart Vacuum Was Broadcasting a Secret Map of His HouseJennifer Garner's baby food company is going public on the NYSE — should investors be putting their eggs in this basket?Woman Repeatedly Warned by Canadian Exchange Not to Transfer Crypto, Gets Scammed AnywayOpenAI completes restructure, solidifying Microsoft as a major shareholder - MSFT owns 27%, the non profit which controlled the company “for the benefit of humanity” now will only control it for 26% of humanity?Tesla risks losing CEO Musk if $1 trillion pay package isn't approved, board chair says - IF MUSK LEAVES, WHO DO YOU BLAME?Robyn Denholm, board chair, whose job it is to manage Musk, but does it like an overwhelmed permissive mother who parents with chocolate and Teletubbies when the kid has a tantrumKimbal Musk - I was told by a bunch of directors and institutional investors at a conference, no joke, that Kimbal was still on the board (ie, not voted out) to control his brother's ketamine intake and crazy episodes. So if he throws a tantrum and leaves, isn't it bro's fault? This is a binary trade - Musk gets extra pay/control, stock goes up and isn't de-meme'd. Musk doesn't, he leaves and the stock is de-meme'd and drops arguably by 66% or more to be more like a car company with some tech. So do we blame investors, no matter what they do? They meme'd the stock in the first place, he couldn't get a trillion extra dollars if they hadn't pumped up the stock - and now they could vote with humanity (no pay) or meme capitalism (pay)!Techbro middle school conservatism - is this Ben Shapiro and Joe Rogan's fault? A Yale economist paper suggests that Musk's politics cost between 1 and 1.26 million Tesla car sales… Would we even be worried if Musk stayed out of politics? Wouldn't the market have just paid him whatever?Pop quiz: which directors stay on the board if Musk leaves in a tantrum?Jeffrey StraubelKimbal MuskRobyn DenholmJames MurdochKathleen Wilson-ThompsonIra EhrenpreisJack HartungJoe Gebbia

Host Yolanda Fintschenko, Executive Director of Daybreak Labs and i-GATE Innovation Hub, home of the Startup Tri-Valley (STV) Initiative, sits down with Luis Martinez, PhD, Senior Venture Associate with Capital Factory and Daybreak Labs advisor. In this inspiring conversation, Luis shares his remarkable 25-year journey from a synthetic organic chemist at Harvard to a management consultant, university professor, ecosystem builder, and now venture capitalist.Luis offers invaluable insights for technical founders on what VCs really look for: capital efficiency, velocity, and the courage to be "bold crazy." He explains why not every company should pursue venture capital, the critical importance of continuous customer discovery, and how founders can build rocket ships worthy of VC investment. Luis also discusses Capital Factory's unique model as the "center of gravity for entrepreneurs outside of Silicon Valley" and the strategic advantages of the Tri-Valley ecosystem—from its proximity to Lawrence Livermore National Lab and the Bay Area to its untapped potential in energy, space, biotech, and ag tech.Tune in or watch the link to YouTube to learn why entrepreneurship is a team sport, how to leverage regional ecosystems for national impact, and what it takes to build a real business that's 10x better than the competition.

Jan Szilayi is the co-founder of Reflexivity, a AI market research platform that is quietly becoming the secret weapon for some of the world's top investors.Backed by legendary figures like Stanley Druckenmiller, Thomas Peterffy, and Greg Coffey, and partnered with Microsoft, Reflexivity is already being used by major hedge funds like Millennium and Soros Fund Management to navigate the overwhelming flood of market data.In this conversation, we explore how AI is evolving from a simple data tool into an analytical partner that helps investors ask questions they didn't even know they should be asking.We discuss the key principles from legendary investors that are baked into the platform's DNA, and we tackle the big question: Could an AI one day compete with the best asset managers on the planet?⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.comReflexivity website - https://reflexivity.com/enJan Szilagyi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-szilagyi-12284ab

Jim Curry is the co-founder and CEO of BuildGroup, a venture firm based in Austin that has raised $330 million since its founding in 2015 and backed companies like Anaconda, Vidmob, DigniFi, and Benefitfocus. He brings more than two decades of experience in product, strategy, and corporate development from roles at Rackspace and Dell, and he co-founded OpenStack, one of the most widely used open source cloud computing platforms. Jim serves on the boards of Generation Serve and the University of Texas School of Undergraduate Studies. He holds degrees from UT Austin and Harvard Business School.In this conversation, we discuss:Jim's journey from Rackspace to launching BuildGroup and why he believes in “longer, slower capital” to support mission-driven foundersHow his experience co-founding OpenStack shaped his thinking on community-driven innovation and open-source softwareWhat AI startups can learn from the cloud era—and why infrastructure still matters in the age of foundation modelsWhy Jim believes VCs often push startups to scale too fast and what sustainable growth looks like in practiceThe impact of AI on venture capital and how BuildGroup thinks about investing in software companies that solve real problemsHow founders can balance product vision with pragmatism, especially when building in volatile marketsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jim on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Develop NLP and AI Data Harvesting Using Games and Blockchains To Earn NFTs

“It can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it,” says Amy Lewin, of entrepreneurs who are unhappy in their own companies.  Amy is the Editor at Sifted, a media platform focused on Europe's startup ecosystem and she joins The Conscious Entrepreneur podcast to discuss a survey Sifted recently posed to a number of entrepreneurs, the vast majority of whom reported experiencing poor mental health, high stress and even a strong desire to leave their businesses within the coming year. Though these figures may seem alarming, they merely shed light on common struggles and pressures felt by entrepreneurs which are so often swept under the rug for fear of looking weak or needing to maintain an ultra positive mindset in order to see their businesses succeed. On today's episode Amy will reveal more of the survey's findings as well as what venture capitalists (VCs) can do to support entrepreneurs, in whom they, after all, have a vested interest.    The survey highlights the importance of a community in an entrepreneur's life. Family and friends share the entrepreneur's burden, while simultaneously being unable to relate. Professional networks of like-minded contemporaries can go a long way toward making isolated individuals feel heard and connected, as well as ease the mental health stigma.    Today, Amy shares the common regret shared among most entrepreneurs and why quitting might be the best thing they could do for their careers.    Quotes “It was just a real sign of the personal toll—and not just even on the founders, but on their family, on their friends, on their colleagues—just another reminder that building startups is really tough.”  (4:48 | Amy Lewin)  “Whenever we publish stories about that personal side of company building at Sifted, we get the most amazing response. People love knowing that they're not the only ones. And I think sometimes, startup culture is so much that you've got to be optimistic. You've got to believe that your company can be the one in 100 that's going to really make it. You hear from so many people that your idea is never going to work and you have to believe in it yourself and I think when times are really hard it can be difficult for people to know who they can speak to about it.” (6:27 | Amy Lewin)  “That attitude that's going to be out there from some corners that if you are struggling in any way then you are weak and that you're not in it for the long term, which I obviously don't believe, but is obviously what some people still think.”  (13:04 | Amy Lewin) “Encourage founders to go on holiday. Encourage them to have a personal life. These things are important. We all need to recharge our batteries and ‘visionaries do,' too. There's that famous saying that comes from the VC world: “I've never seen a company go bust because the founder took a week off, but I have seen plenty of companies go bust because the founder didn't.'”  (18:26 | Amy Lewin and Alex Raymond)   Links Connect with Amy Lewin: https://sifted.eu/articles/founder-mental-health-2024   Connect with Alex Raymond: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/ Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/ HiveCast.fm is a proud sponsor of The Conscious Entrepreneur Podcast. Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Wyatt Lonergan, a visionary investor at VanEck Ventures, as he shares his incredible journey of becoming a key player in Web3 and blockchain innovation. Wyatt's story is one of curiosity, resilience, and a passion for building the future of finance. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a crypto enthusiast, or simply curious about Web3, this episode is packed with insights on stablecoins, DeFi, tokenized assets, and venture capital.What You'll Learn:

In this episode of GrownLearn, host Zorina Dimitrova sits down with Andrea Iorio — one of Brazil's most sought-after keynote speakers and a global authority on digital transformation, leadership, and human behavior in the age of AI. Andrea shares his groundbreaking approach to AI implementation, focusing not on the technology itself but on people, mindset, and ethics. Drawing from his roles as Head of Tinder Latin America and Chief Digital Officer at L'Oréal Brazil, he explains why most AI projects fail — and how leaders can build the skills and governance needed for long-term success. Together, Zorina and Andrea explore: Why AI success depends on human soft skills — not just data and algorithms How to create a culture of adaptability, empathy, and curiosity in business The three pillars of skill transformation from Andrea's upcoming book Between You and AI Why behavioral change, not technical training, drives digital transformation Whether you're a business leader, innovator, or lifelong learner, this conversation will challenge how you think about technology, leadership, and growth in the AI era. Instagram : @aiorio_br Linkedin : www.linkedin.com/in/andreaiorio/ Latest Book: https://www.amazon.com/Between-You-AI-Unlock-AI-Driven/dp/1394357982 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karl Alomar, Managing Partner at M13 and former COO of DigitalOcean, joins The Tech Trek to share how being an operator changes the way you invest. He explains why M13 was built to be a truly founder-first VC firm—one that acts early, helps proactively, and builds deep relationships rooted in empathy and experience. From spotting great founders to balancing instinct and data, this episode explores how venture capital can drive better outcomes when it focuses on people as much as product.Key Takeaways• The most effective VCs act before problems surface, shaping a founder's path rather than reacting to it.• Founder–market fit often comes down to whether someone is a specialist with deep expertise or an athlete who can adapt fast.• Empathy built through years of operating experience creates trust that fuels honest conversations and better decisions.• Great founders lead with vision—they can inspire, recruit, and align teams behind a clear story of what's possible.• Even the best instincts and pattern recognition can't outplay timing, luck, and market shifts—but reflection and learning can.Timestamped Highlights(01:20) How being an operator shaped Karl's approach to venture capital(06:48) The three kinds of investors—and why empathy gives operators an edge(09:54) Creating a safe space where founders can share problems without fear(14:13) Identifying “athletes” and “specialists” when evaluating founders(20:33) Pattern matching, instincts, and the role of luck in investing(23:50) What M13 learns from postmortems on both wins and missesA Line That Stuck“To do it the right way, you have to be a proactive investor, not a reactive one.”Pro TipsKarl suggests founders build relationships with investors who understand their world and seek out those who can help them see around corners—not just react when things break.Call to ActionIf this episode resonated, follow The Tech Trek on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and connect with Amir Bormand on LinkedIn for more conversations at the intersection of people, impact, and technology.

This week on New Wave Weekly:

In this powerful episode of Power Talks, recorded live at Latitude59 in Nairobi, host Ssuna Ronald sits down with Shawn Maraya, the visionary CEO of SiteSeer. Discover how this trained architect is tackling one of Africa's most persistent problems: chronic construction delays that cost the continent a staggering $45 billion annually.Shawn reveals how his company uses a simple hard hat-mounted camera to create a "digital twin" of construction sites, bringing much-needed transparency and data-driven decision-making to an industry ripe for disruption. We dive into his journey from architect to tech founder, the challenges of introducing innovation to "old money" sectors, and his bootstrapped path to managing over a million square meters of data.Whether you're in construction, tech, investing, or just fascinated by African innovation, this conversation is a masterclass in identifying a massive problem and building a clever, human-centric solution.(00:01:05) - The Big Idea: What is SiteSeer? The vision to revolutionize construction's three pillars.(00:01:51) - The Simple Analogy: How SiteSeer works, explained using a "food delivery" model.(00:02:19) - The Tech on Site: From hard hats to "Digital Twins" - how the magic happens.(00:02:59) - The $45 Billion Problem: The shocking scale of delays and losses in African construction.(00:05:10) - The Founder's Story: Why a young, geeky architect took on this giant industry.(00:07:08) - Traction & The Future: Bootstrapping, a $1.2M fundraise, and expansion plans across Africa.(00:08:45) - Parting Wisdom: Shawn's powerful advice for every entrepreneur: "Bet on yourself."Power Talks is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of business and technology in Africa. Host Ssuna Ronald brings you face-to-face with the most dynamic founders, investors, and ecosystem builders driving progress across the continent. From deep-dive interviews with startup founders to insights from top VCs and event coverage from hubs like Nairobi and Kigali, we unpack the big ideas, the bigger opportunities, and the game-changing conversations you need to hear.Subscribe to stay updated on Africa's innovation revolution.Enjoyed this episode? Please subscribe, rate us, and share it with a friend, a founder, or anyone who believes in the power of African innovation.Executive Producer: Ssuna RonaldSound Engineer: Gumisiriza RichardArt Direction: Abdu Latif OkalangPowered By: Latitude 59
Connect via: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠For Inquiries: ⁠⁠emailpowertalks@gmail.com⁠⁠

In this episode of Power Talks, recorded live at Latitude59 in Nairobi, host Ssuna Ronald sits down with Mike Strano, Co-founder and COO of Yakwetu Online Limited. Dive into the ambitious mission to create a premier on-demand platform dedicated entirely to African storytelling. Mike reveals the shocking scale of the piracy crisis robbing African creatives of $803 million a year and how his company's proprietary technology is not just streaming content, but actively creating a legal, profitable ecosystem for filmmakers.We explore Yakwetu's unique four-product strategy, from the pay-per-view model of "My Movies Africa" to their groundbreaking encrypted screening tool that's being used by churches and events. Mike also shares his philosophy as a bootstrapped founder with a proven track record, why he believes his venture is a safe bet for investors, and his plan to legitimize 54,000 illegal movie shops across Kenya. If you're curious about the future of African media, entertainment tech, and resilient entrepreneurship, this conversation is a must-listen.(00:00:43) - The Big Idea: Mike introduces Yakwetu and its mission to empower African creatives.(00:01:10) - The Product Suite: A breakdown of Yakwetu's four key products, including "My Movies Africa."(00:02:16) - The $803M Piracy Problem: Mike reveals the staggering financial loss and their encrypted solution for screenings.(00:04:18) - Legitimizing an Illegal Market: The innovative plan to partner with 54,000 "movie shops" and split revenue three ways.(00:06:08) - Quality vs. Relatability: How Yakwetu curates content and the power of a good story.(00:07:48) - The Bootstrapped Journey: Mike discusses bootstrapping since 2014 and the current search for a $1M pre-seed round.(00:09:42) - The Future Vision: Yakwetu's next step as a marketplace for media, similar to Amazon's model.(00:11:53) - Global Ambitions: Patenting their anti-piracy tech for markets in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and beyond.Power Talks is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of business and technology in Africa. Host Ssuna Ronald brings you face-to-face with the most dynamic founders, investors, and ecosystem builders driving progress across the continent. From deep-dive interviews with startup founders to insights from top VCs and event coverage from hubs like Nairobi and Kigali, we unpack the big ideas, the bigger opportunities, and the game-changing conversations you need to hear.Subscribe to stay updated on Africa's innovation revolution.Enjoyed this episode? Please subscribe, rate us, and share it with a friend, a founder, or anyone who believes in the power of African innovation.Executive Producer: Ssuna RonaldSound Engineer: Gumisiriza RichardArt Direction: Abdu Latif OkalangPowered By: Latitude 59
Connect via: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠For Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠emailpowertalks@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of Power Talks, recorded live at their Nairobi event, host Ssuna Ronald sits down with Kai Isand, a key organizer and Head of Programs for Latitude59. Dive into the story of why this premier European tech conference, born in the "startup nation" of Estonia, is making a strategic home in Africa. Kai reveals the mind-blowing reception they received in Kenya, drawing parallels between the hunger of today's African entrepreneurs and the early days of Estonia's own tech miracle.We explore Latitude59's unique role not as a direct investor, but as a high-quality connector and community builder, facilitating serendipitous moments between African startups, global investors, and policymakers. Kai discusses the success of their first investor day, the vital partnership with Smart Africa, and their ambitious goal to become the biggest and most impactful tech conference on the continent. If you're building a startup, looking to invest, or curious about the bridges being built between Africa and Europe, this conversation provides an essential insider's perspective.(00:00:46) - The Latitude59 Mission: Kai introduces her role and the success of their first investor day in Nairobi.(00:01:17) - The Estonian Story: Why the "startup nation" is looking to Kenya and what the ecosystems have in common.(00:02:49) - Building Bridges, Not Dictating: How Latitude59 fosters inclusive, co-creative communities between Africa and Europe.(00:04:34) - The "Serendipity" Model: Explaining Latitude59's role as a platform and connector, not a direct funder or incubator.(00:06:12) - The African Ambition: Latitude59's goal to become the biggest and highest-quality tech conference in Africa.(00:07:47) - Government & Policy: The crucial role of partnerships with entities like Smart Africa in shaping a thriving startup ecosystem.(00:08:54) - Advice for Startups: How founders should use events like Latitude59 to build relationships and secure funding.Power Talks is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of business and technology in Africa. Host Ssuna Ronald brings you face-to-face with the most dynamic founders, investors, and ecosystem builders driving progress across the continent. From deep-dive interviews with startup founders to insights from top VCs and event coverage from hubs like Nairobi and Kigali, we unpack the big ideas, the bigger opportunities, and the game-changing conversations you need to hear.Subscribe to stay updated on Africa's innovation revolution.Enjoyed this episode? Please subscribe, rate us, and share it with a friend, a founder, or anyone who believes in the power of African innovation.Executive Producer: Ssuna RonaldSound Engineer: Gumisiriza RichardArt Direction: Abdu Latif OkalangPowered By: Latitude 59
Connect via: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠For Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠emailpowertalks@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

In this episode of Power Talks, host Ssuna Ronald sits down with Anil Atmaramani, a Partner at Antler focused on West Africa. Dive into the unique model of this global venture capital firm that invests at "day zero"—backing high-potential individuals even before they have a concrete idea. Anil, a Canadian with two decades of experience on the continent, reveals why he holds an unwavering conviction that "the future is African," and how Antler is structured to accelerate that future.We explore Antler's grueling, highly-selective residency program that sifts through 5,000 applications to find the top 20 founders, the traits they look for beyond a business plan (grit, resilience, and coachability), and what successful alumni like Uncover and Honeycoin are achieving. If you're an aspiring founder who has faced failure, an investor curious about pre-seed opportunities, or believe in Africa's demographic destiny, this conversation is a masterclass in founder-first investing.(00:00:51) - The Antler Model: What it means to be a "day zero" investor and how the residency program works.(00:02:34) - Investing in Founders, Not Ideas: Why Antler backs people first and how they assess character during the program.(00:04:00) - The Founder DNA: The key traits Antler looks for: grit, determination, coachability, and the willpower to face hard truths.(00:05:37) - Beyond the Check: The full suite of benefits for founders, from co-working space and cloud credits to a powerful global network.(00:06:23) - Antler's African Footprint: The impressive growth in Kenya and the upcoming launch in Lagos, Nigeria.(00:07:17) - Success Stories: A look at portfolio companies like the skincare brand Uncover and crypto-trading platform Honeycoin.(00:08:17) - The African Conviction: Anil's powerful personal thesis on why the future is undeniably African.(00:10:30) - A Message to Founders: Why failure is a "badge of honor" and a call to keep building.Power Talks is your front-row seat to the conversations shaping the future of business and technology in Africa. Host Ssuna Ronald brings you face-to-face with the most dynamic founders, investors, and ecosystem builders driving progress across the continent. From deep-dive interviews with startup founders to insights from top VCs and event coverage from hubs like Nairobi and Kigali, we unpack the big ideas, the bigger opportunities, and the game-changing conversations you need to hear.Subscribe to stay updated on Africa's innovation revolution.Enjoyed this episode? Please subscribe, rate us, and share it with a friend, a founder, or anyone who believes in the power of African innovation.Executive Producer: Ssuna RonaldSound Engineer: Gumisiriza RichardArt Direction: Abdu Latif OkalangPowered By: Latitude 59
Connect via: ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠For Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠emailpowertalks@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

Join Marina Franklin on the latest Friends Like Us podcast with special guests Jon Laster & Marlon Nichols as they dive into the world of venture capital, diversity in tech, and the untapped potential in Africa. Don't miss this insightful episode!  Jon Laster is known for One Bedroom (2018), No More Mr Nice Guy (2018) and The 2019 ESPY Awards (2019) and check out his new series An Astute Woman Web Series. He is the Founder and C.E.O. of Blapp. Blapp is a Google-based, geo-located app that will tell you all the Black businesses that are right around you. Marlon Nichols is the co-founder and managing general partner of MaC Venture Capital, a leading seed-stage firm renowned for backing visionary founders who redefine industries. Under his leadership, MaC has grown into one of North America's largest seed-stage venture firms, surpassing $600 million in assets under management (AUM). In October 2024, the firm announced the closing of its third fund ($150 million), further solidifying its influence in the early-stage investment landscape. Marlon's portfolio includes industry-defining companies such as Airspace, Blavity, FINESSE, Gimlet Media, MongoDB, Pipe, Purestream, Thrive Market, and Shekel Mobility, among others. His keen eye for transformative opportunities has earned him widespread recognition, including consecutive placements on Los Angeles Business Journal's LA500 (2022–2025) and Business Insider's Seed 100 (Top Early-Stage Investors) for four years. Additionally, he ranks 25th on the Kauffman Fellows Fund Returners Index and has been featured in PitchBook's 25 Black Founders and VCs to Watch for six years. His expertise is frequently sought by top media outlets such as Axios, CNBC, Fortune, and more. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Marlon serves on the board of Kauffman Fellows, working to expand representation for underrepresented minorities in venture capital. With a unique blend of technology acumen and leadership principles shaped by his athletic background, he actively mentors CEOs, fosters strategic partnerships, and helps founders scale their businesses into market leaders. Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf. Writer for HBO's 'Divorce' and the new Tracy Morgan show on Paramount Plus: 'Crutch  

Concentration beats diversification. One stock. That's all Jaden Sterling bought during the 1990s. It tripled, became capital for 125 real estate deals, and eventually funded Sterling Stock Picker, a stock-picking platform now serving 3,000 investors. What most financial advisors don't tell you: diversification is what you do when you don't know what you're doing. When Jaden's clients at Merrill Lynch held 4-6 solid companies, they were pressured to sell and diversify into mutual funds. The math later showed holding those original positions would've beaten all the churn. The path to real wealth isn't about spreading money thin. It's about focused conviction in what you actually understand. I sat down with Jaden to talk about deal structures across real estate, concentrated stock investing, raising capital from customers instead of VCs, and why your relationship with money mirrors your relationship with yourself. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/jadensterling FOR MORE ON JADEN STERLING:https://www.sterlingstockpicker.com/jaden_sterling FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFERhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today!

Derek Champagne talks with Sramana Mitra. Sramana is the founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world's first and only global virtual incubator/accelerator. Its goal is to help a million entrepreneurs globally reach a million dollars in annual revenue, build a trillion dollars in global GDP, and create 10 million jobs.Since its founding in 2010, 1Mby1M has become a powerful platform for democratization of entrepreneurship acceleration.Sramana also developed 1Mby1M's Incubator-in-a-Box methodology for Corporate Incubation that is used by enterprises to manage internal and external innovation endeavors.In 2015, LinkedIn named Sramana one of their Top 10 Influencers alongside Bill Gates and Richard Branson.Sramana has been an entrepreneur and a strategy consultant in Silicon Valley since 1994. Her fields of experience span from hardcore technology disciplines like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Semiconductors, to sophisticated consumer marketing industries including e-commerce, fashion and education.As an entrepreneur CEO, Sramana founded three companies: Dais (off-shore software services), Intarka (sales lead generation and qualification software using Artificial Intelligence algorithms; VC: NEA) and Uuma (online personalized store for selling clothes using Expert Systems software; VC: Redwood). Two of these were acquired, while the third received an acquisition offer from Ralph Lauren which the company did not accept.As strategy consultant, Sramana has consulted with over 80 companies, including public companies such as SAP, Cadence Design Systems, Webex, KLA-Tencor, Best Buy, MercadoLibre and Tessera among others. Her work has also included numerous startups and VCs.Sramana has a Masters degree in EECS from MIT and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Economics from Smith College.From 2000 to 2004, Sramana chaired the MIT Club of Northern California's entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley.Learn more at www.1Mby1M.comBusiness Leadership Series Intro and Outro music provided by Just Off Turner: https://music.apple.com/za/album/the-long-walk-back/268386576

Last Friday, billions evaporated in a liquidation cascade—and nobody knows exactly what happened because centralized exchanges won't share the data. In this sponsored episode recorded at Aptos' NYC event, Aptos CEO Avery Ching says if their Decibel perpetual exchange had been live, traders would have seen every order, every spread change, every liquidation in real-time onchain. But while critics argue existing perp DEXs like Hyperliquid are already decentralized, Ching says most still match orders off-chain in black boxes. Avery explains why Decibel (launching Q1 2026) will be different, how 500 million Indian users are coming to crypto through Reliance Jio's Jiocoin, and why Aptos partnered with World Liberty Financial despite VCs calling it "garbage in your living room." Guest: Avery Ching, CEO & Co-Founder, Aptos Links:  The Composable Global Exchange Engine, by Avery Ching, CEO Aptos Aptos Post: The fully onchain trading engine built by Decibel Foundation Previous coverage of Unchained on Black Friday: Crypto's Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Timestamps:

Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we bring you candid conversations with Europe's leading founders, corporate leaders, and investors shaping the future of venture collaboration.In this episode, Anne C. Fleischer, Global VP of Consumer Engagement and New Business Models at Novo Nordisk, joins Henrijette Richter, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners, for a conversation on the future of health innovation.Together they explore how corporates and VCs are driving the next wave of digital health, the role of AI in transforming patient care, and what it takes to turn breakthrough science into scalable business models.

What does it take to build and fund the companies that are truly transforming the built environment? This week, we are joined by Jesse Devitte, co-founder and General Partner of Building Ventures and a pioneer who has spent over three decades at the intersection of architecture, construction, and technology.Jesse shares his remarkable journey, from co-founding SoftDesk, the company that laid the groundwork for Autodesk's AEC division in the early 90s, to becoming one of the first venture capitalists dedicated to the industry. He explains the origin of Building Ventures, a firm created to invest across the entire lifecycle of how we design, build, and operate our world. Supported by a network of industry leaders, the firm was founded on the belief that a wave of innovation was coming, and the built environment was ready for a new generation of transformative companies.The conversation offers a rare look inside the mind of an investor, exploring the evolution of AEC tech, the business model challenges facing architecture firms, and what it takes to get a startup funded. Jesse reveals that his team looks for more than just a good idea; they look for founders with a unique, firsthand understanding of the problem they are solving."We want them to really not pitch us on a solution for their problem. We want them to be in love with the problem. That's an earned secret to us that someone has that they can apply that makes them really unique." - Jesse DevitteThis episode concludes with a forward-looking perspective on where the industry is headed. Jesse argues that the path forward requires a mindset shift from all players: architects must "lean in" to new opportunities like industrialized construction to maintain influence, and the industry as a whole must foster a collaborative ecosystem where startups, incumbents like Autodesk, and practitioners work together to drive progress. His story is a guide to where opportunity lives, offering invaluable insights for both aspiring entrepreneurs and firm leaders wondering how capital, innovation, and design intersect to shape the future of practice.Guest:Jesse Devitte is a co-founder and General Partner at Building Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups that are transforming the built environment. With a career spanning over 30 years, Jesse was a pioneer in AEC software development, co-founding SoftDesk, which was acquired by Autodesk to create its AEC Market Group. He later became one of the first VCs to focus on the built world, with early investments in iconic companies like SketchUp. Through Building Ventures, he continues to support entrepreneurs who are improving how we design, build, and operate our world.Is This Episode for You?This episode is for you if:✅ You are an entrepreneur with a startup idea for the AEC industry and want to know what investors look for. ✅ You are a firm leader trying to understand the broader trends in AEC technology and investment. ✅ You are curious about the evolution of venture capital in the built environment. ✅ You want to hear the perspective of a pioneer who has shaped AEC software from the beginning. ✅ You are interested in the future of design tech, pre-construction, sustainability, and industrialized construction.

Please note that due to our 501C3 status with One Giant Leap Foundation, all donation, subcriptions and gifts must go through PayPal, Zelle or by check to The Space Show in Las Vegas. See the large PayPal button on our website home page, www.thespaceshow.com for details these supporting ways to help The Space Show. We are working to be an approved nonprofit for Substack support but the process is tedious and lengthy. In the meantime, we do ask for and need your support.We talked about a a space-themed presentation about multi-planetary topics and artificial gravity research. We explored various aspects of space colonization, including the challenges of low gravity environments, the feasibility of artificial gravity solutions, and the potential for space tourism and medical research. The discussion concluded with a seven-step sequence for space exploration and considerations for future space missions, emphasizing the need for practical solutions and sustainable funding to advance human space travel. Space Show participants included Marshall Martin, Phil Swan, Dr. Ajay Kothari, and John Hunt.I introduced the evening's space show, highlighting upcoming guests and discussing the ongoing transition of podcasting to Substack. I announced several upcoming shows, including Hotel Mars with Anatoly Sack, Dr. Benaroya discussing lunar habitats, and Sam Jimenez from Astroport Space Tech. David welcomed Joe Carroll, an expert on advanced space transportation and artificial gravity, who would be sharing his presentation later in the show. I reminded listeners about the non-profit status of the show and encouraged support for their annual campaign.Joe discussed the current state of artificial gravity research, noting that while NASA's commercial lunar destinations program includes it as a stretch goal, no immediate plans exist for funding. He highlighted efforts by VAST, founded by Jeb McCallab, and Blue Origin, both of which are seriously interested in artificial gravity for long-term human health on the Moon and Mars. Our participants agreed that research into the effects of different gravity levels on human health is crucial for future space exploration, with Marshall suggesting that the Stanford Torus could be a valuable tool for such research.Our Space Show Zoom participants discussed the feasibility and challenges of colonizing Mars, focusing on the cost implications of one-way trips versus round trips, and the potential for raising families in low Martian gravity. They explored the idea of building a space station to simulate Martian gravity and investigate the effects of long-term exposure to low gravity on human health, particularly in terms of radiation exposure. Joe suggested conducting research on animals to understand the impact of low gravity on human physiology, while Marshall raised questions about the relationship between gravity and radiation exposure. The conversation concluded with a discussion on the potential benefits of establishing a settlement in equatorial low Earth orbit as a stepping stone to Mars colonization, though David noted the lack of concrete action towards addressing the gravity problem.The group discussed two main topics: the effects of microgravity on human health and the feasibility of artificial gravity in space travel. Joe explained that while short-term stays in microgravity (up to 3 months) don't cause severe health problems, longer missions of 6-12 months could lead to coordination issues upon return. Regarding artificial gravity, Joe noted that while rotating rooms have tested different spin rates, the experience would be significantly different in a spacecraft due to the gravity gradient. The group agreed that more tests are needed to determine the optimal spin radius and speed for human comfort in space, potentially using Crew Dragon for these experiments.Joe presented a detailed analysis of artificial gravity solutions for multi-planetary settlements, focusing on Moon and Mars gravity levels. He outlined seven distinct tests needed to determine the feasibility of artificial gravity, including ground-based simulations and Crew Dragon experiments. Joe emphasized the importance of testing these concepts in Earth orbit before attempting lunar or Martian settlements, due to the high costs and long travel times associated with space missions. He also discussed the potential for tourism to drive the development of artificial gravity technology and the need to determine the optimal gravity level for human health and comfort in space settlements.Joe discussed the design and functionality of a space facility that simulates Moon and Mars gravity through rotation at different speeds. He emphasized the importance of testing human health impacts in long-term low-gravity environments and highlighted the challenges of recycling and space constraints in future Mars missions. Marshall inquired about wet launch theories, and Joe explained the potential for pre-launch modifications to space vehicles for expanded functionality. Joe concluded that future space missions would require more space and gravity simulation, suggesting that Elon's current plans for Mars missions might need adjustments.Joe and David discussed the feasibility of a space project, focusing on the potential use of Starship for missions to Mars and the challenges involved. Joe expressed concerns about the practicality of sending people to Mars without proper preparation and suggested alternative locations for a launch site near the equator. They explored the possibility of securing funding from billionaires or innovative VCs, as government support seems unlikely. Joe estimated that the project could be completed within 5 years with adequate funding.The discussion focused on inflatable space structures, with Joe and David sharing insights about existing military and commercial applications, including Bigelow's earlier work and Sierra Space's current developments. They agreed that while there's significant interest in commercial space ventures, many startups face challenges in securing sustainable funding without clear operational revenue streams, noting that current market conditions offer numerous alternative investment opportunities. The conversation concluded with David emphasizing the need for a well-defined and practically ready project to attract serious investment, rather than just theoretical concepts.The group discussed the challenges and costs associated with space tourism and medical research in space. Marshall suggested that reducing the cost per pound to orbit could make space tourism feasible, but Joe pointed out that current launch costs are too high for widespread access. David emphasized the need for a commercial revenue stream to fund space activities, while Phil proposed creating a medical research lab in low Earth orbit with a 30-year return on investment. The conversation touched on the potential for pharmaceutical companies to fund such a project, but acknowledged the lack of current plans or funding for such initiatives.Joe discussed a seven-step sequence for space exploration, emphasizing the importance of gradual progress and building public trust. The group discussed the challenges and potential of sending humans to Mars, with John raising concerns about the lack of return capability. Phil emphasized the need for long-term arguments to create support for short-term plans, while Joe shared his experience with NASA funding and the visibility of space stations. The show concluded with plans for future discussions and a reminder to “keep looking up.”Special thanks to our sponsors:Northrup Grumman, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Helix Space in Luxembourg, Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Astrox Corporation, Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers University, The Space Settlement Progress Blog by John Jossy, The Atlantis Project, and Artless EntertainmentOur Toll Free Line for Live Broadcasts: 1-866-687-7223For real time program participation, email Dr. Space at: drspace@thespaceshow.comThe Space Show is a non-profit 501C3 through its parent, One Giant Leap Foundation, Inc. To donate via Pay Pal, use:To donate with Zelle, use the email address: david@onegiantleapfoundation.org.If you prefer donating with a check, please make the check payable to One Giant Leap Foundation and mail to:One Giant Leap Foundation, 11035 Lavender Hill Drive Ste. 160-306 Las Vegas, NV 89135Upcoming Programs:Broadcast 4446: ZOOM Dr. Haym Benaroya | Friday 17 Oct 2025 930AM PTGuests: Dr. Haym BenaroyaZOOM: Dr. Benaroya is here to discuss lunar habitat architecture, policy and lots more.Broadcast 4447: ZOOM Sam Ximenes of Astroport Space Technologies | Sunday 19 Oct 2025 1200PM PTGuests: Sam XimenesZoom: CEO & Founder of Astroport Space Tech, Sam Ximenes, is with us to discuss their lunar work, his being featured by National Geographic and more. Get full access to The Space Show-One Giant Leap Foundation at doctorspace.substack.com/subscribe

Industry leaders from Coder, Scale AI, and Suger reveal why 95% of AI pilots fail—and share the frameworks that actually work to get agents into production.Topics Include:Panel features leaders from Coder, Scale AI, and Suger discussing agentic AI.MIT report reveals 95% of AI pilots fail to reach production.Challenges are rarely technical—they're organizational, mindset, and people-driven instead.Companies lack documented tribal knowledge needed to train agents effectively.Many organizations attempt AI where deterministic, rules-based automation would work better."Freestyle agents" concept: Some problems shouldn't be solved by agents at all.Regulated industries struggle when asking agents to handle highly differentiated, complex tasks.Common mistakes: building one universal agent or separate agents for every use case.Post-billing workflows and business-critical operations aren't ready for AI's black box.VCs pressure companies to define "AI-native"—but nobody has clear answers yet.Scale AI uses five maturity levels; Coder uses three tiers for adoption.Success metrics span operational readiness, business impact, and technology performance indicators.Production requires data governance, context, A/B testing, and robust fallback mechanisms.Even Anthropic uses agents conservatively: research tasks and log triage, no write-access.Path to 50% success requires agile frameworks, people change, and proper AI talent.Participants:Ben Potter - VP of Product, CoderRaviteja Yelamanchili - Head of Solutions Engineering, Scale AIJon Yoo - CEO, SugerAdam Ross - US, Partner Sales Sr. Leader, Amazon Web ServicesSee how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

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This episode is for SaaS founders tired of the "grow at all costs" playbook—who suspect there's power in saying no to the wrong customers.Most SaaS companies don't fail because of bad product. They fail because they try to please everyone. Martin Balaam, CEO of Pimberly, chose restraint over reach. Former physicist turned serial entrepreneur, he'd already scaled and exited Jigsaw24 at 3x returns. At Pimberly, he refuses customers his team can't delight—even when they're ready to sign.And this inspired me to invite Martin to my podcast. We explore how qualifying customers as rigorously as they qualify you creates compound advantages. Martin shares hard-won insights about why he walked away from license-only models, when to choose service depth over customer volume, and what happens when you give your product roadmap to customers instead of VCs. You'll discover why maintaining sub-5% churn matters more than doubling growth rates.We also zoom in on two of the 10 traits that define remarkable software companies:Aim to be different, not just betterFocus on the essenceMartin's story is proof that sustainable SaaS growth comes from doing what others call unscalable.Here's one of Martin's quotes that captures his contrarian philosophy:"I really don't want to lose customers. I know from my life experience how much time and effort, blood, sweat, and tears you have in trying to acquire a customer. We'll openly put our hand up and say I can't see that this is actually gonna add the value—even though they might be happy to sign."By listening to this episode, you'll learn:Why saying no to willing customers protects your businessWhat "VIP leads" actually means (hint: not big orders)When founder-led sales should naturally transitionWhy physical presence beats remote-first for market entryFor more information about the guest from this week: Guest: Martin Balaam, CEO & Founder PimberlyWebsite: pimberly.com

Welcome to Culture Over Quota — a new segment within The E1B2 Collective Podcast hosted by Anthony “AJ” Vaughan. In this series, AJ merges two worlds that rarely speak the same language: HR and Revenue. Drawing from his journey as a founder, CHRO, CRO, and builder of multiple HR tech ventures, AJ unpacks what it truly means to scale businesses without burning out people, teams, or purpose.This isn't another “hit your number” sales show — it's a raw and forward-thinking exploration of how culture, leadership, and human psychology shape every quota you chase. AJ delves into the real tensions between founders and VCs, CHROs and CROs, sellers and buyers, and reveals how companies that prioritize people over profit actually win bigger, faster, and longer.Expect candid stories, lived lessons, and deep dives into the future of HR tech, sales culture, and organizational design — all anchored in one belief:If you build culture first, the quota takes care of itself.

Crypto follows patterns—just like every major wave of innovation. In this episode, Brad Holden of Protocol VC breaks down what really drives those cycles, how investors separate substance from hype, and where crypto and AI are beginning to converge.From evaluating early founders to understanding when to double down or step back, Brad shares how top VCs navigate frontier tech markets and what makes a company endure beyond the hype cycle.Key Takeaways• Crypto's ups and downs follow predictable adoption cycles—and understanding that rhythm matters.• Founders who focus on real problems, not hype, stand out in crowded markets.• AI and blockchain are intersecting through decentralized compute and data transparency.• Great founders show conviction, grit, and self-awareness—qualities investors notice immediately.• The strongest pitches come from founders who lead with their own vision, not what investors want to hear.Timestamped Highlights01:20 — Why crypto moves in repeating cycles and what drives each one03:40 — How blockchain transparency helps investors see real traction06:00 — Evaluating crypto startups: solving problems vs. chasing novelty10:49 — How blockchain complements and verifies AI13:05 — The hidden risk of building around hype15:53 — Why over-customizing your pitch can backfire17:50 — How top VCs view pivots and founder adaptability25:28 — The traits that signal long-term founder successA line worth remembering“Being too early is just another way of being wrong—but betting on the right founder can make up for almost anything.”Call to ActionIf you want to understand where crypto and AI actually intersect—and what real investors look for behind the scenes—follow The Tech Trek on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and join the conversation on LinkedIn.

In this episode of Zero to CEO, I speak with Anya Cheng, founder of AI fashion startup Taelor and former product leader at Meta, eBay, and Target. Anya shares her journey from Silicon Valley insider to scrappy startup founder, revealing how she scaled Taelor with zero marketing budget, secured funding from top VCs, and broke barriers as a female immigrant entrepreneur. We dive into the AI behind personalized fashion, lessons from tech giants, and what it takes to build a fast-growing brand on a shoestring. This episode is a must-listen for founders, fashion innovators, and anyone chasing startup success.

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for emerging manager VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with with Stephan Schenk of Stapelstein, a Berlin-based creator of colorful stacking stones and balance boards for open-ended play that encourages movement, balance, and creativity. Learn more at https://stapelstein.com/ In this episode, we explore how the Company has built a successful business in a high-cost market (Germany) while adhering to high eco standards, why Stephan decided to buyout his early investors and convert the company into a "steward-owned" business (similar to Patagonia) to better align with its mission, how he deals with cheap knockoffs, copycats and clones, the unique ROI attributes of raising capital for a steward-owned business, and more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $21 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC, venture studio or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for emerging manager VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with with Chaz Flexman of Starday Foods, AI-driven food innovation company that uses software and data to identify unmet consumer needs. Then Company then fulfills those needs with new products such as the All Day Chickpea Protein Toppers and the Abeya Allergen-Free Sweet Potato Crackers, among others. Learn more at https://www.stardayfoods.com/ In this episode, we discuss how they use market research and AI to identify unmet needs and opportunities in the CPG market, the importance of building an investor funnel of 150+ potential VCs, tips for updating investors on your funding progress to maintain a timeline, and much more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $21 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC, venture studio or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Today's show:Is Sora not just a copyright-killer but a TikTok-killer? Hear our review!The “This Week in Startups” team has been playing around inside OpenAI's viral app, which just hit #1 in the iOS Store. See all of Lon's creations, explore the land beyond the Uncanny Valley, and find out why the hottest new social app could stand to be a bit more social.PLUS Brave surpasses 100M MAUs… why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away, Apple pulls the ICEBlock app from the App Store, AND how one founder hacked his local coffee shop to network and even get face time with a few VCs! It's all happening of a fast-paced Friday TWiST.Timestamps:(0:00) Why Jason started an Executive Training program at LAUNCH(05:17) Perplexity's Comet browser is now FREE to use; Jason unpacks their strategy(10:02) Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST(13:42) PLUS browser/search engine Brave passed 100M MAUs!(17:44) How a founder “hacked” his local coffee shop(20:06) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist(21:35) You need to make it EASY for people to give you feedback!(25:41) A look at the leanest startups around and how companies are doing more with less(30:11) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.(30:38) Why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away!(38:56) Lon stops by to review the Sora app; the good, the bad, and the remixes!(48:45) Apple pulled the ICEBlock app… is this a free speech issue?(56:11) A new startup wants to fight gov't corruption… and keep a share of the proceedsSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWISTAlphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twistLinkedIn Ads: Thanks to our partner @LinkedInMktg. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916